The Insider - Business Bulletins
Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber
Thanet & East Kent Insider
19th February 2011 Issue No.: 144
1. Life After Pfizer
Bookings are pouring into the Chamber for our Business Networking Breakfast scheduled for Friday, 11th March 2011 from 0730 to 0900 hrs at Pfizer Sports & Social Club. A series of five-minute talks from senior figures in the East Kent economy will address the opportunities for business with the overriding theme of “Life After Pfizer”. Thanet District Council Leader, Cllr Bob Bayford, will be joined by key decision-makers in the private sector who will advise delegates of commercial opportunities in the East Kent coastal business community. Bookings can be made by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “Life After Pfizer Breakfast”. The event is being organised jointly by the two largest business support organisations in the two districts most affected by the closure of Pfizer in Sandwich, the Thanet & East Kent Chamber and the Dover District Chamber of Commerce.
2. Maritime Sales Opportunity
Following our recent meeting with senior officials from Finland, we have been approached by a Finnish company looking to establish agency arrangements in the UK. Any Chamber member interested in promoting sales of Ballast Water Treatment Systems might like to consider a new opportunity in a market that is expected to increase significantly as new legislation comes into effect. We are advised that the ideal agent will have “good contacts to shipyards and ship owners, will know how to do technical sales/assess suitability and have good references, i.e. represent well recognised brands.” The company has built an excellent reputation for its products over the last 30 years and has strong ties to Man Diesel, Rolls Royce, Yanmar and Wärtsilä as well as good links in South Korea and China. Any Chamber member “experienced in mechanical marine components” who would like to know more should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.copied to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “Finland Agency Enquiry”.
3. What’s All This About Finland And Ships?
Regular readers will know that it was a Finnish shipyard that built the world’s two largest cruise ships, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, both listed at 225,282 Gross Tonnage (GT). To give a point of reference as to how big these ships are, it is worth noting that the QE2 is listed at 70,327 GT. A report from November 2010 by the University of Turku shows 500,000 people working “in the sphere of the employment effects of the Finnish Maritime Cluster”. Out of a working population of under 2.5 million this is a significant element in the economy of the country. Employment prospects in East Kent would benefit significantly from a greater emphasis on the development of our ports and exploiting our coastline heritage.
4. Fairtrade
“No man is an island entire of itself” wrote John Donne nearly 400 years ago, but then he did not live in Thanet. Although no longer a geographical island, Thanet is a FairtradeIsland and in many respects has led the way in the UK in presenting the case for Fairtrade goods from the undeveloped world. Under the spirited direction of the ever-enthusiastic Tammy Stewart-Jones, Thanet Fairtrade has made remarkable progress since it opened for business in 2005. The support of Thanet District Council and local schools has raised the profile of the organisation in East Kent to the extent that it is expecting a large turnout for its annual tea party next month. Scheduled to begin at 2.00 pm on Sunday, 6th March visitors and supporters will be treated to a Japanese Tea Ceremony and a variety of activities including a Cake Competition. If you are wondering if the Fairtrade bell is tolling for you, go along to Northdown House in Cliftonville on the first Sunday in March. Entrance is free.
5. Travel & Leisure Show
We are grateful to Paul Spree of Canterbury City Council for reminding the Chamber of KoS Media’s third Travel and Leisure Show 2011 which is due to take place at Dover Cruise Terminal on Sunday 13th March 2011. Visit Kent will be out in force and will many Chamber members such as Carol Peters Travel, one of the stars of last year’s event. Details are available on the website at http://www.kentexpo.co.uk/thetravelandleisureshow?req=91.
6. How Are We Doing?
In previous editions of the Thanet & East Kent Insider, we have reported extensively on unemployment figures. Our view has been consistent. We have advocated the need to look at the annual trend rather than the month-to-month figures which have a tendency to give a misleading impression of the state of our economy at a local, regional and national level. However, we admit to some concern at the figures released last week which show a monthly increase in Thanet unemployment of 5.2%. The annual reduction in the jobless for the district has now fallen to a worryingly modest 2.0%. This compares unfavourably with improvements in Tonbridge & Malling where a 19.9% fall puts this central Kent area just ahead of Sevenoaks which has registered a reduction of 18.0% since January 2010. Of the wards in Thanet, Garlinge residents may have the best justification for increasing their mortgages as the place again tops the improvement statistics in Thanet with an annual fall in unemployment of 16.4%. What worries this Chamber is that Cliftonville West and Margate Central show more monthly increases with unemployment rates of 15.1% and 13.9% respectively; just 3 out of 20 Thanet wards show a monthly fall in unemployment. The figures for East Kent appear below.
|
|
January 2011 |
Change since January 2010 |
||
|
|
Unemployed |
% of workforce |
Number |
% |
|
Ashford |
1,903 |
2.7% |
-120 |
-5.9% |
|
Canterbury |
2,173 |
2.2% |
-383 |
-15.0% |
|
Dover |
2,275 |
3.5% |
-251 |
-9.9% |
|
Maidstone |
2,265 |
2.4% |
-381 |
-14.4% |
|
Shepway |
2,562 |
4.2% |
-189 |
-6.9% |
|
Swale |
3,138 |
3.7% |
-270 |
-7.9% |
|
Thanet |
4,284 |
5.5% |
-88 |
-2.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kent |
33,094 |
3.1% |
-4,234 |
-11.3% |
|
South East |
135,259 |
2.5% |
-27,336 |
-16.8% |
|
Great Britain |
1,445,379 |
3.7% |
-152,476 |
-9.5% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7. What Can We Do About The Jobless Figures?
We might borrow an epitaph from one social activist more celebrated in North Korea than in Western Europe: “The Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways - The point however is to change it". It is indeed one thing to write about unemployment data, it is quite another to do something about it. One happy circumstance that has arisen from the announcement by Pfizer of the closure of its Sandwich site is a new collective determination to improve transport links to East Kent. Readers will recall that the “Growth Without Gridlock” plan launched by Kent County Council on 1st December 2010 envisioned a Manston Parkway Station to bring our largest regional airport in Kent within a magic ‘golden hour’ of London. This would require a new line from Ashford. It also makes sense to extend the current high speed link from London St Pancras-Dover to Deal and Sandwich in the expectation that the current average speeds on this track will increase. For HS1 to stop at two stations in Folkestone within one mile of each other is wholly unacceptable to residents and business further down the line.
8. What Else Can We Do?
Established Chamber members will know that the Thanet & East Kent Insider reported on the first Maritime Energy Summit which took place in November 2009, see Thanet & East Kent Insider edition no. 84 of 13th November 2009. Organiser Laura Sandys, now MP for South Thanet, said at the time: “‘It was really important today to show-case Thanet as an area of the country at the cutting edge of wind energy development. We have so much to offer in terms of further developing the sector.” This remains just as true today now that Thanet Offshore Windfarm is established and construction of the London Array is under way. A boost to the maritime sector can be expected following any changes in the ownership of the Port of Dover. The Dover People’s Port Trust is bidding to purchase Dover Harbour. Championed by local MP, Charlie Elphicke, the business plan envisages considerable support for local business. In an article in the Independent on 9th February 2011 under the headline “Big Society: innovation or slogan?”, Phillip Blond makes the case for change and quotes the dividend that local companies could expect. “For example, the business plan provides for £100m to be invested in the port over the next five years with some £50m directed into local regeneration – something no wholly private bidder would offer.” Ramsgate and Whitstable could be natural candidates to follow suit if a successful template can be established in Dover.
9. What About the Empty Rates Campaign?
Recent discussions with property specialists in East Kent confirm that the Rating (Empty Properties) Act 2007 remains a serious disincentive to inward investment. The Thanet & East Kent Chamber is continuing its campaign to have this pernicious law repealed in its entirety. Often described as ‘the empty rates legislation’, the Act was introduced in April 2008 and was roundly condemned at the time by senior figures in East Kent of all political parties. Here is a selection of the texts we received at the Chamber following its introduction: “Empty rates make it too costly to continue to provide cheaper older property - it simply makes more economic sense to demolish these buildings altogether, thereby actually reducing the amount of lower cost space available to businesses - the reverse of what was supposedly intended” Ian Coull, Chief Executive, SEGRO. Note: SEGRO develops and managed £5.1 billion of property assets, encompassing around five million sq m of business space in ten countries. “This has stopped us developing new centres in England & Wales” Tom Stokes, Managing Director, Evans Easyspace. Note: Evans Easyspace is the UK's leading provider of new, quality small business units specifically catering for the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) market. The company owns 32 units at Lakesview, Hersden. “Unless they have a pre-arranged tenant, private property developers are shelving plans to build or refurbish the offices, warehouses and factories that the country sorely needs” Alan Caldicott, Group Property Manager, PolarKold Ltd. Note: PolarKold is part of a group with extensive property interests that include areas of Margate Industrial Estate. “Now if a building were to go beyond the 6 month period and have empty rates put on them we would demolish it immediately” Sarah London, Manager, Ramac Holdings. We have many more such declarations. One potential investor informed the Chamber last week that he would love to invest in Thanet, but as long as the empty rates legislation remains, Estonia is a much more attractive proposition as no such law exists there.
10. Cat Or Catastrophe
Of the most popular five stories on the BBC News website last Wednesday, two concerned the new cat installed at 10 Downing Street. We learned that Larry, the latest in a line of unelected incumbents, is “a good ratter” and a worthy successor to Wilberforce, Humphrey and Sybil. At a time when Egypt has just experienced a revolution, Libyans are challenging the rule of Colonel Gaddafi and large areas of the Middle East, on which the oil hungry West depends, are facing unprecedented threats to their stability, it is perhaps comforting to note that as a nation we find the domestic cat to be of such prime importance in the life of our nation. Perhaps if Pfizer researched medicines for cats rather than for humans, we locals might take to the streets in protest. As it is, we confine ourselves to law-abiding dialogue through the media and our local politicians. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
11. No Entry Without A Tie
If, as is believed in some quarters in Westminster, an increase in tourism is the main answer to boosting employment in the East Kent coastal business community, then of course providing a warm welcome should be very much part of every local citizen’s duty. One Chamber member reports that his staff did their very best with one late night reveller who appeared at the door of the company’s night club. As our good-natured Chamber member put it in a call to the Chamber last week: “They were only doing what I told them. All our bouncers know that we are a quality establishment. No blokes are admitted without a tie. They had one problem with a local solicitor. SWIFT Codes for all Banks in Australia We know him well and he is a bit of lad, but the staff called me down to see him. It doesn’t pay to fall out with the legals, if you see what I mean. Anyway, he were at the door and obviously on a bender, but no tie. I says to him. ‘Sorry, but rules is rules.’ He says: “No worries, I’ve got something in the car.’ He comes back five minutes later with a pair of jump leads around his neck. I’m not kidding, a pair of jump leads with bright brass clamps. He says: ‘Go on. You know me. Let me in.’ I says, ‘Ok just this once, but don’t start anything.’” We have our doubts about this story, but readers must judge for themselves.
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Thanet & East Kent Insider
12th February 2011 Issue No.: 143
1. Life After Pfizer
The next Chamber business networking breakfast will take place from 0730 to 0900 hrs at Pfizer Social & Sports Club Sandwich on Friday 11th March 2011. Entitled “Life After Pfizer”, it will feature a series of short talks from senior figures who will advise on the business opportunities in East Kent following the announcement of the closure of the Pfizer site in Sandwich. We expect a large number of delegates to attend this event. More details will be available in the next week’s edition of this bulletin. Bookings will open on Wednesday, 16th February 2011. Cost: £12 for Chamber members, £16 for non-members. To reserve your place, telephone 01843 609289 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The event is being organised jointly by the two largest business support organisations in the East Kent coastal business community, the Thanet & East Kent Chamber and the Dover District Chamber of Commerce.
2. Wanted 6 MW Power Station
An associate of the Thanet & East Kent Chamber is looking to purchase a 6MW power station for export to East Africa. The ideal generator might consist of daisy chained caterpillar 1.5 MW 3516 engines, V16s. The buyer is particularly interested in any generator that has been used on stand-by applications with low hours completed. SWIFT Codes for all Banks in Australia If you are able to assist, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “TEKC 6MW Power Station”.
3. Dramatic Profits
Chamber member Sarah Thorne Theatre Club reports a 28% increase in paid admission receipts for the year to 31st December 2010. Director Michael Wheatley-Ward must be the envy of heavily subsidised public theatres which have mostly struggled in recent years, despite considerable public subsidies. What’s his secret? It must be to balance artistic taste with commercial knowledge. Of course, it helps if you are supported by Sarah Thorne’s official patrons, Dame Judi Dench and David Suchet. Anyone who can call on the services of the redoubtable M and the mercurial Hercule Poirot is not going to have much trouble with sponsors changing their minds or anyone sneaking in without paying.
4. Public Lecture By Sports Minister
CanterburyChristChurchUniversity will be holding a public lecture on Friday 11th March 2011 at 6pm at the Old Sessions House at the Canterbury Campus. Entitled “London 2012 and the opportunity for British Sport” delegates will hear the Minister for Sports and Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, outline the benefits of the Olympics for Kent. Free parking is available on site in North Holmes Road after 5.30 pm. For more details, telephone 01227 782266.
5. More About Petrol
One topic which has exercised those little grey cells of members more than any other in the past year has been the price of petrol. The Thanet Surcharge remains at 3p per litre of unleaded. This means that the cheapest litre of unleaded petrol still costs 3p more in Thanet than in Canterbury. There may be no imminent prospect whatsoever that motorists and business in Thanet will take Egyptian-style umbrage at this injustice. We note however that on the last day of February the Facebook group ‘Keep Fuel Below £1’ is planning a Go Slow procession through the Dartford Tunnel to protest at the rising cost of fuel. The Thanet & East Kent Chamber could not possibly support any illegal activity of this nature and advises members not to join the group which is meeting at 8.00 am on 28th February 2011 at A2/M2 Farthing Corner Moto Services in Medway.
6. News From Dover
What Is The Big Society? It seems as if everyone who defines The Big Society has a different definition. But how about this one from Philip Blond in The Independent of 9th February 2011? “The Big Society agenda is still not as widely grasped or realised across all departments as it should be – one important indication of the government's vision will be if the proposal from the Tory MP Charlie Elphicke to mutualise the port of Dover is accepted by the Department of Transport.” Does this matter for the rest of East Kent? It does when you consider that Ramsgate and Whitstable are also publicly owned ports. The Dover mutualisation plan involves establishing an immediate fund of £50 million to be invested in the local economy with another £50 million to follow. This would surely help to fulfill some of the holes in the commercial landscape occasioned by the withdrawal of Pfizer.
7. Energy Costs
We are grateful to Chamber member Martin Young of Atlantic Business Resources, tel: 08456 185088 mob: 07813 537456, for information on energy costs and trends. The latest E.ON Market Report comments on changes in the 12 month period to 31st January 2011. The average front month power contract price increased by 25% over the twelve months. For gas, the increase was even higher at 36%. Oil prices over the year also rose sharply with the average front month contract price up 21% since January 2010. Civil unrest last month produced a spike of over USD 100 /bbl. There was little comfort for coal users. The average forward coal contract price was 25% higher last month than one year previously. E.ON informs us that: “more than 70% of UK power stations use coal or gas”. In a government publication, we learn from HM Revenue & Customs that “Suppliers of taxable commodities and others” are liable to account for Climate Change Levy (CCL). The increases will come into effect on 1 April 2011. For details of the new charges call the HMRC helpline tel: 0845 010 9000 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “TEKC HMRC CCL Changes 2011”.
8. Thinking Of A Holiday?
Kent Trading Standards regularly reminds us of the deviousness of man, with the occasional woman joining in to complete the picture of infamy, or as Kenneth Williams put it in Carry On Cleo: “Infamy, infamy! They’ve all got it in for me”. To avoid anyone deceiving you over free health care during your next holiday in Europe, you might like to keep well away from any dubious websites offering to charge you for a European Health Insurance Card. Medical treatment in EU countries is available for free or at reduced cost to UK residents visiting European Union countries or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland if you have an EHIC card. To apply for your free card, visit www.ehic.org.uk.More details are available by telephone to 0845 606 2030 or from your local Post Office. For greater peace of mind, you might prefer comprehensive travel insurance cover to take account of a much wider range of eventualities. Contact Terry McDowell at A Class Insurance of Hersden tel: 0844 5449855 or Phil Day or David Brown at Millards of Sandwich, tel: 01304 613072.
9. Golf In April
Bookings for the Chamber Spring Golf Day at Prince’s Golf Club, Sandwich on 1st April 2011 are arriving steadily at the Chamber. Teams of four players are invited to join the group of over 50 players already registered for this inaugural event which complements the established and now international Chamber Golf Day at the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club on7th October 2011. For details, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or telephone Graham Rayner direct, tel: 07899 873535.
10. A Class Insurance
Terry McDowell a partner at Chamber member A Class Insurance would like to advise all readers of the Thanet & East Kent Insider that as from 14th February 2011, the company’s new address will be Unit 30, Evans Business Centre, Sparrows Way, Hersden, Canterbury, Kent CT3 4AL. Terry welcomes enquiries from clients new and old by telephone to tel: 0844 5449855 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
11. Have Your Say
Thanet & East Kent Chamber members are not famous for keeping quiet when their interests are at stake. If you live or work in Thanet, here is an opportunity to make your views known on crime to those in a position to do something about it. The Chief Inspector of Kent Police and the Community Safety Enforcement Manager invite you to one of a series of evening meetings to find out all about local crime and what you think should be done about it. All four events start at 1830 hrs and are scheduled to finish at 2000 hrs. We are grateful to Louise Askew of Thanet District Council for confirming the following dates and venues:
|
Monday 21st February 2011 |
BirchingtonVillage Centre, Alpha Road, BirchingtonCT7 9EG |
|
Tuesday 22nd February 2011 |
Comfort Inn, Victoria Parade, Ramsgate CT11 8DT |
|
Monday 28th February 2011 |
ChristChurch Campus, Northwood Road, BroadstairsCT10 2WA |
|
Tuesday, 1st March 2011 |
Margate Media Centre, King Street, MargateCT9 1DA |
More details are available direct from Thanet District Council, tel: 01843 577120.
13. Young Sports Leaders
We are grateful to Roz Franklin, the super competent cricket administrator and sports centre manager at Kent County Cricket Club for sending the Chamber details of a course for future sports leaders. Designed as leadership training for young people interested in organising team activities, the programme will take place from 0900 to 1500 hrs on Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd February 2011 at Kent Spitfires Study Centre at the Kent Cricket Ground in Canterbury. There is a charge of £25 for the two days. For more details, contact Hannah Ladd, Programme Manager; by telephone to 01227 473619 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “TEKC Young Sports Leaders”.
14. Happy Union
One Chamber member has related to the Chamber a story of a happy union at his hotel. We have our doubts about this account, but you must make your own judgement. As this hotel manager put it: “Funnily enough a similar thing happened in Dublin a few years ago when I was looking after a 4-star in the city centre. A couple, both called Leslie, got married. He was a Leslie O’Reilly and she was called Leslie Shaughnessy, if I remember correctly. Of course, weddings are big business for all of us in the trade these days. Anyway, I was still surprised when I read that the engaged couple had made a booking, but there it was written in our register for the first Saturday in January, ‘Wedding of Mr Ariel Abrahams and Miss Ariel Worthington’. Anyway, the marriage went ahead as planned in our main ballroom. The ceremony was not up to much, too much modern music for my taste; but, as you can imagine, with two Ariels, the reception was terrific”.
Thanet & East Kent Insider
29th January 2011 Issue No.: 141
1. Hartsdown Technology College
At the invitation of Connexions Partnership Kent & Medway, Thanet & East Kent Chamber was invited to speak yesterday to pupils of HartsdownTechnologyCollege. Eight classes in succession heard the Chamber’s presentations on the acceptable face of business and the importance of wealth-generation in a modern society. Responding to the invitation to start a business, pupils produced some innovative ideas that included multi-coloured furry footballs and new-age mascara to be sold in pyramid-shaped packaging. The Thanet & East Kent Chamber is receiving an increasing number of requests to speak to schools and colleges. We welcome the opportunity to encourage young minds that hard work, good presentation and an entrepreneurial spirit can produce a satisfying and successful career. We offer a range of initiatives at all levels from primary school to university including formal speeches and BBC Question Time style presentations. For more information, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “Enterprise in Education”.
2. All Men Are Equal But ....
We are grateful to Vanessa Wolfman of VisitKent for news of a short course on the Equality Act 2010 which will replaces the existing anti discrimination laws in October 2011. The new legislation is expected to remove some inconsistencies and make the provisions easier to be understood by hard-working business people without the need to refer to a legal dictionary. The changes include new provisions on direct and indirect discrimination as well as dealing with disability and harassment. Any business with a tourism element will have particular obligations under the Equality Act 2010. SWIFT Codes for all Banks in Australia Starting at 0930 hrs, the course runs until 1630 hrs and will take place at The Village Inn Maidstone on Wednesday 9th February 2011. All delegates are invited for lunch. At the time of writing, there are still some places left. To book or for more details, call Vanessa tel: 01622 696936 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “TEKC WelcomeAll One Day £25”
3. Prince’s Golf Club
Prince’s Golf Club is scheduled to host the first Chamber golf event of the year on Friday 1st April. General Manager, Michael Lovett, is looking forward to showing players and visitors all the changes and improvements at the Club. The renovation work on all bunkers on the Shore/Dunes course is now completed and is receiving excellent reviews. The new Lodge development is expected to open later in the year, an update will be available at the Prince’s Chamber Golf Day.. There will be a firm focus on Sandwich golf this year with the Open Championship being played at Royal St Georges next July. Prince’s is offering Chamber members the opportunity to host corporate events during the week. The team at PGC can create bespoke packages which promise an exciting day in close proximity to the entrances to Royal St Georges. For more details about Prince’s, please call David Holder on 01304 611118 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Chamber Golf Enquiry”. For details of the Chamber Golf Days, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “Chamber Golf Days”.
4. Thanet Youth Strategy
It will not have escaped data watchers that Thanet is officially ranked as the most deprived district in Kent. The future of our local economy will depend very much on retaining the best school leavers and improving the skill levels of our workforce. If you have an interest in the Thanet Youth Strategy, Sarah Phippin invites you to send your comments to her before 31st March 2011. For a copy of the consultation papers email Sarah to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “TEKC Thanet Youth Strategy” or you can call her or her line manager Nedine Watson-Cutts, tel: 01227 284408.
5. Young People Today
Do you ever hear anyone describe young people living near you with these words: "The children now love luxury; they show disrespect for their elders and betters, they chatter instead of exercising. Children are tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer get up when their seniors enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up their food at the table, cross their legs and tyrannise their teachers”. Thus spoke Socrates over 2,400 years ago. If you did hear these words at the time, you have obviously made the most of your pension contributions. On the other hand, if you are under retirement age, you might like to contact one of our Chamber pension experts. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “TEKC Pension Consultant”.
6. Turner Contemporary Update
Chamber member the Turner Contemporary has announced details of its opening exhibition which runs from 16th April to 4th September 2011. As previously mentioned in the Thanet & East Kent Insider, the show will be centred on JMW Turner’s extraordinary painting The Eruption of the Souffrier Mountains, in the Island of St Vincent, at Midnight, on the 30th April, 1812, from a Sketch Taken at the Time by Hugh P. Keane, Esq 1815. It depicts a volcanic eruption. The Turner Contemporary tells us that the exhibition will also feature new commissions with an overall theme. “The works in the exhibition play at the borders between what we can see and know and the truly fantastic. This dynamic relationship between imagination and reality also reflects the process of realising our long-awaited new gallery, starting from ideas and drawings to a physical building.” The Turner Gallery is expected to play a central role in the regeneration of Margate. All Chamber members will surely be wanting to see a successful future for this iconic building located at end of Margate’s Harbour Arm in front of the house where England’s greatest artist lived from the age of 11 years when he started at a school in Love Lane, Margate.
7. How Are We Doing?
Here is some core data relating to the district of Thanet collected from the latest available public sources. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) information is reproduced under the terms of the Thanet & East Kent Chamber Click-use License no. C2010000980. All rights reserved. Note: NOMIS is a service for ONS operated by the University of Durham since 1981.
|
Population of Thanet |
130,900 |
|
ONS 2009 |
|
Area |
10,329 |
Hectares |
KCC, Dec 2008 |
|
Median Gross Weekly Pay By Workplace |
£368.90 |
|
ONS 2010 |
|
Median Gross Weekly Pay By Residence |
£401.50 |
|
ONS 2010 |
|
Public administration workers |
35.3% |
|
NOMIS 2008 |
|
Hotel, restaurant, distribution workers |
27.7% |
|
NOMIS 2008 |
|
Managers & senior officials |
12.1% |
|
NOMIS 2010 |
|
Manufacturing workers |
9.3% |
|
NOMIS 2008 |
|
Total companies |
4,200 |
|
TEKC Estimate, Dec 2010 |
|
VAT registered businesses |
2,835 |
|
NOMIS 2007 |
|
Companies fewer than 25 workers |
92.5% |
|
ONS 2007 |
|
Adults of working age no qualifications |
13.6% |
|
NOMIS Dec 2009 |
|
Households with no working parent |
23.4% |
|
Thanet Works March 2009 |
|
Indices of deprivation |
1st |
in Kent |
Out of 12: KCC, Jan 2008 |
|
Indices of highest level of deprivation |
65th |
in England |
Out of 354: KCC, Jan 2008 |
8. Choose Your Margate
Louise Askew, Economic Development Officer at Thanet District Council, has contacted the Thanet & East Insider to ask readers to choose their favourite typeface to be used to promote Margate. There are three options presented. Your vote will count if it registered by close of play on Friday 4th February 2011. To view the choices and have your say, click on http://www.thisismargate.co.uk/culture/this-is-margate-toolkit/public-vote-for-margate-typogr.aspx Further details on the overall approach can be found at http://www.thisismargate.co.uk/culture/this-is-margate-toolkit.aspx. These are exciting times for Margate. There will always be cynics who are only too willing to criticise any development that does not accord precisely with their recollection of the seaside town of their youth. But, Margate is at last promising to burst out of the torpor that has bedevilled its recent past and the majority of local business will be keen to be part of the transformation.
9. London Array Update
The London Array welcomed the Thanet & East Kent Chamber to a closed briefing at the Royal Temple Yacht Club last week. We were delighted to receive confirmation of the twenty-five local suppliers engaged by the company. One Chamber member recently awarded a contract for over £600,000 has a particular reason to welcome the London Array to Ramsgate, but readers can be assured that we will be promoting the products and services of all our Chamber our members with equal vigour.
10. Website for £99
If you want to know how you can have a website to promote your organisation for as little as £99, then prepare one page of text with your logo now and read next week’s edition of the Thanet & East Kent Insider to find out. The edition of 5th February 2011 will also feature an item on branding and what Starbucks can do for you.
11. Thanet Local Board
Thanet Local Board met last Tuesday evening in Westgate-on-Sea. Seated under instructional posters intended to guide the growing minds of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School pupils, the Kent County Councillors of Thanet presented an update on local matters and answered questions from the floor. After the obligatory procedural items, Thanet Youth Council outlined its activities. We learned that there are 60 elected Youth Councillors, 4 from each of the 12 districts plus 12 community members. More details are available on the website at www.thanetyouthmatters.co.uk. Next on the agenda was Kent Savers Union when loan sharks received the sharp end of the tongue of Chief Officer, John Fowler. Annual Percentage Rate interest charges in excess of 2,000 are apparently not uncommon. The unwary and the vulnerable in our community can acquire a huge debt through the precipitous signing of a loan agreement with nationally advertised providers. Credit Unions offer an alternative where modest rates of interest and professional counselling can provide a fast track back to financial probity. Mr Fowler gave the floor to Dr John Pritchard, President of the Isle of Thanet Credit Union, who outlined the credit and savings regime at Wantsum Savers located at 1 Duke Street, Margate. With a characteristic fluency and oratorical mastery that betray his background as an international lawyer, Dr Pritchard gave a brilliantly incisive account of the work of Wantsum Savers. When your public supporters include the Archbishop of Canterbury, you can fairly claim to have good long-term prospects.
12. What’s The Point Of Thanet Local Board
TLB provides an opportunity for KCC Councillors to explain to the local community what County Hall is doing, funding and providing. The voluntary sector received some welcome attention. Nigel Furley gave a fulsome account of the work of Funding Buddies and the support available to charities and allied bodies in Thanet. The audience also received details of the grant recommendations for 2010/11. Questions from the floor included undiluted comment supporting the expansion of ManstonAirport and the ensuing prospects for job creation; this and the prospect of a Manston Parkway Station in the next few years received warm enthusiasm from the KCC Councillors. Dry matters of public finances and second homes were somewhat overshadowed by the entertainment provided by the Platform Theatre Company. A thoroughly professional performance of the short play “Shakers” delighted everyone in the hall. There was even a suspicion that a smile crossed the lips of the religious figures in the posters on the wall. We understand that Kent Community Organisation supplied the secure environment for the actors to flourish and Cllrs Chris Wells and Mike Jarvis of instrumental in arranging the public funding. As Michael Wheatley-Ward has demonstrated for many years, theatre can provide a positive force for good among young people
13. More On Retirement
Thanet & East Kent Chamber member, John Harrington, has some sound advice to add to our recent articles on retirement. Here are his words: “No doubt we have all read the reasons why the age limit on retirement has been removed and like the article points out there are a number of organisations that benefit from an older workforce. However, in these organisations there will be a professional HR department dealing with the policy and management of staff following the change. In the majority of SME’s that department does not exist and is normally left to the owner. When staff have decided to retire it can be a major step in their life and it should be a time to remember, pleasantly. With this change there is a risk that staff who decide to continue will be forced to leave if their employer decides to dismiss on the grounds of capability as the employer may not have an alternative if the person concerned has not been performing but the employer has “lived with it” as they were approaching retirement age. An employer can, of course, have a discussion with the employee to understand what their future plans are. In my experience consultations do not take place as a matter of course and where no formal appraisal scheme is in place it can make a discussion of this type even more difficult. As you would expect there are guidelines on what can be addressed in the meeting with the employee to avoid a claim on age discrimination grounds. If handled correctly this can be a time where that valued member of staff can retire feeling good about the business having given many years of good performance both prior and post the previous retirement age. I do however feel that we will see an increase in claims as employers mismanage the consultation and execute the termination outside of the guidelines. I hope I am wrong. “So do we, John. John Harrington can be contacted direct by telephone to 07810 713023 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with the subject line “TEKC Enquiry”.
14. Do You Know What Ethics Is?
This week’s end piece is sent from Chamber member Jon Cleverdon of J Cleverdon Chartered Accountants of Broadstairs, tel: 01843 866599. He proves to doubters that accountants do have a sense of humour, unless of course, they live near Chelmsford. Why is that? You can see for yourself in the following contribution. “The managing partner in an accounting firm is very annoyed with one of his employees and calls him in to reprimand him. Managing Partner: ‘How could you possibly advise the client in the way you did? That was completely unethical. We are always conscious of Ethics in this firm. You do know what Ethics is, don’t you?’ Employee: ‘Of course, I know what Ethics is. It’s a county in southern England.’”
Thanet & East Kent Insider
6th November 2010 Issue No.: 131
1. Turner Contemporary: Ahead Of The Game
The Turner Contemporary is on course to dazzle visitors when it opens next spring. Chamber members will recall the presentation given at our business breakfast earlier this year when the inspirational Head of Operations, Paul Gray, gave an account of the building schedule, funding arrangements and exhibition timetable. Since then the Arts Council announced on 25th October 2010 a cut in funding to the Turner Contemporary of £34,328. How prescient it was therefore for the Turner Contemporary to go to Phillips de Pury & Company auction house on 13th October 2010 and offer for sale Tracey Emin’s Neon Sign above Droit House and achieve a sale price of £48,000. Even after associated charges, this shows that the Turner Contemporary Art Trust is ahead of the game. Local businesses of all sizes and sectors will be watching eagerly on 15th November 2010 for the official announcement of the launch date and the first year’s programme. Traditionalists who consider that Britain’s most popular artist would have preferred to lend his name to a neo-classical building rather than the futuristic design by David Chipperfield Architects might like to consider that Turner himself was roundly criticized for not conforming to tradition. An article on his lectures which appeared in The New Monthly Magazine and Universal Register of 1816, the year following the defeat at Waterloo of that dangerous upstart Napoleon, scorns Turner for his approach: “there is an embarrassment in his manner approaching almost to unintelligibility, and a vulgarity of pronunciation astonishing in an artist of his rank and respectability.” Tuner died in 1851, twenty-three years before the ground-breaking Impressionists Exhibition of 1874. He was ahead of the game alright, but Joseph Mallord William Turner was not a conformist which perhaps explains why he had so few friends and never married. The Turner Contemporary Gallery will have many friends and none keener than those local businesses looking forward with eager enthusiasm to the opening date and hordes of visitors to Margate.
2. Tourism and Retail
Following last week’s article about retail and the advice received from a visitor to the Thanet & East Kent Chamber from the organisation with “the highest density retail sales in the world”, we have been asked by Chamber members to supply some more detail. Here goes. We learned that the most successful factory outlets in Europe work in close harmony with the surrounding tourist attractions so that visitors and shoppers are presented with a series of opportunities to appeal to the interests of the whole family: the erudite, the curious, the day-trippers and the shopaholics. In brief, packaging a product in liaison with the neighbouring attractions maximises the retail spend and stimulates repeat visits. The East Kent coastal business community is blessed with stunning tourism potential by virtue of its inherited historical assets, strategic location and seaside benefits. The lesson we need to learn is how to work together to support our retailers, hotels, restaurants and golf courses so that our local economy benefits to the maximum. This will undoubtedly be one of the challenges faced by the recently announced Local Economic Partnership for Kent, Essex and East Sussex. The Thanet & East Chamber will be looking to play a full part in representing the local business community to the decision-makers who will be in a position to dispense their share of a £1.4bn Regional Growth Fund.
3. Quex At Christmas
The Hannah Dining Suite at QuexPark has written to the Thanet & East Kent Insider with details of “An African Experience at QuexPark this Christmas”. On 3rd, 10th, 11th and 17th December 2010, the on-site restaurant at Quex will be offering “the vibrant spirit of Africa” to diners who will be offered African delicacies together with music and dance. Ticket prices from £24.95 per person suggest a lively response from anyone looking for a new experience for a pre-Christmas evening. If you are willing to “re-live the footsteps of Major Powell-Cotton and dine amongst the lions at Quex”, give the venue at call; tel: 01843 482 004 or freephone 0900 142 2736
4. Science, Jobs And More Than Just Tomatoes
Thanet continues to attract inward investment. As we celebrate the new daily flights from Manston to Edinburgh and Manchester which began earlier this year and look forward to the opening of the Turner Contemporary next spring, we must not forget the continuing success of the world-class hydroponics facility near Birchington, Thanet Earth the child of its parent parent company, the Fresca Group. On any one day, there may be 450 people working on site. Fresca Group has attracted investment from Holland from the Rainbow Growers group, Kaaij Greenhouses and A&A which each own one of the three completed greenhouses. The Rainbow Group building is the largest single pepper greenhouse in the UK, measuring 8.5 hectares. Kaaij Greenhouses own and operate the UK's largest single unit greenhouse specialising in growing a range of 10 vine tomatoes which are increasingly popular in supermarkets and greengrocers. The A&A Partnership was formed by Addy Breugem and Arjen de Gier in 1999. Their innovative approach to growing cucumbers is paying dividends for consumers throughout the country. All three Thanet Earth growers were recently thoroughly tested in a demanding audit by Tesco Nurture. The result was a resounding success as each gained the prestigious Tesco Nurture Gold Award. At a time when schools, universities and governments are worried about the numbers of young people studying sciences, it is comforting to know that Thanet has within its borders such a leading facility. It is worth recalling that the Fresca Group Ltd is still privately owned and employs over 1,000 people. With a headquarters at Paddock Wood, it remains a valuable member of the Kent and Thanet business community.
5. Do You Speak Dutch?
Thanet Earth, see item 4 above, is looking to appoint a Dutch-speaking non-executive to a salaried post. Recommendations from readers of the Thanet & East Kent Chamber will be warmly welcomed at Thanet Earth.
6. Directors Wanted
Louise Askew, Economic Development Officer for Regeneration Services at Thanet District Council has contacted the Chamber with news of an Arms Length Management Organisation, ALMO, which has been formed to manage 18,000 council homes in East Kent hitherto under the management of Thanet District Council, Dover District Council, Shepway District Council and Canterbury City Council. The board of management is expected to consist of four tenants, four councillors and four independent members. Applications are invited from interested parties for the independent posts. Board posts will not be remunerated although reasonable expenses will be paid. Board meetings are expected to take place initially once a month at 6.00 pm on Monday or Tuesday evenings, but this will decrease to once every two months when the ALMO is fully established. The proposals have received widespread support from tenants in all four districts. More details are available at www.eastkenthomes.org.uk. Applications for board membership should be sent direct to East Kent HR Partnership, Dover District Council, WhiteCliffsBusinessPark, Whitfield, Dover, KentCT16 3PJ.
7. KCC & Home-Working
Kent County Council is anxious to receive advice on home-working. KCC has produced a Kent Survey and is asking “all home-working professionals and those who run a business from home” to answer the questions at www.workhubs.com/surveys so that informed policies can be developed. KCC is looking to understand how its reduced resources can best be used to support enterprise. Anyone reading this who works at home and fails to take part in the survey... well you only have yourself to blame if a home-working business support centre is built at the other end of the county and not near you.
8. The Corner Shop
Sycamore Stores is a small family business on the corner of Northwood Road, Broadstairs. The owners, Martin and Shelly, have steadily improved the premises and adapted their stock to meet the needs of their passing trade. With two superstores within a short walk of the shop, excellent service has been an important element in encouraging custom as there is limited opportunity to expand. The main market is firmly local. A cheery word and a friendly smile always greet customers. Any lost pedestrians or enquiring passing motorists are directed on their way with exquisite politeness and an enhanced view of what small shops can contribute to their local community. How shocking it is then when the unrestricted parking outside their shop is threatening their business and imperiling their livelihood. When Napoleon said that Britain is a nation of shopkeepers he did not have in mind motorists who selfishly park all day in front of Sycamore Stores. The solution? It’s very simple and one that has been used successfully by councils throughout the UK: a 15-minute parking restriction on the road outside the shop would solve the problem at once. The Chamber will be contacting Thanet District Council on the issue and will report to our 2,500 readers on the results.
9. Philip Hammond In Thanet
At the invitation of Roger Gale MP and Laura Sandys MP, the Thanet & East Kent Chamber was represented last Friday at a lunch at Salmestone Grange, Margate to welcome the visit of the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, the Secretary of State for Transport. Having just announced that morning the sale of a 30 year lease of the hi-speed rail link to Borealis Infrastructure and the Ontario Teachers' Pension fund, Philip Hammond could have been excused yet more media coverage. But, as viewers of ITV Meridian news that evening will recall, he spoke at length to camera outside the splendid 14th century venue, stressing the importance of key infrastructure in support of the private sector. The agreed protocol for such meetings with senior politicians of all persuasions is that the discussions remain confidential to the parties present. Members of the Thanet & East Kent Chamber may be assured nonetheless that their voice was heard and that one of the key decision-makers in the cabinet is fully aware of many of the main concerns of the East Kent coastal business community.
10. More On Websites
Business Link has contacted the Thanet & East Kent Insider with news of 11 free ways to promote your website. Details are available at http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=5001695874&type=ONEOFFPAGE&site=210
For quality help from experienced specialist IT professionals, look no further than the following experts: The Ardent Group of Whitstable tel: 01227 774850 - Cariss of Margate tel: 01843 823724 - Coastal Data Systems of Birchington tel: 01843 846935 - IP Computer Consultants of Westgate-On-Sea tel: 07971316738 - Mach Associates of Broadstairs tel: 0870 321 9986 - Oast House Media of Great Mongeham tel: 01304 369440 - Simtech Computer Services of Margate tel: 01843 230566 and Sota Solutions of Sittingbourne tel: 01795 413500
11. The French Say Non To Channel Swimming
Why are the French against Channel Swimming? See http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vsty4/Inside_Out_South_East_01_11_2010/ . Perhaps it is because it was an Englishman, Matthew Webb, who first swam across the Channel that our French cousins have never been great enthusiasts for taking up the physical challenge of swimming between Dover and Calais. Starting from the French side has been banned for the last 11 years. Perhaps it is more a case of Gallic logic at its best. Why spend all day freezing to death in saltwater at a cost of around £4,000 when you can cross in comfort by ferry for around 1% of the price? They may have a point there. We have received a variety of suggestions from Chamber members as to how the French might be encouraged to join us in the Channel with the same harmony of purpose that they promise to bring to our aircraft carriers. One idea received is for Dover restaurants to include more garlic and snails in their dishes to make them more appetising to successful French swimmers. But, our favourite proposal is that Channel Swimming should be renamed Chanel Swimming. After all, we all know the power of a good brand name and perhaps it would encourage better fashion sense in the swimmers; the grease and goggles look just doesn’t do it for the inventors of haute couture.
12. Our Sponsors
Girlings Solicitors has been managing the 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, HerneBay 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 SWIFT Codes for all Banks in Australia 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
© David Foley November 2010
