Cumbria Growth Hub Podcast

Detective Superintendent Vicki Ellis of Cumbria Police explains how businesses can help to stamp out the scourge of domestic violence. Domestic abuse is endemic. Cumbria Police respond to 7,500 incidents every year, of which 4,500 are logged as crimes. In this podcast, Detective Superintendent Vicki Ellis sets out how employers spot warning signs, which may indicate that an employee is suffering domestic abuse, and how they can support staff who are victims of abuse. For more information from Cumbria Police click here and for details of the training events for employers in Barrow, Workington and Carlisle click here. For information on the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse, click here.

David Leadbetter of Inspira explains how employers can get involved in a programme to raise the aspirations of young Cumbrians. Inspira’s Employer Mentoring Programme is designed to raise the aspirations of young people at secondary school. It is currently running in North and West Cumbria. In this podcast David Leadbetter, Contract Manager with Inspira, explains why the programme was set up, the benefits to employers who take part, how youngsters are selected for mentoring and how you can get involved. Click here to find out more about the programme.

700,000 people in the UK have autism. Sheila Gregory of Carlisle Mencap sets out how and why businesses should cater for them. Approximately 1% of the UK population have autism, around 700,000 people. That’s a large potential market for businesses to target as customers and a big pool of labour from which to recruit. Indeed, people with autism can sometimes have exceptional skills that make them very valuable employees. In this podcast, Sheila Gregory, Chief Executive of Carlisle Mencap, explains the condition and sets out simple, cost-effective measures that businesses can take to better cater for those on spectrum. Click here for information on managing an autistic employee. Click here for more on the Too Much Information campaign.

The man driving plans for a nuclear power station in West Cumbria explains his strategy to save the project.  NuGen’s £15bn plan for a nuclear power station at Moorside, next to Sellafield, would be the biggest private-sector investment Cumbria has ever seen. But the project is in trouble. NuGen’s owner Toshiba wants out while the Korean company that had been poised to replace Toshiba is having second thoughts. Currently, NuGen is shedding two-thirds of its workforce. In this podcast, NuGen’s Chief Executive Tom Samson sets out his strategy to save the Moorside project against a tight deadline. He explains why Kepco of Korea might still invest and why the Government’s proposed ‘regulated asset base’ funding model – which has been blamed for deterring Kepco – could yet be Moorside’s salvation. He makes a compelling case for a rolling programme of nuclear new build and sets out the lasting benefits that Moorside would deliver for Cumbria.

A third of SME owners face difficulties in growing their businesses. Growth Hub adviser Adrian Luckham offers practical help. Polling commissioned by the British Business Bank suggests that one-in-three business owners want to grow their businesses but are unsure how to do it. In this podcast, Adrian Luckham, one of the most experienced advisers with Cumbria Business Growth Hub, identifies the barriers that are holding businesses back and explores ways to overcome them. To find out how the Growth Hub can help your business, go to our website www.cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk or call us on 0844 257 84 50. Click here for information on financing your business, here for help on skills and training, here for advice on innovation, here for help for exporters, here for the Supply Chain Gateway and here for the Subsidy Scheme. 

Many businesses use WordPress to create and manage their websites. But big changes are coming. Our digital expert Paul Teague explains. More than a quarter of all websites are created by and managed using WordPress, the most popular online publishing platform on the web. But big changes are coming. The entire interface that's used to create posts and pages is getting an overhaul. It could mean that some websites break and many users who were once confident with the platform no longer know how to use it. The Chamber’s Digital Development Manager, Paul Teague, has road tested the new interface. In this podcast he explains what is changing, what the new platform is like and what businesses can do to be ready. Paul is leading a WordPress webinar on Tuesday 2nd October from 7-8pm. To register, click here. If you're unable to attend live, don't worry. Register for the webinar anyway and we'll send out the replay video the day after. Paul will also be delivering training on the WordPress changes, at dates to be conf

Lawyer Michael Bauer explains how businesses should respond to employment tribunal claims, or better still avoid them altogether. The number of employment tribunal claims has doubled since fees for bringing claims were abolished last year. In this podcast employment lawyer Michael Bauer, of Cumbria Employment Solicitors, explains how businesses should deal with claims, how they can minimise costs and – best of all – how to avoid claims altogether. Chamber members receive £1m worth of FREE legal expenses insurance for employment disputes as part of our Chamber Protect package. More here.

Plans to develop the former armaments depot at Broughton Moor are taking off. We meet the man behind it all, Nigel Catterson. Derwent Forest is set to become a model for sustainable living. The Derwent Forest Development Consortium has unveiled a masterplan to make the former RN armaments depot at Broughton Moor into a national exemplar for sustainable living with up to 2,000 new homes, a hotel, treehouses and lodges, tree-top skywalks, an innovation centre and more. In this podcast, Nigel Catterson, the businessman whose vision of ‘utropia’ led to the formation of the consortium, explains the thinking behind the project.

Playdale Playgrounds only began exporting in 2009 and now sells to 49 countries. MD Barry Leahey explains how they did it. The company manufactures outdoor playground equipment at Haverthwaite, near Ulverston, and sells its products across the globe. It has been so successful at exporting that it was selected as one of the Department for International Trade’s ‘Export Champions’ while Managing Director Barry Leahey received the MBE last year for ‘Services to UK trade and investment and exports’. In this podcast, Barry outlines why Playdale started exporting, how they selected target markets and overcame obstacles, and who they turned to for help. He also offers tips and advice for first-time exporters. The Chamber’s Cumbria Business Growth Hub provides a wealth of assistance to new and existing exporters, whatever their size or sector. To find out more click here or call 0844 257 84 50.

City Council leader Colin Glover on plans for 10,000 new homes, Borderlands, Carlisle Airport, the Enterprise Zone and boosting the city centre. Carlisle stands on the cusp of unprecedented growth. The proposed St Cuthbert’s Garden Village would add up to 10,000 homes, potentially increasing the population of urban Carlisle by a third. In this podcast Colin Glover, leader of Carlisle City Council, looks at the opportunities and challenges for businesses in the years ahead. As well as the Garden Village he discusses the proposed Southern Link Road, the Enterprise Zone at Kingmoor Park, the prospects for scheduled flights from Carlisle Airport and the issues facing the city centre. He also provides an update on progress towards a Borderlands Growth Deal. 

Maria Ramsdale of FW Capital explains how the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund helps SMEs in Cumbria. The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund provides loan and equity finance to SMEs that have been turned down by the banks. In this podcast, Maria Ramsdale of FW Capital, who is responsible for delivering the debt finance element in Cumbria, explains how the scheme works, who is eligible, what they can borrow and what they can use it for. To find out more about the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, email maria.ramsdale@fwcapital.co.uk or call her on 01768 213074. Click here to read how NC Training in Barrow benefited from a loan from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Chamber Chief Executive Rob Johnston explains how businesses can hang on to older workers and bring the best out of them. By 2030, half of all adults in the UK will be aged over 50. In parts of Cumbria the proportion will be higher still. Our ‘super-ageing’ population means that the working-age population is projected to shrink by 20,000 over the next two decades, making it progressively harder for employers to recruit staff. One solution is to retain older workers for longer by persuading them to put retirement plans on hold. In this podcast Rob Johnston, Chief Executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, looks at how employers can recruit, retain and retrain older workers, and harness their skills and experience to promote business growth. The British Chambers of Commerce has worked with the Department for Work and Pensions, Aviva UK and the charity Business in the Community on materials to help employers accommodate the needs of older workers. A toolkit looks at the policies and procedures employers can put i

Chartered financial planner David Finan looks at strategies to achieve a comfortable retirement if you’re self-employed. There are 4.8m self-employed people in the UK but fewer than a third of them are actively paying into a pension scheme. Some have other strategies to provide retirement income – perhaps selling their business to live off the proceeds or building up a portfolio of buy-to-let property – others have nothing to fall back on but the state pension. In this podcast David Finan, a chartered financial planner and managing director of the financial advice firm Jardine Finan, examines the options open to self-employed business people looking to achieve a comfortable retirement. Click here for the Unbiased website listing independent financial advisers and here for VouchedFor where users rate their adviser.

Allerdale is a great place to start a business. Some 71% of new businesses in Allerdale are still trading three years after launch, well above the national average of 61%. The high survival rate is in part explained by the pro-business stance of Allerdale Borough Council, which actively funds business support initiatives. In this podcast, Council Leader Alan Smith talks about plans for new starter workshops, the regeneration of Maryport, selling Allerdale to a wider audience, flood protection, reviving town centres and bringing the Rugby League World Cup to Workington in 2021.  

Get the inside track on interest rates, inflation and investment from Bank of England Deputy Governor Sir Jon Cunliffe. Cumbria Chamber of Commerce is urging the Bank of England to think carefully before raising interest rates. We delivered that message in person when Sir Jon Cunliffe, the Bank’s Deputy Governor for financial stability, spoke at a Chamber lunch in Kendal last week. Sir Jon is a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, which voted by 6-3 in June to leave rates unchanged at 0.5%. It meets again on August 2, when many commentators expect an increase to 0.75%. Chamber Chief Executive Rob Johnston said: “We told him that a rate rise in August could damage businesses by making borrowing more expensive at a time when many are already struggling to cope with rising costs. “I’m pleased to report that we were pushing at an open door. Sir Jon shares our concerns and is cautious about an early rate increase.” In this podcast, Sir Jon explains the Bank’s stance on interest rates and ponders why pay inflat

Renewed efforts are underway to help more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Cumbrian win work in the nuclear sector. Almost 50 businesses attended an ‘SME awareness day’ in Workington last week to showcase the opportunities available in the sector. In this podcast, Eva Chua of Cumbria Business Growth Hub, Steve Dixon of Morgan Sindall, and Mark Turner, representing the Supply Chain Sustainability School, examine how SMEs can break into this potentially lucrative market. Businesses looking to explore opportunities in nuclear can find out more here. Sign-up here for a free ‘Fit to Tender’ workshop in Penrith on July 20.

Local Enterprise Partnerships - LEPs for short - were the Coalition Government's 'big idea' to drive economic growth in the regions.   But Cumbria LEP has come under fire for poor performance. In this podcast its new chairman, Lord Inglewood, sets out his vision. He explains more about the LEP’s role, and looks at the challenges and opportunities for Cumbria arising from Brexit, the Borderlands Growth Deal, and a shrinking working-age population. Cumbria LEP is drawing up a Local Industrial Strategy, which it hopes will make a “compelling case” to Government and business for investment in the county. To help shape the document it is hosting consultation events next week in Carlisle, Kendal, Workington and Barrow, and is keen that businesses attend. The half-day sessions will offer an overview of Cumbria’s economy, the strengths, opportunities and challenges we face, and invite suggestions to address them. To register to attend, click here.

The World Cup is in full swing and Wimbledon fortnight begins on Monday. Major sporting events like these can cause a headache for employers as staff request time off to watch or, worse still, pretend to be ill and take a sickie. In this podcast Tom Scaife, a partner and employment specialist with the commercial law firm Baines Wilson, looks at how employers should deal with these issues and how to avoid related discrimination claims.

Research commissioned by Barclays Bank reveals that almost half of SMEs have been targeted by fraudsters, and one-in-four of these has fallen victim. Where businesses are caught out, the average cost is £35,000. To mark Scams Awareness Month, Will Hayhurst of Cumbria Trading Standards looks at what businesses can do to protect themselves against the fraudsters.

Eden Council will unveil its Penrith Vision Masterplan this summer. It will set out how the town will develop through to 2050 including plans for new homes, schools, open space, a new business park and a relief road linking the A66 east of Penrith with M6 junction 41. In this podcast, Eden Council’s Leader Kevin Beaty explains why the Masterplan is necessary if Penrith is to continue to grow and prosper.