Staffordshire Chambers is thrilled to announce an exclusive offer for its members: a 50% discount on tickets to the upcoming Love Cheese Live festival.

Taking place from 28 June to 29 June 2024 at the Staffordshire County Show Ground, this premier event is set to be one of the UK’s largest cheese, food, and drink festivals.

Love Cheese Live is renowned for bringing together cheese lovers, food enthusiasts, and culinary experts for an unforgettable celebration of gastronomy. The festival will feature:

• Live Cooking Demonstrations: Enjoy culinary inspiration from a fantastic line-up of the best chefs and experts cooking live.
• Exquisite Tastings: Delight in the finest dairy brands, exciting new flavours, and the latest trends in cheese and food.
• Exclusive Shopping: Discover carefully selected independent producers offering the finest food, drink, and culinary products in the country.

The discount code can be obtained by emailing tom.hammersley@Staffordshirechambers.co.uk

For more information about the festival and to purchase tickets, please visit the Love Cheese Live website.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today released its latest labour market data, providing insights into the unemployment rate, economic inactivity, vacancies and pay growth.

The headline figure shows that monthly real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have shown no growth in April 2024, following growth of 0.4% in March 2024.

Declan Riddell, Policy Adviser at Staffordshire Chambers, said: “The lack of growth in April underlines the ongoing challenges businesses in Staffordshire face, compounding problems that include skills shortages, borrowing costs and trade barriers.

“However, broader trends, such as the recently revised economic forecast released by the British Chambers of Commerce, as well as three month growth to GDP, come as welcome news for businesses.

“As we approach the general election, it’s crucial for policymakers to address these issues to sustain and build on the recent gains. Staffordshire’s businesses need clear and decisive action from the next government to unlock their full potential and drive regional growth.”

David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, added:  “Growth of 0.7% in the three months to April is positive news. Our own forecast, released last week, has upgraded growth expectations for 2024 to 0.8%, rising to 1% in 2025.  

“However, while the broader trend is ticking up, downside risks remain. Many businesses we speak to are still held back by skills shortages, high borrowing costs, and trade barriers with the EU. Sectoral performance remains very imbalanced, with retail and hospitality sectors consistently reporting weaker growth. 

“With unemployment rising and inflation slowing, pressure will be growing on the Bank of England to cut the interest rate. But to boost investment, any cut needs to be accompanied by clear action from the next government. As we set out in our election manifesto they must prioritise on unlocking growth across skills, business rates, trade, AI and green innovation.” 

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced a ground-breaking £7.4 million pilot scheme aimed at subsidising the cost of AI skills training for small and medium-sized enterprises within the Professional Business Services sector.

The Flexible AI Upskilling fund seeks to bolster AI adoption and productivity among SMEs, with £6.4 million available in grant funding.

Eligible businesses can apply for funding to cover up to 50% of the costs associated with AI skills training. This includes developing, deploying, or using AI within their operations.

The scheme aims to stimulate employer investment in AI training, address AI skills gaps limiting AI adoption, and measure the impact of AI upskilling on business productivity and outcomes.

To be eligible, businesses must be registered and operating in the UK, employ between 1-249 employees, be in existence for at least one year, and operate in the PBS sector as defined by specific SIC codes.

Funding is structured based on business size, with micro businesses (up to 10 employees) eligible for up to £2,500, small businesses (up to 50 employees) eligible for up to £5,000, and medium businesses (up to 250 employees) eligible for up to £10,000.

Applications must be submitted by 23:59 on August 18, 2024. Training must be completed, and invoices submitted by February 2025. Funding may be allocated through a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) to ensure robust evaluation. Find out more by clicking here.

Fully electric recovery trucks will be hitting the UK’s roads thanks to a pioneering launch from The AA.

The move will see The AA become the first UK-based roadside assistance firm to add full electric recovery vehicles to its fleet.

Due to the complex vehicle requirements, The AA is taking a “test and scale” approach to fleet decarbonisation with structured tests of alternative fuel vehicles in real-life settings. 

The UK’s largest motoring organisation hosted a Fleet Decarbonisation event at its Oldbury Operations Centre today (Friday), unveiling the most recent additions to its 3000-vehicle-strong roadside assistance and recovery fleet.

Edmund King OBE, AA president, and Duncan Webb, AA’s head of fleet, welcomed guests from across the motoring world to present an overview of The AA’s Motoring Manifesto, The AA’s latest Environment Social and Governance (ESG) report and its plans to extend its range of low emissions concept vehicles. The pair discussed how The AA will navigate its way towards a net zero future before unveiling The AA’s latest electric concept vehicles to the gathered motoring press and fleet suppliers.

Amongst an impressive selection of low-emission vehicles from across The AA business sat the day’s main attractions: a fully electric Volvo FE Slidebed; an Iveco eDaily Powerload; an Iveco eDaily crew van equipped with a heavy-duty Compact Recovery Trailer (CRT). These vehicles will become the first operational EV recovery trucks in the UK, accelerating the company’s efforts to meet its 2035 net zero target.

Edmund King OBE said: “Introducing these exciting new concept vehicles to our fleet is an important step towards our goal of becoming a net zero company by 2035.

“As a market-leading organisation, we are committed to showing the way as the country transitions to a zero emissions future.”

This electric version of the Volvo FE 19T is equipped with a Boniface VLA (very low angle) slidebed. It is the latest addition to a growing partnership between The AA and the Swedish vehicle maker. The vehicle can carry 6000kg on its recovery bed and up to 2000kg on its 2^nd car lift. The vehicle has an impressive range of 170 miles and a recharge rate of 2.25 hours when using a 150kWh rapid charger. The spacious cab can carry two passengers in comfort and is likely to be used to recover vehicles in and around low-emissions zones such as London and Birmingham.

Duncan Webb added: “We’re excited to introduce these groundbreaking vehicles to our ‘test and scale’ approach to fleet decarbonisation.

“All the vehicles on show today are subject to structured tests in real-life settings and include both hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), electric in the highest emission intensity HGVs and across our wide range of Van applications. These vehicles form the foundation of learning for scale deployment in the near and long-term future for our customers.”

A new Projects and Marketing Executive has been appointed by the Newcastle-under-Lyme BID bringing with her a wealth of positivity and passion for a town close to her heart.

Charlie Machin joins with extensive experience of creating engaging campaigns that will support BID levy-payers and contribute to the delivery of key projects.  

Her efforts will key into the organisation’s business objective of building on Newcastle-under-Lyme’s vision of creating a safe, welcoming and forward thinking town for the whole community. 

North Staffordshire-born Charlie said: “After living and working in London for several years, I’ve always been passionate about being positive and championing my hometown.  

“Moving back to the area, I’ve loved seeing the progression of the town and how it is becoming more vibrant and thriving. So, this role is a great fit for me.  

“Coming from a design and retail background, I believe I can help our businesses to really flourish, and I can’t wait to get involved and make a difference.”

Charlie will support the BID Manager, Charl Pearce, and work alongside Business Engagement Officer David Breese. 

Charl Pearce said: “Charlie brings a fantastic skill set to our small but mighty team. She is deeply invested in the town and its community, and we are looking forward to welcoming her to the team.  

“Her background in design and marketing will be a valuable asset as we continue to support our BID levy-payers and enhance the vibrancy of Newcastle-under-Lyme.” 

A promising start to the year has prompted the British Chambers of Commerce to revise their economic projections in the Q2 Economic Forecast.

Businesses will be pleased to see that growth expectations for 2024 and 2025 have been increased to 0.8% and 1% respectively.

This comes as the economy continues its recovery following a short period of recession at the end of last year.

It’s thought that growth in the long-term is unlikely to be strong, however. The overall profile remains flat, with a headwind of a poor export outlook and high interest rates limiting investment across the board.

As this recovery remains largely fragile, and any additional changes, that be big or small, could significantly disrupt it.

Key Points from the report include:

GDP Growth: Upgraded to 0.8% for 2024 and 1.0% for 2025; steady at 1.0% for 2026.

Interest Rates: Expected to decrease gradually from 4.75% in Q4 2024 to 3.95% in Q4 2026.

Inflation: Slightly above the Bank of England’s 2% target, peaking at 2.3% in Q4 2024.

Trade: Imports and exports to contract in 2024 before modest growth in 2025 and 2026.

Business Investment: Predicted to rise steadily over the next three years.

Average Earnings: Expected to grow faster than inflation through 2026.

Unemployment: Expected to rise to 4.5% in 2024 and 4.6% in 2025, then drop to 4.4% in 2026.

During the crunch weeks of the general election campaign, businesses will be scrutinising politicians for sustainable and long-term economic plans.

You may have seen that we’re bringing eminent economist Vicky Pryce to Staffordshire just one week before the general election to offer an economic insight to local businesses.

Our first Big Business Breakfast event was a sell-out, and we had some incredible feedback from local businesses. We expect this event to be no different, especially with it being hosted at such an apt time. Book your tickets and unlock invaluable insights and networking opportunities for your business, here.

We’re also approaching the home stretch for our latest Quarterly Economic Survey. We’ve had a fantastic response and I would like to thank businesses who have taken the time to complete the survey.

If you’ve not yet completed the survey then please spare just five minutes to make your voice heard by local and national decision makers. Complete the survey, here.