Policy Update 3rd September 2024
Welcome to this week’s policy update.
As ever please do get in touch with me, [email protected], if you’d like to discuss the following, or other, business issues, put forward your views and/or provide real life examples that we can use in advocacy activity.
Following the government announcement last week around planned changes to employment laws, we have responded to media queries as follows: ?
“A number of businesses have proactively chosen to move to four day working patterns and for many this has been beneficial, leading to enhanced employee wellbeing and improved recruitment prospects – as well as benefits in terms of operating costs where this has involved a 3 day a week shut down. Most employers are keen to explore ways of making roles more attractive to staff and supporting staff wellbeing, but this needs to be balanced against the genuine needs of the business. ?
However, the model doesn’t suit all industries or all businesses within an industry, in particular those requiring continuous operations such as hospitality, health care and transport, And many businesses have a need for staff to be available when it suits their customers, not when it suits those employees. For many the option of a four day week could lead to staff shortages and/or significant operating challenges. This is a particular issue given the very tight labour market and current and future recruitment challenges facing the county. ?
As Chambers we’ve already been engaging with the Labour party for some time around this and we’ll continue to do so to seek to ensure the right safeguards are in place to protect the needs and interests of employers, while recognising the genuine benefits to business there can be in a more flexible approach.” ?
This is something we’ll be continuing to engage with the government on, so please do let me have any views, suggestions or issues you’d like to feed in – and indeed any examples of how it can or would not work, [email protected].
This is one of the topics discussed with Morecambe and Lunesdale MP, Lizzi Collinge when we met on Friday.
I’ve also participated in some recent meetings hosted by Whitehaven and Workington MP, Josh MacAlister, relating to Port of Workington development and opportunities and last week with the Electricity System Operator to discuss their recent publication: ‘Beyond 2030: A national blueprint for a decarbonised electricity system in Great Britain’ and West Cumbria's ambitious plans to see our area at the forefront of the clean energy revolution.
If you haven’t completed it yet, don’t forget this quarter’s Chambers’ Quarterly Economic Survey. Please do be sure to participate in this to enable ever more accurate data, increase our ability to advocate effectively and, not least, ensure Cumbria is well represented. The survey will be open until 15th September with results published week commencing 7th October. You can take part here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2K6RTX9.
British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) continue to be busy on your behalf. Recent engagements include:
Last week BCC Deputy Director Public Policy Jane Gratton, featured in a FT article about the skills crisis.?Part of the focus of the piece, was the apprenticeship levy. Here’s an extract featuring her quote. ?
“The second strand of Labour’s strategy involves replacing the existing apprenticeship levy with a more flexible “growth and skills levy” that will allow employers to spend a still-to-be-determined portion of their contributions on training that falls short of a full-blown apprenticeship, as they are currently required to do. The government needs to move quickly to avoid firms sitting on their hands as they wait for clarity on the new arrangements, says Jane Gratton, head of people policy at the British Chambers of Commerce. Our recent workforce survey found that a third of companies will be investing in apprenticeships and a third said they didn’t need them. The biggest demand is for lighter training, with 40 per cent looking at coaching, mentoring and short, accredited courses,” she says. “Whatever the final system, [it] needs to give business the confidence to invest.”
Mitch Perks, BCC Head of Operations, has been appointed as the official representative for the British Chambers of Commerce & Chamber Customs on the Joint Customs Consultative Committee (JCCC). The JCCC, established in 1969 and sponsored by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), serves as a vital forum for discussing and reviewing changes to customs procedures and documentation. This committee facilitates dialogue between HMRC and over 40 member organisations, making it the main platform for consulting on trade matters related to imports and exports. Mitch’s new role ensures that Chambers maintain a strong voice in shaping HMRC’s customs policies and procedures. His position allows us to directly address and escalate concerns that may impact our operations, while also supporting HMRC in refining customs policy. This appointment reinforces our commitment to staying at the forefront of customs regulations and advocating for our industry’s needs.
The BCC will be represented at the World Trade Organisation’s Public Forum in mid-September. Meetings will include an industry roundtable with the UK Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Please let me know if there are any particular issues you would like raised, [email protected].
领英推荐
The next meeting of the BCC’s Trade Policy Committee will be on 24th September. A guest speaker from the Trade Remedies Authority’s steel policy team will be joining the meeting to discuss the recent proposals on a revised tariff rate quota for category 1 rolled steel imports. Please let me know if there is anything you would like raising, [email protected].
The Home Office is running online eVisa information events for employers around the new rules, with a choice of dates as follows:
Westmorland & Furness Council are running a public consultation inviting proposals for new council wards and ward boundaries until 4th November. They welcome views from individuals and organisations across Westmorland & Furness. After they’ve considered all representations made during this consultation, they intend?to publish draft recommendations in March 2025. There will then be a further period of consultation on those draft recommendations, with final recommendations are expected to be published in September 2025. The new electoral arrangements will come into effect at the local elections in 2027. You can find out more and get involved here: Consultation launched on review of local election boundaries in Westmorland and Furness | Westmorland and Furness Council.
Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness Councils have been awarded funding to provide free cardiovascular checks to employees in their workplace as part of a government pilot. They will be working with partner Cumbria Health to roll-out the checks to as many workplaces. They hope to provide some 4,500?tests by the time the scheme closes at the end of March 2025. The checks can be carried out digitally or in person and can help identify any underlying heart issues.?Checks are aimed specifically at men between 40-70 years of age in the workplace. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death of men worldwide and early detection to identify early markers for preventable diseases will empower men to take action to improve their health independently.?Any employers interested in offering the checks to their staff are encouraged to get in touch. You can find out more here: Pilot project for heart health checks in the workplace | Cumberland Council.
Cumberland Council are urging businesses to review the government’s child employment regulations and ensure they have the correct policies and work permits in place. Click here for guidance and information: https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-attendance-and-exclusion/access-and-inclusion-education/child-employment-and-work-permits.
The free banking dispute resolution scheme closes on 13th December 2024. Businesses with an unresolved banking complaint are urged to check the Business Banking Resolution Service’s website SME needing to resolve an issue with your bank? [Contemporary] - BBRS (thebbrs.org)to see if they are eligible for free dispute resolution support before it’s too late. The Business Banking Resolution Service (BBRS) is a free to use, not-for-profit dispute resolution service. It was set up to help those which are too large to use the Financial Ombudsman Service for Businesses and which have an unresolved banking complaint from after 2019 with one of its seven participating banks: Barclays Bank, Danske Bank, HSBC UK, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, Santander UK, and Virgin Money. The BBRS’s Contemporary Scheme is scheduled to close to new registrations, as planned, on 13th December 2024, so business owners have just over 3 months left to register.
The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will take effect on or by 15th December, meaning traders can use the Agreement’s trade preferences between the UK and ratifying states from this date. BCC’s Head of Trade Policy, William Bain, told journalists: ?
“Businesses welcome the confirmation that they will be able to start using the new trading preferences with key trading partners within the CPTPP area by 15 December. On rules of origin, supply chains, and data flows this agreement offers real advantages for businesses. We?look forward to working with DBT ministers and officials to ensure?companies large, medium and small get the full benefits of these new trading terms in a fast-growing part of the global economy.”?
Last week, China moved to apply anti-dumping duties on EU exports of certain cars and brandy from October. This follows the EU’s decision to apply duties to electric vehicles imported from China. The UK has not followed the approach of the EU, Canada or the USA on this matter as it affects UK-China trade.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions recently delivered a landmark speech setting out how Britain's system of employment support must be fundamentally reformed and announced the creation of a new Labour Market Advisory Board, and the publication of a White Paper which will build on manifesto commitments of a three-pillared approach to support people into work:?
?It forms part of a cross-government approach to help people into work, including the launch of Skills England, and cutting NHS waiting lists to build the healthy society needed for a healthy economy.?You can read the speech and find out more here: Getting Britain Working - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Related to this, if you haven’t already, I’d really encourage you to get engaged with Disability Confident. This scheme is creating a movement of change, encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident is a unique opportunity to lead the way in your community, and you might just discover someone your business cannot do without. It was developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives to make it rigorous but easily accessible, particularly for smaller businesses – but it’s equally applicable to larger businesses. You can find out more here: Disability Confident employer scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and as a Disability Confident Leader we’re always happy to talk to employers about the scheme so do get in touch with me, [email protected].
Suzanne Caldwell Managing Director