 Time for tickets
Tickets for the Havering Business Awards 2015 gala
presentation evening, on Friday 16 October at the CEME Conference Centre in
Marsh Way, Rainham, are being snapped up fast.
Tickets, which include a three-course dinner, pre-dinner
drinks and wine with the meal, can be booked online and cost
£80 plus VAT each or £800 plus VAT for a table of 10.
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Consultation on migrant workers
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC)
is consulting with businesses on the points based system for skilled
workers outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) who have an offer of
skilled employment in the UK.
Havering businesses are invited to
submit views on
the proposals by email to MAC, with copy to Jolly Choudhry before the
deadline of Friday 25 September.
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Can you claim
Business Rate Relief?
If your business occupies
retail properties with a rateable value of £50,000 or less and is wholly or
mainly used as a shop, restaurant, cafe or drinking establishment you could be
entitled to business rate relief.
The relief that will apply is
up to £1,000 for 2014/15 and £1,500 from the 2015/16 financial year. More information available
here.
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Licensing Policy Consultation
Havering
Council is currently consulting on a new Licensing
Policy to come into force from January 2016.
The policy has been rewritten to make it
easier to understand, and a new addition is a chapter which describes the
expectations of applicants.
The deadline for completing
consultation responses is Monday 31 August 2015.
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Want to be a Market Trader?
Romford Market currently has some spaces for
new traders. Preference will be given to those wanting to trade on Wednesdays,
Fridays and Saturdays but there is also limited space available for new traders
wanting to operate on one day only. For more information email
Matthew Steele.
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Fired up for
Growth
Havering businesses
wanting practical advice to help grow their business,
should head for Havering
Town Hall on Thursday 10 September for a Barclays
Fired Up for Growth Clinic which will run from 5.30pm until 7.30pm. Book
your place here.
Digital Eagles fly in
Barclays Business
Digital Eagles will be explaining how to connect with customers in a digital
world when the Romford Digital Business Club meets on Wednesday 16 September from
6pm at Barclays Bank, 36-38 South Street, Romford, RM1 1RH. Book a place by email here.
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Greener taxis consultation
Transport
for London (TfL) has launched a consultation on proposed changes to taxi and
private hire vehicle licensing, ahead of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ),
which will be introduced in central London in 2020.
Responses
to the consultation can be made here before the deadline of
Tuesday 11 August.
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Keep customers safe
Safety First is a new Havering Council email update which
contains information on Food
Safety Alerts and Product
Recalls. Click the relevant link to receive your copy each month.
Summer of Sound
Romford’s Mercury Mall is giving 10 local singers
the opportunity for a professional recording as well as taking to the stage at
the Havering Show and Romford’s Christmas Lights switch on. Vote here before
midnight on Friday 31 July.
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Growing business
Six businesses in Elm Park have each agreed to water a newly
planted flower bed near their shops, as part of the 80th anniversary
celebrations of Elm Park Garden City. The green-fingered retailers are Bits and Bobs, Greggs,
Hair, Body and Soul, Readings, Sainsbury’s and Webbs.
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Funding available
Building
Better Opportunities brings together money from the Big
Lottery Fund and the European
Social Fund to provide joint investment in local projects that tackle
poverty and promote social inclusion. The programmes in London include support
for economically inactive and long term unemployed women from BAME communities,
as well as for those with caring responsibilities. It also includes an
intermediate labour market (ILM) programme for people with disabilities who
have spent long periods out of work. The deadline for applications is 12noon on Monday 3 August. Further
information can be found here.
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Act fast for discount on courses for business
Havering
Adult College has launched its 2015/16 prospectus, with a wide range of part-time
courses aimed at developing skills range from
customer service, computer skills, languages, and beauty courses.Take 10% off courses when you
enrol before Monday 31 August 2015 with the Early Bird discount. Quote ENEB15
to receive your discount.
More
information available here
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Going electric
If you want to find out more about electric
vehicles to cut costs in your business, head for Romford Market on Saturday 8 August.
A Nissan NV200 van (pictured) and Leaf car will be outside Lloyds Bank, along
with representatives from Nissan who can explain the benefits of electric
vehicles and answer questions about their cost and performance.
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Now open in town
Havering
is proving an attractive place for new businesses, which bring with them jobs
for local people. Among
those firms which have recently invested in Havering are:
- DLS Supplier Co Limited, C3 Star Business Centre, Fairview
Industrial Park, Rainham, RM13 8UP - wholesale pizza supplies
-
Hornchurch
Practice Rooms, East Coast Music, 182 Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch, RM11 1QL
- Mad Tatter, Romford Shopping Hall, 43 Market Place, Romford, RM1 3AB - tattooing and piercing
-
Party
Delights, The Brewery Shopping Centre, Unit 10
Brewery Walk, Romford, RM1 1AU – party supplies and fancy dress
-
Stylex Cloud, Romford Shopping Hall, 43 Market Place, Romford, RM1 3AB - E-liquids
-
The Party Box,
9 Station Parade, Elm Park, RM12 5AB – party supplies.
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 - McDonalds,
119 to 129 South Street, Romford, RM1 1NX is now open following a major refit - restaurant.
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Help from HMRC
HMRC is offering free webinars to help businesses successfully complete
end of year returns.
These include:
- Join our online presentation to see how you submit your
tax return – ‘Self-employment and your online tax return’ at: Webinars if you're self-employed
- Find out about business expenses by watching our online
presentation - ‘Business expenses for the self-employed’ on our webinar and guidance page
Plan ahead and start filling your tax return in
now. Visit the GOV.UK website at: Welcome to HMRC Online services expenses and benefits
When you click a registration link, you will
be asked to provide your name and a valid email address, so HMRC can send you a
link to attend.
You do not need a camera or microphone to
attend a webinar. Even if you do have these, the webinar will not
activate them, and HMRC presenters will not be able to see or hear you during
the webinar.
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Food
courses to
boost business
The
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Level 2 Award in Food
Hygiene and Catering courses are run at Romford Baptist Church, Main Road,
Romford, RM1 3BL.
All
the courses are on Tuesdays, starting at 9.15am and ending at 4.30pm. The
proposed course dates are
- 15 September
- 13 October
- 17 November
Book
your place here.
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Cash help to create child-care
If you’re thinking of starting a child-care business or
nursery the Government has announced that the Childcare Business Grant is being
doubled and that businesses which have received their OFSTED certificate in the
last year can also benefit from the scheme. Under the scheme up to £1,000 can be received to help a new
child-care business.
More information available here.
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 Book site visits 24/7
If
you are a builder or developer who needs a site visit from a Havering Council
Building Control officer you can now book that visit at any time 24/7 using our
online booking service. Book
online before
10am and your site can be visited the same day.
There
are also many Building Control forms you can complete
online here. Havering Council also issues a Building Control
Briefing email update which you can get
free of charge here.
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Businesses supporting
the community
Havering Council is developing a project with
companies with a presence in Havering, who wish to support their local voluntary
and community sector.
More information is available here.
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Got something to say?
If you have a news item for a future edition of Business Briefing,please send it to Jolly Choudhury. |
