Business Club: June 2026
The monthly newsletter for businesses in and around Shepperton.
Welcome to the June edition. If you were at Shepperton Business Connect at The Ferry Coffee Shop last night, great to see you. The next one - as always cohosted by The Sheppertonian and nikibakes - is on Thursday 16th July.
A big congratulations to all the businesses who had a presence at Shepperton Village Fair last Saturday - it was a wonderful day, and the response to the reels we made has been phenomenal. If you'd like to get your business in front of a local audience, head to the Business Club page for advertising options.
Gareth
Local news: the shadow authority is up and running
The West Surrey Shadow Authority held its inaugural meeting on 21st May, marking the formal start of the transition to the new council.
At that first meeting, councillors agreed the constitution for the shadow phase, setting out how the council will operate, make decisions, and act transparently within the law. They also agreed the initial Surrey Local Government Implementation Plan, which sets out the approach and timetable for transferring services to the new West Surrey Council from 1 April 2027. Woking Borough Council
The Shadow Authority Executive met again on 9th June to consider further reports on the implementation programme, governance arrangements, and the approach to developing a Corporate Strategy and Financial Plan for the new council. Surrey Heath
The Liberal Democrats hold the leadership of the shadow authority, with Paul Follows named as Leader. For Spelthorne businesses, nothing changes yet in how you receive services or interact with the council. But the machinery is now moving. Worth keeping an eye on the corporate strategy work as it develops, since that will set the direction for business support, planning, and economic development under the new structure. Wikipedia
Updates at surreylgrhub.gov.uk.
Funding & support
Spelthorne Business Awards 2026 - entry extended
This is the last reminder. The eighth and final Spelthorne Business Awards are free to enter, with categories spanning a wide range of sectors. Shepperton Studios is the headline sponsor, and the awards culminate in one business being crowned Spelthorne Best Business of the Year. Entries were meant to close at midnight tonight, Friday 19th June....however, the deadline has been extended to midnight on Wednesday 24th June. Spelthorne Borough Council
If you've been meaning to enter and haven't yet, do it now: spelthornebusinessawards.co.uk
Spelthorne Business Plan Competition - final next week
The Dragons' Den-style final takes place on Friday 26th June at the bp Research Centre in Sunbury upon Thames. If you're not a finalist yourself, it's still worth knowing about: finalists are local entrepreneurs who are often actively looking for suppliers, collaborators, and partners. Spelthorne Borough Council
Employment law: prepare now for October
The big change on the horizon is a significant strengthening of harassment law, coming into force in October. Four months away, but policies and training take time to put in place properly.
From October 2026: a higher duty to prevent harassment
From October 2026, employers will be under a new, more stringent proactive duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent the sexual harassment of their employees, raising the bar from the previous "reasonable steps" standard. Employers will also become liable for harassment committed by third parties such as clients, customers, or suppliers against their employees. HR-inform
This will apply to all types of harassment across all protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, not just sexual harassment. Circleukgroup
If your staff interact with customers, clients, or the public in any capacity, this affects you. Review your harassment policy, check your training is up to date, and make sure managers know what the new standard requires. The EHRC has guidance at equalityhumanrights.com, and ACAS guidance is at acas.org.uk.
Networking & workshops
Shepperton Business Connect: Thursday 16th July 5-7pm
The Ferry Coffee Shop, Ferry Lane, Shepperton, TW17 9LQ. It's free, relaxed, and open to anyone running or working in a local business. No agenda, no pitches, just good conversation in a great setting.
Smarter Fundraising for CICs - GoodHub & Gift Aid Explained
https://sbf.biz/event/smarter-fundraising-for-cics-goodhub-webinar/
Sales & Marketing Accountability Session for Service Founders
https://sbf.biz/event/sales-marketing-accountability-session/
Save Money While Building Business Resilience (Woking workshop)
https://sbf.biz/event/business-resilience-workshop-woking-june-2026/
(this one also links out to the organiser's own listing at zerocarbonguildford.org)
Smash Sales and Turn Leads into Paying Customers
https://sbf.biz/event/smash-sales-turn-leads-paying-customers/
(booking via Eventbrite, linked from that page)
From The Sheppertonian this month
The Sheppertonian has been covering local stories across Shepperton and Spelthorne, including the latest podcast episodes and the weekly What's On guide. Catch up at thesheppertonian.uk. There's also a growing community groups directory here.
The Sheppertonian Business Club newsletter is published on the third Friday of every month and is free to read. To find out about the paid tiers of the Business Club, visit thesheppertonian.uk/business-club.
Sources:
- West Surrey Shadow Authority inaugural meeting: woking.gov.uk
- Shadow Authority Executive June meeting: surreyheath.gov.uk
- West Surrey Council leadership: Wikipedia
- Spelthorne Business Awards 2026: spelthorne.gov.uk
- Spelthorne Business Plan Competition final: spelthorne.gov.uk
- October 2026 harassment law changes: hr-inform.co.uk / acas.org.uk / littler.com
B2B spotlight - your space (£50)
This slot is available for B2B advertising. If you provide services to other businesses and want a presence here, get in touch. Contact hello@thesheppertonian.uk to find out more.
In the podcast
Sources used:
- Laleham & Shepperton ward election results: spelthorne.gov.uk
- West Surrey elections results overview: spelthorne.gov.uk
- Spelthorne Business Plan Competition 2026: spelthorne.gov.uk
- Business Academy: sbf.biz / business.gov.uk
- Employment Rights Act 2025 (unfair dismissal, harassment): longmores.law / acas.org.uk
- SBF Big Networking Event: sbf.biz
The Sheppertonian Business Club newsletter is published on the third Friday of every month and is free to read. To find out about the paid tiers of the Business Club, visit thesheppertonian.uk/business-club.
