CHAMBER NEWS


Chamber backs calls to get airports flying


Calls by an influential group of MPs to get Government to set out a clear timetable for airport expansion in the UK have been backed by the Chamber. Early last month, the Commons' Transport


Select Committee claimed the arguments for and against increasing aviation capacity “have changed little in a quarter of a century”. It issued a report which stated that the opportunity to end “years of political dithering” by accepting the recommendation of the Airports Commission to build a third runway at Heathrow had been "largely squandered”.


‘There is capacity available at regional airports and we have urged the Government to be less London-centric’


Labour MP Louise Ellman, Chairwoman of


the Committee, said: “The Government must make up its mind. The decision on location is not the end of the process, it is the start of one. “Real progress cannot begin until the


location is declared. Work on environmental issues can run in parallel with other pre- construction work. “The months ticking by constitute time wasted for the UK's economic prosperity."


The Davies Commission suggested in July 2015


that Heathrow was the best option because of the economic benefits for the whole country, which includes £147bn in economic growth over the next 60 years and the creation of 70,000 new jobs by 2050. On the basis of it being the best of only


three options available – Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted – the Chamber gave cautious support to expansion at Heathrow, but urged the Government to use the delay in the decision-making process to give further consideration to utilising available capacity at regional hubs, such as East


Midlands Airport. Scott Knowles, the Chamber’s Chief


Executive, said: “There is capacity available at regional airports and we have urged the Government to be less London-centric in its thinking. “We supported expansion at Heathrow as the


best of the three options on the table for businesses in the East Midlands. If Heathrow expansion goes ahead, the Government should ensure that road and rail links from the East Midlands are improved so that, as a region, we can capitalise on the expansion. “But we would urge the Government to


utilise the available capacity at regional airports to spread the job creation and resulting financial benefits across the country – backing up its claim to want to make the East Midlands the nation’s ‘Engine for Growth’.”


Firms in the dark over referendum implications


Research has shown that nearly half of firms in the East Midlands had only a limited understanding of the potential consequences of the outcome of a vote to leave the EU. The survey, carried out by the


British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) for East Midlands Chamber, found that a month before the ballot 48% of respondents had only some or no understanding of what could happen. Chamber Chief Executive Scott


Knowles said: “The Chamber is taking a strictly neutral position with regards the referendum but has continued to support its members with information and briefing sessions on how the UK’s relationship with the EU currently works and the different questions that will have to be answered in the event of a vote to leave.” He added: “Regardless of


whether the vote results in the UK staying in or leaving the EU, the Chamber will be on the front foot to ensure its members have access to information to support their continued success.” Electoral Commission


Compliance – East Midlands Chamber is strictly neutral in the EU Referendum debate. It has not registered with the Electoral Commission as a campaigning organisation. The survey was submitted for scrutiny to the Electoral Commission by BCC.


Get help with auto-enrolment


The Chamber has launched a new service – in partnership with The Wilson Organisation - to help members manage their pension auto-enrolment obligations. In 2011, laws were passed that


Lucy part way through her descent


Intrepid trio’s fundraising dare


Three staff from the Chamber’s head office abseiled 120ft to raise over £450 for the RSPCA. Lucy Robinson, Carl Vaughan


and Chris Bates accepted the challenge to drop down the side of Chesterfield College’s South Block. The RSPCA is raising money


to build a new animal shelter at its Chesterfield site. The event was expected to raise about £1,500 but money collected so far has topped £10,000.


placed an onus on firms to provide pensions for all UK employees aged between 22 and state pension age and earning more than £10,000 a year. To comply with the law,


employers were given a ‘staging date’ from which they must implement their workplace auto- enrolment scheme. Staging dates for the UK’s


largest employers started in October 2012 and have been staggered over the past three-and- a-half years to include more and more businesses. From the beginning of May,


the final wave of staging dates, for small and medium-sized enterprises, kicked in. It means that all


business network June 2016 15


businesses with fewer than 30 employees, all new employers and all employers which don’t currently have a PAYE scheme will need to put auto-enrolment schemes in place. Failure to comply could result in


fines of up to £50,000 and/or daily fines of between £50 and £10,000 for each day of non-compliance. Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of


the Chamber, said: “I’m pleased to announce the launch of a new service aimed at helping Chamber members to comply with their pension auto-enrolment obligations.


“Given that the Chamber has a


high proportion of members with staging dates looming, this new service could be of huge benefit to many of our members.” Under the new partnership, The


Wilson Organisation is offering a special package to guide businesses through the process of setting-up, implementing and running a workplace pension scheme which fulfils their obligations under auto-enrolment legislation, for a fixed fee of £1,500+VAT.


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