The Business Support Navigator Growth Hub was created specifically to help local businesses with in the Coast to Capital area from Brighton across to Chichester and up as far as Croydon, providing a free signposting Business Support service to enable business to access the right grants, funding and Business support that they may require.

The service is free to use, and consists of three telephone based Business Navigators and two Senior Business Navigators. Between them they have experience in all aspects of business including business support, premises & facilities, administration, management, human resources and funding. Their aim is to take a lot of the hassle and effort away from business owners so they can concentrate on the most important aspect of their business which is selling their products and services.

So far, over 4,000 businesses and entrepreneurs across the Coast to Capital region have used  the Business Navigator service for support on a range of issues.

They are running a free Signposting  Business Clinic on the 27 January 2016, at Reigate & Banstead Council, Town Hall, Castlefield Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0SH  from 8am–10.30am if you would like to come in for a talk to see what support they can offer you then please email  to book your place.

For more information on our services, please take a moment to look at their website.

Local Government Financial Settlement

The Government announced in December 2015 that our grant funding for 2016/17 will be £0.5m and for 2017/18 it will be zero.   This end of grant funding is faster than anticipated in the Medium Term Financial Plan and so the revenue budget headroom established in 2012 will be applied to the shortfall to ensure a balanced budget.  Of the £1.05m set aside, £700,000 will be required in 2016/17, with the remainder likely to be needed in 2017/18.

Savings and growth

In November the Executive received - and approved for consultation - proposals which identified net savings of £0.6m.  It is now recommended that these savings be accepted. 

Council Tax

In order to manage the reductions in government funding whilst maintaining quality services the Council has adopted a new commercial approach to funding.  Nevertheless, the Medium Term Financial Plan forecasts that modest Council Tax increases will still be required.

In addition, central government has proposed no freeze grant for 2016/17.

For these reasons the budget is based on a recommended 1.9% increase in 2016/17.  This would increase the Council's element of a Band D charge from £205.45 to £209.44 - an increase of £3.99 per year (or less than 8 pence per week) for Borough Council services.

The Council continues to deliver service to a high standard, with all key service targets being met.  The savings for 2016/17 have been proposed whilst maintaining all of our services.

Budget
The net budget for 2016/17 will be £14.880m.

This will be funded from:

                                                 £m

General Government Grant      0.500

Retained NNDR (business rates)   2.180

Council Tax                           12.200

Why is alcohol misuse a concern to an employer?

Alcohol abuse is a significant cause of employee absence and lost productivity and has a negative effect in the workplace. More organisations are becoming aware of the impact that alcohol has on their business and are looking at ways to combat the problems that can arise from it. Employers have a role and responsibility to safeguard their staff when they are in the workplace.

Costs of alcohol misuse in the workplace

Employees can be less efficient and even endanger themselves and the people around them if they have alcohol in their system. If they are in high-pressure jobs or working long and unsociable hours, the risks from alcohol can be even higher.

With up to 17 million sick days taken in the UK every year due to alcohol and around 200,000 people turning up to work every day with a hangover, it’s clear that businesses need an appropriate alcohol policy. The aim should be to help prevent alcohol misuse but also to support the people who need it.

What can businesses do?

Whether a large company or one of the borough’s many SMEs there are steps that you can take to help managers facilitate conversations about alcohol misuse and put in place support for employees. 

Guidance for employers

Alcohol Concern provide information on support for alcohol issues in the workplace.  They know that alcohol can affect your staff and the day-to-day running of your business. They can help you to develop a policy that suits you, equip you to start conversations about alcohol in the workplace and implement a plan that will result in reduced staff absences and increased productivity.  Whether that includes employee screening or awareness raising they’re on hand to help. 

Support for staff

DontBottleItUp supports people affected by alcohol misuse.  The website allows people to complete a short test developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to identify if they are at risk of harm as a result of their drinking, to access personalised advice online and, where appropriate, find out where to get face-to-face support locally. 

Unlike some alcohol screening tests, this test has proven to be accurate across all ethnic and gender groups.  The online test contains ten multiple choice questions on the amount and frequency of alcohol consumption, drinking behaviour and alcohol-related problems or reactions. On average, it should take only two minutes to complete and can be easily shared with all staff.