It’s May already?! The year seems to be flying by! If you’re out and about either shopping or enjoying some leisure time this bank holiday weekend, remember to support your local small businesses!
As ever, if you have any questions about FSB membership, what’s going on in your area, business support needs, or issues impacting your business, please do get in touch. We’re always happy to help where we can.
FSB Survey – National Living Wage
We’d like to hear your thoughts on the impact of the National Living Wage (NLW) rise to £11.44, that came in to force in April 2024.
Your answers to the survey will help us understand how your business responded to this year’s increase as well as your views on a potential increase in April 2025, and the impact this would have.
The Low Pay Commission has also recommended lowering the NLW age of entitlement from 21 to 18 and reforming the Apprentice Rate. FSB suggests that the Employment Allowance, which mitigates employment costs, should in future be uprated in line with the National Living Wage headline rate and we would like your views on that.
In a General Election year, having strong fresh evidence on pay will be crucial to make sure that your voice is heard by those in power, and those competing to replace them.
The survey will close at 9.30am on 13 May. Take part to have your voice heard.
Devolution and local elections
Voters all took to the polls (I hope you used your vote too!) on Thursday (2nd May) to vote for local councillors (in some cases), regional mayors and police and crime commissioners across the North East and Tees Valley. The votes are now being counted and we are eagerly awaiting the results.
As ever, we will continue to work with business and political leaders across the region to represent your views, ensuring small businesses and the self-employed community are at the heart of policy and decision making. This is a phenomenal opportunity to build on previous successes and lay the foundation to create a strong, inclusive and entrepreneurial North East, and that’s exactly what we’ll be working with our key stakeholders and our political leaders to deliver.
Watch this space for the election results, due to be announced imminently.
In case you missed it…
➡ FSB, in partnership with the CBI and North East Chamber of Commerce, hosted a virtual consultation session for our members on 24 April to give you the opportunity to explore the proposals and draft framework for the North East Combined Authority’s (NECA) £1.2bn Investment Fund.
➡ Do you know about Open Banking? FSB were pleased to attend a roundtable convened by Open Banking Limited and hosted by Sage Group, bringing together the voices and views of key regional stakeholders on behalf of small businesses.
➡ Were you at the North East Expo on 25 April at Newcastle Racecourse? We were! And we had a brilliant day talking to some of our members, key stakeholders and lots of fascinating businesses. We’ll be at the Autumn expos, organised brilliantly by Fresh Start Events, in Teesside and the North East.
➡ We were at the Stockton Globe twice in as many days this month! Firstly for the Stockton launch of NetWORK NotWORK; If you’ve not come across their events, you should definitely check them out. Their events currently run in Wynyard and Stockton but they are rapidly expanding and we’ll be working with them to bring the events to a town near you! Secondly, for the monthly Tees Valley Business Club event where were we inspired to see and hear about the ongoing work to Stockton-on-Tees. We’ve been feeding into the town centre consultation activity so it’s absolutely brilliant to see this work come to life. Watch this space as Stockton becomes the blueprint on how to reimagine, recreate and reinvigorate the high street and town centres (trust me on that one!).
➡ It was a privilege to be invited to a Regionomics and North East Policy Network event at the Darlington Economic Campus as one of only a handful of guests external to the civil service. Hearing from the always inspirational Henry Kippin alongside a panel of experts on English Devolution really brought to life just why we are all working so hard towards this shared ambition for the North East.
➡ Have you heard of The Lifted Project? If you have an interest in supporting women in enterprise with access to finance and capital, this project is one to know about. We were delighted to attend the Newcastle Board launch and roundtable discussion and look forward to supporting this important project.
➡ We were at the Radisson Blu in Durham on 30 April for our North East Networking event with speakers from Business Durham giving an overview on what business support is available in the County. Where in the North East do you want to see FSB events? Let me know and I’ll see what we can do!
In other news…
✅ Be part of the New Adventures Programme
Destination North East England have launched New Adventures, a bookable tourism product platform which is now available region-wide. With a major digital advertising campaign coming up, make sure your bookable products and experiences are part of it.
✅ HITS EXPO - Monday 13th & Tuesday 14th May 2024 at Crowne Plaza Newcastle
Delivered in partnership with and funded by Destination North East England (DNEE), Food and Drink North East (FADNE) present an exciting two day event that celebrates and showcases food, drink, hospitality and tourism across the North East!
Connect with buyers and suppliers and witness the next generation of talent battling it out in the North East Chef of the Year and Young Chef of the Year competitions. The 2 days will also feature a jam-packed line up of inspiring speakers and panel discussions and supplier showcases, that will champion all there is to offer in the region's visitor economy. Book here.
✅ Celebrate women in business with Darlington Business Club!
With 8 awards up for grabs, be sure to nominate the brilliant Darlington businesswomen in your network and book your place to join the celebrations.
✅ Multi-billion pound plans to create a series of data centres at the former Britishvolt site in Northumberland have been proposed. Read more online.
✅ Help shape the future engineering and manufacturing workforce at an event with Bridge Club CIC, on behalf of The Royal Academy of Engineering and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.
Join Bridge Club CIC on 22 May, 8.30am – 12.30pm, at Borne Studios in Gateshead to learn how your business can leverage the benefits of the T Level qualification through hosting industry placements. During the event, you will hear from employers like Renovo Solutions, Gateshead College & students who are already benefitting from T Level placements. Lunch and refreshments will be provided along with the opportunity to network with fellow employers, T Level providers and students.
To RSVP to attend this event please email [email protected] to advise you are able to attend along with any dietary & access requirements. Further joining/parking instructions will be sent out the week of the event.
✅ What are your views on the skills system?
The North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) are inviting you to complete a survey on your views. This survey links to a wider piece of research conducted by the NECC as part of the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP).
LSIPs are funded by the Department for Education and are designed to put you, as an employer, at the heart of the skills system. With this survey they are interested in understanding your experience of navigating the skills system (apprenticeships, skills bootcamps, NVQs, etc.), recruitment, and investing in your staff.
Your valuable perspective will deepen our understanding of the skills landscape. With this information NECC (supported by partners to include FSB) hope to make some real change in our region.
