KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees28, May, 2013

INSIDE

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An EXAMINER publication

PullingtogetherEFFORTS are underway to build linksbetween businessesbased in Huddersfield’sHD8 postcode area.Merewyn Sayers, whoruns Denby Dale-basedbusiness support firmSayers Solutions, isleading the drive to pulltogether firms invillages such as DenbyDale, Clayton West,Skelmanthorpe,Scissett, Shepley, HighFlatts, Emley andFarnley Tyas. She hasalready set up aFacebook page, whichhas attracted 74 “likes”from businesses andindividuals across thedistrict.

Countingthe costYORKSHIRE firms seerising fuel and utilitycosts as the biggestproblems they face. Apoll of more than 500firms by insolvencytrade body R3 showedthat 38% of companiesin the region cited fueland utility costs astheir biggest headache– compared with 32%of firms nationally.Some 34% firms wereworried about reducedconsumer spending,but only 7% wereconcerned aboutsecuring further creditor a bank loan.

RICHARD THOMPSON

exam

iner

.co.

uk Themosttrustednewsbrandin thebusiness

AMANDA VIGAR

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Young set to leadboom in businessYORKSHIRE could be on the brinkof a youth business boom, accordingto a new report by The Prince’s Trustand RBS today.

More than two fifths of youngpeople in the region believe they will beself-employed in the future, while morethan one in three expect to be their ownboss within the next five years.

More than a third have alreadymade money from entrepreneurialactivity – such as selling a product theyhave made or working on a freelancebasis – and more than half hope to doso in the future.

While only 5% of young people inthe UK are currently self-employed,more than a quarter claim they are“increasingly” thinking of setting up inbusiness.

Jonathan Townsend, regional dir-ector of The Prince’s Trust in the northof England, said: “This researchreveals an increasingly entrepreneurialmood among young people in York-

shire and the Humber.“Five years on from the start of the

recession, youth unemploymentremains high and many are seeingself-employment as a way to break thecycle of joblessness.

“Setting up in business can be tough– but at The Prince’s Trust we have a30-year track record of helping disad-vantaged young people succeed inwork and self-employment, no matterwhat their background. It is critical wenurture young people’s passion forbusiness and invest in the next genera-tion.”

The survey found that 28% of youngpeople would rather try to set up theirown business than continue to job-seekin today’s competitive market.

Figures from the Office for NationalStatistics show the number ofself-employed young people hasalready risen by 71,000 since the startof the economic crisis.

While 42% of young people across

the UK have considered setting up inbusiness, according to the Prince’sTrust research, many are being heldback due to worries about funding ornot having enough support.

Almost two-thirds of young peoplein the region said that not havingenough money would prevent themfrom setting up in business, whiletwo-fifths claim that having a mentorwould make them more likely to con-

sider self-employment.Chris Sullivan, chief executive of

RBS Corporate Banking, said: “RBShas, for over a decade, actively suppor-ted efforts targeted towards young,unemployed people with a commercialidea and the drive and ambition tostart-up their own business.

“It is of particular importance inthese tough economic times to providesupport for some of the most disad-vantaged young people in the country.Through our ongoing partnershipwith The Prince's Trust we’ve seenfirst-hand the life-changing results.”

The Prince’s Trust is celebrating 30years of setting up young people inbusiness through its Enterprise pro-gramme.

The scheme has helped 80,000young entrepreneurs to date with sup-port from funders such as RBS.

Visit www.princes-trust.org.uk/30enterprise or call 0800 842842.

Start-up grant put Julie on road to successMIRFIELD businesswoman JulieDedman is a true Prince’s Trustsuccess story.

The 50-year-old launched asmall milk testing business on afriend’s farm in 1985 with helpfrom the Prince’s Trust.

Since selling her first business toa large conglomerate, she nowoversees nine multi-national com-panies turning over more than£250m a year and employing5,000 people worldwide.

Julie’s journey began when shewas made redundant from her jobat a local animal feed company.

She said: “The job market wasnot great at the time, so beingmade redundant seemed like theworst thing that could havehappened.

“You go from having a full timejob and thinking everything is fineto the next having nothing – butthat’s life. There are many otherswho have been through exactly thesame; you just have to make thebest out of what you have.

“Rather than sitting and feelingsorry for myself, I realised thatthere was an opportunity to opena business in an area that I was

experienced in, so I grabbed itwith both hands.

“1985 was a tough time forbusiness, quite similar to how it istoday, and I couldn’t find anyfunders who were interested in agirl of 22 asking for money to setup a milk testing company with nobacking. The Prince’s Trust werethe only ones who believed in meand they supported me all theway.”

Julie enrolled onto The Prince’sTrust’s enterprise course and wasawarded a £1,000 grant and abusiness mentor to get her busi-ness – West Riding Milk Testing -started.

She said: “Starting out wasextremely hard and I had to makea lot of sacrifices to put everythingI had into making the businesswork. I felt that the trust had givenme a lifeline with that money andsupport and I owed it to them andmyself to make it a success.

“You do have to give up manythings and it was years before Icould even think about leaving togo on holiday, but you get outwhat you put in.”

Julie used the grant to secure

premises for a laboratory and tobuy testing equipment. With herbackground in agriculture andfarming, Julie relied on her know-ledge and saw the gap in themarket for her services, which noone was offering in the area at thetime.

Now Julie spends her timedeftly navigating the world ofbusiness, juggling nine multi-mil-lion pound companies. The variedsectors range from food manufac-turing – which includes supplyingsandwiches and snack foods tobusinesses producing airline mealsand Halal meals for hospitals – toclean air facilities, facilities man-agement and the manufacturingof surgical ophthalmology instru-ments for some of the leading eyehospitals and clinics across theworld.

Julie gives a lot of her time andmoney back to the trust, mostrecently setting up the Julie Ded-man Enterprise Fund to supportyoung women in Yorkshire andthe Humber into business.

She is passionate about givingothers the chance that she wasgiven all those years ago.

■ ENTERPRISING: Juile Dedman, who startedout with a £1,000 grant from the Prince's Trust,now oversees multi-milliion pound companies

Trust the professionals

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national Page 2

New group rallies support for HD8 businessesEFFORTS are under way to buildlinks between businesses basedin Huddersfield’s HD8 postcodearea.Merewyn Sayers (pictured), whoruns Denby Dale-based businesssupport firm Sayers Solutions, isleading the drive to pull togetherfirms in villages such as DenbyDale, Clayton West,Skelmanthorpe, Scissett,Shepley, High Flatts, Emley andFarnley Tyas.She has already set up aFacebook page, which hasattracted 74 “likes” frombusinesses and individualsacross the district, includingretailers, printers and a filmfacilities company which scoutslocations for film-makers.Merewyn said she hoped thatdeveloping an HD8 businessgroup would help promote localfirms more effectively, enablethem to share experiences andinformation, exchange business

tips, increase the level ofinter-trading going on and drawmore customers into the area.She said: “The aim is to promotelocal businesses that often ‘getmissed’ because we are not partof the ‘central hubs’ ofHuddersfield, Wakefield orHolmfirth. There are lots ofbusinesses in the H8 area, whichis a beautiful part of Yorkshire.”She added: “Things are in theirearly stages of finding out whatpeople want from an H8 businessgroup. Holding networkingmeetings may not be appropriatebecause many businesses areretailers who need to be in theirshops!”Merewyn said she hoped to bringother organisations such ascharities, nurseries andcommunity organisations onboard and encourage groupmembers to join in fundraising orvolunteering to help goodcauses.

Look out for the leisure poundLEISURE businesses across Kirklees areset to benefit from a new £150m fundlaunched by NatWest and RBS.

The move comes as latest researchshows that one in four leisure businessesin the UK feel they are losing out due to alack of investment.

The new fee-free loans aim to supportinvestment for the leisure industry.Lending under the fund comes with twosix-month capital repayment holidays toprovide a breathing space for firms toinvest and for contingency planning.

The survey of small and medium-sizedbusinesses in the leisure industry showed

30% of respondents don’t feel theyinvested sufficiently in 2012 to remaincompetitive, while 55% feel investment inrefurbishment or new equipment wouldmake a positive impact on their business.

When asked how optimistic they feltabout 2013, some 48% of those surveyedbelieved their business would grow in thenext year, with 73% saying they wereoptimistic about 2013.

Andrew Taylor, head of leisure forcommercial banking at NatWest and RBSsaid: “Competition in this sector is fierce,so those putting off short term investmentcan quickly find they need to make larger

investments or face being left behind.“It’s great to see optimism returning to

the leisure market, but it’s vital these firmsare able to invest in the quality of theirassets – more so than other industries.”

VisitEngland worked closely with thebank to provide additional insight on theindustry’s needs in the development of theleisure fund.

Sharon Lowther, leisure sector specialistfor NatWest in Yorkshire, said: “Theleisure industry generates about £97bn ofGDP and nearly 2m jobs – it is vital for ourlocal economy and needs the rightsupport from banks to grow.”

■ QUALITY: Andrew Taylor,of NatWest and RBS

Celebrations – andsome timely adviceHUMAN resources consultant JulieSykes is set to complete 10 years ofrunning her own business.

Now the Shepley-based HR special-ist has drawn up 10 top tips – one foreach of those years – to help bosses dealwith the inevitable “people” issues thatarise in the workplace.

Julie has worked in the HR industryfor more than 25 years, the last 10 atShepley-based JCS HR, whichprovides services across Yorkshire andthe Manchester area for clients in sec-tors such as manufacturing, govern-ment, media, financial services,medical and engineering.

She said: “Over the years I havedeveloped an extensive knowledge ofall things HR-related and I have seenhow both positive and negativedecisions can sometimes dramaticallyeffect a business.

“So, as part of my 10th anniversarycelebrations, I thought it would beopportune – and perhaps useful – toput together my top 10 HR tips!”

● Treat your investment in employ-

ees just like any other investment –research before you ‘buy’. Choose care-fully to make sure you get exactly whatyou need, and ‘maintain’ to ensurecontinuing high performance.

● If you have an issue – always planfor the worst case scenario – it’s betterto be more thorough than you need tobe, than not thorough enough.

● Have a clear “Code of Conduct”covering what is important to you andyour business and make sure that staffare aware of it.

● When recruiting or promotingnever underestimate the importance ofpersonal attributes. If an employeeshows no initiative, is inflexible or haspoor work standards, what value arehis/her skills and knowledge? Con-versely, someone who has less skill andexperience but who is proactive, willingto try anything and has high standards,is likely to be a much bigger asset toyour business. As a general rule, skillscan be taught but changing behaviouris much more difficult.

● Don’t assume that pay is the only

thing that will attract and retain staff –it is definitely very important but it isn’tthe only consideration. Flexible work-

ing hours, holidays and working envir-onment are just a few of the otherthings that affect people’s decisionsabout where to work.

● Do some level of induction for allnew employees.

● Don’t ignore problems and hopethey’ll go away – they won’t; in allprobability they will get worse.

● High performers get recognitionand poor performers (hopefully) aredealt with; don’t forget to acknowledgethe performance of the good, solidperformers because without them youwould struggle.

● Be proactive – put clear policy andprocesses into place and make sure staffknow about them. That way you don’thave to ‘reinvent the wheel’ every timesomething employee-related needs tobe done, you avoid knee-jerk reactionsand you treat staff consistently.

● Don’t assume that only the bigcompanies need HR support – com-panies of all sizes can benefit as long asthe support is tailored to their specificneeds.

■ GUIDANCE: Julie Sykes, of humanresources consultancy JCS HR

Servicewith asmileBUSINESS activity in theservice sector improvedover the three months toMay, a survey revealedtoday.

The latest quarterlyservice sector survey bythe CBI said businessand professional servicessaw weaker growth thanexpected – but consumerservices experienced asharp turnaround inbusiness volumes.

The business andprofessional servicesector, which includesaccountancy, legal andmarketing firms, sawactivity staying broadlyflat over the quarter. Butwhile overall profitabilityfell, optimism regardingthe business situationrose at its fastest ratesince February, 2010, asexpectations for the nextquarter are somewhatbrighter.

In contrast, consumerservices, such as hotels,bars, restaurants and thetravel and leisureindustries, saw businessvolumes rise at theirfastest pace sinceAugust, 2007. As aresult, overall profitabilityof consumer businessesrose for the first timesince November, 2007,despite employee costscontinuing to increase.However, there areconcerns among firmsover a shortage ofinternal finance and aninability to accessexternal funding.

The survey of 170companies revealedexpectations of a firmquarter ahead, withbusiness andprofessional servicesexpecting solid growth inboth the value andvolume of business.Consumer services firmspredict that growth inbusiness will besustained and profits inboth sectors areexpected to rise strongly.

Stephen Gifford, CBIdirector of economics,said: “There appears tobe a sense of growingconfidence in the servicesector. We’ve seen someturnaround in activity thisquarter and a morepositive outlook for thenext. While activity hasbeen pretty flat forbusiness andprofessional firms, theoutlook is much stronger.

“What’s promising isthat consumer serviceshave seen growth inactivity and expect this tocontinue, pointing to agreater willingness frompeople to go out andspend. But there isconcern around gettingaccess to finance, so it’svital that growing firmslook at the full range offunding options.”

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3

MartinBown

MyManagementAccountant

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Role: OwnerAge: 41Family: Married to Tinawith daughter Isabella, fiveCar: Seat AlhambraHolidays: My wife isAmerican and our last holi-day was to Florida to visither parents. This summerwe plan to go camping inthe UK.First job: I earned about£2 a week with a paperround. When I got a pay riseto £2.20 I thought I’d madeitBest thing about job:Working with other busi-nesses and helping themgrowWorst thing about job: Ican’t think of anything I don’tlike about what I doBusiness tip: Keep yourexisting clients and win newbusiness by deliveringexcellent customer service.Don’t try to win business bysimply beating your compet-itor’s quote

Work: Accountancy ser-vicesSite: Media Centre, Hud-dersfieldPhone: 01484 600514Email: martin-bown@mymanagementaccountant.co.ukWeb: www.mymanagementaccountant.co.uk

Martinhappy tocount hisblessings

HE’S battled back fromcancer to build a successfulbusiness.

Now Martin Bown, whoruns My ManagementAccountant with offices atHuddersfield Media Centre,is devoting much of his timeto raising awareness aboutthe condition which couldhave killed him.

Martin 41, who lives atKirkburton, says: “I hadtesticular cancer. I woke upone Saturday morning andthere was nothing there. By11am I had a lump.” Withindays, he was atHuddersfield RoyalInfirmary for a scan and thefollowing week was back forsurgery to have the lumpremoved.

But the cancer hadspread, requiring Martin toundergo nine weeks ofchemotherapy at St James’Hospital in Leeds.

“The biggest side effectof the chemo – apart fromthe hair loss – was feelingso tired,” says Martin. “Itwas just exhausting. I enjoyrunning and I stubbornlysaid I was going to continuerunning at least once aweek. I did nine milesduring the nine weeks!”

Says Martin: “It was quitean aggressive form ofcancer,.

“The problem withtesticular cancer is that itprogressed to your spineand in its later stagesspreads to the chest andbrain. But it is a highlycurable form of cancer.Even at stage three, thereis a 95% cure rate.

“The people who die fromit are generally those whodo not get it seen topromptly.” Martin recalls thecase of a 16-year-old boywho died of the conditionbecause he was tooembarrassed to tell anyonehe had a lump.

Now Martin is a keensupporter of Check ‘EmLads, a charity raising

awareness of testicularcancer, particularly amongthose most at risk in the 16to 45 age group. He hastaken the message topoliticians, includingLabour’s shadow healthsecretary Andy Burnham.

Although Martin hasbeaten the cancer, whichstruck two years ago, hewill continue to have regularchecks to make sure it doesnot return. He says: “I feelbetter now than I ever have.But there is still anemotional battle. While youare going through thetreatment, everyone aroundyou is very emotional andworried.

“I didn’t realise the effectit was having on my wifeand parents because I wasfocused on getting throughit. As soon as it finished,everyone else gives a sighof relief. But that’s when Istarted asking ‘why did ithappen?’ I was perfectly fit.It suddenly brings it hometo you that anyone can getit. Cancer isn’t somethingthat just happens to otherpeople.”

The cancer struck just asMartin was building up thebusiness he launched inJanuary, 2009, providingmanagement accountancyservices to small firmslacking their own in-housefinance director.

“During that time, myclients were great,” saysMartin. “They kept meinvolved. They sent meinformation and kept meabreast of what washappening, but they said‘don’t worry – deal with itwhen you can’.”

Martin set up hisbusiness after spendingmore than 15 years workingin industry. Grimsby-bornMartin lived in Keighleyfrom the age of 15. “Atschool, I was always fairlystrong with maths andnumbers,” he says. “I did anaccountancy degree at

John Moores University inLiverpool and graduated in1993 when the country wasin recession and there wasno work about.

“I travelled for a year andcame back in 1994 with notmuch idea what I plannedto do, but I started lookingat taking professionalqualifications.”

Martin, who wanted towork in business ratherthan an accountancypractice, gainedqualifications with theChartered Institute ofManagement Accountants.His first job was withHuddersfield RoyalInfirmary.

Later, Martin worked for acompany supplying fencingpanels, where in addition todealing with the companyaccounts, he became its“chief” salesman in Norway.“We had one client inNorway and I had the job offilling in the forms,” herecalls. “He effectivelybecame my client – and hewas one of our bestbecause he always paidpromptly!”

Over the years, Martinworked in sectors includingretail, construction and

manufacturing. “I quicklyrealised there are a lot ofbusinesses that need morehelp with their finances,” hesays. “They are too small toemploy a full-timeaccountant, but need moreof a service than thetraditional accountancypractice provides. That’swhen the seed was sownand I started to considerhaving my own businessoffering those services.”

Martin began MyManagement Accountantfrom home, but moved tothe Media Centre atNorthumberland Street,Huddersfield, in Februarythis year. Its first employeejoined in March while itsclients cover sectorsincluding advertising,recruitment, software andconstruction.

“At the moment, I amexpanding the businessthrough referrals,” saysMartin. “The reasonbusinesses are talking tome is because these aredifficult times. Businessowners realise they needmore information abouttheir businesses –information they are notgetting from their currentaccountants.

“A few of my clients arereally bucking the trend anddoing well, but the generalfeeling is that things arereally tough and thegovernment cuts of lastyear are only nowbeginning to bite. Onecompany I know made thedecision to go down to afour-day week and hascontinued to trade. Firmslike that are still goingbecause they are innovativeand realised they have todo things differently in adifficult market to becompetitive. The firms thatare doing well are providingreally good customerservice. It seems basiccommonsense, but you seefirms time and again that

don’t.”When time allows, Martin

is a keen runner. He is amember of the StadiumRunners in Huddersfieldand has even tackled amarathon to raise cash forCerebra, a charity workingwith children who havebrain injuries.

Martin and wife Tina’sfive-year-old daughterIsabella has cerebral palsyand attends Paces Schoolfor Conductive Education,in Sheffield as well asschool in Highburton.Conductive Education is aneducational system thathas been specificallydeveloped for children whosuffer from motor disorders.

Martin says: “The charityhelped us in the past andasked me to be anambassador for them. I’malso a trustee of the charitythat oversees Paces. Whenthe honorary treasurerretired I got ‘volunteered’.They looked around thetable and decided as I’mgood with numbers I wasthe best qualified to take onthe job!”

■ BATTLING: MartinBrown, of My ManagementAccountant

Who will be the nextBusiness of the Month?If you are proud of what your business has achieved;why not tell us about your success storyand you could be a winner of ourprestigious award.

For further details please contact:Ian Greenwood, Eaton Smith Solicitors,14 High Street, Huddersfield HD1 2HA

T: 01484 821389 E: iangreenwood@eatonsmith.co.uk

Business Of The Month Awards - Rewarding Success Since 1995

KIRKLEES BUSINESSlocal Page 4

THEBUSINESSBATTLEAXEAmanda Vigar

Amanda Vigar is managing partner at Holmfirth-based accountants V&A Bell Brown LLP

Firms fear fuel costsMORE than a third of businessesin Yorkshire cite rising fuel andutility costs as the biggestproblems they face.

A survey of more than 500firms carried out by insolvencytrade body R3 showed that 38%of companies in the region citedfuel and utility costs as theirbiggest headache – comparedwith 32% of firms nationally.

Reduced consumer spending

Public sectorsets the paceKIRKLEES firms are beingencouraged to follow the lead of thepublic sector – and apply for thenational standard for customerservice.The Customer Service ExcellenceStandard was launched five yearsago, focusing mainly on public sectororganisations.The new plan aims to take thisexperience and expertise and apply itto the private sector – and helpimprove customer service among UKbusinesses.in areas such as delivery,timeliness, information,professionalism and staff attitudes.Spokesman Gary Swarbrooke said:“Since Customer Service Excellencelaunched in March, 2008, we’veworked mostly with public sectororganisations.“We now want to take our provenexperience and expertise to theprivate sector, encouraging them toachieve the high level of standardsthat are becoming commonplace andexpected from customers.”The standard operates on three levels– by allowing businesses toself-assess themselves, by allowingindividuals and teams within thebusiness to explore and acquire newcustomer service skills and finally byallowing businesses to seek formalaccreditation.Said Mr Swarbrooke: “The finalelement is the key really as this iswhat makes the standard really standout. We have a very strict criteriawhen we assess businesses.Companies have to work really hardand prove that they are at the top oftheir game when it comes tocustomer service in order to beaccredited.“We’re keen for CSE to grow as arecognised symbol of excellence,both by businesses themselves andmore importantly by the customer.”Go to www.customerserviceexcellence.uk.com

Spotlight turnsto franchiseesFRANCHISEES have been given achance to shine.The British Franchise Associationhas launched the bfa HSBCFranchisee of the Year Awards – withseveral new categories.The bfa is calling for franchisors tonominate their most accomplishedfranchisees for the awards – now intheir 24th year – which showcase theUK’s most talented franchisees whohave achieved exceptional results bypromoting best business practiceand values.Five new categories this year are forcustomer service, long-servingfranchisee, young franchisee,micro-business and femalefranchisee.Franchisors have until July 12 tonominate their chosen franchiseesand finalists will be invited for aninterview with the judging panel onAugust 21 and 22. Winners will beannounced at a gala dinner onOctober 3 at the ICC in Birmingham.

Put your trust inthe professionals

AS the economy starts toemerge from the down-

turn, the value of profes-sional contractors to therecovery is becoming morevital.

Accountants, lawyers, webdesigners, IT professionals aremaking a vital contribution tothe economy by providing flex-ible and expert service.

It is these individuals and smal-ler firms that are helping to getUK business back on its feet.Over 21,000 of these are PCGmembers; PCG is the largestassociation of independent pro-fessionals in the EU and is show-ing year on year growth. My firmwas awarded PCG AccreditedAccountant status in 2007 andhas retained that status eversince. As a result we are seeingmore and more of our clients

winning contracts in both thepublic and private sectors.

The numbers of the profes-sional consultants and freelan-cers is growing year on year. Thenumber of self-employed people– often involving those who’velaunched their own enterprisefollowing redundancy – hassoared by 367,000 between 2008and 2012 with the number ofemployees falling by 434,000 overthe same period, according to thelatest research from the Office forNational Statistics.

Companies are engagingexperts to take them through theminefield of new developments intechnology, practice and legisla-tion. Getting the right advice canbe crucial to the survival of acompany and the maintenance ofits good reputation.

Contractors look after their

own tax, National Insurance andpensions. They don’t get paid forthe time they’re not workingbecause of holiday, sickness orindeed quiet periods. They knowthey have to perform every singleday of their working lives andbring specialist skills. All in allthey are higher performing anddon’t cost as much as an equival-ent employee.

Businesses that engage PCGmembers also have that addedconfidence that the contractorsare not blinkered and working intheir own silos. They share ideasand knowledge in forums and atregular events.

The key lies in raising the pro-file of professional contractors asthey become an even more vitalpart of the economy, particularlyas we move towards a sustainablerecovery.

was next on the list of worries –identified by 34% of respondentsacross Yorkshire and 26% of firmsUK-wide.

But only 7% of businesses inthe region and 5% nationally sawan inability to secure further creditor a bank loan as a main problem.

Chris Wood, Yorkshire R3committee member and partner atCleckheaton-based CloughCorporate Solutions, said:

“Concerns over utilitybills and revenueshow thatbusinesses still feelthey are beingsqueezed on bothsides.

“Businessesdepend on utilities tooperate, making ithard to cut costs.With consumersunwilling to spend,businesses will beincreasinglyconcerned abouttheir margin.”

Mr Wood said thereason access tocredit was slippedaway as an issuecould be down tofirms seeking toreduce their debts.

However, the

number of businesses inYorkshire reporting that theyregularly used their maximumoverdraft rose from 3% inNovember to 6% in the latestsurvey.

Among other findings, 36% offirms in the region have seensales volumes fall – 17% up onthe figure for the last survey inNovember, 2012. This contrastswith a national picture whichfewer firms reporting fallingsales.

The number of businessesreporting growth indicators hasalso fallen. In Yorkshire,businesses reporting investmentin new equipment fell from 47%last November to 22%.

Mr Wood said: “Businessgrowth is still very hesitant.Although so few businessessaid that access to bank lendingwas a problem, this could alsoindicate that many businessesare not even bothering to go tobanks for funding. While thingsaren’t getting worse, they aren’timproving either.”

R3’s April 2013 BusinessDistress Index found that all keyindicators of business distressacross the UK fell fromNovember, 2012, and aresignificantly down on March,2012.

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 5

Export activitiesMORE than 300 businessessupported a dedicated weekof activity across Yorkshireand the Humber to learnmore about internationalbusiness opportunities inhigh growth markets.

Eight events wereorganised by UK Trade &Investment during ExportWeek to encourage moresmall and medium-sizedbusinesses to go global.

Now a campaign –Exporting is GREAT – hasbeen launched to buildmomentum from ExportWeek by targeting more than100,000 northern businessesthat are primed for exportwith mailers offering accessto grants and assistance andan opportunity to meetone-to-one with an experttrade adviser.

The activity is part of aconcerted push by Trade &Investment Minister LordGreen to increase thenumber of British companiesthat export by a quarter anddouble UK exports to atrillion pounds a year by2020.

Mark Robson (pictured) ,UKTI regional director forYorkshire and the Humber,

said: “The focus of ExportWeek was opportunities inhigh-growth markets likeBrazil, Russia, India andChina, where there issustained year-on-yeargrowth, as well as emergingmarkets like Colombia,Indonesia and Vietnam thatare really coming to the fore.”

“The whole week was aresounding success and itwas fantastic to see so manybusinesses turning out. Whatreally impressed the teamwas the fact we attracted somany novice exporters –newcomers to export and to

UKTI who are looking atSouth America, South EastAsia, eastern Europe andbeyond, and at how we canhelp them to compete.

“That’s what it’s all aboutand I hope we can worktogether to ensure they fulfiltheir potential and turnaspirations into reality.”

Commenting on the launchof the “Exporting is GREAT”pilot, Mr Robson said:“Supporting more businessesto export is crucial for Britainand helps to spreadsustainable growth acrossthe regions. We want toreach the many SMEs acrossYorkshire and the Humberwho are ready to selloffshore, but have yet to takethe plunge.”

Barclays branches acrossthe region are supporting theGREAT campaign byencouraging their corporateclients and business bankingcustomers to arrange anappointment with UKTI.Branches are also displayingcampaign posters and haveleaflets available to takeaway.

Go to www.ukti.gov.uk orcall 0800 0931655.

Court of ProtectionCharitiesFinancial AdvisersInternationalIndividuals

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property Page 6

‘Bad news’ on ratesA RATING expert hascriticised the Government’sdecision to postpone the nextbusiness rates revaluationfrom 2015 until 2017.

Rod Edwards (pictured),rating director for charteredsurveyors Eddisons, whichhas offices in Huddersfield,said the decision was badnews for business.

‘This is a badly thought outmove by Government, whichwill prevent any hope ofrateable value realignmentwhich ratepayers sodesperately need,” he said.

“At the moment, they arebased on rents in 2008, whenthe market was at its peak.With a 2.7% increase forrates bills confirmed fromApril 1 this year, the businessrates burden will onlycontinue to hit bottom linecosts.”

The delay means thatbusiness rates liabilities willcontinue to increase in linewith RPI through until the2016/2017 rate year.

The effect of the decisioncould be felt hardest in areas

such as Yorkshire wherebusinesses have seen rentsfall, but are still beingcharged business rates setprior to the recession.

Mr Edwards said there wasalso a lack of clarity on theappeal regulations goingforward, which theGovernment needs toaddress.

“Under the current ratingappeal legislation it would bepossible to lodge an appealagainst an April 1, 2010,rateable value up until March31, 2015.

‘The two-yearpostponement could meanthat current ratepayers wouldnot be able to lodge a validcompiled list appeal betweenApril1, 2015 and March 31,2017, which could potentiallylead to savings back to April1, 2010.”

Opening for OrchardA WASTE managementconsultancy has signed adeal with a major windowfirm.

Orchard Environmental,based at Elland, has beenappointed by Bradford-basedSafestyle UK to overseewaste services at 30 of thefirm’s sites nationwide.

Part of Style Group UK,Safestyle was established inWest Yorkshire in 1992 andhas expanded to operate 30sales offices and 10installation sites throughoutEngland and Wales, as wellas an 18-acre manufacturingfacility in Yorkshire.

The business has seengrowth of 10% year-on-yearfor the past two years.

Peter Haigh, of Safestyle

UK, said the decision tooutsource management ofgeneral waste had beentaken to streamline

administration by creating asingle point of contact.

“The key benefit for us as abusiness is to be able to handover the paperwork andreceive one invoice instead of30 separate ones, whichsignificantly reduces theamount of time we spend onadministration,” he said.

Justin Holley (pictured), ofOrchard Environmental, said:“Large companies withmultiple sites see animmediate administrativebenefit to having their wastemanaged under one roof.

“We aim to manage theircosts by assessing themarket to ensure they arealways receiving the bestservice at the mostcompetitive rates.”

Training centre officially openedA FIRM providing air compressors andpneumatic products to industry hasopened a new training centre.Thorite, which has a branch at BargeStreet in Huddersfield, has launched thenew training suite at its Bradford premises.The state-of-the-art centre for pneumaticsengineering education was officiallyopened by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Clr

Dale Smith.The company, which can trace its roots to1850, said the training suite was animportant part of Thorite’s currentinvestment programme which alsoincludes major refurbishments at itsregional network of 10 specialist sales andservice centres across the North and theWest Midlands.

Property deals in favourLENDERS are increasingly keen to financecommercial property deals in Yorkshire, itis claimed.A report by property agency Jones LangLaSalle said that main high street banksas well as some specialised lenders aimedto lend more this year than at any time inthe current property cycle.Simon Cullimore, head of Jones LangLaSalle’s valuation team in WestYorkshire, said some lenders were takingadvantage of the Funding for Lendingscheme which allows banks to offer morefavourable rates of interest or reduce their

arrangement fees – thereby removing amajor hurdle to investment.He said that the decision to extend thescheme for a further 12 months may helpto further underpin the market recovery.Said Mr Cullimore: “The debt marketcontinues to show signs of improvement,with an increasing number of lendersseeking to lend, albeit on a relativelynarrow range of opportunities.“It is, however, now being constrained bya lack of investment transactions asopposed to earlier in the current cycle,when the opposite was true.”

THURSDAY 20 JUNE 2013 7pmCedar Court Hotel, Lindley Moor Road, Ainley Top, Huddersfield, HD3 3RH

Workshop and Land, 2 Carr Pit Road, Off Wakefield Road, Huddersfield, HD5 9AD1Potential development site1Opposite Asda/Iceland1Close to university and town centre1Parking for 6 carsGuide Price: £30,000 – £40,000

Flat 1, 23-25 Wellington Road, Dewsbury, WF13 1HL1Modern studio apartments1Dewsbury town centre1Close to rail and bus stations1Modern kitchen and bathroom1 Integral appliancesGuide Price: £20,000 – £25,000

Flat 3, 23-25 Wellington Road, Dewsbury, WF13 1HL1Modern studio apartment1Dewsbury town centre1Close to rail and bus stations1Modern kitchen and bathroom1 Integral appliancesGuide Price: £20,000 – £25,000

Flat 5, 23-25 Wellington Road, Dewsbury, WF13 1HL1Modern 1 bedroom apartment1Dewsbury town centre1Close to rail and bus stations1Modern kitchen and bathroom1 Integral appliancesGuide Price: £20,000 – £25,000

Flat 9, 23-25 Wellington Road, Dewsbury, WF13 1HL1Modern 1 bedroom apartment1Dewsbury town centre1Close to rail and bus stations1Modern kitchen and bathroom1 Integral appliancesGuide Price: £25,000 – £30,000

Flat 13, 23-25 Wellington Road, Dewsbury, WF13 1HL1Modern 1 bedroom apartment1Dewsbury town centre1Close to rail and bus stations1Modern kitchen and bathroom1 Integral appliancesGuide Price: £25,000 – £30,000

Flat 14, 23-25 Wellington Road, Dewsbury, WF13 1HL1Modern 1 bedroom apartment1Dewsbury town centre1Close to rail and bus stations1Modern kitchen and bathroom1 Integral appliancesGuide Price: £25,000 – £30,000

25 Harrison Road, Halifax, HX1 2AT1Character office building1 Town centre location1215m2 (2,320 sq ft)14 parking spacesGuide Price: £90,000 – £100,000

29 Harrison Road, Halifax, HX1 2AT1Character office building1Town centre location1179m2 (1,931 sq ft)16 parking spacesGuide Price: £90,000 – £100,000

Former Post Office Public House, 11 Market Street, Milnsbridge, HD3 4ND1 Substantial former public house1Prominent position1Close to Milnsbridge centre1Potential for a variety of uses subject to planning permissionGuide Price: £60,000 – £80,000

Former School House, Whitcliffe Road, Cleckheaton, BD19 3NU1Residential conversion opportunity1Requires refurbishment/upgrading1Good sized plot1Close to town centreGuide Price: In Excess of: £95,000

The Herders Inn, Lancashire Moor Road, Wycoller, Colne, BB8 7EH1Derelict public house with paddock1Planning for residential conversion1 Elevated rural position1 Set in 2.66 Acres1Character Grade II Listed buildingGuide Price: £150,000 – £175,000

4.9 Acres Pasture Land, Lancashire Moor Road, Wycoller, Colne, BB8 7EH1Potential equestrian facility1 Elevated rural location1 Stunning panoramic viewsGuide Price: £30,000 – £50,000

Braeside Farm, South Cross Road, Cowcliffe, Huddersfield, HD2 2PH1Dilapidated detached farm house1 Elevated semi rural location1 Extensive panoramic views17.19 Acre site (2.91 Hectares)1Potential for extensionGuide Price: £100,000 – £125,000

Fell Greave Farm, Fell Greave Road, Bradley, Huddersfield, HD2 1NH1Grade II Listed farmhouse1Pleasant backwater location10.71 Acre paddock1Potential for extension/conversion of outbuildingsGuide Price: In Excess of: £175,000

Upper Floors over Former Bank, 6-8 Southgate, Elland, HX5 0DG1 Town centre location1 2,098 sq ft over 3 floors1 Potential for residential conversionGuide Price: In Excess of: £25,000

Scout Hall Farm, Lee Lane, Shibden, Halifax, HX3 6UJ1Grade II Listed farmhouse1 4/5 bedrooms1 Stunning valley location1 1.28 Acre plotGuide Price: £250,000 – £300,000

Residential Building Land, Industrial Street, Primrose Hill, Huddersfield, HD4 6AW1Planning consent for residential development1Popular residential area10.11 Acres (0.045 Hectares)Guide Price: £35,000 – £40,000

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 7KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

INFORMEDDEVELOPMENTMartin Thompson

Martin Thompson, is a partner in Commercial Property at Armitage Sykes in Huddersfield

Cashflow vital forconstruction sectorCONSTRUCTION companies have beenurged to keep the cash flowing – tosafeguard the UK’s sub-contractors andtheir employees.The call came from insolvency trade bodyR3 following figures showing a 2.4% declinein construction output during the firstquarter of 2013 compared with the finalthree months of 2012. Additional researchby R3 shows that almost 30% ofconstruction and civil engineering firmsacross the UK and 29% in Yorkshire and theHumber are at risk of failure – almost 70,000firms nationally and more than 4,600 in theregion.That compares with 24% of businesses atrisk overall both nationally and in Yorkshireand the Humber.Chris Wood, Yorkshire R3 committeemember and partner at Cleckheaton-basedClough Corporate Solutions, said: “With theconstruction sector remaining in a delicatestate, times are likely to become eventougher. Issues such as late payment willbe critical.“In a flat market or recession whereconstruction isn’t thriving – where there iseffectively an oversupply ofsub-contractors – pricing is very slim.“Therefore this ‘oxygen’ of payments mustbe kept flowing through the system. Anydelay could push a sub-contractor into adownward spiral. They can’t pay their ownemployees who might walk off site, whichthen necessitates getting agency workers,costing even more or even withdrawingfrom site entirely.“At present there is currently a squeeze onmargins, not just cash flow in theconstruction sector.”

Help to Buy initiativecomes under attack

THE Government’s flagship Help toBuy scheme has come under attack

twice within three days.Under this scheme, you buy your house

with at least 75% of the cost met by amortgage and at least 5% of the price as adeposit. The rest is paid for by an equity loanfrom the Government. These loans are avail-able to all buyers buying new build homesworth up to £600,000.

Firstly, the outgoing governor of the Bankof England Sir Mervyn King expressed con-cerns that the scheme could leave taxpayersexposed to billions of pounds in privatemortgage debt for years to come should thescheme become permanent.

Then developers have been criticised foradvertising homes to first-time buyers at fourfifths of the actual property price to attractbuyers onto the scheme.

All this in the same week as new buyerenquiries are reported at their highest level formore than three years by the Royal Institute

of Chartered Surveyors.Sir Mervyn King said: “This scheme is a

little too close to comfort to a general schemeto guarantee mortgages.

“We had a very healthy mortgage marketwith competing lenders attracting borrowersbefore the crisis, and we need to get back tothat healthy mortgage market.”

But mortgage experts have expressed con-cern as it has emerged developers are market-ing their properties at 20% below the realasking price; implying that the equity loan,which is part of the Help to Buy Scheme, is adiscount or free gift and this practice willencourage people to take on debts they do notunderstand.

Under the scheme, the buyer pays nointerest on the Help to Buy equity loan for aperiod of five years, following which an

increasing annual interest is applied.The property website Rightmove disclosed

that developers were using its portal toadvertise properties 20% below the actualasking price, saying: “We are aware that somedevelopers are making use of Rightmove toadvertise an “indicative price” that takes intoaccount the equity loan offered under Help toBuy.

“We know from previous research thatawareness of Government schemes amongmovers is low and this approach can help raiseawareness.”

Whether or not this initiate boosts homepurchases will be known in the next 12months; whether home owners with equityloans from the Help to Buy scheme can affordthe additional interest will be known after thenext election.

www.michaelsteel.co.ukAll enquiries to Alec Michael at Michael Steel & Co

on 0113 234 8999 or email alec@michaelsteel.co.uk

Industrial

To LeT

Part Spen Vale Works,Spen Vale Street, Heckmondwike

Principally single storey factorywith showroom & office areaalong with fenced car park

1,378 m2 (14,833 sq ft)

immediately available

To LeT

Unit N Middleton Business Parkoff Bradford Road, Cleckheaton

Brand new trade warehouse/industrialunit just off main A638 Bradford Road

344m2 (3,704 sq ft)

Industrial

easy access to J26 M62

Industrial

To LeT

Milner Way Ossett

Strategically located recentlyrefurbished warehouse/industrialfacility with excellent access to M1

5,998m2 (64,558 sq ft)

will split from 10,000 sq ft

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers Page 8

Five-figuresend-off forsociety’soutgoingpresidentTHE president of WestYorkshire Society ofChartered Accountants isconcluding her year in officeon a high.

Wilma Teviotdale, who ishead of accountancy atHuddersfield University,hosted the society’s annualdinner in Leeds – and wasdelighted that the eventraised more than £3,000 forYoung Enterprise, anorganisation which offersschoolchildren a chance toget a taste for business.

Said Wilma: “’UK plc hasa real need for the nextgeneration to understandbusiness basics and want tobe involved and YE does afantastic job to bridge thegap between school and‘real life’.

“The YE experience alsoencourages and developsmany wider skills – such asteam-working,

communication skills,self-confidence andinitiative, time-management,social skills and muchmore.”

Mark Spofforth, nationalpresident of the Institute ofChartered Accountants inEngland and Wales, was themain speaker at the dinner,which was held at theQueens Hotel in Leeds.

Prizes were presented to

West Yorkshire’s top-scoringaccountancy students fortheir results in the ICAEWchartered accountancyadvanced examinationpapers.

The winners were AlexHird, of Garbutt & Elliot infirst place with Tom Baker, ofDrax Power, and KatherineRybinski, of KPMG in jointsecond place.

■ FIRST PRIZE: West Yorkshire Society of CharteredAccountants president Wilma Teviotdale with winningstudent Alex Hird (centre) and ICAEW national presidentMark Spofforth

Entrepreneur’sCanadian visitENTREPRENEUR Graham Leslie hasbeen building links between business andacademia – in Canada.

The founder of pharmaceuticals firmGalpharm, who is now resident professor ofenterprise and entrepreneurship at Hud-dersfield University, has completed afive-day trip to Newfoundland.

Prof Leslie was invited by the MemorialUniversity to address senior personnel fromthe faculty of business administration andits key business partners.

His breakfast lecture emphasised theimportance of business-to-academia col-laborations as well as supporting and ment-oring young entrepreneurs. He highlightedhow the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre inHuddersfield is already an exemplar of thisway of working.

The centre at Firth Street, is aone-stop-shop for businesses wanting toaccelerate their growth. As well as provid-ing access to national and internationalmarkets, financial advice and the latest intechnology, the centre acts as a gateway tothe university’s key research centres andoffers a platform for young entrepreneurs tostart up their businesses.

During his visit, Prof Leslie met DrWilfred Zerbe, dean of the faculty of busi-ness administration, to help build linksbetween Huddersfield University and theMemorial University in Newfoundland.

Prof Leslie also caught up with hisyounger sister, Annette, who is a professorin English literature at the University in

Newfoundland, and her husband, Michael,who is a retired dean of arts.

Said Prof Leslie: “It was such an honourto speak at the Memorial University, espe-cially as it is where my sister works. Thearrangements and the welcome from theuniversity over the five days were excep-tional. I was made to feel very welcome bythe faculty.”

Carol Sullivan, of the faculty of business

administration at the Memorial University,said: “Entrepreneurship is an area of stra-tegic importance in our faculty and an areathat has become vital to the development ofour province.

“Having such an accomplished entre-preneur like Prof Leslie speak to our facultyreminds us that we need to continue to keepthis as a priority and continue to foster theentrepreneurial spirit in our province.”

■ ATLANTIC CONENCTION: Prof Graham Leslie (left), of Huddersfield University, withDr Wilfred Zerbe, of Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada

54 Degreesof successA PROJECT management expert ishelping businesses improve theirorganisational and planning skillsthrough a session based on peergroup working.

Sarah Wilson, of 54 Degrees,hosted an event at the Junction 25Conference Centre in Brighouse, tohelp business owners focus on theiraction planning by drawing on thesupport and knowledge from otherpeers in the room.

Those attending were encouragedto bring along a project or businessproblem to share to the rest of thegroup, who then provided feedbackand encouragement to enable themto progress to the next stage.

Said Sarah: “People frequentlyspend too much time on projects orcome across an issue and put themto one side where they get forgottenabout and lay unfinished.”

She said: “As a group, wediscussed each individual project orproblem, broke down the issues,developed goals and turned them intoactions, which enabled delegates togo away and move their projectsforward.”

Many of those attending werelooking to improve their timemanagement, their organisationalskills and help in setting goals fortheir business. They have now set upa support group and arranged afollow-up meeting in June. Go towww.54-degrees.co.uk

Ben Creswick & Harvey Stead

FMGFLEET management specialist FMG has madetwo appointments to the board as the businesscontinues to develop new and existing productsand branches into new markets.

The Huddersfield-based company has takenan industry-leading stance on incident reductionand risk management and earlier this yearlaunched FMG Legal.

Ben Creswick (above, left) joins as businessdevelopment director, having previously workedat Zenith, while Harvey Stead (right) re-joinsFMG as sales director, already having worked atthe firm until 2008.

Mr Creswick brings considerable industryknowledge and expertise to complement theexisting board, having spent 10 years at Zenith.In his new role, he will support the business inkey strategic areas and help to develop new andinnovative products

Mr Creswick said: “I welcome the chance tojoin such a strong team and help in moving FMGto the next level. In the short time I’ve been here,I’ve already been impressed by the energy of ourpeople, use of advanced technology and the fulladoption of BSI / ISO standards. It’s clear thatthere are strong foundations for further growth,and it’s my aim to work with the board to drive usforward.”

Mr Stead re-joins the business after a five-yearabsence, having held senior positions at CloseMotor Finance and Lex Autolease during thattime. He will be responsible for developing thecustomer base with a range of products aimed atrisk reduction and incident prevention, coupledwith market leading expertise in repair andrecovery.

He said: “FMG is a great business with a trulymarket leading service proposition. We have agenuinely unique culture, which drives all of ourrelationships – with colleagues, businesspartners and customers. Whilst the business hasdeveloped during the last five years, the corevalues and the people remain FMG’s point ofdifference, and greatest asset.”

Company chief executive John Catling said:“This is an exciting time for FMG. As marketleaders in incident prevention over recent years,these two appointments will help assist FMG’scontinued growth. Ben and Harvey’s knowledgeand expertise in the sector will prove invaluableas we look to drive the sector and develop newofferings in coming years.”

Warming to summer!FLAMING June is almost here – so what betterway to celebrate summer than with a littleinformal networking?Huddersfield’s First Friday group will get togetherfrom 12.30pm to 1.30pm on Friday, June 7, at theHead of Steam in St George’s Square.The regular meetings, co-ordinated byHuddersfield accountancy firm Revell Ward,provide a chance to socialise at the end of a busyweek with no pressure and no formalities.Email firstfriday@revellward.co.uk