Chamber Calls for Clarity Over Fresh Cuts

Chancellor George Osborne today announced an additional £3bn of Government spending cuts for this year, including £450m from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and £545m from the Department for Transport (DfT).

He also announced plans to sell the Government’s remaining 30% stake in Royal Mail, expected to raise an extra £1.5bn to help decrease the nation’s debts.

George Cowcher, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “Many businesses were expecting a further round of cuts to public expenditure in the wake of an election which returned a Conservative majority. This will put even more pressure on the private sector to expand and create the jobs, wealth and, in turn, tax revenues required to fund the public services the UK wants and needs.

“Over the past five years, businesses, particularly here in the East Midlands, have done much of the heavy lifting to get the economy back on its feet. They stand ready to do so again and take on the challenge of helping to achieve the Chancellor’s vision of making the Midlands the UK’s ‘Engine for Growth’.

“With this in mind, the Government should, without delay, provide additional clarity on exactly where the axe will fall, particularly in relation to the planned cuts to the BIS and DfT budgets, in order to minimise uncertainty and create the stability businesses need to thrive.

“Business wants a plan for fiscal consolidation which is carefully balanced with the overriding need to nurture investment, job creation and growth. Investing in increasing productivity and business growth, coupled with preventative measures to control costs while interest rates are historically low, is likely to reduce the structural deficit faster than slashing spending too deeply.

“Although the deficit still needs to be eliminated, growth, not austerity, should now be the watchword.”

Chesterfield-based independent Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, Mitchells has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of two partners.

Andrew McDaid and Tony Hornsby, who were both previously Senior Associates with the firm, now join managing partners Richard  Trueman and Tim Leeman in leading the strategic direction of Mitchells.

Founded nearly 150 years ago in 1868, the appointment of Andrew and Tony secures the long-term future of Mitchells, which has since established itself as an expert SME business adviser across Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and beyond.

Tony’s area of specialisms includes corporate finance and the care home sector in which he has helped position Mitchells as one of the leading accountancy specialists in the UK.

Within the firm Andrew specialises in audit and assurance, access to finance and grants and supporting high growth businesses achieve their ambitions. His work with clients during the recession enabled many companies to create jobs during the difficult financial period.

Andrew was also instrumental in developing and implementing Mitchells’ award-winning CloudMitchells, which gives clients remote, secure 24/7/365 real-time access to their financial information to provide their virtual finance director proposition.

Commenting on his appointment Andrew, who joined Mitchells in 2008, said: “Becoming a partner is acknowledgment of my commitment to Mitchells and its clients, while sending out a clear message to the business community that the firm is continuing to grow and evolve. It is a very exciting time for Mitchells.”

Tony, who joined nearly 20 years ago, agreed adding: “We have a great team of business advisers and accountants at Mitchells and one that we continue to add to and develop. This puts us in a great position to add value to clients businesses and growth ambitions, helping them manage their own businesses and make proactive strategy decisions helping profitability rather than looking back at the past.”

Managing partner Richard Trueman commented: “Tony and Andrew’s appointment is a major step for the firm. We removed the top heavy partner structure associated with traditional accountancy practices and this has led to better and quicker decision making for our clients which has contributed significantly to our growth. Tony and Andrew are instrumental in our plans for the future of Mitchells and I am delighted that they are joining myself and Tim in leading this.”

Outside work Andrew, from Stannington, enjoys attending music gigs and festivals, while Tony, from Mansfield, is currently training for the gruelling Oxfam Trailtrekker Challenge on 22 – 23 August, where he will have just 30 hours to cover the 100km (61 mile) course through the Yorkshire Dales.

Discover more about Mitchells

Chatsworth is pleased to launch its first range of external customer service training workshops to help like-minded businesses grow and improve.

Known as a market leader within the visitor sector, Chatsworth has received outstanding customer service scores in recent surveys, and has won the 2015 Silver award for Visit England’s Best Large Visitor Attraction of the year. Chatsworth now hopes to pass on its knowledge to benefit others.

The three, half-day workshops are designed to cover a wide range of customer service skills, including getting the basics right, engaging with your customer, and handling customer complaints effectively. The sessions are designed to work effectively for delegates from different sectors, or they can be tailored for individual business needs.

Sue Lumb is Training Manager at Chatsworth and also delivers the customer service workshops.  Sue says, “At Chatsworth and the Devonshire Group, we have delivered our training to several hundred staff members across diverse sectors, including visitor welcome, catering, gift and food retail, grounds maintenance, and hotels.

“Ultimately, our training is about how we make our customers feel, and in all areas of our business we have been delighted by our customer service results.

“It is really exciting to have the opportunity to offer our training to external businesses who aspire to the same warm and genuine customer care.”

For more information, please click here or contact Sue Lumb, our Group Training Manager direct on 01246 565424 sl@chatsworth.org.

As part of its open selection process, the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Board is recruiting to replace a private sector Board Member for Derbyshire.

The role is unremunerated and is likely to require 1½ to 2 days per month including the attendance of bi–monthly D2N2 Board Meetings.

Ideally, applicants will have significant experience at senior level of a major employer within the private sector and understanding of the public sector and partnership working.

Under represented sectors on the Board are currently: bioscience, sustainability, tourism & hospitality and rural. Candidates with relevant experience to these sectors will be preferred.

Anyone interested in engaging in the local Economic Growth Agenda at Board level is asked to supply a current CV along with a supporting statement setting out how you meet the key requirements for the role (two sides A4 maximum) to David Ralph at D2N2 via the Officer Manager, Sally Hallam – sally.hallam@d2n2lep.org.

For further information potential candidates can either telephone David Ralph – CEO to LEP on 0115 957 8765 or George Cowcher – CEO to East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire) on 01246 212500.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 30 June 2015. It is anticipated that the shortlisted candidate will be invited for discussions with LEP Board members in early September with a view of starting their term at the September Board meeting.