Latest News

South West RDA News

Issue 2 of SWRDA News presents an update of the work of the South West RDA across Bournemouth, Dorset & Poole.It is a snapshot of the breadth of the work of the RDA in the South West. Do have a read of the news from central Government on funding for major transport infrastructure improvements in the region and other interesting issues here.

Improving access to public sector contracts for small businesses

A new website has been launched which improves access to public sector contracts for small businesses. There are now more than 7,000 government contracts advertised on a new business portal which removes the barriers faced by many small businesses to access public sector contracts.

More than 10,000 suppliers have also registered on the Supply2.gov.uk site, the first government-supported service of its kind in the UK to give businesses the opportunity to access lower-value public sector contracts, typically under £100,000 in value, from central and local government.

The supply2.gov.uk portal allows UK public sector organisations to publicise their lower-value contracts free of charge. And, for the first time, businesses will be able to view such contracts in a single place, reducing the time taken to source opportunities. Contract information in a business' chosen location will be available free of charge – a significant benefit, particularly for small firms.

The portal is available on: www.supply2.gov.uk

News for Businesses

July 2006 Edition

In this edition of News for Businesses the editor reviews emerging issues affecting businesses, such as new legislation on Age Regulations addressing employment and vocational training, including access to help and guidance, recruitment, promotion, development, termination, perks and pay. The regulations cover people of all ages, both old and young. and are due to come into force, subject to Parliamentary clearance, on 1 October 2006.

This edition also covers an article on Train to Gain which is scheduled to be introduced across Bournemouth, Dorset & Poole in August. This new dynamic service to employers is designed to put their business and skills development needs first and identify clear and comprehensive training solutions. Train to Gain will help improve employers’ productivity and competitiveness by ensuring their employees have the right skills to do the job, including achieving Level 2 qualifications and improving their basic skills in literacy and numeracy. You can follow these and other developments in the July Edition of the News for Businesses.

The Workplace Health and Connect Pilot Service for small and medium sized businesses in England and Wales finished as planned on 21 February 2008. Further information on the pilot can be found at: www.hse.gov.uk/workplacehealth

January 2006 Edition

On 6th April 2006, otherwise know as A-Day, the UK will see the biggest shake-up to pension legislation for over a generation. The new rules being introduced will impact individuals in different ways, especially the self-employed, local business owners and company directors. However, those in company pension schemes will not be immune from the amendments. If you currently have a pension of any sort in place, it would be useful for you to read this edition of News for Businesses.

July 2005 Edition

You can read the first Edition of News for Businesses published in July 2005 here

Dorset Broadband Partnership Project launched

The South West Regional Development Agency have invested £700,000 to match local funding identified to raise the profile of the benefits of broadband technologies to businesses.

The main objectives of the programme of support are to improve awareness of broadband, increase take up by local businesses and build the capacity of local communities to access broadband, together with increasing the take-up of e-government services.

The programme is being managed by Business Link Wessex and further information can be obtained by contacting the dedicating programme manager, James Cope on 01202 785417.

Beware of cyber scam in Dorset

This is not a new scam and many of you may have already been approached. But for those of you who have started to develop your web site or are considering purchasing a domain name this will be of interest.

The scam involves a domain name registrar calling a company and claiming that someone has contacted them to try to purchase a domain with the same, or similar sounding, name. The registrar then offers them the opportunity to buy it first, at an inflated price: often hundreds of pounds.

The registrars usually employ scare tactics, saying that if the business does not purchase the domain, they run the risk of cybersquatting, or someone trying to profit from their name.

Companies are told that the name of the person trying to register the domains cannot be disclosed, because of data protection laws.

Many businesses on the Isle of Wight have already reported such phonecalls, which often turn out to be a ploy to coerce businesses into buying expensive domain names that they do not need. Our worry is that this company will shortly be targeting businesses in Dorset.

So what should you do?

Call 08454 58 85 58 or report it to your local Trading Standards office.