Safer Business Hounslow

Safer Business Hounslow Safer

Business Hounslow (SBH) was formed quite some years ago and was run by Hounslow Council. It is a short[1]wave radio scheme, which operates across Hounslow and Feltham town centres. The radios allow the retailers to keep each other informed about anti[1]social behaviour and crime, with the radios being linked to the CCTV centre, and the Police and SBH Marshals. The initiative is reassuring, especially for lone workers working the early/ late shifts and adds multiple layers of deterrent to deal with petty crime in addition to the Police who can them focus on more serious crime.

Back in 2018 Hounslow Chamber of Commerce (now re-branded as West London Chambers of Commerce) was asked by the Council to take over the day-to-day operation of the SBH scheme originally chaired by Janet Leatherland, manager of the Treaty Centre, with a board including retailers, Police and the Council. This we were happy to do, changing the model of funding to a joint private/public model. We employed a manager and the system worked well. Then Covid hit. SBH rallied into action, winning contracts from Hounslow Council to employ, at the height of the pandemic, four street marshals who worked across the major shopping centres in the borough advising on the government’s rules and regulation, which shops should be closed, what could be sold and in addition listening

Spend Less on Your Workplace to Energise Your Business in 2023

One option is a virtual office. It provides on-demand access to meeting rooms and coworking on a simple pay-as-you-go basis. It also provides an official address for company registration, which protects your home address.

For a company that specialises in workspace rental, encouraging small businesses to spend less on their workplace might seem oddly counterproductive.

But that’s because workspace has changed dramatically in recent years. It’s not simply a choice between a full-time office or your home. There are now many more options available to help your business operate more flexibly and cost-effectively. This year is proving challenging, and at UBC we want to see small businesses succeed.

According to Small Business Britain’s ‘Moving Forward 2023’ report, concerns over inflation, energy bills, and other external factors are holding some entrepreneurs back. More than one quarter (27%) of small businesses have cut marketing spend and 13% have delayed hiring to manage short term cash challenges.

These decisions may conserve cash in the short term but can hinder long-term prospects. In particular, cutting back on marketing activity jeopardises an important sales and revenue driver. That’s why we recommend taking a closer look at other costs first, especially your workplace setup. If your business can operate remotely, there are flexible options that enable you to continue using a professional office – without committing to full-time rental.

UBC offers a virtual office with a registered address at our Brentford office on Great West Road – and it costs significantly less than a full-time office.

Or if you need more in-office time, a coworking membership at Brentford provides flexibility to suit your work style.

• Work productively with full-time access to a smart communal office, shared with like-minded professionals

Protect your home by using our Brentford address, complete with mail handling services

Meet clients or colleagues in professional meeting rooms at discounted rates to the retailers and publicans, who were having a really difficult time financially. Now lockdown is behind us, there is the issue of inflation, high energy bills and the cost of living. All this results in yet more difficulties for our High Streets with increasing petty crime which we have been asked to help protect against, providing links between our SBH Marshals to shopkeepers, the Police and the Council CCTV. West London Chambers has approached a number of private companies so two marshals can be employed again, to promote the radio scheme and ensure our High Streets are pleasant places to shop, work and visit. They have been in post again since 1st April.

• Get up and running quickly and easily with fast Internet connectivity, helpful receptionist support, and free parking!

Plus, with the cost of energy at astronomical highs, working from our coworking space often proves cheaper than powering your own home.

If you’re thinking about cutting back, why not speak to us first? We have various flexible workspace options that might mean you can spend less on workspace, and more on powering your business’s future.

Find out more at ubcuk.com or pop into The Mille on Great West Road for a tour!

We would like to thank Ray Singh of Russell Finex, an engineering firm in Feltham for their sponsorship of the scheme, also McDonalds. Jamie Catling runs the two franchises in Hounslow and Feltham in our borough. Finally, we appreciate the support to from Heathrow Airport, who see the benefit of improving the safety of the streets where many of their staff live and shop. Can we also appeal to any other local companies to sponsor this initiative to keep our high streets safe? Contact sallysmith@westlondonchambers.org.uk

Since joining Safer Business Hounslow I have seen the importance of local businesses working together with the police and local authorities to help reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. We want Hounslow town centre to be a place for all to be able to come to shop , to socialise or to do business.

Jamie Catling , McDonalds

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