The East Hampshire Online Business Directory - join for free. For more information visit at www.easthants.gov.uk/businessdirectory Inside this issue: ♦ Free business rates for one year (p.3) ♦ Meet your local MP - First Friday Petersfield (p.7) ♦ Money for work, rest and play - LEADER programme (p.8) Autumn Edition Leading the development, improvement and promotion of economic growth, business engagement and business support in the District. Business EastHants was established in November 2009 to help mitigate the impact of the economic downturn and prepare local businesses for recovery. The Partnership is business-led with a private sector Chair and a Steering Group comprising local businesses, representatives from business and support organisations. A key to the success of the Partnership and the delivery of its Action Plan is through effective communication and engagement with the business community. As part of its role of engaging with local businesses, Business EastHants is currently undertaking visits to key employers in the District. The key employers (not including the Public Sector) account for about 31.9 % of the total resident workforce in the District. The purpose of the visits is to get a better understanding of the businesses, their needs and concerns and identify new and existing opportunities. Businesses visited so far include: Laleham Healthcare, Waitrose, AMK Chauffeur Drive, Birdworld Attractions, Blackmoor Estate Ltd, Forest Mere Health Farm, Petersfield Launderers & Cleaners Ltd, Keelan Westall Insurance Plc, Elstead Lighting Ltd and Forest Research Commission, to mention but a few. For more information on Business EastHants and to apply for membership, please visit www.easthants.gov.uk/beh Business EastHants - East Hampshire’s Local Business Partnership L-R: Mark Rose (Community Project Worker), Neil Mundy (Departmental Manager, Waitrose ) and Caroline Collings (Chair, Business East Hants) Have your say - What do businesses really want? The survey should take approximately 5–10 minutes to complete. All responses will be kept confidential and no respondent will be identified in any reporting of the results. Online Survey visit: http://www.easthants.gov.uk/Surveys/ business_development/business_development_2010.htm Or visit www.easthants.gov.uk/beh For more information on the survey and to obtain a printed copy, please call 01730 234165 or send an email to [email protected]Business EastHants values the participation of businesses in identifying and addressing the needs of the local economy. To help Business EastHants focus on the things that are important to local businesses, the Partnership is conducting a business survey and would like to invite all local businesses to participate. The survey will enable the Business Partnership to develop a better understanding of local businesses, issues and concerns.
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The East Hampshire Online Business Directory - join for free. For
more information visit at www.easthants.gov.uk/businessdirectory
Inside this issue:
♦ Free business rates for one year (p.3)
♦ Meet your local MP - First Friday Petersfield (p.7)
♦ Money for work, rest and play - LEADER programme
(p.8)
Autumn Edition
Leading the development, improvement and promotion
of economic growth, business engagement and business
support in the District.
Business EastHants was established in November 2009
to help mitigate the impact of the economic downturn and
prepare local businesses for recovery.
The Partnership is business-led with a private sector
Chair and a Steering Group comprising local businesses,
representatives from business and support organisations.
A key to the success of the Partnership and the delivery
of its Action Plan is through effective communication and
engagement with the business community.
As part of its role of engaging with local businesses,
Business EastHants is currently undertaking visits to key
employers in the District. The key employers (not including
the Public Sector) account for about 31.9 % of the total
resident workforce in the District. The purpose of the visits is to get a better understanding of the businesses, their needs and
concerns and identify new and existing opportunities.
Businesses visited so far include: Laleham Healthcare, Waitrose, AMK Chauffeur Drive, Birdworld Attractions, Blackmoor
Estate Ltd, Forest Mere Health Farm, Petersfield Launderers & Cleaners Ltd, Keelan Westall Insurance Plc, Elstead Lighting
Ltd and Forest Research Commission, to mention but a few.
For more information on Business EastHants and to apply for membership, please visit www.easthants.gov.uk/beh
Business EastHants - East Hampshire’s Local Business Partnership
L-R: Mark Rose (Community Project Worker), Neil Mundy (Departmental Manager, Waitrose ) and Caroline Collings (Chair, Business East Hants)
Have your say - What do businesses really want?
The survey should take approximately 5–10 minutes to
complete. All responses will be kept confidential and no
respondent will be identified in any reporting of the results.
Business EastHants values the participation of businesses
in identifying and addressing the needs of the local
economy.
To help Business EastHants focus on the things that are
important to local businesses, the Partnership is
conducting a business survey and would like to invite all
local businesses to participate. The survey will enable the
Business Partnership to develop a better understanding of
local businesses, issues and concerns.
Busi nes s New s Busi nes s New s
EHDC signs FSB Accord to support Small Businesses
Cllr Richard Millard (EHDC Portfolio Holder for Economic Development), Caroline Collings (Chair, FSB South East
Hampshire) and Cllr David Parkinson (former leader of EHDC)
East Hampshire District Council has signed up to the
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) national Small
Business Engagement Accord. The District Council joins 10
other local councils from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
which have signed up to the accord.
The accord is an initiative which sees local councils signing
up to 14 accord principles and aims to aims to generate a
more effective and productive dialogue between small
businesses and local government.
The principles include nominating business engagement
champions from among the business community and within
the council, as well as encouraging greater consultation with
a wider range of business and community leaders. The
accord is part of the FSB's Keep Trade Local campaign.
Caroline Collings, Chairman of the FSB South East
Hampshire Branch, said:
"The FSB is very pleased that East Hampshire District
Council has made this commitment to small businesses in
their areas. There are 14 quite substantial commitments in
the Accord and adhering to these will go a long way in
ensuring that the voice and concerns of small businesses
are heard and that our local economies thrive. We look
forward to working together."
Councillor Richard Millard, Portfolio Holder for Economic
Development, said:
“We at East Hampshire District Council are delighted to sign
up to this agreement which will work to the benefit of all
small businesses in this area. The economic downturn has
made life very tough for everyone, especially small busi-
nesses. The rich variety and diversity of businesses in this
district are a real asset to its economy and it is vital that we
at EHDC continue to support them and help them survive."
Business News
Page 2 East Hampshire Business News
FREE Membership - Join Business EastHants to take advantage of the
opportunities available to businesses. Membership is open to all businesses in
East Hampshire. To find out more about the Partnership, the benefits for local
businesses and to apply for membership, please visit, www.easthants.gov.uk/beh
Business EastHants visits Elstead Lighting Ltd in Alton
Working in the Forge
Elstead lighting Ltd is one of the businesses
that has recently been visited by Business
EastHants. The Business has since signed up
as a member of the Business Partnership.
Elstead Lighting has been established for over
40 years. The company specialises in the
manufacture of traditional lighting; offering
interior and exterior lighting for residential and
decorative project market. Ranges include:
chandeliers, wall lamps, table lamps and
out-door lanterns.
The company operates a show room at
Elstead House, Mill Lane, Alton, GU34 2QJ.
For more information, please call 01420
823777 or visit: www.elstead-lighting.co.uk
The Old Forge
Business News
Page 3 September 2010
The UK Government has recently made
changes to the small business rate relief
scheme which means greater benefits
for existing recipients and all new
applicants.
The following changes, which came into
effect on 1 October 2010, are limited to
a 1 year period only from 1/10/10 to
30/9/11;
♦ Rateable values of £6,000 or less
will receive 100% rate relief
♦ Rateable values of between £6,001
and £12,000 will receive tapered
relief of between 100% and 0%
♦ Rateable values between £12,001
and £18,000 - no change, but will
continue to benefit from the small
business rate relief multiplier used to
calculate the rates payable
giving the supplement as the
discount.
Small Business rate relief application
forms are available to download from;
www.easthants.gov.uk/
sbrapplication2010
For more information on changes and
other rate relief schemes, visit:
www.easthants.gov.uk or call
01730 234159 or 01730 234143.
Free Business Rates for One Year
Autumn Edition
Business News
Page 4 East Hampshire Business News
Asbestos - The Hidden Killer
Around 4000 people die from
asbestos related diseases each year
and although asbestos has been
banned as a building material, it may
still be in any building constructed or
refurbished before the year 2000.
The Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) is launching a national
campaign in October to raise
awareness about the dangers of
asbestos.
It will specifically target trades people
such as plumbers and electricians
who are most likely to come across
the asbestos fibres as they go about
their work.
In connection with this campaign East
Hampshire’s Health and Safety
Enforcement Officers, in partnership
with the HSE, will be visiting
businesses across the district during
October and November to check that
they have procedures in place to
manage any asbestos in their build-
ings and to ensure staff, trades people
and customers are not being put at
risk of exposure.
Further information is available on the
HSE’s website at www.hse.gov.uk/
asbestos/index.htm or you can contact
EHDC’s Health and Safety team on
01730 234312/11
Eight Steps to managing asbestos in your building
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4
Are you responsible for maintenance and repair ac-tivities? Yes You are a duty holder, and have a responsibility to man-age asbestos. Go to step 2 No The person who is in charge should know where asbestos is. Ask them to show you the asbestos register or record.
Was the building built before 2000? Yes Assume asbestos is present. Go to step 3 No Asbestos unlikely to be present. No action needed.
Do you already have information on asbestos in your building? This may include previous asbestos surveys, building or insurance reports. Use this information as a starting point. Go to step 4
Walk round your building, including areas normally not visited, e.g. roof voids, store rooms etc. Identify materials that may contain asbestos (e.g. insulating board, ceiling tiles and insulation on pipe work). You can either presume that asbestos is present or confirm its presence/absence through use of a more detailed survey and sampling. If you opt to presume, any subsequent work should be carried out with full asbestos safety precautions. If you are not confident to undertake this yourself – seek specialist advice. Go to step 5
Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8
Keep a written record or register. It could be a diagram of the building or a written list:
♦ record where the asbestos- containing material (ACM) is, and its condition
♦ record roles and respon-sibilities with regard to managing asbestos.
It is important that the record or register is easily accessi-ble – particularly if it is being used to tell workers about the location of asbestos Go to step 6
Act on your findings. Draw up a priority action list:
♦ give high priority to
damaged material and materials likely to be disturbed. These will need to be repaired, enclosed or removed using trained per-sonnel (a licensed contrac-tor may be required)
♦ if materials are in good condition and are unlikely to be disturbed leave in place but regularly review their condition record what you find and the action you take.
Go to step 7
Tell people where the asbestos is:
♦ consider labelling potential
ACMs.
♦ consider who works on or near asbestos maintenance workers/ contractors).
♦ tell them where the asbestos is before they start work (e.g. when you ask for a quote for a job) and agree the precautions that need to be taken to prevent exposure.
♦ anyone who may work on asbestos must be trained and use safe working methods.
Go to step 8
Keep your records up to date. Even after your action list is completed you need to continue to manage risks:
♦ walk around your building at least once a year and update your plan as necessary
♦ check materials regularly to see if they have deteriorated, been damaged or disturbed in any way;
L-R: Chris Micholwicz of Hampshire Vegetable Gardens, Kate Hadley from Spinney Hollow, Liz Manship from Owslebury Parish Council, Ken Brown (Programme Manager) and David Webb (Acting Chair)
Rural Economy
Page 8 East Hampshire Business News
Do your staff experience difficulties in getting to work?
Then Wheels to Work could be the answer.
If your staff are aged between 16 to 25 years old and have no access to
private or public transport then they could hire a moped in order to
access employment. The mopeds can be hired for between 3 to 12
months for a cost of £12 per week.
All users will need to complete the Compulsory Basic Training and will
be provided with a high visibility jacket, gloves and a helmet.
All mopeds are fully insured and taxed. During the scheme users will
also receive help with putting in place travel arrangements for the end of
the loan period.
The scheme is funded by East Hampshire District Council and
Hampshire County Council in order to benefit young people by increasing
the employment opportunities available to them, especially in rural areas.
Those wanting to find out more about the Wheels to Work scheme can
contact Alison Wells, Wheels to Work Co-ordinator on 0845 521 6405 or
Farm diversification - a local business reaps the benefits of grant aid
Peter who owns a small, family operated farm, has recently
been awarded a grant from the Fieldfare (Winchester & East
Hampshire) LEADER programme to help develop a
firewood diversification project within his existing farm
business.
The grant of almost £26,000 has enabled Peter to purchase
a firewood processor and tractor to deal with the back
breaking task of splitting and loading logs.
Peter now enjoys the following benefits:
♦ ensuring a continuous supply of quality firewood to his customers;
♦ speeding up the process, i.e. he has been able to reduce the inefficiencies of carrying out the job by hand and is able to have a tree trunk loaded, cut into slices, split into logs and loaded in the back of a truck in very little time;
♦ taking some of the physical strain out of the process;
♦ expanding his business – Peter is considering the
employment of a part-time assistant.
Peter was so pleased with the support that he received
throughout the application process, he wrote to the Local
Action group saying;
“Thank you so much on behalf of all of our family, we are all
very excited and happy about the difference that the
investments will make to our business and to our lives in
general. We are very grateful for all your help and hard
work, thank you”.
Ken Brown, Programme Manager for the Fieldfare LEADER
Local Action Group, provided support throughout the
application process and recognised that the grant would
enable this farmer to achieve added value.
For more information about the Fieldfare LEADER
Programme please contact Ken Brown Tel: 01962 848588;