COMMENT
THE
LAST WORD
GEOFF POYZER, Chamber President, on the issues that are worth talking about
It has been great to hear from, and engage with, a diverse range of Chamber members in the past month, notably February's President's Dinner, held at St. James Hotel, Nottingham, which included a very productive discussion with business leaders about the priorities for the East Midlands in a post-Brexit landscape. As ever, there has been much to discuss and once again, my conversations with member businesses highlight the resilience, tenacity and talent we are fortunate to have across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.
BUDGET WISH FROM THE CHAMBER The Chamber was quite right to send a letter recently to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Philip Hammond, calling for an overhaul of the business rates system. In this letter, the Chamber urged the Chancellor to use reform of business rates to show his intention to unshackle business. It is business that is the creator of jobs and the creator of
wealth and the Government needs to demonstrate its commitment to assisting businesses by giving them the best possible opportunity to grow. The Chamber’s Head of Policy, Chris Hobson, has gone on
record as saying that the guiding principle of reform must be to increase business survival, growth and investment – not just balance spreadsheets at the Exchequer and I completely agree. Mr Hammond’s opportunity to address this was his Spring Budget.
NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK National Apprenticeship Week 2017 takes place this month, running from 6-10 March. It’s the tenth National Apprenticeship Week that has taken place and allows employers and apprentices to come together to raise awareness and celebrate the opportunities that apprenticeships have to offer. The Chamber is a huge advocate of apprenticeships and
is in a great position to deliver them, given its close relationship with businesses and employers. While it is a fantastic statistic, it is no surprise to me that 99% of Chamber apprentices remain in employment. As ever, the Chamber is embracing National
Apprenticeship Week, with details of its activity available in next month’s edition of Business Network. If you’re interested in hiring an apprentice through the Chamber, I know the training team will be more than happy to hear from you.
BUSINESS AWARDS LAUNCH It was great to see Love Business Expo reaffirming its position as the largest free business expo in the region, with close to 4,000 delegates attending the event at Donington
58 business network March 2017
Park last month. The Chamber was again headline sponsor and used the opportunity to launch its Business Awards, with members now able to submit applications. I have no doubt that – given the exceptional businesses
we have on our patch – the quality of nominations will once again be high. It was great to see six members shortlisted for national
accolades at the BCC Awards on the back of success at our awards and I hope we’ll see similar success in 2017.
ENTERPRISING WOMEN Congratulations to Jean Mountain and Eileen Richards - co- chairs of Enterprising Women - and, of course, all the finalists and winners at the recent Enterprising Women Gala Dinners and Awards 2017. It was a fantastic evening of celebration and recognition for women in business in what was a landmark year for Enterprising Women as it celebrated 20 years since it was formed in 1997.
CHAMBER ANNUAL DINNER I am really looking forward to the Chamber's Annual Dinner, which takes place on 23 March at The Roundhouse, Derby. The Dinner is the business event of the year and I look forward to meeting and talking to members on what promises to be a great evening.
COMMERCE HOUSE UP AND RUNNING Following the relocation of the Chamber offices in Chesterfield from Commerce Centre, on Canal Wharf, to Commerce House, on the Dunston Business Park, it is great to see the Chamber settled in to the new premises. While the former offices have served the Chamber well,
there was no doubt it was time to move on and the new three-storey office is infinitely more business-friendly and suited to the demands and needs of a 21st Century organisation. I wish all the staff based in Chesterfield all the best in their new surroundings.
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