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Chamber News
Agreement –harmony, accord, consensus
Doing business is all about agreement - the price, delivery date, quality, components. Get the
agreements right - everybody wins - get them wrong, no one does.
Don’t hope for the best and perhaps have to deal with the worst - get expert advice at the right time regarding your contracts, terms and conditions
and agency agreements.
Whitehead Monckton’s Commercial Team can provide you with expert advice and support so contact us today.
Tel: 01622 698047
E-mail enquiries@whitehead-monckton.co.uk
www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk
www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk Whitehead Monckton Limited (no. 08366029), registered in England & Wales. Registered office 5 Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN. Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under no. 608279.
TB 2/19
Whitehead Monckton appoints new Managing Director
Prior to taking over as Managing Director, Chris was Head of the Dispute Resolution team at Whitehead Monckton, specialising in resolving disputes between businesses and individuals and in particular in: contractual disputes, property and landlord & tenant matters, construction disputes, insolvency law, professional negligence claims and resolving disputes through the process of mediation. Chris is also accredited by the London School of Mediation to act as a civil and commercial mediator.
Chris commented: “I am delighted to have become Whitehead Monckton’s Managing Director. Having been part of the Executive Board for 2 years, I have long had a focus on the strategic management and development of the firm. I am really excited about continuing to build on the success of Whitehead Monckton and expanding the legal services we offer to both our personal and commercial clients.”
As Stephen’s time as the firm’s MD now draws to a close, he has made a very positive contribution to the development and growth of the firm and is proud of all the things the firm have achieved together over that time.
Stephen has moved the firm forward substantially in terms of its look, feel, professionalism,
Whitehead Monckton, one of Kent’s largest law firms, has appointed a new Managing Director, Christopher Longden, with effect from 1 October. He replaces Stephen Beck, who has stepped down from the role of Managing Director after 9 years.
office accommodation and overall presence in the Kent marketplace. Principal among all the changes the firm has made are: •
Established a strategic growth plan which they saw through to fruition; Opened a new office in
Canterbury; Relocated their offices in Tenterden and then
Maidstone;
Built two new websites;
Rebranded to the
Kent Law Firm;
Incorporated the partnership into the limited company;
Obtained the quality management standard
ISO9001;
Expanded into the London market through the acquisition of Docklands
Solicitors; and
Appear to be successfully tackling the current economic crisis.
Stephen commented “I am delighted to be handing the role over to Chris with whom I have been working these past few months to ensure a smooth handover. I have complete confidence that we will continue to grow and develop under his leadership and wish him every success in steering the firm towards further growth and prosperity as it enters its next chapter”.
New report addresses critical skills shortages
The British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) Workplace Training and Development Commission has published its progress report, including initial recommendations for addressing critical skill shortages in the UK workforce.
The commission’s inquiry, launched as part of the BCC’s People Campaign, is researching the barriers and opportunities for business investment in workplace training and development, for adults over the age of 25, and at all skill levels.
The inquiry seeks to understand the extent to which businesses are actively planning to address skills shortages – and adapt to changes in technology and automation – and how employers can be better incentivised and supported to invest more in people development.
The commissioners are influential thinkers and leaders in the skills arena, and are helping to develop a range of objective policy solutions over the medium and long-term.
Solutions identified so far include:
a greater focus on the needs of adult learners and less emphasis on full qualifications
new ways of funding training helping businesses to identify, articulate and plan for skills needs the importance of place-based skills planning and delivery
Commenting on the publication of the progress report, BCC co-executive director, Hannah Essex, said: “Employers understand the importance of developing the skills of adults in the workplace to ensure they are effective in their role and contribute to the success of the business. But we need greater flexibility in the skills system – with the right balance of formal qualifications and bitesized training – and more agile delivery.”
The commission is welcoming thoughts on its progress to date, examples of best practice and other solutions for the commission to explore as it works towards its final report, which is expected to be published in the autumn.
Boosting skill levels will be important in increasing UK firms’ productivity as the country tries to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Official statistics show that the UK economy has bounced back in recent months, after lockdown caused GDP to plummet to record low levels. However, some areas have been hit by local lockdowns due to the continuing spread of the virus.
Firms in England forced to close due to local coronavirus restrictions can now claim grants of up to £1,500 every three weeks. While BCC has cautiously welcomed this move by the government, the organisation says that it doesn’t go far enough.
BCC director general Adam Marshall said: “Businesses forced to close through no fault of their own will welcome any new grant support, but for most this will not be enough to offset the resulting cash crunch.
“With new local restrictions becoming more frequent, a comprehensive package of support will be needed for affected firms. More than one half of Chamber members see local lockdowns as a major barrier to maintaining dayto-day operations and more than one in three have three months of cash in reserve or less.
