South Coast and Gatwick-based chartered accountants and chartered tax advisers, Carpenter Box, has appointed Maurice Frost to the role of Departmental Director in the Business Services Group to help build on the already successful growth of the firm’s Gatwick office.

Throughout his 26 years as a partner at an accountancy firm in Crawley, Maurice has gained vast experience of undertaking audits and of advising owner-managed businesses. During his career Maurice has also worked for one of the UK’s top five accountancy firms and his technical ability has been put to good practical use during a stint as a Financial Controller for a company within the care industry.

Carpenter Box opened its Gatwick office in June 2015 and has been welcomed into the business community to the point that it is now accelerating its plans for growth, to meet the demand for its services. Maurice will be focusing on owner-managed businesses of all sizes helping to increase their profitability and improve their tax efficiency.

He commented: “I am delighted to be appointed Department Director in an award-winning firm with such an excellent reputation as Carpenter Box. I have lived in Crawley from my youngest days and have played a part in the growth and development of the area over many years. I am well established in the business community, so I believe that I am in a good position to help the firm with its ambitious growth strategy and I relish the opportunity to be part of that journey.”

Outside of work, Maurice and his wife are to be found supporting the burgeoning sporting exploits of their teenage son.  Maurice plays drums and is also a Harlequins Rugby supporter.    

Just one week to go until the Local & PCC Elections on Thursday 5th May 2016

The local elections for Adur District Council, Worthing Borough Council, Lancing Parish Council, and the Police & Crime Commissioner elections on Thursday 5th May are just one week away.

Polling stations across the area will be open from 7.00am till 10.00pm, for voting.  All the information needed about the Elections and your nearest Polling Station can be found on the Adur & Worthing Councils website.

http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/elections-and-voting/upcoming-elections/

Or by calling the Councils Electoral Services team directly on 01903 221014.  The Electoral Services team can also be emailed at elections@adur-worthing.gov.uk.

Counting will begin at 6.30am on Friday 6th May, with results being announced on the Adur & Worthing website, Facebook and Twitter page, all later on the same day, as and when they are declared. 

The award winning Highdown Gardens in Worthing has launched a public consultation to support a major Lottery funding bid, for improvements to the visitor experience and to include an Education & Resource Centre within its grounds.  

The focus of these much needed improvements will be to enhance visitors experience and to further educate about the Garden and  its rich horticultural history. Also, to safeguard the Garden and National Plant Collection for future generations to come.

There are no plans to disrupt the quiet enjoyment of the Gardens  but add to the visitor experience with the introduction of a discreetly placed Education & Resource Centre. The bid will also look to make upgrades to other areas of infrastructure such as footpaths, watering systems and cold frames, to train volunteers to lead garden tours and begin a dedicated propagation program of the National Collection of plant introductions of Sir Fredrick Stern.

To achieve this, Highdown Gardens intend to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to finance this four-year project.  

Worthing Borough Council, who manage the Gardens, are seeking views from their local residents regarding the proposals for this important historical asset and ask that as many members of the public as possible  lend their support to the HLF funding bid by completing a short survey.

This initial consultation runs until Friday 13th May 2016 and full details can be found on the Highdown Gardens website. 

Worthing Borough Council are intending to submit the first round bid in September 2016 with the whole bidding process taking two years to complete. 

Adur & Worthing Councils' Wellbeing team are hosting an exciting new business-to-business food event designed by a collection of local organisations for the local hospitality industry.  

During the day there will be a schedule of guest speakers, including Jean-Christophe Novelli, a 5 out of 5 AA Rosette and Michelin award winning chef who, after some inspirational words, will be holding a Q&A session.

The Expo is being held at the Southern Pavilion, Worthing Pier on Tuesday 3rd May 2016, 10:00am to 6:30pm (free entry, but pre-registration is required).

This is a drop-in event, with those registered able to attend as is convenient throughout the day.

Topics covered will include; increasing local footfall for your business, free marketing opportunities, gluten-free and allergy friendly food, help with food compliance and food laws.

The event is also a great opportunity for local networking with local food business professionals and finding out about free training available in the area.

This is a business to business only event; open to all working in local restaurants, bars, hotels, takeaway food outlets, catering and food manufacturers in the Adur and Worthing area.

To register and for more information including the schedule of speakers, go to:

• Adur and Worthing Food Expo 2016 - registration website
• or on Twitter see @awfoodexpo2016

The local elections for Adur District Council, Worthing Borough Council, Lancing Parish Council, and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections on Thursday 5th May are just two weeks away.

Polling stations across the area will be open from 7am till 10pm, for voting.  All the information needed about the Elections and your nearest Polling Station can be found on the Adur & Worthing Councils website.

http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/elections-and-voting/upcoming-elections/

Or by calling the Councils Electoral Services team directly on 01903 221014.  The Electoral Services team can also be emailed at elections@adur-worthing.gov.uk.

One year on from the opening of a Travellers Transit site in Chichester (May 2015), Adur & Worthing Councils are pleased to report much fewer Travellers are illegally encamping in Adur and Worthing.

In Worthing from April 2014 to April 2015 there were a total of 32 illegal encampments reported, for the same period 2015 -2016 there were just 3.

In Adur from April 2014 to April 2015 there were a total of 29 illegal encampments reported, for the same period for 2015 -2016 there were just 13.

West Sussex County Council manage the Transit Site in Chichester. All residents using the site are reported to have paid the £150.00 deposit and utility charges due, with the plots being left in a clean & tidy state. The average length of stay has been around 3 to 4 weeks.

John Mitchell, Director for Communities for Adur & Worthing Councils adds “These figures show that the Chichester Transit site has proved to be a successful resource for the Councils and the Travelling community, resulting in dramatically fewer illegal encampments in the area.

It reveals the effectiveness of the partnership between ourselves and the other authorities involved in setting up the site and in the use of powers to tackle this problem.

Adur & Worthing Councils and its residents will also benefit from a substantial reduction in the inconvenience and costs associated with dealing with illegal encampments. 

Carpenter Box Wealth Management LLP is holding four Essential Auto Enrolment Breakfast seminars during 2016, to help SMEs meet the Government’s deadline for Auto Enrolment implementation of 1 April 2017.

Many companies have already gone through this process, introduced by the Government’s reforms to workplace pensions in October 2012, requiring every employer to automatically enrol eligible workers into a qualifying pension scheme, and make regular contributions.

Roy Thompson, Associate at Carpenter Box Wealth Management explains the purpose of the events: “Essentially, the free breakfast seminars aim to help small and medium sized businesses to understand what they have to do to satisfy the legislation, which can quickly become more complicated than first thought. Our approach is to take the time burden away from employers by helping them to set up their schemes ensuring they comply with the relevant legislation”.

Carpenter Box Wealth Management provides three service options for SMEs ranging from the Essential option, walking companies through the process if they want to implement Auto Enrolment themselves, to the Self-Managed option, involving the installation of Auto Enrolment project management software, to the final Managed Option where Carpenter Box Wealth Management undertakes the whole process leaving the business to concentrate on what it does best.

The breakfast seminars will be held between 8am and 9.30am at Carpenter Box’s head office in Worthing on 29 April, 24 June, 2 September and 28 October. If you would like to register for any of the events, you can book online at http://www.carpenterbox.com/autoenrol-breakfast/ or contact Rachael Topping at Carpenter Box on 01903 234094.

The water coming from them might be cold, but the demand for seafront showers is hot as Worthing’s popularity as a water sports destination soars.

“We’ve all seen the kitesurfers, kayak paddlers and jet skiers making full use of our beautiful beaches,” says Martin Randall, Director for the Economy at Adur & Worthing Council.

“This isn’t just a sporting and fitness fad, it’s a real lifestyle passion that’s developing in the town. As people come out of the sea, they want somewhere to shower the salt off - so the Borough Council is installing cold water showers, ensuring that in-demand facilities are just where they’re needed.”

One shower has been installed at Goring Gap, with the second near to the Lido.

An investment of £7,260 (resulting from last year’s seafront concessions income) has been made by the Borough Council as part of its commitment to the continuing the regeneration of the seafront area, and supporting the active watersports scene.

Martin continues: “Developing our seafront offer is key to the regeneration not just of the coastal strip, but of the Borough as a whole. By attracting keen individuals from across the South East, we’re able to support a significant range of businesses, from the seafront concessions to the established restaurants, hotels and guest houses which benefit from a vibrant visitor offer.”

What can WE do for YOU?

What networking and events do you want us to offer?

We are currently looking at our future events plan and feel its time for a shake up! We want to provide events our members want to attend.

Please can we ask you to take a couple of minutes to complete this short survey for us. All the results will be considered and any new ideas for events, venues or spotlights will be welcomed!

This is your chance to influence the events we hold to make the Chamber work for you.

Thank you!

Please click here to complete the survey