It was a very positive start to the year as this Wednesday saw the ‘ribbon cutting’ ceremony and launch of the long-awaited £43 million Etruria Valley Link Road (EVLR) and the official unveiling of the amazing Spitfire sculpture created by engineers and apprentices at Newcastle based KMF Group. The Spitfire sculpture pays tribute to its designer Reginald Mitchell, born only a few miles away in Butt Lane.

The 1km road connects the Wolstanton junction on the A500 with Festival Park and St Modwen Park Stoke Central and includes newly constructed bridges over the West Coast Mainline, Trent and Mersey Canal and Fowlea Brook.

The project should improve connectivity, reduce congestion and unlock access to land and infrastructure to support the creation of hundreds of jobs.

Funding for the link road has come from the city council (£11.5m), Department for Transport (£18.5m), the Local Enterprise Partnership (£8.2m) and the Growing Places Fund (£2.4m).

The opening of the EVLR is a key stage in the development of the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone and will help to create up to 9,000 new jobs and use 140 hectares of brownfield land.

The Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone is made up of seven key sites along the A500 with the plan to increase investment in a range of employment sectors and reinforce this area as the world capital of ceramics from tableware to highly specialist technical ceramics applications. Some sites in this zone will benefit from a simplified planning system and business rate relief of up to £55,000 for five years.

At the event, Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader, Cllr Abi Brown introduced the Stoke-on-Trent Growth Company which will be established in the spring with the aim of bringing together all the current activity around inward investment, business support, employment and skills, culture and tourism and ensuring that these activities join up more effectively.

The company will offer more bespoke approach to investment and economic development based around distinctive needs and opportunities and the unique qualities and achievements that characterise our Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area. It is excellent that Stoke-on-Trent is developing an identity of growth and change which chimes so well with the ambitions of the excellent businesses that are based here.  Staffordshire Chambers is hugely supportive of this initiative and looks forward to working with all those involved and to ensure that this complements Staffordshire County Council’s “We Are Staffordshire” campaign.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council are keen to work with work with key stakeholders to develop an effective and collaborative operating model for the growth company, and a meeting of the Stoke-on-Trent City Forum on 7th March will involve businesses, public and voluntary sector partners and other key stakeholders in shaping plans for the venture.

To find out more about the Stoke-on-Trent Growth Company or to register for the event contact Caroline.Mairs@stoke.gov.uk from the investment, employment, skills and growth team.

Not such good news now as I am sure you will have seen how the announcement from Government on a new energy support package for businesses fell short of our hopes and expectations. 

Despite Government efforts, an 85% drop in the financial envelope of support will fall short for thousands of UK businesses who are seriously struggling.

Many businesses have been fighting for their survival for months, and rising energy costs have fast become the tipping point. While Chambers welcome the 12-month duration of this package, its value is nowhere near far enough and means that for some firms, energy will now be a cost too far.

We understand Government must consider public finances, but any support package, short or long term, should be right for business – otherwise we’re going around in circles. The wrong type of support will continue to see business confidence deplete and Government having to revisit its package.

This is not about giving a handout to failing firms. It is about investing in British businesses, many of whom are confident about the strength of their order-books despite being hammered by eye-watering energy costs.

There are several options to consider, and we urge the Government to prioritise the following three:

• Increase OFGEM’s powers: Ensure effective competition in the business energy market for non-domestic contracts by extending OFGEM’s regulatory powers to guarantee businesses access competitive fixed rate contracts, and energy providers move swiftly to pass on wholesale price reductions.

• Energy production: Government to bring forward ambitious plans to enable more renewable and sustainable energy production across the UK.
• National energy saving campaign: Government should launch a national campaign with support initiatives for businesses to drive down current consumption through energy efficiency measures, such as green grants and tax incentives.

The British Chambers of Commerce will continue regular dialogue with Government on energy and I would urge you to get in touch via the contacts below with any issues you have around energy and your business.

If you want to talk to us about any business issues, including funding, you can call our switchboard on 01782 202222 or call the Stoke and Staffs Growth Hub Helpline on 0300 111 8002 or email: info@staffordshirechambers.co.uk

It’s hard to believe that 12 months have passed since Staffordshire Chambers was named Chamber of the Year by the British Chambers of Commerce – an accolade that recognised our relationship with the business community and acted as a catalyst for the year that followed.

In a year marred by international conflict and unprecedented rises in inflation, it fills me with great pride to know that the Chamber and our partners have supported the local business community with a comprehensive range of programmes and services.

During the last financial year, through our Positive Pathways programme, we have supported almost 100 refugees who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution with employability skills and business start-up advice. Our Positive Pathways team have worked tirelessly to help refugees find employment in the local area, and it is tremendous news that this programme has been extended by a further 12 months. We have welcomed a number of refugees from Ukraine and the thoughts of everyone at the Chamber remain with the country at this difficult time.

Over 200 businesses have been launched with the support of our Start-up programme. The entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive and well in Staffordshire, and I would urge anyone who’s interested in stepping into the world of self-employment to get in touch, here. 

Our newly-formed International Trade Centre processed export documentation worth almost £300 million throughout the last financial year – an impressive figure in its own right but something that we’re particularly proud of given the current climate that businesses are operating in. Breaking into new markets can really help evolve your business, and I would urge anyone considering oversees expansions in the new year to get in touch with our International Trade Centre manager, Allison Tomlinson.

Our Kickstart programme, overseen by our Head of Projects and Business Services, Tom Nadin, supported an incredible 912 young people into work across Staffordshire, and we were also proud to support over 2,500 business crime victims through our business crime advisor.

Shire Hall, a jewel in the heart of Stafford, was renovated during the summer and is the new home of Stafford Chamber, opening to the public this autumn. Our members are welcome to use the facilities at Shire Hall for free – an extension of the Members’ Lounge at Commerce House that has been hugely popular throughout the year as hybrid and remote working opportunities grow increasingly popular.

We were also selected by the Secretary of State for Education to lead the development and delivery of the Local Skills Improvement Plan for Stoke-On-Trent and Staffordshire. In November, we invited 70 business owners and leaders to our Skills Summit at the Catalyst Building, Staffordshire University, to discuss issues around recruiting and retaining staff. I look forward to continuing this work in the new year.

Most recently, we were proud to announce that a new daily news service would be making its way to inboxes across the county.

Daily Focus will be a source of the most up-to-date business news and comment from across Staffordshire – transforming the ways that local businesses receive and share information.

There is a real feeling of demand for a regular, focused and authoritative business news service to represent the businesses in our county. We want to shout about the brilliant things that Staffordshire businesses are getting up to – and encourage you to send your stories to the Daily Focus team on news@daily-focus.co.uk. You can sign up to the news service, here.

I am extremely excited about this project and look forward to welcoming your input!

We’re now seeing our events calendar for 2023 taking shape, with some very exciting events in the pipeline, including the return of our Chamber Awards and Let’s Do Business. We’ll be looking to continue the momentum from a record-breaking year, which included the most amount of entries for our Chamber awards and our best footfall on record for Let’s Do Business. There’s also an extremely exciting keynote speaker event planned for March – keep your eyes peeled on the Chambers’ events page for more details!

We of course couldn’t do it without the support of our membership. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.