Enterprise Weekly - Federation of Small Businesses

S So ou utth ha an nd dE Ea asstt Y Yo orrk kssh hiirre e

Enterprise Weekly TTh hee d deeffiin niittiivvee ssm maallll b bu ussiin neessss ee--n neew wsslleetttteerr

Volume 341

Circulation: 3221

20 December 2013

Enterprise Weekly

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Ne(X)tworking: delivering best practice and results The East Yorkshire Branch of the FSB is proud to present an East Yorkshire Ne(x)tworking Event at 6.30 to 8.30pm on Tuesday 14 January (6.00pm for registration, food and introductions) at the Freedom Centre, Preston Road, Hull, HU9 3QB. The event will examine the theme of how to create recommendations and why they are important. The special guest will be local businessman Jonny Hart, who will talk to host Bob Spence about how he built his network. This is a Free Event, open to FSB Members and non-members alike. Non-FSB members will be most welcomed. If you are looking to build a network of contacts that delivers results, this is for you! The event will offer a minimum of 50 networking opportunities that can be accessed via this one session. Further information via Branch Chairman, Mike Bisby on 07949 293651. We look forward to seeing you there! Register at: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nextworking-courtesy-hull-and-eastyorkshire-branch-of-the-fsb-tickets-9782859797 To display your marketing materials contact [email protected] Enterprise Weekly

REGIONAL AND LOCAL NEWS Humber LEP signs landmark development deal The Humber LEP and its four local authority partners has signed up to the landmark Hull and Humber City Deal. The partners met Cities Minister Greg Clark to officially sign up to the deal that will help the region maximise the opportunities linked to the growth in the offshore wind and green energy sectors through programmes in skills, business support and accelerating development.

Lord Haskins, Chair of the Humber LEP, says: “This important deal is the first step in devolving more power to our local area. Through the City Deal we gain some significant tools to support economic growth and an opportunity to show that we can do things better for ourselves. The influence we will gain over skills and the national pilot we will be running on youth employment will help us to prepare local people for work and the new jobs that will be created in our economy. The measures we deliver to make developing around the Humber Estuary a smoother process will go a long way towards making our area more competitive for inward investment.” As part of the deal the bid team has negotiated freedoms and flexibilities to address the skills gap, tackle youth employment as well as get more people into training or work. This includes the development of facilities at five partner colleges to enable the Humber to become an Energy Skills Centre of Excellence. To support this, the Department of Business Innovation and Skills is providing £1.25 million skills capital funding which is matched by £1.9 million from the colleges. In addition, the Government will support an additional 1,500 adults to take up relevant courses over three years, with 760 additional people qualified to Level 3.

Read more at: http://www.blmforum.net/en/blm/News/4477 __________________________________ Sheffield FSB member gives support to Man of Steel Sheffield broker and FSB member IFM Insurance based on Tapton House Road has announces that it is to sponsor the Man of Steel project. As part of its sponsorship, the broker will cover the insurance cost of the sculpture, working with its insurer partners to ensure this iconic sculpture has the right protection in place. IFM’s logo and information will also appear on the Yorkshire Icon website http://yorkshireicon.com. The Yorkshire Man of Steel will be a 30 metre landmark sculpture based in Rotherham. The sculpture will honour the steel & coal industries of the past and celebrate the transition and success of advances in the new technology sector in the 21st Century. Mark Barlow, Managing Director of IFM Insurance said, “As a South Yorkshire business we’re proud to be sponsoring the Man of Steel project which truly reflects our great industrial heritage. What’s more I’m sure this iconic sculpture will highlight South Yorkshire as a fantastic investment opportunity for firms wishing to develop and grow their businesses.” __________________________________

FSB member grabs new business opportunities with KC Lightstream An award-winning FSB member who pioneered the introduction of computers into the Hull and East Yorkshire business community is now harnessing the region’s latest internet innovation to target customers nationwide. Vic Golding launched Hull-based Golding Computer Services 32 years ago and equipped many local firms with their first IT systems. The company remains a leader in the supply and maintenance of Vic Golding hardware and has also emerged as a top provider of high quality accounts training offered in partnership with Sage and the International Association of Book-keepers. Those services, which have previously focused on the Yorkshire and Humber region, are now being rolled out across the country, with Vic Golding crediting KC Lightstream, KC’s superfast fibre broadband service, for presenting the opportunity to expand. Vic said: “KC Lightstream has helped us enhance key areas of our business. We have improved our ability to offer remote support to our IT clients, offering better quality equipment in the process, and we are able to reach more customers, further afield, with our training services. What we now have is the ability to promote our services and deliver the training to more people by making full use of the increased connectivity and faster broadband speeds provided by KC Lightstream. “The training gives people the experience of Sage that businesses value so highly, backed by International Association of Book-keepers certification, and the distancelearning element, with full tutor support by phone and online, enables individuals to undergo training when it is convenient for them and their employer rather than to fit in with a college timetable. We know from our own experience that as we emerge from recession businesses are increasing their investment in technology. We have done the same with KC Lightstream and are developing a brand new business opportunity as a result.” Further information from Vic Golding on 01482 328706. Enterprise Weekly

NATIONAL NEWS ROUND-UP BIS publishes overview of business support policies The Department for Business has published an overview of Government policies designed to help small businesses grow and create jobs. The 'Small Business: GREAT Ambition' report outlines current policies on finance, developing new ideas and products, breaking into new markets, and business support. The Department for Business will also commence a review of Government business support as soon as possible and is aiming to introduce reforms before March 2015. The report is available in full at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smallbusiness-commitment __________________________________

BIS report finds 'problem with demand' for mentors A report published by the Department for Business has revealed that only 5% of small businesses have used a mentor in the past 12 months. The 'Demand for mentoring among SMEs' report found that almost half of small firms who had used a mentor would not be interested in doing so again, and that 44% believed that mentors who provide support for free would not be of help to them. The report concluded that 'there is a clear problem on the demand side' if the objective of current Government policy is to increase the number of small firms using mentors. Use and opinion of the Mentorsme website was not included in the report, as not enough users of the website could be found to evaluate it fairly. There is more about the report at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263226/ demand_for_mentoring_among_SMEs.pdf __________________________________ Fast-track patent process agreed with China Firms in the UK will now be able to secure faster intellectual property protection in China, after a Patent Prosecution Highway agreement was signed between the Intellectual Property Office and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China. When a Patent Prosecution Highway agreement is in place between two countries, a patent application that has been deemed 'acceptable' by the Intellectual Property authority in one country can benefit from an accelerated application process in the other country. The Intellectual Property authorities share the work completed by the initial patent application, thereby reducing application processing times and the costs of registering a patent. The Intellectual Property Office already has Patent Prosecution Highway agreements in place with the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Germany. Read more about the new agreement at: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/press/pressrelease/press-release-2013/press-release-20131205.htm __________________________________ Businesses urged to safeguard against flooding The Environment Agency has urged businesses to take action to minimise the risk to their business caused by flood damage, by taking steps such as preparing a comprehensive flood plan. The Environment Agency estimates that the cost to business of flooding totalled £200 million in 2012, due to property and contents damage, lost working days, and related costs such as infrastructure disruption. The Environment Agency warned that 175,000 businesses in England and Wales are at risk of flooding. David Rooke of the Environment Agency said: "It is vital that businesses

plan for weather impacts to safeguard their operations today and in the future. Every £1 spent on preventing flooding saves £8 in repairing damage." Read more about the Environment Agency’s warning at: http://www.workplacelaw.net/environment/news/49790/firms-urged-to-focus-onminimising-risk-of-flood-damage __________________________________ NAO report on local economic growth programmes published A report has been published by the National Audit Office that looks into the funding and structures for local economic growth. The report highlighted that it is not yet possible to evaluate whether Local Enterprise Partnerships, Enterprise Zones, City Deals, the Growing Places Fund and the Regional Growth Fund are providing value for money. This is partly due to there being no system in place to comparably measure outcomes or evaluate performance across the different measures that have been introduced to promote local growth. In addition, the National Audit Office criticised the slow pace at which new local growth programmes were introduced, with the first City Deals only agreed in February 2012. As a result, Government spending on local growth and job creation dipped significantly in 2012/13, although it is expected to rise again in 2014/15. The National Audit Office report is available in full at: http://www.nao.org.uk/pressreleases/funding-structures-local-economic-growth/ Enterprise Weekly

LEGAL UPDATES Consultation launched to review Charity Commission powers A consultation has been opened by the Government following criticism from the National Audit Office that the Charity Commission has failed to regulate the charity sector effectively. The consultation will consider what powers the Charity Commission would need in order to tackle abuses of charitable status and operate an effective regulatory function. The consultation includes proposals for new powers enabling the Commission to disqualify charity trustees, issue statutory warnings to charities and close down charities if there is misconduct or mismanagement. In addition, the range of criminal offences barring people from acting as charity trustees could be extended. Sam Younger, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, said the proposals would make the Commission "a stronger, more robust and more agile regulator". Read more about the consultation at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerlaunches-consultation-on-charity-commission-powers And: http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/Governance/article/1223777/charity-commissiongiven-new-power-shut-down-charities/ __________________________________

How should copyright rules be modernised? The European Commission is seeking views on how EU copyright rules might be modernised, particularly in the light of the digital age. The current survey will build upon previous consultations and public hearings on the subject. Issues covered include problems arising from territorial licences (where copyright is only granted for certain country or countries), the length of term of copyright protection and access to digital content in libraries and archives or for teaching or research. Contributions are particularly sought from, amongst others, consumers, users, authors, performers, publishers, producers and broadcasters. The consultation closes on 5 February 2014. For more information visit: http://www.eeyorkshire.com/yf/services/hys_detail.asp?ConsultationID=208 __________________________________ Going to court in disputes with consumers The European Commission is keen to hear from small and medium sized businesses about their experiences of using national courts in disputes with customers involving EU consumer law. The feedback will be very important in identifying ways in which court systems could be improved. The consultation closes on 13 January 2014 and is targeted at companies that sell products or services directly to clients or customers. Cases might have related, for example, to guarantees, unfair terms in contracts or selling via the internet or direct mail. For more information visit: http://www.eeyorkshire.com/yf/services/hys_detail.asp?ConsultationID=207 Enterprise Weekly

IT AND NEW MEDIA NEWS ONS report on e-commerce published Total sales via e-commerce represented 18% of business turnover in 2012, down from 19% in 2011, according to a report published by the Office for National Statistics. The figures include sales made by Electronic Data Interchange. Sales made via websites represented only 6% of total business turnover in 2012 and the Office for National Statistics figures also revealed that the total value of website sales reached £164 billion in 2012, up from £92 billion in 2008. There is more about the report at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/ict-activity-ofuk-businesses/2012/stb-ecom-2012.html __________________________________

One in five online sales is 'click and collect' 'Click and collect' purchases accounted for 19% of multichannel online sales in Q3 of 2013, up from 13% in Q3 of 2012, according to research by IMRG and Capgemini. The researchers attributed the growth in click and collect to increasing promotion of this option by large retailers such as Boots, Tesco and John Lewis. Tina Spooner, Chief Information Officer at IMRG, commented: "Based on the level of growth seen during 2013 we expect click and collect sales to account for at least a quarter of multichannel online sales by the end of next year." Read more about the research at: http://www.imrg.org/index.php?catalog=452 Enterprise Weekly

HEALTH AND SAFETY NEWS

HSE revises ACOP for control of hazardous substances The Health and Safety Executive has published an updated employers' Approved Code of Practice relating to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The Approved Code of Practice was identified as needing to be updated in Professor Ragnar Löfstedt's 2011 report 'Reclaiming Health and Safety for All'. The updated Approved Code of Practice includes simplified advice for employers on complying with the Regulations, clarifies specialist terminology and revises requirements for the classification, labelling and packaging of hazardous substances. The updated Approved Code of Practice is available in full at: http://press.hse.gov.uk/2013/updated-guidance-on-controlling-hazardous-substancesin-the-workplace/ __________________________________

Enterprise Weekly is edited by Neville Martin Development Manager – South and East Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses http://www.fsb.org.uk/070 Tel: 0114 261 7132 Mobile: 07917 628922

send your stories to him at: [email protected]

This free newsletter is for information only. The content is believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but you should make suitable checks before acting upon it. Content does not necessarily reflect the views of the FSB. Reproduction or copying of the information in this bulletin is strictly forbidden without prior written permission.