Chamber Members Meeting — Minutes

Date: 24 September 2025

Jo Bluck; Director of Communications chaired the meeting in Gareth Thomas’s absence. The session covered Chamber updates, welcomed new members, and featured talks on vehicle leasing and the tax implications of company cars.

Guest speakers

• Nick Darlow, ND Vehicle Consultancy

• Paul Simpson, TaxAssist Accountants (Market Harborough)

Key takeaways

• The Chamber is actively welcoming new members from across the Harborough District and town centre.

• Grants are available via Harborough District Council (see below).

• Vehicle leasing can be a smart option—especially during the shift to EVs—but comes with pros/cons to weigh.

• Tax treatment for vehicles varies by business structure and vehicle type; EVs are currently the most tax-efficient.

Chamber updates

• Light & Life Festival: Requesting a meeting with John Richardson (Harborough District Council) to discuss concerns.

• Parliament Visit: Planning a visit with MP Neil O’Brien (date TBC). If you would be interested in attending this visit, please email secretary@harboroughchamber.co.uk with your interest. Once we have confirmed numbers, we will update you.

• Community Awards: 9 October 2025, Lutterworth College. Please read the full press release here.

• Movember Charity Evening: 27 November, The Three Swans — full details will be shared at the October meeting.

• Christmas Social: Early December, The Three Swans — full details will be confirmed at the October meeting.

Grant opportunities (Harborough District Council)

• UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Up to £2,000 for green growth & innovation.

• Rural Grants: £5,000–£20,000 available.

• Deadline: 31 October 2025.

• Free business advice: Contact advisor Gal Naik — G.Naik@harborough.gov.uk.

Summary: Vehicle leasing (Nick Darlow, ND Vehicle Consultancy)

• Typically lower deposits and monthly payments than purchasing.

• Access to newer vehicles with warranty cover.

• No resale hassle at end of term.

• Mileage caps apply; excess charges can add up.

• Not ideal if driving 20,000+ miles/year.

• EVs are currently the most tax-efficient choice.

Summary: Vehicle tax considerations (Paul Simpson, TaxAssist Accountants)

• VAT and deductions depend on business structure and vehicle type.

• Capital allowances linked to CO₂ emissions; EVs most favourable.

• Benefit-in-kind (BIK) rates are significantly lower for EVs.

• Sole traders face simpler rules but fewer planning options than limited companies.

• Leasing can be simpler when there’s mixed business/personal use.

Looking ahead: November special meeting

Our November meeting will spotlight the Rewilding Project with John Richardson (Harborough District Council) and Ben Devine (Leicestershire Wildlife Trust).

Get involved

Build relationships with local businesses at our next meeting.
Interested in presenting on your area of expertise or sharing member updates? We’d love to hear from you.

Next Chamber Members Meeting

Wednesday 29 October 2025
Arrival: from 5:00pm | Meeting: 5:30–7:00pm
Venue: Market Harborough Building Society, Newcombe House, 16 The Point, Market Harborough, LE16 7QU

All guests are welcome.

The post September 2025 members’ meeting minutes summary appeared first on The Market Harborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce.

An amazing night at the East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire) Business Awards! It was great to be there with the De Montfort University team.

Nick Darlow, was very proud to be there to represent the Market Harborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce, especially as we were a finalist for the Educational and Business Partnership Award, for our work in helping to make the Help to Grow: Management Course, even more accessible!

We didn’t win on this occasion unfortunately, there’s always next year!

We look forward to working with Bobby and the DMU Business development and regeneration team in 2025.

Congratulations must go to Loughborough University, who won the category on the night. Very well deserved.

Don’t forget. Our next Chamber Members Meeting – will be held on Wednesday 27th November 2024 and will be an early evening meeting, with arrival from 5:30pm, with the main meeting starting at 6pm through until 7:30pm. More information can be found here. Please RSVP to secretary@harboroughchamber.co.uk

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The September members’ meeting was held at Market Harborough Building Society’s new Head Office at The Point Business. This is part of a fantastic new partnership between the Chamber and the Building Society, more about which can be found here. They are also now a Patron member, which we are truly delighted with.

The theme of the meeting was Support to Business, with specific information on local grants, recruitment support as well as more specialist support from one of our other Patrons, De Montfort University.

Market Harborough Building Society

The MHBS shared welcomed the new partnership with the Chamber, and in confidence, also shared an important forthcoming announcement that will be very welcome for many Market Harborough businesses. More to follow when we are able to share with their permission, Businesses will hear more over the coming weeks from the Building Society, and we will ensure we update you as soon as we can.

Harborough District Council – UKSPF Go Grants

Harborough District Council has local grants designed to help businesses in the district prosper and grow. If you’re looking to start or take your business to the next level, this could be the perfect opportunity to get the support you need.

Eligible businesses can now apply for grants of up to £2,000 to support a project that will enhance their business. A total of £46,000 is available through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to assist businesses across three key themes, which are:

1. Go Green– Reduce your carbon footprint, increase energy efficiency, and lower fixed costs.
2. Go Digital– Implement digital technology solutions to improve performance and expand access to customers.
3. Go Innovate– Develop new products or methods to increase efficiency and drive business growth.

Important Eligibility Requirements:

To qualify for  any of the grants, businesses must first participate in the Leicestershire Business Advice Service (LBAS) programme and upload an LBAS Action Plan as part of their application. If you haven’t yet joined LBAS, you can start by visiting here.

How to Apply:

Applications are submitted via the Grant Approval website. If you already have an account, simply log in and select ‘Harborough’ as your local authority, then search for the appropriate Go Grant Scheme. If you are new to the system, you will need to register an account.

Before applying, please ensure you have the following documents ready:

• Two quotes for the goods/services you intend to purchase with the grant (and your preferred supplier).
• A bank statement that matches the bank details for grant payment.
• Proof of trading.
• Your LBAS Action Plan.

Grants are available on a first come, first served basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is Thursday, 31 October 2024, but funding may be allocated before then if all available funds are distributed.

Start your application today via www.grantapproval.co.uk

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: business@harborough.gov.uk

Department for Work and Pensions (Jobcentre Plus) – Recruitment and other support for Businesses and Individuals

A summary of some of the support available was provided. This includes:

• Recruitment Support, fully funded and available to local businesses
• Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). SWAPs offer jobseekers across England and Scotland a six-week training programme, where they learn new skills, gain hands-on work experience and build their contacts in a new line of work. Whether it’s from aviation to care, or finance to logistics, every SWAP participant is guaranteed an interview at the end of their course for a live job vacancy.
• Support to businesses to set up work trials.  Also to support individuals to experience a workplace before deciding if it is a good fit for both parties. This can be particularly valuable for those returning to the workplace having has a break, such as to raise a family.
• The Flexible Support Fund can support previously unemployed individuals with travel or other costs, to ensure for those without savings, a new job is not out of their reach. Support could include helping with travel or clothing/equipment costs prior to a new recruit’s first wages.

De Montfort University (DMU) – Training and Innovation support to local businesses

Bobby Chotai outlined some of the support available to businesses from DMU. These includes some well-known offers such as Degree Apprenticeships and Help to Grow Management. The latter being a course that DMU has successfully run locally to support local businesses, and that has been highly rated by business leaders in Market Harborough. Further information was supplied on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Cyber and Digital Security, Data Analysis and Processing.

DMU Offered a visit to their premises for Chamber members, and this opportunity will be shared over coming week.

Chamber Membership including Large Employers

A plea was put out by the President for members to help attract more members, including larger businesses. If the Chamber is to fulfil its remit in challenging business decision makers and regulators, it needs to increase its membership and especially from larger businesses locally.

Next Members Meeting – will be held on 30th October 2025 and will be an early evening meeting, with arrival from 5:30pm, with the main meeting starting at 6pm through until 7:30pm. More information can be found here.

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