The British Gas Energy Efficiency Fund is designed to help micro-businesses manage their energy costs in the long-term, by providing free expert advice and energy efficiency measures.

The fund has been created by British Gas as part of the settlement of an investigation by Ofgem, concluded in April 2014, into British Gas’ breaches of its Standard Licence Conditions 14 (1), 14(3) and 7A. More information about the investigation and breaches can be found on the Ofgem website.

Eligible businesses will receive a free on-site energy survey, as well as fully-funded installations of energy saving measures valued up to £6,000 per business, helping you save money on your energy bill. 

Site surveys will be carried out by trained professionals and will identify the right range of measures that can be delivered at your site – this could include new LED lighting, a boiler replacement, new insulation or other methods to control your energy use.

Eligibility

Any micro-business can apply.  A micro-business is defined as a company with:

• an annual consumption of electricity of not more than 100,000 kWh (estimated £10,000 electricity spend)

                                                                   or

• an annual consumption of gas of not more than 293,000 kWh (estimated £9,000 gas spend)

                                                                   or

• Fewer than 10 employees (or their full time equivalent); AND an annual turnover or annual balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million.

 

To qualify for the Energy Efficiency Fund, you must be on a Non-domestic tariff if you’re a home business.

Register your interest

You can register your interest in the fund using the form below. We’ll call you back within 5 working days.

HUNDREDS of new homes and jobs are on the cards after a housing developer snapped up a sought after site.

Social housing provider Hyde Group is overseeing Ropetackle North – the second phase of a major waterfront regeneration scheme in the heart of Shoreham.

The redevelopment of the three-hectare brownfield site, with views of the River Adur, follows on from a successful first phase by Adur and Worthing Councils and Berkeley Homes.

The vacant site north of the town centre has long been earmarked for redevelopment as it has stood unused for many years.

Hyde Group is working with Adur and Worthing Councils to build “high quality” family houses and flats, apartments, shops, offices, new public open spaces and improved riverside walks.

The firm is also working with HGP Architects, the same company that led the design of the Gunwharf Quays development in Portsmouth - which includes the Spinnaker Tower.

David Gannicott, Hyde Group business development director, said: “Boosting housing supply and stimulating the local economy is a priority for the Greater Brighton City region and these schemes will provide hundreds of new homes for all sections of the community.

"We also aim to maximise their social value, creating hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships during construction.

“The Greater Brighton region is set to become one of the highest performing urban economies in the UK.

"Construction on these, and a number of other projects across the region, is due to start in 2016 and we look forward to working with our partners to make a significant contribution to delivering the homes and jobs the area needs to underpin growth.”

Councillor Neil Parkin, leader of Adur District Council, said he was “delighted” to see an organisation with a track record like Hyde’s investing in the town.

He added: “Delivering new commercial premises and housing in Adur is a key priority for our ambition to grow our local economy.

“As one of the largest social landlords in the South East, Hyde's commitment to building affordable housing and sustainable communities is well established. Their plans to deliver new homes will play an important role in helping the council meet housing needs in Adur.”

Helping to grow the economy: The CWS Partnership has been recognised as a Coastal Community Team by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Earlier this month Coastal Communities Minister Mark Francois gave his support to CWS and more than 100 other new teams that will help revive England’s seaside towns and decide where investment goes.

CWS will receive £10,000 of government funding to invest in our local seaside towns. The partnership will be able to use the funding to help bring jobs, growth and prosperity to our beach towns. For the full story, please follow this link:

http://www.coastalwestsussex.org.uk/cws-partnership-recognised-as-a-coastal-community-team/?utm_source=Coastal+West+Sussex+News&utm_campaign=b270c63866-CWS_Summer_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1c1a791ae1-b270c63866-66630013

Have your say - What do you really think of regulation and planning?

You have been chosen because you are running a business in West Sussex and Brighton & Hove and like other businesses in your area, you would like to save money and time. Just tell us how regulators and planners can assist your business, and help you to prosper by completing the Better Business for All survey. We would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Please take 10 -15 minutes to give us your honest and anonymous feedback about your experiences of regulation and planning and how you think we can make the process quicker and easier for you.

Please click https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Betterbusinessforallsussex to complete the survey

Tony Lelliot from Worthing Town FC is about to launch a crowdfunding project and needs your support now!

Worthing Town FC are an FA Charter Standard Community Club, the only one in Worthing, and based at Palatine Park, Palatine Road, Worthing. BN12 6JN. With 46 teams, and 700 players, we provide football for boys and girls, men and women, from the age of two years upwards.

Fit Community is our charitable arm - Football in the Community. Working in partnership with a range of local community groups and organisations, our projects will aim to address the pockets of deprivation in Worthing tackling health & wellbeing, inequality in access and opportunity faced by those with disabilities, and reduce the stigma associated with mental health, disability, lack of educational opportunity, unemployment, homelessness, and poverty in our local communities.

We will use the power of football, and the extensive, modern facilities at Palatine Park, to deliver projects in the areas of health, education, disability, and social inclusion, all underpinned by our core themes - increasing participation, creating opportunities, tackling inequalities, and improving health.

Alas, with all projects of this nature, we need some initial funding to get going. The playing side is a not-for-profit organisation, and it would be unfair to levy a fee to all members to fund the community side but they will be encouraged to support this scheme if possible ! We believe an initial injection of funds will enable us to set up a range of activities to help those in our local community to lead a better life.

Please help if you can - no matter how small, your donation can help.

Please visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/worthing-town-fc-football-in-the-community-1 and pledge whatever you can - there are some great rewards on offer!

Worthing and Gatwick-based chartered accountants, Carpenter Box, is supporting its largest ever intake of trainees, with eight young people joining the firm’s Platinum Accredited programme on the road to qualification.

Alex Robinson joined following graduation from the University of Bath. Daniel Purkis from the University of Sussex and Mark Hancock from the University of the West of England in Bristol. Katie Bauermeister joined from BHASVIC in Brighton and Jasmine Jasper, Chloe Day, Alannah Morley and Steven Martin have all joined from Worthing College.

Carpenter Box Partner, Chris Coopey, welcomed the trainees on board, commenting: “We have always invested heavily in emerging talent and our latest intake need look no further than our current Managing Partner for inspiration – Alan Edwards joined the firm as a trainee 22 years ago.

“We have always aimed to give our students the best possible start to their careers which has been underlined by our recent re-accreditation as a Platinum trainee development employer, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants’ (ACCA) highest global standard of excellence.”

With a comprehensive training programme overseen by HR Manager Susan Perrin and Assurance & Advisory Group Associate James Gawman, the trainees will work in the Tax Services, Business Services and Audit & Advisory Groups at Carpenter Box as part of their training programme, which will also involve them sitting up to 14 exams, depending on relevant exemptions (such as an accountancy degree), over the next three to four years.

The key meeting which will decide the future of the Aquarena site in Worthing is to be held at 6.30pm on Tuesday 22nd September in the Assembly Rooms - a move which, it is hoped, will allow the greatest number of local residents the chance to be a part of planning the town’s future seafront profile.

Worthing Borough Council’s Planning Committee endorsed the move to the larger venue at their regularly scheduled meeting, held last night (22nd July) in Worthing’s Town Hall.  

Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Kevin Jenkins, said:

"I recognise that the future of our seafront has aroused a huge amount of passion in the community - with many people on each side of the debate over the future of the Aquarena site - and that more people than usual will want to come to this key meeting.

“The Planning Committee also anticipate that a large number of people will wish to speak at the meeting to share their thoughts.  As always, we want to accommodate as many of those requests as possible, which is why the Committee last night approved a suggestion to adopt a specific protocol for this meeting, one which will increase the number of speakers and the time available to each.”

During the debate, up to five people for and five people against the application will be able to speak, with the length of their speaking time extended to three minutes (giving a total of 30 minutes public speaking time on this application).  This is over and above the usual three speakers with two minutes each on both sides of the debate that the Planning Committee has been used to.

Since the number of people wishing to speak is anticipated to be more than can be accommodated during the allotted time, the Planning Committee endorsed a further proposal to ensure a ‘level playing field’ regarding the opportunity to speak.

Cllr Jenkins explains: 

"We are keen to ensure an open and transparent process is maintained throughout this debate and are trying to ensure that a representation of the wider public voice from across Worthing is heard on this matter.

“Those who have registered to speak will be chosen via a ballot system - each person or organisational representative will be given a unique number and on the 14th September the names of the registered speakers and some reserves will be selected by a random number generation process. 

“I recognise that for some this may not give them the opportunity to speak at the meeting that they may wish, but this method has been chosen in order to be fair to everyone, whatever their view on this application and wherever they live in Worthing.

“This seems a fair, open and transparent way of selecting the speakers and ensures that everyone starts from the same level playing field of opportunity."    

Registration for the opportunity to speak to the Planning Committee is now open, and anyone wishing to do needs to contact the Council by 12 noon on Friday 11th September. 

To register, members of the community should email democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk or call 01903 221006.  Any person who has previously contacted Worthing Borough Council to inquire about speaking on this matter will be added to the list.  

Those who have been selected to speak or identified as a reserve speaker will be notified as soon after the 14th September as possible.

Any questions about the planning application should be directed to the Planning Services team or researched on the planning portal on Worthing Borough Council’s website here:

http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/

The ASDA StreetVelodrome Series reached the south coast resort of Worthing for Round 5. It was greeted by huge crowds, the biggest so far this year, sunshine and a festival atmosphere.

 

Taking full advantage of the natural ampitheatre within Beach House Grounds, the crowds grew in large numbers as they first watched the morning Amateur Rider Qualification sessions and then the build up to the main feature races.

 

And what sensational races they were. On what was the longest track so far this Series, all expectation was on a Craig Maclean victory. Adding to his advantage was the increased rolling resistence of the SupaTrak surface, used whenever StreetVelodrome is laid on grass. His superior leg strength would surely enabling the Team Velotec rider to power his way along those two extended straights whilst the other less powerful technical riders would struggle.

 

But it was not to be. Craig got eliminated in round 1 by Super Mario Presi for Team ProCook. Rock The Cotswold's Patrick Robertson was eliminated by Cycleguard's Jack Ravenscroft, whilst Quella's Dave Johnson dispatched guest team ASL360's Mark Emsley in his first appearance in the ASDA StreetVelodrome Series.

 

The finals saw an incredible close battle, once again, between Dave and Mario. But on this occasion, against the form book, Dave came through by just a fraction of a second to beat his nemisis this series Mario.

 

In the women's category Jess Stone for Cycleguard continued her winning ways by beating all her opponents. But the longer track prevented her from dominating quite as much as she failed to score the much needed Catches Cycleguard need to overhaul Team Quella in the Catch Trophy.

 

With just two events to go Team Quella lead the Catch Trophy with 24 Catches to Cycleguard's 20 and ProCook's 19.

 

Improving upon her bronze medal in the previous round, ProCook's Kelli Salone had to settle for silver when faced with a determined Jess Stone in the gold medal race. But this was a major fillip for Kelli as she managed to beat Quella's Anna Glowinski into the Bronze position. 

 

This was Anna's lowest ever finishing position in StreetVelodrome. And she had a battle to contend with in her bronze medal race against locally qualifying amateur Rowena Price who really impressed on the day.

 

The overall team medal table has Quella on top with 4 Golds, 4 Silvers and now 2 Bronze medals. Behind is Cycleguard with 3 Golds, 2 Silvers and a collection of 4 bronzes. ProCook lost ground remaining on 2 golds but improving their tally of silvers to 4. This means they could still leapfrog Cycleguard in Ealing if Jess fails to win.

 

The teams remain in the same ranking positions going into Round 6, Ealing on Saturday 8th August. Their rankings will determine the draw for the SuperFinals on 13th August in Broadgate, City of London. So topping the medal table going into the climax of the Series will be a great boost. So Ealing will become the last gasp scramble for those all important golds.

 

The ASDA StreetVelodrome Kids Series continues to be led by Team Sharks but now with a reduced points lead. They have 15 points to the 11 points scored by Team Tigers. Ealing will see the final of the Kids Series and with a maximum of 10 points still available either team could still win.

Worthing and Gatwick-based chartered accountants Carpenter Box is urging Sussex manufacturers to have their say on the effect of the engineering skills gap as part of a major industry survey.

The 2015 MHA Manufacturing & Engineering Survey, launched by MHA, the national association of accountancy and business advisory firms, is supported by Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking and will look at the long term implications of failing to invest in engineering talent at every level.

Comments Chris Coopey, Partner at Carpenter Box who also heads up MHA’s Manufacturing Group: “Engineering UK estimates that as a country we need either to double the number of engineering graduates we produce or take other measures, including supporting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) students and apprenticeships, in order to compete on the global stage.”

“Feedback from organisations such as the Sussex Manufacturing Forum demonstrates that many engineering and manufacturing businesses are finding recruitment difficult if not impossible, and not just for graduates and experienced engineers but even at apprentice level. This skills gap means a growth gap for the sector in our area – and it will get worse the longer we fail to address the obvious.”

Assessing the effect of the skills gap on growth across the regions of the UK is one of the primary aims of the 2015 MHA Survey.  The survey report, available in late September, will include analysis by the prestigious WMG - the Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick - and from Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport and Manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The report will be used to encourage government and other public and private bodies to develop policies that meet the needs of industry.

“The rewards for encouraging many more secondary school students towards a career in engineering and manufacturing are potentially huge for the UK economy,” says Chris Coopey. “If we get the balance right and find an answer to the skills gap, we could potentially add around £27 billion a year to the UK economy from 2022 onwards.”

David Atkinson, Head of SME Manufacturing at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, added: “The skills gap poses a major challenge for the UK’s manufacturing and engineering sector and the issue needs to be addressed in order for manufacturers to remain competitive and at the cutting edge of the global market. There’s a clear demand for talent at all levels and if tackled successfully, resolving the skills shortage will support the sustainable growth of the industry and ensure the sector continues to play a fundamental role in rebalancing the UK economy.”

Business Growth Grants

Is your business eligible for a grant of £15,000 - £100,000?

Businesses in CWS could be eligible for substantial funding thanks to a Business Grants programme launched by Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and West Sussex County Council.
It is hoped that small and medium sized businesses looking to expand and create new jobs, but not finding it easy to find the finance, will apply.  Start-ups, existing businesses and social enterprises are being encouraged to express interest in the programme before the deadline of 15^th September 2015.
To find out more please click on this link