Business News Extra November 2013

Graduate trainees source for ecologists 3 Solicitor plans documentary on intricacies of family mediation 4 Initiative aims to encourage companies to relocate to Surrey 6

Nov 2013

getsurrey.co.uk/business in association with

Jobs created at Laboratory Described as a ‘fantastic example of an innovative British business’, drug development firm MedPharm looks for recruits after expansion into new premises in Guildford

By Tim Harris

tim.harris@trinitymirror.com

Dr Andrew Muddle, right, with Adrian White.

NEW jobs could be on offer in Guildford after a drug development company moved into a new £500,000 laboratory in the town.

MedPharm has expanded into a new building adjacent to its headquarters at Surrey Research Park, which has been fitted out with new laboratories and a smallscale manufacturing facility.

The firm has revealed the opening of the new £500,000 lab will create 10 new job opportunities, which could go to people in the Guildford or the Surrey area.

Dr Andy Muddle, chief executive of MedPharm, confirmed the jobs would be full-time positions, and the roles will include involvement in the speciallist manufacture of pharmaceutical products, analysis, quality control and quality assurance.

“The jobs could be for local people,” he said. “If people in the local area have the right skill set then that is ideal. I am sure recruiting local people would boost the Surrey economy.

“We are really keen to hire the right people with the right skills base. If we can hire them locally that is great, but if not we will have to look further afield. Even then, we are obviously bringing people into the local area.”

Dr Muddle explained that his business also has a strong partnership with the University of Surrey, and in the past has taken on a number of students on work placements, which has resulted in the hiring of three of them.

He also said if the business continues to expand at its current rate, there could be an additional 10 to 20 jobs created in the next three to five years.

The move into the new laboratory was made possible through the support of a £350,000 business loan from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.

The new facility was officially opened by Adrian White, managing director of SME Business at Lloyds Banking Group, in early October.

He said: “This new facility will be transformative for MedPharm and gives the company the resource it needs to keep growing its market share in an expanding in-

“We are really keen to hire the right people with the right skills base.” dustry. This is a fantastic example of an innovative British business.”

MedPharm was founded in 1999 and has been in Guildford since 2006. It currently employs 50 people.

The company develops products to treat diseases and skin conditions including skin cancers, psoriasis, dermatitis and moles.

MedPharm works with pharmaceutical firms from across the world to turn their drug discoveries into commercial products for transdermal and topical use.

Investment in the new

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laboratory has enabled MedPharm to bring a number of functions inhouse which it had previously outsourced, including testing new formulations and manufacturing, packaging and labelling batches of materials for use in clinical trials.

The new facility also allows an expansion of the company’s formulation performance testing capacity.

Dr Muddle added: “The opening of the new site is a huge milestone for our business. We had outgrown our other facility.

“From a commercial perspective, we are very much open for business and have already received significant interest from companies looking to use our manufacturing capabilities to assist with their clinical trial requirements.

“What we are trying to do now is grow the business over the next three to five years.”

MedPharm’s new premises.

2

November 2013

My first job A UNIVERSITY partnership has backed a government report about the importance of innovation for the economy. Sir Andrew Witty’s report, Encouraging a British Invention Revolution, called for a bigger role to be played by universities in growth.

Sean Fielding is chairman of the Setsquared Partnership between the universities of Surrey, Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Southampton, and director of research and knowledge transfer at the University of Exeter. He said: “As one of Europe’s leading business incubators we know first-hand the huge potential of the small research-led companies that are operating today at our five university sites across the south of the UK. “We wholeheartedly agree these have the potential to create not only major new businesses but exciting, entirely new industries as well. The life changing research we see daily could and should be the lifeblood of the UK’s economy in the coming years.”

The partnership is hosting an Accelerating Growth event in Westminster on November 27, showcasing more than 50 companies.

A NEW workshop on Tuesday November 19 will help rural businesses write copy for their promotional materials and websites.

Organised by Our Land and Love Local, the workshop will be led

by Susan Cross from Tell Tale and will take place between 10am and 3pm at The Manor House Hotel, at Newlands Corner.

The course will cover the principles of writing for the web, identifying a good message, concise writing, creating scannable text and using a location in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to benefit a business.

This workshop is free, and for further information, or to book a place, contact Carrie White, business development manager at Surrey Hills Enterprises, on 01483 899556 or carrie.white@surreyhillsenterprises.co.uk.

EXPERTS will be discussing the strengthening outlook for the UK economy at a talk in Guildford next week.

The evening, titled Catching the Wave, will feature three talks based on predictions from some economists and forecasters of the possible return to rapid growth in 2014.

Ian Parker, partner from the Infinite Group, will speak of the alternative options for growth, for example buying another business or undertaking a joint venture.

A second talk from Richard White of Pro Excellence will outline how to enure that sales and marketing efforts are aligned.

Finally, Dene Stuart from I want to Be, will talk about the importance of team preparation and internal recourses to create a stable platform for rapid growth.

The event takes place at MetroBank in Guildford’s High Street on Wednesday November 6 from 6pm to 8pm.

Editorial Director Marnie Wilson Group Deputy Editor Mark Miseldine Business Reporter Tim Harris Commercial Manager Amanda Ducas Regional Sales Manager Sarah Firth

A

publication

David Snell is a personal tax partner at Alliotts Accountants in Guildford What was your first job?

As with most people my age the first job I had was a paper round. Aged 14 and living in Gosport, it certainly helped me to know my town inside out.

It was good too to have my own source of money instead of relying on pocket money and I soon started increasing my record collection and indulging in my love of music.

How did you get from there to where you are today?

By a long, twisted and sometime tortuous route through from shop assistant (Friday night and Saturday job), civil servant in both the Census office just after the 1971 census and the Ministry of Defence, to HM Revenue Inspector.

I then moved into the private sector working for a couple of professional firms to get the edges smoothed over. I joined Alliotts Accountants in

Guildford in March 1991, becoming a partner in 2004 specialising in personal tax affairs.

What has your career so far taught you?

Nothing comes easy but if you work at it and apply yourself to the best of your ability, you should get to where you ought to be.

What does the future hold?

Alliotts is a great firm to work for so I am very happy where I am.

Eventually I am looking forward to the free time that retirement will bring which will allow me to further indulge my passion for music.

I love writing music and recently fulfilled an ambition to record my own songs. I have released my first album The Present Tense.

As well as that I play in a rock band called Sultana which gigs around the Guildford area.

David Snell loves indulging his passion for music.

Essensuals celebrates being cut above the rest A HAIR and beauty salon in Guildford has been named Perfect Salon of the Year in a set of national awards.

Essensuals, in North Street, scooped the accolade in the annual Achiever’s Awards held by Toni&Guy, of which it is the sister salon.

The Guildford salon had to compete with other national

salons in the group to achieve the award. The awards, part of ‘the 50 Festival celebrations’ to mark half a century of the brand, was held

by Toni&Guy at Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire, in September.

The focus of the awards is to celebrate the success of the individual business men and women that have helped to shape the brand.

Salons are judged on various criteria from customer care to running an effective business model.

“It is a huge honour to receive the recognition of Perfect Salon status,” said Gemma Raif, managing director of Essensuals Guildford.

“It is a testament to the hard work, commitment and

dedication demonstrated by my fantastic team of which I am incredibly lucky to be a part of.”

The Guildford branch was hand-picked from more than 240 salons across the UK. National franchise manager Gaynor Hodge said: “This is a salon team with a drive for success, with strong leadership from Gemma herself.”

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Staff at Essensuals in Guildford are celebrating picking up the Perfect Salon of the Year award.

November 2013

Graduate trainees are a source for ecologists

By Tim Harris

tim.harris@trinitymirror.com A CONSISTENT flow of jobs for young people is being created in Guildford year on year by an ecology firm in the town.

Thomson Ecology, which has its head office in Surrey Research Park, has taken on between 10 and 15 young people on its graduate trainee programme every year since 2007, and employing nearly all of them as full-time workers afterwards.

All 15 of the 2013 batch have been employed by the ecology company, and since the programme’s inception, it has created jobs for more than 60 people.

Richard Arnold, a technical director with responsibility for all the training at Thomson, said he

was pleased to be consistently creating employment.

“We have been creating jobs in Guildford since 2007 and it is our plan to continue to do that,” he said. “Regular creation of jobs will be good for the local economy.

“Quite often we take in the whole batch as full-time employees. We are looking for the potential to join us in a full-time role, that is our main aim when we start out and that is often what happens.

“At the end of the programme we review graduates’ performance and if they meet the requirements in the company then they will work for us moving forward.

“We have seen more than 70 young men and women come through the scheme. The majority go on to full employment with us

and we have some senior people who began their working life here as graduate trainees.”

Mr Arnold said each set of graduates is a mix of people from Guildford, Surrey and other areas.

He explained when young people from outside Surrey undertake the programme, it brings them to live and work in Guildford, benefitting the local economy.

Xenia Snowman is one of the 15 new workers from the 2013 batch who moved to Guildford to take part in the programme.

She said: “After finishing my degree in wildlife conservation, I worked for the Bat Conservation Trust to gain experience in the field. I applied for Thomson’s graduate trainee scheme because I knew I wanted to pursue a career in ecology and specialise in bat

conservation as well as learn more about other protected species.

“After three months my progress was reviewed and I was taken on as an assistant ecologist. The work here is really interesting and varied. I’m out and about at all hours, working with a range of species from bats to reptiles.

“Ultimately I want to develop my specialism in bats, acquire my bat licence, which I am working towards, and advise on their protection.”

Mr Arnold encouraged those with a degree or similar qualification in ecology to step forward.

“The number of positions could increase,” he said.

“A lot depends on the rate of growth of the business.

“We are intending to grow.”

3

Xenia Snowman undertook the Thomson Ecology graduate trainee programme this year. Picture: Terry Habgood. (Ref: THA_SAH_251013)

Enterprise First to lead Virgin StartUp in the south east region A NEW loan scheme that will serve and support firms in the south east has just launched.

Virgin Startup, a not-for-profit company, has been launched by the Virgin group to offer financial support, mentoring and business advice to thousands of young entrepreneurs across the UK. The initiative is a collaboration between Virgin, the Cavendish Consortium and the National Enterprise Network. Aldershot firm Enterprise First will be the lead agency covering the South East.

Virgin will invest in a central team to manage the

new company. It will draw on resources from Virgin to help promote the scheme.

Virgin StartUp was launched at BoxPark, in Shoreditch, London and Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson was joined by James Caan, chairman of SULC, Sir Tom Shebbeare, chairman of Virgin StartUp, Kevin Horne, chairman of the Cavendish Consortium and Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks and a supporter of the scheme.

“Virgin StartUp is pleased to be working in partnership with Enterprise First, the leading notfor-profit business support

provider in south east region,” said Sir Richard.

“The combination of Enterprise First’s experience in providing early stage businesses advice together with the Virgin brand and our companies support, will be crucial in securing the success of many young entrepreneurs.

“We look forward to working together to set up many new ventures.”

John Mitchell, chief executive of Enterprise First said: “This is great news for those looking for funding to help them start a business.

“We are expecting high demand

in the south east and hope that this will be one less barrier to people who have a viable business plan but need a loan to get the company up and running.”

Virgin StartUp will follow the pilot programme in the North East involving Virgin Money.

This initiative, launched in October 2012, is a consortium between Virgin Money, Virgin Unite, The Northern Rock Foundation and Project North East to deliver start-up loans.

Anyone wanting more information about Virgin StartUp and how to apply should visit www.virgin startup.org.

Sir Alex Ferguson with a copy of Green Star Media’s Elite Soccer magazine. Picture: Action Images / Matthew Childs.

Publisher sets its sights on awards night double A GUILDFORD media company has been nominated in multiple categories at this year’s national Football Business Awards.

Green Star Media, in Tannery Lane, Bramley has been shortlisted for two accolades at the Football Business Awards 2013.

Under the category for Partnership of the Year, Green Star’s Elite Soccer magazine, produced in conjunction with the League Managers Association, is in the running for the title. In addition, Green Star itself has been named as a finalist in the category for Best Business Serving Football.

The media company publishes sports coaching magazines and books with the aim of helping coaches at all levels deliver better training sessions.

Training programmes from the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho are published in Elite

Soccer magazine, which is exported to 60 countries worldwide.

Andrew Griffiths, managing director at Green Star Media, said: “To be nominated as a finalist in both categories is testament to the hard work our staff and partners put into our magazines.

“We have got a great team and we are looking forward to getting a result on the awards night.”

The Football Business Awards ceremony will be held at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea Football Club on Thursday (November 7).

Simon Burton, director of the awards, said: “Business and football are inextricably linked and on-pitch performance needs to be matched by commercial achievement and acumen.

“Football clubs are economic drivers for their communities and football itself is one of the UK’s greatest exports.”

Enterprise First will be the lead agency for Virgin StartUp in the south east. Chief executive John Mitchell is pictured with Sir Richard Branson. Photo: Owen Buillcliffe.

4

November 2013

Solicitor plans to make documentary about intricacies of family mediation As the co-director of Resolution, Guildford solicitor Karen Barham is keen to promote non-confrontational practice when it comes to managing family disputes. She talks to Rebecca Younger about her plans to make a television documentary on the subject WITH 25 years experience as a family lawyer and mediator, Karen Barham, has seen it all when it comes to family disputes.

From her office at Barlow Robins, in Guildford – the ‘divorce capital’ of Europe – Karen consults and mediates couples going through divorce, separation and other family problems.

The 51-year-old, from Elstead, has been asked to make a television documentary to give an insight into this intricate field.

“Unless you have been through a divorce or separation yourself, most people have no idea what the process involves, how long it might take and what options are available to them,” she said.

“Many think there is only one path to follow but there are many options and the quickest and cheapest does not usually involve going through the courts.”

The television series will follow Karen working with couples seeking to resolve issues relating to their children, property and finances.

Karen hopes that allowing outsiders to follow real people as they go through a separation will also help dispel some of the common misconceptions, for example that a mediator is a marriage guidance counsellor.

“When it is clear that sadly a relationship cannot be saved, thoughts turn to how a couple is going to separate and make arrangements for their children and finances. This is when a mediator can help the couple reach an agreement together,” Karen explained.

“A mediator can also be appointed many years after the separation or divorce if there are unresolved issues or difficulties or where there has been a change of circumstances.”

The documentary, which will begin filming this winter, will seek to demonstrate how couples approach individual aspects perhaps showing one couple considering whether to retain or sell the family home and other couples showing how they approached the issue of

division of pension or payment of maintenance.

“Couples might naturally be cautious about participating and divulging all their financial information, which is entirely understandable – for this reason only certain aspects and discussions would feature,” Karen added.

Each year an estimated 240,000 children in the UK experience the separation of their parents. Karen, who is divorced herself and has a teenage son, is qualified in direct and confidential consultation with children.

As a co-director of Resolution – a group of more than 6,500 family lawyers committed to non-confrontational divorce and separation – she is a keen promoter of a guide written on behalf of the organisation by renowned US parenting expert Christina McGee, which advises parents on how best to manage their separation in the best interests of their children.

“This can be enormously beneficial to a family and particularly the children – sometimes just

seeing that mum and dad are working with someone to sort things out gives the children a very strong message that their parents are at least talking and trying to work together to reach solutions,” she said. “Separation is a very emotional time and the longer any parental conflict goes on, the harder it is for children to move on.”

Although children will not be featured in the documentary themselves, as a key element of many divorce proceedings, Karen believes discussions surrounding the difficulties parents who are separating face, should be included.

She added: “This will be a respectful and highly professional piece of work, with couples willing to share some of their experiences so that the content resonates with viewers and those going through separation/divorce themselves.” n Couples willing to be considered to share some of their experiences on film for Karen’s

Karen Barham is a co-director of Resolution.

documentary can contact her on 07774 495963 or karenbarham@ barlowrobbins.com and quoting ‘Mediation Documentary’.

Couples will receive a professional lawyer mediated service, the value of which may run to many thousands.

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Child benefit – to receive or not to receive?

all specialist areas of tax. So what is going on in the world of tax at the moment?

School and university fees planning

With university fees increasing and a large number of people sending their children to private schools, planning for the costs is really not a bad idea.

Through effective, government approved tax planning, you can ensure that fees are not being paid out of taxed income, saving you money and planning for the future at the same time.

This widely used method is available to parents and especially grandparents.

It uses trusts where typically the trustees would be the parents of the children, so there is no loss of control.

For this to be tax efficient, it must be done by following some complex rules and government legislation.

The cost of setting the planning up and maintaining the trust is very economical in respect of the resulting tax savings.

Whilst it is easy to run, it is however a complicated piece of work and needs to be

Ben Gander, Chartered tax advisor.

The 2013 tax year has seen changes made to the Child Benefit system which means that more people will have to do self-assessment tax returns or be liable to a penalty.

The new rules mean that if you or your partner earn over £50,000 and one of you is claiming Child Benefit, you will lose some or all of your benefit through the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

This needs to be included on your selfassessment tax return and for the year to April 5 2013 you needed to register for selfassessment by October 5 2013.

A lot of people missed this deadline and if you are one of them, you need to act now.

Visit our website to read the Child Benefit article on our blog.

It sets out the rules and how it affects you, including links to helpful websites.

We can also help you complete and file your tax return.

November 2013

Helping visually impaired people into employment

By Tim Harris

tim.harris@trinitymirror.com A SUPPORT group to help visually impaired people in Surrey find employment has been launched.

The Surrey Association for Visual Impairment (SAVI) has created an employment group that will help those with visual impairment in their hunt for jobs.

SAVI will work with a variety of organisations across Surrey, including Surrey Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses, to provide mentoring schemes and visual impairment training to businesses across the county.

The initiative also aims to offer support to those already in the workplace.

Bob Hughes, chief executive of

SAVI, said: “Finding work can be challenging for everyone, but if you’re visually impaired, there are additional obstacles to overcome.

“Some people are still looking and some, quite frankly, have given up. They are not given the opportunity for work experience and employers won’t give them an interview.

“It is quite a frustrating situation for them. I know some very bright visually impaired people who have given up after years of trying to get a job.

“One of the main challenges is being taken seriously by employers. They can often not understand someone who could be a very loyal employee and do a good job.”

As part of the initiative SAVI will work with businesses to make them more aware about

employing visually impaired people and the support available.

“We are asking for employers to give them a chance,” said Mr Hughes. “We are trying to run an information campaign aimed at businesses in Surrey.

“We want to put employers in a position where they understand what visually impaired people could do for their business. The barriers are more apparent than real.”

More than 40 visually impaired people attended the launch of the SAVI group, at the YMCA in Guildford, in September.

The meeting was opened by the mayor of Guildford Councillor Diana Lockyer-Nibbs, who has chosen SAVI as the mayor's charity of the year.

Mr Howell said: “The

Bob Hughes, chief executive of SAVI, Guildford Mayor Diana Lockyer-Nibbs, Stella Black and Alan Howell, SAVI, and Cllr Andrew Hodges.

first meeting had an incredibly positive vibe which is a wonderful starting point to move forward from. SAVI will ensure that it starts to encourage positive relationships between employers and employees or potential employees from the visual impairment community.

“There is a big chunk of people in Surrey with a visual impairment who are of working age and who need to be addressed.”

Patrick McCord, who works for Mole Valley District Council, is visually impaired and a SAVI trustee, and has backed the employment group.

“Hopefully we can get more visually impaired people into work,” he said. “I think the group will act as a support mechanism.

“My experience in seeking employment has been generally positive – I got involved with SAVI to use my experience to help other people because I know not everybody has a positive experience.

“There are many challenges.

Employers are key – they are the ones who are going to make the difference and recruit people with visual impairment.”

Louise Punter, chief executive of Surrey Chambers of Commerce, also supported the group and said visually impaired people can offer the 'tenacity, commitment and problem solving' businesses are often looking for.

The next SAVI employment group meeting will be held at Swail House, in Epsom, at 6pm on November 21. To attend email schenery@sa-vi.org.uk.

5

Corrinna Loveless from Smith & Williamson.

Top three place for corporate tax trainee A RISING star from Smith & Williamson’s Guildford office has achieved third place in an annual Order of Merit from the South Eastern Society of Chartered Accountants.

Corrinna Loveless, a corporate tax trainee, got the third highest mark on average across the six exams in the annual Order of Merit, Professional Stage, 2012 in the area. After graduating from the University of Surrey with a degree in law, Ms Loveless worked at a law firm in Guildford for a year before joining the Smith & Williamson graduate programme

in September 2011. She is currently undertaking her three year placement as a tax trainee.

Corrinna said: “I still have to pass my case study next month but I’m looking forward to qualifying hopefully by the end of this year. I am excited to see what the future holds for my career in tax as well as starting on the CTA qualification.”

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) qualification, the ACA, prepares candidates for the financial and accountancy sectors.

African students combine rugby with business on trip to Surrey

Winners Richard Baxter and Roy Beddows, John Simpson, founder of On Course, former serviceman Gee Nawaranpaul, Tim Adams from Barlow Robbins and David Carter from Savills.

Tennis fundraiser proves a smash SOLICITORS and estate agents have teamed up to raise more than £4,500 for a charity that helps ex service men and women.

Supported by Barlow Robbins Solicitors and Savills Estate Agents, the Enton Grand Slam fundraiser was held in aid of the On Course Foundation.

The charity helps wounded, injured and sick service men, women and veterans through a programme of golf activities.

Held in the village of Enton,

near Witley, the Enton Grand Slam is in its eleventh year and 64 players took part in a morning of round robin matches of men's doubles.

It resulted in a win for Roy Beddows and Richard Baxter in a close fought final, edging out James Bull and Ian Simpkin.

David Carter, from Savills Estate Agents, said: “We are delighted to support this excellent event which raises funds for such an inspiring charity.”

SCHOOLCHILDREN from Africa arrived in Surrey in October for a day of rugby and business.

Surrey Business School and Surrey Sports Park hosted the youngsters who travelled to Guildford for a girls’ rugby festival.

The Touraid U13 Girls Festival brought two groups of 10 girls – one from Kenya, one from South Africa – to the UK for a week of drama, dance, music and a festival of rugby.

The groups visited the business school, at the University of Surrey,

where they participated in a variety of activities including a business simulation, hosted by Surrey MBA director Dr Kerry Sullivan.

After this the group moved on to Surrey Sports Park for a rugby session hosted by Premiership Rugby. The event was also held in collaboration with financial firm Allianz, which has its head office in Guildford.

Touraid is a charity that brings disadvantaged children to the UK, with the aim of providing longterm social and economic benefits by creating sustainable links with

Youngsters enjoyed combining rugby and business on their visit.

schools and clubs in the UK. Andy Berry, chief executive of Touraid, said: “The day at Surrey Business School and Surrey Sports Park was a highlight that we hope will inspire the girls as well as those at the university.

“The challenges facing these

girls are beyond description and, as they are from very humble backgrounds, they have little support to meet such challenges.

“We fully expect that, upon their return, they will become the catalysts to changing attitudes in their communities.”

6

November 2013

Initiative aiming to encourage firms to relocate to Surrey

By Tim Harris

Surrey Connects aims to double the county’s economy to £52bn by 2030 by leading activities that embed sustainability to enable them to weather economic storms in the long term.

tim.harris@trinitymirror.com AN ‘effective’ initiative to encourage new firms to move into Surrey was launched last week.

Surrey economic development business Surrey Connects officially launched its Invest in Surrey initiative, in Guildford, on October 24. The initiative will act as a service to enable Surrey to respond to business investment enquiries for companies looking to relocate to the county from other parts of the UK or Foreign Direct Investments. It is hoped this inward investment strategy for Surrey will deliver economic growth and create new jobs.

Mark Pearson, chief executive of Surrey Connects, emphasised how important it is to raise the profile of Surrey to attract new firms. “Invest in Surrey is the start of a journey and the start of something going forward,” he said. “It is about the Surrey pitch and the offer we can make. Surrey is a great place but we need to show we are open for business.

“Surrey is one of the most prosperous counties in the UK and home to many multi-national businesses backed by a strong enterprise culture. We want to build on this strength and encourage more firms to invest in

With excellent rail and road links to the capital, coast and beyond, Surrey is a great place to relocate your business.

SURREY RESIDENTS CLAIMING JOB SEEKERS ALLOWANCE (JSA) 13,000 12,000 11,000

1.6%

11,682

1.2%

9000

2,713

7000

5000

3000 2000

Fig 1 percentages denote the ratio of all Surrey residents of working age who claim JSA. Fig 2 shows the percentage of all Surrey claimants (as seen in Fig 1) who do so for 6 months or more.

Fig 3 percentages denote the ratio of residents of working age in each Surrey district/borough who claim JSA.

Fig 2

24.2%

2,825

Sept 2012

Percentages denote the ratio of all claimants in that given data range who are aged 24 or under.

UK AVERA

GE

35.8% 21.6% Sept 2013

%

2.0

3,395

14.7% 615

13.6% 460

Sept 2012

Sept 2013 Data source: Nomis Courtesy of Surrey Connects

JSA

CLAIMANTS

BY DISTRICT OR BOROUGH SEPT 2013

3.2 %

ST SOUTH AEGAE AVER

37.9%

4,180

1,940

1000

CLAIMANTS AGED 24 AND UNDER

The proportion of claimants aged 24 and under is currently showing a downward trend across the county

FEWER JSA CLAIMANTS IN SURREY

6000

4000

8,969

Unemployment update Surrey’s economy has shown continued improvement after the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance dropped by more than 450.

The Surrey Connects Surrey Economic Prospects for October revealed the number of people claiming JSA in September was 8,969 (1.2%), down from 9,420 (1.3%) the month before.

The figure of JSA claimants for September 2012 was 11,682 (1.6%), representing annual decrease.

Surrey’s claimant rate was also lower than the South East (2%), England (3.1%) and Great Britain (3.2%). Spelthorne remains the area of Surrey with the largest percentage of residents claiming JSA, at 1.5% in September.

Reigate & Banstead and Woking both had a claimant rate of 1.4%. Elmbridge currently had the lowest number of JSA claimants, with 1%.

The percentage of JSA claimants in Guildford was 1.2%.

ALL CLAIMANTS OF WORKING AGE

The figures show a drop in people claiming for longer than six months, however because the overall number of claimants, shown left, has fallen by so much this is recorded as a proportional rise.

10,000

Surrey plays a significant role in the sustainable growth of the UK economy, so that we might all share in the benefits.”

For more information about Invest in Surrey visit: http://www. investinsurrey.co.uk.

KEY

...OF WHOM CLAIM JSA FOR 6 MONTHS OR OVER Fig 1

8000

the county. We are a location for exciting businesses, and we have got the skills to attract other organisations. We have got a very high skill level.”

Surrey Connects said, until now, the county had not provided a service to actively manage enquiries or promote Surrey as a ‘premier business location’.

Invest in Surrey will provide a single point of contact for investors looking to relocate to the county from other parts of the UK or overseas. This will include a new Invest in Surrey website, which Mr Pearson described as a ‘huge resource’.

Surrey Connects worked with Surrey County Council, UK Trade and Investment and partners in district and borough councils to develop Invest in Surrey.

The initiative launch was attended by leading business figures from across the county and representatives from Surrey's Local Enterprise Partnerships and the county council.

Peter Martin, deputy leader of Surrey County Council, said: “Surrey is a powerhouse of the UK economy. Our county is the location of choice for some of the fastest growing industries that are driving the UK economy forward, backed by pioneering technology.

It is a key ambition to ensure

SURREY AVERAG E

1.2 %

Fig 3

1.5%

1.4%

1.4%

1.3%

1.3%

25.8%

22.8%

20.9%

21.8%

21.3%

21.0%

22.3%

SPELTHORNE

REIGATE & BANSTEAD

WOKING

TANDRIDGE

SURREY HEATH

EPSOM & EWELL

GUILDFORD

1.3%

1.2%

1.2%

1.1%

1.1%

20.3%

20.9%

20.5%

19.4%

RUNNYMEDE

WAVERLEY

MOLE VALLEY

ELMBRIDGE

1.0%

November 2013

Investment watch

7

Keeping an eye on the markets

Blue sky markets as stimulus looks set to continue

By Phillip Scott

Head of Advisory Stockbroking at Simple Investments

Philip Scott of Simple Investments.

This report was written by Philip Scott, Head of Advisory Stockbroking at Simple Investments on 30/10/13 when the FTSE 100 was trading at 6810.

Current Overview The month has seen US and UK markets rally strongly (6%) as investors embrace the now likelihood of continued US monetary stimulus coupled with a temporary resolution to end a political deadlock relating to government borrowing levels and public spending.

The economic implications of the Americans not being able to pay their bills (or technically speaking being in default) were potentially disastrous but I suppose the market never really fretted on it becoming a reality. An initial fall in share prices swiftly reversed as confidence in an agreement grew even if this ‘can’ has simply been kicked into February next year.

The appointment of Janet Yellen to the Federal Reserve Chair in the New Year marks a point in history as the first woman to land the role.

A market ‘dove’ (likely to keep interest rates low), she is accordingly believed to favour ongoing QE, something the stock market rejoices in. Bond buying (QE) depresses bond yields rendering shares relatively good value (in terms of dividend yields) whilst simultaneously keeping market rates low which also (handily)

facilitates capital flows into higher risk assets. This is the core reason for the surge we are currently experiencing. There is also a sense of the “where else to put money” factor with savings accounts for instance yielding sub-inflation returns.

Whether QE actually works in stimulating growth or whether it simply pushes share prices higher - there is a difference - is a much debated topic. Some believe it will ultimately create a big inflation problem in time (asset bubbles etc); others think Banks in receipt of funds simply invest in shares as opposed to actually lending it out to businesses (the intended consequence)! Central Banks obviously sing the praises of it as a monetary tool without which we would be in a far worse economic mess.

Thus the obvious risk to markets is what will happen when the life support is “tapered” and ultimately ended. Will the global economy be able to sustain itself unaided or not? US company valuations as I write are not exactly cheap, assuming decent levels of profit growth going forward. European stocks are less expensive but if the US falters, the rest of the world will be implicated for sure.

Encouragingly there has also been a resumption in the appetite for China with recent updates demonstrating expansion again. I

continue to believe in the long term investment potential of this region as I do the emerging markets in general, which have been under the cosh over the past few months on growth concerns and weakening local currencies. It has been of consistent note to hear many blue chip companies talking of this and how their EM earnings are under pressure in something of a reversal of historic trends.

Market Comment For the immediate future it is arguably tricky to locate a specific catalyst that would necessarily cause market jitters. Some fear Europe is a problem deferred not solved and might yet rear its ugly head in some form. As alluded to above, equity valuations while relatively attractive, in absolute terms they are no longer cheap. Stock market historians also refer to the duration of the equity bull market we are in (which commenced post credit crisis in 2009) and the doubling in the value of the FTSE 100 index over this period. Finally, has an air of complacency even possibly returned? Shares have essentially risen for 10 days back to back as I write and are probably due at least a “law of averages” dip at some point; a little reminder that shares seldom simply go up in a straight line.

On balance, my generalist prediction would be for continued

robust markets into the year end and a test in the New Year.

Stock Specific Comment Takeover rumours for both RSA and British Land have provided sell opportunities for those with a market nimble disposition. Raising some cash from these two names has enabled me to bolster my portfolio cash balances opportunistically. Adding to BP positions a month ago has also yielded strong returns (14%) over the month as decent results and increasing dividends have superseded the main risk to the investment case (the ultimate liability relating to the 2010 oil spill). My suspicion that oil majors were offering real value at the beginning of the month looks reasonable; Shell is also up approx. 9% over this timeframe. Barclays shares look interesting on some weakness potentially. Down 7% over the past fortnight to what appears to be technical (chart) support at 265p with an increased dividend payout ratio for 2014 puts the shares on a prospective income yield of around 4.7%. Now under more prudent management, the company has recently recapitalised itself via a rights issue and trades on a relatively undemanding nine times profits. A key player in the financial system, I am targeting £3 over the next three months.

The thought counts at Thinkathons Innovative workshops encourage start-ups and budding entrepreneurs to brainstorm and ultimately help small businesses to flourish through a process of collaboration A GUILDFORD-based entrepreneur is supporting small firms and start-ups in the area by holding free workshops to discuss business ideas.

Paul Davies, 23, from Abinger Hammer, recently launched his monthly innovation workshops, called Thinkathons, to help new businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into reality. The workshops, which act as a forum for business discussion, are held on the last Saturday of every month in Eastgate Court, Guildford.

Paul said he is pleased with how the Thinkathons have gone so far, after the inaugural workshop at the end of August.

“We have had some brilliant ideas,” he said.

“We had people attend who were entrepreneurs already, and people who are thinking about becoming entrepreneurs.

“The Thinkathon is for someone who would like to start their own small business, or has already

got their own small business, or has an idea for a business.

“It is a meeting of minds and no idea is a bad idea, everything gets discussed.”

Paul said Guildford is ideal for the Thinkathons because there are plenty of small firms and start-ups in the town’s ‘thriving business scene’, and he also explained the positives of businesses working together and discussing ideas.

Paul said: “I think the main benefits are the networking with other people, structuring ideas and brainstorming. You have the benefit of your idea being taken from a seed to a shoot as it were.

“When you work collaboratively, ideas can be sparked from even the smallest things and allow you to look at everything from a different perspective.

“Having people to bounce ideas off is helpful when exploring what path your business ideas could take, and the collaborative nature of the workshops means everyone gains from everyone else’s input.

“The aim of it is for the person with the idea to go away and write a business plan. Someone who may have been struggling can realise their ambition and help accelerate their business.”

Some of the initial prospects to arise from the Thinkathons have included an idea to run a café in Guildford High Street, business charity hiking, setting up a food franchise, making homemade crisps and setting up an app to promote healthy living.

Paul said inspiration for the Thinkathons came from having ideas of his own but not being quite sure what to do next.

After graduating last year from Bath University with a degree in Chemistry, Paul is the founder of iThinkLots.com, an innovation consultancy company. The next step for his Thinkathons is to try and get local schools involved as Paul hopes to encourage entrepreneurship from a young age.

For details call 07506 428147 or email paul@ithinklots.com.

Paul Davies, the founder of iThinkLots.com, hosts regular Thinkathons for start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Picture: Steve Porter. (Ref: SA136769_05)

8

November 2013 Sponsor’s feature

Supporting Surrey businesses One of the services Arcom is renowned for is the level of technical support it gives to businesses across Surrey and the South-East.

Arcom can either augment a firm’s IT department, or for smaller clients, can become the “virtual IT department”.

For larger clients, Arcom provides services such as expert technical support for when issues prove to be beyond the normal level.

As Arcom IT’s engineers are highly trained there is seldom a problem to which they do not know the answer.

The professionals at Arcom IT take the trouble to learn about their clients’ business and systems and this is why so many companies have used the firm for many years, knowing they will get the best service.

One client – Derek McQueen of Charters Group – said: “We are always impressed by the guys at Arcom.

“They go the extra mile, and give us the best possible solutions, whenever we are stuck for a technical solution those guys deliver.”

One of the nightmares of an IT manager’s life is the increasing use of mobile devices.

In the past few years smart

Arcom IT can now resolve the vast majority of technical issues remotely.

With over 2 million emails sent every second, who will keep your 'traffic' moving smoothly?

In the midst of new legislation,economic turbulence and environmental challenges it’s important that the 21st Century doesn’t leave your business in a jam.

At Arcom IT we have an unrivalled team of friendly experts who can supply and support robust, tailor-made solutions that evolve to keep you on the straight and narrow.

And since our main office has been in Surrey since 1998... we’re just down your road!

• Server & Desktop Virtualisation • Storage Virtualisation • Application Virtualisation • Infrastructure Services • Cloud Services • Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity • Workforce Mobility • VoIP Telephony & Internet communications • 24/7 Monitored & Managed Support

phones and tablets have become prevalent and nowadays everyone has one, and executives want to

“We are always impressed by the guys at Arcom. They go the extra mile and give us the best possible solutions.”

use them to help them in their day-to-day work.

Arcom IT is expert in dealing with these devices which are increasingly known as BYOD (Bring You Own Device) and can integrate just about anything into a corporate network, giving flexibility, efficiency and most important of all network integrity.

With security of uppermost importance, Arcom takes this very seriously and has accreditations with all the major technology security vendors, such as Cisco, Watchguard, Juniper, Sonicwall, McAfee, Trend, Sophos, Kaspersky and Symantec.

Arcom IT has recognised the importance of disaster recovery/ business continuity internally with

resilient service desk and data centre capability and shares this expertise with clients when they are considering their requirements.

By considering what the business drivers are for disaster recovery Arcom can ensure the appropriate level of protection is achieved.

However, having a disaster recovery plan and not testing it is nearly equivalent to not having a disaster recovery plan at all.

In fact, an untested disaster recovery plan can be riskier than not having a plan because of the false sense of security it gives.

Arcom IT makes disaster recovery testing very simple and is built around a premise that disaster recovery tests should be conducted as part of the periodic maintenance of any reliable recovery plan.

The use of virtual machines makes it possible to simultaneously and quickly provision a disaster recovery test and provide a “live disaster recovery” stand-by configuration to take over should a real disaster occur.

Further details about Arcom IT’s technical support are available at www.arcomit.co.uk, or telephone number is 01483 505055.

Want to make a start in IT? Arcom IT is a long established business, and managing director Shahid Azeem is a firm believer of working with the community and supporting young people in employment.

Shahid has been a senior mentor for many youngsters, through programmes with schools and the Prince of Wales’ youth charity, the Mosaic Partnership, of which Arcom IT is a Silver Partner.

The team at Arcom IT is a happy one, with most of the team having been with the firm for many years, and several have started at an entry level and have worked their way to senior positions.

Arcom IT is now looking to recruit four apprentices, to give opportunities to young people to gain a career in the IT industry.

There are four positions available, two in technical service desk roles, one in sales/telemarketing and one as trainee receptionist.

Shahid explains: “We are looking to give these opportunities to bright young people to help them get a start in the job market.

“I’ve wanted for a long time to introduce such an apprenticeship scheme.

“I started at a junior level all those years ago, and I’ve never forgotten the help that senior people gave me along the way.

“We want to formalise this relationship in a way that gives young people a career path, and something tangible to aim for. With the success of the incubator programme we are running here in Woking with Woking Borough Council and C2I, we now have the opportunity to make this happen in a planned and professional manner.”

The scheme is in association with Microsoft, and technical candidates will have an opportunity to progress with industry

accreditations to further their career ambitions.

Four apprentice placements available n 2 x technical service desk trainees n 1 x sales/telemarketing trainee n 1 x reception trainee These roles are offered by Arcom IT and are based in Export House, Woking, as part of the incubator programme run in collaboration between Arcom IT, Woking Borough Council and C2I. For anyone interested in becoming an Arcom IT apprentice, please contact Andy Houston on 01483 505055 for a job description and application form, or you can email him at andy@arcomit.co.uk.

W: www.arcomit.co.uk | E: info@arcomit.co.uk | T: 01483 505055 Arcom IT Ltd, Export House, Cawsey Way,Woking, Surrey GU21 6QX

Arcom IT Sussex Office, 2 Tarmount Lane,Tarmount Studios, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6DA,

Arcom IT Gibraltar Office Unit 2b, Garrison House, 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar.

Arcom IT managing director Shahid Azeem is looking for apprentices.