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July– September 2017 Quarter 2

Welcome

This report brings together key business, economic and labour market intelligence to provide a regular insight into the current state of the Norfolk economy. Data is correct to 30th September 2017.

0.3% 0.25% Interest Rates

(Current rate Sept

2017)

2.7% Consumer Price

Index

(annual % change

Aug 2017)

5.1% UK House Prices

(annual % change

to July 2017)

National Gross

Domestic Product

(QoQ% change Apr-

Jun 2017)

Quick Links

Source: ONS, Bank of England.

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Norfolk Economic

Snapshot

Infrastructure Business Skills Funding

Science in the City

Norfolk County Council enhances an

inward investment opportunity

Hundreds of the world’s top researchers

and academics came to Norwich at the end

of August for the biannual Genome 10K

conference and the annual Genome

Science meeting. This was a prestigious

event in the international genomics

calendar and the first time the joint

conference has been held in the UK -

hosted by the Earlham Institute on the

Norwich Research Park (NRP). 380

delegates attended, from 44 different

nationalities. Most came from the USA, but

there were delegates from as far afield as

Australia.

Norfolk County Council, along with the rest

of the Greater Norwich Partnership and the

NRP worked with event organisers to

showcase research capabilities, the

substantial knowledge base and the many

assets and investment opportunities that

Norwich has to offer.

Our team provided

networking facilities

throughout the

conference using

specialist software to ensure all participants

had opportunity to make new contacts and

network effectively.

In particular, the Greater Norwich partners

hosted a reception at Norwich Castle,

providing delegates with a VIP tour of the

Nelson exhibition; and separately, a dinner at

the Halls, which included a talk by Peter

Wilson, MBE and former CEO for Norwich

Theatre Royal. We’ll monitor post event

feedback and outcomes. But delegates have

already commented on this ‘unique welcome’,

which provided a

sense of the wider

location, its assets,

context and

liveability…

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Employment

Source: NOMIS.

Norfolk Economic Snapshot

Source: NOMIS.

The labour market in Norfolk has maintained its healthy state, building upon its previous strong performance.

At 76.9%, the County has performed 0.6% higher than same time last year. Norfolk has surpassed national level (74.2%) and slightly below regional level (77.2%).

Year on year comparison shows employment rates in many districts have improved, such as Breckland, South Norfolk and Norwich.

At 4%, Norfolk’s unemployment level continues to remain below the national average (4.7%), but slightly above the regional level (3.8%).

The rate of claimants for the Job Seekers Allowance and national insurance credits (1.4%) is lower than the national level (1.9%) and marginally above regional level (1.3%).

Average Weekly Earning

Data Source: NOMIS

The average gross weekly earnings in

Norfolk is consistently lower than both

the regional and national average.

The average gross weekly earning in

Norfolk has risen by 4.6% between

2012 and 2016, lower than the

regional and national growth of

around 6%.

While Norfolk has a high employment level, we are still trailing Great Britain when it comes to pay.

This is mainly due to the County having a higher proportion of lower skilled jobs.

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Business

Business team email: info@locatenorfolk.com

Local Flavours 2017

The Norfolk County Council sponsored Local

Flavours event brought 120 food producers

to the Norfolk Showground, alongside 1,300

food buyers. Many made 10 minute pitches

to senior procurement managers from

supermarkets including Morrisons and

Tescos . Since it started in 2012 the event

has led to deals worth thousands of pounds

to the local economy. Matt from

Swannington Farm to Fork achieved 20 new

clients here in the last 3 years. Hillfarm Oils

met Tesco here — now one of their biggest

customers of Rapeseed oil. Norwich based

gin distiller St Giles launched in Easter and

received huge interest from potential

customers, as did Catherine Temple, here to

showcase her East Anglian chutneys. Andy

Clegg, senior buying manager for Morrisons

said Customers tell us they want more local

products in the stores they shop in. He’s

met 20 producers during the day, five of

which he’s been particularly impressed with. We can offer advice on logistics, distribution and marketing of their products, he added. Invest East A £1.8 million Inward Investment bid has been submitted to the European Regional Development Fund. Norfolk County Council’s Economic Development Team submitted the bid on behalf of a partnership comprising the New Anglia LEP, Suffolk County Council and the UEA. If successful, the funding will offer a programme of specialised support to businesses considering or pursuing high growth strategies. Support will fall under three broad areas:

investment readiness (helping local businesses prepare investor packages)

investor support programme (encouraging growing businesses to locate within Norfolk and Suffolk)

promotion and profile raising (demonstrating the strength of Norfolk and Suffolk and a locality for growth to the international market place.

Local Businesses Grab Grant Success

There are a wide range of NALEP sponsored grant giving opportunities open to the business

community, and our SMEs are getting better at accessing R&D funding to create new products, and

growth grants to assist them to expand, grow and recruit more staff. Examples include:

Tropic Biosciences — Eastern Agritech Scheme — R&D grant

The NRP based applicant received a £60,000 grant to develop new strains of coffee plants. A full

time researcher and part time technician will use genome editing techniques to develop

commercially beneficial traits in coffee plants — the first new plants within 18 months of the grant

award.

ASAP Supplies Ltd — Growing Business Fund — Growth Grant

This Beccles based company was granted £45,000 towards a £230,000 project to develop a new

website to allow online ordering, creating six jobs in web design and distribution. Website features

included high quality images, zoom in function, improved product search, stock checking and live

chat option. The site went live in early 2015 and by early 2017 sales were up by a quarter.

Aquablast — Small Grant Scheme — Equipment Grant

North Suffolk based Aquablast received £1,600 towards the cost of a seven-ton forklift truck

(double the size of its previous vehicle.) The vehicle will save time and help increase turnover.

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Infrastructure

Infrastructure and Economic Growth Team supports growth and helps remove infrastructure constraints in key areas such as transport, housing and planning.

Infrastructure team email:

transportstrategy@norfolk.gov.uk

Highways England’s A47 Corridor

Improvements Preferred Route

Announcement

In August Highways England announced

their preferred route options for four

schemes in Norfolk and two in

Cambridgeshire. Highways England

announced their preferred routes for the

following schemes in Norfolk:

North Tuddenham to Easton dualling

A47/A11 Thickthorn Junction

improvements

Blofield to North Burlingham dualling

Vauxhall Roundabout and Gapton

Roundabout improvements in Great

Yarmouth

To find out more information about the

preferred routes and consultation reports

please visit: https://

highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/

consultation_finder/?keyword=a47

Highways England will be looking to

undertake statutory consultations on the

proposed routes early next year.

MIPIM UK

The Greater Norwich Growth Board and Norfolk County Council will again be collaborating with Suffolk County Council and New Anglia LEP and attending the MIPIM UK event at Olympia, London, on October 18-19.

MIPIM UK is the UK’s largest property exhibition and conference and is attended by hundreds of international property specialists and investors together with promoters of property development projects, including national and local government.

With a strong portfolio of development opportunities to promote, from across Greater Norwich and Norfolk, we will be joined by private sector partners to help us raise the profile of our world leading expertise in life sciences, food and health research and an innovative ICT and digital sector.

Visitors at the exhibition will be able to meet representatives from the Greater Norwich Growth Board, Norfolk County Council, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

5 Market Towns Network Improvement Strategies

At the NCC Environment, Development and Transport committee on Friday 16

th

September, Councillors agreed to spend £20,000 on Network Improvement Strategies for each of the following market towns during 2017/18. These towns are Dereham, Long Stratton, Thetford, North Walsham and Swaffham. The strategies will be looking at transport impacts of growth in market towns. Furthermore studies for Fakenham, Downham Market and Diss will be starting late 2018.

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Skills

Employment and Skills Team comprises the Apprenticeships Team, the Skills Development Partnership and the ESF Facilitator teams. The focus is on raising skills levels within Norfolk for the benefit of both the individual and the economy.

Employment and Skills team email: skills@norfolk.gov.uk

Local Business Support Service

Are you thinking about taking on an apprentice? Unsure of how the system works? Are you paying the Apprenticeships Levy and need help to understand how best to use it?

Apprenticeships Norfolk offers businesses free impartial help and support for all things Apprenticeships. We aim to keep the process as simple as possible for you and help you to navigate the system quickly and easily.

Understanding the Funding

If your business has a UK gross payroll of more than £3m per year, or you are part of a group of businesses with a combined payroll of more than this amount, you will have been paying the Apprenticeships Levy since April 2017. We can help you to use the money you pay to support your existing staff or new recruits, training from GCSE level to Masters Degree level. If the cost of the training you need exceeds the amount you are paying into the levy, the Government will fund 90% of the cost of the difference.

If your business has less than 50 employees and your apprentice is 16-18 years old, the Government will pay 100% of the cost of training, meaning that you will only be responsible for their wages. This will also apply to some 19-24 year olds. For businesses that do not pay the levy, but also do not fall into the above, you will pay just 10% of the total training costs.

Employers of any size who start a 16-18 year old (and some 19-24 year olds) will be entitled to an incentive payment of £500 at month 3 and £500 at month 12 of the Apprenticeship.

Finding the Best Provider

Because we work across Norfolk, we understand the county’s rurality and transport issues. We work in partnership with major local universities, colleges and training providers, and some national providers to ensure you get the most suitable training programme.

Recruitment Support

Apprenticeships are jobs with recognised training, so recruiting the right person for your role is just as important when recruiting an apprentice as any other employee. Apprenticeships Norfolk can help you design and promote your apprenticeship vacancy to get you noticed.

We have advisers working in most high schools, sixth form colleges and colleges across Norfolk ready and waiting to introduce you to potential candidates for your apprenticeship vacancy. Working with our partners, we can help you to shortlist and arrange open days or informal initial interviews to make sure you get the best apprentice for your business.

Apprenticeships are changing, and the Government is committed to an All Age All Level programme that is employer led.

Call us on 0344 8008024

Email us at: apprenticeships@norfolk.gov.uk or

contact us through our website: www.apprenticeshipsnorfolk.org

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Funding

Economic Programmes Team provides support to the Council and other partners to access external funding, with the aim of increasing funds spent in Norfolk. It has specialist expertise in European funding.

Economic Programmes team email:

eufunding@norfolk.gov.uk

Calling all SMEs and Charities – New EU

Funding Opportunity!

The Interreg France (Channel) England

programme is opening its second ever call

for Micro Projects on the 10 October 2017.

Micro projects are a great opportunity for

smaller organisations and charities to take

part in a small scale cross-border project.

Applicants can apply for an 80% EU funding

contribution to their project under the new

scheme!

Projects must include at least one partner

from each of the UK and France, and should

be submitted in-line with one of the

Programme’s 5 specific objectives (1.1

Innovation, 1.2 Social Innovation 2.1 Low

Carbon Technologies 3.1 Cultural and

Natural Heritage 3.1 Coastal and transitional

water eco-systems)

Interested in finding out more? The Programme’s East of England facilitator Alexander Larter (alexander.larter@norfolk.gov.uk) is on hand to support projects throughout the application process.

£1.8M of funding awarded by Local Action

Groups

The LEADER Programme launched in

November 2015.

Since then Norfolk County Council has

contracted with 46 rural projects for grants in

excess of £1.8m. Another 20 projects will be

going to Local Action Group (LAG) meetings

for decisions in the next couple of months

which could increase this commitment by a

further £800k.

That still leaves nearly £5m for potential

projects and the Managing Authority of the

programme (Rural Payments Agency)

recently announced that there was the

opportunity to bid for a share of another £30m

of funding.

NCC will be working hard to ensure that not

only is their initial allocation spent in the 5

LAG areas across rural Norfolk and north

Suffolk but that they can bring in further

money to boost business and create new

jobs.

Examples of recently funded projects include

a new business incubator unit, an extension

of a cheese-making facility, a marine centre

expansion and the construction of a

passivhaus village hall.

Visit www.norfolklags.co.uk for more

information or contact

leaderteam@norfolk.co.uk