Penzance Chamber of Commerce

Whither Objective One?

Objective One has been acclaimed as a shot in the arm for business, an opportunity for economic expansion. Here was to be a payback from the EU, a clear way for local business to benefit from the billions poured into Europe.. The reality has been somewhat different.

Many firms in our part of the world have looked into the process of garnering a share of the fund, only to find that the requirements are too restrictive or the process itself too daunting. Few small local firms have the resources to prepare the kinds of detailed plans and submissions required or to deal with the monolithic bureaucracy of Objective One. So it is that many have simply thrown in the towel and accepted that no cash is coming their way. If they benefit at all, they will do so indirectly.

Ironically, one of the biggest beneficiaries of Objective One has been BT. Money intended to assist small business has found its way into the coffers of a multinational behemoth, subsidising modernisation work that a forward-looking virtual monopoly ought to have carried out years ago. Broadband may be a major benefit to business. Yet this top-down use of the money doesn't address the first issue - stimulating sufficient local economic activity to justify the investment. If you doubt this, answer this question: would BT have carried out the broadband modernisation of Cornish exchanges without subsidy had there already been sufficient business activity to ensure immediate returns? If you promote grass-roots business, the services and infrastructure developers will surely follow.

This is just one example of the ways grant operations such as Objective One go awry. It is easier and more prestigious for the highly-paid administrators of such schemes to support large-scale projects. They look far better in a glossy report than mention of a few thousand pounds to a guest house to upgrade its kitchens or additional funds for a local services company to keep highly trained staff within the county.

The looming enlargement of the EU will change the dynamic for Brussels' largesse. We may be a deprived area of the UK but compared with parts of Eastern Europe we are positively affluent. We may have to fight for any future assistance. In the meantime, we should fight tooth and nail for better distribution, administration and use of those funds already allocated to Cornwall.

Of course, your experience of Objective one might be different - why not come to our next Chamber meeting and let us know?

Discriminate at your Peril

Although we are sure that no Chamber member would wilfully discriminate on any grounds, the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act carry an array of measures of which service businesses and retailers in the district should be aware. Failing to do so could lead to consequences both under the act itself and indirectly under health and safety legislation.

For example, did you know that under the act you must: -

Not treat anyone less favourably for a reason related to their disability

Already have in place (since 1999) reasonable adjustments in your operations such as providing extra help for those with disabilities to make use of your services

By 2004, make reasonable adjustments to physical features (including steps, doorways, toilet facilities, lighting etc) so that nobody can be restricted in their use of the facilities by virtue of their disability.

Nothing is ever so simple! The requirements of the latter part of this may be clear but care must be taken that revisions are put in place in such a way that they do not compromise general health and safety. One can imagine the consequences of thoughtless placement of a handrail, for example.

Mike Waters, Chamber Chairman and Managing Director of Safety UK, distributed some guidance notes at the April Chamber meeting, prepared in consultation with the disability rights commission, on the subject of the act and its relevance to businesses in the area. Additional copies are available from Safety UK on 01736-361007.

Housing Needs Surveyed

Penwith District Council is undertaking its second housing needs survey with a view to establishing the status of affordable housing in part of the district. According to a district council release, the idea is to encourage anyone who is now (or in the future) facing difficulties buying, renting or adapting a home in their local area to register their particular needs and what they can afford. Penwith Council will then use this information to plan and implement housing schemes that best support the needs of local people.

A questionnaire will be sent to every household in the Perranuthnoe Parish in the fourth week of April and it is hoped that completed forms will be returned by the end of May. It's an opportunity for residents to have an input into planning for future housing needs in the district.

From a business standpoint, ready availability of affordable housing is essential if we are to retain good, trained staff in the area. The paradoxical position of relatively low pay in our part of the world with housing costs inflated by pressure from affluent incomers and second home owners means that many of the best people find it impossible to remain in the area. The Chamber welcomes this move to redress the balance.

New Members

The Chamber welcomes as a new member:

Mrs Orange Trevillion of the Mount Haven Hotel, Marazion, Penzance TR19 0DQ,
Tel: 710249, Fax: 711658
Email: reception@mounthaven.co.uk
Web: www.mounthaven.co.uk

Meeting on the Move!

From May, the Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting will take place at a new location. The meeting on Tuesday 6th of that month will take place at the Pirates' rugby ground, Westholme, Alexandra Road from 7.30 pm.

The Chamber wished to thank the Queens Hotel for its longstanding hospitality, but felt the time had come for a change. Concern had been expressed over the continued regular availability of a suitable room at a busy hotel and also over car parking.

In celebration of their success and their continuing close association with business in the district, it is fitting that the Chamber is to meet at the home of the Pirates. We all hope that many more members will join the meetings at the new venue and that some of the club's success will rub off on us!

As ever, all Chamber members and guests are welcome.

Got Something to Say?

The Chamber is always looking for ways to add value to its regular monthly meetings. To that end, we're appealing for guest speakers to present to the chamber.

Do you, or someone you know, have some special area of expertise or experience likely to be of interest to the assembled business community? Perhaps you can explain some arcane regulations or demonstrate how to make the most of new opportunities? Perhaps you just have some historical perspective to convey relevant to the commercial life of the area? Possibly you would like to opportunity to present a new business service or product?

If you would like fifteen minutes in front of a lively meeting of business people, get in touch through the Secretary, Yvonne Neale on 01736-719222 or the Press Officer, Mark Curtis on 01736-731277.

Pirates Build on Business Partnership

It is perhaps fitting that the Penzance Chamber of Commerce is to relocate its monthly meeting to the Penzance and Newlyn Rugby Club just as the most successful season in the history of the club draws to a close. So much of The Pirates' current success has been built on its ever stronger links with the business community of the district.

The commercialisation of Rugby Union has been a remarkable transformation. Time was, not so many years ago, that the amateur status was so jealously guarded that making money as a player in any way - even obliquely, such as writing a book about the game - was likely to attract a lifetime ban. Playing another code was equally frowned upon even as an amateur, the rule couched in terms that carefully avoided acknowledging the existence of any other kind of rugby.

Today, all that has changed. The Pirates boast a mix of professional and semi-professional players. Switching codes has become commonplace. The implication for a successful club is that the cost of being competitive has risen exponentially. Notwithstanding the generosity of Pirates president Richard Evans, on whose largesse much of the current success has been built, in order to compete at these ever higher levels, the club must generate revenue and run as a successful business. As such its product is its name and its customers the local business community with products and services to promote.

Des Hosken is The Pirates' marketing manager and the man charged with fostering those important links between the club and local commerce. Des, who played for the club in the 1960s, describes himself as "mostly retired" after a forty year career in local government, the latter half with Penwith District Council. Retirement is perhaps a relative term since his activities on behalf of The Pirates and the Rotary Club keep him pretty busy.

Among the opportunities to participate with The Pirates which Des is able to offer are the ground perimeter advertising boards. This is one of the most immediately visible commercial presences at the ground and reaches both local and visiting fans in equal measure. It is a testament to the club's commercial popularity and to Des' success that there is barely an unoccupied yard on either touchline or either dead ball line.

The print advertising opportunity afforded by the match programme is another season-long commitment and the chance to reach many of the 2,000 or so supporters attending each home game. The advertising pages are printed at the start of the season with the match details added for each home game.

When most people think of the relationship between sport and business, they think of sponsorship and here too The Pirates offer opportunities for promotion. Each first team position is sponsored for the season and sponsors are granted a complimentary season ticket as well as their name in the programme. Needless to say, much of the post-match analysis between sponsors centres on which of "their" players made the outstanding contribution to the play!

For corporate entertaining, many businesses take advantage of the opportunity for match sponsorship. Up to two sponsors per match can bring along 30 guests and enjoy a buffet in one of the bars and the chance to meet the players, as well as enjoying poster and announcement publicity and two complimentary season tickets.

Des' wife Birte runs another of The Pirates' successful commercial ventures, the club shop. Currently this operates from boxes in a room at the club offices during the week and a shed in the grounds on home match days. Soon. Des advises, it will get its own purpose-built sales space. The shop provides replica shirts and other merchandise to local supporters and - via mail and the world wide web - to expatriate Penwithians who wish to declare their sporting allegiance in far flung parts of the world.

Des reports that despite this season's achievements and the illustrious visitors who look set to be entertained at Westholme in the next, no decision has yet been made on changes to advertising and sponsorship rates. He does intimate, however, that he is of a mind to see the next season as an opportunity to consolidate the club's commercial relationships rather than merely capitalise on The Pirates' new status.

In pure commercial terms, it makes strong business sense to be associated with high achievement. Just as the Chamber is delighted that its next meeting will be at Westholme so it is that local firms are sure to want to strengthen their ties with the district's most accomplished sporting representatives, The Pirates.

The Club are at Westholme, Alexandra Road, Penzance, phone 01736-335315, FAX 01736-335319, Email chiefexec@pirates-rfc.co.uk, Website www.pirates-rfc.co.uk

April Meeting Report

The April meeting of the chamber saw a slightly smaller than usual turnout and a race through the business of the day. It was finished in a little over an hour which might be a record - although please don't write in if you find an even shorter record in the minutes.

First up the meeting heard an intriguing address from Rik Evans of Cornwall Local Radio. His firm is to pitch for the second commercial radio licence in the county and he's in the process of collating feedback from business communities about what they would like to see from a new broadcaster. CLR pitched for the licence now held by Pirate FM and was beaten "by a whisker". Whether Rik was able to make anything of the eclectic tastes in listening expressed by members is to be seen but the meeting agreed to hear from Rik again when their proposals and ideas for programming take clearer shape.

It appears that Penzance's status and position is in doubt since when a meeting of market and coastal towns was called, our town was initially omitted from the list. However this has been remedied and the chairman was hoping to attend.

The meeting noted that the markets were now being held on Saturdays and Sundays but expressed mild dismay that ambitious private sector plans for the jubilee pool had been shelved in favour of continued direct council control.

On a more positive note, news of the involvement of Sutton Harbours Group in the regeneration of the harbour was given a cautious welcome. The work this group has undertaken in Plymouth was noted, but much remains to be decided on the future of Penzance's waterfront.

It was agreed to furnish Penwith District Council Chief Executive Jim McKenna with a copy of the minutes of each month's meeting.

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, May 6th at 7.30pm at the Pirates Rugby Club, Alexandra Road, Penzance.

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PENZANCE - THE PLACE TO BE

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