Latest news from Surrey Chambers CEO August 2020

4th August 2020

One step forward….

Having waxed lyrical about buying local last month it was good to see the government on the same page, offering incentives for people to go out and eat in their local restaurants, albeit only Monday-Wednesday!  For restaurants to join in on this they do have to register. Other changes that have come in during the last 4 weeks include the extension of compulsory face coverings to shops, banks, takeaways and other enclosed public spaces. Whilst footfall is nowhere near previous levels at least there are some signs of a return to a sort of normality.  Unfortunately, for many would-be holiday makers, there was an abrupt change to quarantine measures with Spain, which dealt yet another hammer blow for the fragile travel and tourism industries, both here in the UK and overseas. We know that some of our members will now have to manage the effects of this unexpected change as returning staff have to quarantine for 14 days upon their return to the UK. We are pushing for support measures to be extended to help firms and their employees manage the situation.

Home Team

The Surrey Chambers team, who did a fantastic job managing the migration to home working, is now starting a gentle return to the office. Following the government’s updated advice, we will be spending some time in the office during August, with a new blend of working from September. We have screens, courtesy of Satelliet, sanitiser from Silent Pool and Woking Borough Council have done a great job to ensure the building is Covid-19 secure

We are also excited to hear that business events are scheduled to start again from 1^st October and we are busy planning our best Presidents Awards Evening ever on Thursday 8th October at Hilton Cobham Hotel.

Headspace for International Trade

As things continue to improve, we hope that businesses will start focusing on the journey we are all on, leading us to 1^st January 2021 and to the end of the transition period. There is a great deal of preparation to be done but there are grants available for businesses to undertake necessary training. We continue to prepare our team to be able to support exporters and importers with new documentation from 1^st January 2021 but we need our businesses to prepare themselves. We are here to help.

Making sure your voice is heard

As we approach 4 months since the lockdown started, we wanted to find out from you how you and your business are doing. We have many opportunities to influence government policy, so it is critical that we find out what is most needed. Please take 5 minutes of your time to complete our 3rd Survey carried out in conjunction with Enterprise M3 and Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnerships and Surrey County Council. We promise to take your feedback and use it as effectively as possible. A link to the survey is on our website and social media.

Surrey Chambers of Commerce can be reached on 01483 735540, info@surrey-chambers.co.uk, @surreychambers