Penzance Chamber of Commerce

This is a new relief available from 1 April 2005. The Small Business Rate Relief scheme will be funded by a supplement on the rate bill of those businesses not eligible for the relief. This supplement is built into the multiplier. Businesses that have a rateable value of £10,000 or over but less than £15,000 may be eligible to pay the multiplier without the supplement included. You need to register with Penwith District Council.

Generally, you pay no business rates for the first three months that the property is empty and, after that, an empty property rate of 50% of the normal bill. But on industrial buildings, listed buildings and small properties with rateable values of less than £1,900, there are no rates to pay even after the first three months.

You are entitled to a 50% reduction in the rates bill – or more if your local authority feels you need it – if you are:: – the only village general store or post office, as long as it has a rateable value of less than £6000; – a food shop with a rateable value of less than £6,000; – the only village pub or the only petrol station (rateable value of less than £9,000)

If you are a business in a qualifying rural village with a rateable value of less than £12,000 PDC may decide to give you 100% relief if your business is of benefit to the local community.

New, non-agricultural business on agricultural land or buildings

This applies to business premises with rateable values of less than £6,000, whether they are run by the farmer or not. It offers a possible 50% reduction for up to five years and further relief if PDC believes you need it.

Part of your property is not being used and is completely unoccupied for a short time

PDC may consider giving you relief, if they decide you are entitled to it, and reduce your payment if part of your property is clearly beyond use for a period of time.

You are suffering severe hardship and cannot pay your bill

PDC may give you up to 100% relief – the decision is up to them. They would normally only do this in extreme cases of hardship and for businesses that are particularly important to the local community. It takes account of the fact that local council tax payers will be paying part of the cost of the relief.

Sole traders exempt from liability insurance

From early 2005, companies that employ only their owner will be exempt from purchasing employers’ liability compulsory insurance. The decision, announced by Minister for Work Jane Kennedy, follows a wide-ranging consultation on whether or not to remove the requirement. She said the move could benefit “hundreds of thousands of limited companies where the owner is the sole employee”.

The Government estimates that there are around 300,000 such companies across the country. The increasing cost of employers’ liability insurance premiums – some have risen by 50% in 2002 and a further 20% in 2003 – have threatened small firms with closure. “Removing this requirement will help many small businesses whose owners have told us they cannot afford to buy this compulsory insurance. We have given everyone the chance to have their say in the matter and listened to their views,” commented Kennedy.

Xmas Lights

The town’s lights have now been switched on, despite confusion reigning with different sections of the town being lit on different nights. The organisers – not the Chamber – placed barriers at the top of Chapel Street which, according to traders in the street which stayed open especially, dissuaded people from walking down the street. It is hoped that next year the organisers can coordinate things a little better. Hopefully there will also be some additional lights in Market Jew Street .

Causewayhead Traders should be heartily congratulated for their hard work, they have produced a stunning display yet again. A small core of people in the street work all year to produce the display entirely independently of the rest of the town. The Chamber voted to make a donation to them in recognition of their work.

A similar donation was agreed on to the Wharfside Centre, yet again John Bastow and his team have excelled themselves and have really entered into the spirit of the festive season, producing a really good display that enhances the shopping experience at this time of year.

Finally, and by no means least, Hazel Trembath rounded up a year of almost independent fund raising, which saw her amass over £700, by buying 3 new light displays that have been erected in Alverton Street . The girl deserves a medal let alone praise.

Father Christmas

Father Christmas will be walking through Penzance Town Centre on Thursday 23rd December from 10.00 am to 1 pm, weather permitting as he has to consider the reindeer’s parking requirements and welfare! He will, with a little help from his assistant, be giving out little gifts to children. If you spot him don’t be afraid to speak to him and let him know what you would like for Xmas, it may be too close to the actual day but he will do his best as always to bring a smile to the faces of those who have been good all year.

Congratulations

The recent Safety Training Week held at Safety UK Ltd saw several local firms recognise their legal and moral obligations to provide training for their staff, it was most noticeable that those attending were from small local firms and that none of the large national retailers sent any staff for training.

Congratulations are due to the Wharfside Centre and Alfred Smith & Sons who provided Manual Handling training to their staff and Paws and Claws who provided Fire training and Dealing with Violence and Aggression training for their staff.

All of these courses should be regarded as mandatory for all workers in the retail sector, as well as for those employees that deal with members of the public as part of their job. Failure to provide suitable and sufficient training to employees is a criminal offence and also places untrained staff at serious risk of accident and injury. With accidents costing employers an average of £500 per employee per annum it makes sound business sense to train staff as well as ensuring compliance with legal and moral obligations.

It should be noted that claims for compensation resulting from injuries sustained by staff who have not been provided with health and safety training can result in insurers invalidating claims against Employer’s Liability Insurance as the loss could have been preventable, as a result the employer is left to settle the claim from their own resources –with settlements for back injuries reaching £500,000 or more the risks to the businesses who do not provide training are significant.

The training week will be repeated at the end of January, please contact Safety UK Ltd on 01736-361007 for further details.

Retailers employing young people

You should be aware that there are specific rules which apply if you employ children under the school leaving age.

Under the terms of the Children and Young Persons Acts 1933 and 1963, the Children and Young Persons ( Scotland) Act 1937 and the Children (Protection at Work) Regulations 1998 local authorities are authorised to make employment of children byelaws. These set out the age at which children can be employed, the number of hours in the day that they can work and the type of work that they can do. They cannot work during school hours.

Although byelaws vary slightly around the country they usually specify the type of work that children cannot do, as well as listing the type of work that is permitted. Generally from the age of 13 they can do light work of the following type:

agricultural work
newspaper/magazine delivery and payment collection
shop work
work in hairdressing salons
office work
café or restaurant work
work in riding stables
domestic work in hotels and guest houses etc

Children who want to work in their spare time must be registered with the local authority and must apply to the local education authority for a work permit. You complete the application form, which is then signed by the child’s parent or guardian and submitted. If there is no valid work permit, the child may not be covered by your insurance if there is an accident at work.

If you run a business such as a newsagents or a convenience store you might offer a home news delivery service to your customers - this is often done by schoolchildren before and after school. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires you to look after the health and safety of all your employees, including casual and part time workers. This is particularly important where children are concerned because they are not experienced enough to be aware of any potential dangers. To minimise the possibility of accidents, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require you to carry out a risk assessment before you take on a new news deliverer. You must report the findings of the assessment to the child’s parents.

There are some things that children and young people are not allowed to sell. These include:

alcoholic drink - staff must be 18 years or more
lottery tickets/Instants - no one under 16 can sell these
petrol - it may be a licensing condition that no one under 16 can dispense petrol or operate a petrol dispensing system

Annual General Meeting

The AGM will be held on Tuesday 1st February 2005 and will be followed by a buffet and social evening.

Nominations for officers of the Chamber would be appreciated in advance of the meeting although they will also be accepted on the night. Mike Waters will be standing for re-election to his fifth successive term of office as Chairman of the Penzance Chamber of Commerce.

It is important that all members attend. Non-members are welcome but will not have voting rights, they will however get to see how the Chamber operates and join in what should be a pleasant social occasion.

Join the Chamber

The Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of local business with the County, District and Town Councils, Government agencies and public bodies. It actively campaigns on issues affecting the business community as well as issues affecting the community as a whole. This requires finances and direct involvement by committed people, and deserves the support of every business in the region.

Our Chairman is coordinator of the West Cornwall Group of Chambers and the Cornwall Business Partnership. He is a member of the Priority Management Group 3, which approves Objective One funding in the area of Learning and Skills development He is also a member of the Penzance Regeneration Steering Group that has worked on the submission of an Objective One bid to greatly enhance the prosperity of the town and its inhabitants. Other members represent the Chamber on such bodies as the Police Consultative Committee and Tourism Committee.

All businesses have problems from time to time, and it has been proved that representation from a Chamber Officer on behalf of the member concerned can greatly enhance the prospect of a satisfactory conclusion. With major issues, such as the Penzance Regeneration Project, West Cornwall Hospital, Objective One and so on needing input from the business community there has never been a better reason for all businesses to become Chamber members - the greater our membership, the bigger our voice. JOIN NOW!

We invite membership applications from individuals and businesses large or small. For further information, visit the Membership Enquiry or Membership Application pages on this site.

Forthcoming Meetings

The next monthly Chamber Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 4th at 7.30pm at the Pirates Rugby Club, Alexandra Road, Penzance. Howard Curnow has been invited as a guest speaker to discuss St Piran’s Day and the possibility of organising events to celebrate the County’s Patron Saint.

All members and non-members are urged to attend. Let’s make 2005 the year that all businesses in the district actually start working together for the benefit of everyone.

The Voice of Business in West Cornwall

Chamber Monthly News - December 2004

Small business rate relief