Councils seek greener vehicle alternatives

Improvements in the electric vehicle industry have prompted Adur & Worthing Councils to begin testing all-electric vans, leading the way to reducing fleet running costs and creating a cleaner, greener environment.

Even with an accelerating digital agenda, Adur & Worthing Councils haven’t gone entirely paperless just yet.  In addition to the meeting papers, mail items and equipment which need to be moved around on a daily basis, the Councils have many members of staff who criss-cross the District and Borough in the course of their daily duties.

In order to reduce fleet fuel bills - and contribute to improvements in local air quality - the Councils are actively considering opportunities to replace their diesel powered fleet with the latest electric vehicles at the next scheduled upgrade opportunity

With this in mind, a Nissan e-NV200 was recently trialled by the Business Services team, after recent advances in battery technology have made all-electric vehicles an increasingly attractive option with faster charging times and increased ranges, meaning that teams can keep going for longer before top-ups.

Councillor Angus Dunn, Executive Member for Resources at Adur District Council, said:

“It’s fantastic that both Councils are looking into more environmentally friendly alternatives for their couriers, showing how committed we are to reducing our carbon footprint over the coming years. As we look to make the environment greener, it makes sense to start here with the overall aim of operating more than one such vehicle in the near future.”

Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Resources, Councillor Mark Nolan, adds:

“We have every intention to explore replacing our existing diesel fuelled vans with these all electric vehicles, leading the way for other Councils to follow suit. We’re dedicated to continuously balancing fiscal responsibility with improving the environment; and we can make a start on both of these objectives through the purchase of such vehicles.”

Martin Hosier, Facilities Officer at Adur & Worthing Councils, comments:

“"Having first evaluated electric vehicles several years ago, it was remarkable to find just how far the technology had progressed.  The van we have been evaluating is leaps and bounds beyond those early vehicles and is comparable in every way to the normal commercial vehicles that we currently operate - it could be a genuinely practicable alternative to diesel and petrol powered vehicles."

During the trial, the e-NV200 was described as being surprisingly quiet - so much so that when standing next to it it was not readily apparent that the engine is running.  This quiet running will also contribute to lowering noise levels on busy roads, further improving the local environment.

In order to put an all-electric vehicle on the fleet, Adur & Worthing Councils would have to apply for a government grant to assist with the purchase price, further improving the financial attractiveness of the all-electric option.  If a grant is made to the Councils, then it is hoped that the first vehicle will arrive on the fleet by the end of 2015.

Meet your local County Councillor at the Worthing Council Local Committee
Wednesday 10 June 2015 7.00pm
Devonshire Room, Chatsworth Hotel,

Prior to the formal meeting there will be an opportunity for residents to attend a drop in event to view plans and ask any questions regarding the Montague Place improvements, which will start at 5.30pm

Third Annual Worthing & Adur Fund May Day Golf Challenge

This year we joined forces with Dizzy:support for diabetes, raising money for both local charities.  A fantastic day was had by more than 60 golfers who participated.

Teams from the Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce  captained by Damian Pulford were pitted against South Coast Golf Tour captained by Peter Raynsford  in a  Challenge run Ryder cup style,   on Worthing Golf Club’s par 71 Lower Course.

The overall winning team on the day was South Coast Golf Tour and Mark Perring from “Valusys”  won best individual score.  Fund Founder Donor Caroline Nicholls beat off stiff competition to get the ladies prize! More lady golfers next year please!

Fortified by a Bacon bap and some excellent coffee and tea, the players set off on a bright if chilly morning. They were greeted with more refreshments at the halfway house provided by Dizzy (lovely homemade Muesli bars thanks Jane) then later made their way back for a highly competitive putting challenge followed by an excellent lunch, prizes and the drawing of the raffle.

A big thank you to those local businesses, like Bennett Griffin who provided the Winning Team Cup, and individuals who provided sponsorship and prizes and many thanks to  everyone at Worthing Golf Club for their support in making the day such a great success.  The success of the day boosted the Worthing and Adur Fund which will have another round of grants in October for local charities and voluntary groups like Sailability-sailing for the disabled, and contributed to Dizzy:support for diabetes.

The hard working Golf Day team- David Fluke, Tina Tilley, Damian Pulford, Peter Raynsford and Jools Chaffer would like to start planning for next year  so put May 1^st in your diary! (TBC)

Karen Simporis

Chair Worthing & Adur fund

HSBC delivers post-election Economic Outlook

The next meetings of the Sussex Property Alliance and the Sussex Manufacturing Forum, hosted by West Sussex and Gatwick-based chartered accountants and tax advisers, Carpenter Box, provide a rare opportunity to hear from Mark Berrisford-Smith, Head of Economics for HSBC UK Commercial Banking. Mark will share with both meetings his outlook for the UK and the world post the General Election.

Mark is one of HSBC’s most senior national commentators on the economy and advises on developments in the UK and global economies, and the performance of regions and key industry sectors.

As Carpenter Box Partner and compere for the events, Chris Coopey, explains: “Mark is an incredible public speaker, leading talks at conferences and seminars throughout the year in his signature entertaining and informative style. Ahead of the upcoming July 8^th budget, it will be really interesting for local businesses within the property and manufacturing sectors to hear Mark’s view on what the next five years might have in store for UK Plc now that David Cameron is in a position to push forward an economic programme without having to worry about the sensibilities of a coalition partner.”

The free events will both be held on 19 June 2015 at South Lodge Hotel, Nr. Horsham with the Sussex Manufacturing Forum taking place between 8am and 10.30am and the Sussex Property Alliance between 12 noon and 3pm.

The Manufacturing Forum is open to manufacturers and engineers and other businesses involved in the supply chain, whilst the Property Alliance is open to investors, builders, developers, architects and planners, as well as raw and building material suppliers.

In addition to Carpenter Box, the Sussex Manufacturing Forum is sponsored by HSBC Bank and the Sussex Property Alliance is sponsored by Michael Jones Estate Agents, Jelf Insurance Brokers and Bennett Griffin Solicitors and Notaries.

For further information on both events, please contact Lucy Tunstall at Carpenter Box on 01903 234094 or by e-mail, lucy.tunstall@carpenterbox.com, or register at www.sussexmanufacturingforum.com  for the Manufacturing Forum and at http://www.carpenterbox.com/spa/registration/ for the Property Alliance.

Another sparkling AGM for Worthing and Adur Chamber!

Most AGMs can be pretty formal. Our Chamber makes a habit of having interesting and thought-provoking meetings at the AGM. This year's 77th AGM was no exception. Although it rained most of the day, the sun shone on the proceedings at the Dome from 6pm onwards. About 100 members and guests attended, along with both Worthing's MPs. It was a time to say thank you to so many people. Special thanks must be given to the executive committee who run the Chamber especially as this was the time when they stood for re-election. All of them did so and were re-elected successfully except for Chris Coopey who indicated that with his move to Crawley, he could not spend the time he wanted to attend meetings. He was thanked for his generous contributions. Two new members of the executive, Jonathan Nulty and Dave Bone, were elected too and warmly welcomed.

We elected two new Vice Presidents, Tony Hedger and Julian Cioffi, to stand with Karen Simporis, each with different areas of responsibility. Karen has led the charity commitment by the Chamber which has seen £65,000 raised for the Worthing and Adur Fund. Tony has expertise in finance and Julian, as a solicitor in Shoreham, has a special interest in spearheading Adur interests. All members of the executive worked very hard but Clive Spring who works with Tracie Davey in the website group has made a massive contribution to a new logo and design. The Chamber is very grateful for his hard work. Sheryl Tipton leads the marketing & communications group very successfully. The finance committee of Ian Vickers and Alistair Vickers is enormously helped by Andrew Dalglish of Ayres Bright Vickers. It is not often that three accountants can agree on one plan of action! The Chamber has never been in a better financial state. We formed a separate Community Interest Company (CIC) in 2013 and are awaiting revenue approval of its status as a training entity.

Our key partners remain Northbrook College, who are working with us on an exciting new development of an innovation hub in and we are in discussions with Adur & Worthing Council for funding to fit out and establish the hub for new businesses and start-ups in the digital media and creative sectors. This will be sited in Broadwater on the Northbrook College campus. Adur & Worthing Business Partnership, led by Andrew Swayne, has been a pillar of support and congratulations to Andrew on his business award for the work he has done. Coast to Capital and Malcolm Brabon in particular have worked closely in setting up through us the Navigator Hub. We have led, together with Chichester and Brighton & Hove Chambers, which signposts local businesses to grants, funding and support they might not otherwise have known about.

The Chamber also paid its tributes to both Tracie Davey, the operations manager of the Chamber who works tirelessly to keep the wheels turning; and also to our chief executive Tina Tilley who won the Business Personality of the Year for Worthing & Adur for 2013 but was surprised to be awarded the 2014 Business Personality for the whole of the southern region. Tina richly deserved those awards and without her the Chamber would not be the success it is.

That was the formal part of the meeting. We had already heard from EON about the windfarm being built off Brooklands. This is a massive investment. We also heard from Alex Bailey, the chief executive of Adur & Worthing Council on the economic development plans and the fact that the council is putting economic development as a priority. We had an update on major sites and progress being made throughout our area

The closing speech was from our patron Gillian Fielding the secret millionaire who as usual stimulated and challenged the audience with an engrossing talk on the importance of small and medium-sized enterprise, Gillian commented “As a group small business owners can cope with anything that any government or any economic cycle can throw at them and what we need to concentrate on is not the external factors that emerge from the differences in political opinion but the internal factors that are us as individuals.

It’s our determination to succeed that matters: our drive and motivation for what we do: our support for one another that helps: our personal belief in our product and services: and it is in the decisions we make and the actions we take that the UK economy will thrive, prosper and grow – whatever the political landscape”

The Dome provided an excellent buffet and refreshments. A great evening with lots of networking and tips on how to make your business more successful. If you went with us this year make sure you are for the next AGM to make sure you know what is going on locally.

New Partner appointed to new Gatwick office

South Coast and Gatwick-based chartered accountants and chartered tax advisers, Carpenter Box, has appointed Tony Summers as Audit Partner to help grow and develop its new Gatwick office.

Tony was appointed on 1 May and has over 20 years’ accounting and advisory experience dealing with a wide range of businesses from small start-ups to large corporates, both listed and private. He has particular specialist experience in owner-managed businesses and those with venture capital backing in a number of sectors including technology, manufacturing, software, transport and logistics and recruitment consultants.

Tony commented: “I am delighted to be appointed Audit Partner in a firm with such an excellent reputation as Carpenter Box. The company was recently crowned ‘Professional Services Firm of the Year’ in the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards 2015, so I do have a lot to live up to!

 “The appointment is an exciting opportunity for me, as Carpenter Box has an ambitious strategy for growth in the Gatwick area and offers a very distinct value proposition for businesses in the region. The firm has an experienced client focussed team providing high quality service and outstanding value for money.”

Carpenter Box has grown to become a real force in Sussex and the South. With a headcount of over 120, including 12 partners, it is one of the largest business advisory firms in the region. It is also a founding member of MHA, a national association of leading independent accountants, giving Carpenter Box the ability to provide larger clients with accounting and audit solutions across the UK. The firm is also an independent member of Baker Tilly International, which provides client access to a global network of trusted advisors for businesses looking to trade globally.

Outside of work, Tony is a keen Brentford FC supporter and attempts to keep fit playing tennis as and when time allows. He also enjoys relaxing with his wife and two children at their home in Crawley Down. 

Enterprise Week will run from 15th - 19th June with some exciting workshops and talks.

This years theme is Digital Media with talks covering:

How to enter the Digital market
Startung up a Digital Business
Growing Your Team
Visualise Your Business

The week will finish with a reception and preview of the proposed INnovation Centre at Northbrook College Broadwater.,

Make sure you save the date and watch out for the full programme soon!