east midlands chamber

Chesterfield Digital High Street project helps small businesses to join the online revolution

The online revolution has been a key feature of the pandemic – and now small and microbusinesses in Chesterfield can embrace these digital trends in an innovative new support scheme.

The Chesterfield Digital High Street project helps those reliant on bricks and mortar to transition into an online world by creating highly visible e-commerce websites equipped with the latest forms of payment, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, and modern shopping concepts like “click and collect”.

Funded by Chesterfield Borough Council and delivered in partnership by East Midlands Chamber, it aims to support small outfits in sectors such as retail, hospitality and leisure, which have been hit hardest by lockdown restrictions, to become more resilient.

Scott Knowles, chief executive at Chesterfield-headquartered East Midlands Chamber, said: “The pandemic has had a huge impact on small and microbusinesses in sectors such as retail, hospitality and leisure, which have previously relied on their physical venues to trade successfully.

“While we’re all looking forward to a return to normality as we come out of lockdown, it’s crucial these SMEs are future-proofed by creating modern websites to embrace some of the consumer trends that were already noticeable pre-Covid.

“Not every company can afford to do this, however, so we’re delighted to be playing a key role in supporting businesses in Chesterfield to establish and maintain the latest e-commerce solutions on behalf of the project funder, Chesterfield Borough Council.

“We believe the Digital High Street project will go some way to ensuring the much-loved independent businesses on our high street continue to thrive in a sustainable fashion for a long time to come.”

How the Chesterfield Digital High Street project will support businesses

The support available to businesses via the programme includes access to a Digital High Street adviser with specific e-commerce and online skills, who will work intensively with at least 120 businesses to help them develop and maintain their new or existing digital presence.

They will also be able to attend dedicated webinars, delivered outside working hours, and use marketing resources for free.

Grants of £2,200 – covering 100% of costs – will also be awarded to 50 of these businesses to help them set up an e-commerce website that is search engine optimised, with the package also including web hosting provision for a year and access to ongoing digital training.

All participating businesses can also benefit from free East Midlands Chamber membership for a year.

Councillor Dean Collins, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth, said: “In Chesterfield, we have lots of fantastic local independent businesses and after the last 18 months, there has never been a more important time to support them. We hope this funding will help lots of these businesses sell more effectively online, which will help guarantee their future in our town and hopefully allow them to grow.

“It’s a really comprehensive support package and I would encourage as many local businesses as possible to sign up for the Digital High Street project because it will allow them to compete in a whole new way.”

Applications can now be made for the Chesterfield Digital High Street project at www.emc-dnl.co.uk/chesterfield-digital-high-street.

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Chesterfield businesses encouraged to take up free membership of crime-fighting partnership

Chesterfield businesses can now access free membership of crime-fighting partnership run by East Midlands Chamber and Derbyshire PCC after funding from Chesterfield Borough Council.

Up to 2,000 businesses in Chesterfield and Staveley can now sign up for free to an East Midlands Chamber-run scheme that helps to reduce town centre crime and anti-social behaviour – as new figures show the cost of crime is rising for retailers.

Starting this month, retailers, hospitality venues and other companies can access Disc, an online crime information-sharing system that connects businesses with local police forces, as part of the Derbyshire Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP).

The BCRP, which is run in partnership with Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster, secured funding from Chesterfield Borough Council to roll out the scheme, which usually costs up to £100 to join, at no cost for the first 12 months in a bid to maximise its effectiveness by encouraging more businesses to join the 80 current members.

It follows the launch of the Love Chesterfield campaign by the council and Destination Chesterfield last month to support the town’s retail, hospitality and leisure sectors as national lockdown eases.

Jackie Roberts, BCRP manager at the Chamber, said: “Businesses in town and city centres have struggled during the pandemic and crime will only make this worse, so it’s important to have a safe town centre to attract people back after lockdown.

“The Disc portal is an integral part of crime reduction strategies as it makes it so much easier for businesses to share intelligence about incidents and offender images between members, police, community safety officers and other partners such as the BCRP team.

“We’ve had a lot of reports during lockdown because police resources have been really stretched due to Covid, so the BCRP fills the gap where police can’t deal with petty crime.

“By working with local authorities such as Chesterfield Borough Council, we’re delighted to offer this scheme for free to businesses in order to make them more resilient – a key theme during the post-Covid economic recovery.”

New Derbyshire PCC and Chesterfield Borough Council support BCRP

The British Retail Consortium’s 2021 Retail Crime Survey, published last week, found there were 455 violent or abusive incidents towards staff per day nationally in 2019/20 – up 7% from the previous year.

The total cost of crime has also risen from £700m in 2016/17 to £1.3bn in 2019/20 – with customer theft the most significant, costing companies £935m – while the cost to retailers of crime and crime prevention was £2.5bn last year, an increase of 14% on the previous 12-month period.

Councillor Dean Collins, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth, said: “This project will help strengthen the link between business and the police, which in turn will help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in our town to encourage more people to visit Chesterfield and give local businesses the boost they need.

“I want to encourage every local business to sign up to this programme because I believe it will be a positive step for our town. It shows how we can work together to build a thriving borough.”

Benefits of widening BCRP for gathering intelligence

Jackie added: “The hope is that by signing up businesses for the first year, they will be able to see the benefits of continuing with the scheme thereafter.

“The more businesses that are involved in the BCRP scheme and sharing information, the stronger it will be – and the better the area will be as a result.

“Councils and regeneration teams are placing crime reduction high on the agenda in order to bring back footfall into their towns.

“It also removes barriers to reporting crime as the Disc system automatically notifies the police when an incident is logged, while police are able to input feedback so businesses can follow what happens to offenders.”

Anyone interested in discussing how to get involved with the Derbyshire Business Crime Reduction Partnership can email jackie.roberts@emc-dnl.co.uk.

Chesterfield derbyshire World Mental Health Day 2019

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East Midlands unemployment rate continues to fall as economy gradually reopens

More people in the East Midlands are returning to work, according to the latest Government figures.

The unemployment rate reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) fell to 4.8% in the February to April period this year, down 0.4% compared to the previous three-month period and only 0.1% above the UK average.

However, it remains 0.9% higher than the unemployment rate for the same quarter in 2020.

Nationally, the number of job vacancies in March to May this year was 758,000 – just 27,000 below pre-pandemic levels.

East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “The jobs market appears to be moving in the right direction, with yet another decline in the unemployment rate alongside an increasing number of vacancies and people on payroll.

“For much of the pandemic, the East Midlands has suffered disproportionately, with a significantly greater proportion of people in our region out of work than across the UK, so it’s a relief to see the gap being narrowed.

“This trend no doubt reflects the reopening of outdoor hospitality towards the end of this period, on 12 April, as well as the greater resilience of our manufacturers to both the ongoing restrictions and post-Brexit trade changes.

“We’d expect to see further positive news for the three-month period to May, as step three of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown commenced, and more people came out of furlough.

“Our latest Quarterly Economic Survey for Q2 2021 shows that a net of one in five businesses in the East Midlands increased their headcount during this period*, while a net 41% expect to hire more people over the coming three months – with only 3% anticipating a decrease.

“This is clearly very positive news and also comes with big expectations of confidence in turnover (a net 62% of businesses expect this to increase) and profitability (a net 41% believe it will rise).

“The latest ONS data again shows the huge impact of the pandemic on young people, with the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds at 13.2%, but we’re delighted with the take-up among businesses of the Kickstart scheme, which creates Government-funded six-month work placements for people in this age group who are on Universal Credit or at risk of long-term unemployment.

“So far, the Chamber has helped about 500 young people find employment, with another 1,400 vacancies, among more than 700 businesses.

“However, as yesterday’s announcement that stage four of the roadmap will be delayed for four weeks also demonstrates, we can’t get complacent and sectors such as hospitality, events and leisure will continue to suffer from reduced capacity or complete closure – which in turn has an impact on jobs.

“This means it’s crucial the Chancellor postpones the tapering of furlough, which is due to commence on 1 July, for the duration of the roadmap delay, while grants would also help many of these businesses that have lost both expenditure and expected income.”

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber

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East Midlands Chamber helps create jobs for 400 young people in the region – but urges more to take advantage of vacancies

East Midlands Chamber has helped more than 400 young people in the region to find employment by playing a pivotal role in the Kickstart scheme.

Another 1,200 vacancies are live in the region after the region’s leading business representation group worked with 650 employers to create the six-month work placements. So far, there have been about 150 starters in Derbyshire, 100 in Leicestershire and 170 in Nottinghamshire.

Employers that want to create Kickstart roles – which are aimed at people aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit or at risk of long-term unemployment – often use gateway organisations such as East Midlands Chamber to apply to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for a grant to cover the costs.

East Midlands Chamber deputy chief executive and Kickstart lead Diane Beresford said: “We know young people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the huge amount of unemployment it has created, so the Kickstart scheme is an important mechanism for helping them to get the skills they need to prepare for the world of work.

“We’re so proud to have played a key role in giving young people a chance they may not otherwise have had. After spending many months working with employers on their applications, it’s incredibly exciting and rewarding to see the fruits of our labour as people now start their jobs.

“Businesses taking part are playing a vital role in their communities by supporting and preparing our future workforce, while they also benefit from a relatively risk-free opportunity to trial new roles that could lead to future growth.”

How does the Kickstart scheme work?

The number of people aged 18 to 24 claiming unemployment-related benefits increased by 263,700 between February 2020 and March 2021 – a 110% rise – according to Government data.

In response, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the £2bn Kickstart scheme as part of his Plan for Jobs to help young people into work and spur Britain’s post-Covid economic revival.

Funding pays for 100% of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage, national insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week.

Employers can choose to top up this wage and are also eligible for a £1,500 Government grant for training people on a Kickstart placement.

Once applications are accepted, young people are referred into the roles via a Jobcentre Plus work coach.

The scheme is due to run until 31 December – the date when Kickstart jobs must begin – with funding available until 30 June 2022. However, East Midlands Chamber recommends making applications by the beginning of August.

It began making applications at the beginning of October and has worked with councils in Mansfield, Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire and Melton, as well as East Midlands accountancy firm Duncan & Toplis, to target businesses.

Overall, the Chamber has so far secured 2,770 vacancies – including more than 2,300 in the East Midlands – and dozens of vacancies are going live every week.

Diane added: “There’s still plenty of time for employers to sign up and we continue to work with local authorities to engage with companies about why they should take advantage of the scheme while they can.

“We also want to highlight the Kickstart scheme to young people on Universal Credit who might not be aware of it. There’s a very diverse range of roles available – from digital marketing and e-commerce to sales and admin positions – and they should get in touch with their local Jobcentre Plus work coach.”

Anyone aged 16 to 24 and claiming Universal Credit should speak to their Jobcentre Plus work coach. Find your local Jobcentre Plus branch at find-your-nearest-jobcentre.dwp.gov.uk.

Businesses interested in applying for a Kickstart scheme grant should contact East Midlands Chamber education and business partnership manager Pieter Eksteen on pieter.eksteen@emc-dnl.co.uk or 0333 320 0333 (Ext 2241).

 

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East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women Awards 2021 finalists revealed

Apprentices, entrepreneurs and STEM ambassadors are among those recognised at East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women Awards this year.

Finalists have been announced for the 2021 awards, held in partnership with headline sponsor Futures Housing Group, across eight categories.

Alongside individual categories, topped off by the Business Woman of the Year, there are group awards including Small Business of the Year and Team of the Year.

The shortlisted individuals and companies will find out whether they have won at an awards ceremony on Friday 8 October, which is currently planned as a gala dinner in Nottingham.

It will be the headline event for the Enterprising Women network, which is co-chaired by Chamber president Eileen Richards MBE and past president Jean Mountain.

Eileen said: “The East Midlands is home to some fantastic success stories of enterprising women and it’s great to be able to celebrate the people, teams and businesses that help to make our region so great.

“These awards are a huge part of the Chamber calendar and we can’t wait for the big night, which we hope will be a physical celebration that we can all look forward to.”

Jean added: “As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Enterprising Women network next year, this is once again a very strong line-up in our awards shortlist.

“We’ve loved watching our finalists and winners in previous years go on to achieve great things, and I’m sure the class of 2021 will be no different.”

The finalists were announced at a special Enterprising Women event last night (Thursday 20 May), in which guest speaker Lindsey Williams, group chief executive of Futures Housing Group, spoke about her career journey.

The current Chamber vice-president is a passionate advocate for social housing and has played a key role in boosting the sector’s profile with central Government.

Lindsey said: “I’m delighted that Futures Housing Group is sponsoring the East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women Awards for 2021.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to read through the nominations from women across the region and I’m pleased to say we have seen some outstanding nominees.

“As a female leader, I know the challenges and barriers women can face in the workplace and when building a career. That’s why I really value the opportunity to champion, support and encourage enterprising women throughout the region.

“Hopefully the awards will inspire a new generation of women to step forward and be the leaders of the future. I wish all nominees good luck in the awards.”

For more information about the Enterprising Women network, click here.

 

Enterprising Women Awards 2021 shortlist

Business Woman of the Year (sponsored by Futures Housing Group)

Rowan Bradley, Children’s Therapy Solutions
Natalie Bamford, Colleague Box
Sandra Wiggins, DPI UK
Jillian Thomas, Future Life Wealth Management
Claire Twells, Smith Partnership
Helen Wathall, Wathall’s Funeral Directors

Female Entrepreneur of the Year (sponsored by Midlands Engine Investment Fund)

Rachel Hayward, Ask the Chameleon
Janice Holmes, Janice Rose Lingerie
Iwona Lebiedowicz, PAB Languages
Nicky Botham, Shed Grounds Maintenance
Jaz Kaur, Fraser Stretton Estate Agents

Social Commitment Award (sponsored by PPL PRS)

Bodie Hodges Foundation
CR Civil Engineering
Cross Productions
Halo Recruit
Hot House Music

Small Business of the Year (sponsored by Unique Window Systems)

Access Training
Balls2 Marketing
Breedon Consulting
Shed Grounds Maintenance
We Love Surveys

Female Employee of the Year (sponsored by Smallman & Son)

Vicky Evans, Air Ambulance Service
Ana-Andreea Covaliu, Design Studio Architects
Hollie Newton, EMA Training
Rosie McLaughlin, Embark Federation
Matilda Swanson, Loates HR Consultancy

Team of the Year (sponsored by She Inspires Global)

Astute Recruitment
Cross Productions
DPI UK
Futures Housing Group
RideWise

Outstanding Contribution to Work in STEM (sponsored by Pick Everard)

DPI UK
Emh group
JB Engineering
Midland Lead
Rail Forum

Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by EMA Training)

Evie Smith, Reckitt Benckiser (UK)
Brooke Dennis, Recruit 2 You
Courtney Bower, Recruit 2 You
Hannah Ward, Wytech
Bethany Less, Xbite

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East Midlands unemployment rate is falling at joint-fastest level in UK regions

The East Midlands jobs market is picking up faster than just about every region in the country, according to the latest Government figures.

Between January and March this year, the region’s unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was 4.9% – a 1% decrease on the previous three-month snapshot from October to December 2020.

This trend is well above the -0.3% change to the national unemployment rate and the joint-fastest decrease in people out of work proportionally alongside the North East.

The total figure reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is one-tenth of a percentage point above the 4.8% UK average, which fell from 4.9% in the previous quarter.

In the February to April 2021 period, the number of UK workers on payrolls rose by 97,000 on the previous quarter, while job vacancies rose by 48,400 – although these figures remain 772,000 and 128,000 lower, respectively, than the pre-pandemic levels from January to March 2020.

East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “The decline in the unemployment rate and the rise in payroll employment is further confirmation that the East Midlands jobs market is now more resilient to the ongoing restrictions.

“Continued Government support and the easing of restrictions as the UK moved to step two of its roadmap helped drive higher payroll employment in April.

“The rise in the number of job vacancies points to an encouraging upturn in demand for labour amid the gradual reopening of the economy and the strong vaccine rollout.

“With business confidence higher than at any point in the pandemic, companies are gearing up to capitalise on a full reopening of the economy and restarting pre-Covid projects that had stalled, both of which demand more resources.

“For large periods of the pandemic, the East Midlands has borne the brunt of lockdown restrictions as our economy is well represented by many of the industries that have shut down, including hospitality, tourism and retail.

“As these industries reopen, we’ll see more people returning to jobs, while the region can also capitalise on a broader marketplace for jobseekers who will no longer be constrained by immediate geography in a future agile working environment.

“Our most recent Quarterly Economic Survey for Q1 2021, which received a record 539 responses from East Midlands businesses between 15 February and 8 March, showed that while a net 2%* of firms decreased headcount over the previous three months, a net 26% expected to increase their workforce over the following three months.

“With stage three of the roadmap since having commenced alongside a strong vaccine rollout, we can expect to see recruitment intentions speed up over the coming months – with the unemployment rate falling further as a result.

“UK unemployment remains on track to peak at a much lower level than in recent recessions. However, the Government must be prepared to intervene further in the jobs market if necessary as the squeeze on business cashflow from any marked delay to the planned full reopening of the economy may trigger renewed job losses, particularly when furlough becomes less generous over the summer.”

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Chesterfield Champions show their support for Mental Health Awareness Week

Today marks the launch of Mental Health Awareness Week, the UK’s national week to raise awareness of mental health.

The week, which is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, is in its 21st year and runs from 10-16 May. The foundation’s main theme this year is nature, and how connecting with the great outdoors can improve our health both mentally and physically.

Chesterfield Champions have been raising awareness of various mental health initiatives recently, with some carrying out activities to mark the occasion this week.

If your business is hosting any mental health awareness activity throughout this week, remember to let us know by tagging Destination Chesterfield on social media!

Surecare Chesterfield 

Surecare has launched a new  training ‘Hail Yourself’ training package with staff this week. The training will talk about various aspects of mental health. The training is not only designed to help the company’s dedicated care staff to look after the service users, but also help them to look after themselves and each other.

Helen Axup, Registered Manager at Surecare said: “Mobility issues stop a lot of people being able to go out and mixing as they would like to. We as a company want to promote ‘a healthy mind helps a healthy body’.

“I am in the perfect position to see first hand how mental health effects various different people, whether it is the people we care for with SureCare, under-appreciated care staff or the people we know socially. It doesn’t matter who they are, we are a human race and we should offer support and understanding. This gave birth to our ‘Hail Yourself’ training because the person you should start with is yourself.”

Heathcotes Group

The team at Heathcotes Group are sharing a number of resources with colleagues and service users to help raise awareness of mental health and signpost colleages and service users to resources.

Tom Matthews, HR Business Partner at Heathcotes Group has created a blog discussing the impact of the past year and the measures we can take to support good mental health.

You can read Tom’s blog here.

East Midlands Chamber

East Midlands Chamber’s director of resources and mental health first aider Lucy Robinson explains how businesses can help their employees to cope with the huge disruption brought on to their lives over the past 14 months.

Lucy’s blog post takes a look at the data behind mental health epidemic, employee mental health concerns and what employers can be doing to look after staff.

Find out more here.

Spire Radio

Team spire

For Mental Health Week, Spire Radio will be taking part in the Mental Health Minute. It takes place on-air at 10.59am on Friday 14th May,  and will feature celebrities and various other messages relating to the subject of mental health.

Find out more at: https://www.spire-radio.com/

The video below shows last year’s ‘Mental Health Minute’:

Chesterfield Royal Hospital

A brand new VIP lounge has been launched at Chesterfield Royal Hospital to improve the wellbeing offer for staff, with the help of airline or aviation staff who are currently furloughed, grounded or made redundant due to the pandemic.

The crews used their exceptional customer service skills and expertise to provide the hospital staff with a little bit of respite, as well as an opportunity to chat and share experiences.

Find out more about  the hospital’s ‘Project Wingman’ initiative here

Chesterfield Borough Council

A selection of ‘Mindful May’ events taking place this month, organised by Chesterfield Borough Council as part of the Year of Outdoors.

Residents are invited to book onto a number of different outdoor activities aimed at getting people out amongst nature in the town’s excellent green spaces.

Find out more about the events here.

University of Derby

St Helena's Chesterfield

Businesses across Chesterfield and the Midlands region are being offered the chance to boost productivity by working with the University of Derby to provide better mental health support for employees.

The Mental Health and Productivity Pilot will see the implementation of new workplace interventions at pilot organisations and the rollout of existing approaches in small, medium and large businesses across the Midlands Engine region. Find out more about the pilot here.

Derbyshire Institute of Sport

A Derbyshire Institute of Sport project to put health and wellbeing at the heart of its support for the business community has proved a winner, with more than 100 people joining a mental health webinar about the importance of switching off from work and de-stressing.

The webinar, by DIS sports psychology lead Dr Phil Clarke, was the latest in a series of monthly, 30-minute ‘lunch and learn’ webinars available exclusively to businesses who sponsor the Community Interest Company.

Find out more.

360 wellbeing

 

360 Wellbeing Centre says their professional team are available to help with any psychological, physical or social symptoms of poor mental health.

The centre has also launched ‘The Hub Spot,’ a serene and tranquil work space available to hire by the hour. The space is designed for people to professionally meet with clients, get work done in a stress-free environment, take video conferencing calls or simply just to relax and unwind. Unlimited tea and coffee is also available to suit individual tastes. For more information, email info@360wellbeingcentre.co.uk

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Chamber explains how region’s businesses can support India during Covid-19 crisis

Businesses in the region are being encouraged to offer support where they can to India during its Covid-19 crisis.

With shortages of oxygen, hospital beds and medicine in Delhi, and many other cities in the world’s second-most populous country, due to a devastating second wave, there are specific urgent needs that could be plugged by East Midlands companies with access to those resources. They include:

  • Empty, refillable oxygen cylinders with between 10 litres and 45 litres liquid medical oxygen (LMO) capacity
  • Oxygen concentrators
  • In-situ oxygen manufacturing plants for hospitals
  • Remdesivir, an antiviral medication used in treating Covid-19

More than 200,000 people are reported to have died from coronavirus in India – although the real figure is believed to be much higher – with 3,293 deaths reported in the most recent 24-hour period.

East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles has joined the rest of the British Chambers of Commerce network in launching an appeal, alongside the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and charity UNICEF, for the business community to support where possible.

He said: “Many of us will have seen the truly heart-breaking media reports showing the devastating impact of the second wave of Covid-19 in India.

“While the UK Government is considering how it will support with much-needed supplies, we believe the business community can step up in the meantime – just as we have rallied before in the battle against coronavirus.

“In our #EMComingTogether campaign launched at the beginning of the pandemic, in which we helped to link up companies with access to PPE to the local and national organisations that needed supplies, we were hugely inspired by the number of firms that came forward during a challenging period.

“Once again, we’re asking businesses to rally round and get behind the campaigns by UKIBC and UNICEF. There may well be companies within our region that are able to help source these crucial items that will save countless lives and enable India to get through this crisis.”

Anyone able to offer support with any of the urgent needs should explain how they can help by contacting the UKIBC at covidsupport@ukibc.com or UNICEF at rmpindia@unicef.org.

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Chesterfield businesses offered free membership of crime-fighting partnership run by East Midlands Chamber

Up to 2,000 businesses in Chesterfield can sign up for free to an East Midlands Chamber-run scheme that helps to reduce town centre crime and anti-social behaviour. The Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) has secured funding from Chesterfield Borough Council to offer access to Disc, an online crime information-sharing system that connects businesses with local police forces.

There will be no cost for the first 12 months, with subsequent years costing up to £100 – and potentially lower if enough businesses take up the programme permanently.

Jackie Roberts, BCRP manager at the Chamber, said: “Businesses in town and city centres are struggling at the moment and crime will only make this worse.

“The Disc portal is an integral part of crime reduction strategies as it makes it so much easier for businesses to share intelligence about incidents and offender images between members, police, community safety officers and other partners such as the BCRP team.

“We’ve had a lot of reports during lockdown because police resources have been really stretched due to sickness, so the BCRP fills the gap where police can’t deal with petty crime.

“By working with local authorities such as Chesterfield Borough Council, we’re delighted to offer this scheme for free to businesses in order to make them more resilient – a key theme during the post-Covid economic recovery.”

What is the Business Crime Reduction Partnership?

The BCRP, one of 200 such programmes in the UK, is funded by both the Chamber and the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa.

Its remit to reduce crime in participating towns, cities and retail parks fits into an overall objective to make them a safer place to work, visit, socialise and shop.

Members pay a fee and benefits include a GDPR-compliant data-sharing system that facilitates direct reporting to the police without the need to use the time-consuming 101 system.

Intelligence and crime reports can be submitted electronically to the police and other BCRP members, who also have access to app and web-based image galleries of people who have been arrested or are known offenders.

How BCRP membership will help Chesterfield town centre

There are currently about 80 businesses in Chesterfield signed up to an advanced version of the BCRP scheme that also includes radio connections.

The council’s funding will give about 2,000 businesses in sectors such as retail, hospitality and tourism the opportunity to sign up for the basic package, which uses the online Disc system.

It will be launched at the beginning of May ahead of the reopening of hospitality in the Government’s roadmap to ending lockdown.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic news that this funding has been made available for our local businesses.

“This project will help strengthen the link between retailers and the police which should help limit crime and anti-social behaviour in our town.

“I want to encourage every local business to sign up to this programme because I believe it will be a positive step for our town.”

Hardyal Dhindsa, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire, added: “Tackling retail crime is a priority for me and I am pleased that my funding of the Business Crime Reduction Partnership with the Chamber is enabling partners like Chesterfield Borough Council to join us in tackling criminality. This is an excellent way of supporting businesses to reduce the crime and antisocial behaviour that they have said concerns them.

“We have been working hard, with local partners, to successfully address other problems in Chesterfield Town Centre through the Chesterfield Town Summit, and this is another tool in the box.

“I welcome the fact that Chesterfield Borough Council has recognised the important of supporting local business and I hope that in time we will be able to roll this programme out across Derbyshire with other local authorities.”

Further plans for BCRP roll-out in Derbyshire

Discussions are ongoing on how to roll out the offer to Staveley, while there are plans to roll out the Disc scheme in Matlock and Bakewell, in which a combined 40 businesses are signed up to the radio system.

Jackie added: “The hope is that by signing up businesses for the first year, they will be able to see the benefits of continuing with the scheme thereafter.

“The more businesses that are involved in the BCRP scheme and sharing information, the stronger it will be – and the better the area will be as a result.

“Councils and regeneration teams are placing crime reduction high on the agenda in order to bring back footfall into their towns.

“It also removes barriers to reporting crime as the Disc system automatically notifies the police when an incident is logged, while police are able to input feedback so businesses can follow what happens to offenders.”

The British Retail Consortium’s 2020 retail crime survey, published in March just before lockdown, found there were 424 violent or abusive incidents towards staff per day nationally, while businesses lost £770m due to theft and £2.2bn resulting from overall crime.

Anyone interested in discussing how to get involved with the Derbyshire Business Crime Reduction Partnership can email jackie.roberts@emc-dnl.co.uk.

 

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£2m Green Entrepreneurs Fund to be launched in Derbyshire

Companies in Chesterfield and Derbyshire with green aspirations can apply for a slice of a new £2m funding pot – which is set to be launched at an event delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

Derbyshire County Council will introduce its £2m Green Entrepreneurs Fund at an information session hosted by the Chamber on Thursday 17 March from 9am to 10am.

The fund, which was created in collaboration with the University of Derby as part of its Covid-19 economic strategy and climate change commitments, is intended to help SMEs to develop and invest in low-carbon energy and carbon reduction schemes alongside training.

East Midlands Chamber policy and representation manager Ian Bates said: “Since we launched our Sustainable East Midlands campaign at the tail end of last year, we’ve noticed a strong uplift in the number of businesses that are recognising the importance of joining the low-carbon agenda.

“But many of these ambitious companies will require the necessary funding to give them both the incentive and confidence to invest in green technologies.

“The Green Entrepreneurs Fund is a fantastic initiative from Derbyshire County Council in collaboration with our strategic partner, the University of Derby, and we’re very eager to help promote it to the wider business community with this launch event.”

Who is eligible for the Green Entrepreneurs Fund?

Derbyshire-based SMEs employing up to 250 staff and micro-businesses with up to 10 staff are eligible to apply for grants, which are designed to kickstart the county’s carbon reduction and alternative energy agenda, as well as boost the financial health of local businesses in the wake of the pandemic.

The capital and revenue support will help businesses reduce their carbon footprint, retrain in low-carbon skills and develop innovative solutions in low-carbon schemes.

A small number of high-quality demonstrator projects that provide community heat and power solutions will be prioritised.

The £2m scheme is funded by Derbyshire County Council’s Covid Recovery Fund and overseen by a Green Entrepreneurs Fund Programme Board featuring representatives from the council and University of Derby.

Green Entrepreneurs Fund launch event

Businesses can find out who can apply for the funding, the levels of grants available and timescales for delivery at the Chamber-run event on 17 March.

It will also include talks from Derbyshire County Council leader Councillor Barry Lewis, and Professor Kathryn Mitchell, vice-chancellor and chief executive at the University of Derby, about the work they are doing to contribute towards carbon reduction in Derbyshire. Find out more about the event here: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/events/green-entrepreneurs-fund-launch-event/

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East Midlands Chamber Business Awards return for 2021 with a brand-new category

East Midlands Chamber has announced its Business Awards are back for 2021 – with a new category celebrating ground-breaking collaborations.

The past year has involved great examples of businesses teaming up to prosper despite the pandemic – and such alliances will be recognised at this year’s awards.

A brand-new category for Collaboration Project of the Year has been introduced for the 2021 awards to celebrate success stories of pioneering partnerships within Chamber membership.

There’s also a new-look Excellence in Innovation award, which replaces the Innovation in Manufacturing category as more ground-breaking firms are invited to showcase how they are pushing boundaries in their sectors.

Fresh off the back of virtual ceremonies being held for the first time across the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire Business Awards throughout November and December 2020, entries are now open for this year.

East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “Last year’s Business Awards provided a fantastic opportunity to celebrate some of the amazing success stories witnessed in the East Midlands during what was one of the most challenging years in memory for business.

“It was also a unique event in the history of the awards in that we held it online for the first time, but this in no way took anything away from three truly remarkable virtual ceremonies.

“While we don’t quite know what 2021 will bring, we’re braced for continued disruption followed by signs of recovery – and we can be certain that there will be many more examples of incredible innovation, growth and resilience among our members.

“These awards are a great opportunity to shout about what our region has to offer and the Chamber – along with our sponsors, whose continued support enables us these celebrations to happen – can’t wait to read another set of high-quality entries.”

Alongside the new awards, there will also be a return for the Environmental Impact Award introduced last year, as well as old returning favourites such as Apprentice of the Year, Community Impact, Excellence in International Trade and Small Business of the Year.

There will also be an overall Business of the Year for each county chosen by headline sponsor Mazars. Last year’s winners were PR Marriott Drilling (Derbyshire), Air IT (Nottinghamshire), and db automation and Premier Bowl Feeders (Leicestershire).

The deadline for entries this year is Friday 7 May and finalists will be announced on Thursday 30 June.

Winners will be chosen by a panel including members of the Chamber’s leadership team and board, as well as sponsors, and announced at awards ceremonies for each county at the end of this year.

For more information and to enter the Chamber Business Awards, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/businessawards2021/.

Enquiries about sponsorship opportunities can be sent to partnerships manager Sanjib Sahota on sanjib.sahota@emc-dnl.co.uk or 07776 596889.

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