Witham Chamber AGM 17th May 2006

MAY MEETING REPORT

The record attendance at the AGM on the 17th May was probably due to the speaker Inspector Mick Couldridge who introduced members to his plans for neighbourhood policing rather than the thrill of an AGM.  Inspector Couldridge will be launching the new neighbourhood-policing scheme for Witham and district in the next few weeks. Unfortunately there will be no additional officers at this stage, but he reassured us that new officers are undergoing training. 

Members expressed concerns about the difficulty in contacting the police by phone and at the lack of feedback on certain cases.

AGM Election Results

Sally Carpenter agreed to take the chair until the new chairman and deputy chairman were appointed.

Chairman	Sally Carpenter	ClientAct P.R.
Deputy Chairman	to be agreed
Secretary	Annette Hammond
Treasurer	Paul Fenton	Echelon IFA Ltd
Membership	Russell Everard	B.D.C.
Membership	Andy Holmes	Barclays Bank plc
Web site co-ordinator	Brian Smith	Accounts & IT Solutions Ltd
Retail representative	Wendy Harlow	Grove Shopping Centre
Industrial representative	Sandra Moule	Perry Ellis plc
Industrial Watch representative	Kate Carling	Gecko Jewellery Ltd
Strategy Group	Paul Ryland	WitLet
Witham in Bloom representative	Annie Northfield
Press contact	Sally Carpenter
4 Chambers spokesman	Ian Cass	Compliant Solutions
4 Chambers spokesman	Sally Carpenter
Auditors	Paul Conway	Conway Fielding Gough
Committee members	vacancy

 Contact details for the committee can be found on the web site under “members”

Chairman’s Report – 2006 – Witham Chamber of Commerce

The success of BBC Any Questions in 2005 brought positive feedback to Witham for many months after the event.  During the last year the Chamber has supported activities organised by Braintree District Council, Witham Town Council, the Grove Shopping Centre, the Lions and the Rotary.  The Puppet Festival (which we sponsor), the visit of the Reindeer and the first Dickensian Market (which we supported) were a great success bringing more people into the town; congratulations to everyone involved – you may find a photo on the web site. 

The town is very fortunate to have Annie Northfield and her team from Witham in Bloom encouraging everyone to take an active part in “dressing” the town with flowers and plants, not just in the town centre but also schools, industrial and residential estates.
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The Chamber has representation on:

1. Braintree Business Council
2. Braintree Economic Development Council
3. Industrial Watch
4. Four Chambers Group
5. Witham Strategy Group
6. London in 2012 – opportunities for business and tourism

We are looking for a representative to attend the Christmas Lights Committee – it could be YOU.

Essex Chambers

After lengthy discussions concerning the affiliates relationship with Essex Chambers and advice from a member of the committee Witham members were invited to vote on whether Witham Chamber should remain a member of Essex Chambers or to leave.  The majority voted for Witham to withdraw from Essex Chambers and to form a stronger relationship with the Four Chambers group (Braintree, Halstead, Coggeshall and Witham). 

Business Support

We work with members supporting local businesses whenever possible. During the summer of 2005 several shops in the town centre suffered a great deal of hassle and disruption from the anti social behaviour of a small group of youngsters.  The shop owners and their staff, the Police, as well as the management at the Grove Centre, spent a huge amount of time (viewing cctv tapes and completing reports) and spent money repairing damage caused by these youngsters.  Witham is a safer town than many in Essex but the committee believes that disruptive and antisocial behaviour needs to be dealt with firmly and quickly and we welcome the initiatives from the new Police Inspector.   

A broken window, damaged stock and graffiti can be repaired or replaced but the strain on people’s lives when they are constantly faced with the problems of anti social behaviour affecting their businesses cannot been calculated in £s.

Many of you will have seen reports in the local press and we are sorry that one of the Chamber’s keenest supporters when he first came to Witham, Shaun Donn has been unable to continue his business.  Shaun was elected deputy chairman of the Witham Chamber but had to resign last summer; we hope that he will soon be fully recovered.

Industrial Watch

The Chairman has attended the Witham Industrial Watch meetings since inception in the summer of 2005.  The police and local industry decided to work together to raise awareness of the need to take action to reduce crime and to deter potential criminals from visiting Witham,  (they are very keen on diggers and aluminium)

Industrial Watch are now working with BDC to establish a BIDS  - Business Improvement scheme for the industrial areas - we wish them every success and will keep you updated via our web site.

The Press

It is great that the press call the Chamber asking for comments on a variety of topics: on a Monday morning we never know if it is going to be: planning, car parking, funding, antisocial behaviour, shopping trends etc.

Thanks

A special thanks to:

our secretary Annette Hammond,
to Russell Everard and
members of the committee for their work on behalf of the Chamber. 

We are grateful to Marsh for making us so welcome each month and to Sue Nunn at Braintree College/Witham Tech for providing us with a meeting place for the committee but we now need a new venue for the committee – just once a month on a Tuesday evening from 6 p.m. – 7.15 p.m. a quiet room, preferably with a coffee machine, we will even bring our own biscuits – any offers? 

Future

1. The Best of Witham - a new Photographic Competition organised by Brian Smith– Brian will give you details
2. London – 2012 - how can Witham benefit – tourism, local sourcing ….
3. Opportunities for the Chamber to help stimulate more business coming into the town
4. Closer association with industry which could encourage use of local suppliers

 

Conclusion

Witham Chamber, as our web master Brian Smith put it, is the voice of business in Witham and we are keen to reflect the views of shop owners, commerce and industry by encouraging more people to join the Chamber and to let us have their views.

 Thank you for all your support, it has been an interesting year.

Sally Carpenter
Chairman  - More information from:  01376 513640 – pr@clientact.co.uk

17 May 2006