The legal changes that have taken place in April 2010 are summarised below.

• 1 April 2010: Vetting and Barring Scheme

The next phase of the Vetting and Barring Scheme will be implemented.

• 4 April 2010: Statutory pay increase

The standard rate for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) and Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) will be increased to £124.88 per week.

• 6 April 2010: Data Protection Act maximum fine increase

The maximum financial penalty for serious contravention of the Data Protection Act will be £500,000.

• 6 April 2010: Blacklisting ban

Blacklisting workers on the basis of their trade union membership (past or present) will be prohibited.

• 6 April 2010: Right to request time to train

In organisations where there are 250 employees or more, employees with 26 weeks’ service will have the right to ask their employer to give them time away from their mainstream duties to undertake training which will help improve business performance and productivity.

• 6 April 2010: medical fit note

A new medical ‘fit note’ will replace the current ‘sick note’. Doctors will only have two options when they complete a fit note. They can certify either that the individual is unfit for work or that they may be fit for work, taking into account the doctor’s advice.

Chancellor Alistair Darling’s pre-General Election Budget included a number of major funding announcements targeted at UK businesses, in particular extra support and tax breaks for small firms.

The Chancellor announced:

• A £2.5 billion one-off “Growth Package” to boost small business and promote innovation.
• A new £500 million Growth Capital Fund providing investments of £2-10 million for high potential businesses.
• The creation of UK Finance for Growth, a new body to oversee all government financial support for businesses
• £35 million to set up a University Enterprise Capital Fund to support spin-out companies and knowledge transfer.
• An extra £20 million for the Technology Strategy Board’s Small Business Research Initiative, which helps SMEs win government contracts.
• The establishment of a £2 billion Green Investment Bank to support an overhaul of the UK’s energy infrastructure and promote low carbon industries.
• Tax breaks and other assistance to help the computer games sector.
• A one year cut in business rates from October for 500,000 small firms.

A doubling of investment allowances for small firms to £100,000.

Available at no cost to the individual or the business, the new service provides a high level, tailored, coaching and mentoring programme focussed on improving competitiveness in innovative and high growth companies across key industry sectors.

“The Business Mentor programme targets individuals within established businesses with growth and innovation potential that have reached a point in their development where further growth is limited by resource and capacity issues such as marketing, recruitment and process innovation,” explains Andy Gurnell, Science City York’s Delivery Services Manager.

“The core aim of the new service will be to enable a higher return on investment and improved market position for the companies involved,” adds Andy. “Science City York is also able to actively foster links between researchers, institutions and industry to increase knowledge exchange and the commercialisation of research.”

Key Benefits and Features of Science City York Business Mentoring

It is widely recognised that knowledge based companies face particular challenges in commercialising innovation, bridging the gap between research and business, and in overcoming critical barriers to growth.

The Science City York mentoring service provides an opportunity for individuals working in knowledge-based SMEs to leverage high level support and benefit from the skills and talents of a team of experienced Business Mentors.

The service offering is tailored to the precise needs of the individual, harnessing the skills and experience of the SCY Business Mentors and, as required, tapping into the wider opportunities that exist in the region and beyond for collaboration or knowledge transfer.

Key Features

• Experienced business mentor team
• Tailored individual support
• Embedded support for leaders in high growth SMEs
• Facilitation of access to regional networks of support
• Fully funded service
• Totally impartial and confidential service

The service offered will be flexible and range from short-term assistance to a longer-term relationship where the Business Mentor is effectively ‘embedded’ in the business. The bespoke nature of the programme enables clients to select from a range of core areas of expertise including:

• Strategic planning
• Process improvement
• Operational evaluation
• Sales and marketing
• Professional Development & HR
• Finance and business planning

A Three Level Programme of Support

The Science City York Business Mentor service is offered as a three level programme. All clients will initially be engaged on Level I (and then, depending on needs and anticipated outcomes, may progress through additional tiers of support.

Level 1 – 16 hours of Assistance

• Initial Engagement
• Short term programme

Level 2 – 40 hours of Assistance

• Medium term bespoke solution

Level 3 – 80 hours of Assistance

• Long term embedded support

Supported Sectors

Businesses operating in the following sectors are eligible for the Science City York Business Mentor service:

• Construction
• Logistics
• Creative & Digital
• Advanced Engineering & Materials
• Food & Drink
• Chemicals
• Environmental Technologies
• Healthcare Technologies
• Sports
• Financial and Business Services

Does your Business Qualify as an SME?

If your business meets the following criteria then it is considered as a Small or Medium Enterprise (SME):

• Has less than 250 employees
• Has an annual turnover of less than €50M (circa £44M) and/or a balance sheet total of less than €43M (circa £38M)
• No single external individual or business owns more than 25% of the capital or voting rights*

* You may still qualify as an SME but detail of ownership will need to be assessed

Geographic Availability

Any individual working in an SME located in York, North Yorkshire or the Humber operating in one of the defined sectors is eligible to receive the Business Mentor service. The Humber is the combination of East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. Capacity restrictions may mean that the service is not immediately available. In this case, you will be placed on a waiting list and contacted as soon as resource becomes free.

For more information or to arrange an initial meeting with SCY Business Mentor Nick Dunlop-Jones, please contact Nick on M 07912 88 27 29 or E nick.dunlop-jones@scy.co.uk

The presentation was followed by the Group’s normal meeting agenda covering current legislative matters including HSE notification of imminent legislation changes and recent prosecutions, topical issues including guidelines on the clearing of snow around business premises and member’s own company health and safety problems. On behalf of 2 Group members the Chairman had presented a case to the Highways Department regarding the need for traffic calming measures in Thornburgh Road. A response is awaited.

Adrian Pickard offered Plaxtons as the next hosting venue on 10th March when it is hoped to have another guest speaker. anyone interested in health and safety within their business is welcome to attend.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched Flexible New Deal, offering unprecedented levels of support to both those who have been out of work for 12 months or more – and organisations that might employ them.

Locally, employment specialist A4e has been contracted by the DWP to deliver the programme in conjunction with Jobcentre Plus offices in the region. A4e has offices throughout Yorkshire – including in Hull, Scarborough and York.

At a time when all businesses are reviewing costs, cost-conscious companies should not overlook the high-quality, pre-screened candidates that can be sourced through Jobcentre Plus and Flexible New Deal – its services are free to employers and involve minimal paperwork.

Steve Cooke A4e’s Scarborough Branch Manager, said: “The greatly-enhanced Flexible New Deal service really does mean now is the right time for companies with an eye to the future to get in touch – even if they’re not recruiting just now. We want to work with you, if you have job vacancies or opportunities for four-week work placements. These can be great opportunities to help people gain experience and for you to identify future potential.”

Companies can contact A4e or find out more about the benefits of recruiting through Flexible New Deal. To help businesses find out more, A4e has introduced a new website – www.FND4you.co.uk

“You’re probably missing a trick – and possibly the best employees – if you expect to be recruiting in the near future and are not thinking about Flexible New Deal,” said Mr Cooke.

“We want to start a dialogue with employers now, even if they don’t have current vacancies. Flexible New Deal is as much about meeting the needs of an employer as the client. The better we get to understand their requirements, the quicker we’ll be able to match them with highly-motivated, productive new employees when the time is right.”

Mr Cooke added: “The economic climate remains difficult. Those companies still able to take on new staff need to be confident they’re making the right choice.

“Under Flexible New Deal, we’ll only be putting forward candidates that we believe are ‘job ready’ and able to deliver to a company’s requirements. If they need extra support or training then that will be arranged beforehand or whilst they are with you, whatever suits you best.”

A4e’s contract with the DWP incentivises finding and preparing candidates for long-term, sustainable work. A4e will continue supporting them for up to 12 months after they start work. Flexible New Deal is free to both the company and jobseeker.

Mr Cooke said: “The Government has committed itself to Flexible New Deal for at least the next five years. It is meant to be a big step forward and we’re hoping employers will approach it with an open mind.”

Employers can request further information about Flexible New Deal and contact from an A4e specialist via the www.FND4you.co.uk website.

The most enterprising place in Britain and Europe, the 8^th most visited town in Britain with 5 million visitors to the area per year, a buoyant economy that’s fighting the recession and beating it head on…Scarborough has achieved so much recently, and to continue building on this success, is now throwing open its doors to attract more retail investment into the town. An open day targeting potential retailers looking for an opportunity to be part of Scarborough’s success story is being held on Thursday 27 August 2009.

The event will give businesses the chance to hear about Scarborough’s regeneration story first hand from those who have been directly involved, and find out why Scarborough would be a beneficial location for their business to invest in.

Malcolm Hall, Scarborough’s Town Centre Manager said:

“Scarborough’s regeneration efforts in recent years have been showcased as an example for other countries to adopt, particularly in the way in which the council and its partners encouraged and triggered renaissance developments by building business and networking partnerships. Things are most certainly happening in Scarborough and we want new retailers to be part of it!

“Scarborough is also undergoing a resurgence in popularity; we had over five and a half million people through the town centre last year, and in the first quarter of this year, we have seen an extra 180,000 people coming to the town as its popularity increases. We believe in the future prosperity of Scarborough and also believe that businesses would benefit by investing here, so I encourage retailers to come along and give us the opportunity to convince them that Scarborough is the place to be.”

The event on Thursday 27 August will take place at Scarborough’s Royal Hotel on St Nicholas Street and will start at 10.00am. Speakers will include some of the town’s leading retailers, and also, Simon Quin, Chief Executive of the Association of Town Centre Management (ACTM), Diane Wehrle, Director of Springboard, the leading provider of automated footfall monitoring services for town centres in the UK, and Caroline Arkwright, Business Manager for york-england.com

If you are a retailer and would like to register for the Scarborough open day, please contact Malcolm Hall, Town Centre Manager on 01723 341343 or email malcolm.hall@scarboroughcentral.co.uk

SET TO HELP DIVERSIFY LOCAL ECONOMY

Scarborough Borough Council has announced plans to develop a purpose build Eco-Innovation Centre in Scarborough as a means of stimulating the growth of environmental businesses in the borough.

Nationally, the emerging Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services [LCEGS] sector is set for massive growth over the next ten years. Council officers have identified an opportunity to diversify the local economy and encourage the local growth of this sector through the creation of a new purpose built Eco-Innovation Centre in Scarborough.

Council members have approved the first stage in this process, with approval given for officers to seek funding from Yorkshire Forward for the development of a feasiilty study.

The study will test the local growth potential of the LCEGS sector, and scope the opportunities for developing an Eco-Innovation Centre in Scarborough. Work will start this summer, with completion of the study expected in the autumn.

The feasibility study will seek to identify the local growth potential of the LCEGS sector and explore the potential of attracting LCEGS sector businesses from outside the area.

It is also expected that the study will help identify ‘anchor tenants’ and private sector interest, provide a recommendation on whether to proceed and give a size and site options appraisal. The study will also identify development partners with whom the project can be developed.

Matt Parsons, regeneration officer at the council says “Nationally, the need to develop a sustainable low-carbon global economy in order to address the threat of climate change and the over-exploitation of natural resources is well documented. In addition, the LCEGS sector is being increasingly viewed as a key driver of future economic growth. We want Scarborough to be at the forefront of this growth.”

Although there is no exact boundary, the LCEGS sector covers; air pollution control, cleaner technologies and processes, environmental consultancy, energy management and efficiency, marine pollution control, noise and vibration control, remediation and reclamation of land, renewable energy, water supply and wastewater treatment, waste management, recovery and recycling together with environmental monitoring, instrumentation and analysis.

The proposed new centre will be a carbon neutral building containing a cluster of businesses from the LCEGS sector. It will provide flexible workspace and office services, including meeting, conference, demonstration and training space. Also likely to be included is ‘grow on space’ linked to Woodend, for the digital and creative sector.

David Kelly, the council’s economic development manager adds, “The borough needs to ensure that new sectors are introduced into the economy and focused increasingly on the high growth/knowledge based industries. This requires support to both indigenous businesses and the attraction of inward investment, and crucially the development of appropriate purpose-built sites and premises.

“This approach has worked successfully with the creative and digital sector through the establishment of next generation broadband, and the development of Woodend Creative Workspace. Indeed, there is now demand for additional ‘grow-on space’ from Woodend.

“As Woodend supported the growth of the creative and digital sector, the proposed Eco-Innovation Centre aims to be the catalyst for the local growth of the emerging Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services sector.

“Ultimately the aim of the project is to support of the expansion of existing local businesses in the sector, attract businesses from outside the area to Scarborough, support existing businesses and organisations across all sectors to be more environmentally sustainable in their practices and processes and create a range of semi-skilled and higher-level skilled jobs.”

Following the study it is hoped that a business plan can be prepared and submitted to Yorkshire Forward to attract development funding by early in 2010.

Business confidence remains strong across Scarborough, with results of a major employers’ survey by Scarborough Borough Council revealing that a third of the town’s top companies are expecting to recruit staff in the next twelve months.

Carried out by the council’s Regeneration department, the business survey was issued to the town’s top 45 businesses and asked their views on the effects of the recession and on its impact on staffing levels.

Whilst 60% of the respondents said their business had seen turnover fall in the last 12 months, only a quarter had made staff redundant.

Looking ahead, only 20% expected turnover to fall further in the next year and only 20% expected staff levels to decrease. Infact, a third of businesses expected staff numbers to rise over the next 12 months.

Confidence also remains high amongst the town’s major hotels, with bookings up significantly compared to last year. Scarborough is the country’s third most popular destination for overnight stays after London and Blackpool and has a larger proportion of repeat visitors -84%.

Unemployment rates also highlight Scarborough’s resilience in riding out the recession. Unemployment claimant rates in Scarborough stand at 4.3% which is below the Yorkshire and Humber average of 4.8% and only just above the national rate of 4.1%.

Whilst 1,300 jobs have been lost in Scarborough in the last year, the rate unemployment is growing is now significantly slower than across the region – at 71% over the last year as opposed to 114% across North Yorkshire.

Malcolm Hall of town centre management also confirms positive news for the town; “Footfall figures within the town centre are up, by an extra 180,000 people within the first quarter of this year compared to last year. It is hoped that this will extend throughout the year beating last year’s five and a half million people through the town centre.”

Pauline Elliott head of Regeneration and Planning at the council said. “These survey results highlight the underlying strength of the town’s economy, which has improved and diversified considerably since our regeneration programme started five years ago.

“While there is still some way to go before things turn round completely, it is heartening that our business sector is fighting its way through and that the tourism industry is also seeing positive signs.

“During 2008 the council set up the economic response working group to coordinate the public sector response to the recession in Scarborough. We are working closely with Yorkshire Forward, Business Link, Job Centreplus and the Learning and Skills Council to monitor the impact of the recession and carryout action to help deal with its effects.”

Recent action includes the launch of Scarborough Job Match, a £1.4m three year scheme which aims to connect unemployed people to sustainable employment in Scarborough.

A ‘Beat the Recession’ campaign has also been launched this month supported by organisations across all sectors of the economy, including the voluntary sector, to connect residents with jobs, training and support.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the support and services that are available locally to help people deal with the effects of the recession, not only dealing with jobs and training but also with issues linked to the problems caused by the recession including money and health matters.

Simon Bull, of Scarborough Business Association adds; “It is heartening to see that the picture in Scarborough is actually quite a bright one compared with our neighbours and even nationally. Clearly the benefits of running a business in Scarborough are not limited to quality of life, but positive commercial opportunity, a flexible labour market and a ‘softer’ economic climate.

“This is, I believe, in no way a pure coincidence, but a direct result of all the efforts of the Renaissance programme and SBC’s regeneration plan. As part of the Renaissance process, Scarborough Business Association and everyone who has engaged with any of our events or activities, has contributed to this result.

“I take nothing away from the fact that we are still in difficult times and that the road ahead is not yet smooth, but pulling together as a town certainly seems to have taken the sting out of the tail.”

In a boost for SBA members, Scarborough Borough Council and SBA have appointed local public relations company Navigator PR to help promote not only the work of SBA but also the successes of member companies.

So, if you are looking to publicise any recent success including contract wins, new products and services or even staff appointments please do let Paul Johnston at Navigator know. He will then work with you to prepare a press release and undertake media relations activity locally, across the region, nationally and within your trade press if appropriate.

Activity will be undertaken on a priority basis but will be done on your behalf free of charge.

In addition, Navigator is also on the look out for interesting ‘people’ stories. In particular, any stories which highlight how people and/or their businesses have relocated to Scarborough to take advantage of the lifestyle of living by the coast.

Navigator is based in Robin Hoods Bay. Its work covers two main areas;
Public Relations/Communications
Work covers dealing with target audiences through the media, from reactive and crisis activity to planning and running proactive media campaigns in consumer, trade and national press, radio and TV. Work covers media management, interviews, press releases, articles and photography.

Design and print
Management of corporate and product related projects including literature design, exhibition stand design, advertising, corporate identity and web site design.

Navigator has won national and regional awards for its campaigns including for the launch of Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail. Navigator was commended at the UK PR Week Awards for most effective public sector campaign. The campaign was also a double gold winner at the Institute of PR Pride Awards for Yorkshire and the Humber as best non profit campaign and best consumer campaign.

Navigator’s campaign to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pennine Way also won national recognition for best non profit campaign and regionally as best consumer campaign.

Paul can be contacted on paul@navigatorpr.com, 01947 880513 or 07974 686 556

Andy Whitelaw Joinery, part of the AWJ Group in Scarborough, has gained the prestigious Investors in People (IIP) status following a recent assessment. IIP confirms the positive ways in which staff are managed and involved in business activity.

AWJ Glass already held the IIP standard and was re-assessed successfully at the same time as AWJ Joinery undertook its first ever assessment.

AWJ Group employs approximately 60 people and director Debbie Whitelaw says: “We are delighted to have reached the IIP standard across both divisions. It was always the intention to include Andy Whitelaw Joinery within the recognition and since the first inspection in 2006 work has taken place to implement consistent people management processes across the two divisions.”

The IIP inspector’s report highlighted how ‘There is an increasingly professional feel about AWJ, with systems becoming more structured and management more comfortable with using analytical tools. This is reflected in the quality of the business plan, which sets out the markets that the business is currently in and where it wants to be in the future.’

Despite the current economic downturn, both divisions are extremely busy and have recruited additional staff in recent weeks.

Andy Whitelaw Joinery has increased the size of its bench hand joinery shop due the current trend going towards the bespoke joinery side of the business. Two additional joiners and a PVC-u fitter have been recruited to cope with increased workloads as customers re-vamp their existing properties rather than move home.

AWJ Glass was the UK’s Glass company of the year 2008 -2009 and has also taken more staff on in the last few weeks. Recent investment in AWJ Glass by PIF will be used to further enhance the glass side of the business

For further information contact by phone or e-mail

James Lister AWJ Glass Ltd 07817 232476 james@awjglass.co.uk

Debbie Whitelaw 01723 580010 debbie@awjglass.co.uk