Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has recently reported that almost 30% of businesses have seen an increase in the number of employees taking time off for mental health reasons, according to a survey conducted by both the BCC and Aviva, the UK’s largest insurer.  

Ian Luckett of Innovate to Success shares with us the secrets to creating a profitable, successful and sustainable business just by deliberately planning out what you do each day.

By definition, lobbying is “The act of attempting to influence business and government leaders to create legislation or conduct an activity that will help a particular organisation.”

Commenting on last quarter’s results of the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) Quarterly Economic Survey, Adam Marshall, Director General of the BCC, said:

“The availability of skilled staff remains the biggest issue that firms face. 

Frivolous plastic disposal is causing unthinkable damage to wildlife, ecosystems and even our food chains. It’s an epidemic that will continue to proliferate until we consciously and collectively start to change our behaviour.

Connectivity is a basic business requirement today, and erratic mobile coverage can be a significant hindrance for businesses on the ability to perform.

As the results from our Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) demonstrate, 20% of respondents saw export sales increase in Q2 of 2018. Since this comes at a time of uncertainty due to Brexit, other political and economical factors, we should remain positive about international growth in the coming months.

BCC: delay roll-out of Making Tax Digital

Following on from our previous post, here we discuss how the UK's apprenticeship levy can benefit business owners.

Are you a business benefiting from the apprenticeship levy?

Perhaps you are an SME with an annual bill of less than £3m. Or perhaps as a business, you have a significant skills gap within the enterprise.

Regardless of size, offering, or sector, businesses have a duty to behave in an environmentally responsible way. 

Sitting in back-to-back meetings all day can be excruciating. Especially when the attendees don’t want to be there, there's no particular objective, and the host has failed to prepare a plan of action.

The proliferation of technology - and as a result - heightened accessibility to personal data, has prompted the need for more responsible handling of subject data, hence the approval of the EU GDPR in April 2016.

You might already be aware of the following legislation and how it can impact your business, but often, executing the changes necessary to comply is a challenge, particularly if you’ve no legal background or support.

How local people are benefitting from business investment.

Bedfordshire is on a roll at the moment. From the Airlander project at Cardington to progress in plans for a new stadium for the Hatters, there is a real sense of economic momentum across the region.

Commenting on Theresa May’s closing speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Dr Adam Marshall, Acting Director General of the BCC, said:

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 has now been operative throughout England and Wales for nearly 20 years. Prior to 1997 party wall legislation only applied to London. The origins of party wall matters stem all the way back to the great fire of London in 1666.

There was a surge in the volume of trade documentation issued in the second quarter of 2016 – before the EU referendum – the latest Quarterly International Trade Outlook (QITO) from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and DHL has shown.

Auction House, the UK’s most successful property auctioneer, says that the time is now ripe for first time buyers to enter the auction room.

Hybrid Air Vehicles, the Cardington based designer and manufacturer of Airlander, the largest aircraft in the world, has reached a staggering £900,000 equity raise since opening up a crowdfunding round on Crowdcube, UK’s leading equity crowdfunding platform.

Commenting on the Autumn Statement, delivered today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said:

• The BCC’s Workforce Survey highlights that businesses are optimistic about jobs and growth, but many are concerned that burdensome regulations could put this at risk
• More than half of firms (54%) expect to increase their workforce over the next 12 months and 59% have reported that average pay increased in line with or above inflation last year.

London Luton Airport partners with local business to keep economic growth on the agenda

• BCC publishes its latest EU Business Barometer to coincide with key appointments to top EU positions at the European Council meeting
• The results indicate a growing level of support for a renegotiated relationship with the EU
• Businesses want to remain in the EU, but with more powers transferred back to Westminster

EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE ACROSS THE BOARD FOR BEDFORDSHIRE BUSINESSES

A new report published  has revealed that Bedfordshire’s top 100 businesses are in much better shape than this time last year, showing excellent growth in profitability with earnings up 13%.

As part of Central Bedfordshire Council’s ‘Travel Choices’ programme, businesses in Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Leighton Buzzard can benefit from a £3,000 grant to improve staff facilities at your premises.

Bedfordshire businesses are urged to act quickly this month as SEMLEP unveils a £10,000 pot of funding designed to help companies reduce their energy costs and leverage additional funding in 2014.

Office space is available at The Village at Great Marlings in Luton. Spaces from 1, 040-14, 597 square foot are on offer.

Bedford College is proposing to open a brand new Technical Academy in September 2015 focusing on specialist technical training in science, service and creative technologies.

• Manufacturing output in August 2013 was -1.2% on the month, -0.2% on the year
• In the three months to August 2013, manufacturing output rose by 1.2% compared with the previous three months
• The UK deficit on trade in goods and services was £3.3bn in August, compared with a deficit of £3.4bn in July
• There was a deficit of £9.6bn on goods, partly offset by an surplus of £6.3bn on services