Budget 2014: More investment for apprenticeships pledged

An energy sector jobs boost, recruitment help for SMEs and Apprenticeship Grants for Employers (AGE) success rates were the main headlines concerning our industry from yesterday’s 2014 Budget.

And luckily for the Chancellor, predictions made last year about the growth of the economy and relief for the jobs market have been backed up by figures released by the Office of National Statistics yesterday also.

The report showed that between November 2013 and January 2014, unemployment fell by 63,000, with almost half of that figure accounting for 16-24 year olds. Average earnings also increased by 1.4%, with a rise in the number of self-employed also recorded.

The positive news for these two groups of people was the focus at least of the recruitment side of this year’s Budget, with the government pledging continued support of Enterprise Zones to help entrepreneurs and start-ups hire staff and grow their business through private investment.

Mr Osborne also revealed that the AGE scheme will continue to be a key focus in 2014, with an extra £85 million being invested to provide more than 100,000 grants over the next two years.

This in particular has been received well by leading HR and recruitment bodies and industry leaders, who keenly recognise the critical link between investment in young people and future growth.

British Chambers of Commerce director general John Longworth said: "With a huge confidence gap still separating employers from young job-seekers, we are very pleased to see the Chancellor heed our call to help firms take on and train tomorrow's workforce.”

On a less positive note, many were left disappointed to discover that the plans to remove under 25s from employers National Insurance Contributions did not form part of this year’s Budget as expected. Had it been included, the cost of hiring would have been dramatically reduced for many companies through lifting 1.5 million young workers out of the jobs tax. Allusions were made, however, to this forming part of next year’s reform plans – a pledge that campaigners will no doubt continue to keenly push for.

As ever, I welcome and applaud any initiative that serves to create jobs and strengthen our industry. Support must therefore also be pledged on a local as well as national level in order to keep this slow ascent towards recovery going.

2013 in review

As at the end of every year, the team here at ACR look to the media and to the industry’s professional bodies to see if their findings and forecasts match with what we have experienced in the past 12 months locally here in Cambridgeshire, as a good indication of what we can expect from 2014 both locally and nationally.

We have seen a steady growth in positive stats and figures coming from in-depth reports and surveys concerning employment levels undertaken by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The REC’s end of year JobsOutlook survey shows that the number of employers planning to take on more permanent staff early next year is up nine per cent on 2012. Better news still for the temporary and flexible workforce, which benefits from a 17 per cent rise (to 47 per cent) in employer interest and engagement.

Confidence in the economy generally is also growing, with small businesses in particular demonstrating good faith. Many believe this is largely due to the changing attitudes in consumers and their increasing willingness to spend money, invest in a product and/or buy into a brand.

The Office of National Statistics also brings good tidings for the close of 2013, reporting the lowest level of unemployment in the UK for four years and the highest number of job vacancies for five years. Even more encouraging is the fact that the East of England reported the lowest unemployment rate of just 5.6 per cent compared to other areas.

This officially puts our county at the top of the employment ladder nationally. Having successfully placed many candidates this year, we are both delighted and unsurprised by this statistic. Locally, our employers are showing increased optimism in hiring new workers and keeping remuneratively competitive – as demonstrated by our salary survey results released in October.

All of the above can only mean good news for the world of recruitment as we get ready for the year ahead. January is always traditionally a busy time for jobseekers and agencies alike, but we will strive as ever to maintain and sustain the positive, confident and resolute attitude adopted by so many when a new year comes around.  

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients and candidates for choosing to work with us in 2013, and look forward to doing so again next year.

LEARN WHILE YOU LUNCH!

As the reader’s of this blog will probably know, we enjoy a good working partnership with Hegarty LLP Solicitors, with whom we host our annual employment law seminar (see posts below for my write up on last month’s briefing).

In response to the success of these yearly updates, together we have decided to launch a series of workshops to give people the chance to learn more about a particular topic in a relaxed environment.

The Lunch and Learn sessions will be held at our Lynch Wood offices, where there will be an opportunity to network with other delegates as well.

We have been busy liaising with clients and other interested parties to find out what subjects they would like to learn more about.

Most requested was social media, which take the spotlight at the next two sessions to be held on Tuesday 26^th November and Wednesday 4th December.

The workshops will be headed up by Martin Bloom, who will bring delegates right up to speed with the latest updates and legislation.

To register your interest call us on  01733 235298 or email us. 

BREAKFAST SEMINAR A SUCCESS

More than 150 of Peterborough’s HR professionals and business people attended last week’s employment law seminar, which we hosted in conjunction with Hegarty LLP Solicitors.

I was delighted to see so many familiar faces, as well as some new ones. This year’s update focused on newly renamed settlement agreements, early conciliation and the latest changes to employment tribunals.

Despite the early morning start, speakers Tim Thompson, Emma Carter and Martin Bloom kept delegates alert and engaged throughout the seminar with their insightful knowledge and expertise on the subjects covered.

One of the key points this year was the introduction of employment tribunal fees, which were brought in at the end of July. All claimants are now required to pay both an issue fee and hearing fee in order to present and see a claim through to conclusion.

Fees of £390 and £1200 are now payable for unpaid wage claims and unfair dismissal cases respectively. This is forecast to reduce the number of claims being brought against employers, yet how severe the impact will be is still up for debate. It is certainly one to watch and listen out for at future updates. 

We will be continuing to work with Hegarty LLP over the coming months in putting together a series of smaller, ‘Lunch & Learn’ briefings. Each session will be assigned an individual topic for more in-depth discussion.

To register your interest please email us info@annecorder.co.uk

ACR unveils new offices to the city’s business community

It’s been exactly one calendar month since we moved from our Park Road offices in the city centre to our new home on the Lynch Wood business park.

To celebrate, we hosted an evening drinks reception for clients and guests yesterday, on Tuesday July 16.

The team and I were delighted to welcome over 70 invitees – including Lord Brian Mawhinney and Cllr Marco Cereste – to the new offices at 25 Commerce Road for drinks, canapés and a guided tour.

It was a proud moment for the business, bolstered by the many compliments we received about the design and layout of the new building. We have Peterborough based designers QED and Tim Lloyd to thank for that, who were also there for the evening.

Their hard work made for a smooth transition as we quickly settled in to our new working environment. The ground floor is entirely open plan, making it easy for us to meet our clients and candidates as soon as they arrive for appointments.

The first floor boasts a range of bespoke meeting rooms and interview suites, as well as an IT training space for candidates.

Thank you to all those who attended the official unveiling yesterday. While this latest move means a fresh and modern look for the company, our intrinsic business values remain firmly the same.

We look forward to the opportunities our new location will bring, and hope to welcome many more faces through its doors.

If you weren’t able to attend the unveiling, please get in touch with one of the team on 01733 235298 who will be happy to arrange a suitable day/time for you to have a look around. 

ACR is moving to Lynch Wood

It’s been a busy three months for the team and I as we have been preparing for our upcoming office move.

Now I am delighted to announce that we will be operating from our new offices at 25 Commerce Road on the Lynch Wood Business Park from Monday 17^th June.

This is an exciting move for us and simply reflects the way in which recruitment has changed. The digital revolution has transformed the ways in which we interact with both clients and candidates, meaning that a city centre base is no longer a necessity for the modern recruitment agency.

When Anne Corder Recruitment began life 18 years ago, the business advertised vacancies in the local media and relied on candidates dropping in hard copy cvs or faxing them through to our city centre offices.

The process – whilst being thorough – was slow and labour intensive.  Being in the city centre was important for us, keen to attract candidates looking to register with their cvs or apply for vacancies during lunch breaks or city centre visits.

Now, vacancies are advertised on our digital ‘shop window’ – our website – as well as in different specialist forums, to which candidates apply almost instantly with digital cvs and application letters.

Even psychometric testing is done digitally nowadays.  Location is less important in this modern world of recruitment.

Our new premises have been immaculately refurbished to provide a fresh and contemporary office environment that is much more user-friendly. We have more space; more interview and conference rooms and we are in the midst of many of our existing and potential business clients.

There is ample parking space to make attending interviews that much easier and the business park has excellent public transport too.

Technology is a wonderful tool but it is only ever as good as the diligence of the people using it – and that is where there is simply no substitute for recruitment experience when interviewing candidates prior to presenting them to clients.

And that is where professional recruitment agencies add real value to clients and candidates. Clients require short lists of qualified candidates to speed up the recruitment process and find the right person. Candidates are equally keen to ensure the potential employer is right for them. Bringing all those pieces together is the real art of recruitment.

Recruiters rank third highest in professional stakes

While I continuously take pride in my work within the recruitment sector, it’s always great to see and hear the industry being recognised as one of the best, particularly when it comes to professional standards.

A study undertaken by The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) has revealed some interesting facts and figures around the simple question: ‘Who are seen to be more professional?’

Recruiters were given a very respectable third place – keeping in good company with teachers and lawyers who took the top two spots.

Director of REC Anita Holbrow attributed the success to the 80-year heritage of recruitment and its professional bodies in the UK, and claimed we have a lot to be proud of.

I couldn’t agree more, which is why ACR has been a member of REC for the past 18 years. We regularly have input into REC group discussions, notably with the Office Professionals Sector Group, who will undoubtedly by thrilled by this positive piece of research.

It really is a fantastic result for the industry, achieved in spite of the rather negative outlook surrounding the jobs market currently.

Take a look at our Latest News page to see what we’ve been doing to champion professional standards and best practice lately.

Paris Brown: A sobering lesson for us all

IF you ever needed an example of the dangers of social networking in the recruitment industry look no further than the case of Paris Brown – the 17-year-old appointed Youth Crime Commissioner by Kent Constabulary.

When she was 14 or 15 she tweeted inappropriately about racism and homophobia and when her past caught up with her as the media scrutiny intensified on her life – she was left crying and embarrassed and eventually resigned from her post after only a week.

It’s a sobering lesson for Paris – who will now fully appreciate the enormity of the implications of inappropriate social media activity.  But it should also serve as a sobering lesson for the Police Commissioner for Kent Constabulary – who should never have allowed the situation to arise in the first place. 

Whether Paris should have kept her role as a bridge between police and young people and seen out the media storm with support from Kent Constabulary or whether she was right to walk away from the position, are arguments open for lengthy discussion.

What is indisputable however is the renewed focus on the implications of apparently casual tweets or Facebook postings which can be used by employers to provide a deeper insight into the personality traits of job candidates.

Had the Police Commissioner for Kent Constabulary checked out Paris’s social media history before the appointment, a more measured approach could have been adopted and a media storm avoided.

Budget 2013: relief for the jobs market

While George Osborne’s ‘aspirational’ budget may not have convinced the entire nation, it has revealed some positive news for those still struggling to find work.

The Chancellor opened his speech with some encouraging statistics for 2013: an additional 600,000 people to be employed by the end of the year, 60,000 fewer benefits claimants and six private sector jobs being created for every public sector one lost.

All of this indicates some relief for the jobs market and a welcome reduction in the level of competition for individual roles. And with additional supportive measures such as the new personal tax and employment allowances, we are expected to see “more people in work than ever before,” according to The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

Locally, business leaders and politicians in Peterborough have largely embraced the budget and recognise its value in boosting the city’s economy. In particular, the reduction in National Insurance Contributions has received praise from small businesses and firms, who will now be in a better position financially to create jobs and start hiring.

It’s these kinds of measures that will help to generate a much needed boost of confidence in our local jobs market, confidence that the team here at ACR will naturally support and help to implement.

As REC rightly observes, “tweaks to the tax code that cut the cost of hiring, rewarding workers with more take-home pay and reducing the corporate tax burden on businesses are positive examples of some targeted steps that our industry should welcome.”

We’ll be working closely with our clients to encourage and develop future job roles, as well as providing our candidates with new and exciting opportunities for work in the local area.

ACR is moving!

I’m delighted to announce that the ACR team will be moving offices in a few short months.

Work is now under-way at our new premises on the Peterborough Business Park at Lynch Wood.

It means leaving our city centre base on Park Road, however the move will be instrumental to our ongoing business development plans by bringing us closer to our existing and potential clients. And with all candidates now sending in their CVs digitally, a central location is no longer a necessity.

The accessibility of Lynch Wood was also a contributing factor to the move, as it is close to the A1 and boasts excellent public transport links. The new building has ample parking space and more interview rooms to make life easier for our meetings with clients and candidates.

Having launched the business 18 years ago, I have witnessed first-hand the many ways in which recruitment has changed and the adjustments that have had to be made in our day-to-day operation as a result.

Our latest move reflects our long-term commitment to remain fresh, modern and contemporary without losing the intrinsic business values which have helped us retain so many clients over the years.

We are hoping to make the move late spring/early summer, with business continuing as normal at our Park Road office in the meantime.

We will be making sure we keep everyone up-to-date with the latest news regarding the move but please do get in touch if you have any queries, either via email or by telephoning us on 01733 319 888.

With 2013 already off to an exciting start, I look forward to what the rest of the year will bring as we welcome clients and candidates to ACR’s new home very soon.

Latest research shows renewed confidence in UK jobs market

In my last blog post, I gave some predictions for the year ahead after a busy and insightful month working with both clients and candidates.

Now a recent survey conducted by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has revealed some promising statistics regarding the growth of the UK jobs market on the whole, which I’m delighted to see reflects our experiences here in Peterborough.

600 employers contributed to the report, which showed that overall business confidence is steadily building, with 57% of employers looking to increase their permanent workforce in the next three months.

It’s this type of good news that needs shouting about, particularly when there has been so much negativity surrounding the job losses within a number of high street retailers over the past few months.

This latest research demonstrates the ongoing resilience of the jobs market, as well as highlighting the areas that have a need for more workers.

Skills shortages in the Technical & Engineering and the Professional & Managerial sectors have incited a race for talent, with a third of employers looking to increase their use of temporary workers – the benefit of which ACR has long been champions of.

All of this bodes extremely well for us locally, as many of the area’s prominent businesses belong to these sectors. Myself and the team at ACR continue to be engaged with and responsive to the hiring processes of a number of clients within these industries, working alongside HR managers and directors to find the right temporary or permanent candidate with the right skills and attributes for their company.

If any of the REC’s findings sounds familiar to you, do let us know. We make it our business to keep up-to-date with the latest news and issues affecting employers, regularly using our own polls to ask some of the most pertinent questions. Please see our dedicated hirers section on the website for more information.

What to expect in 2013

January is always a busy month for recruitment in general, and it’s no exception here in the ACR office.

For starters, we've been dealing with a number of instructions from clients who are starting to think about their recruitment needs for the year ahead. Our Recruitment Partners will be working closely with businesses over the next few months as they consider their staffing strategies and employment requirements for 2013.

The local job market also remains buoyant, with a surge in number of CV’s arriving in our inboxes over the past week. This is to be expected however, as many people adopt a ‘new year, new job’ mentality, with ACR staff on hand and ready to help.

As usual, we've been keeping up with the latest news from REC who have released some interesting thoughts on recruitment trends for the year ahead.

Encouragingly, we’ll continue to see a growth in the industry, albeit a slow and steady one. The growth in part-time and temporary work is set to be the most significant – something that the team and I are more than familiar with and will continue to dedicate time and energy to.

Meanwhile, our salary survey continues to go from strength to strength as more and more companies from a range of sectors take part each year.

For 2013, we’ll be teaming up with PAYDATA again to produce an additional interim report in January, with the focus being on pay reviews.

Designed to be a shorter study than the salary survey, it should take no longer than five minutes to feed in the relevant data. The results will give participants an extra insight into what is happening in the local market in order to prepare and plan their 2013 pay reviews more effectively.

If you would like information about taking part in the study, please let us know via email or alternatively call us on 01733 319 888.

Also on the agenda over the next few weeks will be discussions surrounding our Employment Law seminars, held twice a year in conjunction with Hegarty solicitors. If there are any topics you feel it would be particularly relevant to address this year, do let us know.

As we get into the full swing of the new year, I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all who worked with us in 2012 - we appreciate your custom greatly and look forward to working with you again in 2013.

Salary survey shows businesses are exercising caution

No news is good news, apparently, Certainly in the case of this year’s local Salary Survey that is the case.

Last year there was a levelling out of salary increments following two or three years of quite severe dips and troughs across different industries.

But this year’s Peterborough Local Market Survey, which we produce in partnership with specialist reward consultants PayData Ltd, shows a ‘cautious’ response to the economic conditions.

While a quarter of participants revealed they had frozen pay, the survey revealed an overall average 2.5 per cent rise in salaries over the past 12 months.

That suggests a plateau has been reached. Rather than companies trying to bring salary levels back in line or attract staff in certain areas, they now seem to be rewarding loyalty and hard work while keeping one eye on costs.

There are always the odd discrepancies in this type of survey. Advanced accounts clerks have notched up around 12 per cent extra in their pay packets while marketing assistants, IT assistants and production managers have noticed a small slip. But having studied the results, I suspect these blips could be more related to the shift in our sample. Some new businesses signed up to take part in this year’s salary which is always good news.

The survey is such a valuable benchmarking tool - one which has been part of the business landscape for 15 years – it is good to see the continuing involvement of some big names.

We are now working on the production of an interim report, concentrating on pay rises, to be produced in the new year. If you would like to take part do get in touch with us.

By participating in the full survey next year your company is entitled to see the entire results document. There is also the option to receive a comparison of your results against those of others.

ACR team offers help to future doctors and tattoo artists!

With so much talk about high levels of youth unemployment it was an absolute pleasure to see enthusiasm and ambition is still prevalent among young people.

Six of our team took part in an event organised by the Rotary Club of Peterborough, aimed at giving youngsters an opportunity to try out their interview skills in a formal environment.

The year 11 students from Kings School had to submit a CV with covering letter and then spend half an hour with one of our recruitment partners, talking about their chosen career path, answering questions and demonstrating their knowledge.

We gave them feedback at the end of the session and also provided written feedback to the school to give them a focus for future career discussion.

It was brilliant to hear of the diverse plans the 15 and 16 year olds had. Among the careers they are working towards were doctor, teacher, vet, figure skater, actor, pr and tattoo artist!

The standard overall was very high with the students presenting themselves well, communicating clearly and demonstrating a good level of background knowledge.

We were able to suggest tweaks to CVs and covering letters which, we hope, will give the students some valuable advice to call on in the future.

In total, around 150 students were given the benefit of professional advice. That’s 150 youngsters who have got that scary first interview out of the way and can now face job and university interviews with the benefit of experience!

Breakfast seminar success

It was, as always, wonderful to see so many of you willing to suffer an extra early start in order to attend our annual employment law breakfast briefing.

It is testament to the quality of information passed on by the experts from our partners Hegarty LLP Solicitors that we, once again, scored a record attendance at the event at the East of England Showground.

I’m sure Martin Bloom, Tim Thompson and Emma Carter will forgive me for saying the subject matter can sometimes be a little dry, But, by using case law and their own experiences, they manage to make the information both accessible and incredibly useful.

One of the key points this time was the change in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal introduced in April this year. The government has been keen to reduce the amount of tax payers’ money spent on industrial tribunals. In a bid to do that, it has increased the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from one year to two.

This means a company can dismiss an employee at any time during their first two years of employment without fear of comeback.

There are always exceptions of course. Under the Equality Act 2012 there is no qualifying period for claims of discrimination. So, someone dismissed within the two year qualifying period could still claim discrimination and that could still lead to a tribunal. For that reason, Tim believes the move may not necessarily make much of a dent in the volume of claims. I’m sure he’ll keep us posted in the effect the change has at future updates.

The presentations also covered bonuses, a contentious issue in many companies, and a case law update. 

These are particularly useful illustrating, as they do, the real life interpretation of important HR legislation we all make it our business to be aware of.

Do let us know by emailing info@annecorder.co.uk if you wish to be kept informed of future events – or if you’d like to suggest topics to be covered.

Unemployment crawling in the right direction

The drop in the UK’s unemployment rate by 0.1 per cent represents a crawl in the right direction rather than a freefall – but at least it is the right direction. And it represents an ongoing downward trend which can only be positive.

Levels of unemployment are still high at 8.1 per cent and they do also need some clarifying. For instance, the number of people out of work for more than a year stands at the highest for 16 years and the number of people working part time hours is the highest since records started in 1992 at 8.12 million. Around 1.42 million of those are working part time hours because they can’t secure a full time post.

However, the overall figures do reflect the resilience of the current labour market, while also suggesting that those companies operating in the private sector are perhaps more confident than many commentators are suggesting.

Certainly we’re finding locally that the recruitment market is improving in specific areas. In particular, local businesses in the engineering sector are on the hunt for new staff in a number of different departments. And smaller IT companies are obviously coping with larger work loads as there has been an increase in demand for those with IT sales and web developer experience. Interestingly, that reflects the national situation in those industries.

Even cautious employers are hanging on to staff, obviously anticipating an upturn so making it financially worthwhile to pay staff through the lean times rather than go to the expense of re-recruiting in the near future.

It does feel that these two elements of the market are shoring up the continuing poor performances in the public sector and industries including construction and hospitality leading to the almost static overall figure.

Bonus payments, tribunals and bacon butties

The finishing touches are being put to the plans for this year’s employment law breakfast briefing.

As usual it means an early start for the ACR team, but one that always feels worth setting the alarm clock for!

Presenters Martin Bloom and Tim Thompson will be joined for the second year by their colleague from Hegarty LLP Emma Carter. All three are experts in their field ensuring that delegates receive the most up to date information. Martin’s role as an employment tribunal judge gives him a valuable insight into the most frequently occurring issues and the challenges employers face which makes him the ideal person to address a room full of HR professionals.

The subjects on this year’s agenda are bonus payments and the proposed changes to employment tribunals. 

There will also be discussions around case law and recent changes to employment law legislation.

The seminar has grown in popularity over the 15 years or so we’ve been holding it. We now have well over 130 companies represented and around 200 attendees who, we like to think, don’t only come for the bacon butties and coffee!

If you haven’t booked your place, there are a few seats left so do get in touch. The date for your diary is Thursday, September 20 with registration starting at 7.30am.

Employment Law Briefing -Social Networking and the Workplace

I’m just back in the office following our Employment Law Briefing and I’m half way through drawing up a list of action points on the back of it!

The briefing, organised in partnership with Hegarty LLP Solicitors, was on the subject of Social Networking and the Workplace.

We know this is an area of concern for many employers in the city by the huge response we had to invitations.

From my point of view, it is the pace of change on the internet and of social networking platforms that creates so many challenges. And that was echoed by our speaker Martin Bloom, a very experienced employment law expert.

As he said, five years ago, the kind of cases tribunals are dealing with now were unthinkable. People dismissed for posting comments about clients on Facebook, issues over ownership of connections on LinkedIn, cyber bullying of former colleagues on Twitter… even that sentence would have meant very little a decade ago!

Martin touched a chord with many delegates – myself included – when he mentioned the importance of a company having a social networking policy. An internet usage policy isn’t enough.

Every employer needs to have a well thought out, detailed and regularly reviewed policy governing the use of social media at work. This needs to be written into contracts and – vitally – employees need to be trained in it.

The easiest solution may be to ban the use of social networking in work time on work equipment completely. You may also need to consider the rules you wish to set governing people using their personal mobile phones to access Facebook or Twitter, for instance, during their working day.

Of course, in some sectors, the use of such websites is necessary. In those cases, policies need to be even more specific. And again, training needs to reflect that.

Martin discussed a number of cases of inappropriate use of Facebook and emails out of hours – employees discussing clients, employees emailing former colleagues – which had resulted in employment tribunals.

Again, these issues are all relatively new and the law, courts and tribunals are having to evolve around them. Many employers are playing catch up with their staff on this but thought must be given to getting ahead.

I’d be interested to hear the stance other employers take on the use of social networking. Feel free to leave a comment.

Salary Survey 2012

The Salary Survey was one of the first ‘added value’ services we launched back in the early days of ACR. It is testament to its usefulness that it is still going strong 15 years later.

And the 2012 survey is being launched this week.

Our partners at Paydata Ltd are currently sending out the questionnaires to a number of companies in the region, big and small, from a wide range of sectors.

The data provided on the salary and benefits of hundreds of employees will be collated, analysed and used to produce a comprehensive snapshot of remuneration packages for use by recruiters and companies.

While the headline results will be published, participants will receive a detailed analysis enabling them to make a direct comparison with similar companies.

It’s this kind of information which is crucial for companies wanting to attract the very best candidates who will be looking for a competitive offer.

We have been working on this annual project with Paydata Ltd, another Peterborough company, for the last few years. They are national experts in the field so are able to see how Peterborough shapes up against other regions. Outside the public sector, they have reported seeing a modest rise in salaries across the UK so we shall wait to see if that is reflected locally.

It’s not too late to take part in this year’s survey. If you’d like further information, do get in touch.

ACR notches up another Green Star

The Investors in the Environment scheme marked the end of its second successful year with an awards ceremony aimed at rewarding the achievements of those businesses which have demonstrated a commitment to an eco-policy.

We were one of the founder members of the scheme, organised and managed by PECT (Peterborough Environment City Trust) and were at last night’s ceremony.

There was an impressive turn out and it was incredible to hear of the impact the scheme has had. Tens of thousands of pounds have been saved by businesses through the adoption of eco-policies. Thousands of tonnes of waste have been diverted from landfill. Carbon footprints have been reduced. Recycling has increased on a huge scale. And the scheme has now become a franchise being adopted by environmental trusts as far afield as Yorkshire.

It was great to see how broad a spectrum of businesses have signed up to the scheme, from small owner-managed concerns to the Peterborough offices of Mars PetCare and Ikea.

We were delighted to once again receive not just the highest Green Award but also a Great Green Star Award. This particular certificate was given to the handful of companies which the auditors felt had embedded their eco-policy into the fabric of their business.

For us, our reduce, recyle, reuse policy has become second nature. We just do it. And that’s because as individuals and as an agency we have changed our habits. According to psychologists, it takes just a matter of weeks to change the habit of a lifetime. That’s not a long time. And as Kim Coley, the self-proclaimed queen of Investors in the Environment, said at the ceremony: “It’s about changing the world.”