News
Please view the latest news items on our site.
The Western Gazette has teamed up with local builders ROK and Soth Somerset Homes to offer one lucky local community group a makeover project worth up to £10,000. The winning grup or organisation can tap into the skills expertise and know how to make a real difference to their activities. Click on the link below for further information and an application form. Closing date: 21st April.
A number of new business regulations take effect as from 6 April, one of two annual common commencement dates. The new regulations include, among others, extended maternity rights, extra sexual harassment laws, changes to the number of firms affected by rules on informing and consulting staff, and new corporate manslaughter legislation. (Information supplied by Freeman Baker Associates)
Rok, the Yeovil building and maintenance company, has started work on the latest addition to the Abbey Manor Business Centre. Rok is already familiar with Abbey Manor - not only did it build the original business centre which opened six years ago, but its Yeovil office is based there. Located in the grounds of the 600-year-old Grade 1 listed Abbey Manor House on Preston Road on the edge of the town, the new stand-alone building, called Granary Court, is being built on behalf of property compan ...
Small firms are feeling the effects of the global credit crunch, a new survey has shown. The survey, carried out by the Small Business Research Trust (SBRT) and the Forum of Private Business (FPB), covered the first quarter of 2008. Of those firms that responded, almost three-quarters (74 per cent) with both loans and overdrafts said that lending rates had risen during the past six months. Some 59 per cent reported that increases in interest rates had had a ‘negative' or ‘very ne ...
The economic slowdown could bite deeper than has been previously predicted, the CBI has warned. The latest quarterly outlook from the CBI has seen the employers' organisation downgrade its forecast for growth in 2008 from 2 per cent to 1.8 per cent. In 2009, things could be even tougher, the CBI said, with its predicted rate of growth trimmed from 2.1 per cent to 1.7 per cent. Growth in consumer spending is all set to be even weaker, forecast to drop to 1.6 per cent this year before tumbling ...
The Fleet Air Arm museum in Yeovilton recorded record visitor numbers for the first part of the year. Click the link for more information.
The Chamber is giving its backing to the new Innovation Centre currently under development and due to be completed later thisyear. The Innovation Centre is aimed at nurturing 34 fledgling businesses and turning them into fully profitable companies. It is expected to create around 100 high-profile jobs in the first three years and has been hailed as a major boost for the local economy. The Chamber will be giving the new businesses every support and are planning a spec ...
The Chamber has made a £500 donation to the Yeovil College Bursuary scheme to help a young person complete their college course. Chamber President James Richards said "There's nothing more important to the future of Yeovil than the talent of its young people. We want to make sure that this talent is given the best possible chance in Yeovil. A college bursary will give a young person with financial problems the chance to develop their skills which will benef ...
The Chamber is actively campaining for better rail services in the South West to exploit the location of Yeovil as a key North-South and East-West transport junction. In conjunction with local MP David Laws, the Chamber has been lobbying for the promised investment in the Exeter - Waterloo service including the dualling of the track an increasing train frequency and improving the timetable for business users. The Chamber is also fighting for improvements to the Bristol Weymou ...
The Chamber is challenging Yeovil companies to make Yeovil the greenest town for business in the south west. The Chamber is urging all local businesses to save themselves money and help the planet by adopting enviromentally friendly business practices such as reducing energy consumption, packaging and waste. The Chamber is promoting practical ways to make a real difference to the enviroment and can provide members with help and support to look at their own practices a ...
At the Yeovil Supports Green Growth meeting on Tuesday, Emma Burlow from Envirowise gave a presentation about the opportunities and benefits to businesses of improved environmental performance especially with respect to their waste, water and other utilities. Emma discussed the true cost of waste which is around five to 20 times the cost of disposal alone, this includes the hidden costs of labour, energy, time, lost sales and raw material costs are looked into. Envirowise can help companies e ...
A recent survey by the Samaritans provided an interesting insight into stress in the workplace. The report found, amongst other notable statistics, that 32 per cent of workers feel their employers ignore the problem of stress and 43 per cent feel their bosses are simply interested in getting as much out of them as possible, regardless of the effects on their health. More than half of employees surveyed had seen colleagues cry in the workplace because of the pressure they are under. ...
The Chamber is committed to working with the authorities and Town centre Partnership to maintain and improve on Yeovil Town Centres already excellent range of shops and services. The Partnership is driven by Town Centre Manager. One of its biggest successes has been a highly successful anti crime scheme, which has it's roots in the Radio Link project - a system which itself was originally introduced some years ago by the Chamber of Trade! This type of unity between the Chamber and the Partner ...
The Chamber has given its backing and a £5,000 donation to a project to establish a Shopmobility scheme in Yeovil. James Middleton Stewart says "This is an important project for Yeovil, not only helping those with mobility problems but also bringing new shoppers into the town. There are 16,000 people within the Yeovil catchment area and they have a lot of spending power. We are calling on shops and businesses to support this scheme which will help both the local economy and those w ...
James Middleton Stewart is the Chambers expert on transport and strategic infrastructure matters and regularly attends powerful meetings like the local strategic partnership which have a major impact on the future of Yeovil.
The Chamber has given the thumbs up to the recently presented Urban Development Framework which provides a blue print for the development of Yeovil. However, the Chamber has stressed the need to avoid the risk of allowing a Clone Town standard approach by ensuring that land values and development yields are managed to deliver the desired quality of built environment. The Chamber has also called for further detailed consideration of the Boulevard approach to the A30 route through town to ...
Through the Market Towns Employment Strategy Group the Chamber is centrally involved in the process of developing an inward investment strategy covering topics such as marketing the town as a location for investment , dealing with enquires from relocating businesses and supporting start-up businesses. With a new strategy in place the Chamber is taking a pro-active role in driving plans forward. Chamber President James Middleton Stewart says The Yeovil offer is strong and when combined with the ...