Author: Dom Stevens

T20 Blast local derbies handed prime dates

29th November 2017

Local T20 Blast derbies against Yorkshire Vikings and Notts Outlaws have once again been handed prime dates, as the Club looks to secure sell-out crowds for both in 2018.

Last year, the clash versus Yorkshire at Queen’s Park sold out five days in advance, with demand at an all-time high, and the sides will go head-to-head again at Chesterfield on Saturday 28 July.

The East Midlands derby against Notts Outlaws, meanwhile, has been given a prime Friday night slot at the height of summer, taking place on Friday 13 July.

Derbyshire begin their home T20 Blast campaign versus Lancashire Lightning on Friday 6 July and face Leicestershire Foxes in the final home group stage fixture on Saturday 11 August.

T20 Blast tickets for all home games go on general sale in March 2018, while all home regular season games are included in Club Membership.

Chief Executive, Simon Storey said: “We received terrific support in 2017, with more people than ever watching T20 Blast cricket in Derbyshire.

“The local derby versus Yorkshire at Chesterfield is always a special occasion and we had unprecedented demand last summer with the fixture selling out well in advance.

“Both local derbies have once again been given great dates in 2018 and we’re hoping local people will once again get behind the Falcons and we can secure a double sell-out.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure

Declaration calls for improved infrastructure spend across the East Midlands

28th November 2017

Almost 100 delegates, including six regional MPs, businesses and all levels of government united yesterday to call for improved and fairer infrastructure investment for the East Midlands.

East Midlands Councils and East Midlands Chamber jointly hosted an infrastructure summit at which regional MPs, led by the Rt Hon Nicky Morgan and Lilian Greenwood, signed a declaration calling national parity funding for projects that lead to jobs creation, improving skills and driving up productivity.

Using Government data, the declaration shows that the East Midlands received only 60% of average per capita investment compared with the rest of England and calls for this to be increased to match the national average by the 2020.

The declaration was unveiled at the East Midlands Infrastructure Summit – Driving Growth: Investing in our Infrastructure – which took place at Leicester City Hall, from 10am to 3pm.

Sir Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester, opened the event. Keynote speakers included Nicky Morgan – MP for Loughborough and Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Lilian Greenwood – MP for Nottingham South and Chair of the Transport Select Committee, Sir John Peace – Chair at Midlands Engine and Councillor Kay Cutts – Leader at Nottinghamshire County Council.

Business responses came from Richard Blackmore – Regional Director at the CBI in the East Midlands, Michelle Craven-Faulkner – Chair of the Rail Forum East Midlands, Scott Knowles – Chief Executive at East Midlands Chamber, Howard Ebison, Commercial Director at East Midlands Airport, Jake Kelly – Managing Director at East Midlands Trains and Gwyn Stubbings – Planning Director at IDI Gazeley.

Question-and-answer sessions were led by Stuart Young – Executive Director at East Midlands Councils, Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at East Midlands Chamber and Rob Mayo – President at East Midlands Chamber.

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive at East Midlands Chamber, said:-

“It was only a matter of about 60 hours in the summer between Chris Grayling announcing that Midland Main Line electrification would not go ahead and then that £30bn had been found for London’s Crossrail 2 project.

“Announcements like this are unfortunately indicative of a wider laissez-faire approach when it comes to Government spending in the East Midlands. We make more here than anywhere else in the country and we are very good at shipping what we make to global markets. But we could be significantly more productive if we had 21^st Century infrastructure.

“Nothing we saw in the recent Budget suggests this is about to change. The time has come to stand up and fight for the investment that our hard-won growth deserves. Government should back a proven winner, and the collective message today – from private and public sector – is for them to get on and do that.”

Dr Stuart Young, Executive Director of East Midlands Councils, said:-

“Treasury data confirms that the East Midlands is losing out in terms of public investment. We are the lowest-funded region for transport, rail and wider infrastructure. This risks chocking-off future growth.

“This is despite the fact that investment in the local economies that make up the East Midlands offers a greater economic return than other parts of the country. By increasing the proportion of national infrastructure spending in the East Midlands, there will be a much better chance of unlocking the private sector investment needed to revive and rebalance the UK economy.

“If we are to deliver greater levels of infrastructure investment to the region – securing the jobs, productivity and housing growth that we all need – then councils, businesses and MPs will need to hunt together as a pack.”

The Rt Hon Nicky Morgan criticised various Governments for failing to invest in the East Midlands and pointed out that 21% of the country’s manufacturing output came from the region.

She added that congestion alone was costing regional businesses £1bn a year but infrastructure investment amounted to only £660 per capita and said that was £930 a head worse than, for example, the Northern Powerhouse area.

Nicky said:-

“We have a number of great opportunities to transform our connectivity and infrastructure. These bring enormous economic opportunities – but also the challenge of making the most of them.

“Businesses, MPs and councils are a powerful force – and I’ve seen just how successful this type of approach can be elsewhere in the country.

“That is why I have pledged my support to a public commitment to increase the levels of investment. This is a rallying cry that needs to be heard locally and in Westminster.”

Howard Ebison, Commercial Director at East Midlands Airport, said:-

“With the right investment in improving infrastructure across the region, the East Midlands faces a future of significant prosperity.

“All the raw ingredients are in place to provide the foundation for future growth. Key to this is improved connectivity. We have a 15/20 year vision for the airport to double passenger numbers and grow what is already the UK’s number one pure freight facility.

“By better linking this to an improved road and rail network and the opportunities that HS2 will bring, alongside the significance of the rail freight terminal operation adjacent to the airport, we’re looking at thousands of new jobs being created and new and existing businesses flourishing.

“Therefore, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our local partners to call on Government for the means by which to make this a reality.”

Lilian said:-

“It’s good to see businesses and local authorities coming together with MPs in putting a collective shoulder against the very clear problem that our region has been consistently overlooked by successive Governments when investing in the economies and infrastructure outside of London.

“Why is this – it’s probably down to a combination of factors. Perhaps we don’t have the lagging economy of say the North East that pulls in public spend. Perhaps we don’t have the high-profile cities of Manchester and Birmingham with metro-mayors that exert ever-greater political pressure. Perhaps it’s down to a lack of investment propositions.

“Or perhaps it’s down to the fact that when the Government doesn’t invest – or when it pulls previously committed investment – it can be confident that the political fall-out will be minimal. Whatever the reason, we really do need to do something about it.”

She was highly critical of Chris Grayling’s plans to introduce bi-mode trains (powered alternatively by either diesel or electricity) on to Midland Main Line, and added: “If DfT is going to procure bi-mode trains, then procure ones that can be converted to full electric mode in the future – preferably from the East Midlands rail sector. This would at least allow the option of full electrification within the 30-year lifetime of the rolling stock if the opportunity arose.”

Both Nicky and Lilian referenced the need for significant road improvements in the area as well as rail improvements.

Gwyn said:-

“On behalf of Gazeley and the logistics sector as a whole, it was pleasure to attend an event focused on investment in infrastructure and delivering economic growth within the key sectors in the East Midlands.

“It was a valuable opportunity to draw together so many stakeholders from both the public and private sectors and focus on the challenges that need to be overcome in terms of improving all aspects of road, rail and air infrastructure across the East Midlands and beyond.

“I was also heartened to hear calls for further investment in skills as an essential part of overall infrastructure delivery.”

The event was supported by CBI East Midlands, FSB East Midlands, IoD East Midlands and the Rail Forum East Midlands.

Posted in Uncategorised

Sports pitch and park restoration proposed for old sports centre site

28th November 2017

A report to Chesterfield Borough Council is recommending that the former Queen’s Park Sports Centre site is used for an all-weather artificial sports pitch, with the surrounding area restored to parkland.

If councillors support the proposal work will be carried out to enable a planning application to be submitted in early 2018, seeking permission to:

Install a 55 metres x 33 metres 3G all-weather artificial sports pitch suitable for seven-a-side matches, which can also be split up for two five-a-side matches. This will help meet a need identified by Sport England for artificial pitches within the borough and supports efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of residents.
Restore the surrounding area to parkland, landscaping the area to merge in with the existing grade 2* listed park.

Before a planning application could be submitted a heritage assessment would need to be completed to assess how well the proposal would fit in with the grade 2* listed park.

The old Queen’s Park Sports Centre was demolished earlier this year. The centre closed at the end of December 2015, a few days before the new £11.25 million Queen’s Park Sports Centre opened further up Boythorpe Avenue in January 2016.

The recommendation to councillors follows the completion of a detailed business case which looked at various options for the site, taking in to account the views given during the public consultation held in autumn 2016.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s deputy leader, said: “Queen’s Park is one of the most popular recreation areas in Chesterfield and this is an opportunity to make it even better.

“The artificial sports pitch would be flexible so it can be used for one seven-a-side match or split up so two five-a-side matches can happen at the same time, which will increase the opportunities for residents to use it.

“Having a pitch like this will help us meet some of the need for artificial sports pitches in the borough which Sport England has identified, while also generating an income to pay for its maintenance, running and the security measures that we want to put in place.”

If cabinet members back the plan when they consider it on Tuesday 5 December the matter will go to a full council meeting on 13 December for a final decision.

The business case includes plans for the maintenance of the pitch, and installation of CCTV cameras and a security fence to reduce the likelihood of anti-social behaviour. The lights will be designed to reduce light pollution beyond the pitch area.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure

Stopford apprentice qualifies as accountant

28th November 2017

Stopfords Chesterfield LLP are pleased to announce Jess Godrich has now achieved her level 4 AAT Qualification.

Jess has been studying her AAT Level 4 alongside working at Stopfords since she joined in 2016. Jess started studying her AAT Level 2 at 16, straight after leaving school. It took her a year to complete both her AAT Level 2 and 3, and it took her two years to complete her AAT Level 4.

Jess said:-

‘Seeing the result that I had passed my final exam filled me with pure relief. After having some real issues with my level 4 (for various reasons) and knowing that I only had until the end of December 2017, I was really nervous about not completing it in time or at all. So, when I saw I had done it, I was just so happy and proud of myself.

“I couldn’t wait to tell everyone who I feel helped me complete it; such as my colleagues at my current and previous workplace and my college peers. I will be Jessica Godrich MAAT, and it makes me feel really professional. I can now say I have a full accountancy qualification.

“Anyone who is thinking of becoming an accountant, I would highly recommend the apprenticeship route and studying of AAT. It gives you the knowledge you need but you also have the opportunity to “earn while you learn.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business

Penny Hydraulics lifts the lid on engineering careers during Made in Chesterfield

27th November 2017

Penny Hydraulics’ recent £2million facelift was unveiled to technology students from Shirebrook Academy recently as part of the Made in Chesterfield festival.

In a bid to recruit future engineers to the Clowne-based manufacturer of lifting equipment, the doors to the company’s recently extended site were opened to 30 year 11 students from the school.

Robin Penny, the Managing Director and Owner of Penny Hydraulics who led the students’ tour of the site, explained:-

“Apprentices are the future of our industry. Employers such as myself rely on celebrations such as Made in Chesterfield to encourage young people to take an interest in the sector.”

“Too many students see university as the only route to success. It is events like Made in Chesterfield that allow us to educate young people about the brilliant alternatives to A levels.”

Since founding the company in 1978, Penny Hydraulics has grown significantly. It originally manufactured pit props for the local mining industry but has since diversified, now manufacturing cranes, goods lifts and lifting equipment for the nuclear decommissioning industry. The company now exports to 23 different countries worldwide and employs 85 people.

Shirebrook Academy student Annalise Cooper, who took part in tour, commented:-

“I’d always had my heart set on law, but then I started going to open days and saw all of the facilities now available, especially at West Notts. and Penny Hydraulics.

“I study resistant materials at school and really love both the theory and practical side of the lesson.

“Today has opened my mind. I have seen all the things that can be done here, and the different roles people have. I am now definitely considering a career in engineering.”

Organised by Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, the month-long Made in Chesterfield festival in November is designed to show young people and their teachers the modern face of manufacturing and engineering and the many careers and job roles on offer within the sector locally.

Sponsored by University of Derby and MSE Hiller, more manufacturing and engineering businesses, training providers and visitor attractions are involved in this year’s Made in Chesterfield than ever before. As well as Penny Hydraulics, modern-day gift maker Urban Flamingo, Paul Mossman Pottery, Brampton Brewery, NLT, Techman Engineering and MSE Hiller were amongst more than 20 businesses and training providers that have provided tours, talks and competitions during Made in Chesterfield to nearly 350 Year 6 to 13 school children.

Robin Penny added:-

“We do a lot of things with local schools and universities as we want to attract people to work for our business. Recruiting the next generation of engineers to Penny Hydraulics is very important to us and we’ve been addressing recruitment issues for the last five years working closely with NLT and AMRC.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Made in Chesterfield

Independent café and bar to open in town centre

27th November 2017

A new independent cafe and bar is set to open this Friday at Stephenons Place.

Open daily from 8am until late, Pump + Grind will be serving up great coffee to drink in or takeaway, craft beers on pump and in bottles, forward-thinking cocktails, all day brunches and a small but ever-changing selection of soulful, street food influenced plates.

Pump + Grind aims to firmly establish itself within Chesterfield’s burgeoning food and drink scene and become a cornerstone of local daily life.

A representative from Pump+Grind comments:-

“We will work directly with a coffee roaster who have been sourcing, roasting, living and loving good coffee since 2001. Our roaster find and work directly with talented farmers, paying them a fair price so they can invest in their farm, families, and workers. As is so often not the case, these farmers are paid a fair price to allow them to invest in their families and livelihoods – something here at Pump + Grind we feel extremely passionate about. Our roaster will be hand-roasting our coffee in small batches. Tiny, carefully-tended batches. To them, roasting is an art. To you, it’s really good coffee.

“We not only want to establish ourselves locally as a go-to coffee house and cocktail spot, but one nationally also. We’re very confident that the team we’ve put together can achieve that. We’re really keen to push boundaries in that sense, and bring something brilliant to the town”.

All of Pump + Grind’s meats, fruits and vegetables will be locally sourced wherever possible. In a world of mass produced food, herein lies a genuine commitment to supporting local farmers and growers. Breads and cakes will be baked fresh every day, and to continue our support of the local community. P+G will ensure that no food goes to waste and instead given to those in the local community who need it most it.

Pump + Grind will official open for business at 4pm on Friday 1st December.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development

New Festive Fayre announced for Chesterfield

27th November 2017

A new three day Christmas Fayre has been announced set to take place in New Square from the 22nd – 24th December.

The Chesterfield Festive Fayre, organised by Cobbled Street Events and supported by Chesterfield Borough Council, will be a welcome addition to the towns festive event calendar.

There will be a number of quality stalls, selling festive gifts and food and plenty of family friendly festive activities including a visit from Santa, fun rides, donkey rides, street entertainers, flash mob, stalls galore and much more.

Alongside the market there will be a variety of entertainment acts from a top Michael Buble tribute performing on Friday to Princess Anna & Elsa (from Disney’s Frozen) and Spiderman visiting the Fayre on Saturday. There will also be an opportunity for local acts to perform in the ‘busking challenge’ being held over the event.

The event is set to be streamed live on S41 local radio from the stage in New Square.

Peter & Rob, representatives of Cobbled Street Events and organisers of Chesterfield Christmas Fayre, said:-

“We are two market traders, with over 50 years experience of trading, and running markets and events.

“The council have given us the chance to bring the town, people and local business’s of Chesterfield together, to have a great free fabulous family 3 day event.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Christmas

Perez Duo Set the Pace on R.A.C. Rally

23rd November 2017

Chesterfield motorsport duo father and son, Steve and Seb Perez, took the Welsh and Scottish Forests by storm as they attacked the grit gruelling Roger Albert Clark Rally (R.A.C. Rally) just over a week ago.

The rally that recreated The famous RAC Rallies of the 1970’s has been followed by the Perez family over the years, the rally dates back to 2004 and named in honour of the famous World Rally Championship (WRC) driver who won the championship back in 1976.

Competitors were limited to vehicles released prior to 1982, and traces a route used by the Lombard RAC Rally of its time and what inspired Perez senior to build the rare and ever popular Amigos Tequila Flavoured Beer sponsored Lancia Stratos HF seen on this rally before and used for many years on European Historic Rally Championship events. In the passenger seat with Steve was new co-driver John Millington as his usual navigator Paul Spooner was nursing an injury.

18 year old Son Seb with co-driver Alex Lee was competing in a classic Mk2 Ford Escort rally car as seen on events from the 1970’s again sponsored by dads Chesterfield’s Global Brands drinks business.

Rallying is not new to the family with Dad Steve being a championship driver and Son Seb being a Junior Rally Champion as well as a proven race circuit contender too.

With a start line of over 90 cars the Father and Son team of two cars took on a challenge of four days, 30 special stages and nearly 300 competition miles not without adventure and misfortune.

The rally started for its first two short stages at the famous Shelsley Walsh hill climb course in Worcestershire where Father and Son should have been re-named “cat and mouse” chasing each other over the stages with only one second separating them at one stage and Seb just piping Dad to the post.

It was full steam ahead for them both after as they went into the thick of it and into the slippery Welsh Forests, first up was Radnor 1 a classic rally stage from the 70’s and 80’s and still used on World Rally Championships and 13.61 miles of gravel forest tracks.

By the end of the tight, twisty and treacherous stage Seb was flying finishing 18th fastest tackling gravel stages only for the second time in anger in the last three weeks leaving Dad 18 places behind in 36th.

The tables had turned as both went into the service area at Epynt after tacking SS4 Gwibidog where Steve made up 19 places on the stage to finish it in 17th leaving Seb limp back to finish stage in 28th.

Seb was still in a good place, he maintained his rally lead over Steve in 18th overall and Perez senior in 31st place

To end the first day Epynt Forest was next up and the re-run through SS6 Radnor 2 was cancelled due to marshalling issues, the Stratos of Steve’s was suffering from a misfiring engine and limped back to the overnight halt in Carlisle leaving him in 29th overall and Seb in a fantastic day in 13th place.

Day two saw a change in climate much colder and frosty weather met the drivers as they entered Scotland and had 10 stages to tackle during the day and much more demanding conditions to cope with.

They tackled tricky forest stages in Sheperdshield, Whitehill, Roughside Orge Hill and Harwood all being repeated for a second run later during the day as well with two service areas as well.

The Walton based rally team of Dansport keeping the cars in good order.

The stages were packed with spectators to get a glimpse of the Perez duo and waiting for the thundering sound heard miles away in the forests of Steve’s Lancia Stratos to flash past them, a first in car rarity and enjoyment for them and the first time it had competed on British rally soil for almost 3 years.

As the day progressed the drama unfolded as both drivers went along, the game of “catch me if you can” still continued with Seb still progressing further up the field, by early afternoon the Stratos of Steve’s was in 22nd place at the end of the re-run through Sheperdshield 2

Disaster struck on stage 11 Whitehill when the engine blew up on the Escort of Perez Junior just as a good battle for second in class was forming and such a disappointment as he was 13th overall in the rally.

Up until then he had driven the drive of his life and was impressing spectators and other competitors alike, such as the famous Jimmy McRae, father to the late Colin McRae.

By the end of day 2 Steve Perez finished 18th place.

The Team at Dansport tried their hardest to get the car going to keep Perez and Lee in the Super Rally classification with an engine change to find a part not fitting correctly. All was not lost for Seb he borrowed the Escort MK2 belonging to Geoff Bell to compete in the smaller Clubman’s Rally that took place at the same time during the last two days

The Perez duo now were competing in two different rallies as such but over the same ground.

Day 3 saw 9 more demanding special stages for Perez senior to tackle and who knew what would happen. Greskine, Windyhill, Greskine, Twiglees, Castle Ore were all on the cards with some being re-run twice,

By mid morning service at Lockerbie after completing Windyhill 2 Steve Perez was in 16 place in the rally but not without its problems, the Stratos had suffered some punctures during the morning stages and also the car had lost 2nd gear for some time and Steve Perez fighting to keep the car on the road. At one stage he lost 35 places but the stage after making up 54 places and the going was tough.

By the end of Castle Ore 2 Steve had finished the stage in 15th place and 12th overall in the rally.

Still suffering with gear problems Day four saw 5 stages ahead of Perez and Millington before the Kielder Waterfront finish.

By about midway and Falstone Forest Perez was 16th out of the stage and 20th overall, a re-run of the stage early afternoon saw Steve having to stop after another puncture struck the Stratos and do a tyre change resulting in them loosing places on the final part of the event dropping from 9th on stage to finish the rally with a top 20 place of 18th overall.

Seb had a busy last two days competing on the Clubman Rally after his second day drama and retiring from the main rally, all was not lost he won the Clubman Rally setting 7 fastest times on the stages and getting used to a different car

After the gruelling four days the duo were praised for their determination to finish such a demanding rally, the Lancia Stratos of Steve Perez was also given its place as number one for its rarity and spectator enjoyment.

Steve Perez said ” We both made it, it was a long tough rally over 1000 miles and 300 stage miles , I had an incredible 6 punctures and changing the wheel on that last stage lost us our top ten place” He added ” we are happy to have finished this long and tough rally, much of the first two days being beaten by my 18 year old son who unfortunately retired on Day two”

Steve’s son Seb commented “it was unfortunate we had to retire on Day two with a blown engine but was given the chance to compete in the Clubman’s event after borrowing a car from Graham Bell, it was a learning curve but managed to set 7 fastest times” He added “we owe a big thank you to the help of Dansport for keeping our cars going to the end”

Editorial by Paul Horton

Images by Mark Deamer Photography

Posted in About Chesterfield

Chesterfield businesses react to this year’s budget

23rd November 2017

‘A balanced budget,’ was the consensus of the panel at the Derbyshire Times Facebook Live round table, organised by Destination Chesterfield.

In a packed boardroom at Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, based on Saltergate in Chesterfield, key figures from Chesterfield’s business, education and social sector, came together to discuss and digest Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn 2017 budget and what it means for both businesses and residents living in north Derbyshire.

Michael Heath, Managing Director of Milestone Financial Planning, commented: “At face value there were no big losers in this budget. However, when the fine print comes out it could all change. No single group has received any punitive levels of tax and young people have benefitted quite nicely. I was surprised there was no mention of pensions though.”

It was an encouraging budget for James Taylor, Managing Director of Roaring Mouse PR, who said: “There was a lot of positive talk about investment in housing, skills and technology.”

Ahead of announcing his Budget pledge, Hammond promised to guarantee a brighter future for the next generation by creating a fairer Britain. It was no surprise therefore to find him addressing housing, the NHS, education and technology as the key drivers of this budget.

Brexit was largely avoided, although Hammond committed to making Brexit negotiations a priority in the weeks and months ahead, saying that already £700m has been invested in Brexit preparations with a further £3bn set aside and more promised if needed.

Concerns were raised by the round table panel on learning that productivity growth has been revised downwards to 1.5% in 2017 from 2% with forecasts decreasing by 0.1% year on year until 2020. However, Britain’s share of debt has finally peaked and the borrowing was lower than the spring budget earlier in the year. Hammond committed to borrowing falling each year to reach its lowest level by 2023.

The chancellor said that the world was on the brink of a technological revolution which Britain was at the forefront He set money aside for emerging technologies to secure its ‘bright future’ and ‘embrace the next industrial revolution.’

A new tech business is founded in Britain every hour. With the investment he hoped this would be increased to every half hour creating high paid, high productivity jobs of tomorrow.

This budget, he said, invested in the infrastructure to support the next generation and in the future of the country. He described it as laying the foundations for a ‘Global Britain’ for a dynamic and innovative economy.

The panel gave their views on the key announcements and what they believe they mean for Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

On the panel were:

PB: Phil Bramley – Editor, Derbyshire Times

MH: Michael Heath – Managing Director, Milestone Financial Planning

MB: Mark Bennington – Vice Principle of Apprenticeships and Commercial Services, Chesterfield College

GJ: Glenn Jaques – Director, BRM Solicitors

BRS: Beth Robson-Smith – Centre Manager, St Thomas’ Church Centre

LF: Liz Fisher – Tax and Payroll Manager, Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business

JT: James Taylor – Managing Director, Roaring Mouse PR

Housing

Stamp Duty abolished for first-time buyers on homes up to £300,000, and on the first £300,000 of properties up to £500,000
100% council tax premium on empty properties
£44bn of capital funding to help build 300,000 homes annually by mid-2020s
New money for home builders fund
£630m ‘small sites fund’
£8bn of financial guarantees to support private housebuilding
£2.7bn housing infrastructure fund
£1.1bn for new urban regeneration
£34m to train construction workers
A review to be chaired by Oliver Letwin to look at ways to speed up planning permission
Creation of five new garden towns

MH: The abolishment of stamp duty for first time buyers was a big win.

JT: The price of housing has risen astronomically so anything that helps stimulate the property market at the bottom end should be welcomed.

PB: Are there enough houses available in Chesterfield?

MH: There certainly has to be stock available to buy? The Chancellor has committed to more homes being built and nodded towards ‘multi occupancy’ buildings in urban areas. Is that really what young people/families want?

PB: He also said there was a discrepancy between the number of houses being built and planning permissions granted. Why is that?

MH: It results from a land banking exercise and it has been going on a long time. Developers seek planning permission in order to increase the value of their land. However, the threat of Compulsory Purchase Orders if the land is now not developed quickly enough, will really shake things up.

JT: The small sites fund will also help small independent builders.

Homelessness and Universal Credit

£1.5bn to remove seven-day waiting period for Universal Credit; new claimants in receipt of housing benefit will get it for two weeks
£28m in three new housing pilot schemes – in the West Midlands, Manchester and Liverpool – to halve rough-sleeping by 2022 and eliminate it by 2027

PB: Homelessness is a big topic in Chesterfield. The Chancellor announced money to tackle the problem in specific cities. Could this benefit Chesterfield?

BRS: We can certainly look to learn and share Best Practice from these pilot projects, however I would like to see more done to tackle the root of homelessness.

PB: Will the changes to Universal Credit help homelessness?

BRS: it will help people who are at risk of losing their home, however the the process is not quick enough and it is a difficult process. Not having to pay back the money they are borrowing as quickly, is a big positive though.

Business

Business Rates – £2.3bn cost to bring forward the change to Consumer Prices Index (CPI) from Retail Prices Index (RPI) by two years to 2018
After next revaluation, future Business Rates revaluations to take place every three years rather than five
Staircase tax: businesses hit will have original bill reinstated
Discount for pubs (rateable value less than £100,000) extended by one year to March 2019
VAT – Current VAT threshold of £85,000 to remain for two years. Chancellor announced a consultation on the threshold at which small businesses pay VAT
Digital tax -£200m a year extra from income tax on UK sales
Target £1.2bn a year in lost VAT from online shopping
Increase to Research and Development expenditure credits to 12%
Those charging electric vehicles at work will not face ‘Benefit in Kind’ taxes
Cancelled a planned fuel duty rise
£2.5bn of investment to kick start the UK’s productivity
committed to retain the phased reduction of corporation tax

LF: He has stuck to the promises he made around VAT and Business Rates in the election manifesto. However, the digital tax is an attempt to raise money from digital retailers and create a level playing field between them and high street shops. This is good news for high street retailers who are constantly undercut on price by online retailers.

JT: He’s steered away from increasing the VAT threshold, but the consultation would indicate that it’s just been kicked down the line. It’s the same with Business Rates.

GJ: It’s great that the Chancellor has listened to businesses and brought forward plans to switch from RPI to CPI inflation on Business Rates, however local businesses are concerned about Business Rates now.

LF: I agree. Businesses need help now.

PB: The VAT threshold was described as ‘a banana skin dodge’.

MH: After the fiasco around National Insurance in the last Budget, the government can’t afford to do another U-turn, which is why I suspect he put it off.

JT: A lot of VAT stealth measures have already been introduced that businesses are already dealing with.

LF: VAT is so complicated that a lowering of the threshold level would involve many many more businesses that would have far reaching changes.

MH: It would be a huge task and would impact so many businesses. The talk of a ‘consultation’ would indicate that we are not done with the issue of the VAT threshold yet, causing more uncertainty to businesses.

LF: There’s yet another increase on company cars. They are looking less and less attractive to employees unless they’re electric vehicles.

MH: Yes, an electric company car is an attractive option seeing as he has said there will be no benefit in kind tax attached to charging the cars at work. It does make diesel cars very unattractive and this will be reflected in their secondhand value.

LF: The increase in Research and Development credits to 12% is good news for businesses, particularly those in engineering and manufacturing in Chesterfield. The Chancellor sneaked that one in. My concern is that many businesses will overlook this, unless they have adviser working with them.

Education

£40m for maths teachers; £600 premium for schools for each student taking A level maths
Triple number of computer science teachers to 12,000; creation of a new national centre for computing
National retraining scheme for digital expertise
Extra £20m for colleges to prepare for T-Levels

PB: It seems like it’s maths for everyone. What do you make of funding for maths teachers?

MB: Any investment in 16 – 19 area is very welcome. There is an issue in recruiting and retaining teachers and there is a big gap at the moment that isn’t being addressed. The investment however supports the inward investment in STEM and the digital revolution.

PB: Will the student premium push further education providers to tout for maths focused students?

MB: We welcome the investment but there are bigger things to go at. We hang a lot on maths, but it’s more around the vocation, application and usefulness of maths in a range of jobs.

MH: The Chancellor talked about maths being a route to technology skills which would support his declaration that Britain was on the brink of a technological revolution with driverless cars and 5G technology.

PB: With the money being allocated for T-Levels, the new technical qualifications, would that indicate that the Apprenticeship Levy hasn’t worked and that many companies just see it as a stealth tax?

MB: A lot of employers around the country are still trying to get their heads around the Levy as it is quite complicated. It means that they’re not spending their pot of money and it’s building up. What we’re seeing is those businesses who are spending their Levy pot are looking for level 5 management apprenticeship training.

Technology and Transport

£400m for electric vehicle charging infrastructure fund
1 percentage point increase in company car tax on diesel cars
From 2018, an increase in tax on diesel cars that don’t meet standards – to go up by one band
Proceeds to fund £220m clean air fund
£500m for artificial intelligence and 5G initiatives

JT: The budget measures around transport are not just about looking at driverless cars, they’re about creating growth and opportunities for car manufacturers that are already here as well as attracting investment from others

MB: The electric vehicle charging infrastructure fund should create a lot of opportunities for small businesses in the supply chain.

JT: I welcome money put into 5G alongside the transport infrastructure; this can only boost business. One of Chesterfield’s strengths is its transport network and being able to get into London in two hours by train. If you could reduce that and the time to get to Manchester, it would be fantastic.

MH: Not only being able to get around quicker but also be more productive while you’re getting around would be great and the £160m he has pledged to develop 5G networks is key to that.

Northern Powerhouse

£1.7bn transforming cities fund designed to improve transport links and promote local growth within city regions

PB: It doesn’t look like there is going to be another devolution deal on the table for Chesterfield anytime soon now.

JT: We’re not at the front of the queue now. It is good to decentralise and give more power to the regions but since pulling out of the SCR deal we are going to be some way down the queue.

MH: Devolution will come at some point and we’ll get involved once people understand what it is and how it can benefit us. We have to embrace the opportunity of devolution and the powers it will give us.

MB: Devolution has been a slow burn and it seems now to be concentrating on travel infrastructure.

PB: Devolution gives accountability of the money locally. Now it will be a land grab amongst local authorities.

MH: People of Chesterfield want to make the decision about how our money is being spent. We’ll never get our own devolution deal and we need to be part of something bigger but the risk is now that we’ll swallowed up by huge cities.

Posted in Business, Destination Chesterfield

Free conference to help peak businesses make the most of the ‘Purple Pound’

22nd November 2017

Visitor economy businesses and services are being invited to book free places at a one-day conference featuring local and national experts in accessible tourism – now worth an annual £12 billion to the UK economy.

Access Exchange – creating an accessible destination, will be held at the Proact Stadium, Chesterfield on Thursday November 30 to help business people and service providers make the most of the so-called ‘purple pound’.

Co-ordinated by Access for All UK, the consultancy arm of Accessible Derbyshire and supported by official tourist board Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the main aim is to create an even more accessible destination by:

Sharing best practice and top tips from national experts
Learning about accessibility projects across the Peak District and Derbyshire
Browsing and sampling products to improve accessibility
Finding out how accessibility can boost profits
Promoting and sharing accessibility projects, plans and marketing techniques
Improving confidence in welcoming people with access needs
Collaborating, creating new partnerships and celebrating success
Planning future action to improve accessibility

Key speakers will include Ross Calladine, Head of Business Support at national tourist board VisitEngland; John Child, Managing Director of multi-award winning Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool; Ed Warner, Managing Director of Motionspot, which manufactures accessible bathrooms and Derbyshire accommodation provider Steve Dawes.

The event will be held from 9.30am to 5.30pm, and a two-course lunch and refreshments are included. During the afternoon, there will be a series of workshop sessions, during which delegates will have the chance to experience the wide range of accessible facilities and services that are on the market.

“National research by VisitBritain reveals that one in six people in England and Wales have an ‘activity limiting’ health problem or disability, and that British and international visitors spend more than £3 billion on overnight tourism trips in England each year,” said Jo Dilley, Managing Director, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire.

“Not only is improving accessibility important for people, it’s clearly very good for business, so we’re delighted to support this event, which we hope will build on the Peak District and Derbyshire’s excellent reputation in this rapidly expanding field.”

Gillian Scotford, of Access for All UK and Accessible Derbyshire, added: “This is a great opportunity for local businesses and services to learn more about how they can better understand and meet the needs of the 13 million people with disabilities in the UK – ranging from hearing, vision and mobility impairment to autism, learning difficulties and dementia.

“They quite rightly expect accurate and timely information to help them select the right venues for them, quality facilities that are inclusive and stylish and exemplary customer service.

“We hope as many people as possible will join us for what promises to be an enjoyable, interesting and ground-breaking day.”

Posted in About Chesterfield

Chesterfield youth tackle racism

22nd November 2017

Young participants of the National Citizen Service (NCS) score their goal of bringing people of all cultures together through the medium of football.

NCS brings together 16-17 year olds from different backgrounds to learn new skills and make a real difference in their communities through social action projects. As part of their social action project, team ‘Without Borders’ decided to team up with ‘stand up to racism’.

NCS is a unique two or four week full-time programme focused around fun and discovery, including 30 hours committed to a community project that benefits both young people and society. Coming from a multicultural background, team member Connor Mullin is often confronted with racial slurs and abuse, and so to rectify this he decided that he’d put this at the forefront of his team’s social campaign.

On Thursday 26th October, ‘Without Borders’ took to the Outwood Academy football ground and played a game – not for the sake of competition, but social justice.

They continued this inspiring journey to create awareness by organising a talk held by Jeannie Robinson (Head Organiser for SU2R), who shed light on raising funds for Syrians who have found refuge in Chesterfield.

Ultimately the group raised £226.39 which is going to be used to buy Christmas presents for the four refugee family’s children, who have made Chesterfield their home.

Connor Mullin, Social Action Project Manager of Without Borders, said:-

“It was a great turnout and for a good cause, which is all that matters.”

Future Foundations have been delivering NCS in different regions since 2012. Future Foundations develop the social leadership and academic potential of young people by delivering numerous coaching, mentoring and training programmes across the UK and internationally.

Simon Paterson, NCS Delivery and Development Manager at Future Foundations, said:-

“It’s amazing to see so many socially conscious young leaders in Chesterfield. NCS fills me with hope for the future.”

Posted in About Chesterfield