Cawarden, the specialist contractor, is encouraging businesses to attend ‘Going Green Marketplace’, for a chance to meet forward-thinking businesses who have reduced costs and attracted new customers by going green. Visit the event on Wednesday 30 March, at Cromford Mill heritage centre in Derbyshire, to learn about sustainable technologies, green business thinking and the wealth of support from local experts that can help improve your operations, build your skills and grow your business. Network with like-minded people and browse the marketplace of stallholders showcasing their goods and services; including local businesses and organisations that support local firms on their journey towards sustainability. The event will also see the launch of the Derbyshire Net Zero Accelerator Programme, which promises a suite of funded opportunities for businesses based in the Derbyshire Dales and High Peak areas. Working with the Low Carbon Business Network Derby, Cawarden, a presenter and stall holder on the day, will deliver a talk about its journey on the road to net zero. For more than 35 years, Cawarden have had a commitment towards reusing and recycling. They do this by reducing their impact on the environment, creating a positive impact wherever possible and fully support the shift towards a low carbon economy. Other short talks will be given on environmental accreditation, green marketing, sustainable procurement, smart factories, sustainable food choices and more.

Retention of an additional Children’s Centre and reducing proposed cuts to the Youth Service will be recommended to councillors at a meeting of Executive Board on Tuesday 22^nd February. The changes follow feedback from residents and businesses, trade unions and staff in the biggest-ever consultation on Nottingham City Council’s budget for the coming year. Executive Councillors will be asked to endorse the council’s four year Medium Term Financial Plan which is balanced in all years from 2022/23 to 2025/26. A balanced four year budget plan is key to delivering the City’s Together for Nottingham improvement programme passed by Full Council in January. Also up for consideration is the Government’s Adult Social Care Precept of 1% which would be added to Council Tax bills and a below-inflation increase in core Council Tax of 1.99%. If endorsed by Executive Councillors, these items will go forward for final approval at the Full Council meeting on 7^th March. The formal budget consultation process began in December last year with the council seeking to close a £28m funding gap in 2022/23. The funding gap is due largely to increasing costs in the provision of care services for older people and a growing number of children coming into the care of the council, now making up two-thirds of the entire budget. This is squeezing the funding available for other council services. Around 700 responses were received during the budget consultation, resulting in the following suggested changes to the savings proposals:

• Reducing the Children’s Centre saving and retaining four centres rather than the three originally proposed
• Increasing the number of Play and Youth Services staff that will be retained
• Withdrawing the proposal to charge for toilets at Greyhound Street.

The consultation involved over 300 participants at 17 engagement events (in-person and on-line) and included young people, service users, voluntary and community sector organisations and faith groups, businesses, statutory and non-statutory partner organisations, council staff and networks and Trade Unions. Following more than a decade of funding cuts from central Government, securing the council’s finances on a sustainable, long-term footing has been challenging. Difficult decisions made now will provide a solid four-year foundation and enable more investment in key council services in the coming years. The City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources, Cllr Sam Webster, said: “I want to thank everyone who took part in our budget consultation. We always said the proposals were not set in stone and we’ve listened carefully to what people have told us and acted on their views and suggestions. “However, like many councils across the country, we are still facing extremely challenging circumstances due to a decade of unprecedented reductions in Government funding and the growing demand for some key council services, especially care services for older people. “Councils of all types are facing the same challenges, not least because one of the main statutory services we provide – care for the elderly – is not being properly funded through national taxation. Instead, it is being unfairly funded by the Government’s Social Care Precept, adding an extra charge to Council Tax bills which amounts to £211 more on Band D bills over the last six years. “The Government has talked a lot about ‘Levelling Up’ recently, but by cutting the resources that local areas have available during a time of rising demand for some key services, the effect has been the opposite of ‘Levelling Up.’ “It is grossly unfair that the Government has cut £320 per household in Nottingham against an average of only £47 nationally. I would again urge the Government to tackle the underfunding of local public services and end the raid on Council Tax payers. Hard-pressed Nottingham households cannot afford to pick up the costs of a care system that should be funded nationally.”

Community groups, clubs, local charities and non-profit organisations can now apply to the Derbyshire Grants scheme. There is a pot of £1.5million to be allocated over the next two years to help fund projects and events that support one or more of the council’s five main priorities and help local communities to thrive.

These priorities are:

• helping residents feel safe
• supporting young people
• encouraging residents to be more active
• supporting ‘green’ issues and sustainability
• encouraging people to get involved in their communities.

Grants in the new scheme are divided into four main types:

• small grants – supporting activity or projects up to £1,000
• medium grants – supporting activity or projects between £1,001 – £20,000
• large grants – supporting projects and programmes between £20,001 – £50,000
• exceptional – supporting projects which are over £50,000.

Council Leader, Councillor Barry Lewis said: “I would encourage groups across the county to apply for these grants which can make all the difference to local communities. “It could pay for a youth club activity, green scheme, promote exercise or sport, encourage people to get together or get active, there are so many possibilities. “There will be hundreds of grants available – from £1,000 to potentially more than £50,000. “Even a little financial help can make all the difference between being able to provide a much-needed local activity or not and if we can help make it happen then it will help create a lasting legacy of enjoyment and participation in communities across Derbyshire.” Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Carol Hart said she was pleased to be able to deliver on the council’s commitment to continue supporting a grant scheme for the local voluntary and community sector. “Hundreds of groups do amazing work across Derbyshire every year, making a real difference to communities,” said Councillor Hart. “This large investment in local people and communities will create opportunities for groups and organisations to adapt, develop and grow.”

As hope grows for the pandemic to become an endemic, James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, encourages businesses to start taking a more considered look at their longer-term prospects. Nearly two years since the end of the first lockdown many, perhaps naively, might have thought we would have seen a return to normal by now. As the months passed and further restrictions were put in place, the world of business seems to have changed for many and perhaps forever. The challenges of the pandemic have needed in the main for focus on the operational, as opposed to the strategic, with often labour shortages, supply chain issues and restrictions on the way businesses operate. Firefighting and surviving being at the expense of thrive and prosper. Whilst more typically a challenging business period might be followed by a slight lull and/or chance to recharge the batteries with a good break, this seems not to have been the case for many business owners and leaders. Whilst hybrid working and working from home for a long period of time may have allowed for a better work life balance, it has given rise to increased isolation and remoteness from the hubbub of business and interaction with staff, suppliers and customers. With hopefully the first half of 2022 seeing a transition from a COVID pandemic to it being an endemic, more of us can start to take a more considered look at the longer-term prospects and future for our businesses and organisations. This is likely to involve a look at and consideration to what has changed, what is different and what needs to be done differently. In contrast to addressing short term issues, such focus needs to perhaps be a re-energising blue skies approach. Something that will inspire, inform and motivate you, colleagues and the workforce alike – perhaps even seeks to re-ignite your position in your marketplace. If you are looking for a steer as to what you might focus on, there are a number of areas worthy of consideration as follows: Customer service, even delighting or exceeding customer expectations It has been widely reported that as a result of the pandemic customers have felt the service they receive has in many cases deteriorated and they feel less cherished. Whether it is to safeguard existing business or to secure new business, it undoubtedly would be good to review and appraise your customer satisfaction and service. Workforce, retention, recruitment and skills Certainly, there are a significant number of businesses across many sectors experiencing labour and skills shortages. It must therefore be a good time to take a strategic look at future workforce requirements, addressing the skills agenda and how you manage recruitment, retention, development and rewards. Digitisation – more than an online meeting Whilst many of us have embraced new digital ways of working, much of which existed pre-pandemic, the vast majority of businesses still don’t have a strategy for longer term digitalisation or use of technology. Taking time to focus on this could enhance your business productivity and performance, perhaps even help to address workforce shortages. Net zero – it is not just buying an electric vehicle A switch from a fossil fuelled powered car to an electric vehicle or consideration to an alternative energy supply may be seen by many businesses as major step towards net zero. However, there is much needed to be done, with the vast majority of businesses having little or no comprehension of their carbon footprint or impact let alone a strategy to move to net zero and a sustainable business model. The world has just seemingly got smaller… Seemingly, given digital connectivity, the ability to do business and seek suppliers and staff post pandemic is without the limitation of geographical boundaries. Whilst this could be a boost for your business, a failure to recognise it could also be a shot in the arm for your competitors. The right people on the bus, in the right seats There are bound to be many other areas of focus, the challenge will be deciding on what you need to focus on and what steps you need to take. In part such a decision and action may also give rise to the need to reflect on the skills, experience and roles of those, especially your Board, charged with strategic direction and driving the business forward. There might be a risk that the Board is prone to group think, resistant to change and lacking in vision or ideas. It may then be time to consider the effectiveness of the Board and its diversity. Finally the world of business does feel, and is, very different to what it was pre-pandemic. Whilst not advocating radical change, most if not all of us do need to take time out, uninterrupted, to consider the relevance, sustainability and viability of what we do – now must be the time for this.