Wales Monthly Update

Local News 3 Jan 2024

Welcome to our first Wales Monthly Update of the year! Stay ahead and stay informed with our professional overview, tailored just for you, offering insights into our December activities as well as a sneak peek into the exciting events awaiting you in January.

Campaigning and Policy Activity

📝 This month saw the First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford, announce that he is stepping down from his role, five years after taking post. In reacting to the news and on behalf of our membership, FSB Wales Policy Chair Ben Francis thanked the First Minister for his service, and called for the subsequent leadership contenders to focus on using the devolved levers to help stabilise and grow our economy. You can read our press release here

The announcement of the First Minister’s resignation has served as the kick-off for a Labour leadership contest and for contenders to make their intentions clear. Whichever candidates put themselves forward to become the next Labour leader and therefore, our next First Minister, FSB will look to ensure that the importance of small businesses to our economy is well recognised and we will be making the case for a new, positive vision for the economy and smaller businesses in coming weeks.

📝 Welsh Government is consulting on changes to the school year with potential implications for changed school holidays. We are keen to hear from members on these proposals to understand any impact on businesses. You can see the proposals here and you can contribute your views FSB’s response by emailing [email protected]

📝 FSB has launched a new report on cyber-crime, which found that over 80% of small firms across England and Wales have been affected by at least one crime in the last two years. Nearly 9 in 10 small firms that experienced traditional crime such as theft of burglary said they faced financial losses as a result. Read the full report, here

📝 In early December we spoke to BBC Radio Wales about winter trading conditions ahead of the festive season – reminding listeners to shop local this season.

📝 Our latest Small Business Index survey is now live, giving members the chance to share their economic landscape with FSB, allowing us to help shape policy decisions on your behalf. Don’t forget to take part! Take the survey, here

North Wales Update: Mike Learmond

I always enjoy meeting business owners and learning about their businesses, so it was great to network in the historic venue of The Old Courthouse in Caernarfon. The tri-service employer briefing was organised by the Ministry of Defence and we heard from the Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and the MOD Defence Relationship Management team about recent activity, future direction and local engagement opportunities for employers. The benefits of recruiting veterans and promoting reservists in your workforce are numerous and it was encouraging to see so many businesses at the event embracing this opportunity. Congratulations to Gatewen Training in Wrexham, who were presented with the Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award.

Gatewen Training & Welsh Mountain Zoo Net Zero

Early December was very cold and very wet, so a visit to the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay was possibly not on most people’s agenda, but we braved the elements to visit the Zoo as part of a delegation form North Wales Business Council’s Net Zero Network. It was really interesting to see their commitment to using local suppliers and to learn about the measures they are taking to reduce energy consumption, plastic packaging and food waste.

We also attended the North East Wales Innovation and Skills Network launch at Wrexham University. The University is keen to engage with small businesses and the network will be holding a number of events throughout the year to promote the benefits of interacting with them. These include innovation vouchers, knowledge transfer partnerships and other initiatives. We will include these events and services on our website.

Also in December, FSB launched a new report on business crime in England and Wales. Cracking the Case showed that since our 2019 publication on business crime, the number of small businesses saying that they have experienced crime has shockingly increased from 49% to 81% over the last four years. This increase has primarily been driven by a large growth in cybercrime (and in particular phishing) which has more than tripled over the last few years. By coincidence, just a day after the report launched, I recorded a podcast with members of the Wales Cyber Resilience Centre discussing the work the WCRC does to support and protect businesses. This podcast will be available in the new year.

South & Mid Wales Update: Rob Basini

December was once again a great month for events. Our in person South East Wales networking event at BizSpace in Cardiff was very well received, and our guest speakers at the event, Leanne and Lee Eustace of Accounted For, really opened our eyes to different approaches to ensuring a healthy profit with their presentation on Profit First Accounting.

Our special Christmas Connections Wales Virtual Networking event was also productive in attendees making good business links and our festive quiz was enjoyed by all. We also attended the second of Powys County Council’s business drop in sessions, and continued our monthly support for the networking element of the Pembrokeshire Business drop in event.

BizSpace Networking & Christmas Connections Wales Virtual Networking

Over the coming months we are looking forward to hosting our FSB Wales virtual events which continue to be popular with small businesses across Wales from further afield. We’re also really looking forward to our first in-person networking event of the year with our South East Wales Business Networking at Space2B @ The Maltings on 25 January with our guest speaker Mike Jordan of Toward marketing agency, who’ll be talking about how businesses can position themselves effectively against their competition.

We’re also really looking forward to confirming our next networking events in Swansea in February, and in Merthyr Tydfil in March (details coming soon!) as well as supporting business drop in sessions in Pembrokeshire and Powys as well as the Let’s Talk Business conference in Aberystwyth on 29 February.

Upcoming Events:

We continue to get really positive feedback on all of our FSB Wales events so please come and join us and connect with other businesses throughout Wales and the rest of the UK. All events are open to members and non-members, book your place now and feel free to bring along a colleague too!

Wales Virtual Networking, Thursday 11 January, 1pm – 2pm

Step into the New Year with a fresh perspective! Join us for the first Wales Virtual Networking session of 2024 and kickstart your business connections in a dynamic and engaging environment. Start the year right by connecting with fellow business owners and professionals at our regular fortnightly event and collaborate with our virtual community from Wales and across the UK.

South East Wales In-Person Business Networking, Thursday 25 January, 9.15am – 11am

Join us for our first in-person networking session of the year taking place at Space2B @ The Maltings in Cardiff. This bi-monthly event provides the opportunity for you to meet and expand your network in the local area. At this event our guest speaker will be Mike Jordan, Managing Director at Toward, a strategic brand and web development agency who will provide advice to businesses about ‘Finding Your Position’ to deliver clear, concise and effective messages.

Wales Virtual Networking, Thursday 25 January, 1pm – 2pm

Embrace the virtual networking scene with us at our Wales Virtual Networking sessions, the perfect dynamic and engaging setting to grow and diversify your business connections. Held fortnightly on a Thursday afternoon, this is your chance to expand your network, share valuable insights and collaborate with our diverse virtual community of business professionals from Wales and across the UK.

Pembrokeshire Drop-In Business Support, Friday 26 January, 9am – 12pm

Pembrokeshire County Council and the Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone Board’s Business Interaction Group, a range of business support organisations and professionals will be available at the monthly drop in session at Bridge Innovation Centre, Pembroke Dock. FSB Wales will be facilitating a group networking session from 10.30am – 11.30am at this event. Don’t miss this first session of the year!