The Insider

British Chambers of Commerce to lead nationwide LEP network

I am delight to inform you that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has asked the British Chambers of Commerce to convene a network of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in England. Additionally, he has asked David Frost, the Director General to chair the network.

This exciting development is the fruit of several months of discussions with ministers in both CLG and BIS. A network run by the private sector, for the private sector, is what the BCC have been asked to put together. This will also be inclusive, and the network will work with other business organisations and their members.

As part of the BCC Accredited Chamber network, Channel Chamber of Commerce relished the oportunity of contributing to the LEP agenda and that most importantly our members across east Kent can stay engaged with our local LEP which covers Kent, Essex and east Sussex.

Southeastern Olympic Timetable

Southeastern have recently launched their Olympic Timetable Public Consultation document for their train timetable during the 2012 games which is attached for your information. A more detailed briefing, including full timetables, will be issued in June 2011. In the meantime if you have any comments or queries please e-mail communications@southeasternrailways.co.uk

Resolving Workplace Disputes

Employers across East Kent are urged to respond to the Government’s public consultation on resolving workplace disputes before the deadline on 20 April. The consultation sets out the latest Government plans for reforming employment laws, which seek to address some of the concerns raised by businesses about the current system of regulations, and improve the efficiency of the employment tribunal system.

The Government’s proposals aim to encourage workplace disputes to be resolved at an early stage, cutting the number of claims that proceed to full hearings and ultimately reducing the amount of time and money that employers have to invest to defend themselves. If these objectives can be achieved then, overall, both employers and employees will benefit but some proposals are likely to be extremely unpopular with the business community.

All employers with an interest to take part in the consultation advised to visit: http://www.bis.gov.uk/Consultations/resolving-workplace-disputes

Preliminary Supplier Event for Offshore Wind Farm Extension project

The University of Kent in partnership with Vattenfall Wind Power Limited are holding this event as an opportunity to find out how the procurement process (taking place from late 2012) will work for this project.

Taking place on 6 May from 10am – 1pm at Darwin College , University of Kent at Canterbury , there will be presentations from key project staff regarding the proposed Kentish Flats Extension and the Vattenfall procurement process; there will be plenty of time for questions.

Please note, once the key contractors (turbine manufacturer, cable supplier, foundation supplier, etc) have been appointed, another supplier event will be held, probably in 2013.

Any email enquiries should be directed to enterprise@kent.ac.uk

Expert Job Hunting Advice

Our sincere thanks to prospective member Xquisite Recruitment for spending a morning in our Ramsgate office kindly supporting our Future Jobs Fund team. Paul Clayton, the CVs of these young people.

Xquisite is an independent recruitment consultancy working for clients on a National basis for over twenty years. They have an extensive knowledge of a variety of industries including Accounting, Secretarial and Administration, Distribution, Logistics & Transport, Sales, Marketing, IT, Construction, Industrial and Engineering, HR, and Call-Centres.

Last Chance to book onto the Chambers Tax Clinic!

Tax experts - Reeves & Co in conjunction with Channel Chamber of Commerce are holding a Tax Clinic for local businesses at the Burlington Hotel, Folkestone on Thursday 14th April starting at 7.30am. Spaces are limited, to avoid disappointment, please call Tracy Reynolds on 01303 270022 or simply reply to this email.

Independent Insurance Services – not your average insurance broker…

Along with providing tailored insurance solutions to our personal and commercial clients, we also offer a wide range of additional services from Risk Management through to claims assistance.

We realise that it can be difficult to keep on top of current legislation as well as running a business. As brokers we are constantly striving to provide the best service to our clients, and one area which not only causes commercial businesses day to day problems, but also greatly affects their “insurability” is Health and Safety.

Independent Insurance Services are able to offer a bespoke service to assist with employment law aspects and Health & Safety issues. Feel free to contact us to arrange a no obligation consultation with a Risk Management specialist.

We feel it is also important to assist our clients as much as possible should you unfortunately suffer a property claim. Our external claims management company will handle your entire claim and organise reinstatement works through to settlement in order to minimise disruption to your business.

For these services and for any insurance quotations please contact us on 01303 221188. Alternatively, if your insurances are not due for renewal we can provide you with a free insurance review.