Greater Brighton looks to expand as more want to join success story

Greater Brighton is set to take another step forward after an invite to join was sent to Arun District Council bringing even more economic strength, jobs and investment potential into the region.

Members of the Greater Brighton Economic Board have agreed to ask Arun to join after a formal request was received from the District Council last year.

Arun will join six other local authorities, business partnerships, two universities, Gatwick Airport and the South Downs National Park Authority working together in the region to attract inward investment through Government and private investment. Greater Brighton has so far attracted more than £160m for infrastructure projects within the last  four years.

In a report to the board, officers say Arun, which includes the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, would ‘add much to the critical mass and economic diversity of the Greater Brighton City Region economy’.

In addition Arun, which supports 55,000 jobs would take Greater Brighton’s employment base to more than half a million which the report describes as ‘a significant milestone’. The region’s economic worth was currently around £23bn which would be increased by 10 per cent should Arun join.

The report also points out with pressure growing in Greater Brighton for commercial property Arun has the potential to help relocation of some businesses and expansion of others where a significant amount for employment opportunity has been identified . In addition the report points out that the economies of Greater Brighton and Arun are closely linked with 1,900 people moving from the region into Arun in 2016. The district also has a significant  contribution to make to the overall housing stock in the Greater Brighton area supplying much-needed homes for local residents and new workers to the region.

According to data contained in the 2011 Census, Arun provides jobs for around 4,500 Greater Brighton residents while 9,000 of its residents were employed in the region.

Chairman of Greater Brighton, Cllr Garry Wall, said, ‘Obviously both Arun and the members of the Greater Brighton region will need to individually support this proposal but the report makes clear what a good fit Arun is with us, helping us to grow and become even more attractive to investors.

‘Since we began in 2014 we have now had Crawley District Council and Gatwick Airport joining us making a very powerful region indeed. It goes without saying that the more of us sharing a common aim to improve the lives of citizens by working together for the good of the whole Greater Brighton region can only be a good thing.’

Chief Executive of Adur District Council, Nigel Lynn, said, “We look forward to working more closely with partners within the Greater Brighton Economic Board area for the benefit of residents not only in Arun, but across the whole of this important economic zone”

After supporting the recommendations that Arun join the region at a meeting of the Economic Board this week the District Council and all other existing members of the Greater Brighton region will now need to individually approve the plan.

Worthing health hub plans progress

Plans to create a new multi-million pound health hub in the heart of Worthing continue to progress with plans set to be made public in the coming months.

Worthing Borough Council is taking the lead on the project which aims to bring together a range of NHS services within a single new building on the current civic car park in Stoke Abbott Road.

The aim of bringing together a range of healthcare professionals together on one site is to make best use of public land while improving the quality of care and facilities for patients and staff.

While work continues behind the scenes to bring forward a detailed proposal, surveyors employed by the council were on site last week making detailed assessments.

Discussions around the design of the building are also underway with the Council hopeful that a planning application could be submitted later this year.

Councillor Dan Humphreys, Leader of Worthing Borough Council, who was given an update on the progress of the project this week, said: “I'm pleased to see that plans for this long-awaited health hub are progressing.

“It is an excellent example of how the council is using its resources and excellent relationships with health sector partners to invest in our town.

“Worthing needs new, modern and accessible health facilities that are large enough to cater for our growing population while ensuring residents receive the best possible public services for many years to come.”

The 1.5 hectare site on the corner of Stoke Abbott Road and Christchurch Road is currently used for parking by town hall staff.

A plan to create a health hub on the site was given initial backing by councillors in December 2016, who released funding received through the Cabinet Office’s One Public Estate programme.

Since then officers have been working with partners in the NHS and the community to investigate the feasibility of a proposed development.

Legal agreements with partners could be signed in spring with consultation with all partners and affected groups this summer.

If planning approval is granted, work could start on site in 2020.

West Sussex County Council are seeking your views on electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging. 

They are interested in everyone’s views. Whether you currently own or drive an electric vehicle, whether you see electric chargers as a way to attract customers or have no aspiration regarding electric cars, we would like to hear from you. 

WSCC are currently developing an Electric Vehicle Strategy which will set out the County Council’s role in helping achieve the Government's ambition of at least half of new cars to be ultra-low emission by 2030, and zero emissions from vehicles by 2050.

The results from this survey to help inform and shape our strategy.

The information you provide will be anonymous.

There are just 6 short questions to answer, so the survey will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

Please click here to take part in the survey

Two blokes play over 20 instruments LIVE on stage in a spellbinding performance
 
One album, two men, too many instruments! The multi-award winning hit show Tubular Bells For Two returns to the UK for a 13-date tour in 2019, including Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre on Friday 10^th May at 7.30pm.
 
Two highly talented musicians, Daniel Holdsworth and Tom Bamford, battle with a stage full of instruments to reproduce Mike Oldfield’s classic Tubular Bells album live. One slip and it could all go horribly wrong!
 
Like all the best ideas, Tubular Bells For Two started with a simple concept. Daniel and his friend Aidan Roberts were chilling out at home in the Blue Mountains of Australia one Friday night, listening to music over a bottle of wine, when they started to wonder how far Mike Oldfield’s groundbreaking multi-tracked album Tubular Bells could be reproduced live. A one-off fun show for friends with minimal instrumentation proved so popular that they decided to do it again, more and more instruments were added over time, and Tubular Bells For Two was born!
 
Tubular Bells For Two made its UK debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012, where it wowed critics and audience alike, winning 5-star reviews and much-coveted Herald Angel and ‘Sixth Star’ Bobby awards, and has sold out many British concert venues on subsequent tours since.
 
Tom Bamford replaced Aidan in 2017, but the concept remains the same: the barefoot duo dash around the stage, performing a multitude of instruments live in an intricately choreographed, thrilling piece of theatre. For the audience, the fun lies in not only hearing the music of a classic album beautifully played, but also in the tension of knowing that the slightest mistake could bring the whole show crashing to a halt!
 
Opening act will be GypsyFingers, featuring Luke and Victoria Oldfield – and yes, Luke was introduced to the show by his father, who has given it his seal of approval!
 
Tickets for Tubular Bells For Two are priced from £23.50 each and are available from the Worthing Theatres box office on 01903 206 206 and online at worthingtheatres.co.uk.

International Women’s Day Event at Worthing High School

Worthing High School held a special young women in business session with visiting female managers from Equiniti, a Worthing based business Solutions Company. The team of staff from Equiniti engaged with our female students in discussions about career pathways and how to identify their own transferable skills. Helping them to understand their future workplace environment and how they can build their skills for the future.

The session was held as part of the National Careers Week 2019 and International Women’s Day during which a number of activies were put in place to help students consider their future careers and employment options. 

‘We remember what it was like to not know what direction to take after school. So it felt good to be able to share our experiences on how it all works if you build on your skills and take a chance on what you desire’. Kate Prangnell – CSR Manager

During the session, students heard from the Equiniti staff who shared their career routes.

‘I enjoyed the session and I thought it was really beneficial for us. The women spoke about what it like at school for them and how they became managers within Equiniti. They talked to us about transferable skills and how we can learn about ourselves by going outside our comfort zone’. Natasha Humphries – Year 10 student

Equiniti work closely with Worthing High School to support our students by providing workshops, assemblies and 1 to 1 mentoring for older students. They help, like many other local businesses, to bring relevant industry learning in to the school building positive links with the business community. 

‘We left Worthing High School on a real high. It was such a positive experience for us, being able to talk honestly to the girls about our career paths and what to do if you lack confidence’. Tierney Stockwell – Head Relationship Manager.

‘It was a great way to mark International Women’s Day, and to continue to build links between Equiniti and our local community’. Zoe Collett – Relationship Manager

 ‘We look forward to welcoming some of the girls to visit the Equiniti office to see our colleagues in action’. Kate Prangnell – CSR Manager.

If you run or work for a business that would like to support students at Worthing High School please get in touch with pdean@worthinghigh.net

Thousands of local workers to benefit from discount travel

Local businesses are encouraged to sign up to an exciting new scheme which has already seen more than 5,000 local workers across Adur and Worthing eligible to benefit from discounts on rail and bus travel.

More than ten local businesses and organisations have joined easitADUR & WORTHING, a collaboration between Adur & Worthing Councils and leading social enterprise easit.

Workers are not only offered discounts on peak and off peak travel and season tickets, but also reductions on bikes and car hire, as well as other initiatives which promote more environmentally friendly travel.

The scheme aims to encourage people to travel more sustainably for both work and leisure in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, one of the leading causes of climate change. It can also improve staff health and wellbeing, as well as address congestion and parking problems.

West Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust is one of the organisations which has already signed up to the scheme and hosted the first easitADUR & Worthing network meeting:

Suzanne Fisher, Associate Director of Facilities at Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:  “The new Adur and Worthing easitNETWORK is excellent news for Western Sussex Hospitals staff and so we were delighted to host the launch event at Worthing Hospital.

“Membership of the easit scheme is a key element of our Green Travel Plan, which helps reduce car emissions and traffic congestion by providing employees with discounts to public transport, out of town Park & Ride car parks and improved facilities for cyclists and motorbike users.”

Cllr Dan Humphreys, Leader of Worthing Borough Council, said: “We are really pleased that so many businesses in Adur and Worthing have decided to sign up to the scheme. Encouraging staff to think more about sustainable transport options is another step forward in our work to become more sustainable. Cycling and walking also help promote health and wellbeing leading to a happier workforce.”

Mel Mehmet, CEO of easit, said:“We are delighted to have launched our first new network of 2019 and the 16th easitNETWORK overall.  There now exists a real desire to address transport issues and that is where easit can help. We are very much looking forward to working with Adur & Worthing Councils and other local businesses.”

Transport is one of the six areas being tackled by the Councils’ SustainableAW programme to combat global warming and protect and improve the environment in Adur and Worthing. The other areas are: energy, waste, water, biodiversity and carbon reduction.

To find out more about Adur & Worthing travel improvement plans, click here,

10^th Anniversary & £175k Raised – Time to Celebrate for Charitable Foundation

Sussex-based MHA Carpenter Box is celebrating the 10^th anniversary of its pioneering charitable foundation…by committing to add £20,000 in 2019 to the £175,000 already raised for voluntary groups serving communities local to its Worthing and Gatwick offices.

The chartered accountancy firm was one of the first businesses in the area to set up a charitable arm with a focus to support smaller local organisations that often find it difficult to raise funds. The foundation is run by staff trustees along with one partner, who together decide on donations and grants.

“Our staff have been magnificent in their fundraising efforts.” commented MHA Carpenter Box Practice Director Chris Coopey. “From bake sales, treks, skydives, quiz nights and even a bath race, our staff have done it all!”

To celebrate the 10^th anniversary milestone, the firm will be running 10 events throughout 2019 - five fundraising activities and five with a volunteering focus - with the aim of raising £20,000.  

The official launch of the special year was held at the MHA Carpenter Box offices in Worthing and attracted the support of the High Sheriff of West Sussex, Caroline Nicholls DL, the Deputy Mayor of Worthing, Councillor Hazel Thorpe and her Consort, Robin Rogers, along with local charitable groups and businesses.

Chris added: “The event provided the perfect platform for what I know will be a wonderful year for the foundation – we are now looking forward to our first major fundraising event of the year…our Big Biz Quiz in April.”

For more information about the Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation, please visit:  https://www.carpenterbox.com/cbcf

www.carpenterbox.com

METALL #10 Solutions to the Skills Chasm

The lack of recruits at every level consistently tops the list of concerns for manufacturing, engineering and technology businesses both in the South and nationally. The next meeting of METALL – the Manufacturing Engineering Technology Alliance (METALL #10) – seeks to find some practical solutions to this long-term problem which hinders business growth and risks succession.

By bringing businesses and education professionals together, METALL #10 will look at practical ways they can all work together to help influence local change in schools and help our educators understand the great career opportunities that pursuing STEM subjects can lead to; without doubt, more students need to be undertaking these subjects.

Chris Coopey, Partner and Practice Director at MHA Carpenter Box commented: “I am looking forward to this event as I’m sure there will be some really interesting and lively debate around this skills shortage – which has been an issue for too long now and appears to be worsening year-by-year. We should be able to agree on some real outcomes that will help our educators to encourage more students to pursue STEM subjects leading to important and fulfilling careers and which will be a practical step on the long road to resolving this issue.”

The METALL #10 event will be held between 8am and 11am on Thursday 11 April at the new Engineering & Digital Technology Park, University of Chichester’s Bognor Campus, followed by a site tour. The event will be facilitated by Richard Freeman, CEO of East Sussex-based company, always possible. Places will be limited, so please sign up quickly if you would like to attend to avoid disappointment at www.metall.org.uk/events/

METALL is supported by MHA Carpenter Box chartered accountants, solicitors asb law and sector recruitment professionals, CBSbutler.  It was launched in 2016 with the primary aim of sharing best practice across Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology businesses.

www.carpenterbox.com

Worthing Homes are hiring!

Youth/Community Workers

Cook & Gardener

Salary £9.93 per hour

Do you want the chance to be part of an award winning project?

Do you want the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of people in your community? 

If the answer is Yes, come and join our team!

We are seeking 2 team members to join our Award winning Community House.

The Community House is a project based in East Worthing that runs a number of structured, timetabled activities as well as providing an informal drop in facility for the local community and general public. The house is jointly funded by Worthing Homes and the Big Lottery Fund and aims to support the needs of individuals within the local community.

Kids Cookery – every Thursday 3-5.

·        Devising a menu mainly from the ingredients given to us by a local supermarket.

·        Helping people to prepare and cook for themselves and others.

·        Tidying up and encouraging other users to keep the Community House Tidy.

Gardener - You must be available on Wednesdays during half terms and holidays

• ·        Are you able to respond well to young people and teenagers?
• ·        Are you flexible and caring with an outgoing personality?
• ·        Do you have experience of working in a community setting?
• ·        Can you help grow food to use in our various cookery projects?
• ·        Friendly working atmosphere where no two days are the same.
• ·        Can you devise a range of gardening activities that will engage our young people and adults?

In return we offer:

Paid holiday and comprehensive training and support

Worthing Homes is committed to safeguarding the welfare of those accessing our services through the effective use of the DBS Disclosure and baring service. All sessional workers being considered for posts working with children or vulnerable adults in regulated activities must be DBS checked at Enhanced level, prior to commencing work.

To apply, send your CV and covering letter to jobs@worthing-homes.org.uk

We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all sectors of the community. We are an inclusive organisation and value each individual’s unique contribution, irrespective of race, ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or social background. 

Major boost for Shoreham as landmark office block nearly complete

The countdown is on to the opening of a new Adur District Council-funded office block which will generate a return to the local authority while bringing hundreds of jobs to the heart of Shoreham.

In a pioneering move which will bring noticeable benefits to the local economy, the local authority is creating a new £9.5 million contemporary looking development on the former Civic Centre car park in Ham Road.

It will then lease the four-storey building to growing communications company Focus Group, allowing it to relocate from its current base in Southwick.

The development is the one of a number proposed for Shoreham town centre which will see hundreds of new homes, along with work space and improved riverside routes for pedestrians and cyclists created along the western harbour arm.

With the bulk of the work on the new office block now complete, Council leaders joined representatives from Focus and the project team for a tour around the striking new building.

Councillor Neil Parkin, Leader of Adur District Council, said: “I am totally staggered at the quality of this new landmark building for Shoreham which has sprung up in just a matter of months.

“Very soon the transformation of an ugly tarmac strip for council workers cars into a head office for a growing national company will be complete.

“This is a prime example of how as a local authority we can use our assets for the greater good. The new building itself not only generates an income for the taxpayer but also creates jobs for local residents and generating business for local traders.

“The project team involved in this construction have done an excellent job and I look forward to the work being completed in just a few weeks.”

The development will bring back into use the car park site which has been largely vacant since the Civic Centre closed in 2013.

Work started on site a year ago and since then teams have created a striking brick and bronze cladded building.

Inside, the open plan office will have a contemporary feel, with top-of-the-range internet connections and a roof terrace just some of the perks for workers.

The project, which has been supported by £1.8 million of funding from the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and is being overseen by Willmott Dixon, will be complete by the end of April.

Focus will then move into the office block by summer, investing a major six figure sum to transform the building into a thriving new headquarters.

The move will ensure the retention of 250 jobs in the area while allowing it to continue to grow - with hopes of a further 150 to 200 posts created in the first 18 months of occupation.

Ralph Gilbert, of Focus Group, said: “We are all really excited that after many months of waiting we are soon to move into our new home four weeks ahead of schedule.

“We want to make this building one of the best offices in the region so that we can attract the best staff while showcasing some of the groundbreaking technology which we advocate and install for firms across the UK.”

Russell Miller, Director of Delivery at Willmott Dixon commented: “This project has been a valuable investment for the local community, creating local jobs and regenerating a large part of the town centre. Together, we have made a positive impact on the local community, leaving behind a legacy that we call be proud of.”