FTSE 100
COLIN BARRATT Making allowances
-19.60 6731.27
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AMANDA VIGAR 2014 and all that! Full stor y - page 4
An EXAMINER publication
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS The business NEWSpaper for Kirklees
Company helps to apply the brakes TWO Huddersfield-based organisations joined forces to stage a one-day conference on advanced road risk management. Ro a d s a f e t y c h a r i t y B r a ke partnered incident management specialist FMG at the event, which was attended by more than 50 fleet professionals and showcased best practice advice on reducing fleet risk through a series of informative seminars and keynote presentations. As specialists in risk mitigation and incident reduction, FMG sponsored the event and offered expertise and advice aimed at improving fleet safety, reducing incidents rates and lowering the cost of running vehicles. The ‘Going The Extra Mile’ event, which was held in London, aimed to share best practice case studies and encourage more businesses to sign up to reducing risks in their fleet operations. Experts from a range of businesses, including Crossrail, Allied Bakeries, Ingersoll Rand, Shell and Zurich, talked about their areas of expertise and imparted knowledge gained during their own experiences. Road crashes account for 39% of work-related deaths in the European Union while driving is the riskiest
■ ROADSIDE RESCUE: The Huddersfield headquarters of FMG, which has teamed up with road safety charity Brake
activity most employees engage in. Roz Cumming, professional engagement manager at Brake, said: “Businesses have a moral, legal and financial obligation to ensure they’re doing everything possible to mitigate risk from their vehicle use. With advanced technology, such as
data capture telemetry devices and advanced software to analyse that data, businesses are in a better position than ever to reduce road risk.” She said: The event was well attended and covered some very important issues, which will help some of Britain’s foremost fleets cut their incident
rates and further promote the road safety cause.” Bob Holbrey, IT and processes director at FMG, who chaired the event, said: “It was great to see so many businesses actively seeking ways to manage risk out of their vehicle operations. “Incidents have a massive impact on individuals and businesses and the business community needs to demonstrate its understanding of this important issue. “By working together with Brake, businesses and individual drivers, we’re showing our commitment to reduce risk for companies. “Prevention is better than cure when it comes to vehicle management, and incident reduction makes sense on a number of levels.” “Mr Holbrey said: “Road safety comes into sharp focus at this time of year, with winter driving inherently more dangerous and office parties tempting people to stay out after work. “Businesses have an obligation to ensure the safety of their workforce and members of the public – so the message should be clear: if you want to drink, leave the car parked up.”
Time for ‘confident’ firms to start investing KIRKLEES firms must convert confidence into investment in 2014, according to a bank boss. Business leaders across Yorkshire must change their mind-set if they are to turn the current feeling of optimism into investment and growth in 2014, said Steve Harris, area director in the mid markets team at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. A survey taken at the bank’s Big Picture event in York showed that 90% of respondents felt more optimistic about future growth prospects, while over three-quarters planned to finance expansion opportunities next year. Despite these results, the behaviour of many businesses suggests that they remain cautious – at least for now. Mr Harris, who is also a board
member of the Leeds City Region LEP, which includes Kirklees, said: “Confidence amongst our region’s businesses is unquestionably growing as we look to 2014 – supported by improving conditions in employment, the manufacturing and services sectors and the broader economy. “However, we are currently looking at a trend of around 9% growth in cash deposits on balance with us nationally, which shows that cash is still on balance sheets and not yet beginning to be invested.” While many of the region’s firms are already planning investment by engaging bankers and advisers around ways in which they can deliver organic and acquisitive growth in 2014, Mr Harris believes that some will only benefit from the continued
recovery by shifting their strategies. He said: “Up until recently, finance director and treasurers’ strategies were focused on conserving cash and managing expenditure in the downturn. Now they need to focus on expansion and preparing for growth to take advantage of recovery opportunities in 2014. That’s a big change for many. “Working capital management is one obvious area. Yorkshire companies will need to concentrate on finding working capital enhancements that improve the long-term health of the company, and its competitiveness in the recovery. “New and alternative forms of funding, such as supplier finance or invoice finance, can help businesses and firms in their wider supply chains
to realise working capital benefits.” Said Mr Harris: “Exploring new, value accretive acquisitions will be another core focus. Yorkshire is home to a number of mid-market corporates operating in fragmented sub-sectors, which present the ideal opportunity to launch acquisitive growth strategies that increase their exposure to new geographical regions, product markets or vertical sectors. “What’s more funding conditions are favourable; there is positive appetite from banks, funders and equity sponsors to support company growth strategies and the underlying cost of funding remains comparatively low.” Business leaders also agreed that firms in the region need to look at exporting to expand in 2014.
INSIDE Helping hands STUDENTS at Greenhead College are providing a helping hand to businesses in developing countries. The Real World Economics Team of students has been raising funds throughout 2013 to loan to entrepreneurs in developing countries via micro-finance charity KIVA – with the goal of hosting an event from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday, March 13, at the college. KIVA aims to establish and transfer loans from the richer, western world to poorer parts of the world lacking funds to operate effectively.
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Buying power FIVE panellists will be arguing the case for “buying locally” at a business event in the new year. “Buy Kirklees” is the topic for an event staged by the Huddersfield Town Enterprise Academy with Kirklees College. The free event will take place at noon on Wednesday, February 19, at the college’s new Waterfront Building and will focus on public and private sectors procurement.
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STUDENTS at Greenhead College are providing a helping hand to businesses in developing countries. The Real World Economics Team of students has been raising funds throughout 2013 to loan to entrepreneurs in developing countries via micro-finance charity KIVA – with the goal of hosting an event from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday, March 13, at the college. KIVA aims to establish and transfer loans from the richer, western world to the poorer parts of the world that lack necessary funds to operate a modern economy with a variety of choice for the consumer. Individuals can visit the website KIVA provides and can supply loans to their favourite business model: the payback rate is 99%. The money raised on the night will be allocated to the strongest cases on the KIVA website, as chosen by the student-run team. This year’s event is entitled “Real World Economics: Sport, Health and the Economy” and will involve student presentations and talks from special guests, including former Asda chief executive Andy Bond as well as figures from British cycling and uni-
■ REAL DEAL: Greenhead College students (from left) David Coombes, Joe Corcoran, Ellie Gilbert and Lauren Spark are aiming to help boost business in developing countries
versity lecturers in sports economics. The focus of the evening is particularly relevant due to the resurgence of British sport players in nearly every field and the prevalence of obesity. Team leader Lauren Sparks said: “We aim to entertain and inform, discussing the more intricate benefits of a healthy society and sport sector to the economy and the challenges that the lack of this may result in.” The Real World Economics Team is the only one of its kind in the country – and is only in its second year after an
incredible inaugural year. The team successfully raised more than $1000 for their KIVA profile, which was distributed to people in various industries in Sierra Leone, Jordan, Nicaragua and Rwanda. The money returned from last year’s loans, along with the additional money raised this year will provide more loans to an even broader network of activities linking to the theme of sport and health. For details of the March event, email JCorcoran@ greenhead.ac.uk
SHARE PRICES NORTH AMERICAN American Express £53.96 -0.02 Gannett 1791.14 +22.70 Hess Corp £50.19 -0.08 Microsoft £22.48 -0.08 Motors Liquidation 45.39 Wal-Mart Stores £47.54 +0.05 AEROSPACE & DEFENCE Avon Rbbr 581 +1/2 BAE Systems 434 -6 Rolls-Royce 1261 -10 AIM Brady Plc 73 AUTOMOBILES & PARTS GKN 3693/4 -43/4 BANKS Barclays 2711/8 +13/8 HSBC 6591/8 -31/4 Lloyds Banking Gp 783/8 -3/8 3 Ryl Scotland 339 /4 -1/4 Stan Chart 1356 -31/2 BEVERAGES Diageo 19861/2 -7 SABMiller £303/4 -1/8 CHEMICALS Croda £241/2 -1/8 Elementis 98 2703/4 +21/2 Johnsn Mat £325/8 +1/8 CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS Balfour Beatty 2911/4 +1 Costain 275 -8 ELECTRICITY Drax Gp 794 -41/2 SSE 1371 -3 ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Laird 2777/8 +31/2 EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTS Alliance Trust 4475/8 -23/8 FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICES BT Grp 3771/4 -31/4 Cable & Wireless 57 +3/4 Comm Colt Group 130 -1 KCOM 997/8 +11/8 Talktalk Telecom 3025/8 -15/8 FOOD & DRUG RETAILERS Morrison W 2633/4 -4
-71/4 Sainsbury 3711/8 Tesco 3363/8 -35/8 FOOD PRODUCERS AB Food £243/4 -1/4 Tate Lyle 8071/2 -5 3 Unilever £24 /4 GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIES Centrica 3463/4 -3/4 National Grid 7861/2 -4 Pennon Grp 659 +1 Severn 1713 +4 +21/2 United Utils 6711/2 GENERAL FINANCIAL 3i Group 387 +15/8 ICAP 4583/4 +31/4 London StockExch 1723 +3 1 Man Group 85 /2 -3/8 Provident Financial1629 +7 Schroders £257/8 +1/8 Schroders NV 1999 +5 GENERAL INDUSTRIALS REXAM 522 Smiths Grp 1483 -7 GENERAL RETAILERS Ashley L 261/4 -3/4 Carphone Whse 2693/4 -33/8 Dixons Retail 481/2 Home Retail 191 -1/4 Inchcape 620 Kingfisher 3851/8 M&S 4423/4 -71/2 Mothercare 400 -21/4 Next £541/2 -1/8 WH Smith 1018 +18 HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICES Smith Nph 858 -71/2 HOUSEHOLD GOODS Aga Rangemaster 1681/2 -11/2 Barrat Dev 3423/8 +33/4 Persimmon 1218 -1 Reckitt Benckiser £477/8 Taylor Wimpey 110 +1/4 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING IMI 1523 -8 INDUSTRIAL METALS Ferrexpo 191 +11/4 INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATION BBA Aviation 3253/8 +3/8 LIFE INSURANCE
Local shares Carclo Marshalls National Grid Weir Gp
2793/4 1733/4 7861/2 £211/2
+113/4 +2 -4
FTSE closed at
6731.27 Down 19.60 4471/8 -11/4 2225/8 -5/8 1 190 /2 -7/8 1340 3497/8 +3/4 3587/8 +15/8 MEDIA BSkyB 840 -41/2 D Mail Tst 9411/2 -6 ITV 1915/8 -13/4 Johnston Press 16 Pearson 1340 -5 Reed Elsevier 894 -2 STV Group 3031/2 -1/2 Trinity Mirror 2051/2 -21/2 Utd Business 655 -7 1 +51/4 UTV 215 /4 WPP 1377 -6 MINING Anglo American 13381/2 +29 Antofagasta 834 +31/2 1 BHP Billiton 1865 /2 -21/2 Fresnillo 746 +11 Kazakhmys 2173/4 -3/4 Lonmin 311 +21/8 1 Rio Tinto £34 /8 +1/4 VEDANTA 9371/2 +36 RESOURCES MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES Inmarsat 7601/2 +101/2 Vodafone Group 2363/4 -11/4 NONLIFE INSURANCE Admiral Grp 1300 -2 RSA Insurance Gp 917/8 -3/8 Aviva Lgl & Gen Old Mutual Prudential Resolution Standard Life
OIL & GAS PRODUCERS BG 12981/2 +11/2 BP 4853/4 -3 1 Cairn Energy 271 /4 +1/8 1 Royal Dutch Shell £21 /2 -1/8 A Royal Dutch Shell £225/8 -1/8 B 1 Total £37 /8 -1/8 Tullow Oil 8561/2 +6 OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICES AMEC 1086 +7 Petrofac 1220 +18 Wood Gp(J) 684 +41/2 PERSONAL GOODS Burberry Gp 1505 +9 PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGY Astrazeneca £36 GlaxoSmithK XD 31/2 Shire £283/8 -1/8 REAL ESTATE Brit Land 6201/2 -5 Hamrsn 4953/4 -41/4 Intu Properties 3103/8 +5/8 Land Secs 946 -9 -3/8 SEGRO 3345/8 SOFTWARE ETC SERVICES Invensys 5081/2 -1 Sage Group 4015/8 -45/8 SUPPORT SERVICES Berendsen 9381/2 +41/2 Bunzl 1435 -6 Capita 1029 -1 1 De La Rue 882 /2 -71/2 Electrocomp 2801/4 +11/4 Experian 1117 -3 G4S 263 +31/8 Hays 1281/4 +3/8 Homeserve 276 +71/8 Menzies J 718 +6 1 Rentokil 115 /8 +3/4 Smiths News 2371/2 +41/2 Wolseley £341/4 +1/8 IT HARDWARE ARM Hldgs 1096 -10 Spirent Comms 1003/4 -3/8 TOBACCO Br Am Tob £321/4 -3/8 Imperial Tobacco £233/8 LEISURE & HOTELS
Bwin.Party Digital 1211/4 Carnival £243/4 Compass Grp 958 easyJet 1517 Enterprise Inns 1535/8 FirstGroup 1233/8 Go-Ahead Gp 1767 Greene King 873 Intercontl Htls £201/4 Intl Cons Airl 399 Ladbrokes 1771/2 Mitchells & Butlers 4193/4 Natl Express 2733/4 Rank Org 136 Stagecoach Group 3741/4 TUI Travel 4081/4 Whitbread £371/4 INDEX FTSE 100 6731.27 INDEX FTSE 250 15900.74
-15/8 -1/4 -11/2 -19 -11/2 +3/8 -9 -33/8 +1/8 -3 -31/4 +41/8 -11/4 -11/8
-19.60 +22.64
TOURIST RATES Tourists going abroad can expect the following rates for sterling: Australia..................... 1.77 dollars Bangladesh............... 120.66 taka Brazil............................ 3.45 reals Canada...................... 1.68 dollars China ........................... 8.93 yuan Czech Republic .... 30.23 korunas Denmark..................... 8.51 krone Euro.............................. 1.14 euro Hong Kong............... 12.14 dollars Hungary................. 318.49 forints India........................ 90.30 rupees Japan......................... 165.44 yen Mexico ...................... 19.20 pesos New Zealand ............. 1.89 dollars Norway ....................... 9.66 krone Pakistan................ 164.01 rupees Philippines ................ 62.68 pesos South Africa................ 16.17 rand South Korea............. 1516.00 won Sri Lanka .............. 203.52 rupees Sweden..................... 10.27 krona Switzerland................ 1.40 francs Taiwan ..................... 43.08 dollars Turkey...................... 3.34 new lira USA ........................... 1.57 dollars
Panellis buying
FIVE panellists will be arguing the case for “buying locally” at a business event in the new year. “Buy Kirklees” i the topic for an event staged by the Huddersfield Town Enterprise Academy with K free event will ta Wednesday, Feb college’s new W Chapel Hill, and the public and p making procurem accessible to loc The panellists w they buy locally do to help. There opportunity for q The panel, hoste commercial dire includes Nichola procurement str manager at Kirk Chambers, owne Ltd, who has ma negotiations wit including Virgin, and Carillion; Pr of Huddersfield Taylor, commerc Kirklees College branch manager Huddersfield. The panel sessio a Connecting Bu by Microsoft. To register your JTaylor02@kirkl
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BIG names from logistics have si chain competitio Huddersfield-bas SCALA, which h at the Media Cen Northumberland registrations for Connection 2014 web-based busin competition whic high-profile bran refine supply ch processes. The annual comp highly popular in Kimberley-Clark year’s contest, w against competit Unilever, Contine BorgWarner, Wa Norbert-Dentres Participants in p also included Ma DHL, HJ Heinz, J Tesco, Marks & S Birds Eye, Specs Mondelez-Kraft. To register or for phone Alison Ho 486 or email alis scalagroup.co.uk
Register NOW to receive your FREE weekly email alert
INESS NEWS
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y d e Kirklees College. The ake place at noon on bruary 19, at the Waterfront Building, d will focus on how private sectors are ements more ocal companies. will talk about how y and what they can re will also be an questions. ed by Town ector Sean Jarvis, a Cooke, rategy and advice klees Council; Chris er of Spring Partners anaged bids and th blue chip brands, n, National Express rof John Thompson, University; Jason cial manager of e; and Stuart Ambler, r for Barclays in
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or more information, obson on 01484 437 son.hobson@ uk
local
Get personal over taxation GAINST the backdrop of A improving economic results, the Chancellor gave his
Autumn Statement and finally delivered a key coalition pledge of a personal allowance of £10,000 with effect from April 6, 2014. When the current Government came into power in 2010, the personal allowance was £6,475 so there has been a significant increase in the amount of income a person can receive tax-free. However, the allowance will still continue to be reduced for those with “ a d j u s t e d n e t i n c o m e ” ove r £100,000. The reduction is £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000. So for this year there is no allowance when adjusted net income exceeds £118,880. From 2014/15, the allowance ceases when adjusted net income exceeds £120,000. The basic rate of tax will continue to be 20%, but the band of income taxable at this rate is being reduced from £32,010 to £31,865 so that the threshold at which the 40% band applies will rise from £41,450 to £41,865 for those who are entitled to the full basic personal allowance. The additional rate of tax of 45% will remain for those with taxable income above £150,000. Dividend income is taxed at 10% where it falls within the basic rate band and 32.5% where liable at the higher rate of tax. Where income exceeds £150,000,
TAX TALK Colin Barratt
dividends are taxed at 37.5%. In October the Government announced that from April, 2015, married couples and civil partners may be eligible for a new Transferable Tax Allowance. The Transferable Tax Allowance will enable spouses and civil partners to transfer £1,000 of their personal allowance to the other partner. The option to transfer will be available to couples where neither pays tax at the higher or additional rate. It will mean that the transferee will be able to earn £1,000 more before they start paying income tax. For those couples where one person does not use all of their personal allowance the benefit will be up to £200. The amount of capital gains an individual can realise without having to pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) will be increased to £11,000 for 2014/15 from the current limit of £10,900. The most important asset an individual will own is their home and generally gains made on the sale of
their property will be exempt from CGT where the property has been an individual’s private residence throughout their period of ownership. The CGT exemption also applies to the last 36 months of ownership where, for example, they have moved out of the property and have bought another residence. But this final period of exemption will be halved to 18 months for disposals made, broadly speaking, on or after April 6, 2014. This may leave individuals with a sizeable tax bill where previously there was none. The final period of exemption will remain 36 months where an individual is a disabled person or a long term resident in a care home, who has been there for at least three months, or can reasonably be expected to be resident there for three months, and has no other property, on which they, or their spouse or civil partner, can claim private residence relief.
Colin Barratt is tax partner at Wheawill and Sudworth chartered accountants, Huddersfield
All smiles after award wins A DENTAL practice in Huddersfield has won awards in two categories at the Dentistry Awards. The awards recognise outstanding individuals and teams at the top of their profession and who are continually raising the standards of general dentistry Meltham Dental Care won the award for Best Practice in the North West at the ceremony while practice manager Joanne Holroyd took the title for Most Outstanding Individual in the North. Meltham Dental Care moved to new premises in July, 2012, and has grown from a four-surgery practice to a seven-surgery purpose-built practice offering a range of services Dr Bal Dhesi, practice principal, said the recognition for the team’s hard work was well-deserved. The practice team had worked hard to deliver dentistry to the highest standard
in a state-of-the-art environment – while ensuring that each individual was treated with a human touch. To win her award, Joanne had to demonstrate what she had done above and beyond her job description, her foundation of training and skills, innovations, community and charity work. Joanne, who was appointed practice manager in 1997, had already won the award of Practice Manager of the Year (North) and the whole of the UK at the Dental Awards earlier this year. Overall, Meltham Dental Care and its staff were shortlisted as finalists in four categories at the prestigious Dentistry Awards, including Best Practice, Most Outstanding Individual, Best Young Dentist and Best Marketing strategy. Dr Bal Dhesi, who has been the practice principal since 2006, was also shortlisted in the category for Best Young Dentist.
■ ALL SMILES: Dr Bal Dhesi, practice principal at Meltham Dental Care, and Joanne Holroyd, practice manager at with the trophies they won at the Dentistry Awards
Page 3 Resolutions for a brand new year KIRKLEES business people have been urged to make a new year’s resolution – and expand their skills by learning something new! The Lockwood-based Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce is holding several training events in January to help company bosses get clued up on a range of topics. Business Doctors will focus on financial planning and application processes at the chamber’s Lockwood Park offices from 8.30am to 10am on Tuesday, January 28. Before that, Marsden-based The Design Mechanics and Lattitude7, of Brighouse, will run interactive workshops to help firms position their businesses for growth. 2014. The session will be held from 9.30am to noon on Thursday, January 23, at the National Coal Mining Museum, near Grange Moor and will include learning key communications skills, ways to build rapport with your clients and how to present your key marketing message to clients. Stewart Leahy (pictured), of The Design Mechanics, said: “Our last marketing seminar held through the chamber was a great success with over 50 Yorkshire businesses attending and getting involved. “I’ve already seen growth in the local economy first hand in the last six months and now is the time to monopolise on this for all businesses.” All events include a light breakfast and opportunity for networking. Go to www.mycci.co.uk/events
SMEs relying on family and savings A QUARTER of small and medium-sized firms are supporting their businesses with personal savings and handouts from family and friends, it is claimed. Business funding specialist Bibby Financial Services, which commissioned the research, said the reliance on personal finance prevented firms from being able to take advantage of the first stage of economic recovery. The survey revealed that almost half of small and medium-sized enterprises used just one source of funding, with 20% of firms saying they relied on a bank overdraft and the same amount again using a bank loan. David Postings, UK chief executive at Bibby Financial Services, said many business owners turned to those closest to them for financial support because they were not aware of the range of options available to them. He added: “Businesses with unsustainable or limited sources of finance in place will find it challenging in the months and years to come if they cannot take advantage of the gradually improving trading conditions in the UK.” Mr Postings said the survey of 1,000 SMEs highlighted the value of the alternative finance market. The Asset Based Finance Association said its members advanced £17.4bn to firms in the third quarter of the year – a 6% rise.
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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
Hopes for 2014
Page 4
Best wishes for 2014!
support the future of your company.
We ask a selection of business figures what they’d like to see happen in 2014
Stephen Newman, senior partner at Baxter Caulfield Solicitors I wish that the local authority and the police would devote more resources to reducing the on-street drinking, begging and other anti-social behaviour that is becoming a real problem in and around Station Street and Byram Arcade. I wish that the local authority should adopt a policy of making reasonably-priced car parking readily available in Huddersfield town centre in order that people may be encouraged to come into town. And I wish that civil servants who make poor decisions, both locally and further afield, should be accountable to the tax payers who pay their wages.
Amanda Vigar, managing partner of V&A Bell Brown Wishing that HMRC would wake up and smell the coffee and stop picking on the wrong targets including student workers and wealth creators! I hope to see an urgent re-evaluation of business rates. The problem is that the tax is based on rental values, which are re-calculated every five years, meaning that retailers are still paying rates that were set in 2008 – before rents took a nose-dive in most places. To make matters worse, the next revaluation has been pushed back from 2015 to 2017. I’d like to see the Government implement a “name and shame” register for late payers. A YouGov survey says that as many as 85% of small and medium have recently experienced late payment problems, and as cash flow is their life-blood, this situation cannot be allowed to continue. Gary Smith, chairman of the Calderdale and Kirklees Manufacturing Alliance Member firms want to see stability in fuel bills, rent and rates – and large companies paying their bills after 30 days to help small firms manage their cash flow. We need to see Sterling kept at a good rate against other currencies to enable the UK to export. We also need the Bank of England to keep interest rates low to allow manufacturers to invest with confidence as we come out of the recession. Bill Macbeth, managing director of Huddersfield’s Textile Centre of Excellence I would like to see 2014 as the year when manufacturing comes home to the UK. We’re seeing increasing signs of that for luxury goods, but we need more practical support for returning companies if we’re going to bring back the thousands of jobs from the Far Eastern sweat-shops and manufacture with pride once again here in Yorkshire. I’d like to see all of our local businesses realise that the talent, the creativity and the ideas that are locked up in their people can be unlocked to generate growth and wealth, if only they were encouraged to do so. And I’d like 2014 to be the year when we finally realise that we are part of the EU, engage seriously with Europe and bring back some of the billions we put in to support our local businesses. Steven Leigh, head of policy at the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce Business rates are a counter-intuitive tax which impact
■ HIGH HOPES: Pictured (top from left) are Jeremy Garside, Brent Woods, David Armitage and Gary Smith; (middle), Bob Cryan, Louise Holmes, Stefanie Hopkins and Chris Elliott; (bottom) Stephen Newman, Steven Leigh, Amanda Vigar and Bill Macbeth on a business before they have turned over a single pound. This tax is becoming progressively more burdensome for businesses, and should be the subject of a full Parliamentary Review during 2014. Selling to the public sector can be difficult, particularly for small businesses. The Government should look at how procurement can be simplified and made more competitive, especially for smaller, local businesses. The British Business Bank will be operational from autumn, 2014. We hope that this new institution will have sufficient capital to ease funding to businesses so that younger, fast-growing firms will be able to access affordable finance to fund their rapid expansion. Jeremy Garside, managing partner of Chadwick Lawrence Firstly, I would like to see further development and promotion of apprenticeships. Not only does it develop our young people but gives business the opportunity to develop employees to meet the business need. Secondly, let’s buy all our goods and services locally – both businesses and individuals. Keeping money in the local economy is important as that in turn
promotes jobs. Thirdly, let’s stop spending money on HS2 and divert the funds into local transport networks. Transport networks locally are creaking and need investment now. David Armitage, chairman of engineering firm Sellers International I would like to see the lifting of economic sanctions in Iran, which is a key market for us. Iran has a strong business economy and wants to spend money with the West. We need to see more help from the government by way of grants to export-related businesses. We know that our competitors are supported by their governments while we get nothing. And we should get out of the EU. It was formed as a trading association of countries, but has grown into a monster – the United States of Europe – to which we are a net contributor. And it will only get worse. Brent Woods, chief executive of The Media Centre Schools must reach out to businesses to help keep their teaching relevant, but businesses also must be proactive in working with schools to develop the next generation of their key resource. Huddersfield is rich in
world-class infrastructure from The Media Centre to the University, from high-speed internet connectivity to a reasonable cost of living, but traffic congestion and lack of affordable parking still needs tackling. Our employees want a diversity of social, cultural, retail and leisure experiences, an animated and safe evening economy and more green space. Let’s make the town a key reason people want to work here. Chris Elliott, co-owner and group operations manager at VTL Group I hope that during 2014 more businesses across Kirklees consider taking on apprentices to help grow their business. We have 12 apprentices being trained and working within the company in a variety of roles, from highly skilled engineering positions to essential back office support for the business. We recruit between four and six new apprentices to our scheme every year and each and every one has gone on to be offered a permanent job within the company. I would encourage any business to think not about the challenges apprentices appear to bring in the early months but about the opportunities they can offer in providing the skills needed to help
Bob Cryan, vice-chancellor of Huddersfield University We have fantastic companies in our area and so I wish that some would demonstrate how good they are by applying for and winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. There is a lot of grant money flowing in to our region from both Europe and Government and so I wish that our local businesses would take the time to find out what is available as we are not winning our fair share and it is free money! An example is the LEP Business Growth Programme that has grants of £10k to £1m to create new jobs and business growth. As a university, we are committed to helping the local economy develop and an example of this is our 3M Buckley Innovation Centre. We have already helped many companies develop and grow and so my wish is that more of our regional companies would approach the university to see what help we can give in terms of access to finance, technologies and skills. Stefanie Hopkins, director of Faith PR I’d like to see more tax breaks to encourage businesses to employ new staff plus steps to help businesses tackle key issues affecting cash flow for small firms, in particular concrete action to tackle late payment. By the same token, I’d like to see businesses paying bills on time – pay others as they themselves would like to be paid. Lastly, I’d also like the banks paying more than lip service to supporting smaller businesses and taking the time to meet the owners and understand the pressures they are under. Louise Holmes, co-owner of Yummy Yorkshire My list is simple – reduce VAT to 17.5% again to promote growth. We’d love to see the government capitalise on recent signs of recovery and get Britain trading back at pre-2008 levels. Extending the scheme that offers rate relief to small business is a good start and will hopefully lock in the confidence we have begun to see building among some of the smaller firms we deal with. My final wish is to see an increase in consumer confidence. With a fair wind, 2014 could be a turning point.