Sussex Business Times - Issue 407 2016

SBT

DECEMBER 2016 ISSUE 407

SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

NATWEST ROUNDTABLE INFRASTRUCTURE & COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

HOW DO YOU GROW

TWITTER

FOLLOWERS?

SYSTEM FAILURE:

THE PROBLEM WITH EDUCATION

+

EXPERT

ADVICE FROM LOCAL SUSSEX BUSINESSES

NO PLACE LIKE HOME SWEET HOME FOLLOWING ON FROM HOME SWEET HOME’S RECENT RELOCATION, OWNERS, MATT THOMPSON AND STEVE DAVIES EXPLAIN THE REASONS BEHIND THIS MOVE, THE SUCCESS OF HOME SWEET HOME SO FAR AND THE COMPANY’S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

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SBTWelcome MEET THE TEAM

Lee Mansfield, Managing Director/ Publisher

Jenny Ardagh, Deputy Editor

Elliott Mansfield, Sales

Clare Fermor, Operation Director

Jess Saunders, Features Editor

Geoff Diamond, Sales

Simon Skinner, Head of Development

Darren Sinden, Sales

Harriet Weston, Production Manager

Amy Watson, Production Designer

CONTRIBUTORS

Andrew Henshaw, Partner at Moore Stephens South

Sarah Burke, Associate Solicitor, Irwin Mitchell

Richard Freeman, CEO of Always Possible

“T’is the season to be jolly” and we’ve got a jolly good issue of Sussex Business Times for you this month. Continuing with our regular events in partnership with NatWest, we report back on the most recent Roundtable event, which focused on the topic of Infrastructure, Housing and Commercial Development, and comprised of interesting discussions from some leading industry experts.

Last month also saw the Chancellor of Exchequer, Philip Hammond take to the floor for this year’s Autumn Statement, and in this issue we outline his priorities for tax and spending in the wake of the Brexit vote earlier this year, while our education section takes a look at bridging the gap between the education system’s requirements and business needs.

We also take a look at the importance of digital branding – Kerry Watkins from Social Brighton details the steps businesses can take to improve their online followings. Broadband Genie’s, Feria Kazemi also contributes to this issue, explaining the ways in which companies can use technology to drive employee engagement.

Our cover feature for our December issue surrounds Eastbournebased Estate Agent, Home Sweet Home, who explains the story of their success so far and the reasons behind their recent relocation.

Alongside our usual lunch and hotel reviews – this month featuring The Urchin in Hove and Hotel Du Vin in Tunbridge Wells – this issue features our regular Ask the Expert columns, and we share the latest motoring news and reviews. Additionally, we provide you with our regular Chamber news while our Made in Sussex this month is The Brighton Studio.

Enjoy your December read and we’ll see you in 2017!

Duncan Kerr, CEO of Wave Leisure

Matt Thompson and Steve Davies Home Sweet Home

Kerry Watkins, Social Media Consultant & Trainer at Social Brighton Ltd

Jess Saunders, Features Editor

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 3

SBTContents

Issue 407

SBT

DECEMBER 2016 ISSUE 407

FREE

SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

NATWEST ROUNDTABLE INFRASTRUCTURE & COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

HOW DO YOU GROW

TWITTER

FOLLOWERS?

SYSTEM FAILURE:

THE PROBLEM WITH EDUCATION

+

EXPERT

ADVICE FROM LOCAL SUSSEX BUSINESSES

NO PLACE LIKE HOME SWEET HOME FOLLOWING ON FROM HOME SWEET HOME’S RECENT RELOCATION, OWNERS, MATT THOMPSON AND STEVE DAVIES EXPLAIN THE REASONS BEHIND THIS MOVE, THE SUCCESS OF HOME SWEET HOME SO FAR AND THE COMPANY’S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

Cover: Home Sweet Home Estate Agents www.hshome.co.uk

Managing Director/Publisher: Lee Mansfield lee@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Operations Director: Clare Fermor clare@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Head of Development: Simon Skinner simon@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Sales: Darren Sinden darren@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Elliott Mansfield elliott@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 012 Geoff Diamond geoff@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 013 Deputy Editor: Jenny Ardagh jenny@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 011 Features Editor: Jess Saunders jess@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819019 Production Manager: Harriet Weston harriet@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 010 Production Designer: Amy Watson amy@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 018 Subscriptions: Linda Grace linda@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 015 Accounts: Anne Greenwood anne@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Published by Life Media Group, Unit1, Swan Barn Business Centre, Swan Barn Road, Hailsham, BN27 2BY Printed by Berforts 17 Burgess Road, Ivyhouse Lane Hastings, East Sussex, TN35 4NR 01424 722733 www.berforts.co.uk All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The views expressed in Sussex Business Times Magazine do not necessarily represent the view of Life Media Group LTD. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers of Sussex Business Times Magazine assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from the participation in any offers, competitions or advertisement contained within Sussex Business Times Magazine. All prices featured in Sussex Business Times Magazine are correct at the time of going to press.

Copyright Life Media Group LTD 2016 ©

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News

View the latest local and national business headlines.

Spending it

Keep warm this winter with our favourites picks of coats and accessories.

The Autumn Statement

We give you our annual run down of the budget announcements made at this year’s Autumn Statement.

NatWest Roundtable

SBT and NatWest get together for another roundtable to discuss infrastructure, housing and commercial development in and around Crawley.

Digital Marketing

SBT got into contact with Social Media Consultant & Trainer at Social Brighton Ltd, Kerry Watkins, who explains the ways in which businesses can grow their online followings.

Employee Engagement

Broadband Genie’s, Feria Kazem explains the ways in which using the right technology can drive employee engagement and therefore, ensure a more productive workforce.

Cover Feature: Home Sweet Home

Matt Thompson and Steve Davies explain the reasons behind this move, the success of Home Sweet Home so far and the company’s plans for the future.

Education

SBT looks at the apparent gap between the education system’s requirements and business needs, also contemplating the impact of the new changes to GCSE and A Levels.

Tried and Tested in Sussex

SBT’s Managing Director, Lee Mansfield enjoyed an over-night stay at the Hotel Du Vin in Tunbridge Wells.

Chamber News

Sussex Business Times has partnered up with Worthing & Adur Chamber this month to bring you all the latest news.

Motoring

SBT test drives two new cars; Volkswagen Passat Estate BlueMotion and the Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE Sport.

Ask the Experts

Local Sussex business experts advise on relevant issues.

Made in Sussex

This month’s home-grown hero is The Brighton Studio.

4 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

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Delivering simple solutions to complex problems

We offer a broad range of legal services to small and medium-sized businesses in both the UK and internationally. By supporting our clients through every stage of their business and family life, we can help them to be in control of their destiny.

0370 1500 100 irwinmitchell.com Irwin Mitchell LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

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SBTLocal News Introducing Richard Place Dobson Probate Services

Until recently, probate work was deemed a reserved legal service. Due to the restriction being lifted, Richard Place Dobson are now able to offer the following services; Probate and Estate Administration, Executorships, Inheritance Tax Planning and Estate Planning, Eldercare Services, Wealth Management, Financial Planning, Trust and Trustee Work, Succession and Exit Planning.

Matthew Tyson, Director at Richard Place Dobson, said: “As we work closely with so many individuals and families, this service is a welcome addition. The relaxation of the law now allows Richard Place Dobson to help clients in ways they have been calling on us to try and do for years. Clients trust us with their financial affairs and we are pleased to now be able to help them further.”

Brighton Law Firm Launches Free Family Law Advice Clinics at Sussex Citizen Advice Bureau Free face to face legal advice on divorce, separation, childcare proceedings and all family law related matters is now being offered by Warren’s Law at the Citizens Advice Bureau, Brighton & Hove every Wednesday from 10am – 3pm, from November 23 right through to January.

Emma Mcdonald of Warren’s Law Brighton, said: “Seeking legal advice in advance of making decisions is important, however for many the cost can be prohibitive.

We hope that with these free advice

clinics no one is left disadvantaged.”

The aim of these open clinics is to provide straightforward private and confidential legal advice and guidance on how best to approach a separation or divorce situation and plan out a resolution – as far as child custody, finances and all other related matters are concerned. They will also advise on childcare proceedings, injunctions and so on.

For free family law advice, drop in to Citizens Advice Brighton and Hove on Wednesdays till January.

Olympic Gold Hockey Player Visits Hurstpierpoint GB Hockey player and Rio Olympic gold medalist, Giselle Ansley, visited Hurstpierpoint College on Monday 7th November.

Giselle visited pupils in the Prep and Senior Schools, and gave a motivational talk to the Hurst Sports Scholars.

The youngest Hockey players listened to Giselle speak about her journey to becoming an Olympic Champion last summer, and were given the privilege of holding her Olympic gold medal. Giselle

also joined the Prep School girls’ teams on the Hockey pitch and helped coach them during their games session.

Hurst Hockey coach, Dominic Bowden commented: “It was an exciting day for the pupils - it’s not every day you get to touch a recently achieved Olympic gold medal.

Giselle inspired everyone she spoke to at Hurst and we are really grateful to her for coming in.”

Sussex Chamber of Commerce Joins Forces with Eastbourne unLtd Chamber of Commerce The Sussex Chamber of Commerce has continued to broaden its partnerships; joining forces with Eastbourne unLtd Chamber of Commerce. The network of chambers can now be far stronger and cohesive than they have ever been with the addition of this district.

Ana Christie, Chief Executive of Sussex Chamber of Commerce said: “With this affiliation, Eastbourne Chamber members will benefit by being able to participate in national British Chamber of Commerce surveys to influence government policy.

Eastbourne Chamber members and

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Sussex Chamber members will now be able to attend events at both Chambers, rather than just the Chamber they are a member of.”

Tim Cobb, President of Eastbourne unLtd Chamber of Commerce, also commented: “We are delighted to extend our reach by joining forces with the Sussex Chamber of Commerce. Along with the ACES, the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and all the MP’s across East Sussex we now have several routes into government to help overcome barriers to business.”

SBTLocal News 18-Year-Old Student Becomes Youngest Ever UK Cyber Security Champion After a gruelling three-day cyber-attack simulation, the UK has a new Cyber Security Challenge champion in the form of Ben Jackson, an 18-year-old student from Bexhill-on-sea, Sussex. He has won Cyber Security Challenge UK’s Masterclass competition, the country’s premier cyber skills contest, which saw the top 42 brightest amateur talents investigate a data breach on a fictional power company and fend off attacks from hacktivist groups.

The competition was created by

professional services company, PwC with support from GCHQ, NCA and the Bank of England.

Winner, Ben Jackson said: “It’s hard to put into words how I feel but I can say it’s a complete privilege to win such a well renowned competition. I’m frankly amazed that I’ve won. This has been a brilliant few days and a life changing experience, meeting some great people along the way. I hope to now go on to pursue a career in cyber security; something which I really enjoy.”

Sussex Technology Firm, Yomdel Wins National Industry Award Yomdel, a provider of fully managed, 24/7 live chat for estate agents, based in Billingshurst, has been awarded Silver in the Supplier of the Year: Technology category at The Negotiator Awards 2016.

The prestigious award, sponsored by The Negotiator – a leading estate agency magazine – was made at a gala and presentation dinner in London and represents a significant achievement for Yomdel. The firm has had a bumper year thanks to the expansion of its

management and live chat operators; doubling its turnover in the last four months, and the introduction of new staff training initiatives.

CEO of Yomdel, Andy Soloman commented: “We pride ourselves on giving estate agents a highly professional service, backed by a team of dedicated professionals. Winning this prestigious award shows that we are on the right track.

It’s also a fantastic accolade for Yomdel’s hardworking and commited staff.”

Mayo Wynne Baxter Support Sporting Fundraiser Former England and Arsenal footballer, Paul Merson was the special guest at a charity sporting lunch in Gatwick on Friday 4 November. The former footballer, who now works as a Sky Sports pundit, attended the Best of British event at the Hilton London Gatwick Hotel, which was raising money for Sussex children’s charity, Rockinghorse.

Supported by headline sponsors, Gatwick-based Mayo Wynne Baxter Solicitors, the afternoon fundraiser welcomed over 220 guests from businesses across Mid-Sussex, who were treated to a three-course lunch followed by an entertaining talk from Paul Merson himself.

This year the law firm’s staff chose Rockinghorse as their charity partner and they have pledged to support the 50th Anniversary Appeal with a fundraising event of their own – a Medieval Banquet which will be held at the Grand in Brighton on 25th March and is expected to attract over 400 guests.

Sussex Construction Company, Chalvington Barns Undergoes Re-launch Two budding entrepreneurs have breathed new life into a property company and become the second generation to fly the flag for quality new homes, historical restorations and stylish conversions. Karl and Sophie Leaney have re-launched Chalvington Barns, a construction company, under the guidance of Sophie’s parents, Geoff and Geraldine Watkins: the original Directors.

Now in its 28th year, Chalvington Barns has recently been focusing on its planning and land acquisition business

with continued success.

Chalvington Barns offers a comprehensive range of services to homeowners, landowners and commercial property owners to maximise the value of their land.

Karl and Sophie are on the lookout for exciting projects and are keen to work with land

owners with a good eye for design detail. From offices in Five Ashes, Mayfield, they will be working across the South East – East Sussex, West Sussex & Kent.

For more information, please contact Sophie Leaney on 01825 830285 or via this email address sophie@ chalvingtonbarns.com

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 7

SBTNational News What Might Donald Trump’s Victory Mean for the UK? The result of the election for the new President of the United States has been a long time coming – a long, long time coming – and whether the end result is a beneficial one or not, we can’t say. What we can address though, are the ways in which Donald Trump’s victory might affect the UK Before the European Union referendum, National Barack Obama warned the UK News that it would go to “the back of the queue” with regards to signing trade deals with the US if the country opted for Brexit, causing concern in the minds of many Britons.

Mr Trump, however, has been far more positive, suggesting that he wants to make a deal with the UK as soon as possible after Brexit and stating that the country would be “treated fantastically.”

Trump’s trade adviser, Dan DiMicco previously commented: “A bilateral agreement with Britain could be a huge opportunity for Trump to prove he’s in favour of ‘the right kind of deals.’ But whether that would constitute a good deal for Britain is more difficult to say.”

This however, is argued as his election website doesn’t mention the UK in its trade section, and with more of a focus on relations with China and Pacific countries, his intentions with regards to trade deals with Great Britain are still unclear.

This leads us on neatly to the importance of building relationships.

8 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Tony Blair managed to move from a close friendship with Bill Cilinton to another with George Bush, and the UK government has previously been described as ‘genius’ for figuring out how to get along with new American administrations. However, previous to 2016’s election, Theresa May didn’t offer an opinion on which candidate she would prefer as US President but, after comments Trump made last year surrounding Muslims, she branded him “divisive, unhelpful and wrong”. Following on from this, Theresa May also stated that she was “looking forward to working” with Trump in a strong “trade, security and defence” partnership. Does this mean that, despite a previously turbulent relationship, the two can figure out a way to work peacefully together?

Ex UKIP leader, Nigel Farage seems to think they can and says his election is likely to bode well for Britain: “We now

have a President who likes our country and understands our post-Brexit values.”

But what about the pound? Since Brexit, the British pound had one of its biggest one-day declines on record, falling 9% to $1.33 – the lowest it had been since 1985. In the case of the US election, the dollar hasn’t been hit as hard as the pound was. However, as of now and in good news for Brits, sterling is up against the dollar and fuel prices are set to decrease after a six month high. If you’re visiting the US in the near future, now could be the time to cash in on your dollars, as the pound is strong against its US equivalent.

Of course, with the election still being so raw, uncertainty is the only certainty – we can’t say anything for sure and we can all admit that 2016 has been a turbulent year. Speculation is all we have at this moment, so only time will tell…

“Good news for Brits, sterling is up against the dollar and fuel prices are set to decrease after a six month high”

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Sussex Business Times Announces Media Partnership with Major 2017 Events Thursday 5th October 2017 5 October | Brighton Racecourse

1-2-1 Business Clinics

Racecourse After a successful 2016 launch in Brighton, SBT announces partnership withBrighton key Sussex 10.00am – 4.00pm, last admission at 3.30pm Motivational Speakers Business Expos as organisers also announce Fontwell event Regular readers of SBT will have been aware of the Brighton Events Business Expo event that took place at Brighton Racecourse for the very first time this October 20th. The launch event enjoyed a healthy attendance with the 72-strong exhibitor list greeting many of the hundreds that pre-registered for the day.

Sponsors for the Brighton Expo were Porsche Mid Sussex, who sponsored the Café Area; European Office Products PLC, who were present in the reception area and Silver Lining Convergence; general sponsors of the event.

Speaking with event organiser, Mike Monk, he described the event as being ‘organised to help businesses to find new suppliers and to forge fruitful partnerships’. Another of the expo’s main aims was to inspire companies to develop and implement fresh ideas ino their businesses. This was expertly delivered by a programme of seminars featuring specialists from across various sectors, including Natalie Montagnani’s seminar on ‘Removing the Barriers to Successful Marketing.’

Mike told SBT: “Unlike many exhibitions at which you’ll find most conversations being had between the various exhibitors, the Brighton Business Expo saw such great numbers throughout the day; the exhibitors had plenty of opportunity to meet new people and to offer solutions and services to potential clients. We kicked off the day with a breakfast briefing and alongside the keynote presentations, we also hosted a business speed-networking event.”

The 2017 event will return to Brighton’s Racecourse on the 5th of October, where you can expect to see an even greater number of exhibitors and a fresh line up

70 Local Exhibitors Seminars & Workshops

Exhibition stands are selling fast!

Get your stand booked today

ith partners Call rk wfor f NetwoAsedMedia s r o Partners for the two new hundbusiness s expos, we are extending e s s e busin

details of opportunities for businesses to get involved. Aside from exhibition packages, organisers are also offering a headline sponsorship package, Speed Networking which will include the following: • Branding on expo websites and all marketing materials BOOK YOUR FREE VISITOR TICKET TODAY • Regular mentions and OR linksSECURE on YOUR EXHIBITION SPACE FROM AS LITTLE all social media channels andAS in £395 organisers email communications To enquire about exhibiting call 01273 286133 or visit b2bexpos.co.uk • A FREE 3mtr x 2mtr stand worth £700 at the expo, plus pop up banners/branding in the main expo hall • Regular mentions and comments in regional media and particularly through SBT for 2017 with articles of not-to-miss presentations. in the magazine every month from Along with the announcement of the January 2017 2017 date for the Brighton Business • Partner’s interview piece in SBT Expo, Mike and his team have also ahead of expo date announced a second event, which • Mentions across the 2 week will be held at Fontwell Racecourse in advertising campaign on Juice Radio Arundel, West Sussex, the date of which (Brighton) and with Spirit FM (Fontwell) is 25th May. With this falling ahead of the Other areas of sponsorship available Brighton event, you can expect to see full include: details in our forthcoming issues.

• Show Bags As Media Partners for these events, • Café area the team at Sussex Business Times will • Seminar Room not only keep everyone informed about • Networking Wall the many and various opportunities that • Reception Area can be taken advantage of, along with up-to-the-minute exhibitor and seminar To follow the Brighton Business information as it’s announced via the Expo on Social Media: @brightonexpo sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk website and and #Brighton. social media channels.

And for the West Sussex event: We will also be joining the exhibitor @WestSussexExpo and #Sussex. list and will be offering visitors a chance Readers should contact Mike Monk to meet the team, as well as hosting a at any time with queries regarding unique competition where visitors can sponsorship and exhibitor packages. enter a draw to win a completely FREE Tel: 01273 286133 or email full page advert in the printed version of Mike@monkmarketing.com the magazine, with a value of £1000.

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Fun Team Building SBT introduces Urban Jump, the new and exciting multi-activity centre, that aims to appeal to people of all ages – businessmen and women included

“No matter your reason for visiting, Urban Jump promises to cater to all kinds of events, including parties, birthdays, team building activities and general oneoff visits”

Located at Ghyll Industrial Estate Team of Ghyll Road in Heathfield, Urban Building jump is the newest and most exciting activity park for the Sussex and Kent regions, and since opening a matter of weeks ago, has attracted hundreds of fun-hungry visitors from all around Sussex and surrounding areas. No matter your reason for visiting, Urban Jump promises to cater to all kinds of events, including parties, birthdays, team building activities and general one-off visits. As a venue that offers its services to people of all ages, you can jump to your heart’s content!

Not just your regular trampoline park, Urban jump is the host of a wide variety of features and activities, including: • Urban Jump: The Urban Jump

12 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

trampoline park is a great environment for both kids and adults to enjoy, whether you’re an established trampoliner looking to build on your skills, or just an amateur looking for an hour or two of fun, you can’t go wrong. With an array of features including thousands of square feet of connected trampolines, foam pits and much more, Urban Jump boasts plenty for you to get stuck into.

• Ninja Warrior: Urban Jump also invites you to experience one of the first indoor obstacle courses in the South East of England. Whether you’re a novice or a professional, you can be a Ninja or a Warrior during Urban Jump’s two challenging and fun-filled obstacle courses. Swing and climb your way through this experience with 8 different features per course that promise to challenge both overall body strength and muscle endurance.

Corporate Team Building

“Corporate team building events offer something for all kinds of businesses, whether that’s making use of the trampoline park or using the break out rooms to encourage better team working, discuss key topics and nurture new ideas”

• Soft Play: Bright, colourful and packed with a stream of features that promise to keep the little ones entertained, Urban Jump’s soft play area is the perfect place to allow your little ones to explore while you grown ups enjoy a hot drink and a bite to eat from the café. Overlooked by a comfortable and spacious viewing area for the parents and guardians, the soft play area offers the children many attractions to keep their imaginations working overtime.

• Urban Fit: Why not try Urban Jump’s action-packed trampoline fitness sessions, guaranteed to improve cardiovascular performance, balance and core strength? Urban fit classes are suitable for all fitness levels and instructors will adapt activities depending on individual needs and fitness.

• Urban Nights: Monday and Friday nights are shifting into top gear at Urban Jump, and Urban Nights is the place to let your hair down and show everyone your moves. With great music and a crazy light show all packed into an awesome venue, there’s nothing quite like it.

• Dodgeball: There aren’t many trampoline parks that can offer a full-sized dodgeball court, but Urban Jump does. The trampoline dodgeball

area is fully accessible to all users of the park during the normal public free jumping sessions, but also provides the opportunity to invite teams to play against one another during dedicated dodgeball tournament sessions.

• Under 5s: Under 5’s sessions provide pre-schoolers with the opportunity to experience the fun of trampolines and bounce when the bigger kids aren’t around. With Urban Jump staff providing a safe and fun environment, parents can rest assure that their little ones are having a whale of a time.

• Corporate: Finding the right venue to host team building activities and events can be difficult, but Urban Jump is just the place. Corporate team building events held at the venue offer something for all kinds of organisations and businesses, whether that’s making use of the trampoline park or using the break out rooms to encourage better team working, discuss key topics and nurture new ideas.

• Parties: With several activities under one roof at Urban Jump, it is able to cater for parties of all sizes and ages. All of its party packages include VIP check in, a party host, activity time in your chosen area and party food in your own private room.

Despite only being open for a matter of weeks, Urban Jump has come to realise that it is set to be an extremely busy venue, so making sure you plan ahead is worthwhile. Of course, some of their busier times include weekends and public and school holidays, so booking well in advance for these time periods is suggested.

For more information, session prices, a full timetable or to book the session of your choice at Urban Jump, visit www.urbanjump.co.uk, call 01435 863277 or email info@ urbanjump.co.uk.

Happy jumping!

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 13

Blanch House Wins Four Prestigious Awards

Photography by www.simoncallaghanphotography.com ©

It’s been quite a year for Brighton’s Blanch House hotel, which has made numerous appearances in Sussex Business Times throughout 2016. Now, congratulations are in order as it wins four awards thanks to its outstanding service in the South East Blanch House, nestled in the lanes of Kemp Town, prides Events itself on its focused customer service, dedicated business space and homely yet professional atmosphere.

The team has been celebrating hard after four big wins of late: first was the Best 3-Star Hotel in the South East award at the Trivago Awards 2017. Using over 175 million hotel reviews and semantic analysis, Trivago determined the bestrated hotels in regions across the UK, which have been awarded across eight different categories: 3 star, 4 star, 5 star, B&Bs, Value for Money, Breakfast, Guest Service and Guest Rooms. Blanch House gained an overall rating of 91.88 for 3-star accommodation. Explaining their excitement about their win, Co-owner, Jeremy Ornellas said: “We are always really pleased to gain recognition from independent parties. The Trivago judging is a very comprehensive process with the customer as its heart, so the award means a lot to Blanch House. We have a great and really empowered team at Blanch House. We aim to provide a little bit of luxury in which to relax and unwind or explore the delights of Brighton, where nothing is too much trouble for our guests.”

The hotel also bagged itself a double

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win at the annual Brighton & Hove the category included Flowers Unlimited Hospitality Awards (BHHA), which took and The Grand Hotel. The event hosted place at The Grand Hotel in Brighton on more than 300 guests from around 100 15th November. These awards celebrate different Brighton-based businesses and the best in local hospitality in areas included MPs from Hove and the Deputy ranging from customer service and food Mayor and the Lord Lieutenant of East to commitment and charity work. Blanch Sussex. In addition to this, Blanch House House’s first win was for the Warmest was also recognised as runner up at the Welcome in the Independent Hotels Beautiful South East Awards, earning itself sector, and its Bronze. second was for Blanch House “Our team is Independent has gone from motivated and Property of the strength to strength passionate about Year. Blanch over the years, not House’s Co-owner the hotel. They really only gathering up a and, as we’ve number of awards but deserve to win this experienced maintaining the award as recognition also ourselves, number one position of their continued certainly an on TripAdvisor for hard work, dedication ‘Brighton & East accomplished and support” front of house Sussex Hotels’ since host, Kerry Turner September 2014 commented as well as earning after these achievements: “Our team is a Traveller’s Choice Award for Hotels for motivated and passionate about the hotel. Romance, which are awarded to just 1% They really deserve to win this award as of hotels in the world. Jeremy Ornellas recognition of their continued hard work, concluded: “We are constantly looking at dedication and support in making Blanch ways of enhancing our guest experience House the welcoming, friendly and high through improvements and developments standard of hotel that it is.” and are very much focused on the results The Brighton-based venue has also of customer feedback. The team is proud won the award for Best Customer Service to be extremely proactive in maintaining at this year’s Brighton & Hove Business high standards and driving the evolution of Awards, taking place on 15th September Blanch House.” at All Saints Church, while runners up in Congratulations from the team at SBT!

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The Autumn Statement In this issue of Sussex Business Times, we give you our annual run down of the budget announcements made at this year’s Autumn Statement

All eyes were on Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, as Finance he took to the floor for this year’s Autumn Statement, where he outlined his priorities for tax and spending in the wake of the Brexit vote earlier this year. The run up to the Autumn Statement was a rough ride this year, and has caused somewhat of a deliberation in the minds of the great British public following on from the shocking – to some – result of the EU referendum vote back in June, and the uncertainty surrounding the impact this might have on the country has far from vanished.

This hasn’t been the only concern though – less than 24 hours before this year’s Autumn Statement, research conducted amongst the UK’s SMEs revealed a very noticeable lack of trust with the Chancellor, and the poll of over 500 senior decision makers in SMEs across the UK showed that, whilst 27% said they trust Philip Hammond to handle the economy, 20% still trust George Osborne and more than 30% trust neither of them.

Despite many discerning members

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demand areas, while an additional £1.4 of the public, the Chancellor of the billion will be set to deliver 40,000 extra Exchequer delivered the Autumn affordable homes.

Statement, but what were some of the In the transport and infrastructure key points made? region, it was stated that there will With regards to the state of the be a £1.1 billion extra investment in economy, the Office for Budget local transport networks, £220 million Responsibility (OBR) growth forecast to reduce traffic upgraded to 2.1% pinch points, £23 in 2016 from 2%, “There will also be a billion to be spent then downgraded £2.3 billion housing on innovation and to 1.4% in 2017 from 2.2%. Now, infrastructure fund to infrastructure over next five years there is a forecast help provide 100,000 the and – unusually growth of 1.7% new homes in high– £7.6 million for in 2018, 2.1% in repairs to Wentworth demand areas, while 2019 and 2% in Woodhouse near 2021. Additionally, an additional £1.4 Rotherham, which is the Government billion will be set to said to be inspiration are no longer deliver 40,000 extra for Pemberley in Jane seeking budget Austen’s Pride and surplus in 2019affordable homes” Prejudice.

20 and say they In even better news, are committed the Autumn Statement also confirmed to returning public finances to balance the increases in the National Minimum “as soon as practicable.” Hammond Wage, which will apply from April 2017. also stated during his speech that, with For workers aged 21 to 24 years old, regards to housing, a ban will be placed the rates will increase from £6.95 to on upfront fees charged by letting agents £7.05 per hour, from £5.55 to £5.60 per as soon as possible. There will also be a hour for workers aged between 18 and £2.3 billion housing infrastructure fund to 20 years old and for workers over the help provide 100,000 new homes in high-

Creative Commons - Number 10 - The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Autumn Statement

compulsory school age but not yet 18, the rate will increase from £4.00 to £4.05 per hour. Additionally, for apprentices under the age of 19 or aged 19 and over but in their first year of apprenticeship, the rate will increase from £3.40 to £3.50 per hour.

Other key points made at this year’s Autumn Statement include the promise to fund 2,500 more prison officers, reforms to compensation for whiplash to cut the cost of motor insurance, the cancellation of fuel duty rise for the seventh year in succession – saving the average car driver £130 and the average van driver £350 a year.

We could write pages and pages about what was decided at this year’s Statement, but what we want to know is what local businesses and organisations thought of the decisions made…

The British Chamber of Commerce were the first to comment: “Overall this was a responsible package, given the constraints of the public purse and included some important wins for the British Chambers and the Chamber network – from the 5G trials, to money on infrastructure, housing and broadband, and strong focus on the growth requirements of our cities and regions.

We would have liked to have seen

more action on the high up-front taxes and costs of doing business in the UK, particularly on business rates, while we were disappointed in the rise of the Insurance Premium Tax. Inevitably, there are a number of changes that may affect some businesses more than others.”

However, Philip Johnson, Director of Locate East Sussex, was ‘concerned’

by Mr Hammond’s speech, saying: “We welcome the Chancellor’s investment into transport and housing and very much hope East Sussex is a beneficiary of this additional funding. However, more support is urgently needed to help job creation within the new communities that are being developed.

“It is important the investment to support 5G and broadband provision goes towards improving coverage and reducing ‘hot spots’ in rural areas, as well as making networks faster. The increase in Rural Rate Relief to 100% is good news for a rural communities although it is not clear yet whether this will

be extended to all types of businesses or just villages with only one shop, such as a convenience store or a pub.”

And to conclude this year’s summary of the Autumn Statement, Coffin Mew also offered their opinion, with Senior Associate Solicitor, Hayley Bevis commenting: “This year’s Autumn Statement called for British businesses to continue to innovate whilst significantly improving productivity. To this end, the Chancellor announced a new £400 million investment into venture capital funds via the British Business Bank to assist British start-ups and to prevent those talents moving offshore.

“Venture Capitalists (VC) provide extremely useful expertise and resource to businesses, whilst opening a door to new opportunities and connections that those companies may not otherwise have had.

Whilst this investment is positive news, its size compared to others announced today seems to be fairly light. It is difficult to tell, at this stage, whether such an investment will be enough to keep overseas investors and purchasers from digging deeper into their pockets to acquire an interest in the best innovative and fast growth companies that Britain has to offer. Time will tell.”

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NatWest Roundtable

Housing, Infrastructure and Commercial Development SBT and NatWest come together for the fourth roundtable instalment, this month bringing together business representatives from Gatwick Diamond Initiative, Vail Williams, Coast to Capital and NatWest to discuss infrastructure, housing and commercial development in and around Crawley

“I think some of the challenges always comes back to affordable housing, logistics and transport links, not only North and South but also East and West, plus connectivity” - Daryl Gayler

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Jonathan Sharrock: I’m Jonathan Sharrock Roundtable and I’m the Chief Executive at Coast to Capital, which is the Local Enterprise Partnership for the M23 corridor, linking the main areas of our regional economy of Croydon, Gatwick, Crawley and Brighton & Hove.

I would say that the opportunity we’ve got for growth is supporting and further developing businesses in our region in a way that’s distinct from London because we’re the 6th biggest regional economy in England. The challenge is clearly to rise up that table and to have a bigger and better regional economy in the South East rather than the South East becoming fully a satellite of London. The challenges in that are really how we develop our land, how we get the infrastructure we need in order to sustain that and how we get the skills that capture our unique

economy. What we do is focused on addressing those issues.

Peter Sudworth: I’m Peter Sudworth, Partner of Vail Williams. Our board at the moment at Manor Royal are on the Elect Building Nexus on the Harwood new development, so we’re heavily investing and committing into the Manor Royal occupier base. We also have involvements in Burgess Hill and down in Brighton, so we’re involved with all of the commercial centres in the South East. I think the biggest challenge for this area is land supply. Manor Royal is full at the moment. We’re slightly frustrated with the airport decision but there is development coming forward. I think the reasons why the region has been successful is critical mass – it’s now a fully regional centre with Reading and Southampton. If corporate occupiers are looking at occupation in the wider South East, I see no reason why that would continue. But services

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and infrastructure are challenges for all of us.

Anya Ledwith: I’m Anya Ledwith and I’m the Chairman of Gatwick Diamond Business Initiative, which is a voluntary position. My day job is running my Environmental Management Consultancy, where I work with medium to large companies to put in management systems that reduce their environmental impacts and comply with them. I’m not here to talk from my business’ point of view, I’m here to talk from the GDB point of view. I think what would give us an advantage over, lets say, the London scene is our identity and that we are effectively a business community, whereas when you go up into London, it’s very impersonal.

The whole spirit of Gatwick Diamond Business is collaboration, network and working together, and building those contacts. Building the ability to work together and share knowledge, share findings, share finances even; that’s what gives us a really good edge compared to, certainly the more impersonal, larger areas I think very much the business community has a very strong voice here and that’s what sets us apart.

Daryl Gayler: I’m Daryl Gayler, Regional Director for NatWest. I’m responsible for the SME and midcorporate lending through the London and South East area, with about five-and-a-half thousand customers.

In terms of the opportunity, I think it’s to work with local businesses. In the last three years we will have grown our loan book by about 8-10% per annum, which suggests there’s a real strong appetite and demand from local businesses to grow. Take all of the unemployment and invest in the area, despite some of the economic headwinds out, which I think is extremely positive and I think every other bank is kind of doing the same.

It’s not just a NatWest situation; all of the banks are very, very busy. I think some of the challenge always comes back to affordable housing, logistics and transport links, not only North and South but also East to West.

Plus connectivity. Infrastructure, the logistics, housing and skills really need to get working to support those local businesses that really want to grow

“The airport decision was disappointing but life does go on and I know it’s very difficult to be positive, particularly about our rail connectivity at this current time, but nevertheless, if we look at what’s happening in terms of the investment, we’re getting the investment” their franchise, and their business in the local area, which is hugely opportunistic, but we’ve still got some way to go yet.

Jeff Alexander: I’m Jeff Alexander and I’m Executive Director of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative. We’re a strategic partnership that brings together the public and private sector across the Gatwick Diamond, which includes most of West Sussex. The Gatwick Diamond is a natural economic area that businesses recognise, and we lobby hard regionally and nationally, in terms of positioning the Gatwick Diamond. The challenges I think have already been mentioned; it’s the big 3 for me. It’s the ability in terms of land and premises of the right quality and in the right place. It’s housing; as well as being a social issue, housing is a huge economic pull for people with the skills businesses need. Thirdly is the challenge in terms of skills; meeting the skills requirements of businesses.

I think the big opportunity is actually in increasing our productivity as an economy. We don’t compare particularly well on an international basis, so I

think there’s an enormous capacity for growth – sometimes called smart growth – through driving up our productivity or, also supporting businesses to drive up our productivities, is a better way of putting it.

Chair, Jason Dempsey: On that note then, we will start with the Autumn Statement. It must be encouraging that the government announced the national productivity/infrastructure fund. I thought the fact that they linked housing, digital communications, research and development and transport all in one showed the cycle to improve productivity.

Is there anything that came out of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement that you’d want to highlight or you wish there was more of?

Jeff: I think we have to welcome it at face value. It’s going in the right direction.

There’s also a new pot of money for supporting broadband and 5G, which is very important to this area. You have to unpack it and find out what’s new and what’s recycled in terms of the resources, but then I do go back to what I said;

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NatWest Roundtable

the big issue for us is do we get our fair share? or do the businesses get a fair share in the South East and in the Gatwick Diamond in particular? Or will there be a tendency to put it elsewhere?

We would argue very strongly that you need to invest in success as well as tackling relative failures. We’re making a very strong case, I hope, for that investment in the Gatwick Diamond and the South East more generally.

Jonathan: And there’s an obvious thing that the Government could announce, which is an upgrade to the Brighton mainline, not just from London to Brighton but all the links going out to Horsham, Chichester, Eastbourne and Crawley. It’s the last major route into London that hasn’t had major investment since the war. It’s still all basically the same as it was 60 years ago and you can see that. So there’s a clear scale in which everyone in the region supports very strongly. I think a decision to back that would be exactly the sort of commitment to the region that Jeff describes.

Daryl: Stewart Wingate from Gatwick has talked openly and in quite a lot of detail around their plans and their hopes for the upgrade and the frequency of trains running from Gatwick to London. I guess one concern – because that’s quite exciting – is to what extent the airport

decision put that on hold or delayed it.

Jeff: Obviously the airport decision was disappointing but life does go on and I know it’s very difficult to be positive, particularly about our rail connectivity at this current time, but nevertheless, if we look at what’s happening in terms of the investment, we’re getting the investment in Thameslink, which is going to have a big impact, as well as London Bridge which, for the last year or two, has been part of the problem. Eventually it will become part of the solution as the new platforms open there. We’re seeing investment in the Gatwick Express and by about 2018, 15 million people will be within one hour of Gatwick by public transport, primarily by train. I understand that no European airport can actually compete with that, so we do have to celebrate what we’ve got as well as pushing for the further investment that we clearly need.

Anya: And think about more innovative ways of working as well. At the moment we’re still thinking in the mindset of ‘you travel to work; your suppliers travel’. The more challenging and disruptive ways of running a business these days will hopefully tackle some of these things rather than having to get on a train and getting stuck in traffic, sitting on the M25.

Jonathan: It’s all about us growing an economy in the region that residents are part of, and you start to build an even more sustainable and prosperous region there. On the productivity point I would say that one angle is making use of the skills we’ve got in the region. So, one of our great assets is that we’re a highly skilled region; I think 50% of people in the Coast to Capital region have got a degree. There’s even more around the Gatwick Diamond than that and we have nearly 10,000 graduates a year come out of our universities. We need to make sure the economy is delivering the sorts of jobs that people with that qualification, higher apprenticeships and the other level 3 vocational qualifications want, because that’s really what drives productivity. I think infrastructure is a means to an end; a means to getting businesses to grow, to getting businesses into the region.

Education and Attracting the Next Generation Daryl: I still think there’s a challenge

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“50% of people in the Coast to Capital region have got a degree.

There’s even more around the Gatwick Diamond than that and we have nearly 10,000 graduates a year come out of our universities”

- Jonathan Sharrock

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between bridging that gap between students at universities and local schools and actually what the employers need. We’ve taken in 18 apprentices into my region in the last 2 years and it has completely changed.

The dynamic in the business – fresh, hungry, diverse, talented – is great to see. You get the skills but you also get the vibrancy. I think we’ve got a role in terms of being part of that activity between our customers; what they need and what they want to help them run a business, and our connections with the schools and colleges in terms of the way they tailor their programmes. Indeed, also so we can retain talent.

Jeff: I think we have to accept that

London has an enormous pull for skilled graduates, and to some extent you could describe it as a drain on our economy but on the other hand, our economy wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t part of the Greater London economy. We do have to shift the balance in terms of the attention and attraction of people with the right skills and I think there’s two ways we have to come at it; first is in terms of addressing the education side of things and the aspirations of young people; secondly it’s also related to the infrastructure and housing issues we have been discussing.

One of the things that makes it difficult for young people to come and stay or to come to the area is the cost of housing and the general cost of living. In order to afford that and in order to live here, they need to work in London and earn London

wages, so we do need to address that balance so that the Gatwick Diamond and West Sussex generally is a place where people can afford to live and work.

Anya: On the other hand, it is more affordable than London and therefore more attractive, so it would be best if we can build the local economy and the good work life balance as well.

We need something for them to be attracted to living here, so they’re not living and working elsewhere. We need to understand what’s attractive to people – it’s not just about paychecks, it’s about wider business.

Jason: I think it was the Centre for Cities who released a report last week saying that around 25% of all university students

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NatWest Roundtable

end up in London within six months of graduating. What are your thoughts on that?

etc. There are a number of companies we know are wanting to relocate down to Brighton, partly because of the IT skills base but also because of the lifestyle. It’s difficult, realistically for us to challenge that until we have more to offer in terms of leisure and nightlife.

Jonathan: The place that’s the exception to that is Brighton. There is something that’s unique about Brighton. I don’t know the exact figures but it is a very large proportion of students who do stay Jeff: Crawley is very interesting from there after graduating rather than move to that point of view because Centre London, or anywhere else for that matter. for Cities regards Crawley as just So how can we as an that: a city. Not an area provide work for historical one, but “Gatwick Diamond this highly talented and economically, and is the main hub for motivated workforce we think of Crawley professional services and Manor Royal as straight out of university, and financial services a bit low down on the so that they don’t have outside of London but, pecking order. Yet, to work in Brighton or commute up to London. if you look at the 39 as you implied, the Why aren’t they coming cities and compare grade A offices that into Crawley, Horsham them on patents firms are looking for or Burgess Hill? What registered, Crawley simply aren’t there” a difference that could is 6th nationally, up make! there with Cambridge and Oxford. The interesting thing is Anya: One tech company we do of course that that is almost entirely work with is saying that they’re having driven by business, as we don’t have to relocate down into Brighton just the university as other cities do. So, we because they couldn’t draw the talent, mustn’t do ourselves down. predominantly from young people, in the area.

Anya: We have good links with the universities as well. I have just started Daryl: That is the issue – we are trying mentoring students at the University of to compete with Brighton in terms of Sussex, which is a low volume project, business, leisure, hotels, diversity, nightlife but the potential is amazing. It’s a

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fantastic way of molding young minds when they’re thinking of where they want to go or what they want to do in their career. You mentioned skills that we need to run businesses – the softer skills around how to develop as an adult (time management, financial management, phone skills etc.) are things that we need for them to succeed in the business environment.

Jeff: Daryl, your Entrepreneurial Spark project down in Brighton is a brilliant initiative, and in a way I can see us being in danger of having two bookends: Croydon and Brighton. We end up in the middle. We have your excellent initiative in Brighton, then there’s also the University of Sussex’ longstanding Innovation Centre in Brighton. Then the other bookend is another Sussex University Innovation Centre in Crawley, so we need to bring those two into the great mass in the middle where we are.

If we can make the right partnership offer, I think this can be done, and we need it. We need more enterprise, more innovation and more entrepreneurial spirit.

We need to draw these two initiatives into Crawley and make the most of what they bring. We also need hands-on support in the innovation process and access to finance.

Anya: Having the hub in Brighton

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is obviously very useful for the entrepreneurs, so there’s always a contact in terms of support and advice, but is that the problem that we have in the middle of the Gatwick Diamond?

That we don’t have the empty space to use? I wonder if there are opportunities for, when we’re building newer spaces, to have some available for these sorts of things.

Jonathan: I think that’s the answer. In our region, levels of startups are immense.

Brighton has a huge volume, as does Croydon, but actually growing those small businesses onto £1 - £3 million turnover, we do very poorly when we compare ourselves on a national scale. So, my personal view is that’s because of space and that actually you don’t necessarily have the space for the companies to grow. There’s also something about the level of full employment – a lot of these startups aren’t actually, aiming for that scale of business. The transformation into medium businesses is fundamental.

Space is a large part of that but it’s probably not the full picture.

Jeff: There is a shortage of high quality and very flexible space. I’d be interested to hear, hypothetically of course, what factors would need to be at play for NatWest to bring an Entrepreneurial Spark hub here, to Crawley…

Daryl: Yes, well it comes back to what incentives can we give people to base themselves here. I have lived here all my life, so I am a massive advocate of Crawley itself. However, when I want to go out somewhere, I do find I struggle with where to go and what to do. There aren’t many places for people to go out and enjoy themselves; you have to go to Brighton or London. It’s a great location that’s fantastically connected to both London and the south coast, with the airport just around the corner, greenery, some countryside close by, but it doesn’t have a great reputation so we have to address that. We need to attract a different type of people into the town, a different atmosphere and alongside that, better housing and better nightlife. But you can’t have one without the other.

Jonathan: We need to establish what we want from Crawley too. What do we want to become? What do we want it to look like? You have to know where you’re going and business and the council have a big role to play in that.

The universities becoming more present would be significant in that, as will the growth in Croydon. How will that impact us?

Building Better Communities Jonathan: We had a day at the Develop Croydon conference yesterday – it’s

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NatWest Roundtable

unbelievable the level of growth that’s happening there. There’s a big Westfield development going in and we’re going to have 2 million square feet of shopping space in Croydon once Westfield is finished in 2019.

We’re going to have a brand new cultural centre, there are 9,000 flats permitted and under construction at the moment and skyscrapers all over the town - it’s hard to imagine Croydon now compared to the vision for the town but it’s all about vibrancy.

It’s affordable and accessible; it’s 20 minutes from Gatwick on the train, so it’s very much part of our economy as much as it’s part of the London economy.

Peter: It’s not just Croydon; you’ve got Sutton doing the same thing. I think the danger with this area is that it can just turn into a “commuter-ville” because you’ve lost so much office space in the past few years. Horsham has no longer got an office stock so you are in danger if you’re not careful of filling more people into Manor Royal than ever over the next few years, because that’s where the office park is going. The ability to walk to work if you live in East Grinstead has pretty much gone now.

Jason: Historically, the way I’ve always seen it is that the Gatwick Diamond is the main hub for professional services and financial services outside of

London but, as you implied, the grade A offices that firms are looking for simply aren’t there. Like it has been implied; you can build affordable homes but that’s just affordable homes for London workers and it’s losing that community as a place to live and work.

Jonathan: It’s a huge challenge. If you just take the airports debate as a discussion, if you look at the M4 corridor, there are 3, 4 or 5 major business parks, all of which basically serve the Heathrow corridor and on the M23 we have Manor Royal. There are some others but they’re not at the level of investment, development and international attractiveness that they need to be, so as a region, that’s a huge issue. Where’s the next Manor Royal going to come from?

Daryl: I think it comes back to Anya’s point. We almost have a hot desk concept here where you’re trying to make efficiencies and cost savings and less and less office footprint, but still trying to provide the right services for the customers, which means people are working a bit smarter, and I guess that comes back a little bit to the whole broadband and connectivity debate, which I know is an issue.

Jason: There was a good announcement for the Local Enterprise Partnerships today and London and the South East got a big chunk of it. Is placemaking a part of the infrastructure development?

“You’ve got some really good mixed-use developments down in places like Gunwharf Quays and Brighton where they seem to have a combination of retail, leisure and residential.

I just wonder whether there’s something similar that we can do in Crawley” - Daryl Gayler

Jonathan: Yes it is, absolutely. We had a really strong BID with sites identified that were all on the M23 corridor in places where each council has got real plans for development, so Croydon, Horley, Burgess Hill, Worthing and Brighton – specific sites where public money would go in basically to unlock the private sector investment.

You talk about placemaking, I think that’s absolutely an area for the future because placemaking isn’t just about infrastructure. The advantage we have over many other regions of the UK and London and lots of other places is what the place is really like. Why would you choose to base your business around Gatwick? Obviously you’ve got the airport but you’ve also got the countryside, you’ve got the coast and you’ve got access to London. There’s a very unique offering in the region and I think, as the South East, we suffer a little but only because London tends to dominate everything.

Jonathan: Local authorities face a massive reduction in their Government grant and soon the Government is going to move to 100% rate retention, which sounds great for a prosperous area but, of course, many of the Southern authorities will have to give a lot of that up in order to provide an income for the Northern authorities.

Many of them have got property vehicles, many of them are thinking about developing their land and I would agree; I think it’s a very attractive area.

Housing and Commercial Developement Jeff: One of the issues we face is,

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In Partnership with

we’ve all focused on the dual challenge we have in terms of the space for business growth and the space for housing and the balance between the two. We are in a position where we are seeing some businesses contract in the financial services and business services sector, for example. Now, we need housing and the pressure is there because it releases the value, but we also need the business space as well and striking the right balance between those two is incredibly important and I do believe that the local authorities have to play with their planning hats on or with a more commercial role – they have to take a leading role in that.

Anya: What are your thoughts in terms of mixed development? We’ve talked about large business parks but actually having a mixture of retail and being able to walk to work as you mentioned, and to not separate the various industries is very important.

Daryl: You’ve got some really good mixed-use developments down in places like Gunwharf Quays and Brighton where they seem to have a combination of retail, leisure and residential. I just wonder whether there’s something similar that we can do in Crawley. You’ve got Manor Royal on the doorstep, you have Jeff: Well, the trouble with mixed a huge space there but the town centre development is that it, like lots of things, doesn’t feel as though we have that it’s in danger of being set up like a main traditional square. There’s the high panacea; it’s the cure-all for all of our street that feels a little bit tired. There are problems. In the right place, mixed some exciting development plans for the development is absolutely station, which will brilliant. We have had a problem in the part of “I think Horsham has really rejuvenate the area, but it still Sussex we’re in today, and got a real challenge feels like the whole particularly on the Manor to keep its identity. town hall area isn’t Royal in terms of the impact quite working. If we of limited development It could be a victim can unlock that with rights, where you convert of its own success some good nightlife from business use to a with the amount of and decent leisure housing or residential development it could opportunities, use without the need for planning permission. change the character affordable housing and flats, that Now I’m not against completely” would be the way permitted development forward.

- Peter Sudworth rights used appropriately, but on the Manor Royal we were Jason: Brighton, Worthing and Lewes using very valuable employment won the public estate programme with sites for inappropriate housing £2 billion worth of investment going in development. Fortunately, Crawley recently. Is there an opportunity for that Borough Council stepped in and we here? have an article 4 direction, which means that you need planning permission to Jonathan: Yes, there’s also been a BID build housing there. So, it’s the right for that in West Sussex for one public solution for the right place. In Crawley estate, and that’s money to unlock the town centre, quite oppositely, the public buildings. The West Sussex BID, council has strongly promoted mixed just like the Brighton BID, has identified development – we want to see more great big stretches of public sector land, houses and more employment in the which is full of buildings that were fit for town centre and we think they go very purpose 50 years ago, but not anymore. well together in a Crawley town context My organisation is based in one of them, but not Manor Royal.

and you’d never look at it and think that it’s going to be here in 20 years time. The opportunity for the council is to turn all of these buildings that are past their sell-by-date into something different. In many places, that’s quite a challenge, for instance in Horsham. Does Horsham want a road of office buildings, do they want a road of flats, or are they happy with these quite low-density expublic sector buildings that aren’t that economically productive? That’s the opportunity for this region. You don’t have to take so much green space when you’ve got so much brown space that you can repurpose.

Peter: I think Horsham has got a real challenge though, to keep its identity.

It could be a victim of its own success with the amount of development around Horsham; it could change the character completely.

Jeff: I’m not sure about the theory that one area will flourish at the expense of others. I think if we get it right, there’s enough value and growth to be generated, and I don’t mean growth in terms of physically, I mean growth in terms of smart growth or productivitydriven growth. There is enough there to go around. For example, it doesn’t bother me that Croydon has got its act together because I think at some point that will benefit us here. It’s not a zerosum game but we do need to get all these factors right, and there’s enormous scope for growth in the South East as a whole. If we get the fundamentals right (infrastructure, skills and housing), the business investment should follow, and the scope for it.

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Cyber Security

The Next Stage of Cyberwarfare The Chancellor, Philip Hammond recently announced a ‘strike back’ on cyber criminals. SBT takes a look at the new proposal of a national Cyber Security Strategy and questions what that means for businesses across the UK

Cyber security is recognised as one of the greatest threats to Focus business around the world, with the global cost of crimes in cyberspace estimated at $445 billion, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2016 Global Risks Report. Following the government’s announcement that it will be investing £1.9 billion in fighting cybercrime, there is even more incentive for businesses, small and large alike, to work together to tackle the ever evolving sophisticated methods that fraudsters are adopting to dupe their targets.

On 1st November, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond formally launched the government’s new National Cyber Security Strategy, which sets out decisive

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action to protect the UK economy and the privacy of British citizens, whilst encouraging the industry to up its game to prevent damaging cyber-attacks.

He announced: “For the first time the government will have a dedicated, outward-facing authority on cyber – making it much simpler for business to get advice on cyber security and to interact with government on cyber security issues.”

The new plan outlines how the UK will use automated defences to safeguard citizens and businesses against growing cyber threats; support the UK’s growing cyber security industry; develop a world-class cyber workforce; and deter cyber-attacks from criminals and hostile actors.

For the many businesses that have fallen victim to cybercrime over the past couple of years, this will be very welcome news. Three Mobile admitted earlier this year that the private information of six million of its customers were at risk after a hacker obtained its customer upgrade database using an employee login.

Jason Fry is a cyber security specialist at PAV i.t. services. Having worked with dozens of corporate and independent businesses across the UK, he knows the danger of cyber threats: “Fraudsters are becoming more and more adept at formulating intricate and complex ways to infiltrate and breach data. Although security software will help ward off potential threats, fraudsters will always aim to be one step ahead so individuals need to keep their wits about them to avoid any unpleasant surprises.”

“Although security software will help ward off potential threats, fraudsters will always aim to be one step ahead so individuals need to keep their wits about them to avoid any unpleasant surprises”

Cyber Security

As opposed to the very foreign feel of the threat described by the Chancellor, Jason sees the threat as far more local and close to home, as was the case with Three Mobile: “The weakest link for the majority of businesses tends to be employees who have received little in the way of training to spot the potential pitfalls of online scams, or are simply unaware of the techniques used by social engineering fraudsters, so training is key to staying up-to-date and in touch with the causes of cybercrime and prevent cyber attacks. “ Jason’s suggestion is to develop a ‘cybersecurity business network’: “… to share knowledge and experiences of techniques and scams would only prove advantageous in addressing the numerous cyber threats facing companies today.”

Mark O’Halloran, Partner at leading law

firm, Coffin Mew reacted to this news: “Attacks are definitely increasing but not just because hackers are getting more sophisticated. The really clever hackers use automated, intelligent software (so-called ‘bots’) to trawl the internet.

These bots glean information from public sources, including social networks and a company’s own website, to generate spear-phishing emails. However, hackers don’t need to be brilliant programmers themselves. There are many software tools, freely available, to allow someone with only modest coding skills to create a piece of malware, launch a denial of service attack and, indeed, to create spear-phishing bots.” Mark also agrees that the problem often lies in a lack of training, adding: “Therefore, companies need to train their employees on cyber awareness and keep them updated and consumers need to be wary of any

email or website asking them to provide personal or financial details.”

As part of the National Cyber Security Strategy, there is a large emphasis on developing the nation’s capabilities to keep pace with cyber threats and, combatting the issues identified with a lack of training, the strategy includes an increased investment in building a highly skilled next generation.

The Chancellor mentioned cyber apprenticeships, retraining schemes, cyber security teaching in schools and education initiatives to build on cuttingedge skills in his announcement and he seemed confident that the new strategy would form the stepping stone to a safer business climate and more secure economic climate: “The new strategy is built on three core pillars: defend, deter and develop, underpinned by £1.9 billion of transformational investment...”, says the Chancellor.

He added: “I believe there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the UK to cement our role as a leader in digital tech innovation, and to future-proof the economy of postBrexit Britain. And we need to take that opportunity.”

Ben Gummer, Minister for the Cabinet Office & Paymaster General, said: “The first duty of the government is to keep the nation safe. Any modern state cannot remain secure and prosperous without securing itself in cyberspace.

That is why we are taking the decisive action needed to protect our country, our economy and our citizens.”

Cindy Rose, UK CEO, Microsoft, said: “All participants in the security ecosystem also need to work together to ensure everyone can trust the technology they use. The Chancellor’s announcement is the kind of initiative that the UK needs to protect British citizens from the growing threats we face. We welcome the government’s focus on tackling this significant issue which affects business and individuals alike.”

It seems that the government are working hard to tackle this farreaching and serious issue that affects businesses across the UK and those in Sussex. The over-riding lesson is working together creates results, and the Chancellor agrees that coming together is essential in this process: “We need a secure cyberspace – and we need to work together business and government to deliver it.”

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How Do You Grow Twitter Followers?

As social media and online branding become increasingly important elements of business, Sussex Business Times got in contact with Social Media Consultant & Trainer at Social Brighton Ltd, Kerry Watkins, who explains the ways in which businesses can grow their online followings As social networking becomes more and more a part Digital Marketing of every business’ marketing strategy, there is a growing focus on the number of followers you have. Whether you’re using Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or any other networking site, the size of your online following and connections are often thought of as an indicator of success, of influence and of credibility. It’s also the easiest metric to measure and therefore something that all businesses tend to monitor and report on.

It’s important to point out that there are other, very important metrics you can measure to understand on a deeper level how social is supporting the business and delivering results. For example, the number of clicks to your website from social media posts, the revenue generated as a result of these clicks, the

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Connect with like-minded people number of leads generated from social, Actively seeking people to follow on the reach of your promotional content or Twitter will not only create an interesting improving the level of engagement with and relevant Twitter feed for you, your audience. but means others will be alerted to Setting realistic KPIs for your Twitter your presence via a followers, as well as notification once you’ve other metrics, is part of followed them. Using strategically positioning “Using Twitter Twitter purely as a your business on social. purely as a publishing media and Growing your followers publishing media hoping that people is an important goal as and hoping will follow you is not a long as, further along the strategy to help you journey, your followers that people will grow followers quickly. are listening, engaging, follow you is not a Instead, spending advocating and buying. strategy to some time to discover The key objective like minded people for any business is to help you grow and following them will gain relevant followers; followers quickly” be more effective at people or organisations growing your networks. who either fit into your Look for current customers or clients, target market or who add valuable people in your business network and networking opportunities. Here’s how you those who follow your competitors can grow relevant Twitter followers for perhaps. A Twitter search will help you your business:

Digital Marketing

find people who work in your field and have similar interests. Following these accounts and engaging with them will often mean they follow you back.

Setting up social feeds in Tweetdeck or Hootsuite for people who use specific keywords or publish tweets with a certain hashtag is a great way to find others to connect with too.

Be discoverable It’s just as important to make sure that people can find you on Twitter. Your website and email signature should all contain links to your Twitter profile and your printed marketing material, and business cards should all have the correct @username on them.

There are a number of ways for people to discover you on Twitter. The most common are by people seeing your profile appear in the “who to follow” section, seeing a retweet of your tweet and discovering you in a hashtag conversation, a promoted tweet or when you are mentioned by another account.

These are all optimised by networking, sharing great content, having some budget to promote yourself and having a well written bio.

Your Twitter bio is your chance to shine: those 160 characters can be the difference between someone following you and someone ignoring you and moving on. Writing an engaging, succinct and targeted Twitter bio is not as easy as it sounds but is worth doing well to attract more followers.

your Twitter feed in a matter of seconds and decide whether to follow you or not.

If your feed is full of repetitive ‘promotion’ they will be less likely to follow you. If your feed contains useful or interesting content that engages them, you have their attention; they will feel they can expect more of the same from you in the future and, bingo, you’ve got yourself a new follower.

So, when you’re developing your content strategy, think about your audience so you share content that appeals to them. Then you’ll be sure you are attracting relevant followers “If your feed who will potentially become is full of a client or customer at repetitive some point. And 1 of ‘promotion’ those is more important than 100 followers who they will be are never going to take the less likely to relationship further.

Publish valuable content The most important thing to consider when publishing content on Twitter is your audience’s interests, values and needs. What do they care about and want to learn from you? Sharing follow content that adds value to people’s social media experience will help you attract and grow new followers. It may be an article you’ve written, a ‘How To’ video, a live Q&A, a photo of a new product, a humourous observation… whatever it is, is should add value to your audience in terms of interest, insights, enjoyment or support.

Every time someone new is alerted to your presence on Twitter, whether it be as the result of a search, retweet or a click through from your website, they will judge

content and new people.

Try starting conversations, join a Twitter chat or participate in hashtag discussions. A Twitter user who is actively publishing and conversing is far more appealing than an account that just publishes content and doesn’t engage in 2 way communication. It is a social network after all!

So if you’re serious about growing your Twitter followers, find like minded people to connect with, make sure you are easy to discover both online and offline, share great content that will engage your target audience and, last but not least, be social. Twitter is a social network where the networking skills that serve us well in the real world, work in very much the same way online.

you”

Be social The more social you are on social media, the more people will follow you. If you behave on Twitter how you would behave at a networking event, exhibition or in your store, you will achieve a consistent and friendly level of communication that will attract others. I recommend spending at least a third of your time interacting with others on social; sharing and curating content is highly regarded on Twitter and helps others discover new

Kerry Watkins, Social Media Consultant & Trainer at Social Brighton Ltd

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Employee Engagement

The Tech Revolution of Employee Engagement Sussex Business Times got in contact with Broadband Genie’s Feria Kazemi, who explains the ways in which using the right technology can drive employee engagement and therefore, ensure a more productive workforce The traditional workplace has changed dramatically Focus in the last quarter of a Century. Once dominant across industries, many companies have since cast aside the cubicle-style office space in favour of open-concept workspaces, in an effort to promote greater collaboration and communication among employees and teams.

However, it’s the collaborative nature of open-concept workspaces that proved

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to be part of its pitfall for employees.

Studies show that employee concerns about open-concept workplaces are warranted, as the increase in workplace interactions and distractions that occur in these spaces has been found to cause a decrease in employee productivity, creativity, wellbeing and engagement.

As researchers call for a balance between the ‘me’ and the ‘we’ in the workplace, it’s clear that businesses can no longer adopt one type of workplace environment, especially the extremes of solitude and collaboration that the cubicle office and open-concept office present. Instead, businesses must seek to find and strike a balance between the complete solitude the office cubicle provides and the highly social environment of the openconcept office.

Workers agree on the need for balance and have consequently become a driving force behind the evolution of the modern workplace in recent years. Statistics show that nearly four million Britons currently work from home. Even more Britons (over half of British workers) desire flexibility in their

jobs. This flexibility can come in different forms, but whether it’s in terms of work hours or location-independence, the evidence is clear – modern employees expect more from their employers than the bygone traditional workplace.

As employees demand more from employers, companies are shifting their organisational and workplace structures to adapt to the new work landscape.

Following the lead of tech giants such as Apple, Facebook and Google, and like-minded startups, companies across all industries have awoken to the value in building a strong corporate culture and employee engagement by listening to the needs of their people.

Research shows that strong employee engagement and organisational affinity has a positive impact on a company’s bottom line. However, companies are left at an impasse with the modern worker being flightier than ever, set to hold over six jobs in their lifetime. Thus, building a strong corporate culture and focusing on employee engagement are the keys

Employee Engagement

for companies looking to build long-term Although the lingering fear exists relationships with their people. among organisations that employee But what elements drive employee productivity will decrease as locationengagement? independence and flexible work hours According to a recent Deloitte study, increase, over 30 per cent of those meaningful work, working remotely a positive work believe that their environment and productivity has “Instant messaging growth opportunities increased, as a result. apps can also help are all contributing Chances are, the foster greater employee increase in productivity elements. These engagement and elements show that stems from the space creating a culture and mental capacity to increase morale, of recognition, focus that an individual allowing colleagues investing in people work environment spontaneously connect brings, but that’s and increasing over chat, from individual autonomy not to diminish the are all strategies value of engaging anywhere at any point that companies with colleagues in their day” can employ to drive and collaboration. greater employee Fortunately, there are engagement. So how are companies new technologies that can help foster a implementing these elements in their balance between the ‘me’ and the ‘we’. workplace? Technology is the answer.

Technology enables digital collaboration Communicate with anyone, from and communication, independently. anywhere

Communication is everywhere in organisations. From internal memos and emails, to team meetings, all-hands, and holiday socials, communication is an integral part of how individuals connect, teams collaborate, ideas spark and businesses are built. While locationindependence and flexible work hours for employees may appear unconducive to workplace communication, there are tech tools out to bridge the gap.

The wide scope of communications applications available for business can make it difficult for companies to select one that’s more appropriate for their needs. With so many to choose from, companies must focus in on the needs of their business, to incorporate the platforms that are best suited for them.

For businesses looking to keep the lines of communication open among employees, whether employees are working from the office or across multiple locations, applications like Brosix, Slack and Hipchat, can help.

Many companies worldwide swear by these apps, and it’s unsurprising. Allowing employees and teams to communicate across open, private or direct channels with each other, these applications are stacked with ingenious features that make remote communications effective and easy. Filled with functions like file and image embedding, individual chats and searchability, these apps are not only powerhouse communication platforms, but also archives of information that employees can easily go back and reference when needed.

These instant messaging apps can also help foster greater employee engagement and increase morale, allowing colleagues to spontaneously connect over chat, from anywhere at any point in their day.

Similar to office banter and water cooler chatter, instant messaging apps promote socialisation among colleagues, while allowing employees to decide to respond to casual chatter on their own schedule.

For some companies, instant messaging applications are a start but may not be enough to foster stronger engagement among employees.

Sometimes, face-to-face interaction is needed to convey messages effectively.

Fortunately, video conferencing applications like Skype and Zoom can help companies to fill this void using technology.

For simple video-conferencing needs,

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Employee Engagement

Skype fits the bill. Colleagues and platforms that let employees and teams can video chat with each other, employers request and receive feedback while using Skype’s chat to send files or on their projects, progress and goals. attachments, or send instant-messages Focusing on integration with employee as needed. For businesses needing and organisational goal alignment, both greater video-conferencing capabilities, of these applications promote the ability Zoom is the ultimate to request and receive solution. Great for real-time feedback. hosting larger videoNot only does this “Applications conferencing teams, improve directed like Dropbox and or perfect for an communications and Google Docs can all-hands meeting, regular check-ins Zoom handles a large among teams, but make it easier to number of users also lets employees collaborate on with ease. Plus, for take control of their documents and companies seeking own development to create a flow and growth in the projects with among their various colleagues located organisation. applications, it also everywhere” has Slack integration, Stay in sync with among many more. cloud-based While instant collaboration messaging and video conferencing offer While communication is a vital ingredient communication solutions for informal and in the workplace, even more so is the collaborative communications, sometimes ability to get the work done. Cloud-based employees and employers seek directed collaboration tools let teams do just that, communications, like feedback and whether team members are working evaluations to track project progress or alongside each other, or across the world. set goals.

Applications like Dropbox and Google For such needs, applications like Docs can make it easier to collaborate on Impraise and Reflektive are useful documents and projects with colleagues

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located everywhere. With varying levels of permissions, both applications let users decide which team members can view or edit specific files and folders. Also, if colleagues are working on the same document, these applications will show where they are and let you chat with each other in the platform, making collaborative projects effective and seamless.

For informal ways of collaborating, the note-sharing app, Evernote makes it easy for colleagues and teams to brainstorm collaboratively, jotting down ideas and sharing notes in different notebooks. For ideas that are better shared in sketches, annotations and drawings, Evernote’s Skitch app, makes idea-sharing through imagery easier than ever.

As with all collaborative projects, teams need a way to organise, track, and prioritise what needs to get done.

While traditionally, a project manager can organise teams, applications like Wunderlist and Trello are effective project management tools for autonomous teams. Not only can these apps help companies visualise the tasks needed to complete projects, but they also provide colleagues with a platform through which they can share project progress, track the status of materials they may be expecting, and update each other on project completion.

Let technology balance the scale between ‘me’ and ‘we’ The workplace has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, forcing many businesses to evaluate the effectiveness of their workplace. As companies work to find that fine balance between the ‘me’ and ‘we’ in their office policies and environments, considering how new technologies and applications can benefit them should be a priority.

In the last decade alone, technology has made society much more mobile, while giving greater opportunity and autonomy to individuals. With employees expecting these same elements in the modern workplace, the key to building greater engagement employees is to extend the benefits of new technologies to the workplace. The traditional nineto-five workplace is long gone and the sooner companies recognise and adapt their environments to reflect this change, the greater chance they stand to energise and build engagement among their people.

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The Home Sweet Home Team

No Place Like Home Sweet Home Sussex Business Times gets to know the story behind Eastbourne-based Estate Agents, Home Sweet Home, following on from their recent relocation. Owners, Matt Thompson and Steve Davies explain the reasons behind this move, the success of Home Sweet Home so far and the company’s plans for the future

“Located in the heart of Eastbourne, placing them just a short walk away from the mainline railway station, town hall, theatres, seafront and town centre shopping facilities – the perfect destination for a customerhungry property business”

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Home Sweet Home is a joint-owned Cover Estate Agency, which was founded in the Feature summer of 2004 by current owners, Matt Thompson and Steve Davies. With a combined 35 years of experience in Eastbourne’s busy property market, the pair have extensive knowledge of what buyers and sellers expect from their Estate Agents. Their current offices are located in the heart of Eastbourne’s South Street, placing them just a short walk away from the mainline railway station, town hall, theatres, seafront and town centre shopping facilities – the perfect destination for a customer-hungry property business.

So just to give you a little bit of history; Matt and Steve had been working

together at Flats Only – previous to them starting their current business – for a number of years when, one day, they decided it was the right time for them to begin working for themselves. As we have covered before in previous issues of SBT, starting your own business isn’t exactly an easy process and a large amount of start-ups fail within their first few years of operating. However, with a clear vision already in their minds, this wasn’t quite the case for Home Sweet Home: “I had the name Home Sweet Home in my mind for several years anyway and in 2004, everything seemed to slot into place,” said Steve. “Matt and I both sold a property to free up the funds without needing any loans or third party backing”. It’s safe to say the pair haven’t looked back since. Home Sweet Home also employs three other

Education: Bexhill College

Home Sweet Home’s New Offices

staff members; Senior Negotiator, Sophie Archer who has been with them for many years now; Emma-Louise Brown who joined in February last year in order to specifically manage the growing lettings side of the business; and also Lydia Yap, their extremely efficient Saturday Assistant. Since their relocation, Home Sweet Home have also welcomed Paul Healy from Cavendish Financial to their team who, with a stream of experience in finance and mortgages, has interlinked with the Home Sweet Home team and is on hand to offer his expertise in the form of financial advice and mortgages – something the team were unable to offer before. Matt and Steve are now completely content with the way their business is being run, with help from their efficient, friendly and professional team of staff: “We all get on well and work together as a team!”

But what was it that sparked the partnership between them? Steve continued to explain: “Matt and I have always got on well, to be fair. Three is most certainly a crowd and I think it’s much easier with two people than being a sole trader, as you will always have a second opinion on literally everything, which helps with the occasional indecisiveness. There’s comfort in that.

We are good friends; we were before we started Home Sweet Home and we still are!”

The Estate Agent market is a crowded

Eastbourne

one, especially in highly residential areas with a large volume of elderly people, such as Eastbourne and Brighton, which would usually, make the process of starting up your own particularly difficult, but Matt and Steve claim that one of the main elements that kept them going and their most unique selling point was – and still is – their company’s name. There were plenty of options when it came to the name of their business, Davies & Thompson being the obvious choice and following in the footsteps of the many other Estate Agents. However, Home Sweet Home was definitely the more unique, personal and warm title, giving off

certain positive vibes that haven’t quite been established by many other agents.

Steve elaborates: “You can find all sorts of ‘Home Sweet Home’ goodies in shops such as Next. Most people just do seem to like it and properties look good on our headed paper and with a Home Sweet Home board outside.”

For the initial few years, Home Sweet Home comprised purely of Matt and Steve themselves, with a focus on just residential sales and working hard for six days out of the week, when in 2006, Matt came up with the suggestion of taking on lettings also, which lead to the build up of Home Sweet Home’s small team of staff. Steve’s sister, Sarah decided

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Cover Feature: Home Sweet Home

to jump on board in the business and made a start on the lettings right away.

Their business took off straight away, and in their first week of opening they had 31 new instructions on their books to sell. The only recognisable difficulty Matt and Steve faced over the years was the recession of 2008, which saw the sales side of the business plummet dramatically for a number of years, as was the case with many businesses all over the country. Despite this, Matt and Steve weathered the storm, unlike many larger agents, and came out on the other side wiser and well respected.

It was only recently though, that the owners of Home Sweet Home decided a relocation was necessary for the business. Previous to their move, Home Sweet Home was based at 41 South Street, which both Matt and Steve felt was a sensible place to start; it was in town, but came without the high rents of a prime location. This office served them well for more than 12 years, but after feeling as if they had outgrown their original premises, Home Sweet Home moved to a new, bigger location in August this year – just a number of doors down at 117 South Street.

“I was worried that the phones or the internet would not be up and running, but actually we had no hiccups and on the day we opened – the Monday – we all felt really settled straight away”, said Steve. “We have a lovely office. We have had an incredible amount of praise from not only our customers, but also our neighbouring shop keepers and even fellow Estate Agents.” The new Home Sweet Home office now provides the

Matthew Thompson and Steve Davies, Owners

Senior Negotiator, Sophie Archer

Paul Healy, Cavendish Financial

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team with a much nicer environment to work in – light and airy, in a much busier location and with a lot more space for the staff. “It’s like moving home – it’s not until you make the move that you realise what you were struggling with before”, said Steve.

Why Eastbourne, though? Eastbourne has an unusually high number of sales and lettings agents for a town of its size and is a very competitive market with an excellent mixture of local independent agents, along with larger corporate firms and the online-only agents of both local and national origins. The property market has become a very fee-driven one, which of course is good for customers, and in fall in the evenings also, proving that their order to ensure they are competing with decision to move has been a decision the many other agents in the region, well made. Even in the few months since Home Sweet Home have the ability to their relocation, Matt and Steve have tailor their services to every individual seen their market share increase in terms customer. Steve said: “At the end of the of new customers on both the sales side day, aside from all the website marketing and lettings side of things: “People like and the fancy us. They trust us. They window displays, the like the way we work. property business “Brexit has so far They like our prices. is all about people. not bothered their We don’t ask sellers to Compared to some, sign a lengthy contract we are much more business at all. In with us. We don’t have human about how fact, this year has extortionate fees for we work; we are not our lettings packages”, seen prices surge target driven, not explains Steve. driven by financial during the peak One question on services. This months of Spring everyone’s minds definitely comes surrounds the impact of across in the way we and Summer” Brexit on the property speak to people and market. Most people help them. Although we are always very busy, we always make would assume that this is one of the areas most affected by the result of the plenty of time for people.”

Home Sweet Home have a superb high EU referendum. However, Matt and Steve say Brexit has so far not bothered street presence. Of course, their window their business at all. In fact, this year display attracts a great deal of interest has seen prices surge during the peak throughout the day, and their positioning months of spring and summer – mainly next to Morgans restaurant and opposite fuelled by the lack of ‘stock’ – and with to Hudsons bar means so many people looking to buy and rent, there is a lot of foot it has been a very busy time for Home Sweet Home: “We’ve achieved some excellent prices for our vendors this year, for example; a one-bedroom flat sold at the asking price of £174,950, a twobedroom bungalow in Westham sold for £380,000 and a three-bedroom house sold in Stone Cross for £515,000!”

The Home Sweet Home owners then went on to give their opinon on how they feel about the recent announcement of scrapping letting agent fees:

Home Sweet Home’s New Offices

“It’s an interesting one. Personally, we feel there should be a cap on fees, not a ban.

Of course, there are some agents who have no doubt been overcharging. Rip-off fees should be banned, but fees should not. It is too early to really know what will happen as the finer details have not yet been announced. No fees for tenants, we think, is a mistake. The proposed ban is equivalent to asking a Conveyancing Solicitor not to charge anything for their professional services – I don’t think so!

You cannot have a professional service for free.”

A short number of years ago, it became compulsory for letting agents to join an independent redress scheme in order to help protect the public, such as The Property Ombudsman, although Home Sweet Home had already voluntarily joined many years prior. In addition to this, Home Sweet Home have recently joined a Client Money Protect agency, again in advance of it becoming mandatory, and the company really does strive to provide customers with peace of mind.

Matt and Steve cannot foresee what the future holds for Home Sweet Home, but can only do their best to ensure it continues along the successful road it has been on. Steve concludes: “We will have to see what next year brings. Eastbourne tends to hold its own, even when other places around the UK are in turmoil. It’s a nice, clean town with plenty of investment taking place. There is the harbour, the Downs, the seafront and many good schools; the possibilities in Eastbourne are endless.”

For more information on Home Sweet Home or to contact them directly, visit www.hshome.co.uk, call 01323 748874 or email enquiries@hshome.co.uk

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System Failure: The Problem with Education After being made aware of a shocking statistic surrounding school-leavers’ lack of essential business skills, SBT looks at the apparent gap between the education system’s requirements and business needs, also contemplating the impact of the new changes to GCSE and A Levels

A recent survey by the business group, CIMA has reported that a Education shocking eight out of ten British schoolleavers ‘lack essential business skills’.

More than 80% of young people require ‘significant training’ before being put to work, according to the 4,000 finance professionals questioned - a figure that’s worse than last year, when 75% of school-leavers were found to need more training before entering the working world.

Numeracy was one of the weaknesses of school-leavers, which is a skill often found to be in need of improvement, but above all, people and business skills seem to be worst hit.

In 2013, Michael Gove announced changes to the education system, which aimed to rescue this lack of essential – but wholly academic - skills from having a detrimental effect on young people’s futures, businesses and therefore the economy. The new GCSE and A Level system, set in motion as we speak, is set

38 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

surveyed in the UK reported that their to ‘equip our children to go onto higher workload had increased as a result of education or a good apprenticeship’ skills shortages, with 46% agreeing according to Gove: “That means more it had caused a fall in departmental extended writing in subjects like English performance. However, the top areas and history; more testing of advanced of weakness for new problem-solving skills recruits seem to be in mathematics and “Pupils sitting AS much more on the side science; more testing of of ‘soft skills’, such as mathematics in science exams in AQA people skills alongside GCSEs, to improve History of Art essential business progression to A Levels; next year and know-how rather than more challenging mechanics problems A-level exams in the more academic skills that Gove advocates. in physics; a stronger 2018 will be the With the new GCSE and focus on evolution and genetics in biology; last of their kind” A Level system focusing more and more on and a greater focus academics, and getting on foreign language students from one education system composition, so that pupils require to the next, these more ‘real-world’ deeper language skills.” skills seem to be getting gradually left This all sounds rather impressive to the by the wayside, creating concern in the unaffected bystander, but British firms are business community. struggling more and more, according to In addition, subjects that have served CIMA research, to find skilled candidates students well over the years are being for junior roles: 31% of firms take more scrapped. Pupils sitting AS exams than two months to fill junior roles, and in AQA History of Art next year and on appointment, three quarters need A-level exams in 2018 will be the last further training. More than 90% of those

Education

of their kind, and there are numerous other subjects that offer a vast range of applicable skills and essential real-world application that are being abolished by the new system.

Simon Mower, Principal of Bellerbys College, Brighton gave us an overview of the changes being made to GCSEs and A Levels: “Essentially, the structure of the A Level course will be reverting to the way it was a number of years ago.

Instead of each of the two years being examined separately (i.e. exams at the end of Year 1 and exams at the end of Year 2), it will be a two-year course with just one set of examinations at the end.”

Simon continued: “Examination boards seem to have used the A Level reforms, and thus the re-writing of each syllabus, to review the subjects being offered.

History of Art, Classics and Archaeology are all under the axe. In all of these subjects the numbers of students have been getting fewer year on year and the number of qualified teachers in these specialist areas are also declining. This in turn means that there is a smaller pool of potential examiners and markers for the papers. Simply put, the subjects are no longer seen to be viable in business terms.”

Although these subjects aren’t necessarily viewed by most as ‘essential’, in particular in the eyes of current academia, the trend that our education system seems to be reverting to is a worrying one. What is deemed a ‘soft’

Simon Mower, Principal of Bellerbys College

subject by academics is not a realistic reflection on the needs of either young people or businesses – or indeed the future workforce.

Of course these cuts have a lot more to do with the economy rather than a label of necessity, but nevertheless we are seeing more and more businesses shouting out for new recruits who have analytical skills, people skills, business and vocational experience.

Simon added: “These subjects are not soft subjects. The subjects that tend to be classified as ‘soft’ are those that are of a more practical or vocational type, for example Media Studies and Design Technology. What is crazy, though, is that Brighton, for example, has an evergrowing reputation for media and new technologies. More and more, companies are moving to the area. With this in mind, it is arguable that media is the subject of choice, one in which schools can work

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 39

Education

closely with businesses, giving students live projects and real world experiences. It does seem that this ‘real world’ approach is becoming increasingly attractive to employers and is challenging more traditional, theory-based degree courses, especially for those students that want to get ahead in the workplace as soon as possible.”

It’s this ‘real world approach’ that has provided much debate among employers and educators over the years, and it seems to me to be reaching almost a crisis point. We spoke to Matt Turner, Founder and CEO of Creative Pod, who told us his opinion on the education system: “In my opinion, the education system as it is now doesn’t prepare young people for the real world. At a very basic level, the day isn’t long enough – in no job will they be heading home at 3pm, and they go from what they’ve known for 15, 16 or even 18 years to a completely alien environment.

“One of the major struggles I have found with young people is that none of them know how to use a phone!

Something so simple, yet I find more and more than students leaving school just don’t have those raw soft skills that are so necessary in any job.

“I find it ridiculous that the curriculum doesn’t include the teaching of these

40 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

essential skills, and more importantly that no subject reverts back to real world applications. Students are very rarely, if ever told how to apply what they enjoy or are good at to a future career; how much earning potential they have from choosing their GCSEs; what they can expect from a job when pursuing a certain path. What then happens is that everyone comes out of education expecting to ‘win’, and that simply isn’t the case – we need to be setting up the right aspirations as well as expectations.”

He concluded: “Overall, the education system is wholly disconnected to the way the world is now, and has been ignorant to the evolution of business over the years.”

With the A Level system catered to a certain niche criteria (i.e. to help students get into university) it seems education has lost touch with its application in the real world. For those who leave education at 18, or even 16 and wish to pursue a career in business, the possibilities are

suddenly fairly limited without a huge amount of additional work experience that can only be achieved in a student’s own time.

According to the companies surveyed

by CIMA, the lack of skills among new hires is having a negative effect on the economy as a whole, with more than 90 per cent saying their workload had increased as a result of skills shortages, while 66 per cent said it was increasing the stress levels of workers, and 44 per cent saw a fall in departmental performance as a result.

Noel Tagoe, Executive Director of CIMA Education commented: “The divide between employers and educators remains vast, raising the cost burden on British firms and holding back the productivity of the workforce. The realities of the workplace must be better reflected in the classroom through discussion and practical experience.”

He added: “We need young people to be passionate about their career choices, preparing the path so that we can all share in their future success.” Arguably, some of this passion is lost through the focus on exams and achieving ‘success’ via Higher Education. Students have unending pressure to achieve the highest grade they can in order to get into the best University they can, but sidelining working applications of skills is an essential ingredient in the decline of business skills and economic growth.”

Simon takes a more positive view on the education system changes, viewing them as a great potential to improve skills application in the real world: “I believe the combination of more vocational and practical courses, as well as the reformed A levels, provides a variety of options for all young people today. So, in my view, the changes are for the good. Those of us who have been in education for some time will be philosophical about the changes as we have seen them before and know that in ten years’ time the debate will have come full circle.”

“For those who leave education at 18, or even 16 and wish to pursue a career in business, the possibilities are suddenly fairly limited”

The Big Futures Show 2017 & BFS Extra

As mentioned in the November issue of SBT, the Big Futures Show is set to take place on 22nd March 2017, and here, we give you the most recent details and announcements about what to expect from the event…

An “Employability Hub” will be present in 2017, during Advertorial which Hastings Direct and Sussex Downs College will be running short workshops and round table discussion on a whole range of readiness to work subjects, including transferable skills, personal statements, CV writing, interview skills and employability behaviours. Also, later in the day, the emphasis of these will shift to helping the parents understand what their child should be doing in order to get their feet firmly in the workplace.

Additionally, the Big Future Show’s partner event, BFS Extra, will take place on 2nd March 2017 at The View Hotel on Eastbourne Seafront, and will see speakers and presentations from a

variety of organisations, including Let’s Do Business, Mystery Shopper, East Sussex County Council, Sussex Skills Solutions and many more. Just some of the topics set to be covered during these talks include exhibition and trade show stands and displays, visitor and customer engagement and offering apprenticeships. There will also be teacher and governor representatives from local schools and colleges present, who will be offering advice, guidance and understanding about education today and about the qualifications students can achieve.

Eastbourne MP, Caroline Ansell will be attending both events, presenting her Disability Confident project which, backed by Legal and General, aims to help people with disability get into work.

At the Big Futures Show, her presentation

“THE SKILLS AND OPPORTUNITIES SHOW FOR EAST SUSSEX”

will concentrate on offering young people with disabilities opportunities to meet potential employers while, at BFS Extra, it will provide employers with information surrounding offering employment to disabled students.

22 MARCH

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All In A Day’s Work New research has indicated that the UK’s employees’ work-life balance is at a crisis point.

With Sweden instigating a 6-hour working day, SBT looks at the feasability and benefits of a shorter working day, helping unpaid and exhausting overtime to be a thing of the past

Achieving a healthy work-life balance Health & is difficult in this society. Employees Wellbeing are working more and more hours each week, with a detrimental effect on mental health, physical health and overall wellbeing. The British overtime culture has recently been put under the spotlight, with more and more reports surfacing that elude to UK workers’ bad habits. Recent studies show that UK employees are struggling to leave their 9-5 day on time, with the majority of UK-based workers now working an extra day (8.73 hours) every week on top of their regular, contracted hours.

One study run off the back of National Work Life Week in October found that more than one in ten UK employees work over 50 hours per week, with workload being the main reason for putting in extra hours. Equally, and most shockingly, a survey conducted by One Pulse, a market research mobile app that connects opinions, found that almost half (46%) of all overtime workers don’t get paid for advert student 1 25/10/2016 the extra timemembership.pdf they work – amounting to

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approximately 66 million hours of unpaid work every week!

To mark Work-Life Balance Week this year, OnePulse spoke to over 2,000 UK-based employees to find out if they are able to strike the balance between their working life and home life. On first look at the results, Brits seem to have struck a good balance, with 88% of UK-based employees saying they ‘work to live’ rather than ‘live to work’, and the majority (63%) saying that they enjoy their job.

However, OnePulse found that, each week, 69% of UK employees worked overtime, averaging 8.73 hours’ overtime a week, with a shocking 49% receiving no compensation for this. And it doesn’t stop at working overtime either: over a third (38%) of UK-based employees 16:23 say they are not able to take 100% of

their annual leave entitlement, due to an excessive workload, and 49% regularly work through their lunch breaks.

As a result, employees are stressed; understandably so. Stress is the top health and safety concern in UK workplaces according to a TUC study published on World Mental Health Day, and more worryingly, one of the main causes of mental health problems, in particular anxiety and depression.

The TUC’s biennial survey of more than 1,000 health and safety reps around the UK showed stress to be at the top of the list, with 7 in 10 reps (70%) citing it as a problem – up 3% since the last survey in 2014 when 67% did so, and a higher proportion than in any previous TUC study.

A variety of events, campaigns, studies

“Each week, 69% of UK employees worked overtime, averaging 8.73 hours’ overtime a week, with a shocking 49% receiving no compensation for this overtime”

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and talks are run throughout the year and across the country, attempting to educate people on stress and working to live instead of living to work; trying to combat, for example, the third of parents who have reported being burned out often or all the time, and the record number of adults suffering from stress and anxiety. However, we all know the facts and figures, and most of us know what’s good for us, but that doesn’t seem to be enough in our fast and furious society. So what’s the answer?

For around a year, nurses at the Svartedalens retirement home in Sweden have worked six-hour days on an eighthour salary as a part of an experiment funded by the Swedish government to see if a shorter working day can increase productivity. And does it? Yes. As a result of this research, multiple companies in Sweden have introduced a shorter working week with proven health benefits, increased productivity in the workplace and profit. This news has spread across the UK, with mixed responses – some business owners and managers seeing problems from the outset, and others welcoming the idea of going home earlier. What Sweden is instigating is the idea of a 6-hour working day, allowing the workforce to be more productive within their working hours, healthier and happier.

The numbers are there – we would all, of course benefit from a shorter working day, as would in fact healthcare services; with less risk of anxiety, depression, even suicide, alongside physical ailments that come from high blood pressure, such as heart disease. But how feasible is this?

Pitman Training Group MD, Claire Lister said: “The key to efficiency and a reduction of hours in the working day is to ensure that employees are trained in a variety of skills to ensure they’re working quickly and effectively. The Swedish

model is an ideology which we are not yet equipped to deal with in the UK, but we can make smaller changes that can still have a big impact”.

Richard Freeman, CEO at always possible explained the impact of the British workers’ mindset in applying more sensible working hours: “We know that UK workers are amongst the worst in the world for sticking to sensible working hours - and we’re also nowhere near as productive per hour as other major economies. It all feels a bit lose-lose.”

Claire concluded: “We need to take action, and educate both employees and the companies they work for in the benefits of an engaged, motivated and healthy workforce. We have entered the .com era, taking companies such as Netflix and Facebook as an example, where year upon year their staff ethos, and work-life balance are being highlighted as a model for the world. This is no longer something that is unachievable, but having the right approach to making this work in your business is key. It is always going to be a two way street, but one which can be balanced for both the employer and employee and I’m passionate helping change outlooks on more balanced working life.”

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Posturite - Top Tips

5 Reasons to Own a DeskRite 100

East Sussex-based ergonomic office furniture company Posturite designed the DeskRite 100 to offer a sturdier, lower cost and more convenient sit-stand solution to the market.

Here’s why it should be on your wish list in 2017

1

5

Your Health

The average Brit spends 60% of their waking hours sitting down. The impact this is having on the nation’s health is massive, contributing to obesity, diabetes, heart problems, some cancers and premature death. With millions of us faced with no option but to sit for long periods of time at our desks, the invention of the sit-stand desk is something of a revelation. In fact, using a height-adjustable work surface like the DeskRite 100 is thought to help: • Reduce your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and

cardiovascular disease.

• Burn more calories per hour standing, leading to reduced risk of obesity.

• Improve circulation - increased heart rate can help with concentration and boost productivity.

2

Price

Some companies and home workers simply don’t want to spend a lot of money on a sit-stand desk. The DeskRite 100 is a height-adjustable platform that sits on top of your existing desk, making it a lot cheaper than a whole new desk. In fact, it’s one of the cheapest sit-stand desks on the market with this high level of build quality.

44 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

It’s in the Detail

The DeskRite 100 even benefits from a discreet built-in smartphone, tablet, or document holder for a more fluid workflow. The pull-out keyboard tray offers ample room to use your mouse and keyboard square-on, which is considered the most comfortable and ergonomic way to use your computer in line with DSE regulations.

3

Convenience

This ‘sit-on-top’ format isn’t just cheaper; it’s also more convenient if you don’t wish to completely replace your existing desk. The DeskRite 100 comes partially assembled in the box for minimal disruption to your working day.

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Usability

Simply pull the levers to move the dual-level surface to your desired height and enjoy a sturdy, ergonomic, toppleresistant surface for your monitors, accessories, devices and papers. The DeskRite 100 extends vertically, rather than pulling forwards like most similar models on the market, resulting in a more streamlined, compact and sturdy product.

Already the DeskRite 100 has become the sit-stand desk of choice with many of our big-brand clients.

We’re giving SBT readers a special 20% discount code to use on either the small (single monitor), or medium-sized (dual monitor) DeskRite 100.

PLUS - enjoy a 14-day free trial to see if this desk is right for you.

Simply paste the code ‘SBTD100’ into the box for 20% off at checkout.

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A Beautiful View at The Belle Vue Brighton

SBT reviews the British Airways i360’s newest offering for beachside food and drink: The Belle Vue restaurant mussels with crusty bread. This came The newest addition in a beautifully rustic and traditional to Brighton seafront, mussels pot, which was certainly the British Airways Review steaming and, upon opening the pot, i360 has been released a wonderful, rich smell. The something of a hotmussels, as with many of the ingredients topic over the past at The Belle Vue, were locally sourced, year or so; some have and you could taste that. The sauce was been more enthusiastic than others. creamy and indulgent, and the bread But, nobody can argue that it provides was the perfect accessory to mopping it a spectacle for any visitor, and provides up. This was easily my favourite part of the ideal platform to look out onto our the meal, and favourite course. beautiful Sussex coastline.

Our mains got a little confused as we Equally, in particular on a crisp, sunny ordered a seafood sharing platter after winter’s afternoon as I found out at the realising there was beginning of the month, no lobster option that its restaurant is the perfect place to soak “My expectations were day. I had previously wanted The Belle Vue up the view. Set on met, and exceeded. cheeseburger with fries the beach promenade, The atmosphere and celeriac slaw, but opposite the historical opted for us to share was relaxed yet West Pier, The Belle Vue the platter instead.

Brighton restaurant gives sophisticated, with Turns out we in fact visitors a perfect view wonderful views received both – fine through the wall-tosurrounding the by me! So, we both wall glass vista, as well as a full and delicious restaurant itself and enjoyed the South breakfast, lunch and very accommodating Coast Seafood Drift Board sharing platter dinner menu. Everything staff” and half of The Belle about this venue reflects Vue cheeseburger the local Brighton scene, each. Both were well presented and very with a unique character and modernistic tasty indeed, again with locally sourced charm. beef and extremely fresh tasting Brighton I had the pleasure of a two-course gin cured smoked salmon, smoked lunch at The Belle Vue and, after being mackerel, mackerel paté, battered greeted on entering, was privileged prawns and a pickled herring (or ‘roll enough to be seated with full view of the mops’ as they were called). The sharing outdoor terrace and beach: pebbles, platter was more than enough for a pier, sea, sun and all. light lunch for two, and I would highly For starter, my guest and I decided recommend this option for a business to share the Wobblegate cider steamed

46 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

lunch with a client. It’s relaxed and informal whilst being impressive and filling.

For dessert, we simply had to go for The Belle Vue Knickerbocker glory to share. This was a nostalgic throwback to the past. However, far from the children’s party-esque ice cream sundae classic, this was a very elegant glass of vanilla ice cream, raspberry and cream, with a chocolate toile to finish.

Chef, Steven Edwards, a former winner of Sussex Young Chef of the Year, has worked with head chef Alan Parker to create some clearly very impressive dishes on a wide-ranging menu that – it seems to me – would appeal to anyone’s taste.

Having attended the i360’s Belle Vue restaurant press launch in October, I had high expectations. The samples of food presented at the event were thoroughly impressive, with the flavours and concepts explained to us

by Steven Edwards himself. My only disappointment was not seeing Steven’s special Etch Burger Experience dish on the menu – something I had sampled at the press launch and fallen in love with!

Otherwise, my expectations were met, and exceeded. The atmosphere was relaxed yet sophisticated, with wonderful views surrounding the restaurant itself and very accommodating staff. This is an ideal venue for a lunch, dinner, business meeting or celebration. And what better way to precede or even end your meal than with a flight on the British Airways i360? It’s the ideal day out.

Enjoy delicious, locally-sourced dishes and spectacular views of the West Pier and Brighton beach

Find us on the seafront at British Airways i360 Tel: 0330 800 1360 BritishAirwaysi360.com @HelloBelleVue

BelleVueBrighton

www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 47

Working Lunch: The Urchin, Hove The Urchin

Hove

Address: 15-17 Belfast St, Hove BN3 3YS Tel: 01273 241881 Web: https://urchinpub.wordpress.com

48 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

The Brighton & Hove area of Sussex is spoiled with choices Review when it comes to eateries, with the area boasting the largest number of restaurants outside of the capital.

For residents in the area, this is something of a blessing. The variety of options are seemingly endless, with cuisine from all across the globe, lining the streets of the city. For the restaurateurs, though, this diversity and volume dictates a certain level of competition that’s rare in most Sussex towns. The establishment’s USP, ‘on-trend’ allure or simple reputation are all fundamental factors that will dictate whether the venue will survive or whether it will join the scrapheap, as many do in any bustling metropolis.

One such place with a number of USPs of its own, is the Urchin

in Hove. It’s somewhere that I’d been recommended to visit on a few occasions, but had until recently, never managed to get along to.

Having opened just 18 months ago and tucked away in a less-than-obvious side street, the Urchin has served as the original home to the increasingly popular Brighton Gin brand, whilst serving a delectable array of fishy delights on a daily basis, from lunchtime through to dinner and beyond.

Alongside the aforementioned Brighton Gin, The Urchin also boasts an impressive collection of craft beers; all displayed in full view and for everyone to see as they arrive.

The Urchin is (quite literally) a venue of two halves, with the main entrance leading you into an informal, pub-style space, with a large bar area and high tables that will seat 2s and 4s throughout.

Walk past the craft beer display and into the back room, and you’re presented

with a more intimate dining space which houses a number of larger tables, all surrounded by wood paneling and stylish seaside décor that really sets a good scene.

My guest and I opted for the bar side and took our place at a high table near the front doors.

As you should expect for any venue offering fresh fish daily, The Urchin’s regular menu is relatively short in content, with the specials board cram-packed with all manner of delights from the sea.

We opted for the Scallop & Prawn skewers with harissa glaze (£5.50) and the Salt & Pepper Squid with Soy & Ginger dipping sauce (£8.00) to start and immediately chose to share them once they arrived. To say that they were seriously good dishes would only serve as an understatement and an injustice.

Following this, along with the excellent wine that was chosen by my guest, we chose the Piri Piri Mussels (£10.50) and the Shellfish Bouillabaisse (£16.00) to round off our lunchtime meeting, and as we hope our pictures demonstrate, the freshness and quality of the food was really rather good. The depth of flavour to be found in the Bouillabaisse was something to behold and reason enough to pay a visit; providing it’s on the menu when you go.

So it’s reasonable; it’s tucked away and slightly private (in a sense). It offers a ‘public’ bar area to enjoy, along with a great outside space and a more ‘private’ dining space, so what is it that I can’t quite put my finger on?

Brighton (& Hove), even with its diverse and numerous eating places, lacks a certain privacy and discretion that you might find in certain venues in the capital.

The Urchin has all of the promise of delivering this kind of intimacy and it’s my opinion that it would be a real win for the business community.

Instead, speedy and friendly, the service feels a little over-relaxed from a diner’s perspective. No warm welcome on arrival, no coat-taking or seat offering; it’s more a case of taking a pew where you find it and using your initiative.

I guess it’s the way of the house at The Urchin; an informal, relaxed environment and it’s by no means offensive. In any case, what they lack in attention, they more than make up for with their great food.

www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 49

Hotel Review:

Hotel Du Vin & Bistro Sussex Business Times’ Managing Director, Lee Mansfield enjoys an over-night stay at the Hotel Du Vin in Tunbridge Wells

Hotel Du Vin & Bistro Tunbridge Wells Address: Crescent Rd, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2LY Telephone: 01892 320749 Web: www.hotelduvin.com

50 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Upon arriving at the Hotel Du Vin & Bistro, I took a detailed look Review at the outside of the building, and it didn’t take me long to realise that I was in for a treat; I could hardly wait to see what the venue had in store for my wife and I. Located in amongst the beautiful Kent countryside, Hotel Du Vin & Bistro’s extraordinary and powerful exterior promised a relaxing and sophisticated night to remember – a hotel fit for a king.

When pulling up to the venue, an instant concern of mine was that of the parking; the hotel itself hosts limited parking with a first come first serve basis. However, this was a short-lived concern – finding a parking space right across the road amidst the safety of the historic town of Tunbridge Wells provided me with some sort of reassurance. So into reception we

went, where the friendly faces of two of the reception staff greeted us and gave us a brief overview of what was in store for us. With the upbeat and welcoming service we received upon arrival, I was sure to expect only the best from the Hotel Du Vin staff, and boy did they deliver. We were shown to our room almost immediately, admiring the hotel’s grounds and facilities along the way.

The hotel’s general facilities were topof-the-range. With function or meeting rooms of all different shapes and sizes, Hotel Du Vin is on hand to cater for parties, events and conferences of all kinds. A wedding took place during the evening of our stay and, although the premises were busy with people, the evening was not taken over by what was going on in the other room. In fact, seeing so many people enjoying themselves and sporting huge smiles on their faces provided an uplifting feeling and

“The hotel’s general facilities were top-ofthe-range. With function or meeting rooms of all different shapes and sizes”

Tried and Tested in Sussex

wholesome atmosphere. The hotel also hosts an outdoor smoking shelter with allowing for a little more comfort in the winter months, should this apply to you.

We later headed down to the restaurant for our three-course dinner, which was, I have to say, the highlight of the entire stay for me. We were politely shown to our seats by the Restaurant Manager, Marius Nae, who provided us with menus and service from the Sommelier, Victor Amaro. Now content with menus and an extensive wine list, we were given the opportunity to taste the full wine selection, and to make things even more personal, Victor took the liberty of matching the wines we tried to our meal selections as well as our own personal taste; a task he completed to perfection. It was clear to see that, alongside impeccable manners and an hospitable ora, Victor was incredibly knowledgeable when it came to the food and wine served to the hotel guests, which reassured us that we were in safe hands here at Hotel Du Vin & Bistro – a refreshing feeling. James, the General Hotel Manager was also extremely approachable throughout our stay and always made himself available to answer

any questions or cater for any desires that we had.

A short time after ordering, our starters were neatly served to us, along with accompanying wine chosen by Victor. For our starting courses, I opted for the Pâté Maison, served with Cornichons and Dijon Mustard while my wife – undecided on what to order and trusting Victor’s recommendation – opted for the Roasted Tiger Prawns with Pastis and Chilli Butter. Both starters exceeded my expectations and matched the highquality of other elements of our stay at the hotel. A welcome pause was left before our mains were presented to us – I opted for the 225g Ribeye Steak served with Chips and Garlic Butter, accompanied by a glass of Bordeaux while my wife was served a Pinot Noir with her Smoked Salmon Bâtonnets, Bloody Mary Chutney and Rainbow Chard. Once again, the

food was delectable; the steak perfectly cooked and tender. Our desserts shortly followed; Crème Brûlée for myself and a Pear and Almond Tart with Honeycomb Ice Cream for my wife.

Although both sweets thoroughly satisfied our taste buds, neither of us could finish the whole dish, but it was hard to tell if this was because the dishes were too large or just because we were full from our abundant previous courses. The restaurant staff were attentive throughout our meal, but to the perfect level – never imposing on our evening.

Back up to our room we went, and the suite we were given – the Brown Brothers Room – was what could only be described as wonderful. Spacious and with surprisingly modern aesthetics, the room hosted a plentiful mini bar, a roll top bath, a walk-in shower, flawlessly clean hygiene facilities and a lovely view of the back terrace; what more could you ask for? The leather bed was, well, enormous and with a facing flatscreen TV. It’s safe to say I had a sound and undisturbed night’s sleep.

We returned to the restaurant the next morning for a typical English breakfast, which proved to be equally as satisfying as our generous meals the night before, causing my wife and I to be very happy visitors.

Our overall stay at the Hotel Du Vin & Bistro, Tunbridge Wells was exceptional and an experience like no other. Being treated like true royalty has caused me to be eager to return and it’s safe to say I will be recommending the venue to everyone I know! Until next time, Hotel Du Vin…

“Being treated like true royalty has caused me to be eager to return and it’s safe to say I will be recommending the venue to everyone”

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 51

NEWS

Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with SBT this month to provide its members’ and area’s biggest news, including the 2017 Better Business Show. The Chamber is committed to supporting, developing and promoting all Worthing and Adur businesses, large & small; actively representing the business community; and championing local industry

Why Join?…Why Wouldn’t You! The Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce is a vibrant and friendly organisation attracting both large and small businesses to network and share best practice Be Supported - Membership is diverse, ranging from sole traders through to medium and large organisations, allowing members to benefit from sharing information, knowledge and business opportunities.

Be Represented – A well-established organisation welcoming involvement from its members. The Chamber represents a strong voice within Worthing and Adur and further afield, representing the interests of local business on many committees, councils and business working groups.

Be Connected – Networking events are very well attended and regularly attract both new and established businesses,

with a choice of events to suit all schedules. These range from free, open networking sessions, to more formal breakfast and lunch.

For all the current events visit www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk Be Developed – Peer to Peer Mentoring with like-minded business people all keen to share expertise, willing to learn from and support each other. Facilitated by the Chambers’ experienced team and run over 12 months, the results are extremely worthwhile.

Be Trained – Wise Up 2 training opens the doors for members and nonmembers alike to ‘bite-size ‘training across a whole plethora of subjects.

These short courses are limited in size to ensure all delegates take away as much knowledge as possible.

Be Promoted – There are many options to raise your profile including through sponsorship, working groups, member to member offers and specialist workshops.

The Chamber also leads the latest Coast to Capital Business Navigator project which signposts businesses to the best grants and funding options available.

CEO Tina Tilley says: “life at the Chamber is never dull, and our wide and varied membership ensures that we continually strive to be the best we can be, and to provide the very best for our members”.

www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

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Chamber News

It’s Back – The Better Business Show for 2017 The Better Business Show will take place on Thursday 2nd February at the Assembly Hall, Worthing. This event is collaboratively delivered by Worthing and Adur Chamber and Adur & Worthing Business Partnership, and issupported by this year’s headline sponsor, Chandlers BMW. With a strong focus on ‘Buy Local’, this event is a ‘must’ in the 2017 business calendar for ALL businesses in Worthing & Adur, both large and small. The Better Business Showcase is your chance to get to know local success stories and network with some of the most proactive companies in the local area.

What can you look forward to as a delegate?

• B2B Exhibition – with over 60 stands, meet, network and introduce your business • Support – FREE Business Support for start up and growing businesses, including information about grants and finance • Growth – Opportunities to meet buying teams from Adur & Worthing Council and some of our areas larger companies • Advice – This year’s Expert Zone will feature drop in sessions on finance, legal, branding, PR and more • Connect – Network over a light lunch, a place to meet and mingle at the Sussex Food Court • Promote – Meet, network and share experiences at the B2B Exhibition with both new and established businesses • Google Digital Garage - Top tips on how to make your business more visible online with two exciting workshops from Google • Inspire - This year’s keynote speakers are a truly inspirational trio with a Gillian Fielding, a secret Millionaire, Shaa Wasmund, an ex Apprentice star - now MBE and award winning businesswoman and Darren Gearing, an international deluxe hotelier from TV show ‘Hotel in the Clouds’ For more information, to book a stand, buy a ticket and to keep up-to-date with the developing programme, visit www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

Gillian Fielding – Chamber Patron, Gillian Fielding, financial entrepreneur and ‘Secret Millionnaire’, will talk about how she started from humble roots in London’s East End and discovered and used her own resources to eventually achieve financial freedom for herself and her family. She is a qualified chartered accountant, runs several businesses and has held several high profile roles in the City.

Shaa Wasmund MBE - Shaa is a past candidate on the apprentice and was recently named as one of the top 20 most influential Entrepreneurs in the UK and best selling author. Shaa’s experience is incredibly diverse. In addition to running her own successful online educational businesses she is also an acclaimed international speaker. The Guardian named Shaa’s events as one of the Top 10 Events to attend as a small business owner.

Darren Gearing - Darren was an international deluxe Hotelier working for the Shangri-La Hotel groups. Most recently he was based at the Shangri-La at the Shard as Executive Vice President and featuring in the TV show “The Hotel in the Clouds”. Darren now has entrepreneurial interests in a Sussexbased plant hire business, in Worthing’s Beach House and Corner House pubs, and an active Hotel consultancy with large investors.

Tel: 01903 203484 Email: info@worthingandadurchamber.co.uk www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

53

Motoring

Test Drive Volkswagen Passat Estate

For our December issue, SBT gets behind the wheel of this staple motor from the Vokswagen line-up, testing the BlueMotion 1.6 TDI SCR 120PS version

Comfort

Volkswagen has a reputation of being a tough car. They’ve built their reputation on reliability and build quality for

many a year and it’s the result of this historic campaigning that the brand still enjoy to this day, with them seeing many of their cars regularly achieving ‘best in class’ status.

The Passat has been around for many years, having sold more than 442,000 cars in the UK alone since its launch in Jan 1793. The latest version of the Passat was unveiled in 2014 at the Paris Motor Show and showed the

world that this was a model that was going nowhere in Volkswagen’s line-up.

Volkswagen UK sold 9,326 Passats in 2015, and on top of that, 10,606 Passat Estates with additional 3,857 CC models were also sold, so it’s easy to see why.

Currently, there are Seven trim levels available in the Passat line-up; the S, BlueMotion, SE, SE Business, GT, Alltrack and the R-Line. All of which offer a good spec of standard features.

Front Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, PreCrash system, Driver Profile Selection, Ergo Comfort seats and front and rear parking sensors are on SE and above; and Discover Navigation on the SE

“I’ve always found Volkswagens to offer a reassuring drive and the Passat is no exception”

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Business, which is aimed squarely at business and fleet drivers.

The best-selling model, is the 2.0-litre TDI 150 PS with manual gearbox in SE and SE Business trims with over 80% expected to be sold into the fleet market. Clearly, Volkswagen are doing something right with this car for the business user.

My experience with the 1.6 TDI SCR for the week, wasn’t really too far from what I had expected. I’ve always found Volkswagens to offer a reassuring drive and the Passat is no exception. It offered a secure, solid and comfortable drive and, although slightly underwhelming in terms of performance and frills, the model delivered exactly what it promised and exactly what I thought it would prior to its arrival.

The current Passat model is an understated thing, by way of it’s looks, I

mean. It’s a good-looking car that holds its cards close to its chest. It’s by no means ostentatious and retains its key attributes with a kind of understated style that suggests the years of refinement have really worked.

This is a car with bucket loads of space inside and a fuel tank that will carry you for almost a thousand miles!

The tech inside is impressive and delivers pretty well on all fronts with bluetooth telephone and audio connection with a composition media system; 6.5” colour touchscreen and a DAB radio. You’ll also find eight speakers dotted around the front and rear of the car, giving plenty of punch when you turn it up.

All in all, this model from Volkswagen is about as reliable as you can get. Not just in terms of it firing up each and every time that you ask it to, but in its

build quality, it’s status, it’s practicality and the support that you can expect from Volkswagen too.

It may not be the least expensive in its class, but it’s my opinion that, if you’re in the market for this kind of car for your business, it’s worth going the extra mile.

On the Road Price: £24,455.00 CC: 1598 Transmission: 6-speed manual Top speed: 129mph 0-62 mph: 11seconds Emmissions class: Euro 6 Fuel consumption: Urban 65.7mpg, Extra-urban 85.6mpg, Combined 76.3mpg

www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 55

Motoring

Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE Sport OK, let’s not get too excited I hear you say; after all, it Sporty is still a Skoda.

Well, that’s fair enough if you are keen to hold onto antiquated preconceptions and haven’t had the chance to ‘actually’ get behind the wheel of a modern Skoda for a while. Regular readers of SBT will already know that one of my favourite cars in recent history is the Yeti and I’m always up for the ‘Skoda vs...’ argument, should it present itself.

The company have been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen group since the year 2000 and in that time, have taken a great deal of thunder from their big brother’s sales figures. In what must be an extremely delicate balancing act across all brands in the group, one must be assured not to step on the other’s toes (too much) in the attempt to retain market share as a whole. A tough job by anyone’s standards.

Especially if one of those brands is Skoda and the parent company has steadily taken their range to a more upmarket consumer, offering models that give greater benefits on space, features and of course, price.

Such is the case with the Rapid Spaceback. Mine for the week is the SE Sport version, which comes with all kinds of stylish flourishes, such as the cool black wheels, the full-length glass roof, graphite metallic inserts and sports seats.

OK, the front end of the car could do with some work on the aesthetics but every brand needs a signature, right? It just so happens that Skoda’s is a slightly less-than-attractive grill, but squint your eyes and you could easily be looking at a nifty, mid-tohigh range Audi A3. Take a look from the rear and the Rapid Spaceback holds its own with no need for rough

56 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

comparisons or any amount of eyesquinting.

The nature of the 1.4l TDI engine also warrants the name ‘Sport’; it’s really rather nippy. Surprisingly so, in fact. It skips along like an excited puppy in a manner that suits the look of the car perfectly, squeezing every ounce of HP from its frame. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a car with the words Rapid and Sport in the title. Sure, it’s no sports-car, but it really is fun and when you challenge it in tight corners it responds well, holding the road and with enough poke to pull you straight again.

So who is it that drives this car in the company? It’s unlikely to be the CEO or any of the board of Directors; more likely to be someone from the accounts or admin departments. It’s stylish and modern, whilst retaining a kind of understated manner about itself.

The Skoda Rapid Spaceback

represents one of the best value cars in it’s range, without a doubt. It’s a no nonsense, relatively basic car with a number of decent engine options available. If you can get past the badge, and you should, it really is worth a look.

On the Road Price: £16,520.00 Engine: 1.4 TDI CR 90 PS Transmission: 5 speed manual Combined fuel economy: 78.5mpg Max speed: 114mph 0-62mph: 11.6 seconds Insurance group: 14E

www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 57

SBTMotoring News Peugeot’s 3008 SUV Achieves ‘Carbuyer Car of the year 2017’ Status The eagerly awaited all-new 3008 SUV is an important development in the SUV C segment market. Equipped with its revolutionary, latest generation Peugeot i-Cockpit®, elegant styling, and high-tech equipment, the 3008 SUV aims to establish itself immediately as a key player and this award clearly recognises the competitive features over its competitors.

Swiss Caterham Cars Dealer Sells 500th Seven to NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Champion

After completing flying laps in the dealer’s Seven 485, race driver and European NASCAR Whelen Euro Series winner, Joaquin Gabarron, signed on the dotted line to buy the car.

The range-topping 485 variant of the iconic British sportscar is the latest and most powerful model available in mainland Europe.

Gabarron’s blue 485S is the 500th Seven to be imported form Sussex in Kumschick’s 38-year history, which is now one of the largest European Caterham dealers.

Caterham’s Chief Commercial Officer, David Ridley, told SBT: “The 500th milestone for our Swiss dealer is the perfect way to celebrate 38 years of dedication to the Caterham brand and is also another demonstration of Caterham’s continuing international expansion.”

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David Peel, Managing Director at Peugeot UK, commented: “This is fantastic news. It has so many appealing features and for it to receive ‘Car of the Year 2017’ accolade, ahead of its arrival in the UK is perfect. It sets the tone that we have a winner on our hands and I have no doubt our customers are going to love driving it too.”

Stuart Milne, Editor at Carbuyer, commented: “The 3008 is now a fully-fledged SUV rather than the crossover of old. It’s handsome from the outside, but inside is where the game has really moved on. The dashboard is beautifully designed and features extensive use of fabric to lend a chic feeling.

The clever i-Cockpit® dashboard displays your speed, navigation, phone and audio information and is fitted as standard to every 3008 SUV in the range.

Race Retro Looks To The Future of Historic Motorsport With ‘Tenage Kicks’ Display Race Retro, the international historic motorsport show, will look to the future of Historic Motorsport with a brand new feature celebrating young hotshoes who are competing in Historic race series with their eye on becoming professional racing drivers.

‘Teenage Kicks’ will feature the three youngest drivers currently competing within the Historic Sports Car Club’s race series for Historic saloons and Historic Formula Ford 1600.

16-year-olds, James Clarke and Ed Thurston along with Benn Tilley, aged 17, while not yet legally allowed to drive solo on a public road have all been involved in motorsport since they were nine-yearsold.

Daniel Nwaokolo, Race Retro’s Event Director, said: “We want to celebrate that commitment and give them a platform where they can encourage support from the industry to help them in their careers.”

University of Sussex Student Wins AutocarCourland Next Generation Award 2016 Joshua, a second-year Mechanical Engineering student scooped the award thanks to his original idea focusing on stacked graphene batteries, a design with the objective of improving sustainability in Electric Vehicles.

Considered a platform for kick-starting careers in the automotive industry, the Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award is a sure way to get noticed across a variety of motoring industries, ranging from technology, design, engineering and PR. Joshua’s design concept harnesses the conductivity, lightness and strength of graphene, enabling the total re-

design of the typical EV battery.

Joshua’s stacked graphene battery design would enable charging times at a fraction of the fastest-charging products on the market today, while the flexibility of the material means far less can be used for the optimal balance of cost, strength, weight, storage capacity and size.

Joshua, 21, from Oxfordshire, said: “It is a privilege to be presented with the Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award. From the outset, this has been a challenging but rewarding experience and the mentoring programme has really helped me to develop my idea and push myself further.”

Newhaven Fort – Christmas Market & Santa Experience

Join us on Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th December 2016 and Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th December 2016 at 10:00am to 4:00pm for the Newhaven Fort Santa Experience This December, the historical Newhaven Fort, run Advertorial by award winning Wave Leisure (Wave), the notfor-profit Trust and Social Enterprise, is launching its brand new Christmas Market and Santa Experience for all the family and the Team is busy making plans and recruiting fairies and elves.

The festive Christmas Market will be home to lots of different stalls selling inspirational gift ideas including beautiful crafts, jewellery, pickles, jams, paintings, knitwear and tepees, to name a few and delicious food including a traditional Hog Roast.

This will all be alongside

a children’s fun fair and seasonal side shows, with Snowman candyfloss and Christmas popcorn.

The 1940s Fort Teas Tea Room will be open from 10am each day and have scrumptious mince pies and tasty mulled wine available and, for the first time ever, Santa has made a special journey to Newhaven, all the way from the North Pole to finish his Christmas preparations in his special Grotto Workshop at the Fort.

The Santa Experience will be an exciting addition to Sussex’s Christmas celebrations as the whole of Newhaven Fort will be turned into a winter spectacular complete with a Christmas Grotto and Santa’s Workshop.

Treat the kids to a magical day where they can make reindeer food to leave out on Christmas Eve for Rudolph and his friends, decorate Gingerbread men and Christmas cards, enjoy story time with Mrs Claus, write a letter to Santa then deliver it to him in person in his Christmas Grotto - and receive a wonderful Christmas present to take home.

There’s no booking necessary and only £9.50 per child. Please note, each child to be accompanied by no more than two adults.

Our friendly team of elves look forward to welcoming you to the Fort. Please be prepared to stay all day, as our Christmas extravaganza will keep you and your family well and truly occupied in this day out with a difference!

Tel: 01273 517622 Email:info@waveleisure.co.uk Website: www.newhavenfort.org.uk

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SBT

ASK THE

SBT Ask the Experts is sponsored by

EXPERTS

WE ASK THE EXPERTS TO GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED

EXPERT

Sarah Burke, Associate Solicitor, Irwin Mitchell Often those engaged in the gig economy are labelled by the parties as self-employed contractors. However, concerns have been raised regarding the rights of those individuals which have resulted in legal challenges and a Government review being launched to look into whether further protection should be given.

How is the gig economy affecting employment?

In England there are three types of employment status; self-employed, worker or employee. Employees have the most employment protection with self-employed individuals having very few rights.

EXPERT

Does my business need a consultant?

It’s true that consultancy is a word, and an industry, that can be pretty nebulous and not always easily understood. Every good example is unique and responsive, so it is sometimes hard to pin down why it worked so well.

info@checkaprofessional.com 62 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

Recent challenge The most recent notable challenge came from Uber drivers. The drivers won their case in the Employment Tribunal with the tribunal deciding that they are workers and therefore entitled to be paid the National Minimum wage, entitled to rights under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (including right to paid holiday) and various other rights. This case is a good example of how employment laws are catching up with new and innovative ways of working in order to ensure

protection for individuals. However, Uber are likely to appeal the decision.

What impact could this have on businesses?

At the moment the employment status of an individual (and therefore the rights they are entitled to) depends on a number of factors including whether they provide personal service, mutuality of obligation, control and other provisions. Businesses should be conscious that, although on the face of it written agreements may suggest a self-employed arrangement, courts and tribunals can look behind those agreements. Therefore, if in practice the arrangements are more akin to a worker or employee relationship then challenges could be faced. Businesses would be well advised to review their arrangements (both contractually and in practice) to ensure that they remain as expected and have not evolved into something different entirely.

Richard Freeman, CEO of always possible In my mind there are two types of consultancy - good and bad. No one knows your organisation or its challenges like you do; but critically distanced voices will offer ideas that you daren’t think of, or maybe solutions that seem too obvious.

Think of it simply as professionals, not dependent on your organisation, using their knowledge to give subjective opinions on how you could better make or reach your goals. Dialogue and the process of working through big sticking points with someone informed, intuitive and emotionally intelligent can unlock the door to major breakthroughs.

What marks out a good consultant?

• They are offering a service rather than a product. If you don’t feel more empowered and equipped to make behavioural or operational changes as

a result of some consultancy then it has failed.

• It is for you and your business; it’s not something generic that works in the same way for everyone else.

• The most expensive doesn’t always equal the best. Ask around.

• The only measure of a consultant’s success is your success. Look for consultants who champion their clients and are proud of what their clients achieve (not just how many big brands they work with).

• Good consultants LOVE problems.

And they work and work with you on the problem; interrogating it and taking it apart. Bad consultants will offer you solutions before they have really understood how your business works. www.alwayspossible.co.uk

0808 901 9042

SBT

ASK THE

SBT Ask the Experts is sponsored by

EXPERTS

WE ASK THE EXPERTS TO GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED

EXPERT

Andrew Henshaw, Partner at Moore Stephens South software. It means the end of the tax return for many clients. All tax information and interactions with HMRC will be in one place, quarterly digital filing is mandatory and a move to a digital accounting package will be required.

You will have heard a lot recently about HMRC’s new initiative ‘Making Tax Digital’, and you’ve most likely been wondering what this means and what impact it will have on you personally and for your business…

What does a digital tax system mean?

Authorised agents will be able to manage their clients’ digital tax accounts and update HMRC quarterly with summary information through online accounting

EXPERT

The mission for a healthier community is a key objective of Wave. What are our areas to focus on in 2017?

“Delivering to our Community” is one of core business objectives. The challenge is how we ensure this contributes to our “Business Sustainability” objective.

Supporting Community initiatives and reaching out to support those in greatest need requires significant partnership

info@checkaprofessional.com

What are the potential drawbacks I should be aware of?

• System errors - historical evidence shows HMRC are prone to systematic errors, which means there is a likelihood pre-population and corrections by tax payers or their accountants will be required.

• Data protection - security of information is always a concern with online data.

Recent hacks prove even tech giants and the biggest firms are susceptible to hacking.

• Your business is not digital - manual methods of bookkeeping will not be compatible with this new regime, meaning

measures will need to be put in place to transform your business to the cloud.

Although there are benefits, quarterly reporting to HMRC inevitably means additional costs for taxpayers: either in pure financial terms (such as the cost of purchasing new software or hiring bookkeepers for example) or in lost-time spent on quarterly filing that could be better spent actually managing the business. No matter how HMRC try and spin it, the new process means more information being submitted, more regularly by tax payers than previously required.

Speak to me at andrew.henshaw@ moorestephens.com or 01243 531600 or visit www.moorstephens.co.uk/ south

Duncan Kerr, CEO of Wave Leisure working, and through 2017 we will continue to bring new partners to projects and continue be creative and reimagine our role in the community.

Building on our successes, including our Quest Award for Peacehaven Leisure Centre as the “Best Facility Managed” in the UK. Through 2017 we will continue to ensure our facilities are attractive and fit for purpose for customers and provide a quality service to ensure customers have a positive and fulfilling experience when visiting our centres.

We will also continue the pursuit of ensuring that Wave is recognised for the role we can play as part of the Primary Healthcare Pathway. Supporting GPs with time and patient management whilst ensuring those in need gain access to support and facilities to lead healthier lifestyles.

How will we make keeping healthy affordable should interest rates start to rise?

What we have attempted to do of the last 12 months is to make leading active lifestyles more accessible and protect our price point by not increasing membership prices for our customers. Whilst this approach is clearly in line with our business objectives, it has meant that we have had to make some difficult decisions in order to future proof our organisation against a number of eventualities, including Brexit.

Moving forward, we will continue to invest in staff to ensure excellent customer care and we will be refurbishing a number of key facilities as part of our reinvestment programme aligned to our Social Enterprise Values.

0808 901 9042 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 63

Networking in Sussex

SBT

Society

Law Firm hosts Autumn Drinks in Brighton

On Thursday 10th November, Healys LLP, a law firm with offices in London and Brighton, held an informal autumn drinks reception at Hotel Du Vin in Brighton to thank many of their long standing clients and supporters.

In attendance, alongside SBT, was a mixture of friendly faces from businesses in Brighton and Hove, Sussex, London and many parts of the South East which created a real buzz and high energy in the room. There was live music to help create the atmosphere, a welcome speech by the Chairman, John Healy and food and drinks to ensure everyone had a good time.

John Healy, Chairman of Healys LLP commented: “It was a brilliant evening, so thank you to everyone for coming and look forward to seeing you all at the next one.”

Photography by Graham Franks ©

John Healy with Marios Pattihis, Nick Taylor, Nick Evans, Naz Ahmed, Martin John, Catherine Taylor, Trevor Healy, Dino Skinner, David Bailet and the Healys Solicitors LLP team

Music from Harry’s Trick

Hospitality from Hotel du Vin’s Georgia

Richard Zinzan, Vicky Willis, Hannah France, Chris Storey and Jonathan Evans of ZSTA Architects

Healys Martin John with Emily Garnham of Rizo Media

Rob Starr, Nicholas Taylor and Bill Murray

Words of welcome from John Healey

Chestnut Tree House Juliette Macpherson and Victoria Norman with Mark Henderson of Magic Man Ltd and Barry Carden of Carden Accountants

Healys Kiri Kkoshi with Adrian Griffiths

Sue and Clive Bonny of Strategic Management Partners

64 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

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Made In Sussex

Made In Sussex: The Brighton Studio

The Brighton Studio is a recently opened studio complex in the heart of Brighton, offering businesses large and small, local and national, a creative working space

Set up in the summer of 2016 by creative power-couple, Head Brand Make-up Artist Focus Xoë Kingsley and Studio Manager and photographer, Olly Hearsey, The Brighton Studio has already opened its doors to an impressive list of clients, including photographers such as Lancton and Alex Lake, as well as Youtube star Zoella, and brands such as Superdrug and Churchill Square shopping centre.

Having outgrown their old studio premises, Xoë and Olly snapped up the space in New England House when it became available via Brighton and Hove Council, knowing that the opportunity was too good to miss.

In addition to a converted livingroom-come-editing-suite, the couple had been working from Lion Works studio in Eastbourne, where the pair built a reputation for creativity and professionalism, growing their client roster from small local businesses such as Long Man Brewery, Sugarhill Boutique and Gresham Blake, to internationally renowned bands including Jaguar Land Rover, Woolovers and Siemens.

Moving the business to central Brighton was a logical step for Xoë and Olly, who had been based in Brighton for more than a decade having originally hailed from London and Herstmonceux, respectively. Aside from the improved commute time for the pair, the benefits of

66 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

QU opening a studio in Brighton were clear; in attractive proximity to Brighton train station (and therefore to London and the wider South East) and to Brighton’s vibrant creative scene and growing reputation as a business hub.

Indeed, the Brighton Studio is located in the world’s first purpose built highrise industrial business centre, New England House, built in 1963 in Brutalist architectural style. It is one of Brighton’s original creative spaces, currently hosting a number of digital, design and creative businesses across its eight floors.

As well as two large photography studios and a make-up room, The Brighton Studio includes a bright and airy shared working space for ‘lens based creatives’ such as photographers, graphic designers and videographers.

Having spent much of their own early careers splitting their time between their home editing suite and Eastbourne studio, Xoë and Olly were keen to create a collaborative and professional space for creatives to work from and bring clients to, in a convenient, central

location. All desk space users have preferential access to the studio spaces and equipment hire along with access to secure, high speed internet and ergonomic sit-stand desks.

Though not necessarily the first issue to spring to mind - having worked in the industry for many years, Xoë and Olly were deeply aware of the physical toll photography and its associated disciplines can have. So, in addition to sit-stand desks, they installed a custom height make-up bench in the make-up room to reduce unnecessary bending and back strain.

Where possible, eco-friendly materials have been sourced and local suppliers used. The break-out space in the studio includes a reclaimed wooden bar, made from Sussex oak floor, while snacks and drinks are provided by Brighton based Real Patisserie and Sussex’s own Small Batch coffee.

The whole space has a welcoming and personalised feel to it and it’s clear that its owners care very deeply about their clients and the quality of their brand.

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