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Support for Local Businesses During the Credit Crunch

Useful information for businesses during the credit crunch brought to you from Maidenhead Town Partnership and Windsor and Eton Town Partnership - helping to support local businesses.

Retail Forums

Want to know how every other retailer is trading in the town? Want to know what promotional opportunities there are for you in the town? Both Windsor and Maidenhead town centres have retail forums which run once a month to discuss and lead on a number of town wide initiatives to help increase trade in the towns.

For information on the Windsor Retail Forum contact the Town Manager on 01753 743921

For information on the Maidenhead Retail Forum contact the Town Manager on 01628 796128

Business Rates

If you would like help with your business rates contact the Council's Business Rates Section

Publicising your business offers

The Town Partnerships provide a FREE service to help publicise your offers to the local office community on a monthly basis.

You can sign up with the Town Managers to give and/or receive monthly offers from local businesses.

Promotion space for your business

The two Town Partnerships manage space in both Windsor and Maidenhead that can be rented out to businesses for promotional purposes.

The Partnerships offer a 30% discount to businesses that are located within the town centres (normally £150 per day - £100 for businesses located in the town centres).

To book space contact:
Windsor and Eton Town Manager, tel: 01753 743921
Maidenhead Town Manager tel: 01628 796128

Information on Local Procurement opportunities

South East Business Portal - Covers all 74 Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey and Kent Councils and is free to use. It is populated with current contract information, which will be added to and updated over time, and contract opportunities (including sub-OJEU [smaller than £144k total value]) for suppliers to view. Suppliers may register themselves on the portal in order to obtain alerts when a new contract opportunity in their area (business and geographical) is added to the portal.

Guidance on benefits for staff who may have been made redundant

If any of your employees circumstances have recently changed they may be eligible for benefits.

They can contact the RBWM benefits team by email on benefits@rbwm.gov.uk - please remember to include the name and address of the person so that the query can be directed to the correct member of staff - or alternatively telephone:01628 796036.

Grow our own

A complimentary one-stop support service for local employers to source information and advice on skills, training and recruitment solutions. We also identify government or EU funded provision available to your company that may save you time, money and resources.
Contact our dedicated Business Advisor; Johanna Watts johanna.watts@rbwm.gov.uk or 07798808297 to discuss your needs and identify workable solutions to take your business forward, including but not limited to:

Recruiting local people
Motivating and retaining staff
Identifying training needs and solutions
Sourcing any suitable funding to support training and skills
Sourcing training and skills provision
Pre redundancy support to employers and staff
Career Guidance, including Myers Briggs assessments
Access to specialist on workplace legislation
Advertising job vacancies or placements on our website
Notify non employed clients of any future or current job vacancies

We also offer support and development to non-employed people in preparation for them to secure employment. All of the individuals working with us are planning to enter the labour market in the short or medium term.

Visit our website for more information and further details of our services. www.growourown.co.uk or contact us directly on: 01628 685661

Further support and information can be accessed via:

Skills Smart Retail

Sector skills council for Retail. Leading the standards for retail training and innovation www.skillsmartretail.com

People 1st

Sector skills council for hospitality and leisure. Information on the industry, training available and recognised and updates on current trends. www.people1st.co.uk

Social Enterprise Berkshire

Providing business solutions for community benefit. Offers training solutions, business and marketing support. www.seberkshire.org

A4e

International business and a market leader in global public service reform. Works with government, the private sector and third sectors to design, develop and deliver front line public services that benefit individuals, organisations and communities. Services include: workforce development, business and enterprise and learning programme management. www.a4e.co.uk

Business Balls

Provides free career training, learning, self development ideas, materials, tips and tools for ethical personal and organisational development www.businessballs.co.uk

Business in Berkshire

Provides a business lead generation service for local businesses who are looking to the internet to provide new business opportunities. Weekly email with information on networking and business events in Berkshire, as well as an internet marketing business that can support your business with on line development. www.businessinberkshire.co.uk