July 2014

OPEN FOR BUSINESSSouth Cambridgeshire

In this edition

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P6Join our business register to access even more support and information. www.scambs.gov.uk/businessregister

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Are you Eligible for Growth Vouchers?

£1 million funding pot up

for grabs

Issue 4

Are you Streetwise about

Cyber Security

Upgrading your business broadband - free vouchers

Introducing the BikeBus ExplorerThe BikeBus Explorer, an innovative public transport scheme, was launched on 24 July in the surroundings of the magnificent Wimpole Hall.

A partnership between South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and the National Trust has enabled the new bus service to be piloted. It will operate four times daily on Sundays and Bank holidays from its first day of service, 27 July, through to the end of March. Setting out from Cambridge Rail Station, the bus will tow a 20 cycle bike trailer, opening up the opportunities for cycling and walking between Cambridge and Gamlingay and villages en route, whilst providing a local bus service to residents. Businesses along the route are positioning themselves to take advantage of the boost in trade from increased visitor numbers. Joanne Smith, of Arrington Nursery and Farm Shop, along with Lindi and Elliot Wood of Fulbrook House, an art gallery and event space in Great Eversden, are keen to attract BikeBus users and will be promoting the service to their customers.

For more information see www.scambs.gov.uk/bikebus-explorer or contact clare.gibbons@scambs.gov.uk to include your business in BikeBus promotional material

Joanne Smith with Elliot and Lindi Wood

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Welcome to the July edition of Open For Business. In this edition, we are pleased to introduce a new programme of support for local people who have an idea for a social venture and need a financial boost to get started. And if you’re looking for strategic business advice, you may well be interested in the government’s £2,000 growth vouchers that are up for grabs for eligible companies. We draw your attention to the latest legislation on flexible working, new rules around early conciliation to avoid industrial tribunals, and changes to the Consumer Rights Directive. See page 4. Finally, how long has it been since you reviewed the security of your business premises? Cambridgeshire Police and South Cambridgeshire Business Watch are offering two new, free-of-charge, online security review tools for rural and non-rural organisations in the region. Please take the time to have a look. Please keep your feedback coming by emailing openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk, your comments help shape each edition and ensure we cover the local issues important to you.

Cllr Nick WrightCabinet member for planning and economic development

Welcome

Are you Eligible for Growth Vouchers?Are you aware that the government can help you get strategic business advice on any of the following topics? Finance and cash flow Recruiting and developing staff Improving leadership and management skills Marketing, attracting and keeping customers Making the most of digital technology

If you are looking for help make sure you check out www.gov.uk/apply-growth-vouchers there could be up to £2000 funding available to help fund such strategic advice.

Find out if you are eligible at : www.gov.uk/apply-growth-vouchers

Have you heard about Social Incubator East? Social Incubator East is a programme for entrepreneurs with ambitions to make a positive social impact. An initiative of Cambridge-based charity Allia, a recent Social Venture Weekend was held as the first part of the application process to join the incubator programme for 12 months. Participants received three days of world class training and were able to develop and refine their ideas, write business plans and share and test their ideas with other young businesses. Following a selection process, incubation and hot-desking space will be offered along with help developing finance solutions, connecting individual and corporate investors to social ventures in need of funding. The next Social Venture Weekend will be 10 -12 October, where another cohort of ventures will be selected to join the programme. Social Incubator East is a programme from Allia and is delivered in partnership with Cambridge Judge Business School, Foundation East and Keystone Development Trust with funding from the Cabinet Office and delivered by the Big Lottery Fund.

www.socialincubatoreast.org.uk @SocIncEast @AlliaSPS

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Are you streetwise about cyber securityCyber Essentials was launched by BIS (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) on 5 June in response to industry requests for simple steps toward implementing basic cyber security. The tool can be used to assess organisations against five basic technical elements. If these are implemented correctly they could help mitigate commodity-based internet attacks (i.e. tools and techniques that are freely available).The five basic technical elements to protect against low level cyber attacks are:

Malware protection Secure configuration Access control Firewalls Patching

If you have these elements in place you could be eligible to display the Cyber Essentials badge. This provides an instant

visual recognition that an organisation is taking basic cyber security seriously. There are two levels of certification: 1. Cyber Essentials - requires the organisation to complete

a self-assessment questionnaire, with responses independently reviewed by an external certification body.

2. Cyber Essentials PLUS - independent tests of the systems are carried out by an external certification body, using a range of tools and techniques

All organisations are encouraged to implement Cyber Essentials as part of a wider Information Risk Management approach. To check your operation check out the ten steps to cyber security .

For more information visit: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-what-small-businesses-need-to-know or www.cyberstreetwise.com/cyberessentials

Community pubs event hailed a success The recent event to highlight the importance rural pubs can have in community life received great feedback from those who attended.

The event at the Plough and Fleece, Horningsea in July aimed to bring together people interested in learning more about the community asset register, raising funding to invest in a pub and bring it into community ownership and to unravel the regulation around running such a venture. Attendees found it exceeded expectations with the range of speakers, networking opportunities and insight it gave into saving village pubs. Representatives of the Plunkett Foundation, The Plough and Fleece Community Interest Company, the Pub is the Hub, along with local regulators were all on hand to give advice and share knowledge throughout the day.

If you are interested in finding out more about future events contact Susan Walford at susan.walford@scambs.gov.uk

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Don’t let workplace disputes hit productivity A busy workplace can often lead to stress and frayed tempers which hamper optimum business efficiency, or worse, lead to disputes and grievances. Although having suitable policies and procedures in place is essential, an informal intervention at an early stage can be a positive step towards harmony. Legislation came into force on 6 May this year requiring anyone thinking of making an employment tribunal claim to first notify ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service). Called ‘early conciliation’ the move is intended to offer an opportunity to settle work place disputes without going to court. It is anticipated that giving a breathing space to both parties will enable them to resolve their differences in private without the time, publicity, stress and cost of battling it out in court.

The Government has now extended the right for all employees that have had 26 weeks of continuous employment to request flexible working. Employers will have the duty to consider all requests in a reasonable manner. In brief all requests should be in writing stating the date of the request and whether any previous application has been made and the date of that application be considered and decided upon including any appeals within three months of the receipt of the request only be rejected if employers have a sound business reason be limited to one request in any 12 month period

If you are unsure about your rights as an employee, or what your responsibilities as an employer are, you can find out more at

www.gov.uk/flexible-working

New rules on flexible working

www.acas.org.uk

Food businesses urged to be aware of new allergy regulation

On 13 December 2014 the allergen labelling rules will become mandatory for all food businesses providing foods sold non-packed or packaged. This means that they need to provide a comprehensive list of ingredients ensuring that all consumers, in particular those with food allergies, can identify ingredients they need to avoid. To bring food businesses up to speed, local company MAS Environmental, are planning to run a practical interactive course to assist them in: Being prepared for the change Understanding the importance of allergen labelling Helping staff to understand food allergies and their responsibility

When: Wednesday 13 August 2014 10am - 4.30pm Where: The University Centre, Granta Place, Cambridge fromCost: The cost for the course is £75 + VAT with an option to include lunch at a cost of £10.

Mention this newsletter and you will be entitled to a 10% discount on two places booked and a 15% discount on three or more places booked.

If you are interested please contact admin@masenv.co.uk call 01223 441671 or visit their website www.masenv.co.uk

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Editorial informationThis newsletter is produced for local businesses by South Cambridgeshire District Council.Editorial enquiries should be emailed to openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of South Cambridgeshire District Council. All data is acceptedin good faith at the time of going to press.

Competition launched

The Technology Strategy Board, with Tech City UK Ltd and Cambridge Wireless, are to invest up to £1m to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses working on the Internet of Things (IoT). This competition will support innovative research projects centred in and around the clusters in Cambridge (equipment and communications) and London (software and services). Aimed at stimulating companies to commercial success if your project ticks the following boxes you may be in with a chance:

too risky for companies to take forward without support take companies into new innovative areas the majority of activities are carried out in Cambridge and/or London.

The competition is open to all European entrepreneurs, as long as their company is registered in the UK and has a working connection with either the London or Cambridge tech clusters. The competition will provide an investment of £1 million of support to the winning SMEs in a variety of ways from offering match funding right through to offering retail space across selected EE stores, business and marketing support along with mentorship, and distributing new products developed as a direct result of the programme. The closing date for submissions is 3 September 2014.

www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/key-clusters-work-in-partnership-to-push-uk-forward-in-bid-t9857

New tool to support business securityDid you know that most crimes against business properties are committed by opportunist thieves who target premises with no obvious signs of external security? When was the last time you reviewed external and internal business security? Cambridgeshire Police Service and South Cambridgeshire Business Watch are here to help with two new, free-of-charge online security review tools for rural and non-rural organisations in the region: www.cambs-police.co.uk/GetCloser/BusinessCrime

Business Factory Leaflet

General Business Security Survey

£1 million funding pot up for grabs