Author: Dom Stevens

Landmark agreement on the road to devolution

22nd June 2015

Today (22^nd June) leaders from the public and private sector, represented by Sheffield City Region Combined Authority (SCRA) and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), formalised their existing culture of collaboration to deliver economic growth through a new fit-for-purpose structure. This vital step in the road to devolution sees the establishment of five new Executive Boards. The Boards will cover: skills, business growth, infrastructure, transport and housing. They are tasked with making key decisions on strategy and budget allocation. The Executive Boards are made up of key players in the public and private sector and have delegated authority from the SCRA and LEP.

Sir Stephen Houghton, Chair of the SCRA and Leader of Barnsley MBC said:

“The new governance arrangements are vital to efficiently progress the devolution agenda and successfully deliver our promises to Government that form the Growth Deal.

“Political leaders have worked together across local boundaries for several years as it is mutually beneficial, this was formalised with the SCRA in 2014.

“The new arrangements mean we will take collaboration between Local Authorities, and public and private sector to a higher level.

“We have worked closely with our private sector colleagues in the LEP and value their contribution to economic success, and their leadership on key strategic programmes.

James Newman, Chairman of the LEP added:

“Since the formation of the LEP in 2010, I have been astounded at the enthusiasm and time the private sector has given for the greater good and economic growth of SCR.

“Their leadership and intellectual contribution to economic strategy means political leaders are willing to share the decision making burden.

“This is a dynamic time for Sheffield City Region, we have achieved much in a short timescale, and we should be proud of what these new arrangements will mean.”

This landmark decision on the road to devolution is the culmination of a successful partnership between the public and private sectors which began when the LEP began in 2010, and further developed when the SCRA was created in 2014.

The results of partnership working and increasing devolution from Central Government are yielding huge benefits to Sheffield City Region. Key achievements include the trailblazing City Deal in 2011, gaining £28 million Government funding. This enables the highly successful “Skills Made Easy” programme, and the SCR Investment Fund to accelerate essential infrastructure projects. The next achievement included the award of Enterprise Zone (EZ) status for strategic development sites in the City Region. The SCR EZ has attracted 18 new companies, helping create over 800 new jobs and is rated one of the most successful in the UK.

In 2014, SCR was granted an historic £320 million Growth Deal from Government, the fifth largest in the UK. The deal enables transformational projects to progress including the FARRRs link road to Doncaster Sheffield Airport, the Glass Academy, a business support service, and a “Skills Bank”. With oversight from the new Executive Boards, these programmes will deliver the growth required to boost the economy in both the City Region and the wider Northern Powerhouse.

Posted in Uncategorised

Nominate your favourite sporting places in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire as the ‘Home of Sport’

17th June 2015

VisitEngland are searching to find the nation’s favourite sports destinations.

As part of the quest to find the country’s top sporting destinations, the national tourist board has asked the public to send in their own nominations. By submitting an image of their “home of sport” – be it Headingley or a hidden gem of a village cricket green – sports fans will help decide the jewel in England’s sporting crown, no mean feat in a country that is world-renowned for its sporting heritage.

Could it be the Festival of Cricket at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield FC at the Proact Stadium or the multitude of outdoor activities in the Peak District!

To help find England’s sporting capital, participants can simply upload a picture of their own home of sport to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #HomeOfSport with a snappy sentence on where it is, and why it’s the best sporting destination in England. Approved nominations will appear on a national sports wall at www.englandhomeofsport.com and will be entered into a prize draw to win a selection of sporting experiences.

Over 250,000 people are expected to attend local events as part of the Festival of Rugby from this week until October – but England’s summer of sport is not all about the rugby. The Peak District welcomes the world famous vintage cycle race, L’Eroica, from 19 – 21 June and there’s a host of other exciting events coming up, providing the industry with a fantastic opportunity to showcase all the great things England can offer sporting enthusiasts.

VisitEngland’s Chief Executive, James Berresford, says: “As the birthplace of rugby, football, cricket, punting and the modern Olympic Games. England’s sporting heritage is something that truly sets us apart from other destinations. Additionally, our green and pleasant land provides jaw-dropping backdrops to a whole host of popular pursuits, from hiking and running to abseiling and coasteering, making the search literally country-wide.”

James Berresford continues: “The ambition of this campaign is to capture the variety of England’s sporting offer, to showcase the related benefits and opportunities for the tourism industry and continue to build excitement and ahead of the arrival of Rugby World Cup in September.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield

Chesterfield claimant count falls again as East Midlands drives the UK Economy

17th June 2015

The number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in Chesterfield continues to fall.

In May there were 1274 people out of work and claiming the benefit in Chesterfield compared with 1312 in April and 1840 a year ago.

The number of people aged 16-64 in work across the East Midlands for the three months to April 2015 increased by 4,635 to 2,268,398 from 2,263,763 for the same period the previous year.

The number of people unemployed in the region for the same periods dropped from 139,034 to 114,274, a fall of 24,760.

In Derbyshire the number of Jobseekers Allowance claimants fell from 6,870 in April to 6,434 in May, a drop of 436. The year-on-year fall was 3,179.

George Cowcher, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “The latest figures are welcome and prove once again that businesses in the East Midlands continue to power the economy.

“It’s also encouraging to see another period of wages rising above inflation, particularly given that inflation itself has started to rise.

“Boosting productivity is the key to sustaining increased pay. While the employment rate has shown a healthy increase over the past two years, it is not being matched by an increase in productivity.

“While UK growth is likely to remain dependent on the services sector, manufacturing remains a vital sector for innovation and productivity.

“Given this region’s strengths in manufacturing, supporting manufacturers – and in particular, encouraging more firms to explore international markets – should be an area of major focus for the new Government if it is to achieve its ambition to make the Midlands the ‘Engine of Growth’ for the UK’s economy.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Sell-out 2015 Chesterfield Retail Awards bigger and better than ever before

15th June 2015

More than 140 people will witness this year’s Chesterfield Retail Awards winners being crowned at the sell-out award ceremony on Wednesday 24 June.

Following last year’s runaway success, the ceremony has moved to a bigger venue and organiser Destination Chesterfield has, once again, witnessed unprecedented demand.

This year, the Chesterfield Retail Awards is being held at the Winding Wheel, where the ceremony will be hosted by popular Peak FM breakfast show duo Becky Measures and James Summers.

James and Becky commented: “We’re honoured and privileged to be hosting the 2015 Chesterfield Retail Awards. We thinks it’s absolutely brilliant for the town. There’s a real buzz about the town and everyone is talking about it. A massive well down to all the finalists.”

At the awards, 36 Chesterfield retailers will battle it out to be named the very best in their respective categories. The 16 categories recognise the very best independent shops, high street stores and market traders in the town.

Hair and Beauty Business of the Year
Fashion and Footwear Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by In the Works PR
Jewellery and Accessories Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by the Pavements Shopping Centre
Home and Gifts Retailer of the Year
Children’s Clothes, Toys & Accessories Retailer of the Year
Food and Drink Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by BHP Accountants
Phones and Technology Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by Mitchells Accountants and Business Advisers
Leisure Retailer of the Year (Sports, Hobbies, Crafts or Outdoor) Sponsored by Peak FM
Market Trader of the Year – Sponsored by Chesterfield Borough Council
Independent Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by Jumble Design
National/Multiple Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by Vicar Lane
Excellence in Customer Service – Sponsored by Learning Unlimited
Market Hall Business of the Year – Sponsored by Kier
Best New Store (Opened 2014/2015) – Sponsored by Banner Jones Solicitors
Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by East Midlands Chamber

This year, the awards are hosting an additional category – Vicar Lane Shopping Centre’s Retailer of the Year Award, which will name town’s favourite retailer based on Vicar Lane and Steeplegate in the town centre and the winner will be announced at the awards ceremony.

Other supporters of the awards include eBusiness Works and the Derbyshire Times.

You can keep up-to-date with the awards on Twitter, instagram and facebook by using the hashtag #retailawards15.

To find out more about the 2015 Chesterfield Retail Awards visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/retailawards.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Sponsor announced for Chesterfield Festival of Cricket

13th June 2015

Chesterfield Champion, Autoworld, Chesterfield, has become the official sponsor of this summer’s Chesterfield Festival of Cricket, held in association with Chesterfield Borough Council at Queen’s Park

Autoworld, one of the leading new and used car dealerships in Derbyshire, have thrown its support behind the six-day festival, which starts on Sunday 5 July and includes NatWest T20 Blast clashes against Northants Steelbacks and local rivals Yorkshire Vikings, and a LV= County Championship fixture versus Glamorgan.

The Autoworld Volvo XC90 Chesterfield Festival of Cricket – will represent the third successive year that title sponsorship has been attributed to a commercial partner for the annual event, which is celebrating its tenth successive year since its return in 2006.

Tony Cordin, Autoworld Managing Director said: “It’s exciting for us, as a local dealership, to be affiliated with the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket, which is one of the highlights of the summer sporting calendar in the area.

“We will have a selection of our cars at the six-day long festival including the new Volvo XC90, a luxury seven-seater 4×4, which is available to view and test drive from our dealership in Chesterfield.

“We are very much looking forward to an entertaining week of summer sporting entertainment.”

Derbyshire County Cricket Club Chief Executive, Simon Storey said: “We are delighted to have Autoworld as our principal festival sponsors for what is our tenth successive year back at Queen’s Park.

“The Chesterfield Festival is always one of the highlights of the summer and we are looking forward to another fantastic week of cricket.”

Find out more about the Festival and how to book tickets.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Summer, Visiting

Double award win for Chesterfield restaurant

11th June 2015

Chesterfield Champions, The Tickled Trout picked up two awards at the Westside Magazine Restaurant Awards 2015.

Tom Alberts, sous chef at the tickled trout won Young Chef of the Year and the Westside Magazine readers voted the venue the Readers’ Choice Restaurant of the Year.

Chris Mapp said “I am immensely proud of my team and what we have achieved in 10 months. I am very lucky to have such talented young people working for me and we all enjoy what we do because we are more than just a team but a family. We all have the same goals to make our valued customers happy and make sure that have a lovely experience with us.”

The Tickled Trout is independently owned by Chef Chris Mapp and nestled in the idyllic Derbyshire village of Barlow. The team has transformed the former run-down country drinking hole into the award winning dining pub. The food has an Italian influence and wherever possible the ingredients are sourced locally.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Manufacturing companies urged to get involved with Made in Chesterfield

10th June 2015

Engineering and manufacturing companies in Chesterfield and north east Derbyshire are being called on to make a difference to the future of young people and get involved with Made in Chesterfield taking place in November later this year.

Festival organiser Destination Chesterfield is now urging companies to put themselves forward and get involved with the school and business events that will be taking place throughout the month.

This year Made in Chesterfield has been extended from a week to a month, providing even more opportunity for the town’s manufacturing and engineering companies to ignite career interest in the sector from young people.

Last year a number of companies took part in the first ever Made in Chesterfield which took place over a week in November. United Cast Bar Ltd, Franke Sissons Ltd, MSE Hiller, Penny Hydraulics, Corregated Case Company, Kingfield Electronics, FieldCandy, and Magnifica Technologies Ltd, offering tours of their facilities, competitions, events and workshops with schools and students.

Ivan Fomin, managing director of MSE Hiller and Destination Chesterfield board member responsible for manufacturing and engineering, said: “The support of companies in the sector is vital to the success of Made in Chesterfield. Manufacturing is the lifeblood of the economy, feeding other sectors such as retail and leisure and its continuing success relies on today’s students considering it for a future career. Made in Chesterfield is designed to open their eyes to this and show them the varied job roles available and also how the sector has changed. However, we can only this of companies come forward and actively get involved.”

Last year Ivan’s company took an active role in Made in Chesterfield Week and invited a number of schools to tour the firm’s Markham Vale £3million purpose-built premises.

If your company would like to get involved with Made in Chesterfield, please contact Dominic Stevens on 01246 207207 or email dom.stevens@chesterfield.co.uk.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Manufacturing

Charity Golf Challenge for Ashgate Hospice

9th June 2015

Handelsbanken Chesterfield is to embark on a charity golf challenge in order to raise funds for Ashgate Hospicecare’s Urgent Bed Appeal.

The local relationship bank’s Chesterfield branch has pledged to raise £5,000 over two years for the Appeal, which hopes to provide the £1 million needed to keep its Inpatient Ward running at full capacity.

Ashgate Hospicecare, which cares for over 2,000 patients each year across North Derbyshire, provides free of charge palliative care. As such, it needs to raise £6m of its £8.5m operating costs from donations and legacies.

On Monday 22^nd June, Branch Manager Phil Walker and Corporate Manager Andy North will be playing a marathon four rounds of golf in just one day. It is expected to take around 15 hours in total and will consist of approximately 20 miles of walking whilst completing the 72 holes.

Phil Walker said, “We are proud to support Ashgate Hospicecare’s £1m Urgent Bed Appeal. Keeping the four beds open that are at threat of closure will enable them to continue providing their much-valued services to those across the North Derbyshire region who really need it.”

Posted in About Chesterfield

New jobs created at Chesterfield Accountants

9th June 2015

Chesterfield Champion Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers is set to create five new jobs after a period of impressive growth.

Mitchells, which is based on Saltergate in Chesterfield, has reported a rise in turnover in recent years with an underlying year-on-year increase of more than 10 per cent. It is also reporting a volume of new clients in the last three months, unlike anything it has experienced since 2008.

Growth, since the beginning of the year, has been unprecedented for the firm. It is reporting more than 300% growth in transactional financial due diligence assignments, which is attributed, in part, to the end of the recession and business owners being ready to move to the next level, either selling or growing their business.

Andrew McDaid, Partner at Mitchells, explained: “For a long time we have always believed that Accountants cannot simply be bean counters, businesses want advice. We are seeing a lot of new clients who are coming to us out of frustration. They want to move their business to the next level but don’t know how. We can give that practical help by structuring deals or accessing finance or grants on their behalf enabling them to invest in equipment or technology which can enable growth.”

Mitchells is involved in financial due diligence in respect of share purchases/sales, asset purchases/sales and grants as well as share valuations and expert witness work, acting for both buyers and sellers in these transactions. In 2015 the firm completed the same number of transactions in a three month period than it would ordinarily undertake in a year.

Andrew explained the growth in this area: “Coming out of the recession many businesses have found themselves at a crossroads. They might have been poised for sale prior to the recession and that impacted on the value of the business and then the lack of available finance reduced buyers in the marketplace. Now banks and other finance providers are lending again and business owners are ready to push ahead with the plans they may have had before the recession.”

The Mitchells business model has always involved budgeting to have over-capacity in terms of staffing hours. This, together with its use of award winning technology to improve business performance, ensures the firm continues to provide a quality service to clients.

To meet increased client demand, the firm will be employing a further three qualified accountants, an undergraduate placement and an AAT apprentice position by the end of 2015, who will join the 35-strong team.

Andrew said: “It may be a bold statement, but I believe that businesses have never had it so good. There are a myriad of financial incentives in the marketplace right now and I encourage many of our clients, who are focussed on growth, to consider taking advantage of the low interest rates, low inflation, government schemes to encourage apprenticeships, employer allowances and grant funding.”

Posted in Business

Lloyds Bank expert and business futurologist come to Chesterfield for D2N2 Annual Conference

9th June 2015

One of the UK’s most senior economic figures and an expert in looking at business’s future challenges will be guest speakers at the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Conference.

The free business breakfast event will be held from 7.30am to 10am on Tuesday July 14; at The Leengate Legends Lounge of the Chesterfield FC Proact Stadium, at 1866 Sheffield Road, Chesterfield.

D2N2 – a partnership of business, local authorities, and skills and training providers which promotes economic growth across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – holds an Annual Conference each year.

Representatives from businesses, local authorities, education providers, community organisations and others working in the D2N2 area are welcome to attend the free event. They will hear about the Local Enterprise Partnership’s work over the last year and its ambitions for the future.

The agenda for the Annual Conference will be as follows:

7.30am to 8am – Registration and light breakfast provided.

8am to 9.15am –

Welcome and presentation by D2N2 Chairman Peter Richardson.
Presentation by Chief Executive David Ralph.
Short video on the work of D2N2 over the last year.
Guest speaker – Trevor Williams, Chief Economist for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, Visiting Professor at the University of Derby’s Business School and co-author (with Victoria Turton) of Trading Economics. Trevor will look at where UK growth is coming from in the next few years and its main challenges, in the context of the new Government’s first Budget (due July 8).
Guest speaker – Christopher Barnatt, Futurist and author of website ExplainingTheFuture.com, Associate Professor of Strategy and Future Studies at Nottingham University Business School, and the author of Seven Ways To Fix The World and 25 Things You Need To Know About The Future.

9.15am to 10am – Business Panel. A panel featuring D2N2 Board members and guest speakers will answer business questions live from the audience. Hosted by Neil White, Editor-in-Chief at the Derby Telegraph.

10am – A chance for networking and close of the event.

Peter Richardson, Chairman of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The Local Enterprise Partnership has had a terrific year.

“Highlights have included the launch of the Growth Hub last December, with its team now a vital resource to aid businesses, and the announcement in March this year of £214m in European funding for projects improving skills provision, entrepreneurship, business competitiveness and a wealth of other drivers of economic growth.

“We look forward to welcoming delegates to our Annual Conference, to hear how we’ve moved from planning to delivery and about our ambitious plans for the future.”

To book online to attend the Annual Conference (a maximum of two people per organisation, please) go to the D2N2 LEP website www.d2n2lep.org/About/Events

Posted in Business, Development

Discover the top 50 businesses in North Derbyshire

8th June 2015

BHP Accountants and the Derbyshire Times recently published their list of the top 50 businesses in North Derbyshire and the state of the economy.

Dominic Staniforth of BHP said “Against a backdrop of a stable economy, controlled growth and record employment, North Derbyshire continues to shine brightly and is rapidly becoming a powerhouse of the region. Overall the Top 50 SMEs in North Derbyshire contribute turnover of over £712 million, generate pre-tax profits in excess of £55million and employ over 4,000 people.”

“At the headline level these numbers reflect a growing confidence in the area and demonstrate a willingness to invest. 2014 certainly felt different to previous years and many companies reported significant growth suggesting sustainable confidence and an improving economy.”

Download the report and discover the top 50 SMEs in North Derbyshire in 2015

Posted in Business, Development