Dover Business News

Your Business Bulletin from Dover District Chamber of Commerce

11th June 2017 Issue No.: 217

1. General Election Hustings

After chairing three hustings during the previous general election campaign just two years ago followed by the Chamber Question Time “European Union: In or Out?” event featured on ITV Meridian last June, the Chamber detected a somewhat diminished appetite for intensive political debate. But, at the request of our membership and at short notice the Chamber arranged an East Kent hustings on Friday, 2 June 2017. On the panel were representatives from the four main political parties; Craig Mackinlay MP (Con), Del Goddard (Lab), Martyn Pennington (Lib Dem) and Cllr Rev Stuart Piper (UKIP). Organised by popular demand as a BBC-style Question Time, it is worth noting that none of the panel had previously seen the questions. The issues debated included the NHS, fishing rights, the Manston Airport site, the Unique Selling Points of our coastal towns, Section 40 of the Crimes and Courts Act 2013, unemployment, the East Kent skills deficit and a final two personal questions which did not feature in party manifestos. Registered Chamber members will find a full list attached.

2. Who Won The Debate?

Chamber members in attendance will judge who fared best in the lively debates that followed nearly every question. The issue of the future of the Manston Airport site produced the most responses from the floor with incisive, but entirely civilised insults accompanying some of the exchanges. Heckling changed to mirth when each member of the panel was asked to name his favourite meal. Readers who were not present must ask someone who was there in order to match the panellist with the dishes nominated which were “Any dish with fish”, “Steak, definitely steak”, “Curry, I love a curry” and “Barbecued barracuda with parmesan”. Pictures from the morning and all recent Chamber events can be found on our official image website at http://antonimages.co.uk/events/chamber-of-commerce/

3. Jaguar Land Rover

The Chamber is delighted to announce that the Chamber Golf Day 2017 at Royal St George’s Golf Club Sandwich on 24th October 2017 will be sponsored by Barretts Jaguar Land Rover and will feature as top prize a new Jaguar XE. In addition, the leading individual player will win a weekend with a Jaguar or Land Rover. As in previous years, Chamber members are invited to submit a team of four players. Many companies take advantage of the opportunity to invite some of their key customers to join their team. Played under the Stableford scoring system, enthusiastic occasional golfers have just as much chance of scoring points for their team as the dedicated club golfer who ventures out three times a week. The joy of playing this prestigious course, regularly ranked as the best in England, is enhanced in the knowledge that past winners at Royal St George’s have included Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Henry Cotton, Walter Hagen and Tony Jacklin. Ian Fleming was Captain-elect of Royal St George’s at the time of his early demise in 1964. It is no coincidence that the most celebrated golf match in world fiction took place at the thinly disguised “Royal St Mark’s” when James Bond triumphed over Auric Goldfinger. The book “Goldfinger” was of course written before the film of the same name and before Shirley Bassey had added her five pennyworth. For more details of how to enter your team, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject “Chamber Golf Day 2017”.

4. Manston and RiverOak

RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) has confirmed the dates of its six-week consultation on its plans to reopen Manston Airport as an air freight hub. As detailed in RSP’s Statement of Community Consultation, a series of free events have been arranged in East Kent where members of the public are invited to scrutinise and comment on the proposals. With the objective of encouraging as many as possible to respond, RSP is hosting sessions in Broadstairs, Cliffsend, Margate, Sandwich, Canterbury and Ramsgate. The dates times and places of the consultations are as follows: Wednesday, 14th June 2017 at The King’s Hall, Beacon Hill, Herne Bay CT6 6BA from 1400 hrs to 2000 hrs; Thursday, 15th June 2017 at The Pavilion Harbour Street, Broadstairs CT10 1EU from 1400 hrs to 2000 hrs; Friday, 16th June 2017 at Cliffsend Village Hall, Foads Lane, Cliffsend CT12 5JH from 1400 hrs to 2000 hrs; Saturday, 17th June 2017 at Sands Hotel, 16 Marine Drive, Margate CT9 1DH from 1000 hrs to 1400 hrs; Tuesday, 20th June 2017 at The Guildhall, Cattle Market, Sandwich CT13 9AH from 1400 hrs to 2000 hrs; Thursday, 22nd June 2017 at ABode Hotel, 30-33 High Street, Canterbury CT1 2RX from 1400 hrs to 2000 hrs and Saturday, 24th June 2017 at Comfort Inn, Victoria Parade, Ramsgate CT11 8DT from 1000 hrs to 1400 hrs.

5. Are These Consultations Important?

RSP Director George Yerrall says: “The consultation is very important to us as it allows the local community to scrutinise our proposals and share their views and thoughts with us. This, in turn, will enable us to refine our proposals further before submitting the Development Consent Order application to the Planning Inspectorate, later this year.” Copies of consultation documents will be available from 12th June 2017 at www.rsp.co.uk and at public libraries during normal opening hours in Birchington, Broadstairs, Cliftonville, Deal, Herne Bay, Margate, Minster-in-Thanet, Newington, Ramsgate, Sandwich and Westgate. There will be two business-only briefings on Wednesday, 14th June at The King’s Hall in Herne Bay and on Thursday, 15th June 2017 in Broadstairs at The Pavilion. Businesses wishing to attend are invited to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to book a place. The consultation period ends on Sunday, 23rd July 2017.

6. Dover Counselling Centre

Founded in the wake of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster in 1987, Dover Counselling Centre (DCC) is respected throughout the world for its pioneering approach to addressing mental health issues. The increasing demands nationwide for its counselling services means that DCC has outgrown its building in St James Street, Dover. As a result, the charity is moving its administration headquarters to new premises in Gordon Road, Whitfield. An official opening of the new building, now named Horizon House, is scheduled for next week. The Chamber understands that a mystery guest, billed as “a star of television, film and theatre”, will be making the keynote speech and it is expected that there will be considerable media interest in the event. It is interesting to note that the positive results of professional mental health counselling, defined by DCC from its inception as “To be there and care”, are at last being recognised more widely. There is now common agreement on the parity of esteem for mental health and physical health. After answering more than a quarter of a million telephone calls since 1987, DCC has more than played its part in bringing about this welcome change.

7. Events So Far This Year

Chamber members were treated to expert guidance on marketing on 10th February at our “Market Hard, Sell Easy” Chamber Business Networking Breakfast. The expert speakers were Jean-François Chodecki of Corporate Creations and Alison Wilby of Maximus Marketing. On 25th February, James Cardwell-Moore, Commercial Director at Business Stream, explained how East Kent companies could take full advantage of the new deals available following his company’s acquisition of Southern Water’s business customers. On 9th March, the Project Manager of GEN² Property Limited, David Mounter, outlined the latest news on the plans to construct a High Speed railway station at Cliffsend, between Manston and Ramsgate. Chamber members heard of the likely transformative effect on the economic development of our East Kent economy and were given the opportunity to give their input on this project which is due to be completed in early 2020. The meeting on 6th April entitled “Property, Property, Property” was appropriately blessed with three speakers. Mike Williams, Senior Geoenvironmental Engineer at the MLM Group, showed why his firm was working on 9,000 live projects with a value in excess of £1.5 billion. Michael Whittaker, a chartered accountant at McCabe Ford Williams, gave a professional overview of the costs, profits and pitfalls of the Buy-To-Let market. Robert Najem, Commercial Director at Barnard Systems, outlined the 40% savings that can be made by building new homes and commercial edifices using modern steel modular construction methods. On 19th May at our “Lean. Mean & Keen” meeting, Gary Burgess gave a well-received account of how to maximise efficiency, reduce waste and keep customers happy. As the Continuous Improvement Manager at FujiFilm Speciality Ink Systems Ltd, Gary drew on his 29 years of industrial experience to give Chamber members some practical suggestions on how they could boost productivity and increase their profits. Start-ups and established companies found that they could benefit significantly from adopting some of the processes espoused and encouraged by Gary’s parent firm of FujiFilm, the world’s largest photographic and imaging company.

8. Ronnie Philpott and Barry Coppock

East Kent has lost two supremely community-minded public servants with the passing of Veronica “Ronnie” Philpott last month and Barry Coppock before Easter. Ronnie gave unstintingly to the town of Dover, as a councillor, as mayor and as a keen supporter of the town’s many cultural, educational and charitable organisations. Her unfailing commitment and sunny disposition will be much missed in the business community. Barry Coppock was the Leader and Chairman of Thanet District Council and a busy TDC councillor from 1991 to 2003. Barry had a unique way of expressing his impatience at anybody who wasted his time in meetings. He claimed that his favourite word in the English dictionary began with ‘boll’ and ended with ‘cks”. A supporter and advisor to China Gateway plc in later years, Barry leaves many people in Thanet sharing the grief of his wife Jackie, a former Mayor of Ramsgate, and his great friend Frank Thorley. In 2004, Coppock Close in Newington, was named in honour of Barry and Jackie and provides a permanent memorial.

9. C. G. Hibbert

The Chamber is delighted to join in the celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of one of Kent’s most respected companies, C. G. Hibbert of Dover. Cruise ships, ferry operators, airlines, airport shops, duty-free outlets, oil rigs, ships chandlers, the diplomatic service and the UK military are among the long-standing clients who have benefited from the logistics and storage expertise provided by this preeminent company. The portfolio of brands it supplies covers market leaders throughout the drinks and tobacco industry. Less well-known to businesses outside the sector is that C. G. Hibbert also offers Bonded Warehousing, Consolidation of Bonded Stores, General Warehousing and Storage, Transport and Delivery of Goods in the UK and Europe, HMRC Documentation, Duty Management, Containerization to Ports Worldwide and Travel Retail Distribution. The company welcomes enquiries from interested parties which can be addressed direct by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

10. New Members

The Chamber is pleased to welcome the following new members to the Chamber: Pettit Recruitment Solutions of Sandwich, Maximus Marketing of Ramsgate, Town and Country Cleaners of Canterbury, Business Stream of Edinburgh, Venture Telecommunications of Broadstairs, Artemis Recruitment Consultants of Margate, Clover House of Whitstable, Unitemps of Canterbury, Paul J Mahoney (Inspiring Safety) of Garlinge, Hartwell Architects of Dover, Maximus Green Ltd of Ramsgate, Victoria Gayle Interiors of Ramsgate, Matilda Hays Flowers of Ramsgate, KES Light Haulage of Dover, RiverOak Strategic Partners of London, Domestic Butler of Ramsgate, Quinn Estates of Canterbury and Transworld Business Advisors of Tonbridge.

11. Fact Or Fiction

A chamber member recently called our research office in Sandwich and related a tale of his experience the previous weekend. We have our doubts about this story, but we leave it to our readers to judge for themselves. As he put it; “It was a warm afternoon last Saturday and while my dear wife was at the gym, I was sitting in the back garden wondering if I should get on with the DIY jobs I had promised or have another glass of cool chardonnay. Suddenly, a strange face peered over the garden wall and asked: ‘Got any odd jobs to do?’. Realising that this was a heaven-sent opportunity, I said: ‘Well, yes actually. Could you paint the porch out front? If so, how much would it cost?’ ‘Oh about £40 if you supply the paint’, came the friendly reply. ‘Fair enough and not bad for the whole porch’, I thought. ‘That would allow me to finish the bottle and listen to the cricket on the radio’. ‘Agreed’, I said rather too loudly and went to the shed at the bottom of the garden to find a tin of white Dulux one-coat gloss, a medium brush and a pack of sandpaper which I duly handed over with the cheery words: ‘Come back when you’ve finished and I’ll give you your cash’. Settling back comfortably into the garden lounger with the rest of the wine, I must have dozed off as the sun had gone in when the handyman reappeared. ‘All done’, he said and passed the brush and empty paint tin over the back wall. Congratulating myself on the best value deal I had ever done, I gladly handed over two crisp £20 notes and made ready to inspect the work. As I was moving around to the front of the house, our friendly handyman waved goodbye and said; ‘You had me fooled for a moment with your little joke. But I knew it was a Toyota and not a Porsche. Looks nice in white, doesn’t it?’”

 © David Foley 11th June 2017

Dover Business News

Your Business Bulletin from Dover District Chamber of Commerce

14th August 2016   Issue No.: 214

1. Resilience: Chamber Business Networking Breakfast 8th September 2016

The Chamber has often written about the benefits of Predict & Prevent in preference to Find & Fix. The speaker at our Chamber Business Networking breakfast next month is a world-class specialist on the subject much in demand in Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Germany, Belgium, China, France and USA. Formerly Head of Safety for Virgin Atlantic and founder of the Tall Buildings Fire Safety Network, Russ Timpson advises companies of all sizes on business continuity. In December 2015, he was awarded the title of International Fire Professional of the Year at Fire Magazine’s annual Excellence in Fire & Emergency Awards. His expertise extends to advising on a wide range of measures companies can put in place to stop a disaster before it happens and to mitigate the effects when it does. The price of £15 for Chamber members includes coffee on arrival and a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. Booking is essential. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line: “Resilience Breakfast 8 September 2016”. Full details of the venue near Ramsgate will follow with confirmation. There will be plenty of time available to promote your products and services to other delegates.

2. Trade Delegation To Ostend: 14 – 15th October 2016

Supported by its sister body the Thanet & East Kent Chamber, the Dover District Chamber of Commerce is organising a Trade Delegation to visit Ostend on 14th - 15th October 2016. In liaison with our good friends at DFDS Seaways, the visit will bring Chamber members from East Kent to meet companies in the EU interested in establishing post-Brexit commercial links. Arriving on the afternoon of Friday, 14th October 2016, Chamber members will enjoy an informal meeting with a selection of local companies interested in their products and services followed by a formal dinner and presentations. Overnight accommodation at a central hotel will allow for some time on Saturday, 15th October for follow up meetings or leisure before returning on the Dunkirk – Dover Ferry in the afternoon. Further details will be available exclusively to Chamber members later this month so that the next time people ask you “What can be done about Brexit?”, you can tell them “New business opportunities for East Kent companies.”

3. Chamber Golf Day 25th October 2016

The Chamber is delighted to confirm that the Chamber Golf Day will again take place at Royal St George’s Golf Club Sandwich which has hosted 14 Open Championships and is the course featured as “Royal St Mark’s” in Ian Fleming’s book Goldfinger where James Bond plays the most famous golf match in the history of fiction. The 2016 Chamber Golf Day on 25th October 2016 will feature a glittering array of prizes. Companies are invited to submit teams of 4 players, see attached booking form. Sponsorship opportunities are available on each hole of the course and the prize table will again feature significant contributions from Chamber members keen to benefit from East Kent’s leading corporate golf tournament. For more details, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Golf Day 2016”.

4. Suggestion To Avoid Congestion

Severe congestion blocking the main roads leading to Dover during the first weekend of the school holidays last month provoked the wrath of Dover District Chamber President Charlie Elphicke MP who described the traffic queues as “completely unacceptable” and called on the UK government to apologise. There was little relief available from public services during a wait of up to 16 hours for families, coach passengers and lorry drivers stranded on the main roads leading to the port. Our President’s views were echoed by the much respected head of the Port of Calais, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, who confessed to being ashamed of the effect on British people heading for France. Directing his ire towards French officials he said: “When we know that there will be big traffic, as it was yesterday because it was starting holidays, it should be organised.” Many Chamber members will recall Jean-Marc Puissesseau’s statement of 2013 that: “All that is good for Calais is good for Dover” and it follows that the reverse is true as well. What is bad for Dover is bad for Calais and is bad for every local company trading over that weekend, especially for restaurants, shops and businesses expecting deliveries. One hotel manager told the Chamber: “Some of the guests booked into our hotel never arrived and we now have the thankless task of arranging refunds with little chance of recovering the loss of income.” Chief Executive of your Chamber, David Foley, made these points to reporter Tom Savvides in a live broadcast on ITV Meridian News stating: “This was a situation that was predictable, it was preventable, it took a long time to find and we have yet to discover if it has been fixed”. Calling for a more effective liaison with the authorities by Dover Harbour Board, he listed the difficulties faced by many companies in the East Kent coastal business community: “Not everyone works nine to five, Monday to Friday. Deliveries could not be made, staff could not get to work and most importantly the customers were simply not there.” The Chamber will be working with public bodies to avoid a repeat of the nightmare traffic conditions that impacted so badly on so many of our Chamber members.

5. Past Events

Images from a selection of past events can be viewed on the official Chamber photographer’s website at www.rosieantonphotography.co.uk/menu/clients/dover-thanet-and-east-kent-chamber. Recent contributions include pictures from the visit of the Danish Ambassador His Excellency Claus Grube, Chamber Question Time, Make Business Rates Your Business and Ebbsfleet Garden City: Growing Opportunities For You.

6. Conference Report

First on the podium at the Chamber’s Managing Change conference was Tim Checketts, formerly Chief of Staff at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and the current secretary of the Royal St George’s Golf Club. He gave a pithy account of the usefulness of having a clear understanding of acceptable success criteria before embarking on any large scale radical changes. He suggested that in some circumstances a company may be serving the best interests of its staff, customers and shareholders by accepting an 85% success rate with a particular initiative and moving on rather than wasting energy and resources in striving for an unachievable complete compliance.

7. What About Thanet Earth?

The UK’s leading hydroponics facility at Thanet Earth was represented by its Managing Director Des Kingsley who gave an insight into a possible route to food self-sufficiency in the UK. It would require significant changes to our inherited view of what constitutes good agricultural management to repeat the Thanet Earth complex across the country, but it is worth noting that the UK now imports over half of its food supplies. The recent problems at the Port of Dover have illustrated all too clearly that there are security risks attached to an over-dependency on the goodwill of remote suppliers. The resounding success of Thanet Earth remains an inspiration to young scientists throughout East Kent. Combined Heat & Power technology ensures that tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are grown in ideal conditions that not only ensure a low carbon footprint but contribute electricity to the National Grid as well.

8. Chief Cashier of Bank of England

The keynote speaker at the Chamber conference was Victoria Cleland, Chief Cashier of the Bank of England. Her convincing arguments about the advantages of polymer banknotes also show that changes to our most familiar objects and behaviour can be generally accepted if presented fairly and accurately. The new £5 note is made of thin flexible plastic, will be introduced on 13th September 2016 and will feature a picture of Winston Churchill. Expected to last 2.5 times longer than the paper version it will replace, Victoria assured Chamber members that “You can spill red wine on it and it will wipe away cleanly”. More surprising to her audience was the revelation that the largest denomination note issued by the bank is not for the sum of £50, as often assumed, but for £100 million. Not available from supermarket cashpoints, these special notes are kept in secure storage and play an important role in backing the value of notes from Scottish and Northern Irish banks.

9. Other Speakers

Additional insights on successful change management were provided by the Head of Planning at Southern Water, Dr Alison Hoyle, the Managing Director of Europe’s largest manufacturer of leisure hovercraft, Emma Pullen, the Chairman of Ramsgate Ferry, Dr Bill Moses and the Head of Policy & Briefing at the Post Office, Mike Granville. The largest retailer in the UK with nearly 11,800 outlets, the Post Office has just undergone the most radical transformation ever experienced since its establishment in 1660. Heading resolutely towards non-subsidised sustainability, the new Post Office prides itself on being a commercial multichannel business with a public purpose. It is a remarkable fact that 99.7% of the UK population lives within three miles of a Post Office. Throughout the day’s presentations and during those valuable discussions at lunchtime and breaks, it was apparent just what a huge task is involved in implementing successful change in established organisations. From the examples provided, successful change management seems to require strong leadership from senior directors who share with all staff a common strategy that fully recognises the needs of its customers, is not fixated on imposed targets and yet manages to maintain and promote genuine two-way communication with workers and suppliers. Does that describe your company?

10. How Are We Doing?

The latest unemployment figures list the total number of people claiming either Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit, as reported in July 2016 by the Office for National Statistics with selected extracts published by the ever-excellent department of Strategic Business Development & Intelligence at Kent County Council. These figures portray a snapshot of our local economy and provide an impartial measure of business activity in East Kent. Thanet remains the unemployment blackspot in Kent with the highest number (2,645) of registered unemployment benefit claimants. Year-on-year unemployment has grown 13.3%. In June 2013, the number of claimants in Thanet was 4,578. Thus, over a period of three years, unemployment has in fact fallen by 42%. The Dover district has also seen a rise in unemployment in the year to June 2016 of 5.4%, but in June 2013, 2,293 adults were registered claimants indicating a three-year fall of 45%. Similarly, the three-year figures for Kent show a reduction in the jobless total from 31,869 to 14,040, a fall of 56%. South East England has reduced claimants from 119,382 in June 2013 to 56,365 in June 2016, a fall of 53%. However, no matter which rose-tinted prism is used to view the data, it is glaringly apparent that the East Kent coastal business community has continued to lag behind the rest of the county and indeed the South East region in its recovery over the last three years. More worrying still perhaps are the figures for the last 12 months which show that Kent as a whole has increased its registered unemployed by 6.3% in stark contrast to the South East region which has reduced its jobless figures by 2.9% and Great Britain by 4.0%. After a period of recovery since 2008, Kent has suffered a challenging 12 months to June 2016. Some will claim that Brexit is the reason for the pronounced downturn and will probably claim the same for many other unpleasant facts as well. This is of course a wholly false conclusion as regards the unemployment numbers which largely relate to a period before the referendum of 23rd June 2016 when the expectation was that the UK would vote to remain in the EU. But, as any sharp operator will tell you: “You should never let a good crisis go to waste”.

11. Give Us The Facts

Unemployment

12. Keep It Clear

As part of its community engagement programme, Southern Water has launched a campaign called “Keep it clear”. Targeted at preventing blockages and interruptions to wastewater disposal, the initiative calls on commercial and residential users to flush the “The Three Ps” and nothing more. One of the Ps stands for Paper. We have sufficient faith in the practical skills and extensive knowledge of our Chamber members not to need to explain the composition of the other two words beginning with P. Apparently, cleansing wipes, nappies, ear buds, dental floss, plastic razors, industrial waste, gravel and a whole list of unsavoury items cause unnecessary blockages in our drains. We learn that such items should be bagged and binned. Southern Water has offered residents the chance to win a prize. If you can answer a few simple questions about waste disposal, you could win a handsome waste bin, described by the utility as “A designer Wesco Bin in the colour of your choice worth £130”. Enthusiastic quizzers lacking a designer waste bin should click on www.southernwater.co.uk/winabin.

13. Brexit & East Kent

A few Chamber members have expressed their concerns about the effects of Brexit on their balance sheets. For some companies, these anxieties are due to an alleged government failure to prepare for a majority voting in favour of leaving the European Union. For others, it is the result of the vote itself. The early intervention of the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, was a significant factor in calming the markets which in the first three days after the vote saw a trade-weighted fall in the value of the pound sterling of 9% and a 14% fall in the FTSE 250. One Chamber member wrote about a fall of over £800,000 in the year end income which his company is obliged to post to its overseas parent; this is compounded by an additional sharp increase in the costs of its raw materials. There will doubtlessly be winners and losers in the fluctuations of the exchange rate since 23rd June 2016, but many more Chamber members will wonder why more attention had not been given to planning for the effects of an anti-EU vote. Chamber members will have some sympathy for the heartfelt plea at the end of the same letter: “I am totally disillusioned with the lack of a credible plan to take our nation forward since the referendum. …. I can only hope stability returns sooner rather than later, before we need to take action to protect our business”. Thankfully, some stability has returned to the financial markets since that letter dated 6th July 2016. Also, that particular East Kent company, a significant employer with over 100 staff, benefits from a far-sighted Managing Director who is well-equipped to manage change and will doubtlessly make the best of the challenges he faces.

14. KPMG and Bank of England On Brexit

The Vice Chair of KPMG UK, Melanie Richards, has described a 2-2-2 Plan which she says relates to “The first two weeks, the first two months and then the first two years”. She adds that: “There is no magic in that last two years bit because you are always planning. But, I think the first two weeks and the first two months are pretty important to make sure you have got yourself in gear”. That is sound advice, you may think, but likely to be expensive if you want specific guidance on your own company’s prospects. The Dover District Chamber of Commerce has been liaising with the Bank of England for the last 165 years but can find little cheer in the dispassionate data collected by the bank’s experts in the latest Agents’ Summary of August 2016 which forecasts “a negative effect, overall, on capital spending, hiring and turnover over the coming year”, although manufacturing fares a little better. Wellington boot and umbrella manufacturers may be the only ones to find some comfort in the revelation that: “Consumer spending growth had also slowed, although that appeared to have partly reflected the effects of unusually wet weather.”

15. Reduce Your Energy Bills

Chamber member Zero Trace Procurement warns of rises in energy bills due to possible changes unrelated to wholesale prices. As Procurement Director at the ZTP Canterbury Office, Martyn Young is able to utilize a unique trace management system to facilitate the tender process for each new corporate client, reducing energy bills and contributing to enhanced profit margins. If that is not good enough for you, take note that Martyn trained as a Chartered Management Accountant and can even make the uses of data cubes in forecasting models linked to multi-disciplinary profit optimization sound interesting. To bring a smile to your face when calculating your savings on energy costs, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone 01227 203109.

16. Ramsgate Ferry

A recent report in the Thanet Gazette quoted a Thanet District Council spokesman as saying: “Arrangements for the commencement of sailings to Ramsgate Port are still ongoing. Although timings have changed, positive negotiations are still ongoing." This was greeted with some mirth by one local businessman who contacted the Chamber. “They have been on-going since Sally Line withdrew in 1999”, he said, “The problem is nothing is going on.” Of course there has been some activity with the arrival of car imports, but as another Chamber member noted last week: “As far as I know, no parked car has ever spent the night at a local hotel or bought a meal in a restaurant”. The Chamber notes the progress of Ramsgate Ferry which is campaigning to restore passenger ferries from Ramsgate. With an estimated economic impact of £6,000,000 a year from a revived cross-channel operation, there is no doubt that retailers, hoteliers, attractions and suppliers will be following progress closely. On 4th August 2016, Ramsgate Ferry presented its 14th Roadshow to an audience of travel and tourism professionals at The Dorchester Hotel in London’s Park Lane. For more details, see www.ramsgateferry.com.

17. New Members

The Chamber is pleased to welcome the following new members to the Chamber: Town & Country Housing of Tunbridge Wells, tel: 01892 501426; MLM Consulting Engineers of Ashford tel: 01233 610530; Total Jobs Contacts of Ramsgate tel: 07803 163051; Princes Leisure Group of Sandwich tel: 01304 613022; Ash Civil Construction of Ramsgate tel: 01843 593268; Simply Auto Enrolment Solutions of Bury tel: 0800 00 96299; Wade Business Solutions of Broadstairs tel: 03333 660721; Café Rouge of Westwood Cross tel: 01843 808943; Cummins Power Systems of Manston Park tel: 01843 255000; Jonathan Viner Gallery of Margate tel: 07968 548764; Southern Water of Worthing tel: 01634 824201; Myspace Self Storage of Broadstairs tel: 01843 602020; The Freedman of Walmer tel: 07793 321126; The Retreat of Sandwich tel: 07951 057730; Tammet Systems of Aylesham tel: 01227 711072; Brilliant Hotels of Dover tel: 01304 821230; Beautiville Salon of Cliftonville tel: 01843296870.

18. Robert Maxwell

Finally, here is an account related by a Chamber member that may be of interest to us all and in particular to any of the 30,000 Mirror Group pensioners who discovered to their horror that the funds set aside to support their comfortable old age had been plundered by Robert Maxwell. His demise in November 1991 provoked a series of enquiries into his business affairs that revealed some unsavoury practices and led directly to the 1995 Pensions Act. Known to his sternest critics at Private Eye as Cap’n Bob, Maxwell was prone to emotional outbursts and instant decision-making that increasingly impacted on his financial acumen. Proffered by a distinguished Chamber member, we have some doubts about this story but we leave it to our good-looking readers to judge for themselves. “What happened was Maxwell saw a dishevelled worker, tie undone, shirt hanging out, passing his open office door and he shouted at him to halt. When the individual replied: ‘I’m sorry, I can’t, I’m in a hurry’, Maxwell stormed out of his office and blasted the beleaguered employee with the words: ‘In that case you are sacked. I can’t have workers like you in my company’. Calling for his cashier to attend immediately, he bellowed at the worker: ‘What is your monthly salary, tell me now, come on, come on, I’m a busy man.’. ‘I don’t know’, came the hesitant reply, ‘it depends, each month is different.’ Grabbing £2,000 from his cashier, he handed the cash over to the worker and said in front of the astonished staff now accumulating around the scene: ‘Do you see how generous I am? This man is sacked, but I am sweetening the pill. Now make sure he is never allowed in this building again.’” As our Chamber member relates: “The worker was in fact a courier delivering a parcel who had never worked for the Daily Mirror in his life. That summer he took his family on a splendid holiday, all courtesy of an angry Robert Maxwell.” The message for fellow Chamber members and bull-headed company owners alike is that if you really want the pleasure of sacking particular individuals you dislike, you have to make sure you employ them first.

© David Foley 14th August 2016

Dover Business News

Your Business Bulletin from Dover District Chamber of Commerce

13th September 2015   Issue No.: 213

1. Chamber Business Networking Breakfast: 18th September 2015

Most Chamber members will have already received news of our Chamber Business Networking Breakfast scheduled for 0730 – 0900 hrs on Friday, 18th September 2015. The main speakers will be Rebecca Smith, Senior Editor at Kent Regional News, and Graham Cooke, late of Radio Caroline and an established presenter for the BBC. Understanding how the printed and broadcast media operates can be of immense value to any ambitious company wishing to manage its media profile across all formats. The huge worldwide growth of social media has made the top social platforms of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn household names with Pinterest, Tumbir, Badoo and Myspace not far behind. In response, it has also stimulated the traditional media outlets of newspapers, radio and television to work more closely with Internet users in order to secure an audience for their output. Chamber members attending the networking breakfast will hear what pleases editors and how their company can make the most of the opportunities to showcase their products and services to current and potential customers. The price of £15 for Chamber members includes coffee on arrival and a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. Booking is essential. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line: “Chamber Breakfast 18th June 2015”. Full details of the venue near Sandwich will follow with confirmation.

2. Chamber Conference 6th October 2015: Managing Change

Our 2015 conference on 6th October 2015 will feature as keynote speaker, the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England, Victoria Cleland. Her presentation will interest anyone who handles cash or wants to know about the changes to our banknotes and coins. The 32nd person to occupy this prestigious post since John Kendrick took office in 1694, Victoria says: “My role covers far more than signing the banknotes.” Indeed, it certainly does and she works in close liaison with retailers, financial institutions, Cash in Transit (CiT) firms and UK companies of all sizes. Victoria will brief members on changes in our currency planned for the next three years, including the introduction of polymer banknotes featuring Sir Winston Churchill and Jane Austen. Following extensive public consultation, the new notes will have enhanced counterfeit resilience and be 15% smaller than the current size.  If you are interested in money, you should book a place, see item 6 below. Established members of the Chamber will know that the Dover District Chamber of Commerce has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the Bank of England for over 160 years.

3. More About Our Conference Speakers

Also speaking from the podium on 6th October 2015 will be Des Kingsley, Managing Director of the UK’s largest greenhouse complex at Thanet Earth. At a time when UK scientific research is under close scrutiny, Thanet Earth offers a shining example of commercial success in hydroponics in a highly competitive market. Chamber members may recall Des Kingsley’s predecessor, Ian Craig, now Chief Executive of the parent company the Fresca Group, which has combined annual sales of more than £500 million.  Thanet Earth is a great East Kent success story from which we can all learn some valuable lessons. Its proven methodology and practice may also offer a glimpse of a route towards the UK being self-sufficient in food and vegetables, a sector in which this country currently has a £7.8 billion trade deficit. [Food Statistics Pocketbook 2014, DEFRA].

4. Yet More About Our Conference Speakers

Last year, Emma Pullen joined Stella McCartney and Elisabeth Murdoch as one of the Management Today magazine's Top 35 Businesswomen Under 35. Emma runs the British Hovercraft Company (BHC). As a hands-on Director, she is fully involved in every aspect of the manufacture, marketing, sales and administration of Europe’s largest manufacturer of leisure hovercraft. BHC is very much a family business and Chamber members will hear how Emma benefits from the support of fellow board members, husband Russ Pullen and father-in-law Ivan Pullen. Chamber members at the conference will also witness a demonstration of a BHC hovercraft so that they can see for themselves how this enterprising company has developed a great British invention and transformed it into a commercial product currently sold to individuals and firms around the world from its base in Sandwich.

5. Even More About Our Conference Speakers

Thanks to close liaison with Post Office Communications Director Mark Davies, the Post Office will be represented at our conference to give us details of the most radical root and branch reforms that have ever taken place at this beloved institution which has served the British public faithfully since 1660. Promoting a future as a multi-channel business that can satisfy the needs of SMEs across a wide range of services, the Post Office is changing rapidly as a commercial business with a public purpose. It will surprise many that 99.7% of the population lives within three miles of Post Office and that a third of all small businesses visit every week. It may also surprise Chamber members that the Post Office is not reducing the number of its branches; with almost 11,800 outlets, the Post Office has the largest retail network in the UK. Under its inspiring Chief Executive, Paula Vennells, the Post Office is becoming much more than a challenger bank. Many chamber members will appreciate the wisdom in Paula’s dictum that “Retail is Detail” and there is much to be learned from the way the Post Office is directing the future of its £1 billion a year business.  

6. Chamber Conference of 6th October 2015: Booking Your Place

Chamber members attending the Chamber Business Conference “Managing Change” will receive refreshments on arrival and a cooked meal during the lunchtime break; a vegetarian option is available.  Doors will open at 1015 hrs and the formal sessions will end at 1420 hrs with informal networking on-site until 1530 hrs. Chamber members qualify for a discounted ticket price of £30 inclusive. Full details of the venue near Sandwich will follow with confirmation. Booking is essential. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line: “Chamber Conference 2015”. 

7. Now Is The Summer Of Our Discontent

The interruption to East Kent business caused by Operation Stack has been significant. Losses to the UK of an estimated £250 million a day during this summer of discontent have been felt most sharply by the owners of companies in East Kent who have had extreme difficulties in securing supplies, making deliveries to their customers and getting staff to and from the workplace. One haulier with a depot a few miles from Dover found that one of his trucks was prevented from taking the two-mile journey to Dover Western Docks when his driver was told to join the queue of lorries on the M20 west of Maidstone where he faced a two-day wait before he could join a cross-channel ferry. Our Chamber member understandably returned his truck to the depot and faced a difficult explanation to his valued customer who was less sympathetic to the actions of strikers at Calais than the French authorities appeared to be. Increasingly desperate pleas from the Road Haulage Association Chief Executive Richard Burnett included demands for the French military to intervene to protect “the thousands of British drivers whose lives are now being put at risk on a regular basis”. [RHA Press Release, 7 July 2015]. Although the main issues causing the French ferry workers to strike have now been resolved, the long term effects to Dover and its environs from being branded a no-go trading area have yet to be assessed. It is simply unacceptable that Kent County Council, Kent Police and Dover coastguard should have to pay upfront the costs of illegal actions in Calais with no compensation payments seemingly available for those businesses which have suffered the most.

8. Is Disruption by Ferry Workers at Calais Over?

The strike action by dissident ferry workers at Calais is over for the time being. Reports in the French press differ in their conclusions. Notre Temps lists the deal that has been signed by Scop, representing the ferry workers, by Eurotunnel the former owner of the My FerryLink ferries, by DFDS the new owner and by Alan Vidalies, the Secretary of State for transport who hosted the negotiations. We are informed that 402 out of 487 Scop workers made redundant last July will be reemployed. DFDS will accept 202, Eurotunnel will take on 150 directly, 130 of these with the freight ferry Nord-Pas-De-Calais and the other 20 to be absorbed in its other activities, and one of the subcontractors will employ the remaining 50 staff for its security operations.  Other French publications are not so sure. Libération, the centre-left daily now owned by Édouard de Rothschild, which has had its own staff problems in recent years, is a little more sanguine about the resolution of the strike. In an article written on 7th September 2015, Libération’s special Calais envoy, Stéphanie Maurice, states: “Many remain sceptical about this last project: it can only happen if the British Competition and Markets Authority gives a green light and nobody sees how the arrangement could be viable”. She ends her long article with a quotation from a source close to the action who suspects that the whole sad affair will resurface in two years. The Dover Chamber President, Charlie Elphiicke MP, is adamant that EU legislative reform is urgently required as “It’s increasingly clear the Schengen Agreement is not working.” [Charlie Elphicke MP: This Calais chaos must end, 8 Sep 2015]. The Chamber will be working with all our elected representatives to promote the interests of our East Kent members on this critical issue.

9. Port Of Ramsgate

A lot of nonsense is broadcast about the Port of Ramsgate ranging from proposals that its future as an O&M base for super yachts is assured to widely over-optimistic assessments of its capacity to accommodate all the cross-channel commercial traffic diverted from Dover. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion whatever their expertise in the highly competitive ferry industry, but there is little excuse for perpetuating obvious errors of fact. Here is one of the worst offenders from a source that describes itself as ‘The World’s Leading Ferry Website’. The text may have been corrected if you are reading this after September 2015, but this is what is currently stated: “Ramsgate has been a port for many thousand years. Indeed, the Christian missionary St Augustine of Canterbury, widely considered the founder of the Church in England, entered England through Ramsgate in the late 4th Century”, see http://www.aferry.co.uk/ramsgate-ferries.htm. Wrong by 200 years. We trust that any ferry passengers booking via the website might find a more punctual schedule, although if Operation Stack is in force, they may be in for a long wait, but perhaps not two centuries. For some accurate information about the Port of Ramsgate, see below.                             

10. Port of Ramsgate: the Facts

In the last year of Sally Line’s cross-channel ferry service from the Port of Ramsgate in 1998, Thanet District Council benefited from receipts of around £1 million in harbour dues. This is in sharp contrast to the disastrous results of the last few years when the council-owned port has received damming indictments in the national media. The princely sum of £3.4 million was lost in uncollected harbour dues from the failed TransEuropa Ferries followed by the announcement last month of £2.3 million to be paid in compensation for banning live animal exports without the legal authority to do so. Financial mismanagement on such a scale inevitably imposes considerable costs on every business and ratepayer in the district. Chamber members will understand why the Thanet & East Kent Chamber has orchestrated a series of meetings in the House of Commons, at Kent Council HQ and with the new regime at Thanet District Council to discuss a series of practical measures to revive Ramsgate as a cross-channel ferry port. If the support from our central, regional and local government in the UK could match that already offered at many meetings across the channel, there is every hope that 500,000 passengers could be flowing through the Port of Ramsgate in its second full year of operations. It was not that long ago when five Kent ports provided a cross-channel ferry service; Sheerness, Dartford, Ramsgate, Dover and Folkestone. It is surely not fanciful to suggest that the fastest growing economy of the G7 nations requires more than one short sea route to protect our £100 billion a year trade route.     

11. HR Support In Shepway

Chamber member QBH Solutions is offering free advice to companies in Shepway with fewer than 50 employees.  In an expanding local economy, there will be many firms looking to recruit staff and perhaps not entirely sure of compliance issues. Chamber members looking to supply to large companies at home and overseas may be seeking ISO 9001 status or to join the Investors in People scheme which is now offering a sixth generation management standard.  If you are simply keen to update your Human Resource skills and ensure your spreadsheets and databases do support all your staffing needs, David Burton and his team will be pleased to see you on 16th October 2015 at Basepoint Business Park in Folkestone. Published comments from satisfied customers include the words ‘down to earth helpful and friendly professional’, ‘very skilled at building a rapport’, ‘brilliant, they provided us with Job Descriptions, Contracts and an HR policy pack’, ‘easy to understand terms with no jargon’ and ‘loyal, committed and determined’ as well as intriguing insights on David Burton himself such as ‘We also become good friends and continue to be so. He and his wife came to see me in Scotland a few months ago’. To book your free place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More information is available on the website at www.qbhsolutions.co.uk. If you want to speak to Mr Burton direct or just want to know if his trip to Scotland was to secure supplies of the best single malt whisky, Chamber members are invited to call his mobile, tel: 07795 564089.

12. Paying the Right Tax

Geoff Smith of MHA MacIntyre Hudson has contacted the Chamber with news of significant changes in allowances for Buy To Let investors as a result of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Summer Budget. Despite the increased burdens, Geoff maintains that there is still the opportunity for ‘tax efficient remuneration’. With Corporation Tax scheduled to fall to 18% in April 2020, the UK should become an increasingly attractive country in which to do business. Jon Cleverdon of Cleverdons Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors tells us that “Among the many surprise announcements made by the chancellor during the summer budget, it was the changes to dividends taxation that caught the wider business community off guard”. Jon also notes that “the average person in the UK has £38.19 a week in spare cash to spend however they want”. Of course not one of our Chamber members is average and, as Jon knows better than most of us, averages can be misleading. After all, if Bill Gates walked into your office tomorrow, the chances are that on average everyone in the room would be a millionaire.

13. Minimum Wage and Tax Avoidance Schemes

Harry Kemp of Kemps Chartered Accountants informs us that 285 employers have been named and shamed since October 2013 for failing to pay their employees the minimum wage. He quotes Nick Boles MP, the Minister of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: “From October 2015 the National Minimum Wage will increase to £6.70. Employers should be well aware of the different rates for the National Minimum Wage depending on the circumstances of their workers.” Following a uniformly favourable High Court judgment over Accelerated Payments Notices there is also a sober warning too from HMRC’s David Richardson that “Those who use tax avoidance schemes need to know they can no longer hold on to the money while their affairs are investigated. They have to pay their tax up front like everybody else.” This judgment is expected to bring forward £5.5 billion in payments to the Exchequer by March 2020. Surely there is enough in the pot to compensate companies who have suffered the slings and arrows of an outrageous Operation Stack. What about a few pennies Mr Chancellor for our East Kent Business Advice Clinic? After all, a success rate of over 95% must be better than Business Link ever managed.

14. What Can I Do About Managing My Money?

Just as the management of the Port of Ramsgate should be in the hands of professionals, the same applies to maximising your income, managing your accounts and presenting them each year to Companies House. If your accountant or advisor is not on the following list, you might ask yourself if you could do better and give one of the experts a call: MacIntyre Hudson LLP,  Mr Adrian Dante 01622 754033; Cleverdons Chartered Accountants, Mr Jon Cleverdon 01843 866599; Kemps Accounting Solutions Ltd, Mr Harry Kemp 01843 861188; JHL Accountants Ltd, Mr John Humphrey 01304 216296; Levicks Chartered Accountants, Mr Mark Hurdman 01843 862716; McCabe Ford Williams, Mr Michael Whittaker 01227 373271; Michael Martin Partnership Ltd, Mr Ian Curtis 01227 770500; Neville Weston, Mr Christopher Weston 01843 594571; Wilkins Kennedy, Mr Derek Read 01304 897650; JW Accountancy Services,  Ms Julia Westbrook, 01304 830229. Financial advice and wealth management guidance is available from the following: Regency Independent Financial Advisers, Mr Barry Williams, 01304 213902; Rift Research & Development, Ms Norma Thomas, 01233 653002; St. James' Place Wealth Management, Mr Paul Baldwin, 01959 561606, Lloyds Commercial, Mr Simon Mount, 07725 068956.

15. Wages & Salaries in Kent

As noted above, the National Minimum Wage for workers aged 21 years and over will £6.70 an hour from 1st October 2015. From 1st October 2016, the National Living Wage will be £7.20 an hour for workers aged 25 years and older. But whatever the legal obligations, every responsible employer will want to know how much to pay to guarantee a loyal staff, encourage a motivated workforce and promote a sustainable, profitable business. Accepting that remuneration is just one of many reasons to attract and retain good employees, a look through job vacancies currently published in the press and on employment websites will act as some guide. Of course, there are geographical variations which can take into account travel costs and local conditions such as competitor behaviour and living costs. We are grateful to the ever-excellent Research & Evaluation Department of Kent County Council for its clear analysis of the median earnings for residents of East Kent. The latest figures from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings relate to last year, 2014. They provide a useful guide to staff costs and salaries for full-time workers. The median full-time weekly earnings for workers living in Kent in 2014 was £541.40, above the national average of £520.80 but below the South East regional figure of £567.00. Dover district resident earnings of £532.9 are a little under the Kent figure but comfortably over the GB rate by £12.10 a week. Residents of Thanet have the lowest median weekly full-time earnings, assessed at £450.90.

16. Give Us The Facts

The table below shows the ranked resident based weekly earnings for the districts of Kent. Also added are the percentages of the population in each district with an education of NVQ4 and above as rated in February 2014 in the Annual Population Survey. For our purposes, NVQ4 can be described as the level above 2 A levels. The rankings are roughly as you might expect with the more educated earning a higher salary, although Canterbury and Ashford both show a marked difference of 5 places in their earnings and NVQ rankings.

17. Public Lecture In Canterbury

Canterbury Christ Church University is offering Chamber members free admission to a public lecture at Old Sessions House, Canterbury on the evening of Wednesday, 30th September 2015. Dr Ted Malloch will be offering insights on modern business practices under the title of ‘A Responsible Way to Reorient Global Business’. After four years at Yale University where he directed the Spiritual Capital Initiative, Ted Roosevelt Malloch is now a Fellow in Management Practice at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. While in a previous post of President of the CNN World Economic Development Congress, he was described by Margaret Thatcher as “a global Sherpa”. His time negotiating the commercial heights of Wall Street with Saloman Brothers and the diplomatic niceties in Geneva at the United Nations suggest that he will have some pertinent comments to make on the recent banking crisis, the prevailing attitudes to economic migrants and the duties of company directors.  To reserve your place, find the website http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/about-us/public-lectures/public-lectures.aspx and click on the box marked ‘DETAILS’

18. Ship or Bust

Chamber Chairman, Dr Bill Moses MBE, a renowned authority on all issues connected to the successful commercial operation of ports and ferries, offers his professional comments on the issues facing the Port of Ramsgate. He writes: “Talk of a freight ferry service pursued by the council leads us to ask whether resultant port activity handling unaccompanied trailers, nominal local employment, minimal income and inevitable road congestion would create anything more than a very small tick in the ‘port activity’ box? But is there an alternative and if so what could it be? It has been said many times before that councils should not be allowed to run businesses and the port of Ramsgate might be considered no exception. That stated, if the activity were to be properly structured, the benefit not only for the port but the local community could be very considerable. Take for example a passenger ferry service that if appropriately conceived and marketed could generate significant stimulus for local hotels, guest houses, restaurants, retailers and attractions. As well as generating reasonable port revenue, the exponential benefit of a relatively small percentage of passengers staying and spending money in East Kent could be very considerable; revitalizing high streets and creating direct and indirect employment on a large scale. In the meantime, turning the ferry terminal into a Sheerness overspill car park does little to convince anyone that fortunes are improving, least of all council tax payers. The terminal appears sadly neglected and by all accounts it is. But, while some aspects of deterioration are clearly visible, the increase in siltation, exacerbated by a lack of scouring caused by ships coming and going, is less obvious. Dredging is an unavoidable legacy which will cost a considerable amount to rectify. A few ships entering the harbour from time to time is not the answer and certainly cannot compare with the benefits to us all of a professionally managed ferry passenger service.

19. Chamber Golf Day

The Dover District Chamber of Commerce Chamber is pleased to report that 27 of the 30 places available to corporate teams of four players at our annual Chamber Golf Day have been booked or reserved. With just three team places left for 12 players, Chamber member companies wishing to participate are asked to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible. The Chamber Golf Day will again take place at Royal St George’s Golf Club Sandwich which has hosted 14 Open Championships and is the course featured as “Royal St Mark’s” in Ian Fleming’s book Goldfinger where James Bond plays the most famous golf match in the history of fiction. The 2015 Dover Chamber Golf Day is expected to welcome 120 players in 30 teams all competing for a glittering array of prizes including a new Jaguar XE. We understand that unlike James Bond’s car in the film Goldfinger, the cars supplied by Barretts Jaguar of Canterbury should not give front seat passengers undue cause for concern; they do not have an exploding ejector seat.  For more news about Jaguar’s local partnerships and business contract hire offers, see http://www.barretts.canterbury.jaguar.co.uk/jaguar-for-business/business-partnerships.

20. Newcomer Of The Year

Chamber member Corporate Creations beat all the other newbies to be accorded the title of Newcomer of the Year at the British Promotional Merchandise Association 2015 awards. A regular at Chamber events, Corporate Creations Director Jean-François Chodecki has made a flying start to his new division following the early successes of Hot Craze, a self-confessed ‘supplier of gadgets and gizmos’. Corporate Creations offers to “design, create and procure the perfect unusual bespoke promotional gadget or product to represent your brand and get you noticed” and adds the enticing promise “All these value added services come at no extra cost to you.” More information can be seen on the company website at http://www.corporate-creations.co.uk/ and Jean-François’s beaming smile is available to view, also as a free service, at https://bpma.co.uk/bpma-conference-2015-winners.

21. Maritime Gaff

This edition of your chamber’s business bulletin has had a definite maritime theme; understandable perhaps as with our sister branch to the north, we form the largest business support body in the East Kent coastal business community. We have faced a challenging summer when our resurgent local economy has been unfairly restricted through congestion instigated beyond our borders and beyond our control. It was therefore refreshing to hear of the positive experiences of one Chamber member who returned from a reportedly wonderful cruise around the Caribbean, despite an unfortunate start to his vacation which he relates to us here. We have some doubts about this story, but we leave it to our good-looking and intelligent readers to judge for themselves. As our Chamber member put it: “This was the first time I had ever been on a cruise. My wife and I had always been happy enough with Butlins and why not?  Billy Butlin had a hotel in Cliftonville, you know, but we always went to Minehead. It used to flood sometimes which could be a little awkward, but the redcoats were marvellous and our children always had a great time when they were young. An uncle passed away last year and much to our surprise, as we were not that close, he left us a tidy sum and so we thought, we’ll buy some fancy clothes, get ourselves a passport and go on a cruise. On the first evening away from Miami, there was a formal dinner. Whether or not it was because we were first timers I have no idea, but we were invited to the captain’s table. Anxious not to make fools of ourselves, my wife and I put on our new evening outfits and arrived bang on time to be sat down either side of the captain. There he was in all his finery with an aperitif in his hand and there was me more used to a boiler suit and an adjustable spanner in mine. Keen to get the evening off to a friendly start, by way of conversation I said tentatively: ‘Captain, please tell me, do ships like yours sink often?’ He looked at me with a cold stare and replied. ‘No, sir, only once’”.  

© David Foley 13th September 2015

Dover Business News

Your Business Bulletin from Dover District Chamber of Commerce

22^nd June 2015   Issue No.: 212

1. Craig Mackinlay MP Speaks: Chamber Breakfast 26^th June 2015

The vast majority of our Chamber members will have already received news of our Chamber Business Networking Breakfast scheduled for 0730 – 0900 hrs on Friday, 26^th June 2015. The main speaker will be Craig Mackinlay MP whose constituency includes areas with maritime, rural and urban businesses in the districts of Dover and Thanet. A chartered accountant, chartered tax advisor, Justice of the Peace and charity trustee, Craig is also a keen sailor with his own ideas for stimulating the economy of East Kent. As a Chamber President working alongside Charlie Elphicke MP and Sir Roger Gale MP, Craig will be happy to answer questions at the end of his presentation and warmly welcomes close links with the business community. The price of £15 includes coffee on arrival and a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. Booking is essential. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line: “Chamber Breakfast 26^th June 2015”. Full details of the venue near Sandwich will follow with confirmation.

2. Did You Get a Share of £40 Million?

Last month’s Chamber Business Networking Breakfast entitled “Get a Share of £40 Million” showcased the latest plans for Betteshanger Sustainable Parks. Chamber members from a wide variety of sectors heard how they could become a supplier to this landmark development in the Dover district which promises to combine the latest advances in sustainable technology with a respectful celebration of its previous heritage at the heart of the East Kent mining community; a UK first. In a brilliantly succinct presentation, Director Richard Morsley outlined how local companies could benefit from the £40 million project at every stage of its construction. On completion, there will be attractive opportunities for green technology companies and firms in the food and drink industry. Betteshanger Business and Commercial Park will provide 6,700 square metres of internal space in separate units with a mix of serviced accommodation and units for start-ups. A focus on B1 (a) and B1 (b) accommodation will accompany tenancy agreements based on an “easy-in, easy-out” formula. The Food Hub Centre is expected to attract owners of food businesses with pioneering objectives who are keen to develop and bring new products to market with the support of display areas for B2C and B2B promotions. All buildings will conform to BREEAM standards, the world's foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings. Private sector investors expecting a median 5% return from year six rising to 8% have received some assurance from the wholehearted backing from local and national government. With Hadlow College managing the education campus,the only college in Kent to be both Ofsted ‘outstanding’ and an LSIS Beacon provider, tenants there will have fully committed professional expertise on site.

3. Contract Law Seminar

As promised in our previous business bulletin, Chamber Members attending last week’s seminar, ‘Introduction to Contract Law’ were treated to a rich diet of legal insights that will inevitably give them a significant advantage in future negotiations and correspondence with customers and suppliers. Commercial advice and insights of the highest quality flowed from Irfan Baluch, contract law specialist at Cripps LLP which has offices in London, Tunbridge Wells, Kings Hill and Sandwich. Breach of contract, agency agreements, non-disclosure agreements, memoranda of understanding, heads of terms, ‘the battle of the forms’, what you should and, of equal importance, what you should not put on your invoice were all featured in a veritable tour de force of professional advice that proved conclusively the contention that “If you do not understand the basics of contract law, you do not understand modern business and you are vulnerable to those that do.” Inspired by how to protect their company and increase its profitable trading, chamber members were full of praise for the seminar and its presenter. There is little doubt of the demand for it to be repeated before too long.  Irfan can be reached by telephone to Cripps, tel: 01892 515 121, or via the website at www.cripps.co.uk.

4. Lord Digby Jones

The Chamber was the guest of Wilkins Kennedy for an evening at Leeds Castle with Lord Digby Jones. For six and a half years, he was the outspoken Director General of the Confederation of British Industry. One of his predecessors was Sir Howard Davies, the current Chairman of the UK Airports Commission and John Banham who later served as Chairman of Tarmac, Kingfisher plc and Johnson Matthey. Determined to be his own man and refusing to join any political party, he used his experience as a senior partner at Edge & Ellison, a Birmingham-based firm of lawyers, to flummox Jeremy Paxman soon after his appointment by telling him that he had never been interviewed on television before. Indeed, he was brought up as the son of the owner of a corner shop in Alvechurch, near Birmingham and claims that this is where he learned the fundamentals of his business creed. It obviously served him well as he progressed through the ranks to be successively a student, a Probation Officer and Assistant Physiotherapist followed by three years in the Royal Navy. After graduating from University College London, somewhat unkindly dubbed by the local rival King’s College as “that Godless institution in Gower Street", he spent 20 years advancing from being an articled clerk to a senior partner. A fierce critic of protectionism, his many appearances in the media saw him berate the public sector for its inefficiencies. A knighthood in the 2005 New Year’s Honours list was followed a few years later by his appointment as Minister of State for UK Trade & Investment and elevation to the peerage as Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham Kb. Now with a string of executive and non-executive posts to his name, he makes regular appearances on the BBC as a business trouble-shooter or commentator on the day’s newspapers. Many Chamber members will agree with his much quoted lines that: “if fundamental reform does not take place, from working practices right through to pension provision, we will end up with an ever-diminishing private sector trying to pay for, and provide pensions for, an ever increasing and inefficient, unproductive, self-interested public sector” and yet most will surely take issue with his unreasoned support for Aston Villa FC, now to be found languishing in the lower reaches of the Premier League; surely a misjudgement and one that he shares with our current Prime Minister, another Villa fan who has yet to appreciate the qualities of our East Kent teams.

5. Who Pays The Ferryman?

We are grateful to Dr Bill Moses MBE for his comments submitted to the Chamber on an issue at the heart of East Kent ferry industry. Of appeal to anyone with the best interests of our maritime economy at heart, here is what he wrote. “For those connected with cross-Channel business there has been a rather long, some would say arduous debate to observe in slow motion. I refer of course to the authorities’ analysis of the MyFerryLink, a company born from the ashes of SeaFrance with ships funded by Eurotunnel and yet leased, manned and operated by a workers’ société coopérative et participative, or SCOP. It was arguably anyone’s guess whether it was reasonable for Eurotunnel to be associated with a surface operation as well as a fixed link but it was a brave move at least and one with logic; part insurance policy for those occasions where traffic diversion is required, an opportunity to cater for freight operators who have always preferred to spread their favours and in addition a way to accommodate hazardous cargo, a no-no for the fixed link. Alas, it was not to last despite a last-minute reprieve. The ships were instead consigned to DFDS, a move that results in a rare two-operator service from Dover, a port that has been more used to three players almost since the advent of the roll-on, roll-off ferry services in the early 50s. Earlier cries from those who monitor and legislated on competition put the customer first in an earnest effort to ensure that he or she was not disadvantaged. In truth MyFerryLink has provided a valuable, service-oriented and competitive operation with no evidence that passenger and/or freight clients have been deprived. The story is of course not over yet. DFDS will become the prominent if not largest surface operator and with two more likely to rationalise capacity than three, it is difficult to imagine that frequency will increase. And on those occasions when Operation Stack becomes a necessity the challenge posed by increased post-recession freight volumes and capacity more accurately tuned to demand may lead to a greatly increased test for Kent County Council.” 

6. Broadstairs Folk Week

Famous far beyond its town boundaries, Broadstairs Folk Week has become the jewel in the crown of Kent Festivals. Celebrating its 50th year this summer, the festival makes a huge impact on businesses in a wide variety of sectors.  A 2012 independent survey by Kent County Council calculated that the business impact of Broadstairs Folk Week was £2.3 million and the sum will surely have risen since then. Festival Director Jo Tuffs reminds the Chamber that it all began through the efforts of the Folk pioneer Jack Hamilton who: “… arrived in Broadstairs and knew at once this was the perfect place. Funding came from the Council who provided a £100 deficit guarantee. The English Folk Dance and Song Society provided a £50 grant.” It has grown somewhat since then. The 50^th Anniversary Festival from 7^th to 14^th August 2015 will offer over 500 events including concerts, dances, parades, a craft fair, a children's festival, morris dancers in venues ranging from the 600-seater concert marquee in the town’s park to the more intimate Sailing Club on the seafront. Almost every aspect of folk culture will be represented, both a massed Ukelele Band and English clog-dancing with the Demon Barbers. Jo has unstinting praise for “an amazing army of volunteers without whom Folk Week would not happen” and adds: “There are now over 230 of them and there are still a few vacancies for anyone who would like to join for 2015.” If you already know the difference between your Broonzies and your Belshazzar’s Feast or would just like to get more involved as a volunteer, spectator or supporter, give Jo a call, tel: 01843 604080, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More details are available on the website atwww.broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk

7. Dredging Up The Truth In Ramsgate

Observant Chamber members with an interest in all things maritime may well have seen a grab dredger working in Ramsgate harbour recently in preparation for the installation of pontoons for small boat owners in the Western gulley of the outer harbour and latterly a near never-ending attempt to influence the mountain of sand alongside the end of the East pier. But there is a misconception about this energetic little dredger. For the uninitiated onlooker, the Mannin bears such an uncanny resemblance to the dredger Ramsgate that served the port for many years, that many believe it is actually her. Alas, it is not the Ramsgate, pensioned off by the Council in 2008 for the princely sum of £66,000, a mere bagatelle and a tiny fraction of what the Council is now obliged to spend on third-party dredgers. The absence of ‘natural scouring’ by regular arrivals and departures of a ferry means that the silt is increasing; yet despite this the major part of the ports dredging needs have been struck from the budget. The result is that if a ferry service is attracted to the port, ‘catch-up’ dredging could result in a very costly inauguration. And what news you may ask of the often maligned, life-expired, Ramsgate? She’s as active as ever, renamed Helle SAJ and doing sterling work in the Baltic.  Shame she’s not the Mannin after all you may ask, we do.

8. Best Warehousing

The Chamber will be a hosting a workshop focussing on best practice in warehousing. In an expanding economy and a burgeoning logistics sector in the Dover district and elsewhere in East Kent, commercial storage space is under increasing pressure. It is particularly important for warehouse owners and managers to ensure that they are making the best possible use of their assets. An informal session will take place on Tuesday, 21^st July 2015 from 1000 hrs and will focus on sharing ideas for increasing efficacy in shipping, receiving, putaway and picking as well as recent developments in WMS (warehouse management system) software. For more details email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone 01843 609289.

9. Term Time Holiday

One senior Chamber member at a long established but fast growing company in the IT sector has contacted the Chamber with some heartfelt concerns “for small and medium businesses in complying with the restrictions on term time holidays.” He adds: “For many small businesses the employer is faced with a stark choice of either allowing a significant number of personnel to be absent at the same time or denying their employee’s children a family holiday. The problem is compounded as employees try to coordinate their leave not only with their own colleagues, but with that of their partners and their colleagues who are often working for similar sized organisations with the same problems. The value of education and the work of teachers should not be underestimated, it is essential for the success of business to have a supply of intelligent, educated school leavers, however the implication that allowing an eight year old a few days holiday in June 2015 is going to have a detrimental impact on that person’s skills in 2025 is unsubstantiated; however denying that child a holiday does put heavy strains on relationships between employers and staff, families and finances.” We welcome further comments from businesses across East Kent and will pass these to our Chamber Presidents who represent your interests in the House of Commons.  

10. How Do We Measure Unemployment?

The Chamber traditionally quotes the Claimant Count as a reliable guide to the evolution of our local economy. It is based on the exact number of people registered for benefits at our UK Job Centres each month and therefore provides accurate data from which meaningful comparisons can be made. The other main measure of unemployment is the Labour Force Survey (LFS); a statutory requirement of membership of the European Union that also allows for cross-border analysis on an equal basis. Although traditionally quoted in the media as our official unemployment rate, the LFS is at best a good guess based on a quarterly sample survey without a lot of detail.  If we accept that the three main UK economic indicators are the exchange rate, the interest rate and the unemployment rate, the only measure available every month for every geographical area, from the village in which you live to Great Britain as a whole, is the unemployment rate expressed in the Claimant Count. The Chamber has been monitoring these figures in East Kent closely for more than 8 years. A comparison of the latest data compared to the same period for the last two years is a reliable guide to our progress in the East Kent coastal business community.

The figures clearly show that unemployment for 16 – 64 year olds has more or less halved in the last two years, an encouraging picture for us all.

11. What About Youth Unemployment?

Although youth unemployment in Thanet is still the highest in the South East and remains an especial concern for 18 – 24 year olds at its current level of 5.6%, there has been a dramatic fall since May 2013 when 12.5% was the figure quoted by the Office for National Statistics and it had been 14.0% in September 2012. Similarly, there has been a sharp fall since May 2013 in Dover from 8.2% to 3.7%, Shepway from 7.0% to 3.4% and Swale from 8.6% to 3.8%.

12. Have We Never Had It So Good?

Harold Macmillan is still remembered today for his 1957 speech when he claimed: “Let us be frank about it: most of our people have never had it so good". That is not yet true of East Kent, but there is no doubt that we have made a good start with a sustained improvement in the business climate. National economic recovery policies have been a significant element; more money for investment, increased confidence in our institutions, positive fiscal reforms and confidence from consistent results that have outperformed other G7 nations.  Nevertheless, most commentators are agreed that this country has a systemic weakness in skills. Perhaps we have been fortunate in East Kent to benefit from the revival of East Kent College in Thanet, Dover and Shepway and many good and outstanding schools throughout the area. But skilled school-leavers, improving Further Education and more money available from the banks do not in themselves explain why unemployment has fallen across our region by nearly 50% in the last two years.  For this we must thank the key decision-makers who generate the wealth. These are the owners and managers of our established companies, the brave entrepreneurs who start new companies here and the inward investors who chose East Kent rather than any other part of the world. Lord Digby Jones, see above, is one of many who remind us all on a regular basis that the government has no money of its own except for what it confiscates in taxes from those who generate the wealth. If our strong upward growth is to continue and if we wish to maintain and improve our schools, hospitals and the fundamental infrastructure of East Kent, we should be nice to these wealth-creators or they might go somewhere else where a warmer welcome is on offer. Our message to key decision-makers at all levels of government in every political party is surely something along the lines of “You may wish to hug a hoodie from time to time, but do not forget to back our businesses in East Kent.”  In our popular television soap operas like East Enders and Coronation Street, company owners are often portrayed as unattractive characters with unsavoury habits, but without the money private companies generate, there would be no ITV and probably no BBC either. Mike Baldwin did have his good points.

13. Manston Update

Last Wednesday in a marquee located next to the runway, the Chamber joined BBC South East, ITV Meridian and Heart Radio to hear the latest news about the development of the Manston Airport site. On the platform were Ray Mallon, Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner. Their plans have a number of key features. Firstly, the site has been renamed Stone Hill Park with the name Manston dropped from future descriptions. With 200 acres designed to be attractive to advanced manufacturing companies, the owners envisage creating 4,000 jobs over a 20 year period in “a cluster of industries that work well together”. The plans include the provision of an East Kent Sports Village with an Olympic-sized 50 metre swimming pool, supplemented by a training pool of 25 metres in length.  Continuing the sporting theme, an outdoor surfing facility is promised which is reported to be sadly lacking in the South East of England. Safeguarding the future of the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum has been achieved through gifting the freehold to the trustees and the Stone Hill Park owners expect to undertake a similar donation to the RAF Museum next door. Respect for the heritage of the airfield has provoked the allocation of 200 acres as a greenfield site where vintage aircraft may land on a grass strip, as was the case in the early days of the airport.  Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner have noted the interest shown by film producers acutely short of space at Pinewood Studios. The prospect of the interior shots of a James Bond film taking place in a purpose-built film studio was not viewed as fanciful, although Ray Mallon’s suggestion that Trevor Cartner might play the lead role did not receive much response from the audience or indeed the would-be actor. The final piece in the jigsaw is the residential part of the site which is expected to accommodate 2,500 homes. Trevor Cartner predicted that these would bring an annual income to Thanet District Council of £4 million. Added to a new homes bonus of £24 million, Trevor is confident that the plans will be accepted and that a Compulsory Purchase Order will be successfully rejected. As for the prospects of a revived airport, he said: “What would it do for the social and economic fabric of the area- not a lot.” He added later: “The CPO is in pieces now. I know that people aren’t stupid” and “A CPO will fail. It will not see the light of day.” Ray Mallon and Trevor Cartner reserved some harsh words for those people supporting the return of mainline aviation activity to the site stating that any CPO or similar would require a huge sum in financial backing: “£76 million or no game on”. Local politicians objecting to the Stone Hill Park scheme were labelled as “Irresponsible in the extreme”, operating from misguided principles and “all because we had elections in May”. There were several references to what was perceived as a succession of past failures at Manston: “Previous passenger airlines, more comebacks than Frank Sinatra”. When questioned on how achievable the project is, Trevor Cartner expressed himself as being certain of delivering the scheme, echoing Ray Mallon’s words earlier that: “We can prove beyond reasonable doubt that the scheme is deliverable”.

14. Sporting Life

With so much construction taking place in East Kent, one Chamber member, whom we shall call John, felt compelled to join in and build an extension to his house. We have our doubts about this story, but we leave it to Chamber members to judge for themselves. “It was a few weeks ago and I thought it is about time I had a clear out of the garage before converting it into part of a two-bedroom annex. As always with a new supplier, I turned to the classified section of my Chamber diary. There was a long list of telephone numbers under the heading ‘Building Services & Construction’. I picked the nearest and dialled the number. ‘Hello’, said a female voice, ‘Can I help you?’. ‘Yes please’, I said, ‘I want a skip outside my garage door’. She paused for a moment and then answered sharply, ‘Well, we won’t stop you’ and promptly put the phone down. Can you believe it?”  No John, but thank you anyway.

© David Foley 22^nd June 2015

Dover Business News

Your Business Bulletin from Dover District Chamber of Commerce

14^th April 2015Issue No.: 211

1. Get a Share of £40 Million

The Dover and Thanet Chambers of Commerce will be hosting a Business Networking Breakfast on Friday, 1st May 2015 starting at 0730 hrs and finishing just before 0900 hrs. Chamber members will hear the latest news on how they can benefit from a £40 million investment in the Dover district. A wide range of suppliers in nearly every sector of our local economy stand to benefit from the construction, operations and future needs of this project. The price of £15 for Chamber members includes coffee on arrival and a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. Booking is essential. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line: “Get a Share of £40 Million”. Full details of the venue near Sandwich will follow with confirmation.

2. Contract Law & Your Business

All business undertaken in the UK today takes place within a framework of contract law. It is fair to state that if you do not understand the basics of contract law, you do not understand modern business. Furthermore, you are vulnerable to those that do. In a concentrated workshop of three hours, contract law expert Irfan Baluch of Cripps will brief you on how you can protect your business and safeguard your income by getting the best out of your contract negotiations and terms of trade. There will be time to raise specific issues related to your business.” A fee of £70 for Chamber members includes all documentation. A Booking Form is attached. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Contract Law Course 17 June 2015”.

3. Chamber Question Time

On Friday, 27th February 2015, the Thanet & East Kent Chamber of Commerce hosted Chamber Question Time featuring the main four parliamentary candidates for the North Thanet constituency. After a full English breakfast in the executive suite of Margate Football Club, local business leaders posed questions to the panel of Sir Roger Gale MP (Con), Frances Rehal (Lab), George Cunningham (Lib Dem) and Piers Wauchope (UKIP). The discussions covered a wide range of substantive issues relating to the commercial health of the constituency. After each candidate had presented a short presentation of their ambitions and policies, the first question set the tone of animated debate with “Do you think the national media treats your party fairly”. This was followed with questions on the public provision of WiFi, the future of Manston Airport, VAT on hotel accommodation, the reduction in UK armed forces and the performance of South Eastern trains. Such was the lively dialogue that ensued in the packed room, that there was not time to cover all the pre-submitted questions on matters such as assistance with EU contracts and public health. The panellists kindly stayed after the formal ending of Chamber Question Time to speak to individual businesses. In closing the debate, the Chamber Chief Executive thanked Bob Laslett and his team at Margate Football Club for their considerable financial investment in East Kent and the splendid hospitality provided. He also thanked the panel for their good-humoured responses and close attention to the concerns of local businesses.

Although new unemployment data for March 2015 has not yet been released, a general trend can be seen clearly when February 2015 is compared with February last year and again with the same month two years previously. The official figures relate to the resident working age population of males and females aged 16 to 64 who are claiming Jobseekers Allowance and National Insurance Credits. Unlike the Exchange Rate and the Interest Rate, the Unemployment Rate acts as a reliable guide to the state of our local trading environment as well as providing a key regional and national economic indicator. The evidence shows that Kent has created over 21,000 jobs in the last two years with unemployment falling 57% across the county as a whole. Although East Kent districts cannot match the unemployment rates of Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells, which have also more than halved since February 2013 and are now under 1%, a fall of between 42% and 49% in the four districts of East Kent equates to 5,800 adults now in a job or accredited training. Two and a half years ago in September 2012, youth unemployment in Thanet, Shepway and Dover was listed as an alarming 14%, 9.9% and 9.2% respectively. Although the current rates for 18 to 24 year olds of 6.8% in Thanet and 4.8% in Shepway and Dover do not merit a fanfare of trumpets, the trend is wholly positive and confirms the anecdotal evidence from Chamber members that some sectors of our East Kent economy are experiencing difficulty in finding suitable young people to assist with their increased production and growing order books.

Unemployment based on Claimant Count data supplied by ONS for resident adults aged 16 – 64.

Data reproduced under the terms of the Click-use License no. C2010000980. All rights reserved.

The leading local provider of Further Education courses, East Kent College maintains close links with the Chamber throughout the East Kent coastal business community. In March this, the college hosted a Chamber Question Time at its Folkestone campus in Shorncliffe Road followed earlier this month with a similar event in Broadstairs. With access to a network of over 1,000 active professionals, the Chamber invited a panel of business leaders from Shepway, Dover and Thanet to give their responses to questions from staff and students. Among the issues raised were the qualities the panelists looked for when employing young people, whether the UK should be a member of the European Union and if the BBC was correct in not renewing Jeremy Clarkson’s contract to host Top Gear. Although not always in in total agreement with each other, the panellists gave an invaluable insight into the qualities required to succeed in business and outlined what an ambitious company needs from its workforce in order to be successful in a competitive commercial environment.

If you want to know more about managing your money wisely, the Chamber is again offering a course for you or your trusted staff. The Sage Group has over 6 million customers and is the largest supplier of software to UK Small and Medium Enterprises. In liaison with Wilkins Kennedy, a Top 20 UK accountancy firm, chamber members are invited to attend a Sage 50 Accounts Course at beginner/refresher level. The session will take place at Discovery Park, Sandwich on 23nd April 2015. All participants who complete the course will receive a certificate of attendance. Topics covered include best practice in Invoicing, Receiving Payments from Customers, Credit Control, Invoicing Suppliers, Making Payments, Monitoring Debt, Bank Reconciliation, Vat Returns & Submissions, Financial Reports, Data Maintenance and Data Security. Suitable for any member of staff with an interest in maintaining accurate financial records, the course starts at 0930 hrs and lasts three hours. A fee of £70 for Chamber members includes a Sage manual, refreshments and all documentation A Booking Form is attached. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Sage Course 22 April 2015”

8. Chamber Diary 2016

We are pleased to advise you that the Chamber will again be organising its annual diary. The 2016 edition will continue in the same successful format as in 2015 with an alphabetical list of Chamber member companies together with an additional classified section. With the full participation of the Thanet & East Kent Chamber and the Dover District Chamber of Commerce, the diary is now recognized as a definitive guide to the East Kent coastal business community. All Chamber members qualify for a basic entry. If you have changed any of your contact details recently, please advise the Chamber. Advertisements in the 2016 diary start from £200. For details, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Chamber Diary 2016” and we will send you a full list of prices and a booking form. As in previous years, Graham Rayner will be contacting you to discuss how we can best promote your company through our publications and events.

9. Golf Day 2015

The Dover District Chamber of Commerce will be organising our 11th Annual Golf Day to take place at the Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich on 20th October 2015. We are again grateful to the management and staff at this great club for allowing our Chamber members to tread the fairways and dine in the Club House that has welcomed 14 Open Championships and every golfer of note including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and James Bond. The author of the Bond books is of course Ian Fleming. Less well-known is that he was an active member of Royal St George’s and made this beloved links course the setting of the most famous golf match in fiction, that between Goldfinger and James Bond. For more information on the promotional opportunities for your company in this unique settings, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Chamber Golf Day 2015” or telephone 01304 892484.

10. Chamber Conference

The Annual Chamber Conference will take place on 6th October 2015 and will feature as keynote speaker the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England. In a post that dates from the foundation of the bank in 1694, the Chief Cashier today does much more than act as the sole signatory of the bank. The first Chief Cashier, John Kendrick, would have been surprised to see the signature on the £10, £20 and £50 banknotes issued since 3rd March this year, not least because Victoria Cleland is the first female ever to occupy this prestigious position. Her responsibilities include being the Director of Notes and ensuring that our banknotes are secure, available and of good quality. Her signature will appear on polymer £5 notes in the second half of next year. Any Chamber members who handle cash or who want to know more about the physical money in their pocket, should reserve the date of 6th October 2015. More details of other speakers and sponsors will follow in subsequent editions of this business bulletin.

11. East Kent Port Traffic

The Dover District Chamber of Commerce can trace its origins to 1850, the year when the first telegraph cable was laid from Dover to France. Through the Victorian era to the present day, the Chamber has supported business and trade under a variety of political regimes and economic cycles. The Chamber’s archives chartered key economic issues and events of the last 165 years including Louis Blériot’s cross-channel flight of 1909, the quicker non-stop return flight the next year by Charles Rolls, two world wars, the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster of 1987, the Deal bombing of 1989, the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994 in direct competition to Dover’s Cross Channel ferries and the current debate surrounding the management of the Port of Dover, see attached. Chamber members with an interest in transport and maritime trade will be interested in the annual report of the Dover Incorporated Chamber of Commerce for 1914, published under the presidency of Alfred C Leney. Written three months after the outbreak of WWI, the report acknowledged the critical stage “in our Empire’s welfare” and the need to work “unceasingly for the promotion of commercial interests with the view to retaining in this country and the colonies much of the trade that has hitherto gone to Germany and Austria.” In the 12 months of peacetime to 30 June 1914, Ocean Liner traffic at Dover is listed as 152 vessels with 1,814 passengers landed and a slightly higher number embarked. The highest value imports at the ports of Dover, Deal and Sandwich were cotton and woollen goods which together with other textiles accounted for over half of the cargos by value. The highest value export was classified as Parcel Post. It is interesting to note that our exports of Arms, Ammunition and Military and Stores from East Kent ports grew from £42,000 in 1912 to nearly £92,000 in 1913; but, somewhat amazingly, these were dwarfed by the value of our exports of ornamental feathers which peaked at £221,000 in 1912. All this was to change completely as Alfred C Leney stated in his pithy introduction: “It is with much regret that we record the closing of the Port for commercial purposes, which must entail heavy losses on many of our members until the war is over”. Even when facing horrendous losses of human lives and commercial hardship, the Dover Chamber, then as now, emphasised that our future depended on stimulating trade: “The welfare of the Empire hinges much on commerce so that there is no alternative but to prepare for the future when peace shall once again reign throughout Europe.” There is however one message for the current Dover Harbour Board from a hundred years ago. “We trust that this Naval Base will be found so indispensable that it will be fully equipped and maintained, when the serious loss the Town has suffered in the past through little use made of it by His Majesty’s Fleet will be redressed.”

12. Southern Water

Since last July, the Chamber has received many comments about the actions of Southern Water with particular reference to the discharge of sewage on our tourist beaches in 2012 and 2014. Representations from the Chamber resulted in an invitation, which was gratefully accepted, to meet senior staff of Southern Water and to tour the pumping station at Palm Bay. It is expected that the detailed discussions during the visit last month will continue and result in positive actions to support our business community and to back tourism in East Kent. In fairness to Southern Water, it is worth noting that the company is restricted in its financial commitments. For instance, the regulator OFWAT imposed an obligation to reduce the ratio of consolidated net debt to Regulated Capital Value to 90% by the end of last month and we have learned that there are similar impositions on the ratio of EBITDA to consolidated net cash interest. Not many people will be aware that current legislation prevents Southern Water from disconnecting supply from domestic customers who default on their payments. There must be few retailers in East Kent who would be happy to be obliged to keep providing goods to a customer who consistently removes items from the shop without paying for them. It is understandable why such a benign regime of imposed credit control is not available to commercial customers.

13. Social Media Report

The Chamber Business Networking Breakfast of 27th March 2015 was billed as “Increase Sales, Increase Profits” and that was certainly the message from the podium from Social Media specialist Jonnie Jensen. After 16 years in digital marketing, Jonnie was able to give Chamber members a rich insight into how they can use free tools to boost their brand presence and keep their current and new customers eager and informed. Careful to avoid preaching to the converted, Jonnie nonetheless kept the rapt attention of Chamber members with a comprehensive briefing on how to promote an Internet marketing strategy that makes the best possible use of content creation, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Generating sales leads and feeding a hungry customer base with good PR were also covered succinctly in his expert explanation of the main elements in effective eCRM, which for those readers who for some unfathomable reason missed out on a full English breakfast and a fascinating talk, stands for electronic Customer Relationship Management. Jonnie has joined the Chamber and looks forward to meeting fellow Chamber members at our events in Dover, Thanet and Shepway.

14. Anything You Want

Companies vary in their offer to potential customers. Some adopt a core strategy that specialises in producing a restricted range of closely monitored products. In contrast, others look to boost their market share with an extensive catalogue of items purposely designed to appeal to as many buyers as possible, or as Roy Orbison sang on his final album: “Anything you want, you got it, anything you need, you got it, anything at all, you got it”. When stocking such a wide range of goods, it is sometimes easy to forget the obvious items. One Chamber member has related that he undoubtedly witnessed the perils of trying to be everything to everyone when he visited a Garden Centre and found it had no lettuce seeds; plenty of greetings cards, every variety of chocolate and hundreds of books on subjects other than gardening, but not a single lettuce seed for his vegetable patch. He said it reminded him of a recent visit to New York City. We have our doubts about this story, but we leave it to our distinguished Chamber members to judge for themselves. The guest of a well-known financial institution, he was invited out to dinner at a restaurant of his choice, no expense spared. More familiar with the hot-dog stands outside Central Park and the small eateries near Times Square, he thought it wise to consult his guidebook which lists all the establishments everywhere with three Michelin stars. Having considered Daniel Humm’s Eleven Madison Park and the newly decorated Bernadin, he selected one of the others, intrigued by its claim that it caters for every taste; he telephoned his hosts with his decision. That evening, he donned his best cufflinks, inherited from his grandfather, and a smart evening suit, specially hired for the occasion, and arrived at the restaurant at the appointed hour. After drinks were served in the bar, the menus were handed around and our Chamber member was asked for his choice. With such a vast array of dishes, most of them described in a language he did not understand, he quite reasonably asked the waiter for a recommendation. “But Monsieur, we can cook anything, anything at all”, said the bemused garçon, evidently offended that anyone could possibly think otherwise. Sorely, tempted to reply with some salty language more often heard in the back-streets of our East Kent coastal towns, our Chamber member toyed with the idea of asking for beans on toast, but then he had an inspiration. “Anything at all?” he asked the waiter. “Naturellement, Monsieur”, came the Gallic reply, “we satisfy everyone”. “In that case”, said our somewhat aggrieved Chamber member, “I will start with Rhinoceros Toe-nails on Toast.” Thirty-minutes later, the party was sitting amicably in the glorious splendour of the main dining room when the hors d'oeuvres were brought to the table. As the foie gras and truffle terrines were served to his companions, our Chamber member looked expectantly towards the waiter. “I’m sorry sir, very, very sorry,” said the waiter losing his French accent half-way through the apology. “But, I’m afraid we cannot supply your dish. We can’t and it pains me sorely and so here is some caviar on the house together with a bottle of champagne with our compliments. “Aha”, said our Chamber member, “I thought you would have a problem with Rhinoceros Toe-nails on Toast”. “Yes sir”, said the waiter.” I hate to admit it, but we have run out of bread”.

© David Foley 14^th April 2015