Chambers of Commerce
More challenges ahead for our businesses
Businesses were disappointed in the recent Budget announcements. Whilst there were no direct hits on personal taxation, some of the actions will certainly have a knock-on effect.
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The jury is still out on the new government
We’re a little more than four months into the new term, and already, business is being asked to shoulder the majority of the financial burden for failing public services.
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Are you meeting your legal obligations as an employer?
After years of working with business leaders to transform their workplaces into hubs of collaboration, productivity and innovation, the Dharma Centre for Workplace Wellbeing is launching its state-of-the-art virtual workplace wellbeing academy, designed to bolster your team’s workplace wellbeing efforts and fast-track your company’s journey towards legal compliance and beyond.
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Solving the recruitment conundrum
There is no question that currently recruitment can be very challenging, with many vacancies difficult to fill. On the other hand, there are many people ready and willing to work but they find it difficult to navigate the recruitment process.
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Government weighs up LTC
The other week, my team, along with a huge gathering of stakeholders, attended a House of Commons reception to press home the message to the Government on the importance of giving the green light on 4 October to the new Lower Thames Crossing.
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Sussex Chamber Business Awards 2024
The Sussex Chamber Business Awards evening was a fantastic celebration of the achievements of our business community. It presented an amazing opportunity to grow your brand, stand out from the crowd, to be seen as a high-performing business or individual, attract new talent, differentiate yourself from competitors and celebrate the hard work and achievements of your employees.
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Supporting the Surrey ecosystem
Surrey County Council has moved very quickly to set up a Business Support service to provide a great addition to the support ecosystem in Surrey. Surrey Chambers of Commerce has organised and delivered a roadshow of business events that have been a huge success, covering a wide area of Surrey at different times of day!
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What’s in a question?
A lot has been spoken about artificial intelligence (AI) by people far wiser than I, but I wanted to focus on a specific part of the story that I became aware of, following a Radio 4 interview between Nick Robinson of the Today programme and the CEO of Mumsnet.
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Juxtaposed border controls cause concern
Kent has always been unique in the eyes of its residents. However, post-Brexit, we now have a more significant relevance in that we have two of the UK’s three juxtaposed borders. This may lead you to ask: what are they and why does it matter? In our case, a juxtaposed border is where another country […]
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The latest Future Skills Forum
Young people don’t know what they don’t know, and this is particularly true for insights into careers – one reason why the latest Future Skills Forum, born out of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), was a great place to launch a suite of new localised careers factsheets, aimed at young people, careers advisers and […]
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Future of the economy
The British Chambers of Commerce manifesto sets out a clear plan for sustainable growth for the next government. We want to build an economy that has the green transition at its core, with a workforce fit for the future, living in thriving local places and powered by businesses that are globally facing and digitally enabled. […]
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Are we really running out of people?
In the last edition’s article, I made the case for how our economy would benefit from having more medium-sized businesses. One such benefit was the opportunity to provide work placements, internships or even higher-level apprenticeships as a means of growing and expanding the workforce. This, in itself, was as good a reason as any to […]
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A spring update
Here at Surrey Chambers, we are delighted to be launching, in partnership with Surrey Heath Borough Council, the Surrey Manufacturing and Engineering Network – a dynamic initiative aimed at fostering collaboration and growth within the manufacturing and engineering sector in Surrey. Our mission is to facilitate shared learning, create supply chain opportunities and offer business […]
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Boosting growth and promoting sustainability
Sussex Chambers has recently partnered with Reveela.com, a cutting-edge digital marketing platform. This strategic collaboration aims to help Chamber members gain a competitive advantage in both local and international markets by leveraging advanced digital marketing capabilities powered by new energy-reducing artificial intelligence, developed by Reveela Technologies and part funded by Innovate UK. Understanding the crucial […]
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Entering the Sussex Chamber Business Awards
The Sussex Chamber Business Awards are returning for 2024 to highlight and celebrate the expertise, achievements and outstanding contributions that businesses and individuals continually make to the growth of the county. Here are some hints and tips on how you can make the most of your entry… The judges Your entry will be assessed by […]
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2024 Support
What could possibly challenge us in 2024? Facing a general election is likely to distract from the work needed to improve the economy and deliver support for businesses, who generate jobs, taxes and contribute so much to their local communities. There is a lot of support available for businesses, but it does not always reach […]
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Business needs to be more than just a livelihood
With political and regulatory uncertainty in abundance, it’s understandable that most businesses will have little appetite for investment or expansion. However, this uncertainty will eventually pass, and the UK government, of whatever persuasion, will need to make its intentions around economic growth clear and unambiguous to unlock the UK’s trade potential. But the focus needs […]
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COP28 Activities
COP28, UN Climate Change Conference – United Arab Emirates 2023, from 30 November to 12 December, is a key date for the international community to come together and set out how to meet the Climate Challenge as a planet. The British Chamber Network and members will be actively taking part in COP28 events and initiatives. […]
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Fostering Growth
As I write, we eagerly await the King’s Speech and my fingers are crossed that it’s one that will support business and business growth. There have been far too many impediments to growth over the past five-plus years and this could be an opportunity to start to turn things around, show signs of positivity and […]
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Ambitious action plan for skills
Creating a mechanism to deliver cultural and behavioural change in the local skills system is central to our Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), published in August following approval from the Secretary of State for Education. The report and accompanying action plan outlines key priorities for the local area to help reshape the technical skills system […]
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Achieving nutrient neutrality
Back in the summer of 2020, local planning authorities in the River Stour catchment were told that any new developments that included an overnight stay must not increase the level of nutrients and nitrogen in the River Stour as it was having a negative impact on the Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve. This mainly covered the […]
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Future Skills Sussex
The government’s Skills for Jobs white paper set out an ambitious employer-led approach aimed at making further education (FE) provision more responsive to local skills needs and, ultimately, local economic needs. As part of this approach, Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) were introduced as a key part of the government’s vision of an adult skills […]
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Celebrating progress
As we reflect on the progress of the Sussex Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), we’re excited to share the positive strides that have been made in shaping a more skilled, resilient workforce for our region.
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