Business News - 27 March 2017
These business newsletters
are produced by a member of the Growth & Enterprise team at Exeter City
Council. They cover different subject areas each month covering local
business initiatives, new developments and topical issues.
This month, I have included
details of a recently published Exeter City Futures' report, details of the Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink event plus vital information about the apprenticeship levy, fire safety, changes to data protection laws and a link to the changes brought in by the recent spring budget.
Exeter City Futures recently announced the publication of a report entitled Energy Independence 2025.
This was written by City Science for Exeter City
Futures with the aim of understanding more about this subject and the potential opportunities for the Exeter region to be energy independent and congestion free by 2025.
The report considers how well the Exeter region is placed to unlock a thriving
energy sector and the opportunities for the region to become a model for
cities around the world seeking to overcome their own energy supply challenges.
The Exeter region has access to abundant and wide-ranging natural energy
resources offering vast untapped potential for generating low carbon energy.
The report predicts that the region’s demand for energy will rise by 13% by
2025 due to forecast household and business growth and the associated increase
in transport demand. It documents the significant scope for reducing demand,
increasing generation and developing new innovations over this timeframe that
could contribute to delivering a sustainable future for the region.
More information and to download the report visit: www.exetercityfutures.com
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Date: 29 April – 1 May
Location: Northernhay Gardens, Exeter Castle Courtyard with VIP lounge in Exeter Castle.
Entrance costs:
Adults (Saturday) - £8.00
Adults (Sunday/Monday) - £6.00
Children (5-15 years inclusive) - £1.00
Child (under 5 years) - Free
See http://www.exeterfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk/Ticket-Information/ for offers and After Dark.
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Plans are in place for this 14th annual Food Festival that takes place in in the courtyard of Exeter Castle and the surrounding Northernhay Gardens, right in the centre of Exeter.
Last year over 20,000 visitors attended this very popular festival to sample the best of South West food and drink, to learn from the many cookery demonstrations and workshops and to enjoy family hands-on activities.
Northernhay Gardens: At this location, you will find The Festival Cookery Theatre, two Large Food Pavilions and outdoor catering stalls featuring over 100 local producers selling delicious food and drink. There is plenty for children to enjoy too with demonstrations and hands-on activities in the 'Darts Farm Food is Fun' tepees and elsewhere. Note - Northernhay Gardens is not open during the Festival After Dark events.
Exeter Castle Courtyard: Live music, drinks from the Festival Bar and street food from the host of stalls serving food and drink is available throughout the day and into the evening. The VIP lounge, sponsored by Exeter Golf and Country Club will be located in the Castle itself. During the evening, Exeter Castle will host three After Dark Music Festivals on Friday 28 April and the following Saturday and Sunday nights.
More information: www.exeterfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk
Exeter College apprentices at Flybe Academy
The August 2016 Business Bulletin indicated that an Apprenticeship Levy was to be introduced with effect from April 2017.
This will affect employers in all sectors. As the levy will only be paid by employers with annual pay bills in excess of £3 million, fewer than 2% of UK employers will pay it.
Changes to Apprenticeships coming in are quite complex and far-reaching including Apprenticeship funding and incentives, delivery and direction, content, infrastructure etc. The most prominent message is a Government commitment to "3 million quality apprenticeship starts in England over this parliament”. For large public sector employers, engagement will be mandatory, targets will be set and a levy charged.
If your business fits the criteria, this guide should help: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-apprenticeship-levy
Important Note - Smaller businesses can join in too, benefitting from a generous 90% funding towards apprentices' training costs, nil National Insurance contributions for under 25 year olds, and additional incentives for certain individuals.
Exeter has seen more than its share of major fires in recent months, the latest being the fire on Marsh Barton in early March.
This seems a good time to remind all businesses to consider fire risks in their organisations, and to make sure that their employees are aware of the causes and consequences of fire.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service gives this Fire Safety advice for businesses: http://bit.ly/2m3HKZ2
The General
Data Protection Regulation 2016 was passed
as law in May 2016.
We are now in a two year grace period before enforcements
begin on 25 May 2018. Businesses have until then to be compliant with the new
law. It is a big change in the data protection environment so businesses should
start preparing now.
Changes will mean:
- Increased
enforcement powers
- Consent harder
to obtain
- 'Privacy by
default'
-
Pseudonymisation provisions*
- Data subject rights are paramount
*Pseudonymisation is a procedure by which most identifying fields within a data record are replaced by one or more artificial identifiers, or pseudonyms.
In
the videos that you can access using the link below, Jowanna Conboye of Stephens Scown explains the breaches in
the picture above and what you need to do to make sure you are compliant.
Click http://bit.ly/2neQYiM to make the above image bigger
Link to Stephens Scown videos that identify Data Protection breaches: http://bit.ly/2nObgk6
A summary of the spring 2017 Budget is here: http://bit.ly/2lDL9yM
If your business has outgrown its current premises, check out the Exeter Commercial Property Register (link below) that features business premises in Exeter and also in the neighbouring Local Authority areas of East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge.
It is free to register with new properties added daily.
Link: https://cpr.exeter.gov.uk/
Latest figures from Sport England show that 75% of adults in Exeter take part in at least 150 minutes of sport or activity each week. This is greater than other SW Cities:
Exeter - 75%
Bristol - 72.7%
Plymouth - 70%
Bath - 68.6%
Bournemouth - 63.6%
These statistics have been welcomed by Get Active Exeter and the Exeter Health and Wellbeing Board. Higher levels of activity carry many physical and mental health benefits. Local business should benefit too from the lower levels of serious illnesses amongst their employees such as Type 2 Diabetes.
Are you in the other 25%? Choose an activity that you think that you will enjoy - perhaps dancing, cycling, gardening or walking. Initially set yourself small goals and work up from there!
Plymouth University has extended the deadline for its construction survey. Researchers there are
working on a study for the LEP’s Brexit Resilience and
Opportunities Group. As part of this, they have
developed a survey that is specifically directed at the construction sector.
If your business is in the
construction business community, please help by completing the survey here.
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The new £1 coins will be in circulation by the end of the month and shops will not have to accept the old round ones after 16 October 2017.
The new 12-sided coins are similar to the old threepenny bits that were used prior to February 1971. It is hoped that the new shape and other security features will prevent forgeries. At least 3% of the 45 million round pound coins currently in circulation is fake.
How will this change affect your business? http://www.thenewpoundcoin.com/#affect
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