South Cambridgeshire
January 2015
OPEN FOR BUSINESS Issue 7
Help make the ‘OPEN FOR BUSINESS’ newsletter relevant to your business
In this edition
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New support service created for growth potential businesses
Business workshops available to book now
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Grow your business with graduate talent
Join our business register to access even more support and information. www.scambs.gov.uk/ businessregister
To unsubscribe from this mailing, email ‘unsubscribe’ to openforbusiness@ scambs.gov.uk
We have been urging firms to sign up to our free business register which will ensure that they don’t miss out on any business support news. As you are already on our business register you will have been receiving an electronic newsletter every other month - Open for Business - which includes news about funding opportunities, advice and guidance, business support information, practical ideas and local events. We are now keen to get your feed back on the newsletter so we can ensure this continues to be relevant to you and your business as well as ensuring we understand your business support needs. Please give us your feedback by completing our two minute survey. It will help make sure we keep moving in the right direction.
To complete the two minute survey to help shape future editions of ‘Open for Business’visit: www.surveymonkey.com/s/VKWNKRN Cllr Nick Wright, cabinet member for economic development, said: “The business register and Open for Business newsletter is aimed at providing the best support to businesses in the area. We simply don’t want them to miss out on opportunities.” Please encourage other businesses in South Cambs to sign up to the business register. All they need to do to is email openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk They can also take part in the short survey above so that they can ensure future business support news is relevant to them too. Previous editions of Open for Business can be viewed by visiting www.scambs.gov.uk/open-for-business
South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Welcome Welcome to the January edition of Open for Business This edition we ask that you help make the ‘Open for Business’ newsletter relevant to your business by taking part in our two minute survey. It will help make sure we keep moving in the right direction. We are offering a series of business support workshops aimed at helping your business, find out how to sign up and get your business involve. News on resources and advice available to help businesses ‘Do More Online’ and a new support service which has been created for growth potential businesses is also featured. You can also check whether your company is compliant with display screen regulations, access free online help to support positive workplace relations and find out more from HMRC about getting your tax right and. In other news local landlord and tenants go superfast with their broadband after receiving a connection voucher and village pub lovers are being urged to take part in a consultation to see whether their locals could be better protected from conversion to offices and shops or from being knocked down. Please keep your feedback coming by emailing openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk, your comments help shape each edition and ensure we cover the local issues important to you. Cllr Nick Wright Cabinet member for planning and economic development
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Resources and advice now available to help businesses
‘Do More Online’ Free telephone advice and online resources for businesses looking to enhance their website and social media presence are now available as part of the Government’s ‘Do More Online’ campaign. The resources include information on how to maximise search engine optimisation (SEO) through to deciding which is the best social media platform for your business. www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/domoreonline www.digitalskills.com/business
New support service created for growth-potential businesses The Government has recently launched the new Business Growth Service. This consolidates the previous GrowthAccelerator and the Manufacturing Advisory Service along with schemes from the Intellectual Property Office (IP Audits) and the Design Council (Design Mentoring) into a single service. The Business Growth Service will make it easier for businesses with the potential, capability and capacity to improve and grow, to access expert advice and support. www.ga.businessgrowthservice.greatbusiness.gov.uk
New HMRC guide to getting your tax right HMRC has recently published a new guide outlining the wide range of support and services it has introduced to make managing tax easier, quicker and simpler.
Click here
South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
New business webinar and workshop programmes available to book now!
New business workshops aim to help local businesses become more successful in South Cambridgeshire New business webinar and workshop programmes available to book now Following a recent survey into the support needs of local businesses in South Cambridgeshire, we have created a series of workshops, with combined follow-on business support and webinars that will be running in South Cambridgeshire from 5 February 2015. The webinars and workshops are available free-of-charge to anyone running or thinking of starting a business in a South Cambridgeshire postcode area. Delivered by Exemplas, the webinars and workshops cover a wide range of topics designed to meet specific needs and provide the information local businesses need to gain a competitive edge for your business, helping them to deliver measurable improvements to their business. They are packed with new ideas and techniques to help your business succeed.
Book your place and benefit
Previous workshop programmes were extremely successful and supported a range of local businesses and start-ups. Attendees described the workshops as “a valuable opportunity for any potential businesses” and a “fantastic opportunity to learn”, with “really good quality venues and speakers”. Cllr Nick Wright, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet member responsible for economic development, said: “The last series of workshops were an overwhelming success and helped fill a vital gap for many local firms looking to set up, develop their business and grow. We know how important it is for us to support businesses so our economy can prosper and more jobs can be created for residents.” Topics and Dates
Half-day workshops and webinars are being held between February and April 2015: Business Planning: An Introduction - Thursday 5 February Staying ahead of the competition - Monday 23 February The right web and social media presence for your business - Thursday 5 March Control your finances and be ‘investment-ready’ - Tuesday 10 March Find new customers and keep them coming back - Wednesday 18 March Social media success strategy - Tuesday 24 March Business Planning: Growing and maintaining a profitable business - Thursday 16 April Improving profit - Wednesday 22nd April A workshop place can be reserved by calling: 0844 346 0755 0844 346 0755 (Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm) or by emailing southcambsbusinesssupport@exemplas.com
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South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Local landlord and tenants go superfast - Destination Digital A business park near Royston has received a New Year boost for it’s tenants with over £20,000 of funding to install superfast broadband. The funding will help seven businesses based at Valley Court offices in Croydon. The small businesses and their landlord applied together to pool the funding from the Government’s voucher scheme. Connection Vouchers are currently on offer from Connecting Cambridgeshire’s Destination Digital project. The vouchers provide small businesses with funding up to £3,000 per company to install super fast broadband. The Croydon businesses will use the government funding to install their own dedicated broadband leased line, providing speeds of over 30Mbps. Metechno, based at Valley Court, produce prefabricated bathrooms and their slow connection was making it difficult to transfer large files to their factory in Alfreton. Nicola Roope, Director of Metechno, said: “The additional speed will benefit the transfer of our design files. If the funding wasn’t available, we would have needed to wait until the business was more established.” Granite 5 is a web design company with 11 members of staff based at Valley Court. They use a range of cloud-based software and encourage their staff to work from home, but their current slow connection was causing problems. Jill Davies, Director of Granite 5, said: “Through the new connection, we will become more efficient and hopefully that will show in our work and eventually profit margin. In the long term, it will help us to grow the business and enable us to take on more staff.” “I would recommend it to companies, especially in business parks, as you can club together and share the costs. It would have been too expensive to do this by ourselves.” Jill from Granite 5 said: “The application process was incredibly easy - the supplier, landlord and the team at Destination Digital helped.” The landlord of Valley Court, James Brown, encouraged his tenants to apply to the connection voucher scheme and pool the funding together. James said: “The benefits of the connection voucher scheme for Valley Court were obvious. It will be easier for us to attract new tenants with higher speeds and give us the edge on competitors”. Small businesses, sole traders and charities based in Cambridge and the surrounding area can apply to Destination Digital to get a connection voucher until spring 2015.
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South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Free online helpline to support positive workplace relations The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has recently extended its free telephone support service for employers and employees looking to resolve their problems at work and answer their HR-related questions. Acas Helpline Online is an automated service that helps answer common workplace-related queries including changes to employment law as well as the rights and responsibilities of both employees and employers. www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4489
Display Screen Equipment (DSE) regulations - are you compliant? According to recent research commissioned by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare*, almost three quarters (73%) of employers are not complying with the Display Screen Equipment (DSE) regulations. In addition, fewer than half of all employers (47%) feel they fully understand the regulations. To download a free guide from the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that you and your organisation comply visit www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf *www.specsavers.co.uk/corporate/news-information/employers-need-more-help-with-dse-regulations
Looking to source and compete for new contracts? CompeteFor is a free service that enables businesses of all sizes and from all locations to compete for contracts with public and private sector organisations.
CompeteFor allows you to access a range of business opportunities across a wide range of sectors and identify potential consortium partners.
www.competefor.com
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South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Consultation on greater protection for South Cambs village pubs We are seeking views concerning the proposed use of article 4 directions to help retain village pubs. Article 4 directions could be used to withdraw the permitted development rights which currently allow conversion to an other use, such as retail or offices, or for demolition. An article 4 direction does not prevent the development but does require planning permission to be obtained first. We will use the results of the consultation to help us decide whether we should use article 4 directions to provide an additional safeguard for village pubs and to which pubs specifically they could be applied. You can find out more about when a change of use is considered permitted development by visiting www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/ commonprojects/changeofuse You can have your say during the consultation by visiting https://scambs.jdi-consult.net/dc/readdoc.php?docid=234 Alternatively, you can download a response form by visiting www.scambs.gov.uk/content/consultation-greater-protection-public-houses
The consultation closes at midnight on Monday 23 February.
Making South Cambs Safer for Doing Business
South Cambs Business Watch Registration Form
An initiative for businesses in South Cambridgeshire has been launched via a Neighbourhood Alerts messaging system. Businesses within South Cambridgeshire are welcome to join this free service and receive regular updates and information relating to business crime within their particular business type and local area. The system will enable the business community to have direct E-Communications with the South Cambs Business Watch Officer for Cambridgeshire Constabulary. You can find the registration form by visiting http://southcambscops.org/2014/09/02/south-cambs-business-watch-registration-form
Editorial information This newsletter is produced for local businesses by South Cambridgeshire District Council. Editorial enquiries should be emailed to openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of South Cambridgeshire District Council. All data is accepted in good faith at the time of going to press.
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