News
CHEIF platform deadline extended for traders as HMRC issue last call for businesses to move to CDS software
The deadline for the closure of CHIEF Imports is now only nine days away.
HMRC have announced that traders that will not be ready to switch to CDS Import on the deadline will still be able to make import declarations on the old CHIEF software until 31st October – a one-month extension.
However, we would urge all businesses that are registered to switch to CDS as soon as possible and before this final deadline.
A handy five-step guide has been issued to help you make the change. Find the guide, here.
The following urgent actions should be taken:
• Subscribe to the Customs Declaration Service
• Choose a payment method
• Manage your standing authority
• Issue customs clearance instructions
Staffordshire Chambers was proud to become the first organisation in the UK to complete an Export Declaration using the new Customs Declaration Service (CDS) software in February this year.
If you have any concerns about your customs clearances or any other international trade question, please give us a call on 01782 202222. Alternatively you can send an email to chambercustoms@staffordshirechambers.co.uk
- Published in News
Nominations now open for Chambers’ Council
Nominations are now open for dynamic, influential and forward-thinking business people to join the Chambers’ Council.
By becoming a Council member, you’ll be part of a supportive network of leading local businesses that are all keen to address business challenges, share best practices and help the business community to thrive and prosper.
Council Members represent their peers and are advocates for the Chambers and the private sector. They are elected by the Chambers’ membership. Together with the Chambers, they have the power to increase the prosperity of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire and the local community by forging outstanding connections and lobbying local authorities and the Government for a better business environment.
Council members are expected to attend up to five meetings per year. Meetings usually last for around two hours and aim to discuss a range of business issues affecting Staffordshire. The meetings include a guest speaker on a topic relevant to the local area. This provides a great opportunity to increase local knowledge and to influence the local business landscape. If you are employed by a business that is a member of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce you are eligible for nomination.
View the current members of the Council members.
Timeline
Chambers Council Nominations
Open – Fri 16 September
Closed – Wed 19 October
If you would like to nominate yourself, please contact Jade Holloway by emailing Jade.Holloway@StaffordshireChambers.co.uk
- Published in News
Sara’s Blog: The Queen’s funeral & latest inflation figures
The Queen’s final journey
Monday is a solemn and momentous day for everyone in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and beyond, as the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II takes place at Westminster Abbey.
During the last week we have witnessed shock, grief and reflection as well as a real sense of a celebration of the Queen’s life of service. A life where she concentrated on the positive and amplified this rather than looking at that which divides us.
Politics and division have been put aside in this period and the procedure of succession, the transition of Charles to King and arrangements for the Queen’s final journey has taken their place.
The Bank Holiday on Monday, the day of the funeral, is a day when the nation will again come together, as we did for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. To reflect on the positive effect and stability the Queen has gifted us all with over her 70-year reign.
Latest inflation figures
The latest inflation figures for August 2022 show a rise in Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation by 9.9%, showing a slight dip but doing little to ease the sustained pressure businesses and consumers have been facing over the past year.
This is also reflected in the squeeze on businesses’ operating costs as Producer Price Inflation (PPI) figures remain at record highs of 20.5% in the year to August 2022.
While the rate of growth has eased slightly, driven by a fall in fuel costs – most other goods continue to rise.
There is a limit to how long any business can sustain these rising costs before something has to give and British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) research, including input from Staffordshire firms, shows that two thirds of businesses plan to increase prices if they haven’t already done so.
Last week’s Government intervention on energy prices should have a dampening effect on inflation when it is enacted, however the lack of detail on exactly what help individual businesses will get, and for how long, means very few will be planning to invest any time soon.
Other issues ranging from transport and shipping costs, raw material prices, energy sector regulation and the tight labour market that must be addressed.
It is imperative the Government’s forthcoming ‘fiscal intervention’ provides business with confidence that there is a cohesive plan to take the economy forward.
As always if you would like to address a particular problem email info@staffordshirechambers.co.uk or join the debate in our Virtual Members Lounge: Virtual Members’ Lounge (staffordshirechambers.co.uk)
- Published in News
Full line-up of speakers confirmed for Staffordshire Business Festival
Staffordshire Chambers will be joined by a selection of the world’s biggest brands for our 2022 Business Festival!
Speakers from Amazon, L’Oreal Paris and Asian football powerhouse Odisha FC will join former Lioness and Euro 2022 winner Jill Scott MBE for our Speaker Summit at the 2022 Business Festival. Book your tickets which includes a networking lunch, here, and find the full speaker bios below! Don’t forget to sign in to the website to redeem your member discount.
Anuja Boopathy, General Manager of Amazon Rugeley UK began her career working for the Indian Government as a Civil Engineer, leading a multi-million school construction and sanitation project that had an impact across the whole of India. She joined Amazon as their Pathways Operations Manager in Hemel Hempstead, before climbing the corprate ladder with positions in Ottawa, Canada – where she was commended for launching a hybrid first-of-its-kind site – and California as their Assistant General Manager. Anuja has returned to the UK to take the reins of their Rugeley fulfilment centre. No stranger to working in male-dominated fields with her background in civil engineering and logistics, Anuja will be speaking about her experiences in a candid and intimate interview.
Maxime Belinghari, Human Rights Manager for L’Oreal Paris will be discussing the importance of human rights in a corporate setting and how to reinforce them in the workplace. Maxime graduated from the renowned Sciences Po Law School in Paris, where he now regularly teaches, before joining the ‘Defenseurs des Droits’ – The Defenders of Rights – as a project manager. He joined L’Oreal in 2018 as an Ethics Project Manager before being promoted to Human Rights Manager in 2020.
Raj Athwal, Club President of Odisha FC – an Indian Super League side have captured the signatures of some of football’s biggest stars, including World Cup winners Roberto Carlos and Alessandro Del Piero. Raj will be offering a fascinating insight into his experiences working for seven football clubs, with teams as close to home as Coventry City and as further afield as Odisha FC in Eastern India. Raj is the first British-Indian president of an Indian Super League Club and remains a commercial consultant for his previous clubs, most recently returning to Staffordshire to consult for Burton Albion.
The three speakers will join keynote speaker, Jill Scott MBE, one of the country’s most decorated footballers with a career that included a total of 161 England caps and 27 international goals. Jill joins us to discuss her experiences as a female football player, drawing on the leadership qualities and strategies she implemented throughout her career that saw her win nine domestic honours and feature in 10 major international tournaments – culminating in the Euros 2022 victory on home soil this summer.
Book your event ticket now to get access to all four speakers at our morning speaker summit and a networking lunch. Discounts are available for group bookings. For specific enquiries, please email kelly.edwards@staffordshirechambers.co.uk
- Published in News
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II – Sara’s Tribute
I was greatly saddened, as I am sure you all were, to hear of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday evening.
At the age of 21, she publicly announced that she would devote her life to the service of our country and the Commonwealth, and she was true to her word right up to her final official duty this week in appointing the 15th Prime Minister of her reign, Liz Truss.
Over the course of her reign, she has always been a dignified, gentle, thoughtful and reassuring presence as the world around us has changed, and through the highs and lows we have experienced as a nation.
I cannot think of a head of state anywhere else in the world that commanded the level of universal love and respect that the Queen did.
Throughout her life, and on her many travels around the world, she has always managed to negotiate the delicate art of being seen as a representative of the people of the United Kingdom rather than a representative of its government.
At the start of her reign, she was quick to recognise that the Commonwealth bore no resemblance to the Empire of the past and that our relationship with Commonwealth nations was one of friendship and cooperation for the common good of the people.
To some, the Commonwealth symbolised the decline of Britain’s influence in the world. Its early years also coincided with tensions over the arrival in the UK of immigrants from former colonies.
But the Queen’s enthusiasm remained undimmed. “To that new conception of an equal partnership of nations and races I shall give myself heart and soul every day of my life,” she promised in a 1953 speech.
This year we had the opportunity to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee – it was an extraordinary moment for her and the country.
The Queen was patron of the British Chambers of Commerce, and I was especially delighted and honoured to receive an invitation, along with our president Kate Beardmore, to the Trooping of the Colour on 2nd June.
The period of mourning following her passing is an opportunity for us all to reflect on the selfless service, respect, and generosity she gifted to all of us over the past 70 years.
We now have a new King, Charles III, and I send him and all his family our deepest felt condolences on behalf of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, on the loss of his mother, our Queen.
- Published in News
Jill Scott MBE to headline Staffordshire Business Festival
Staffordshire Chambers is delighted to confirm that former Lioness and Euro 2022 winner, Jill Scott MBE, will be headlining Octobers’ 2022 Staffordshire Business Festival.
One of the country’s most decorated footballers, Jill’s glistening career included a total of 161 England caps and 27 international goals – with her final outing for the three lions seeing her lift the Euros trophy on home soil this summer. During her time in the game, Jill won every domestic honour on offer, including the Women’s Super League title with Manchester City in 2017.
Jill joins us to discuss her experiences as a female football player, drawing on the leadership qualities and strategies she implemented throughout her career that saw her win nine domestic honours and feature in 10 major international tournaments.
We will also be talking about the parallels between elite sport and the day-to-day management of the coffee shop she runs in Manchester, ‘Boxx2Boxx Coffee’.
Jill headlines a list of impressive business speakers who will be joining us at Uttoxeter Racecourse on 19th October 2022. More details are set to be revealed in due course. Tickets include a light networking lunch.
This event is expected to sell out. Book your space now to avoid disappointment.
- Published in News
Clean Air Round-up with Declan Riddell
Good air quality is vital for all of us and in North Staffordshire alone, estimates suggest that as many as 200 deaths a year can be attributed to poor air quality caused by emissions from fossil-fuelled road traffic.
The Government requires local authorities to take targeted action in those locations where the concentration of roadside nitrogen dioxide exceeds a statutory limit. Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council are therefore preparing for two major changes to the local road network:
– A Clean Air Zone (CAZ) category C will introduce a daily charge on older buses, coaches, taxis, lorries and vans that don’t meet the latest emissions standards and drive within a defined area of Stoke-on-Trent, covering parts of Fenton, Joiners Square and the city centre. This CAZ will not have any impact on cars travelling within this defined area and will only affect older vehicles in other vehicle categories. This will reduce pollution on Victoria Road in Fenton, as well as improving air quality across a large part of the city where nitrogen dioxide concentrations are close to the statutory limit.
– At peak times of the working week, a bus gate on the A53 Etruria Road at the bottom of Basford Bank will limit traffic heading in a westbound direction from the A53/A500 junction, towards Newcastle-under-Lyme. This will reduce pollution on Etruria Road.
As a Chamber, we welcome any improvements to air quality but we are concerned about the impact of both schemes on the local business community, which is why we urge you to join our free webinar on Thursday 15th September from 2pm, to get a detailed overview of the proposals.
Green Travel Week
Here at Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, we will be holding our annual Green Travel Week during September, with staff invited to look at smarter travel to work choices such as:
- Cycling
- Walking
- Using public transport
- Lift sharing
We have a Cycle-to-Work scheme in place, that gives staff the opportunity to buy a new bicycle or e-bike and equipment such as a helmet and lights, while spreading the cost in a tax-efficient way from salary deductions. There are miles and miles of cycle paths across the local area and many of these are off-road, offering a safer way to avoid the traffic and get to and from work. Cycling and walking are great ways for your staff to integrate exercise as part of the daily commute, helping to boost health and wellbeing. Introducing a cycle-to-work scheme is a relatively simple process for you as an employer. Would your business benefit from having a healthier and motivated workforce?
Staffordshire also has an extensive network of public transport with buses and trains offering excellent connections to and from our cities and towns.
If cycling, walking and public transport are not feasible options, then how about encouraging your staff to lift share – either as a driver or a passenger? If you can implement a “guaranteed lift home”, this will help to reassure any lift share participants, if circumstances should change during the working day and someone needs to be home in an emergency, such as a child being taken ill at school. It could be a simple measure such as meeting the cost of a taxi from work to home or getting a colleague to provide a lift home. Lift sharing means fewer cars on the roads and sharing the cost of petrol/diesel, which has risen significantly during 2022.
Have you considered flexible working hours for your staff? It could be offering staff the chance to come into the workplace outside the main rush hour peak for travelling. Again, this reduces the number of cars on the road, at peak times of the working week.
If you would like to chat about travel to work options for your staff, feel free to contact declan.riddell@staffordshirechambers.co.uk
- Published in Clean Air Conscious, News
Sara Williams’ reaction to new PM
Reacting to the announcement of the new Prime Minister, Sara Williams, Staffordshire Chambers CEO, said: “Congratulations to Liz Truss on running a successful campaign to become the UK’s new Prime Minister.
“At the top of her agenda must be the immediate action needed to support the economy. Staffordshire businesses need urgent support to help offset spiralling prices. Our members have expressed growing concerns about energy and material prices – and it’s imperative that the new leader addresses these issues as a matter of priority.
“Businesses are now in a sink or swim situation and unless a support package is rolled out efficiently and effectively, we will see many local businesses shut their doors for good.
“The last few months and indeed years have been difficult for everyone, time is running out and urgent action is needed to deal with the costs crisis.
“The British Chambers of Commerce now believe that the country has already entered a recession and that inflation will hit at least 14% in the months ahead.
“For businesses and households, prices are set to become unsustainable, dragging the economy into dangerous waters and the outlook for both businesses and consumers will be bleak indeed.
“I look forward to seeing what action is taken in the coming weeks and months.”
- Published in News, Uncategorized
Secretary of State designates Staffordshire Chambers to deliver skills plan
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce has been selected by the Secretary of State for Education to lead the development and delivery of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Stoke-On-Trent and Staffordshire.
The Chambers has been designated as the employer representative body to take forward the LSIP for Stoke-On-Trent Staffordshire, as it is rolled out across the country.
Skills shortages are regularly highlighted by businesses as a key recruitment issue, and LSIPs, funded by the Department for Education, aim to put the voice of local employers at the heart of the learning and skills system to build a stronger, more dynamic partnership between employers and education providers.
It is hoped this will allow provision to be more responsive to the skills needs of employers in the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire labour market.
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Chief Executive, Sara Williams said: “This designation provides us with the exciting opportunity to build upon our work with the local skills agenda and bring together employers, training providers and other key stakeholders across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to continue to respond to our skills priorities.”
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce is one of 32 Accredited Chambers of Commerce which will lead LSIPs across the country, supported by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
Jane Gratton, of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “We are delighted that so many Accredited Chambers have been designated by the Secretary of State. The chamber network will use its convening power and deep knowledge of their local economies and communities to develop clear plans to address skills challenges faced by businesses.
“Chambers will bring together local businesses, training providers and a broad range of stakeholders to identify the skills needed to increase opportunities and enable economic growth for the benefit of everyone in the community.
“This is an opportunity for employers to shape how their current and future workforce can access the right training to thrive in the modern, more digital and greener workplace. More than 10,000 businesses were engaged in the eight Chamber-led trailblazers. Building on this learning and success, we will ensure that planning for local skills is aligned with the job opportunities and growth ambitions of employers.
“An efficient, network approach will enable the sharing of best practice to boost outcomes for people wherever they live, work and train. Closing the skills gap across all regions and sectors will help all communities, and we are proud to see, once again, Accredited Chambers at heart of local growth.”
- Published in News
Chris’ Blog: Join our Council and Local Area Advisory Boards!
Would you like to join Staffordshire Chambers’ council and local area advisory boards?
You don’t need me to tell you how tough the past few years have been for businesses and how tough it’s going to be for the foreseeable future.
The Chambers’ strength is in its membership and the support and expertise that you all bring to the table. This is ably demonstrated by the way every business worked together to get through the pandemic and the way in which businesses are working now through our various networks and associations.
Therefore, we are appealing to you as dynamic, influential, and forward-thinking business leaders to register your interest in joining the Chambers’ Council and/or Local Area Advisory Boards (LAABs) for Stafford and the Staffordshire Moorlands.
By becoming a Council or LAAB member, you’ll be part of a much valued and supportive network of leading local businesses that are all keen to address business challenges, share best practices and help the business community to thrive and prosper.
Council and LAAB Members are elected by the Chambers’ membership to represent their peers and work as advocates for the Chambers and the private sector.
Together with the Chambers, they have the power to increase the prosperity of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire and the local community by forging outstanding connections and lobbying local authorities and the Government for a better business environment.
And because we are an accredited Chamber of Commerce and part of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) network, our views and representations will go to the highest level of government.
Don’t just take my word for it, though. You can hear what some of our existing Council and Local Area advisory Board members have to say about their experience, here.
Council and Local Area Advisory Board members are expected to attend up to five meetings per year. Meetings typically last for around two hours and provide a platform to discuss a range of issues affecting Staffordshire business. The meetings also feature a guest speaker on a topic relevant to the local area and provide a great opportunity to increase local knowledge and to influence the local business landscape.
We would love to hear from you whether you represent a large or small business, or whether you are new to business or have many years of experience to share.
To register an expression of interest, please email jade.holloway@staffordshirechambers.co.uk
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
- Published in News
