Dear Chamber Members,
There is a lot happening within Wellingborough and the County which I hope to be able to bring you up to speed with and also some of the things that I’ve been involved with on behalf of the Chamber…
INV-ENT Funding
Firstly, I would encourage all those businesses that have ever been trying to obtain funding for new product development or innovative ideas to move your companies on, (but have probably been frustrated), to investigate INV-ENT. It’s a fund run by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership – more details available at http://www.wellingboroughchamber.co.uk/?p=890 and it might just be what you are looking for to kick start an expansion project or create new jobs. The funding is up to £20,000 and deadline is 11th November 2013 for this funding round.
Crimestoppers
I attended a Crimestoppers event on 18th September and it was the same day that our Chief Constable Adrian Lee had made his pronouncement on ‘drunk tanks’ which could be use to look after inebriated individuals and reduce the cost to the Police and taxpayer. Commendably he turned up at the event with the Police Commissioner Adam Simmonds instead of fielding interviews from the national press. What was also interesting was his presentation on the overall reduction in crime that has occurred in the Wellingborough area over the last few years. Crimestoppers has been doing good work for 25 years and the Chamber pledged our support for their work at the event. If you want further information you can go to www.crimestoppers-uk.org or if you need to report a crime and wish to do so anonymously you can call 0800 555 111. Business security is always important for companies to review and there was some good advice from industry experts – the message was ‘review your security arrangements to make sure they are fit for purpose’
Northamptonshire Growth Plan
I have also attended a consultation event hosted by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) which focussed on their future Growth Plan and funding arrangements for the County. The government has been considering how to devolve greater control for funding to local areas. Michael Heseltine’s report ‘No Stone Unturned’ started the ball rolling so to speak and the government has now allocated £2bn nationally to be channelled through the Local Enterprise Partnerships. NEP thinks that they will have approximately £100m to work with to 2020. This is considerably more than has been available in the past. It is important that the Chamber inputs into this process and we have been responding to the consultation surveys. What would be even more informative would be your views on the future growth for Wellingborough and the County and what is holding your business back … we may come and canvass you to see what your top priorities would be! In the meantime understanding how the Borough and County is likely to grow and helping to influencing how and where any funding is spent is important and we are monitoring things constantly to keep informed.
Wellingborough BID
The Wellingborough Business Improvement District http://www.discoverwellingborough.co.uk/ has been delivering a range of events this summer to attract people into the town. The Medieval Festival in July and the Seaside Beach transported to the town centre have provided an incentive to check out what Wellingborough has to offer. The BID has also recently launched a mobile app which provides info about the town, the retailers and services on offer and gives you discounts and loyalty points. Why not consider spending a lunch time in town checking out the offers?
I’m aware that we all suffer from information overload most of the time so will endeavour to provide updates and commentary in bite sized chunks and keep things pithy! It would be great to feature more news from businesses around the Borough about what companies are doing – so if you have any news or know any success stories please forward them on to us. You can contact us through the website or our email address info@wellingboroughchamber.co.uk .
Kind regards
James Wilson