£3.5 Million Boost to Local Economy

Thanet & East Kent Chamber, the largest business support body in Thanet, has partnered with Thanet College, the largest training provider, in a pioneering initiative that promises to give a huge boost to the local economy. A series of meetings between the new College Principal, Graham Razey, and the Chamber’s Chief Executive, David Foley, resulted in a breakfast meeting at the Fayreness Hotel, Broadstairs last Tuesday. During the meeting Graham Razey announced to a packed room that £3.5 million of the College’s budget that is currently being spent on suppliers from outside the area will be switched to local companies “wherever possible”. Almost every sector of the East Kent economy stands to benefit from this new policy. SWIFT Codes for all Banks in Australia Commenting on the announcement, David Foley said: “This is a wonderful example of business engagement at its very best. Thanet College is leading the way in working with the private sector.” Graham Razey declared: “The Thanet & East Kent Chamber is at the heart of the business community. We will go local wherever possible and look forward to working with East Kent companies of all sizes”.

Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber

Thanet & East Kent Insider

28^th August 2010 Issue No.: 

1. Get a Share of £700,000

The senior management of Thanet College is dedicated to supporting local business. As well as attracting an increasing number of companies to its training courses, the college is reviewing its list of suppliers to see if it can redirect around £700,000 of spending towards locally-based companies. The Thanet & East Kent Chamber is delighted to have been selected as the host for this pioneering initiative and looks forward to facilitating the process at a Thanet & East Kent Chamber Business Breakfast scheduled for 21st September 2010. All companies attending will have the opportunity to learn if their products and services might meet the needs of Thanet College.  Potential suppliers will have to satisfy the senior management of the college that they can provide the right combination of price, quality and service to match the highest standards. To book your place at this business breakfast presentation, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Business Breakfast £700k”. Priority will be given to Chamber members with no membership fees outstanding.



2. A Window On East Kent

One company which can claim more than one window on East Kent is the Door & Window Company of Broadstairs. Now celebrating its 31st year of trading, this family firm has acquired an enviable reputation for keeping the customer satisfied. In an exclusive interview with the Thanet & East Kent Insider last week, director, Steve Palmer, said, “Over 90% of our sales are generated from repeat business from customers, their families and friends”. This may not be good news for advertising agencies and their outlets, but it has proved to be a sound policy for the proprietors at 8-10 Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs. Business has been sustained through the difficult trading conditions of the past three years through the simple virtues of offering excellent service with good quality products at a fair price. Happy to supply the trade as well as the home owner, Steve and his team have an enormous range of products on offer. Not everyone will want to examine the “128 billion designs to choose from” quoted in the on-line brochure, but when it comes to doors and windows, this firm has the knowledge and experience that lives up to its name. It also has some catchy slogans such as “What a difference a door makes”. If you want to know about a Dedicated Top Box Transom, an SPD multi-locking system approved by ACPO CPI or a 2 panel sunburst in White with Stippolyte Chrome hardware, the Door & Window Company will be happy to oblige. For details, telephone 01843 864307.   



3. The Chamber Expands

With many new members joining the Thanet & East Kent Chamber, we are expanding the management team. Joining the Chamber next month will be Roger Wildman. A resident of Cliftonville, Roger brings with him a wealth of experience of the operational requirements of companies large and small.  Following a solid background in banking with Barclays and HSBC, Roger developed his career in Sales & Marketing travelling extensively overseas before returning to Kent to work as Head of Business Development for a wealth management company in Tunbridge Wells and latterly in East Kent for Kennedy Scott Ltd. A keen golfer and sailor, Roger will begin his duties on 20th September  in time for the business breakfast the following morning and the Chamber Golf Day on 8th October. Following successful trial arrangements, Sylvia Fagg has been confirmed as PA to the Chamber Chief Executive and will be available weekdays from 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs to assist members with administrative matters and appointments.



4. Some Good News

The news released last week by the Office for National Statistics that our national economy grew by 1.2% in the period from April to June 2010 will come as no surprise to some East Kent companies. Boosted by strong inward investment, the Chamber is receiving some heartening news of strong performance from some East Kent companies. TV One, tel: 01843 873300, has its European base at Westwood Industrial Estate and is firmly focused on international trade. Rather than drinking tea and waiting for customers to call, the management of this enterprising outfit believes in meeting its clients in their backyard. TV One’s exhibition schedule for the next few months includes stands at BIRTV in Beijing,Integrate 2010 in Sydney, IBC 2010 in Amsterdam, the AMX Technology Show in Massachusetts, Content and Communication World 2010 in New York and InfoComm Asia in Hong Kong.  Anyone requiring proof of the success of its management team need only look at its current staffing requirement for a Research & Development Manager. Applicants should apply before 10 September. The successful candidate can expect a salary of between £49,000 and £55,000. There are three other posts up for grabs; a Windows Software Engineer £39-£45,000 p.a.,  a Hardware Design Engineer, £39 – £45,000, and a Research & Development Engineer, £29 – £35,000. As this Chamber has often stated, it’s happening now and it’s happening in Thanet and East Kent.



5. Manston Update

Regular readers will recall that daily flights connecting Manston and Manchester are due to begin on 6th September 2010. The inaugural flight from Manchester is expected to leave at 1040 hrs arriving at Manston at 1150 hrs. The Bombadier Q400 aircraft is then scheduled to collect the passengers boarding at Manston and depart at 1215 hrs, arriving at Manchester airport 70 minutes later. This timetable is expected to continue every day until 25th March 2011, except for Sundays when the flights leave a little later. At the time of writing, a one way flight to Manchester departing on 23rd November 2010 is available for £35.98 which is calculated as flight ticket £0.00; taxes and charges £25.99; baggage £9.99.  Full details of the daily flights to Manchester and Edinburgh are listed on the Flybe website at http://www.flybe.com.



6. Passport

Are we the first generation to find that a passport for your trip abroad costs more than the flight? It seems to be the case. To renew your adult passport with the Home Office Identity and Passport Service costs £77.50 for the basic service. It can take up to three weeks. The Thanet & East Kent Chamber can book a ticket today for a Flybe flight from Birmingham to Milan for a total charge of £51.99. The flight takes 2 hours and 35 minutes; the cost of just the flight ticket is a mere £11.48. It makes you think, doesn’t it?



7. Hooked On Sales

Being able to recognise an opportunity when it presents itself is one of the innate qualities of successful business people. With the inward investment promised to Thanet, there will be many local firms in a position to benefit from the opportunities presented by the increased spend from visitors and the purchasing power of new companies. Taking full advantage of the cash in a customer’s pocket requires salesmanship of a high order. Are the best sales people born or is it a skill that can be acquired? The answer is probably that those with a serious talent for sales will be among the first to wish to polish their skills. One Chamber member sent us an account of a Thanet graduate who would do well in any retail environment. We do have our doubts about this story, but readers must judge for themselves. A young Thanet business skills graduate went to Harrods looking for a job. The manager asked: “Do you have any sales experience?” The young man answered:  “I certainly do. I was a salesman in my Dad’s shop every summer for five years”. The manager liked the positive attitude and our Ramsgate friend landed the post. His first day at the UK’s largest store was busy, but he survived. The store’s Latin motto translates into English as ‘Everythingfor Everyone Everywhere’ which of course should provide comfort to any salesman at any time. As the doors closed at the end of the trading day, the store manager spoke to our Ramsgate rookie and said: “Alright then, how many sales did you make?” The young Thanet graduate replied: “One”. The manager looked to the heavens and groaned: “Only one, only one. I don’t believe it. Our sales staff usually make at least 30 sales a day, what have you been doing? OK now, tell me, how much did the toothbrush cost?” “It wasn’t a toothbrush”, came the reply, “but it did cost £132,282.80.” The manager gasped: “£132,000. What did you sell?”. “Well, first I sold him a fish hook, a Captain Hamilton Nymph No. 10 as I recall, and then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said along the coast; so it was obvious he would need a boat. We went down to the marine department and I sold him that Trophy 2502 Walkaround. Then he said he didn't think his sports car would pull it, so I took him to car sales and he bought that blue Land Rover Discovery 4 x4”. The manager was entranced and said: “You mean to tell me that a man came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and a 4 x 4”. “On no,” said our Ramsgate wonderboy, “He came in to buy some mouthwash for his girlfriend and I told him he should get out more in the fresh air.”   



8.  Our Sponsors

Girlings Solicitors has been managing the legal affairs of commercial and private clients for over a century. Twenty-six partners and one hundred and twenty members of staff ensure a comprehensive range of services from the local offices in Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone, Herne Bay and Margate. Offices in France and Spain complement specialist departments for charities, individuals and companies. For details, telephone 01843 220274. Express By Holiday Inn took on the daunting task of restoring the former Prospect Inn at Minster. The result is a spectacular hotel that combines the best of Oliver Hill’s 1930s design with ultra modern facilities and technological support. Conveniently located for business guests and holiday makers in East Kent, the meeting rooms and 105 bedrooms are available at competitive prices throughout the year. For details, telephone 01843 820250. Adecco is the world’ s largest HR solutions company offering a comprehensive service of temporary and contract staffing, permanent recruitment, outsourcing, outplacement, career services, training and consulting. Officially designated as a 2009 British Superbrand, Adecco is represented in Thanet and Dover by its Broadstairs office, tel: 01843 609292.CARISS design, install and support education and business computing systems as East Kent’s leading specialist company in Open Source Software.  To lower your carbon footprint, reduce your power consumption and adopt a thin client system, call CARISS, tel: 01843 823724. Mach Associates are the high-fliers in providing Internet technologies and specialist software solutions with a particular expertise in servicing the travel industry. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and with ISO9001 accreditation, Mach Associates also offers reduces telecom operating cost through VOIP/PBX phone systems, tel: 0870 321 9986. Sota Connect offers a comprehensive IT service covering best-value voice, data and Internet services for companies of all sizes as well as public sector organisations. The company operates two state-of-the-art data centres of over 10,000sq ft. Sota Connect owns and operates a unique 200km fibre network from London to Ramsgate with high bandwidth Internet access giving superfast Internet connections, tel: 0800 072 2420.

Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber

Thanet & East Kent Insider

21^st August 2010 Issue No.: 204

1. Get a Share of £700,000

The Thanet & East Kent Chamber works closely with organisations in Thanet and East Kent to promote a strong local market in business-to-business sales. We are keen that wherever possible, companies based in East Kent should consider using suppliers located here. Thus, we are especially pleased that one large employer which currently spends £700,000 on purchases from suppliers outside East Kent has accepted an invitation from the Thanet & East Kent Chamber to meet local suppliers with a view to restructuring its purchasing policies to favour local companies. Price, quality and service will be important considerations, but there is every reason to expect companies in East Kent will be able to compete successfully on service with price and quality not far behind. The Chamber will be organizing a business breakfast on Tuesday 21st September 2010. Chamber members will receive more news during the week in a dedicated email. More details will be available in next week’s edition of the Thanet & East Kent Insider.



2. MSC & Fish In Ramsgate

The Marine Stewardship Council sets itself the objective to “transform the world's seafood markets and promote sustainable fishing practices”. Operating the world’s leading certification and eco-labelling programme does give the organization a claim to fame. The MSC states that the demand for sustainable seafood has never been higher and notes that an increasing number of fisheries, suppliers and restaurants are demonstrating their commitment to sourcing sustainable seafood products by getting official certification. MSC is organizing a free event in Ramsgate on the afternoon of Wednesday 1st September 2010 for fishermen, suppliers and restaurateurs. Beginning at 1430 hrs with an introduction to the work of the MSC, the afternoon continues with professional presentations from David Blackburn and Alfie Grimshaw on “Sustainability in the fish & chip shop sector” followed by a session on sustainable seafood for restaurants with Tony Welch and Laky Zervudachi of Seafood Holdings. Emily Howgate of the Seafood Choices Alliance will talk about the “Good Catch Project”. There follows advice on marketing MSC certified fish and a demonstration of fish filleting. Refreshments will be available during the interval and afterwards. The event is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and will take place at the Ship Shape Café in Military Road, Ramsgate. Interested delegates are requested to email Ruth Westcott at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The Thanet & East Kent Chamber thanks Hannah Arcaro, UK Foodservice Manager at MSC and Louise Askew of Thanet District Council for raising our awareness of the event.



3. Code For Sustainable Homes

OFP Ltd has drawn our attention to the mandatory legislation used to rate the environmental performance of new buildings in the UK. The Code for Sustainable Homes is managed by BRE Global: “Ensuring that products and services protect people, property and the planet”. The code assesses nine different categories for sustainable design. Each category has a sub section with weighted credits allocated against them depending on their importance in the overall scheme. The figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government released yesterday show that  there were nearly 8,000 post construction stage certificates and just over 27,000 design stage certificates issued up to and including June 2010. The private sector was responsible for just 10 per cent of homes with post construction certificates and 22 per cent of those with design stage certificates. The public sector accounted for 90 per cent of homes with post construction certificates and 78 per cent of those with design stage certificates. There is clearly a long way to go if the private sector is to meet government targets. With its industry leading products, OFP Timber Framed Homes can help you achieve nearly a third of the points needed through supplying the timber products required to minimize energy loss, maximize sound insulation and reduce the environmental impact of the materials used. For advice and more information contact OFP direct at their Sandwich headquarters, tel: 01304 613298.



4. End of Period of Grace On Tax

Mark Hurdman of Levicks Chartered Accountants informs us of an important change in a concession from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs. As Mark explains: “An HMRC concession, ESC B46, was introduced in 1995 and means that HMRC will not issue penalties for late filing of company tax returns or employers’/contractors’ end-of-year returns, provided that they are received by the last working day within seven days of the filing date. The concession ensures that penalties will not be charged where all reasonable steps to file the returns on time have been taken. However, all forms P35 and P14 must already be filed online by the majority of businesses and contractors are no longer required to file end-of-year construction industry returns. In addition, from 1 April 2011 company tax returns for accounting periods ending after 31 March 2010 must be filed online. Therefore, ESC B46 has become redundant and so will come to an end on 31 March 2011. Any businesses filing a return late will have to show that they had a reasonable excuse for the delay in filing to avoid a penalty.” For more details, contact Mark direct at Levicks in Broadstairs tel: 01843 862716 or in Canterbury tel: 01227 455183.



5. Doing It Better In HR

The Thanet & East Kent Insider has often featured articles on issues surrounding Human Resources, mental health and guidance on the latest thinking on improving production in the workplace. Members may be interested in a free and confidential Workforce Assessment tool. Announced in the Human Resources Magazine last Tuesday, The Age and Employment Network (TAEN) and the US-based AARP have launched a UK version of an assessment tool that has been used happily by over 2,000 US companies in the last two years. It enables employers to assess their current and future workforce needs. HR managers are invited to complete the online questionnaire which among other issues covers company demographics, knowledge retention, financial benefits, health benefits, flexible working options, the physical work environment, training opportunities and recruitment policies. Retaining the best staff aged over 50 is viewed as being as important, perhaps even more important, than recruiting the best twenty to thirty-year olds.  After registering, it takes about 30 minutes to complete the questions. A customized report will automatically be generated based on your responses. For details, see http://www.aarpworkforceassessment.org/us/index.cfm



6. What Chips Can Teach Us

A respectable businessman with a hard-won reputation for fair dealing, this East Kent resident may not wish to be reminded of the errant behaviour of his youth. But, for a short time in the early 1970s he did have the habit of visiting fish and chip shops in the late evening to ask: “Have you got any chips left?” This leads us to reflect on processes. Just about every business is composed of processes which might be defined as ‘a series of activities carried out in order to satisfy a customer’s expectations’. Of course, specialists in quality management will tell us that the customer can be someone from within the business as well as an external cash buyer. But in either case, in order to manage the processes with the skills modern management demands, performance has to be measured and action should follow to optimise outputs relative to inputs. Process performance is often measured using data compared to objectives, KPIs or Key Performance Indicators.  In most businesses, the critical process is order realisation; in other words, transforming external customer expectations into a delivered product or service. One common KPI for manufacturers and retailers relates to an appropriate level of finished goods: too low and you can’t meet customer demand, too high and money is needlessly blocked in the system leading to ageing stock, expensive storage and potential damage to perishable goods. “What has this got to do with fish and chips?” you might well ask. The answer is that when our budding entrepreneur used to put his head around the door just before closing time and ask: “Have you got any chips left?” the answer would almost always be a thankful “Oh yes, there’s plenty here”. Before disappearing quickly into the night with a gleeful smile on his face and just in time to avoid any flying vinegar bottles, the youthful manufacturer-to-be would unerringly reply: ‘Well, you shouldn’t have cooked so many”. When you think about it, he did have a point, didn’t he?




9.  Our Sponsors

Girlings Solicitors has been managing the legal affairs of commercial and private clients for over a century. Twenty-six partners and one hundred and twenty members of staff ensure a comprehensive range of services from the local offices in Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone, Herne Bay and Margate. Offices in France and Spain complement specialist departments for charities, individuals and companies. For details, telephone 01843 220274. Express By Holiday Inn took on the daunting task of restoring the former Prospect Inn at Minster. The result is a spectacular hotel that combines the best of Oliver Hill’s 1930s design with ultra modern facilities and technological support. Conveniently located for business guests and holiday makers in East Kent, the meeting rooms and 105 bedrooms are available at competitive prices throughout the year. For details, telephone 01843 820250. Adecco is the world’ s largest HR solutions company offering a comprehensive service of temporary and contract staffing, permanent recruitment, outsourcing, outplacement, career services, training and consulting. Officially designated as a 2009 British Superbrand, Adecco is represented in Thanet and Dover by its Broadstairs office, tel: 01843 609292.CARISS design, install and support education and business computing systems as East Kent’s leading specialist company in Open Source Software.  To lower your carbon footprint, reduce your power consumption and adopt a thin client system, call CARISS, tel: 01843 823724. Mach Associates are the high-fliers in providing Internet technologies and specialist software solutions with a particular expertise in servicing the travel industry. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and with ISO9001 accreditation, Mach Associates also offers reduces telecom operating cost through VOIP/PBX phone systems, tel: 0870 321 9986. Sota Connect offers a comprehensive IT service covering best-value voice, data and Internet services for companies of all sizes as well as public sector organisations. The company operates two state-of-the-art data centres of over 10,000sq ft. Sota Connect owns and operates a unique 200km fibre network from London to Ramsgate with high bandwidth Internet access giving superfast Internet connections, tel: 0800 072 2420.

Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber

Thanet & East Kent Insider

14^th August 2010 Issue No.: 204

1. How Are We Doing?

This edition of the Thanet & East Kent Insider has a few numbers in it. With many of our members away on holiday and with more muted email correspondence than at other times of the year, we turn our attention to bringing you some hard facts. There is some heartening news on unemployment. Data from the ever excellent team at KCC’s Research & Intelligence Unit reveals that for the second successive month, the year-on-year unemployment figures for Thanet show more wards in the black than in the red; 15 wards show annual falls against just 7 with a rise. A modest annual decrease in unemployment across the district of 1.4% will represent for some a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Residents in Shepway may feel that the light is from a train coming towards them as Folkestone and the surrounding district is again the only area in Kent to show an increase in unemployment in July 2010 compared to the same month last year. Residents of Tunbridge Wells will be polishing their Jaguars with renewed vigour as the district records a massive 18.3% fall in the numbers claiming unemployment benefit, closely followed unsurprisingly by Sevenoaks and Tonbridge & Malling. The unemployment rate for Kent of 3.0% sits exactly halfway between that for the South East at 2.4% and Great Britain as a whole at 3.6%.



2. Unemployment Data For East Kent

Thanet wards with more than 150 registered unemployed are listed first.

3. Save Energy

News has reached the Thanet & East Kent Chamber of an impending energy reduction device which has been designed to reduce resistance in cables and therefore minimize heat loss and boost power. To be marketed in the UK as “BlueCarbon”, this product will interest members with a professional interest in electrical wiring or the reduction of energy costs. For more details, Chamber members are invited to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Bluecarbon” and we will respond promptly with contact information.



4. Please Play On The Grass

Residents of East Kent with young children will delighted to learn that as a permanent memorial to the Queen in her diamond jubilee year, more playing fields will be created throughout the UK. Spearheading the project is Prince William who is widely reported in the national press, highlighted in the Daily Mail, as saying that he “could not think of a more fitting tribute to my grandmother’s 60 glorious years on the throne”. The final total of playing fields to be ready in 2012 is precisely 2,012. Cynics will undoubtedly point out that more than 6,000 playing fields have been lost to the nation since 1992. The charity Fields in Trust, formerly known as the National Playing Fields Association, has already selected 550 sites and is now asking local authorities to nominate plots of at least half an acre, 0.2 hectare, which can be included in the scheme. Fields In Trust seeks to protect playing fields “in perpetuity for future generations” and has made the conscious decision to link the jubilee celebrations with the 2012 Summer Olympics. With an available budget of just £7 million, success will be dependent on donations, sponsorship and cooperation from local authorities. The charity currently looks after 1,271 sites, but many of these are either too small or designated for specific uses which exclude them from the open access criteria required for inclusion in the Queen Elizabeth II Fields project. The trust is therefore looking for 1,512 sites which would benefit from the enhanced protection on offer. Like the campaign for a National War Memorial in East Kent, objections to this initiative have been notable by their absence. In an email to the Chamber, one senior and well respected local politician even admitted generously “I don't normally agree with the Daily Mail but…” Anyone with a suggestion for a possible site is invited to contact their local authority. More details on this splendid scheme and a short video voiced by Prince William are available at http://www.qe2fields.com. He asks: “The question is, where will our sporting stars of the future come from if we continue to lose access to these important grass roots facilities?” Well said, sir. Viewers to the site can make up their own mind as to whether the Prince’s burgundy tie goes with the light blue stripes of his shirt.



5. International Trade

Moving things from one country to another is the most fundamental aspect of international trade. If the logistics improve, trade tends to increase. If the logistics deteriorate, so does the exchange of goods. Making it easier and cheaper for your customer to receive the goods they want can depend on a wide variety of factors outside the control of the seller. Of course, it helps if there is an accompanying payments system that ensures you are paid for what you export. The Thanet & East Kent Insider will report on international payments in a later edition. This week we look at the transfer of goods and a comparative study which considers which countries are good at it and in which countries there is room for improvement. The World Bank is generally considered to be a reliable source of international data. It has released its rankings based on the performance of 155 countries listed in the 2010 Logistics Performance Index. Countries are judged in six categories: Customs, Infrastructure, International Shipments, Logistics Competence, Tracking & Tracing and Timeliness. Germany moves into first place in the list replacing Singapore which drops one place from its position as head of the class in 2007. The UK is posted in a creditable 8th position tied with Germany in International Shipments but let down rather badly by Infrastructure and Customs; East Kent companies have longed campaigned for better road access to our ports of entry. Companies trading with Switzerland will be pleased to note its top score for Tacking and Tracing. For many companies knowing where your goods are and why may be more important than a few hours gained in transit through customs. Of the top 10 countries, 8 are in Europe; Japan and Singapore being the only intruders. Newcomers in the premier league are Luxemburg, Belgium, and Norway. Austria, Hong Kong/SAR China and Canada all drop out of the top 10 this year. The US fell one place to 15th, doing rather well for Track and Trace as 5th best and for Logistics Infrastructure where it came 7th, but suffering badly at 36th for International Shipment Ease. The top countries among the “Upper Middle Income Countries” were South Africa 28th, Malaysia 29th and Poland 30th. China watchers will note that 27th is a respectable position for what is officially classified as a “Lower Middle Income country” and represents a high position on a per capita basis. Seasoned travellers will know that this fails to take into account the large economic disparity in incomes among the population. Somalia is at the very bottom of the list with the lowest score of all for Tracking and Tracing.



6. Who Can Help With Shipments?

The following Chamber members have the experience and expertise to supply or advise on the international movement of goods. Ferry Management Services Limited of Faversham tel: 01795 520268; Fox’s Removals & Transport of Margate tel: 01843 294422; Kent International Airport tel: 01843 820059; Manston Express Transport of Manston tel: 01843 823030; Minters of Deal/Geoff Fisher Transport of Sandwich tel: 01304 615331 and White’s Transport of Minster tel: 01843 821377.



7. World Bank Rankings  

The top ten on the World Bank’s 2010 Logistics Performance Index are as follows:

8. Inflated Ideas

Readers who have persevered with the previous items in East Kent’s number one weekly business bulletin will note that we have made no mention of the current rate of inflation. One member in the construction industry, suspecting quite rightly that this week’s edition may feature economic data, has sent us the following account which has inflation at its heart. We have our serious doubts about its factual accuracy; but we leave it for readers to judge. “Members of the Chamber may be interested in my experiences with an innovative project to build a school a few years ago. As a money-saving measure under the Building Schools For Inflation initiative, my company was asked to build an inflatable school. We had made some inflatable buildings before but nothing on this scale. However, always pleased to take on a new challenge, we completed the project on time and at 10% of the cost of a conventional edifice. Unfortunately, a few days after the official opening, a naughty school boy destroyed the whole building with the injudicious use of a pin. Before expelling the offender officially, the head summoned him and his parents to the site bearing the sad remains of this once, for a short time, proud school. Addressing himself directly to the 12 year-old culprit, the head said sternly, “You let me down, you certainly let yourself down, but most of all you let the whole school down.”



9.  Our Sponsors

Girlings Solicitors has been managing the legal affairs of commercial and private clients for over a century. Twenty-six partners and one hundred and twenty members of staff ensure a comprehensive range of services from the local offices in Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone, Herne Bay and Margate. Offices in France and Spain complement specialist departments for charities, individuals and companies. For details, telephone 01843 220274. Express By Holiday Inn took on the daunting task of restoring the former Prospect Inn at Minster. The result is a spectacular hotel that combines the best of Oliver Hill’s 1930s design with ultra modern facilities and technological support. Conveniently located for business guests and holiday makers in East Kent, the meeting rooms and 105 bedrooms are available at competitive prices throughout the year. For details, telephone 01843 820250. Adecco is the world’ s largest HR solutions company offering a comprehensive service of temporary and contract staffing, permanent recruitment, outsourcing, outplacement, career services, training and consulting. Officially designated as a 2009 British Superbrand, Adecco is represented in Thanet and Dover by its Broadstairs office, tel: 01843 609292. CARISS design, install and support education and business computing systems as East Kent’s leading specialist company in Open Source Software.  To lower your carbon footprint, reduce your power consumption and adopt a thin client system, call CARISS, tel: 01843 823724. Mach Associates are the high-fliers in providing Internet technologies and specialist software solutions with a particular expertise in servicing the travel industry. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and with ISO9001 accreditation, Mach Associates also offers reduces telecom operating cost through VOIP/PBX phone systems, tel: 0870 321 9986. Sota Connect offers a comprehensive IT service covering best-value voice, data and Internet services for companies of all sizes as well as public sector organisations. The company operates two state-of-the-art data centres of over 10,000sq ft. Sota Connect owns and operates a unique 200km fibre network from London to Ramsgate with high bandwidth Internet access giving superfast Internet connections, tel: 0800 072 2420.

Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber

Thanet & East Kent Insider

7^th August 2010 Issue No.: 

1. Business Rates

This is a reminder to all companies that pay rates on their business premises. Many Chamber members will recall that we have hosted two meetings with the key-decision-maker at the Valuation Office Agency who has responsibility for the business rates for all commercial premises in East Kent. The Thanet & East Kent Insider of 25th September 2009 gave an account of the basis of the calculation of rates. The VOA analyzed rental values on 1st April 2008 as a guide to fixing the new rates which have been effective since 1st April 2010. The revisions have covered the charges levied on offices, shops, warehouses, factories, storage facilities, garden centres, surgeries, beach huts, public toilets and all commercial premises. The new scale of charges will be used for the next five years. It is important therefore that that every company receives a fair assessment. The good news that was announced at our meetings last year was that East Kent companies should on average be required to pay 5% less in 20010/11 than in 2009/10, providing that there have been no material changes to the property in the five-year period to 31 March 2008.  In cooperation with the VOA, the Thanet & East Kent Chamber has produced a series of handy guides which are still available to Chamber members when requested by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Business Rates Guides”.  It is only fair to note that the independent “Review of the Valuation Office Agency 2009” published on 10 June 2009 roundly praised its operations and listed a 93% satisfaction score for 2008/9, which comfortably outperformed most other government departments. In the majority of cases that are referred to the Thanet & East Kent Chamber, we look at all the relevant papers and can usually find the reason for any increases. However, in those cases that we do pursue on behalf of members, we can claim a 100% success rate in reducing the charges. Any members concerned that they might be paying too much are advised to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will contact you promptly to arrange a meeting.



2. The Arts In Ramsgate

Eileen Richford, Technical Officer at Ramsgate Town Council, has contacted the Chamber with news of Ramsgate Arts’s “A Summer Squall”. This is a series of arts-related events running over the bank holiday weekend of 28th – 30th August 2010. Taking as its three themes Made in Thanet, Green Futures and Heritage, the events promise to bring a lively and commercially aware series of activities to Ramsgate during one of its busiest periods of the year. Many of the attractions are free and visitors, tourists and residents alike will welcome the 28 choices listed in the attractive brochure produced by the Ramsgate Arts voluntary group that has been preparing for the festival for more than a year. Full details are available on the website at http://www.ramsgatearts.org. As the Thanet & East Kent Insider has often remarked, history tells us that healthy arts and healthy business go together and we wish Ramsgate Arts every success with their weekend.



3.Water Water Everywhere, But Is It Safe To Drink?

Louise Askew of Thanet District Council has kindly drawn our attention to a workshop on 15th September 2010 at Pfizer Sports & Social Club which will examine the state of groundwater on the Isle of Thanet. Are you aware that the Environmental Agency has assessed the groundwater in Thanet as failing the EU Water Framework Directive due to the presence of hydrocarbons, solvents or nitrates? In its final submission on standards in June 2008, the UK Technical Advisory Group noted the obligation to monitor in freshwater and saltwater sites the presence of the following pollutants: 2.4-dichlorophenol, chromium, cypermethrin, diazinon, dimethoate, linuron, mecoprop, phenol and toluene. Techies who forsake all interest in pubs, sports, literature, films, social interaction and religion will know that 2.4-dichlorophenol is used in the preparation of herbicides. TheEnvironment Agency report “River Basin Management Plan, South East River Basin District Annex A” of December 2009 showed the rivers in East Kent to be officially classified as Moderate or Poor.Even if you prefer watching East Enders to analyzing C6H4Cl2O. 2,4-DCP, you might want to know more about how the polluted water in East Kent is made safe to drink and why we must improve the quality of our groundwater or face inordinately expensive processing costs.  There will be presentations at 1015 hrs, 1230 hrs and 1430 hrs. In an exclusive interview with the Thanet & East Kent Insider, organiser Lisa Beeching said she welcomes delegates from the Thanet & East Kent Chamber, the largest business support agency in the area, but requests that interested parties should register by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by telephone direct to the Environmental Agency at West Malling on 01732 223191. The workshop opens at 0900 hrs and will close at 1600 hrs leaving you just sufficient time before dinner to scuttle home and put some chemical free organic fertilizer on your kitchen garden.



4. Planning & Property Profits

The national press often covers horror stories of planning blight. Councils insensitive to the needs of their local companies can stimulate copy for the media as the frustrations of those entrepreneurs most affected are driven to launching a full broadside attack on the intransigence of officialdom. All of this helps to sell newspapers and amuses those who consider themselves not directly involved. In fact, we are all involved when an enterprise is not allowed to be enterprising and when employment opportunities are reduced or abolished by those in a position to support companies in the best position to grow. With nine out of ten companies in the East Kent coastal business community employing fewer than 25 workers, backing the expansion plans of start up companies probably offers one of the quickest routes to boosting the economy and thereby reducing unemployment. It is refreshing therefore to find that at Thanet District Council we have a regeneration department that communicates regularly with the Thanet & East Kent Chamber, the largest business support agency in Thanet, and is happy to listen to problems that the Chamber raises. Reasonable solutions follow from reasoned arguments. Whereas some planning authorities charge over £1,000 for pre-application planning advice, the Chamber is often able to obtain some guidance at no cost or at a reduced cost to members. Where specialised technical information is required, we are also fortunate in our area to be able to direct enquirers towards property professionals who have the skills and experience to assist in commercial and residential transactions including maintenance, preservation and tenant references. We are pleased to list the following:  CJ Maintenance (S.E.) Ltd of Hersden tel: 01227 711500; Cliftonville Tile Centre of Cliftonville tel: 01843 296603; Cooke & Co Estate Agents of Cliftonville tel: 01843 231833; The Door & Window Company Ltd of Broadstairs tel : 01843 864307; Eurocell Buildings Plastics Ltd of Ramsgate tel: 01843 589686; FLS Tenant Referencing Services Ltd of Hersden tel : 01227 719898 ; Fox’s Removals & Transport of Margate tel: 01843 294422; Hemispheres Property Consultants of Ramsgate tel: 01843 596663; L & G Mortgage Solutions of Birchington tel: 01843 845600; Margate Harbour Arm Ltd of Margate tel: 07968 209047; Meadowside Chartered Building Consultancy of Birchington tel: 01843  841055; MPG Properties of Ramsgate tel: 01843 596224; Oakwood Homes Estate Agencies Ltd of Margate tel: 01843 221133; OFP Ltd of Sandwich tel: 01304 613298; Pescon (Kent) Ltd of Canterbury tel: 01227 463248; Pike Shopfitting & Joinery of Sandwich tel: 01304 614901; TCB Property Maintenance of Margate tel: 01843 228484; Terence Painter Properties of Broadstairs tel: 01843 866866 and W W Martin (Thanet Ltd) of Ramsgate tel: 01843 591584.



5. US Navy On A Collision Course

Following our recent report of a first class evening spent with the Royal Navy Presentation Team, one Chamber member has sent us an account involving the US Navy exercising off the coast of Newfoundland. We have our doubts about this story but we leave it to our readers to make their own judgment. According to our Chamber member, the following is a transcript of a radio conversation between a ship of the US Navy and the Canadian authorities which was allegedly released into the public domain on 10th October 1995.

“Change your direction 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.”

“Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.”

“This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.”

“Any I say again, you divert YOUR course.”

“This is the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Enterprise of 93,284 tons. Divert YOUR course now.”

“And this is a Canadian lighthouse. Your call.”



6. Silly Season

In some Western European countries, certain factories and commercial operations close down entirely for two weeks in August. In many of the 27 members of the European Union, the pace of business is limited as national economies focus on tourism and employees enjoy their annual holiday. Traditionally, the press in this country, local regional and national, produce spurious and sometimes obviously concocted stories in an effort to retain their readership and to maintain the interest of their advertisers. Being a serious publication reporting on business issues of importance, the Thanet & East Kent Insider naturally rises above such behaviour. Readers will be relieved to know that the Loch Ness Monster has not been sighted in the River Stour at Pluck’s Gutter nor has a psychic octopus called Paul been found at Quex Park predicting the results of the opening weekend of the Premier League.  What has provoked a reaction among the 2,500 key-decision-makers who read the Insider is the item in last week’s edition about the pointless, portable and expensive electronic signs on the verges of our local motorways which display edifying messages such as “TAKE EXTRA CARE WHILE TOWING”. We asked for any suggestions to supplement the meagre vocabulary of the Highways Agency. We were not disappointed by the results. Les Posniak of NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent offers the witty: “DO NOT BE DISTRACTED BY IRRELEVANT ROADSIGNS”. Rob Prince of China Gateway International has sent four examples including a photograph of a sign outside one of the buildings at Northampton General Hospital which reads: “Family Planning Advice: Use rear entrance”. Another well-travelled reader recalls visiting India just after Mrs Gandhi had left office. He saw a large hoarding in Madras which displayed in characters one metre high “Honesty is the Best Policy” and underneath in text of a similar size: “Especially In Income Tax Matters.” Whereas not everyone will follow the instructions at Northampton General Hospital, readers will surely now take extra care with their taxes, even if they already do the same with their caravans.



7.  Our Sponsors

Girlings Solicitors has been managing the legal affairs of commercial and private clients for over a century. Twenty-six partners and one hundred and twenty members of staff ensure a comprehensive range of services from the local offices in Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone, Herne Bay and Margate. Offices in France and Spain complement specialist departments for charities, individuals and companies. For details, telephone 01843 220274. Express By Holiday Inn took on the daunting task of restoring the former Prospect Inn at Minster. The result is a spectacular hotel that combines the best of Oliver Hill’s 1930s design with ultra modern facilities and technological support. Conveniently located for business guests and holiday makers in East Kent, the meeting rooms and 105 bedrooms are available at competitive prices throughout the year. For details, telephone 01843 820250. Adecco is the world’ s largest HR solutions company offering a comprehensive service of temporary and contract staffing, permanent recruitment, outsourcing, outplacement, career services, training and consulting. Officially designated as a 2009 British Superbrand, Adecco is represented in Thanet and Dover by its Broadstairs office, tel: 01843 609292. CARISS design, install and support education and business computing systems as East Kent’s leading specialist company in Open Source Software.  To lower your carbon footprint, reduce your power consumption and adopt a thin client system, call CARISS, tel: 01843 823724. Mach Associates are the high-fliers in providing Internet technologies and specialist software solutions with a particular expertise in servicing the travel industry. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and with ISO9001 accreditation, Mach Associates also offers reduces telecom operating cost through VOIP/PBX phone systems, tel: 0870 321 9986. Sota Connect offers a comprehensive IT service covering best-value voice, data and Internet services for companies of all sizes as well as public sector organisations. The company operates two state-of-the-art data centres of over 10,000sq ft. Sota Connect owns and operates a unique 200km fibre network from London to Ramsgate with high bandwidth Internet access giving superfast Internet connections, tel: 0800 072 2420.