<![CDATA[THE ALLIANCE OF CHAMBERS IN EAST SUSSEX - BLOG]]>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 22:54:56 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Happy Birthday?]]>Wed, 26 Apr 2017 12:22:24 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/happy-birthday
Today marks the one year anniversary since the Southern Rail strikes took place. 
The BBC have covered this with an article which details the costs of the continued strike action on their website which can be found here. We have reproduced this article in full below. 

From the financial hit on drivers to the effect on house prices - here are seven facts you may not have known about the Southern rail strikes, which began a year ago.
1. It is the worst industrial action to hit the rail industry for 23 yearsThroughout 2016, 58,983 Southern services were either fully or partly cancelled. Averaged out across the year, that was more than 160 every day.
It was the worst disruption since the rail industry was privatised in 1994, when signal workers went on strike multiple times over changes to their pay.

A series of 24 and 48-hour strikes virtually halted train services on 17 occasions over the summer.

Southern put its performance down to staffing problems, including rosters for train crew and drivers, shortages of conductors and staff.

Southern rail crisis
165 million passenger journeys a year
156 stations
  • 300,000passengers a day
  • 58,983trains fully or partly cancelled in 2016
  • 2,242Southern weekday services
  • 1994The last time rail disruption was as severe
Sources: Southern and Network Rail

2. One woman was forced to undergo a six-hour round trip for her son's medical treatmentPassengers on the busiest services found their journey times doubled or even tripled on the days their trains did not run - and even that was only if they had access to a car. Those who drove sat in hours of traffic while others told of £100 taxi fares or having to work from home.

Heather Boxer and her three-year-old son Charlie should be able to reach the hospital where is treated for cystic fibrosis in about 90 minutes by train.

Instead, because of the risk of strikes they drove from East Grinstead to the Royal Brompton Hospital twice a month.
The mother of two said: "Three hours each way, then the nightmare of trying to park in Chelsea.

"When Charlie was first diagnosed we were living in Redhill and we always used to use the train but then we moved to East Grinstead and the strikes had started, so we just decided we couldn't risk it."

 3. The taxpayer has footed the bill
The Government set aside £15m in compensation for passengers. And it is picking up the tab for a £38m fall in fare revenue as a result of services not running.

This is because the Southern franchise, operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), involves the government paying a management fee for the company to run it, while the taxpayer bears the financial risk for revenue lost through compensation.

More than 84,000 passengers are entitled to claim compensation.

So far, 54,500 claims have been approved and £12.6m has been paid out.

Southern said people would get one twelfth of the value of their annual season ticket for 2016.
​
Monthly season ticket holders are entitled to a month's refund and weekly ticket holders are eligible for four weeks' worth. The scheme is open until 30 April 2017.

4. Drivers on strike would have been docked an estimated £235 a day

John Chew left his job rather than become an On-Board Supervisor

There was a cost for drivers and conductors who took strike action. Those who walked out every time would have sacrificed thousands of pounds of pay.

A fully qualified Southern driver is paid a basic salary of £49,001 for a 35-hour, four day working week as well as £4,475 a year worth of contracted overtime.

Conductors based in London are paid £34,863 a year, including Sunday working for a 35-hour, four-day week. Overtime can bring the total up to £37,000.

Assuming a driver went on strike for all six days, they would have been docked an estimated £235.58 a day.

A conductor would have lost an estimated £167.61 a day, excluding overtime.

Cost to the strikers
£5,196 Lost wage of a conductor if they'd gone on strike for all 31 days
£1,413 What a driver would have been docked if they'd gone on strike for all 6 days
  • £49,001Basic annual pay for fully-qualified Southern Driver
  • £4,475Additional driver contracted overtime pay
  • £34,863Basic pay for London-based conductors
Source: Southern

Conductor John Chew refused to sign his contract to switch from becoming a conductor to an On-Board Supervisor. He left his job after 17 years and is about to train to drive 7.5 tonne commercial vehicles.
"I saw some of my old colleagues from Southern a couple of weeks ago. In general the impression I get is that they are profoundly unhappy with what's happening.

"I was lucky as I had some savings but I know a number of them who have families, children, and mortgages, couldn't have taken the step I took."

 5. Southern's Mainline and Coast services have the highest rate of cancellations in BritainOver the past year, an average of 11% of all trains were either cancelled or significantly late, meaning they got to their final destination over half an hour late. Across the rest of the industry, it was about 3%.

Other GTR-run services, including the Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Southern Metro, were also among the most cancelled and late.

In March 2017, the latest figures available, eight out of 10 GTR services (82.3%) arrived at their terminating station on time, the lowest in the country. The average for the rail industry was 91%.

 6. The strikes were more disruptive than the junior doctors' strikesProfessor Alfred Crossman, of the University of Sussex School of Business, Management and Economics, said the signal workers' strike in 1994 was bigger because it was nationwide, however the Southern strikes have gone on longer.
And their ability to impact instantly upon thousands of people meant they were more disruptive even than the junior doctors' strikes were during 2016.

Professor Crossman said: "The impact was immediate [with Southern]. In the NHS, operations can be rescheduled. It's inconvenient, but the impact is less immediate, other than A&E which is usually covered by consultants when junior doctors are on strike."

Despite the noticeable disruption across the Southern network, transport workers made up only the third largest group to take industrial action, after people in healthcare and education.

 7. House prices do not appear to have been affectedExperts say they have not found a direct link between "poorer" performing house prices and the strikes, although they "will not be helping".

House prices continued to rise, but their growth has been slowing generally. The change has been put down to wages having failed to keep up with the rise in house prices, which seems to have curbed the demand for homes.

Doug Shepherd, director of home.co.uk said: "The fact is that both the London and south-east property markets have slowed markedly and the supply of homes for sale is still increasing."

And buying agent Henry Pryor said: "I have warned buyers in the affected areas that this is going on, but I have not had anyone not proceed with a purchase on the basis of the strikes and neither have I heard of that from anyone else."

 What happens now?
Southern said the impact on passengers was "now minimal".

"We're deeply sorry for the disruption passengers have faced, and the effect it has had on the local economy in the past year on Southern, due in the main to industrial action in one form or another," a spokesman said. It has been meeting with the RMT (the conductors' union) and in discussions with Aslef to "better understand" why its offer to drivers was rejected.

A spokesman for the RMT said: "We take no pleasure in the fact that this dispute has lasted a year. We believe it could have been resolved right from the start. It's down to the intransigence of the company supported by the government that this has continued and the fact that it comes under a government management contract."

Drivers' union Aslef said: "We are looking for a resolution which works for staff, passengers and the company."

Rail Minister Paul Maynard said: "Performance has been consistently better since the new year, and our focus is on making sure passengers keep seeing the benefits of a reliable and efficient service."
Reporting team: BBC England data unit: Daniel Wainwright; BBC South East: Tanya Gupta and Kathryn Langley
]]><![CDATA[SBT and Natwest Roundtable Discussion]]>Tue, 23 Feb 2016 17:57:31 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/sbt-and-natwest-roundtable-discussionCheck out these videos about how Entrepreneurs are Revitalising South East Coastal Towns
]]><![CDATA[The Great Debate]]>Sun, 08 Feb 2015 12:45:46 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/the-great-debateEastbourne UnLtd Chamber of Commerce has arranged a Hustings Debate to allow its Members to interrogate five key parliamentary candidates for Eastbourne. 

The Great Debate is at the Birley Centre at 5pm on Wednesday 29th April and will include sitting MP Stephen Lloyd (Lib Dem) along with Andrew Durling (Green), Caroline Ansell (Con), Jake Lambert (Lab) and Nigel Jones (UKIP).

Look here for full details and to book your place.  ]]><![CDATA[Lets Start Up Eastbourne]]>Fri, 09 Jan 2015 11:58:47 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/lets-start-up-eastbourne
Make 2015 the year you start your business with Let’s Start Up

Don’t get hung up on gym memberships and fad diets this New Year, take the opportunity to make this the year you launch your successful business!

Whether you’re a young enterprise, or have an idea or hobby that you want to turn into a new business make sure you know about the finance available to help you kick-start your venture.

Join Let's Do Business Start Up and community workspace Cohub Eastbourne for a fun and informal information evening.

Let’s Start Up Eastbourne: Make 2015 the year you start your business

Date: Thursday 29th January 2015

Time: 6pm to 8pm

Location: Cohub, 1 Commercial Rd, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 3XQ

Cost: FREE (includes canapés and a drink on us!)

Securing finance as a new or young business can be difficult, with no trading history or long-standing track record. But there is alternative support out there and this event will highlight two key sources of finance.

The Let’s Do Business Group (LDBG) has been helping start-ups for the past 20 years and will give you an insight into both the financial and mentoring support available through the Start Up Loans scheme.

Start-up entrepreneurs will be on hand to give you a first-hand account on how the scheme helped them and what it’s like to run your own business.

There will also be a talk about Crowdfunding and how it could help give your business the cash injection it needs to get up and running.

Book your place:

Click on the following link to book your place via Eventbrite: www.startupeastbourne.eventbrite.co.uk

Find out more about the Start Up Loans scheme, delivered by the Let’s Do Business Group at www.LetsStartUp.co.uk and follow @ldbstartup.

 

]]><![CDATA[Employing Staff - What could possibly go wrong?]]>Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:39:55 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/employing-staff-what-could-possibly-go-wrong An Employment Law master class with Gaby Hardwicke Solicitors  
Date: Wednesday 26th November
Time: 12-2pm
Location: Hastings Centre, The Ridge, Hastings, East Sussex
Parking: pay and display car park onsite
Cost: FREE (including a buffet lunch and refreshments)

Event description: Finding the right staff, keeping them and ensuring that they fully contribute is one of the major issues facing most businesses today. We’ve all heard the horror stories of what can go wrong!

If, for example a relationship with an employee turns sour – how do you protect your business?

The Let’s Do Business Group learning lunch is held in partnership with Gaby Hardwicke Solicitors, giving you the opportunity to gain a better understanding of employment legislation, plus the chance to network with like-minded businesses and professionals over lunch.

We’re not going to tell you how or indeed who to recruit, but rather give you a working understanding of the legal background to recruitment, performance management and appraisals.

We’ll ensure that you will be in a better position to prevent a claim against you, or should a claim arise, how to manage and eventually resolve it. 

What you’ll learn:

  • Recruitment
    • Legal issues
    • Process
    • What happens if you get it wrong!

      P      erformance Management
    • Following policies and procedures
    • Investigation
    • Warning and Consultation
    • Fairness


  • Appraisals
    • Mutual benefits both to you and your employees
    • Preparation
    • Managing appraisal
    • Objectives
 

Book your place:

Email info@ldbgroup.co.uk or call 01424 205 500, alternatively click here to book online.

]]><![CDATA[ Let's Do Business Hastings - Thursday 30th October]]>Sat, 18 Oct 2014 16:50:26 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/-lets-do-business-hastings-thursday-30th-october
Two Floors. 125 Stands. Four Seminars. One Day. Thousands of opportunities.
 
The number one business to business exhibition and networking event on the south coast returns to Hastings on Thursday 30th October. Sussex Coast College’s town centre campus in Hastings will welcome hundreds of owners, directors and key decision-makers, providing a fantastic opportunity for businesses to make new connections, new contacts and win new business under one roof.      

The one-day event – sponsored by Identity Signage & Printing - hosts over a hundred exhibitors and offers everyone in business, whether starting up or long established, the opportunity to source dozens of products, services and supplies from a diverse range of quality companies.  

“It’s great to be back in Hastings after successful shows in Brighton and Eastbourne earlier in the year”, says exhibition organiser and Head of Marketing at the Let’s Do Business Group, Jonathan Dolding.  “With so many top businesses spread throughout the venue, there’s no better opportunity to network with such a significant number of businesses from across East Sussex and further afield.  The show is a real time-saver, offering a perfect opportunity to source products & services from the leading businesses in the area.”
The show features four FREE inspirational seminars:

11am: Why Blog for Business?
Martin Ellis, Recruitment South East  

12pm: Getting the best out of LinkedIn
James Dempster, MD, Cobb Digital  

1pm: Trust me – I’m in marketing
Lee Markham, Business Development Manager at PRG Marketing Communications  

2pm: Show me the Money - alternative finance options for SMEs 
David Turner, MD, Invest and Fund Ltd 
For full show details or to register for FREE fast-track entry, please visit www.letsdobusiness.org/hastings
]]><![CDATA[A27 Letter from Eastbourne Chamber President]]>Thu, 18 Sep 2014 09:05:56 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/a27-letter-from-eastbourne-chamber-presidentClear analysis of the need for a better A27
In response to Derrick Coffee of the 'Campaign for Better Transport' he is wrong to think that proposals for upgrading the A27 have been considered 'in a vacuum'. In addition to the 1046 people across East Sussex who responded to a recent Chamber survey telling us that the County really needs to upgrade the A27, there is plenty of analysis showing this road is long overdue.
 
We have considered carefully future growth identified in Local Authority Plans and the South East Local Enterprise
Partnership’s Strategic Economic Plan and these show that the current A27 does not have the capacity to handle the growth planned for East Sussex.
 
In the Polegate / Hailsham area alone there are 10,000 homes planned and 4,400 jobs which will put additional pressure on buses, rail and the A27. In addition to the early delivery of these homes and jobs, it is also important to remember that there are development pressures elsewhere along the East Sussex coastal strip which will generate demand for local and
  strategic trips along the A27 corridor. For example, in the Bexhill/Hastings growth corridor there are plans for  6,500 homes and 160,000sqm of employment space – whilst this area will look to the A21 for journeys to London, Kent and the M25, the A27 corridor provides an important route West and to a potentially expanding Gatwick.
 
Similarly in Lewes District 3,000 new homes  are planned in the Newhaven, Peacehaven, Telscombe and Seaford area as well as 167,200sqm of employment space from the proposed Newhaven Enterprise Zone – some traffic from this growth will
migrate towards Brighton via the A259 but much will want to access the A27 via the A26.  In addition, in the Ringmer area there are plans for over 1,100 new homes by 2030 and these developments will all add pressure to the A27 between Lewes and Polegate.
 
We need to improve connectivity to the A23, M23, M25 and a potentially expanding Gatwick Airport and we need to cater for long distance strategic traffic.  Businesses need journey times to be reliable but the existing A27 is not resilient to incidents on the network.  An accident, break down or flooding can create significant delays resulting in the transfer of traffic onto the county road network, via Laughton and Ringmer, onto the country roads through the National Park or along the A259
between Eastbourne and Newhaven.
 
The 2013 traffic figures for the A27/A22 Cophall Roundabout show almost 29,000 vehicle movements daily from Monday to Friday.  These figures are not far short of the dualled Lewes By-Pass which carries 35,680 vehicles per day and are the sort of figures at which the Highways Agency would consider dualling a road.

£30 Million - Sustainable Investment 

It is not accurate to say that we are only focused on roads and don’t invest in alternative types of travel.  In fact, with full business backing the County has secured over £20m from the Local  Growth Fund for the economic development of the Eastbourne/South Wealden area.  This includes £8.7m for the Eastbourne/South Wealden Walking & Cycling Package; £6m for Eastbourne town  centre movement and access package; £2m for the Eastbourne/Polegate/Hailsham sustainable transport corridor and £4m for A22/A27 junction improvements.  With funding from other sources on top, the total Eastbourne/South Wealden investment relating to these 4 schemes is around £30m.

In addition, investment of around £3m is planned for Uckfield to improving walking, cycling and bus access into the town centre and about £1.5m for Hailsham for walking, cycling and bus access schemes too. While it would be great if this could solve the need for car travel, the car is with us in one form or another for some time to come and we need to plan for it rather than wish it away.
 
So, in contrast to Mr Coffee's assertions, plenty of analysis has been done to improve integrated travel across East Sussex
  including cycling, walking, buses and vehicles on the A27.  Journeys types vary and so there is not one answer to the County’s transport needs. Expecting bus and train improvements to solve our transport needs is unrealistic and while much is being done to improve public transport, and more still needs to be done, we have put off the development of the A27 for far too long and need to include this vital road in our plans as a matter of urgency.
 
If you would like to complete the ACES Survey about the A27 scroll to the blue button at the top of this blog page.  
Picture
Mark McFadden
President

Eastbourne UnLtd Chamber of Commerce
7 Hyde Gardens, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4PN
01323 641144
www.eastbourneunlitd.co.uk
]]><![CDATA[Eastbourne Pier Action]]>Thu, 31 Jul 2014 13:30:35 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/eastbourne-pier-action
Click here for a full video report of the fire by Annemarie Field at The Herald.

Firstly, thanks to the emergency services, 2/3s of the pier is still standing and secondly, the county is pulling together to support the pier owners and the many people whose businesses have been closed down by the fire. 
You will appreciate that the jobs and businesses of many local residents are at risk and so the Chamber, with the support of the Town Team, the Eastbourne Hospitality Association, Friends of Eastbourne Pier, Eastbourne Can, Eastbourne Borough Council and Stephen Lloyd MP have  created an "Eastbourne Pier Benevolent Fund" to help those businesses in limbo to survive, along with their staff.  

The Eastbourne Pier Benevolent Fund has been created and is hashas  haSmanaged by the not-for-profit Eastbourne UnLtd Chamber of Commerce has already raised over £6,500!  If you would like to help:
  • Donate on line via our NEW Just Giving page
    (The previous page hit its target and was closed to release funds to set up the traders in new shops on the promenade
  • Send a cheque payable to 'Eastbourne Pier Benevolent Fund' to The Chamber Office, 7 Hyde Gardens, Eastbourne BN21 4PN.
  • Call 01323 641144 to donate by credit card
  • Make a BACS transfer as follows:
    - Ref 'EPBF & your name'
    - Sort code 40 20 06
    - A/C number 92154501
Thank you for the help and support received so far.

]]><![CDATA[A27 - Through to the Second Stage!]]>Mon, 16 Jun 2014 09:07:54 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/a27-through-to-the-second-stage
Councillor Caroline Ansell writes:

‘After a suitably trying journey on the A27 to the meeting about the A27 - and nearly three hours  of debate and presentation later - all was rewarded in the final five minutes of  the meeting; under ‘Final Conclusions & Recommendations to Stage 1’ the  stretch between Polegate and Lewes made it through to the Second Stage.
 
This is an important milestone in a Department for Transport study which could mean serious nvestment in the road, improving safety and unlocking economic potential for Eastbourne and the surrounding area. I’m delighted, but there’s a long way to go yet. 
As one participant put it, we are at risk of meeting again in another ten years’ time if we can’t find a deliverable solution. And there were many different views in the room on what – if anything – was needed: real time traffic information boards and reducing demand for travel were both put
forward as alternatives to road building.

Having now attended A27 Reference Group meetings in Brighton and, this week, in Worthing, I’ve
asked organisers to look to Eastbourne for August’s meeting.

It would be excellent for DfT and Highway’s officers - and for all stakeholders along the A27 corridor - to experience what it means to a town like Eastbourne (especially in the light of our aspirations around the Devonshire Park and conferencing trade) to be served by one of the most
unreliable and unsafe trunk roads in the country.

I’m going to keep campaigning for investment that will dramatically improve the lives of
Eastbourne & Willingdon constituents and businesses’

-------- ENDS ------

We urge you to add your thoughts about the A27 to the short ACES Business survey we
have created.  It is just 5 questions long and will help us add your voice to the 872 other people who have responded so far.  The more people who complete the survey, the louder our voice will be and the nearer we will get to an A27 that is fit for purpose.


 
]]><![CDATA[Nectar Small Business Awards]]>Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:49:06 GMThttps://www.acesalliance.org/blog/nectar-small-business-awards
To win £2,000, 50,000 Nectar Points and some  fantastic National publicity, follow this link.
Businesses in East Sussex are amongst the most dynamic and innovative in the country.  If this describes your business, why not follow the link?
It would be great to see lots of East Sussex businesses in the various categories.
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