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Business Support 2
Getting the following information will help you decide how
support for business - or access to that support - needs to be
improved. If there is not enough information available to answer
the questions, you could carry out an audit of facilities to find
out about the work of business community support agencies in the
area.
Starting points for information
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Information you will need
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Answers and notes
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Sub Section: Support available to businesses
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Local Business Directory
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Q 1
What services are offered to businesses by local bank
branches?
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Usual range but only 1 dedicated manager located in
Crowborough; business managers from other banks attend by
appointment
Difficult to comment authoritatively
about the banks and the level of support they provide, although
Lloyds TSB Bank Commercial Manager showed an initial interest at
one stage (Autumn 2004) by attending a breakfast meeting and that
was followed up with a discussion about BAG activities; the newly
appointed manager of HSBC attends the Business Lunches
No contact at all with any building society
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- Yellow Pages
- Business Directory
- Regional Development Agency
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Q 2
Which of the following organisations have a presence in the
town?
- Small Business Service
- Business Link
- Chambers of Trade or Commerce
- Learning and Skills Council
- Enterprise Agency
- Local food network/partnership or farm advisory service
(Worksheets EN2 Q15,16; EN3 Q5; also refer to land-based
industries)
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Business Group of Crowborough Partnership a proactive and
reactive presence since 1997
Crowborough Business Association that superseded redundant
Chamber of Commerce (2 years ago) and its future is uncertain at
present.
Business Support agencies listed in Q2 and others respond
to requests for assistance and visit Crowborough
businesses
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Starting points for information
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Information you will need
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Answers and notes
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- Register of Business Enquiries
- Business Directory
- District Council Business Surveys
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Q 3
How well used are business support agencies such as:
- Business Link Operator
- Business Links
- Chambers of Trade or Commerce
- Learning and Skills Council
- Enterprise Agency
- FRA/National Association of Farmers’ Markets
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Need to establish current use and to promote levels and
nature of current support available
Local businesses have been provided
with business support / personal contact details that outline
what each agency / authority can offer (2003). See tailor made
A4 card
Of the 92 businesses that replied to
the BO Survey in 2002, a number had dealings with some of the 10
business support agencies / authorities listed in the
survey.
Analyses of the 2002 survey showed that
up to 25 contacts had been made by some businesses (Sussex
Enterprise and Federation of Small Businesses); others had had 17
or 18 contacts for one reason or another with the Crowborough
Business Association, former Chamber of Commerce and Town
Council; as had 10 with Wealden District Council (Econ
Dev).
Until 2002, few had contact with The
Business Group but since the early summer of 2002, over 400
businesses in and around the town have had at least 6
newsletters, another 400 businesses in the TN6 postcode area have
had a mailshot (June 2004) with about 120 business people
receiving regular information by e-mail
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- District Council
- the Business Link Operator
- the Regional Development Agency
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Q 4
- What previous business support or initiatives have been
available/been used?
- What is the evidence of these initiatives proving
successful?
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In addition, EDEAL spoke at a business lunch about
networking and their range of services,
as did WDC Business Support section about their
www.wealdenbusinesshelp.website and their regulations adviser
service,
as will ESCC Standards about Business Accreditation in
April,
as will EDEAL talk about Business Clinics in perhaps
July
Many business support related e-mails have been sent
out
Effective campaign against car parking
b)
Many businesses have responded to emails, (taken up
broadband, business accreditation, contacted e.g. EDEAL, reacted
to scams)
Businesses have actively supported business lunches and
praised speakers, used their services
Need to be able to reach all local businesses (on
database)
See achievements list of Business Group
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Starting points for information
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Information you will need
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Answers and notes
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- District Council
- Local knowledge
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Q 5
If the town has a town centre manager, town centre forum or
similar partnership organisation, who are they?
If there is more than one town centre manager, town centre
forum or similar partnership organisation find out if there is an
overlap between their services/ remit.
(Worksheets EN2 Q11; EN3 Q1; S4 also refer to community
involvement)
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The Business Group structure has been made to work, has
more potential, needs more people to help but needs funding and
resource as a one stop shop scenario (TS is that to an extent at
present).
The future of the CBA needs resolving
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- Town Centre Manager (this may be the District Council, one of
the local business advice centres, or a consortium of local
businesses).
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Q 6
What results have there been from any existing town centre
management work?
you need to evaluate any results of monitoring and funding
reviews, and also identify examples of good practice or ways in
which activities could be extended.
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See list of Business Group achievements since 1997
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Sub section: Business networking
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Starting points for information
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Information you will need
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Answers and notes
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- Business Link Operator
- Chamber of Commerce
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Q 7
What regular events are there to bring the business community
together; for example, breakfast clubs and trade fairs?
Find out:
- what they are
- how often they are held
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See list of achievements of Business Group since
1997
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- Chamber of Commerce
- Local business people
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Q 8
What arrangements are there for local suppliers to be able to
network? Examples may include a Business Directory or website
for the town.
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See list of achievements of Business Group since
1997
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- Local surveys
- Yellow Pages
- Chamber of Commerce
- Local businesses
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Q 9
What business meeting and business conference venues are
available?
Are these venues available when needed?
Are these venues big enough?
Are these venues available at reasonable rates?
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Depending upon the need and nature of
business meetings, the following accommodation has been used
within the last 18 months:
- New All Saints Church Hall
- whole room to accommodate reception
area and theatre style meeting for 70 people
- whole room subdivided into 4 separate
discussion rooms and reception area
- half section of whole room
- Quite expensive costs but depends
entirely on space /rooms used
- Plough and Horses Public House to
accommodate business lunches (max seating 55 for speakers; free
use of accommodation if food served)
- Sherlock’s Coffee Shop to
accommodate informal monthly business breakfasts (no
charge)
- Town Hall Council Chamber to
accommodate Business Action Group meetings (no charge)
- High Spirits Café/Bar (no
charge)
- Private home
- There are plans to build a multi
purpose Community Facility that would incorporate a range of
different size rooms and facilities for meetings and
conferences
- There are a few other halls locally
but not really adequate
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Sub section: IT and e-business
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Q 10
Is there a published strategy relating to the
use of information and communication technology (ICT)?
Is the strategy readily available?
Is the strategy easily understood?
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No although there is a crowborough.biz website that
competes with a local businessman’s.
Need to have a strategy
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Starting points for information
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Information you will need
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Answers and notes
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- Chamber of Commerce
- Business Link Operator
- Local surveys
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Q 11
What local training and support is there to help companies
address ICT problems and to develop their ICT capability?
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Basic training is available at BCC and West Kent College.
The Computer Studio has premises in the Town Centre and offers a
service to individuals and businesses. Elysium Ltd in Whitehill
Road provides website and software design support.
Strategy needed
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Q 12
What is/will be the availability of high-speed Internet access
(at 512 kbits/second and at 2Mbit/ second) :
In 12 months’ time
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BT will not supply either consumer or
business related statistics on a local /detailed level –
commercial sensitivity issue
BT/ADSL are the main/only providers and
are ‘reliable’ but the current maximum link is
2MB
No statistical breakdown available but
2MB would benefit 80% of larger businesses as that provides
firewall/back up facilities for files; 0.5MB tends to satisfy
residential and small – medium sized businesses and ISDN
would bring some benefits but 0.5MB would offer wider range of
ISPs with some back up services but without firewall but not seen
as a major issue
Current broadband take up in East
Sussex is calculated (but not guaranteed) at 19.2% with 3.2%
increase over the last 4 month period with an increasing trend of
0.8% per month which could increase to a 5%/10% increase for time
to time
Sky have been considering introducing
‘broadband’ but are still thinking about it!
Data (detailed) has been requested by
ESCC for East Sussex – and Towns – and all 65
exchanges; even asked for alternative indicators using red (under
performance 5%/8%); amber ( between 8% - 50%); green + 51% and BT
Wholesale are considering that suggestion
Broadband East Sussex website
(http://www.accesseastsussex.org/broadband)
(Sarah Walton, Broadband Communications
07795 237345 – sarah.walton@eastsussex.gov.uk
) will provide any additional local information as and when it is
available
ESCC website Broadband Map shows 65
areas in the county, is not to scale but provides a visual
representation of exchanges
SEEDA specialist staff are very aware
of the constraints dictated by BT as far as grant applications /
Healthchecks are concerned
Crowborough is served by 2
exchanges
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- Chamber of Commerce
- Business Link Operator or by
- Local surveys
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Q 13
- What proportion of all businesses use broadband?
- What local businesses are considering using broadband in the
near future?
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An analysis of data extracted from the
2002 Business Opinion Survey responses showed that of the 77
companies that commented about the importance of Broadband access
to their business:
13% (17) said it was ‘very
important’
24% (19) said it was ‘reasonably
important’
30% (23) said it was ‘not
important at all’
23% (18) said they ‘did not
know’
(92 out of circa 400 businesses with
premises in Crowborough returned the Survey)
Information and more promotion needed
and it must not be forgotten that there must be a need for
broadband amongst residents – needs to be a joint thrust on
both fronts to encourage greater use/
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Starting points for information
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Information you will need
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Answers and notes
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- Chamber of Commerce
- Business Link Operator
- Local surveys
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Q 14
What do local businesses see as the key benefits of using
broadband?
Examples could be: speed, convenience, cost savings, access
to wider markets, increased customer contact, faster response,
access to wider resources, business innovation.
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Need for up to date survey and promotion
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- Chamber of Commerce
- Business Link Operator
- Local surveys
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Q 15
Why do some local businesses not use broadband?
Reasons may include
- Difficulty with availability
- Financial cost
- Too time consuming
- No business advantage
- No ICT support available
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Need to find out and overcome objections – perhaps
work out a deal with a provider
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- Chamber of Commerce
- Business Link Operator
- Local surveys
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Q 16
How many local businesses
- Use e-mail?
- Have a website?
- Make purchases or sales over the Internet?
- Gain access to key business resources over the Internet?
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- do not know but essential to know
- Info recorded on database for TN6 postcode
- Do not know for businesses or residents
- Do not know but www.wealdenbusinesshelp address and
details (plus others local support agencies) provided to circa
400 local businesses (2003)
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Starting points for information
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Information you will need
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Answers and notes
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- Chamber of Commerce
- Business Link Operator
- local survey.
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Q 17
How many local businesses collaborate over the Internet with
partner firms?
Look here at cluster or supply chain relationships
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Unknown but chain/cluster details are available from
database analyses
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Q 18
Which public sector offices and sites currently have broadband
communication facilities for external access?
What proportion is this of all public sector office
locations?
(Worksheets S2 Q5; S4; S5 Q10; S7 Q6; T2 Q11,12; T3 Q16 also
refer to local government services)
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Information pending – expected w/c 4.04.05 for
Crowborough and hinterland (e.g. north of Uckfield) –
Libraries discussed (plans for mobile libraries, help points and
any timescales)
Martin Townshend 01273 481234 (switchboard)
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