• The British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with Aviva, is launching a new five-year industry programme to increase skills and capacity in Local Planning Authorities across the country.
• The programme will seek to raise £3m to pay for at least 100 people to enter the planning industry to increase planning capacity, making investing in the UK quicker and easier.
• Businesses of all sizes and across all sectors are being encouraged to come forward to back the programme.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), with founding partner Aviva, is establishing a new five-year industry-led programme to increase skills and capacity in Local Planning Authorities (LPAs).

The programme will pay for at least 100 undergraduate and masters’ level qualifications for people entering the planning industry, and for people already working in LPAs who need to develop skills for more senior planning roles. It will pay for the learner’s training and will aim to facilitate work experience and jobs within LPAs. In return, at the end of their course of study, the learner must commit to work in a council planning role for at least two years.

The BCC is asking businesses from all sectors to contribute to the programme’s fund with the aim of raising at least £3 million. Aviva is contributing £500,000 as the first UK firm to support the scheme.

BCC members, of all sizes, are clear that limited resources and specialist skills within the planning system are delaying important investment that would promote growth across the UK. The programme aims to address this by increasing the pipeline of talent into the sector and expertise among existing planners.

Whilst the programme is industry-led, ahead of the Spring Budget, the BCC is calling on the Government to commit to matching the £3 million contribution to ensure that LPAs can employ newly qualified graduates for at least two years . The Government is being urged to introduce a mechanism for those LPAs in greatest need of additional planning skills and resources to access dedicated funding.

Baroness Martha Lane Fox, President of the British Chambers of Commerce said: 

“The UK’s economy is being held back by a slow planning system, and we must address the lack of resource by giving local planning authorities some hope of support.

“The Chambers membership is consistently telling us a slow planning system due to limited resource is blocking much-needed investment and halting growth. We want to work in in partnership with government to take concrete steps to support them to help unlock our planning system.

“Investing in Talent, Building Communities is a five-year programme led by the BCC, with founding partner Aviva, to help local councils with endless delays in the planning system,get on with driving the British economy forward. It is vital that businesses of all shapes and sizes across the country contribute to this initiative. The Spring Budget offers the Chancellor an opportunity to match the industry’s commitment to unblocking Britain’s planning problem, he must seize it.”

Amanda Blanc, Group Chief Executive of Aviva said:

“Greater planning capacity is key to supporting more investment in UK housing, regeneration and infrastructure.

“More planners and more specialist planning skills will allow businesses to invest with more certainty and greater speed, boosting economic growth and make a meaningful difference to communities across the UK.”

Among the recommendations in the BCC’s Budget submission are:

• Government to match industry-led funding of £3m for planning qualifications to help plug the lack of local resource.
• Ministers should commit to fund business led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) beyond the current 2025 cut off point to at least 2028.
• The VAT registration review should be restarted with a view to removing the existing cliff edge. 
• Government should reform business rates to make it a tax that incentives growth.
• The Chancellor should introduce a new internationally competitive tax-free shopping scheme. 

Findings from the BCC Insights Unit’s ‘first major business survey of 2024 highlights the urgency for action at the Budget.

43% of responding firms with a turnover of less than £85,000 say they are concerned about growing revenue beyond this specifically because of the requirement to pay VAT.

Meanwhile, over a quarter of companies (26%) say they have changed plans to upgrade or open premises as a direct result of business rates.

38% of responding businesses say they are now paying more following the 2023 rates revaluation.

Current business conditions are among the hardest seen in generations as multiple economic crises converge. The BCC’s Quarterly Economic Survey for Q4 2023 showed that while business confidence has improved slightly, most firms continue to report no improvement to sales, cash flow or investment.

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce said:

“As businesses continue to chart a course through choppy economic waters, they want to work in partnership with Government to get the UK economy growing again.

“The Chancellor has shown he is in listening mode. At the Autumn Statement we were pleased to see full expensing made permanent and business rate relief. The Budget is an opportunity to build on that good work and further accelerate help for business.

“Our recommendations are solution focused. We’re actively working with industry to develop a UK-wide, private sector funded programme to train more planners to work in local planning authorities, to boost their planning skills and capacity. Alongside our fund, we’re calling for the Chancellor to provide more funding to LPA’s in greatest need of skills. That will support the authorities, to employ the additional graduates and upskilled professionals we are training. Unlocking our planning system is crucial to economic growth.

“Our latest research shows that many SMEs are struggling because of business rates, and are limiting their expansion plans because of the VAT threshold.  The Chancellor should use his statement next month to announce plans to make rates fairer and restart the VAT registration review.

“Attracting, retaining, and developing people with the right skills is crucial for business. But far too many employers are struggling to do that. Business-led Local Skills Improvement  Plans (LSIPs) are key to resolving skills shortages. They are  already making a huge difference in communities across England. LSIPs need long-term commitment and funding, to ensure people can access the training they need for great jobs.

“A new internationally competitive tax-free shopping scheme would help turbocharge the UK’s retail and hospitality sectors, bringing benefit to all corners of the UK through economic growth and tax revenue.  The Government must signal that the UK is open for business.

“With the clock ticking before the General Election, next month’s Budget must outline the sustainable growth plan businesses are crying out for.”

Blind broadcaster, content creator and disability activist Lucy Edwards, is urging people who need additional support in the unlikely event of a power cut to sign up to the free Priority Services Register (PSR).

Lucy has partnered with SP Energy Networks to outline the benefits of the PSR, showing how the leading network provider offers extra support to customers who feel they need its help.

Taking the starring role in a video series, Lucy outlines the support available via the PSR, which includes tailored services for customers who have special communication needs, are over the age of 60, have children under the age of 5, have a chronic illness or mobility issues.

Being part of the PSR means customers receive proactive and ongoing contact during a known power outage and a dedicated welfare line during periods of storms. Information is also provided in various formats upon request including braille and large print and text relay services are available in partnership with SignLive, ensuring accessibility for those who are hard of hearing or have speech impairments.

Lucy said: “Being blind or living with a disability can make so many things more daunting which is why the support SP Energy Networks offers through its PSR – which is free to join – is so important.

“Power cuts can be stressful for anyone, so knowing that SP Energy Networks is there to help and will reach out proactively and keep customers informed and supported throughout can make a real difference. Being on the PSR doesn‘t mean they can restore your power more quickly, but it does mean they will let you know what’s happening if they know of a problem in your area and can help you get through it.

“If support like this could make a difference for you, visit the SP Energy Networks website and find out if you’re eligible, so you can be a priority if the lights go out.”

Kendal Morris, Customer Service Director at SP Energy Networks said: “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and we know how important it is to support those who might need a bit more help in the unlikely event of a power cut.

“While our engineering teams work around the clock to restore electricity as quickly as possible when there are any issues, they are supported by an unseen army of customer service colleagues who make sure our customers know they are our priority.

“Whether it’s people with medical dependencies on electrical equipment or households with young children, we’re there to offer a helping hand when it’s needed most.

“It’s brilliant to have Lucy on board to help promote our Priority Services Register and ensure that people know exactly how they can benefit and how they can sign up. She’s the perfect person to showcase all the PSR has to offer and I have no doubt she will get the message across loud and clear.”

To find out if you’re eligible to join the PSR or to sign, visit spenergynetworks.co.uk/psr, call 0330 10 10 167, or text PSR to 61999.

Lucy’s video series is available to watch videos here.

Responding to the latest trade data from the ONS, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“The UK had another good year for services exports in 2023, showing the strength of that side of our economy. But there will be concern about the drop in goods exports.

“Further measures are needed to address this; more must be done to connect exporters and would-be exporters with customers in markets across Europe and the rest of the world.

“The Government should set up an Exports Council to achieve this. It could work with business to build upon our relative strength in services exports across even more sectors, while providing fresh impetus to improve overseas sales of goods.

“This would be a very welcome step as 2024 is already looking like will a challenging year for international trade. We are yet to see the full effects of Red Sea disruption and patchy global growth is only adding to the uncertainty.”

The UK trade picture in detail

The data for the whole of 2023 shows that the UK’s services trade continues to lead the way. Removing the effects of inflation, total annual UK exports in combined goods and services rose by 0.6% (£3.9bn) to £690.8bn in 2023.

This was down to the UK’s robust trade in services which rose by 5.3% with strong performances in financial, business, professional, cultural and travel services exports across the world.

But the flipside was a disappointing performance in goods exports, which fell by 4.6%.

Imports

UK goods imports in 2023 fell by 7.4% while services imports rose by 13.3% (excluding inflation). The picture for imports of services in the final quarter of the year was not as strong, however, as they fell by 0.5% (£0.4bn). Although for the final month of the year, services imports increased by £0.1bn.

On goods imports in December, the ONS found no effects in the data of the Red Sea disruption. Goods imports volumes fell by 3.6% for the month, with rest of the world imports falling by 4.5% and EU imports down by 3% on November.  Again, the leading cause was fluctuations in oils and fuel trade but also with falls in machinery and transport goods (principally from China).

Exports

Services export volumes exceeded goods exports volumes by £62bn in 2023. After taking inflation into account, UK services exports are 4.7% higher than pre-2020 lockdown levels.

Although the annual performance for UK services exports rose, the last quarter was negative, with an estimated drop in exports of 4.4% (£5.2bn).

For the month of December, UK services exports were static after inflationary effects were removed.  Goods exports fell by 0.5% in December with a 3.2% fall in exports to the EU being partially offset by a rise in rest of the world exports by 2.1%. Fluctuations in trade in fuels were a leading cause, but there were also falls in machinery, chemicals and transport equipment.

Responding to the ONS’ first GDP estimate for the fourth quarter of 2023, Alex Veitch, Director of Policy and Insight at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“A contraction in GDP for the final quarter of 2023 means the UK economy is in technical recession. Businesses were already under no illusion about the difficulties they face, and this news will no doubt ring alarm bells for Government.

“The BCC’s last Quarterly Economic Forecast suggests annual growth below 1.0% for the next two years as firms remained gripped by uncertainty and the twin perils of high inflation and interest rates remain.

“The Chancellor must use his Budget in just under three weeks’ time to set out a clear pathway for firms and the economy to grow.

“Businesses are crying out for a long-term economic plan that reduces the cost pressures they are facing and unlocks the investment they so sorely need.”

St Columba’s Hospice Care is offering whisky enthusiasts the unique opportunity to own a piece of Leith history. The Edinburgh charity is set to auction an exclusive cask of Single Malt whisky from The Bonnington Distillery, the first Single Malt distillery in Leith for nearly 100 years.

Generously donated by local whisky experts, Cask88, the cask and accompanying ‘Rare and Old Whisky’ tasting experience will be sold during a live auction at the Hospice’s flagship fundraising dinner, Carnival: Dinner to Make a Difference, hosted by Grant Stott and being held in the city’s Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa on Friday 1 March.

Commissioned in 2019, production began at the Leith distillery in March 2020. Their first expression, released in January 2024 sold out within hours and demand for the cask has grown since the release. Water used in the distillation process is locally sourced from an ancient aquifer located 147 metres below the distillery.

The auction prize is also paired with a Rare and Old Whisky tasting for six people. The invitation-only Whisky Library experience offers guests with an intimate, candle-lit setting in which to sample some of Scotland’s best single cask drams.

Opening bids are invited from £2,500. Notes of interest should be directed to St Columba’s fundraising team before noon on Friday 1 March.

Jon Heggie, Director of Income Generation said: “We’re thrilled to offer our community this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own their own cask of Whisky. With the distillery located just a few miles from the Hospice we knew it was the perfect pairing and thank Cask88 for their generosity and support.”

A leading Edinburgh letting agent has hit out at the latest changes to safety regulations that private landlords must comply with or risk prosecution.

The government-issued Repairing Standard Guidance sets repair requirements for landlords in Scotland’s private sector with the latest revisions due to become law on 1 March 2024.

But Jonathan Gordon, Managing Director of Clan Gordon letting agents, which manages more than 650 rental properties across the city, describes the latest regulations as having ‘major flaws’.

Mr Gordon says two of the requirements – to replace lead water pipes and install electrical safety equipment – have either changed with not enough time to get the work done or are unclear on precisely what work needs completing to meet the criteria.

Clan Gordon is now lobbying the Scottish Government to push back the deadline so landlords can get clarity on the rules, which also include new requirements on food preparation spaces, fixed heating systems and common doors.

New guidelines are ‘a logistical nightmare’

Mr Gordon said: “There are two major problems with the new guidance on lead pipework – guidance which was not even in the first iteration of the guidance when it came out in March 2023.

“They state that water supply pipes in privately rented homes need to be free of lead from the boundary stopcock to the kitchen tap. In a house, that’s something you can often easily identify and changing the pipes doesn’t cause a lot of disruption. However, legislation says there must be no lead solder or fittings either, which means, because lead solder continued to be used legally until 1987 and illegally after that time, you still can’t be sure it is lead-free because lead solder looks identical to lead-free solder.

“In tenement buildings built prior to 1970 the communal main risers – the vertical pipes that allow fresh water to rise from lower floors to upper floors – will invariably be made from lead. So, replacing these will be a logistical nightmare.

“They’re often embedded in bathroom walls which would mean ripping those out in every property and running a new mains riser up the stairwell. That’s a significant, disruptive, time-consuming job, with no local council grants available to help with the cost. Who can get that done in four weeks?

“Our view is that landlords, especially in older tenement buildings, are heavily penalised by this new rule. We feel the rules on lead in water should be part of the Tolerable Standard so that all owners are required to comply. Not only is the government trying to get landlords to solve a problem affecting the whole community, but they are making it unlikely to have any impact on the amount of lead as it will be virtually impossible in most tenements to get common agreement. Our clients already find it almost impossible to get common agreement on important shared repairs such as leaking roofs or unsafe stonework let alone an expensive improvement like this.”

 

Further clarity needed on water testing procedures

Mr Gordon has also challenged the testing procedures for lead in water. Previous guidance asked tenants to not use their water supply for 30 minutes before drawing a sample for testing. But re-issued guidance removed this stipulation and instead says to follow instructions from the testing labs which typically recommend a period of 12 hours with no usage before taking the sample.

He added: “Quite apart from the fact that they can’t practically ask everyone in a tenement block to not fill a kettle or flush their toilet for 12 hours, if the tester has previously used the old guidance and drawn a sample after 30 minutes, there is a chance it has given a false result and will need retesting.

“So, tenants looking to protect their children from the harmful effects of lead may take false comfort from the standard and not filter their water or take other precautions they otherwise might have.

“No matter what process we follow to try and ensure clients’ properties are compliant with the standard, surely the Scottish Government must accept that this is impossible to achieve in a few weeks? Scottish Water is unable to take samples in bulk due to workload. The council-owned lab is closed for two weeks in February.”

New guidance on electrical circuit breakers

The new guidance also compels landlords to install one or more residual current devices (RCDs) in properties to reduce the risk of electrocution and fire. RCDs quickly shut the power supply down if they detect a problem.

Mr Gordon, a qualified chartered surveyor, said: “It is good to have some fresh guidance on RCDs as the rules were very vague on them before. However, we have spent the last six months checking 600-plus electrical safety certificates to determine which properties don’t have the single RCD which was the specified requirement in the original guidance.

“But with four weeks to go, the guidance changed to say that, as a minimum, there must be one RCD on the socket circuits. This means we must go back through the 236 properties that were ‘compliant’ by virtue of having at least one RCD, to try and discover which of those don’t have an RCD on the socket circuit specifically – and have that actioned by 1 March.

“Even that’s not clear though – it seems to be down to whichever electrician you bring in to decide whether you’re compliant.

“No-one is saying these regulations are not a good idea but it’s essential that standards and guidance are clear and unambiguous. Although the re-issued guidance is now less ambiguous, the government must accept that the date the standard comes into effect must be moved from 1 March 2024.

“I do hope that future changes to these standards will follow a sensible consultation exercise which includes the relevant experts. In the meantime, we will continue to lobby government on these flawed and unworkable rules.”

EIE24 launches first national Investment Landscape Survey

The team behind Scotland’s flagship event for business founders and investors has launched a survey to try and establish clarity around the state of the investment landscape in Scotland.

EIE24, which returns as an in-person event in Edinburgh this year, wants to know if the perceived aversion to risk in the investment community is real and hopes the survey will reveal the views of the founders of early and mid-stage companies.

The questionnaire takes no more than 15 minutes to complete and seeks answers to questions around job creation, the support available for start-ups and companies looking to scale, political uncertainty, and the impact of global events. 

Established in 2008, EIE connects global investors with Scotland’s thriving tech ecosystem and the country’s most promising globally relevant tech companies.  Past events have supported over 540 companies, helping them go on to raise more than $1.5 billion in downstream funding.

Duncan Martin, EIE24 Lead Executive and Director of Entrepreneurship at the Bayes Centre, The University of Edinburgh, said:

“I attended a big event recently that included an investor panel discussing the problem of there being too few opportunities in Scotland. A company CEO responded to the panel saying this was wrong, there are lots of companies out there looking for investment. It became clear to me that there is clearly a disconnect between the two sides in this discussion.

“Our Investment Landscape Survey is an opportunity to help shape investors’ and ecosystem builders’ understanding of founders and an opportunity for founders to highlight the challenges they’re facing.

“The more voices we hear from, the better able we will be to line up the needs and expectations of businesses and potential investment partners, and support the development and success of the ecosystem as a whole. That’s why I’d urge everyone in the tech ecosystem, founders and investors alike, to join the conversation and complete our brief survey.”

EIE24, which will follow an evolved format from previous years, will bring together investors from around the world for two days of networking, discovery, and fuelling the deal-making pipeline with some of Scotland’s most innovative companies from partners from right across the ecosystem.

BBC Scotland’s Innovation Correspondent, Laura Goodwin, will host EIE24 which will take place at iconic Edinburgh locations, including Edinburgh Castle, The John McIntyre Conference Centre, and Dynamic Earth on 30th April and 1st May 2024.   

Anyone interested in taking part in the survey should follow this link – Investment Landscape Survey 2024. The closing date for responses is March 7th.

Responding to the latest inflation figures from the ONS, Alex Veitch, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce said:

“Businesses need price stability, so today’s news that inflation remained unchanged in January is welcome.

“However, firms consistently tell us inflation is their top concern. In our latest research 58% of firms citied it as a worry, though this has fallen in recent quarters from the highs we saw in 2022.

“The Bank of England has already warned that inflation is likely to remain volatile over the coming months because of global uncertainty. The Red Sea crisis is causing supply chain disruption and price rises for businesses.

“Next month’s budget is an opportunity for the Government to reassure and support businesses. Companies across the UK will be looking for a clear plan from the Chancellor that prioritises investment and skills.”

Join Shoosmiths for an engaging two-part seminar series Building Tomorrow: Innovative Development Through the Lifetime of a Project. The series host, real estate principal associate Megan McDonald, will be joined by our specialist legal experts, who will share their knowledge and experience on how collaboration across various aspects of a real estate project helps deliver innovative solutions.

The seminars will be held on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 and Tuesday, 12 March 2024 from 8:30 – 10:30 at our Glasgow office and will be preceded by networking and refreshments.

Please click here to view your official invitation with further detail on the events – if you are able to join us for both or either dates, we ask that you kindly RSVP by clicking the ‘register here’ button.