news opinion
If you were hit by a car, rushed to intensive care with broken limbs, and more cuts and bruises than you could count, would you be pleased to see, a couple of years on, that the soreness in your foot had reduced?
You would probably expect your body to be showing greater signs of recovery than that. Perhaps the odd scar here and there, but nothing that would keep you strapped to the saline drip, and unable to do much more than hobble about.
So what sort of recovery is this? And will our economy ever feel like it’s returned to good health?
The problem here is one of sentiment. When inflation continues to outstrip earnings, and when unemployment continues its relentless push upwards, many people are understandably reluctant to embark on a high-street spending spree.
Factor in all the gloom and doom about the Eurozone, the consequence of a Greek default, the giant overhang of debt that blights the world economy, and you feel like lying back in that hospital bed and agreeing with all the commentators that, yes, you really are very poorly and you won’t be venturing out in the near future . . .
It’s not enough for the prime minister to try and rouse the nation by reminding us of the “great” in “Great Britain”, and it’s not enough for the Bank of England to chuck yet more money into the economy when that appears not to filter down to the average Joe except in the form of additional inflation.
A proactive, rather than reactive, plan is needed. You might call it Plan B. But whatever the name, its purpose must be to stimulate growth, without frightening the money markets. Does the Treasury have such a plan?
David Murray Publisher
Bank gives £5m boost to grassroots business
RBS and NatWest have launched a new £5 million community business loan, to support community businesses and community development finance institutions that wouldn‘t normally qualify for mainstream bank lending. It is the first time that funds of this scale have been made available for these businesses by a UK bank, and all loans will be offered on favourable terms. Successful applicants will need to demonstrate they are financially sustainable and will deliver a positive impact to society and/or the environment.
Supporting the social enterprise sector is an integral part of RBS‘ strategy to support businesses of all shapes and sizes. The new £5m fund has been created by the bank after demand grew for a much smaller micro finance fund which the bank ran as an independent charity for 10 years.
Peter Ibbetson, small business chairman of NatWest and RBS, said: “As the economy struggles, demand is rising for this type of finance. More businesses are being set up with a social or community focus. These businesses, including charities, social enterprises, community interest companies and co-operatives, may be small but represent a fast-growing sector which should be given every opportunity to play a role in the recovery.“
Business and enterprise minister Mark Prisk said: “It is vital to improve the flow of finance from banks to all sectors of the economy. The Government supports any initiative that could help make this happen and I hope this fund will create new opportunities for community
businesses to get access to mainstream finance. These enterprises play a key part in the Big Society and the links forged by initiatives like this will help them move forward and grow.“
This initiative is the latest by the bank to make finance more accessible for small, grassroots businesses. As well as launching the SE100 index to help raise the profile of the UK‘s top-performing social enterprises, the bank announced it was investing in the Community Development Finance Association‘s Change Matters programme to help increase the flow of credit to this thriving but disadvantaged sector.
The community business loan is available to established third sector organisations located and trading in the UK with social or environmental aims and who reinvest their profits for a social purpose. All applicants must be investment ready in terms of management, governance and financial position. Start-ups as well as established businesses can apply. Businesses can find out more information and make applications via the following links:
www.natwest.com/communitybusinessloan www.rbs.
co.uk/communitybusinessloan
Charities, social enterprises, community interest companies and co-operatives can apply for minimum loans of £30,000 and maximum loans of £500,000. Community development finance institutions, which will distribute funds to further businesses, can apply for minimum loans of £200,000 and maximum loans of £1 million.
Business departures in the ascent at London Oxford Airport
London Oxford Airport has increased its business aviation departures by 12.2% over the last year. According to a recent report by Eurocontrol, the airport in Kidlington ranks fifth in the UK for business aviation activity in the year to date to September 2011, with an average of 7.8 daily business aviation departures, up from 6.9 last year.
The airport experienced 42% more business aviation departures than London Stansted, which had an average of 5.5 daily business aviation departures, down 6.7% from last year. London Oxford is also ranked ahead of East Midlands Airport, with 6.7 daily departures, and Bournemouth Airport, with 5.9. Ahead of London Oxford were London Luton, with 34.2 daily departures, Farnborough, with 27.5, Biggin Hill, with 14.5, and London City, with 8.9.
James Dillon-Godfray, business development director at London Oxford Airport, said: “This buoyant business is great news, demonstrating the attraction of our airport to business and VIP travellers. August was surprisingly busy for a holiday month; total GA movements increased by 49% compared with last August. We hope this trend continues for some time as business aviation sees a welcome increase in activity.”
London Oxford Airport recently took the decision to install the latest generation radar system at the airport. The primary and secondary (Mode-S, MSSR) surveillance radar system, supplied by Thales with project management by NATS, will enable more efficient transits through local airspace as well as increasing the throughput of flight activity. The new system will be fully operational ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games, when a further considerable increase in demand for capacity is anticipated.
Details:
www.oxfordairport.co.uk THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – NOVEMBER 2011
www.businessmag.co.uk
Radar tower under construction at Lodon Oxford Airport
In the December/January issue of The Business Magazine
• Corporate Finance
• Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards 2011
• Environmental Focus
For more details: 0118-9766411
sales@elcot.co.uk
5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48