Hull City Council has approved a comprehensive five-year plan to enhance the city’s bridges, statues, monuments, and fountains. This initiative aims to transform the preservation and management of Hull’s infrastructure by integrating capital spending, inspections, and maintenance into one coordinated approach.

As part of the plan, the council is requesting funding from the government’s newly announced £1bn Structures Fund. The fund, launched on 16 June, is part of a national effort to repair, enhance, and futureproof England’s transport infrastructure and road networks.

The project is expected not only to safeguard and upgrade Hull’s infrastructure but also to provide a boost to local businesses and stimulate economic growth. The investment will focus on improving safety, reducing the likelihood of emergency closures, and enhancing public transport reliability, all of which are crucial for boosting the local economy and creating jobs.

The council believes these upgrades will contribute to better journey times, improved safety, and an overall more reliable transport system for residents and businesses in Hull and the surrounding areas.

Amazon has committed to a substantial £40 billion investment in the UK. Over the next three years, the e-commerce leader will expand its presence in the UK, creating thousands of new jobs and boosting its existing workforce of 75,000 employees.

The planned investment includes the development of two new high-tech fulfilment centres in the East Midlands, slated to open by 2027. These will complement new facilities in Hull and Northampton, expected to create 2,000 jobs each. The investment will also fund the construction of additional delivery stations nationwide, as well as upgrades to Amazon’s existing network of over 100 operational sites. Amazon’s corporate headquarters in London will receive two new buildings, and the company will redevelop the Bray Film Studios in Berkshire.

This move is a significant part of Amazon’s ongoing strategy, which also includes an £8 billion investment in its cloud services, targeting data centre growth in the UK between 2024 and 2028. The full £40 billion investment will also contribute to employee salaries and infrastructure enhancements, reinforcing the company’s standing as one of the UK’s largest private sector employers.

The announcement comes as the UK’s Labour government aims to stimulate economic growth and attract more foreign investment. While Amazon’s plans are viewed as a positive signal, the company is also facing scrutiny, with an ongoing investigation by the UK grocery regulator into its supplier payment practices.

Enfinium has secured a three-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with ENGIE to supply electricity from its new Skelton Grange facility in Leeds. Starting in 2025, the plant will generate 390 GWh of electricity annually, enough to meet the needs of 140,000 UK homes. The deal aligns with ENGIE’s strategy to offer customers reliable, low-carbon energy while supporting sustainable waste management.

The Skelton Grange facility, due to begin operations in summer 2025, will play a critical role in decarbonising waste management in the region. By processing unrecyclable waste, the plant will divert 410,000 tonnes from landfill each year, significantly reducing its environmental impact. In addition, the Aire Valley Heat and Power Network will tap into waste heat from the facility to provide sustainable heating solutions, supported by £19.5 million in government funding.

The development of the £500 million Skelton Grange facility is expected to have a long-term economic impact, creating over 400 construction jobs and 40 permanent roles once fully operational, thereby bolstering the local economy and contributing to the UK’s energy security.

Yorkshire-based Mighty Drinks is now seeking a buyer after appointing administrators due to mounting financial pressures. The fast-growing plant-based beverage company, founded in 2018, was created by two brothers with the aim of revolutionising the alternative dairy market. Their range includes barista milk, dairy-free kids’ milk, oat milk powders in various flavours, and high-protein unsweetened pea milk, all of which are sold through major retailers like Sainsbury’s, Holland & Barrett, and Ocado.

Despite growing its presence in the market, the company has struggled with rising costs and declining consumer confidence, impacting its ability to scale and reach profitability. The firm, which employed around 19 staff members as of 2023, had also expanded into Germany through its subsidiary, Mighty Drinks GmbH, which began trading in 2022.

Following a thorough search for investment, the company’s directors determined a solvent outcome was no longer feasible. As a result, administrators James Clark and Howard Smith from Interpath were appointed on June 17. The administrators are now evaluating the potential for a sale of the business, including the Mighty brand and intellectual property, and are inviting interested parties to come forward.

A major step in alleviating congestion in Howden, East Yorkshire, has been taken with the awarding of the construction contract for a new £45m relief road. East Riding of Yorkshire Council has selected Sheffield-based Aureos to lead the project, which is expected to improve traffic flow by diverting heavy vehicles away from the town centre.

The new road will connect the A614 Thorpe Road to Station Road (B1228) and will feature four roundabouts along the current farmland. Work is scheduled to begin in July, with the project expected to be completed within two years.

This relief road is a key part of a wider development plan by JG Hatcliffe Associates, which includes mixed residential and commercial development in the area north of Howden. The road’s funding will come from a combination of developer contributions and public funding, including £2m from the Devolution grant and a £1m Local Transport Grant.

This infrastructure project aims to enhance connectivity, reduce congestion, and support the broader economic growth of the Yorkshire and Humber region. With preparations already underway, the road is expected to improve transport links for both local residents and businesses significantly.

The leader of Hull City Council, Cllr Mike Ross, has warned that thousands of jobs in the renewable energy sector could be at risk, including hundreds locally, without urgent government backing. In a joint letter with Cllr Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, addressed to secretary of state for business and trade, Jonathan Reynolds MP, as well as Heidi Alexander MP, secretary of state for transport, Cllr Ross stressed the need for strong central government support for Vivergo Fuels ahead of the national Industrial Strategy. He stated that the future of the Vivergo plant, based at Saltend Chemicals Park, is at imminent risk as a result of the recent UK-US trade deal and poor regulation. Cllr Ross outlined the wider impact closure of Vivergo Fuels could have on the region and how it also raises questions about the government’s commitment to green energy and its policies to support it. In the letter, Cllr Ross said: “Not only is Vivergo Fuels the UK’s largest bioethanol producer, with a crucial role to play in UK transport decarbonisation, but it’s also a strategically important anchor employer in the region. “It supports over 160 skilled jobs directly and around 4,000 more in the supply chain, the majority of which are based in our Hull and East Riding region. “The Humber has gained a deserved reputation as a beacon for renewable energy development and production and we are working extremely hard to attract further investment to the region in emerging technologies, such as hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel. “This would be immeasurably harder to do if regulatory and financial support are not forthcoming for this business, which has already seen over £700m of private sector investment since 2012. “The Government’s new UK-USA trade deal has deliberately moved the commercial goalposts, damaging a UK business, which invests in the UK and employs UK workers, whilst advantaging American businesses who produce their product overseas. “Allowing closure of the Vivergo Fuels plant would send a hugely damaging signal to clean energy investors and to any businesses who are considering investing in this region and across the UK. “The government has identified clean energy as one of its priority industries and states that its number one focus is encouraging growth, so we now need to see that rhetoric matched with concrete actions and support. “On behalf of Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, I urge you to act swiftly to secure the necessary support for this business which is of great significance to the residents of our authority and many across our wider region.” Ben Hackett, managing director of Vivergo Fuels, added: “Vivergo Fuels is a fantastic asset to Hull and East Yorkshire. Not only do we employ a highly skilled workforce and support thousands more jobs in the supply chain, we are a catalyst for further green industrial development and investment which would allow the fuels of the future to be pioneered right here on the Humber. “We are simply asking the government for measures that will allow UK ethanol producers to remain competitive in the face of US imports, which benefit from a range of advantages from genetically modified crops to cheaper energy costs. “We now need to see concrete commitments from ministers in the coming days to safeguard jobs, and protect against the loss of significant investment in the people of this region.”