Minutes
of the Risborough Area Business Group Monthly Meeting
Held
at
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Attendees |
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President L.Adlam
:L.Adlam Architects |
M.Thomas :Coppins
B&B |
J.Catlett:
Whiteleaf Printers |
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Chairman G.Wiles :IFC |
J.Thomas :Coppins
B&B |
M.Pitcher:
P.M.M. Ltd |
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Hon Sec P.Pitcher
:P.A.M. |
P.Jeffries: Spruced Up |
B.Aldridge:
Alternative Tools |
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Treasurer
B.Bendyshe-Brown: B3CSL |
J.Hughes :Corporate
Comms |
A.Brown: SoftTech 2000 |
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H.Brown :Pickles
Delicatessen |
N. Beill : Treats II |
M.Shuttle: David
Shuttle |
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B.Clark: Birtchnells |
B.Clark: |
D.Kent:
Special Days |
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A.Smith :J Smith &
Sons |
N.Brooks: FSB |
C.Williams
:Business Link |
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Item |
Topic |
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1 |
Chairman’s Welcome The
Chairman opened the meeting by welcoming everyone, including our guests David
Passfield & Peter Sheridan from Peninsula Business Services, and several
new retailers interested in the
‘Risborough Rewards’ initiative.
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2 |
Apologies for Absence
received from:
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3 |
Minutes of the meeting
held on The
Minutes were agreed as a true record. |
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4 |
Matters arising from
Minutes not already covered by the Agenda Progress
on current issues of interest to RABG: ·
Car parking: no
progress as far as aware. Town Centre
Forum is picking up the issues of parking in the High Street and improvements
to the weekly market. ·
Neighbourhood
Action Group: meeting arranged for Monday 18th September. Adrian Redfern (Baptist minister) will
chair the meetings ·
CCTV: meeting
arranged week starting 18th with WDC. Funding of the £16K per year needed to run
the system is still an issue. The
camera positions have been agreed with the police. More cameras will be introduced as funding
allows in the future. ·
CrossTalk: issued
last week. Contains updates on Park
Mill Farm development, A4010 debate, Wades Park issue, Memorial Garden &
Burial Ground and many other local concerns ·
Planning: no report
back as yet from Richard Grant of WDC.
RABG would like to help draft the Village Statement. PRTC will be ultimately responsible for it. ·
2035 Study: steering
group of representatives from WDC, BCC, RACA & PRTC is meeting on 21st
September. . Although RABG would like to be included,
they are not invited. |
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5 |
Risborough Rewards Mike Pitcher Mike
gave a short update on progress made to-date.
Most people at the RABG meeting were aware of the RR initiative which
was very encouraging. All
shoppers will fill in a form with demographic information and details of
shopping habits etc. In return they
receive a numbered shopper’s card with the new RR logo that was designed by
Heather Brown’s son Edward (an example was passed round). Traders/Retailers decide on the discount or
special offers they will make available to Risborough ‘Shoppers’. It
is estimated that the scheme will cost about £8K to launch which includes the
cost of cards, printing forms, leaflets, logos etc and developing the
database and website to store the information. Hopefully four or five sponsors can be
found to help finance it or one significant sponsor. The
resulting database will be used to generate targeted emails advertising
events, special promotions etc.
Participating retailers will be charged a nominal amount for this
service, other businesses etc will be charged more. The database will not be sold to any third
party but will remain the property of RABG until a legal entity is set up to
manage Risborough Rewards. It
was suggested that RR takes a table at the B2B fair in October and gives a
short presentation at RACA’s AGM to raise awareness. |
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6 |
Presentation on
Changes in Employment Law David Passfield, Peter
Sheridan : Peninsular Business Services David
gave a very interesting, if scary, overview of the issues facing employers
these days. The help that used to be
given to small businesses has gone and all employers need to understand the
statutory rights of employees and the penalties they may face if correct
procedures are not observed. This is a
quick list of issues that was rapidly covered so please consult with the
presenters if you feel we have misunderstood any of the points covered. Guidelines for
Employers: ·
issue a contract of employment with full job
description within 8 weeks of employee starting ·
give the minimum statutory 4 weeks holiday
that currently can include bank holidays.
Under new legislation next year, bank holidays will be in addition to
the minimum 4 weeks ·
consult fully with the employee before making
any changes to a contract ·
update all contracts regularly to reflect
changes in the law Disability law: ·
now applies to all age groups including under
15 years Family related
legislation, employers must: ·
give paid time-off for antenatal appointments ·
allow up to 26 weeks maternity leave with full
benefits and statutory maternity pay (SMP) if eligible, and keep the job open
for a return to work. ·
after 6 months consider flexible working hours
for women with young families if requested ·
allow time off for urgent family matters,
although it can be unpaid Discrimination: covers sex,
race, disability, religion, age & sexual orientation Age discrimination: changes in
law take effect 1st October. ·
it will be unlawful to dismiss someone just on
age, the employer must prove the person is no longer capable of working
properly. ·
it will be unlawful to discriminate against a
person on age alone, be they self-employed, job applicant, contract worker,
office worker or on fixed term contract. ·
staff must be given the option of working
beyond retirement age otherwise it could be considered Unfair Dismissal. You may need a good business reason to
terminate employment at the usual retirement age. ·
job advertisements must not discriminate on
age unless an essential requirement of the job, e.g. having a driving
licence. Minimum Wage: new rates
apply as from 1st October ·
Adult rate (age 22 and over): £5.35 ·
Development rate (18 - 22): £4.45 ·
School leavers (16 - 18): £3.30 ·
If all staff are on minimum rates, no-one can
claim discrimination on the grounds of age. Health & Safety Businesses
with 5 or more employees must have written rules and: ·
carry out a H&S risk assessment ·
ensure visitors are aware of these rules ·
ensure employees record any injury incurred
during business hours ·
ensure all contractors understand and comply
with their H&S Peninsula
offers services to businesses on employment and health & safety issues,
and keeps them up-to-date with changes in legislation. They assist at tribunals if
necessary. Most of the support is by
phone but they will visit if required.
They provide an indemnity cover however to claim, you MUST have
adhered to their exact advice, which may be problematic with your own
specific business requirements which could suggest alternative solutions are
more appropriate in certain circumstances. If
any RABG member is interested in Their
web site is at www.peninsula-uk.com
for details of seminars and areas of expertise. |
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7 |
Business 2 Business
Event 18th October Heather Brown This
event will start at 12.30 on 18th October in the Community Centre
and will be followed in the evening by RACA’s AGM. Hypnos, with thanks to Peter Keen, is
covering the approximate £30 cost of the hall for the afternoon, so there is
no charge to book a spot to advertise your business. Tables and chairs will be provided although
exhibitors may bring their own stands if wanted. Businesses interested in exhibiting are asked to contact Heather
as soon as possible on hbpicklesdeli@aol.com or ring 07908 472538. |
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8 |
Fire Regulations from
1st October Graham Wiles,
International Fire Consultants Ltd (IFC Group) New
legislation comes into effect on 1st October which brings over 70
pieces of fire legislation into one consolidated act. Fire certificates will
no longer be appropriate and fire prevention and safety will become the
responsibility of the “responsible” person eg. Owners, tenants etc. All businesses with five or more employees
or those with visitors, such as shops will be required to document their fire
risk assessment. All businesses must
appoint a “responsible” person who in turn should identify a “competent”
person to prepare a risk assessment to: ·
identify fire hazards & areas where a fire
could start ·
identify people at risk and who could be
affected ·
identify all escape routes ·
identify all Fire Separating Elements (FSE)
i.e. walls and/or ceilings that are escape routes ·
check that all escape routes are clear of
impediments ·
check that all openings in the FSE are
sound. These include doors, windows,
penetrations for services such as cables and pipes, ductwork, emergency
lighting, signage ·
check for and seal with appropriate materials
any gaps around walls, ceilings or other partitions through which smoke and
flames could pass ·
check that the basic structure of the building
is sound and that any steel frame work which has added fire protection has
not had that protection damaged or otherwise compromised in any way ·
check that any fire curtains or other
emergency barriers are in good operating condition ·
check any roof space or other hidden areas and
ensure that FSE continue up to roof level and that any fire barriers within
such spaces are continuous and in sound condition ·
check any services within such areas are
properly sealed where they pass through an FSE ·
ensure that any maintenance of these elements
that is found to be required and any other work on the building in future is
undertaken by suitably qualified people working with fire rated materials. ·
check all smoke detectors and sprinklers work ·
check all business appliances over 12 months
old are ‘PAT’ tested by an approved electrician Enforcement
and closure notices may be issued and the “responsible” and “competent”
persons may be liable to prosecution (fines and imprisonment now possible),
should a fire inspector turn up and deem the fire risk assessment report
inadequate, or in the event of a fire, negligence etc. is proven. There is also the risk that insurance
companies will put up premiums if no proper risk assessment has been done. It
is important that all businesses understand the new regulations and prepare
their assessment. For
more information please contact International Fire Consultants Ltd in Princes
Risborough 01844 275500 or ifc@intfire.com
or log onto DCLG web site at www.communities.gov.uk |
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9 |
RACA Action Group
Reports: Economic. ·
Meeting next Thursday, including an update on
the railway. Tony Maisey is the new
chairman Community
& Housing ·
Youth strategy is nearly ready ·
Funding is needed for some of the youth
projects Transport. ·
Cycling leaflet has been produced ·
Looking into parking problems ·
Review of speed limits is being undertaken Environment. The
visitor project to increase footfall in Risborough is going well: ·
Brush Hill leaflet project is nearly complete ·
Walks leaflet and Heritage trail are being
updated ·
A promise of matched funding has been obtained
from SEEDA ·
A study has been carried out to investigate
the need for a hotel in the Risborough area |
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10 |
Any Other Business 1.
High Street
study:
PRTC has commissioned a study to recommend ways of improving traffic flow
through the town centre. A promise has
been given by Alan Turner (PRTC) that the consultants would get the views of
RABG and High Street organisations including retailers before reporting. However it appears that PRTC has already
decided that a 1-way system is the answer as the terms of reference were
almost, “which is the most appropriate one way solution..”! 2.
RACA
Visitor Boards: WDC and PRTC put up £5½ K to fund two visitor boards to
promote tourism in Risborough. They
will contain maps of cycle paths, trails, other routes and the town centre,
plus information on restaurants and available accommodation. The boards have been made but there is no
money left for the proposed design and content. RACA needs a further £550 for
completion. According to John Hughes,
the project was not managed properly, resulting in the manufacture of the
boards taking the entire budget. He
said WDC was not willing to put up any more money, and the conditions of the
grant prohibit selling advertising on the boards. RABG was therefore asked for a donation of
£550. After discussion, it was agreed
to give £200. No more could be
justified as RABG had no involvement in this project. Bill Bendysche-Brown promised to make
enquiries at WDC to see whether their contribution could after all be
increased. 3.
Parking
Problems: Derek Kent complained that the PCSO was being unreasonable
and had given a ticket for exceeding the waiting time allowed by 1 minute
when loading. Yet others park all day
long in the High Street without any penalty.
Several retailers agreed that if Risborough became a special parking
area and loading times were restricted, business would suffer and that they
felt so strongly on this subject and would rather close down than battle
on. The Chairman promised to refer
these issues to Nigel Faux of Risborough Police and Bill BB agreed to lobby
WDC to try and influence the BCC SPA regs although they have little influence.
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11 |
Date of Next Meeting The next meeting is the AGM on
Tuesday 10th October.
After the AGM there will be a presentation by the students who entered
the RACA logo competition. The winning
group will receive their prize. At
approx 8.40 pm the normal monthly meeting will start and include RACA
feedback & AOB The
meeting closed at 21:20 pm, and was followed by drinks and refreshments
provided by Heather Brown |
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Hon.Sec Pam Pitcher |
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