Business Needs

Primary Industries Key

The high environmental (and increasing financial) cost of transport makes an excellent case for sourcing goods locally. The Government is currently prevented from giving tax incentives for local trade by EU and WTO rules; if these were relaxed to allow for tax on transport of goods, it would do a lot to revive primary industry in rural areas that badly need investment.

#40 - Anonymous - 11/04/2008 - 15:22

Obstacles aplenty

One of our clients wants to use the web to expand his business sales, however no parcel carriers will pick up and deliver his goods from West Cumbria. It just goes to show how badly businesses are supported with the basics in this area.

#39 - Oliver - 08/21/2008 - 20:03

Good support

We have recently received some excellent support through Cumbria Tourism and the Profit through Productivity Programme - more of these programmes would benefit all businesses in Cumbria.

#38 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:55

Easy access

Link up all the different offers and present them in one place on the web - and keep it up to date!

#37 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:53

Bureaucracy

All small businesses suffer from the same bureaucratic burdens (usually from central government) that big business does, yet we do not have the resources to deal with it all. This disproportionate burden needs to be alleviated.

#36 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:52

Ideas!

Would like to receive the outcomes of this survey which might provide a new business idea!

#35 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:50

Tick box

Too many orgs vying for our attention yet not enough good quality LONG TERM support. Too much tick box mentality. I would like encouragement, ideas and focus from advisers, with long term commitment to me and my business. Also a proactive approach would help with someone calling me to come for a chat about my business and what help could be offered.

#34 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:48

Energy

Look to the future - it is going to be difficult with reducing oil supplies - need to gear up for energy efficiencies - and back to earth credit facilities.

#33 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:47

Skills

A coordinated program to both attract skilled labour into Cumbria and encourage school leavers into Engineering training. Sourcing skilled labour is now directly effecting the growth of our business and the type of work we now tender for.

#32 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:46

Expansion

Greater focus on sound progressive business expansion rather than grand schemes which take public funds with little long term economic benefit for the County.

#31 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:45

Information

A brief newsletter with the current help and grants available would be good.

#30 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:35

Low aspirations

I am concerned that the old industries and enterprises that have disappeared over the last 5 or 6 decades have been replaced by low value activities. The Cumbrian economy, apart from tourism, is over reliant on direct or indirect public sector employment; there is a mentality of low expectations and aspirations; and little to retain the county's more intelligent and educated young people who leave the county in droves for lack of career fulfillment.

#29 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:34

Specialists

Personal consultations with specialists could be useful. when we set up our business we found closed doors and institutional narrow-mindedness. I would have liked a more informative useful response by people who could think outside the regimented remit and business models.

#28 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:33

Rationalise

There needs to be rationalisation of bodies and agencies there are too many, nobody is sure who to contact for the best and people simply don't bother because it is too protracted a process.

#27 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:32

Notice of funding

More notice of funding schemes, particularly for staff training, to allow for proper planning of activity that represents best value and the most useful and productive option. Too frequently, funding appears to become available at the end of the financial year with a ludicrously short time allowed for proper planning and delivery of activities.

#26 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:31

Web

I feel some support is lacking with web based solutions to business which doesn't cost a fortune. I feel rural business could use the web to help reduce the effects of being so rural.

#25 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:30

Recycling

Some provision to help sme's recycle in Copeland rather than simply destroying all waste.

#24 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:28

Energy costs

Reduction in fuel costs, or energy saving measures, would be of great help to our type of business.

#23 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:21

Online supply opportunities

An online bulletin board for publishing requirements that suppliers could respond to would be helpful.

#22 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:19

Innovate

Think "outside the box" when setting up help schemes - although Cumbria has many worthy and deserving tourist based businesses, there are also many other technical / niche businesses like ours who currently fall outside the mainstream support schemes. And, diesel/petrol costs...

#21 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:18

Business space

Greater availability of good quality business units / office space, improved transport links with the rest of the country / world. Incentives to attract small entrepreneurial businesses that can be based in any location to the area.

#20 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:17

Links

Improved transport links - Relief road around all of Carlisle not just the northern development route and better road links to West Cumbria.

#19 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:16

Standards

Cumbria needs to look outward, the services standards in the county are low.

#18 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:15

Distribution

Looking at transport/delivery needs throughout the county, using a joint delivery system that links people who are delivering to the same places and maybe combining with them to reduce the number of delivery miles per business.

#17 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:15

Services

Again, help is needed to expose the discrimination against rural communities like Warcop by BT and mobile network providers by not providing or even planning to provide high speed broadband or 3G coverage.

#16 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:14

Local supply

I feel that Cumbrian businesses should try and source local suppliers before going out of the County.

#15 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:11

Clarity

Some clear information about who and what is available in this area to help small business owners together with the funding to support their development requirements.

#14 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:10

Links

Road links into and out of West Cumbria, (both West and South) are a major obstacle to redevelopment of the region. Without major investment in transport infrastructure the economy will continue to lose diversity. A further issue is the difficulty in recruiting ambitious and well educated young people in the region - there are long term challenges for the education system and for employers in attractng, retaining and developing capable young people.

#13 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:08

Finance

Financial support for growth and business improvement.

#12 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:03

Eden

I would like to relocate my business to Eden where I live but there is no forthought by the council to provide units for small businesses ie 1000-2000sq ft. There are millions being wasted on food preparation areas that will never return a profit for farming instead of helping small businesses which could actually employ people. Wake up and do something for people other than farmers and 'craft' one person businesses most of which will noever survive once the funding is spent/withdrawn.

#11 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 18:00

Cumbria wide

General assistance, but more specifically help with advertising, needs to be spread throughout tourist businesses in Cumbria, not concentrated on the Lake District. That already has an internationally know image and, whilst it still needs some marketing, there are other more deprived areas of the county which would benefit from such funding to a much greater extent and this would improve the present parlous economic position of these areas.

#10 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 17:58

Overlap

I think there are too many regeneration agencies in Cumbria whose functions appear to overlap and whose effectivness is limited. I also have my doubts about the current strategies that appear to be based on perpetuating an economy based on low incomes, temporary and part-time employment and traditional industries rather than on developing a high value-added knowledge economy. The local authorities appear to be negative about developing the local economy in any way and appear to focus their attention on creating quiet retirement areas that are devoid of any economic activity. I feel they could also be more positive about placing work with local businesses (I would rather have a contract than a grant). There is also a shortage of suitable office accommodation to buy (although there are limited opportunities to rent).

#9 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 17:56

Skills

Support for staff skills training.

#8 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 17:54

Reduce duplication

Reduce duplication of business support agencies, free up more money to support companies directly, provide support to businesses at all stages not just during start up.

#7 - Anonymous - 07/11/2008 - 17:50

Re-generation of rural Cumbria

It is vital to the future wellbeing of Cumbria that funds start being directed to maintaining and improving the social and economic survival of rural communities.
There has been too much talk and false promises by organisations for far too long. Concerted action is needed now to build more affordable low energy housing, micro-generation and to help establish small businesses so that small communities can once again thrive.
The government can't be allowed to urbanise us all! There is too much at stake. Continue lobbying BERR, the CRC and the LAs.

#6 - Steve Dalton - 07/07/2008 - 13:26

career portfolio

I need to make the comment that there is the same problem of low pay / pt or temp. jobs only in specific areas of Cumbria as well as some employment sectors within it. We jokingly call this a career portfolio where people struggle to cope by taking several low paid jobs to make one full time one. Those who do take the plunge and try to start their own business find there is no public funding to help them either.

#5 - Anonymous - 06/11/2008 - 08:07

grants

A friend of mine has recently located to Walrs to open up an artisan bakery and she and her husband were given a grant of �30,000 for premises and refurbishment and �10,000 for a vehicle - while I'm not saying that this amount should necessarily (tho it would be nice) be available in Cumbria there needs to be some monetary help available for those folks brave enough to put their own capital on the line and try to start a business.

#4 - Sandie Craig - 06/09/2008 - 15:29

Fuel prices

The rising price of fuel is damaging small businesses in rural areas like Cumbria

#3 - Anonymous - 05/27/2008 - 09:00

Help for retailers

There does not seem to be much help for smaller retailers, local councils could assist some shops with rate rebates if they committed to undertake training of their staff

#2 - Anonymous - 05/24/2008 - 19:38

How to reduce operating costs ,encourage the big employers with all the expertise to help the small employers, small employer being with less than 25 employees, big employer being with more than 250

#1 - Anonymous - 01/08/2008 - 17:44

Reduce the price of public car parks, public transport and housing in the National Park

#0 - Anonymous - 01/08/2008 - 17:44


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