Newport Matters January 2017

JANUARY 2017. Edition 8 ........................................................................................................................ At the December budget – around 80 per cent meeting of Newport City of its revenue. Council tax Council’s cabinet, savings paid by residents accounts BUDGET CONSULTATION – proposals totalling £3.5m for about 20 per cent of the HAVE YOUR SAY were discussed and the council’s annual budget. public are now being asked for their views. With less money coming in next year, Newport City Council’s Although the cash reduction is budget must fund nearly 1,000 NM better than anticipated, Welsh different services, and the NEWPORT Government has confirmed savings proposed are vital to that Newport City Council will ensure that the council can MATTERS receive a cut to its year-on- continue to deliver front line year revenue support grant for services and support and protect 2017/18 of 0.1 per cent, reducing some of the most vulnerable it to just over £209million. members of the community. The official newspaper of Newport City Council This funding from Welsh For more information and Government provides the to have your say visit www. majority of the council’s newport.gov.uk/budget EXCITING PLANS FOR NEWPORT’S FUTURE L-R: International Convention Centre, City of Democracy, City Summit venueDemocracy” Next steps to make Newport One of the key sections was the “I believe that making Newport schools and residents and creating nights to the area every year. a City of Democracy, a start proposal to give the city a unique A City of Democracy has great a meaningful platform that will date for the International selling point and details of research potential to make us stand out have lasting benefits for the city.” The Celtic Manor is also joining forces Convention Centre Wales, carried out by independent think from the crowd and the reaction to with the university, and specialist and innovative projects tank ResPublica were given by the idea has been very positive. To read ResPublica’s report and boutique hotel booking portal Welsh were unveiled at the its director Phillip Blond. recommendations visit www. Rarebits, to create a new course council’s fourth annual “ResPublica’s report and newport.gov.uk/cityofdemocracy that will develop the next generation City Summit recently. He outlined the strong potential recommendations was met with of hotel and hospitality managers. for an option to develop the theme enthusiasm and great interest from Ian Edwards, chief executive A packed audience at the of democracy, building on the the audience at the City Summit. of the Celtic Manor Resort, Councillor Wilcox said: “Many University of South Wales’ rich history of the city, including said building work on the £100 people are now realising that city centre campus enjoyed an its Chartist legacy, to give the “This has to be about more than million International Convention Newport is the place to do business interesting and inspiring line-up concept real depth and meaning. just creating a marketing tool or Centre Wales is set to start in and we are realising our potential as of speakers whose overwhelming a slogan. The next step will be to February, and once it is open it a city that has an exciting present message was that Newport has Councillor Debbie Wilcox, Leader further develop those ideas with will bring a £70 million economic and future that will benefit all much to be positive about. of Newport City Council, said: business leaders, community groups, benefit and 100,000 bedroom those that live and work here.” For more news visit www.newport.gov.uk ..........................................................................................................................................................NEWPORT MATTERS JANUARY 2017 1 Newport City Council MARKET POP-UP BECOME ‘TRADING has launched a campaign WELCOMES to make the city free ROGUE GRANT SERVED BUSINESS STANDARDS of fake and counterfeit NEW FOOD goods and services. TRADERS UP FOR NEW SCHOOL APPROVED’ FAKE FREE PROSECUTED VENTURE ‘Fake Free Newport’ will see the council’s Trading Standards HIGH STREET department working with local NEWPORT The latest business to A two-week pop-up business Newport City Council’s businesses to raise awareness open its doors in Newport school is coming to Newport Trading Standards is launching and prevent the sale of these A shopkeeper who used a Market has an international BUSINESS next month as part of the a new scheme that will poor quality and illegal items. baby monitor and chute to feel and promises to city council’s innovative help people to ‘Buy With deliver illegal cigarettes on tantalise your taste buds. business development fund. Confidence’ from local Not only can counterfeit goods demand to his customers has tradespeople and businesses. be dangerous to the user, they been jailed for participation Sicily to Seattle specialises in Free to attend, it will run from 27 are also often distributed by in a fraudulent business Sicilian and American vegetarian/ February to 10 March for both This national scheme awards organised crime groups and vegan street food and has now established businesses and those a Trading Standards ‘approval’ individuals who hide their profits In what is believed to be the biggest set up home on the ground looking to start a new venture. of businesses who meet a from the government. Such Trading Standards investigation of its floor of Newport Market. strict level of service. products are sometimes made type in Wales, Tahar Mohammed, 38, Pre-start and established in areas of the world where the and shop keeper Feryad Mohammed Customers will have the choice to businesses can access workshops Details of accredited businesses workers face poor conditions, Abdul-Kadir, 33, admitted handling eat in or grab a take-away, with and business support between are then available online where low pay and exploitation. and selling more than £427,000 worth dishes such as corn dogs, burgers, 10am and 4pm and there customers can search by area of smuggled and counterfeit tobacco. pasta, calzone and arancini on offer. will also be additional early and type of service/product. The sale of counterfeit goods and twilight sessions. and services also costs the UK Two other men who worked in the Business partners Karl Lovesey and Councillor Bob Poole, Cabinet economy millions of pounds each shop, Richard Jendrejcak, aged 41 and Rama Ishaya originally ran a mobile Partners include Newport City Member for Regulatory Functions, year and puts at risk the jobs Burham Karim, aged 37, were also business selling food at events, Council; Newport City Homes; said: “This is a great way of helping and livelihoods of thousands of sentenced for their part in the fraud. but thanks to a grant from the Communities First; Newport Now; people access trustworthy companies workers and business owners. Local businesses at the launch of Fake Free Newport Kickstart programme, run jointly Business Wales; Monmouthshire and make an informed choice. Newport City Council’s Trading by Newport City Council and Tata Housing Association; Charter Newport City Council also takes Standards officers worked with Steel subsidiary UK Steel Enterprise, Housing and JobCentre Plus. “Our Trading Standards team work its responsibility in enforcing Member for Regulatory in counterfeit goods, please let the colleagues from HM Revenue and they have now made Newport very hard to deter and prosecute the laws around counterfeit Functions, was joined at the council know and we will investigate.” Customs (HMRC) and police to carry L-R: Kim Carter (NCC), Amy Craig (Parc Central), Councillor John Richards Market their permanent home. The pop-up business school rogue traders, and this excellent and fake goods seriously and launch by representatives of out the investigation. In total, nearly team excite and inspire resource will complement this work will investigate and prosecute Cineworld, Wildings, The If you have any information three quarters of a million cigarettes For more information on support Parc Central opened for investment in the city centre. towards those costs in the early days, people who want to start and help protect the consumer.” individuals and traders breaking Lamb and Debenhams. about the sale of counterfeit and over 300kg of hand rolling for businesses in Newport visit business in High Street in and help them to become established.” or grow their business. the law. Businesses looking to goods or services you can tobacco, with an estimated duty and www.newport.gov.uk/business November after becoming It included grants of up to £6,000 For more information visit www. invest in the area will know “Together with the city’s legitimate call our rogue trading hotline tax evaded of £300,000, were seized. the first recipients of a towards the costs of setting up Ant Cook said: It complements traditional newport.gov.uk/tradingstandards they are becoming part of a businesses, we are making a public 01633 235233 in confidence. new type of grant from a retail business in Commercial “It’s a huge honour for us that the business support by getting people or www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk respectable city, and shoppers stand against counterfeit goods and An inspection of a storage unit Newport City Council. Street and High Street which the council has a shared vision of the started or motivated to grow reassured that they can buy in sending out a clear message that ‘Fake Free Newport’ is also owned by Mohammed uncovered business partners applied for. potential of this street and granted us their business and feeding into Newport with confidence. Newport is a fake-free city,” he said. supported by the UK Intellectual more than 225,000 counterfeit Matt Ellis and Ant Cook, who funding toward our first year’s rent.” mentoring and support schemes. Property Office and the Anti- and non-duty paid cigarettes, already own the successful Parc Councillor John Richards, Cabinet A number of key city retailers “Fake goods and services may counterfeiting Group.

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