Business Support and Development in South Cambridgeshire

Breastfeeding/pumping in public can be challenging and create anxiety, so it is important to support families to feel confident and ‘free to feed’ in public.

While there’s no law for maximum working temperature, or when it’s too hot to work, employers must keep workplaces at a comfortable temperature.

The Health and Safety Executive’s temperature website has practical guidance for businesses on how to manage the risks so people can work safely in hot conditions.

This practical guidance includes advice on:

• managing workplace temperature
• outdoor working
• heat stress

How to offer employment to Ukrainian guests

Last month’s job fair at Jobcentre Plus in Cambridge gave 377 Ukrainian customers the chance to discuss employment opportunities with 26 businesses. 26 job offers were made on the day, and 108 second interviews were arranged. A second fair is planned for November. If your business would like to take part, or it currently has employment opportunities that may be suitable for Ukrainian citizens seeking work, please contact DAWN.BERE@DWP.GOV.UK

Businesses who have potential job opportunities for Ukrainian guests should check out the Government’s guidance for offering work to people coming from Ukraine.
Our website also contains lots of local advice for businesses and indivuals wanting to help.

Funding to support vulnerable migrants

Not for profit organisations and private law firms who work with vulnerable young migrants can apply for grants of up to £30,000. The grants will enable strategic legal work to benefit young migrants living in poverty who face significant disadvantage or discrimination in connection with their immigration status. The average grant size is around £12,000.

The funding is being made available through the Strategic Legal Fund for Vulnerable Young Migrants. The closing date for applications is 30 August 2022.

Businesses submitting import declarations must use the Customs Declaration Service from 1 October 2022, when the Customs Handling Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system will close for import declarations.

Businesses should check that their customs agents are ready to use the Customs Declaration Service. Those without a customs agent must set themselves up to make their own declarations using software that works with the system.

It can take several weeks to be fully set-up on the Customs Declaration Service so those waiting to register risk being unable to import goods to the UK from 1 October.

The change was first introduced to help businesses keep operating during the pandemic and was welcomed by the public, café owners and pub landlords.

Help to Grow: Digital for microbusinesses

The Government’s Help to Grow: Digital scheme has now been expanded to help businesses with fewer than five employees.

The UK-wide scheme is designed to boost business performance a boost through digital ways of working. With discounts available on approved software worth up to £5,000, the scheme offers businesses an opportunity to reach more customers and streamline time-consuming tasks.

Are you preparing your company for a round of finance sometime in the future, but you’re not sure how to get started? Yes? Then register your interest in attending Growth Works’ brand new Investment Readiness Accelerator programme, starting 6 September at St John’s Innovation Centre.

Seeking equity investment is highly competitive, resource-intensive and time-consuming, and most often at a critical time where you can’t afford to take your eye off the ball. Let’s help you get it right the first time.

Delivered by experienced specialists and investors, you will get an insiders’ perspective on what is needed to significantly increase your chances of arriving at a positive investment decision.

If you are a female founder, co-founder or senior decision maker working in a UK-based company, sign up for the briefing to find out more.

New Anglia LEP and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority have partnered together with the University of East Anglia, Anglia Ruskin University, University of Suffolk, Norwich University of the Arts, Norfolk County Council, and Suffolk County Council in a bid to become one of six areas delivering the new DCMS Create Growth Programme supporting potentially high growth creative industries businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

As part of the application, they are asking for local creative industries businesses to take part in a short survey before the deadline of 5pm on Friday 19th August.

Your responses will help provide the evidence needed to make a strong case for the region. It should only take a few minutes and will be completely anonymous.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has published guidance on employment status to help individuals and businesses understand which employment rights apply to them.

The new guidance will help workers and employers improve their understanding of what rights they are entitled to at work, enabling them to have informed discussions to avoid unnecessary disputes.

The guidance also clarifies the rights that gig economy workers are entitled to including the national minimum wage and paid leave.

There is also advice for micro businesses, start-ups and small and medium enterprises that often have less capacity and legal expertise to understand the law.

Meet new business connections through safari networking at Quy Mill Hotel on Tuesday 27 September. Taking place from 7:45am to 10am, this relaxed but structured format  offers guests the chance to move around the room forming connections with new business contacts from a wide range of industry sectors.