Council prepares to ring fence £3m in fight to save airport

Stuart Pearcey
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Council prepares to ring fence £3m in fight to save airport

Next week the City of Doncaster Council Cabinet will discuss ring-fencing more than £3m towards the legal and programme costs associated with its ongoing fight to save Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

On Wednesday April 12, City of Doncaster Council’s Cabinet will discuss a report that sets out the current position in relation to Doncaster Sheffield Airport and the extensive activity being undertaken to secure the future of the airport. It also outlines the initial programme costs of up to £3.1m if a Compulsory Purchase Order is required. Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed at the end of 2022 following a short strategic review by its owners, despite the offer of financial support from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and City of Doncaster Council. The project to re-open DSA has been called South Yorkshire Airport City. It aims to re-open the airport and grow a cluster of businesses and commercial activity that complements traditional aerospace functions, including logistics. The wider airport city development could incorporate employment, Research & Development, retail, leisure and residential opportunities, with excellent transport links, supporting new inward investment into Doncaster and South Yorkshire. Given the significant number of jobs and the major economic potential of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, the report highlights the council’s intention that the airport should be acquired from Peel with a view to its reopening. Whilst the Council understands that there have been credible financial offers to purchase DSA, to date none of these has been accepted by current owners, Peel. Peel has recently offered a lease of the airport to City of Doncaster Council. Discussions are taking place to progress this option and to explore whether a lease at a longer term and on a different commercial basis than that initially offered by Peel could provide a basis upon which to achieve the Council’s objectives. The Council will continue discussions with Peel over the potential sale but is continuing preparations in the event that a CPO becomes necessary. It is hoped that the legal and programme costs will ultimately be covered by regional funding recovered from a loan previously extended to Peel, with a decision by SYMCA on this funding anticipated in June 2023. Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones said: “Sadly, our award-winning airport has now closed, but the fight is not over! Our aim is to reach agreement on the acquisition of the airport with Peel, but if necessary we will seek to compulsorily purchase the site and we are preparing for that eventuality now, should it be required. “The acquisition process will take time and it will not be cheap. However, this airport has the potential to be the jewel in the crown of the Doncaster and South Yorkshire economy. It is an investment in the future of this great city and the region. That is why this report to Cabinet sets out the latest position and asks for the support to progress our endeavours for the site’s future. I hope a sale can be achieved but, if not, we have to plan for other ways to secure the airport for the aviation industry, our communities and our economy.”

Green and clean: Hull firm sets benchmark for CO2 emission reduction ion

Stuart Pearcey
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Green and clean: Hull firm sets benchmark for CO2 emission reduction ion

Hull-based green cleaning product manufacturer Bio-D has achieved a 25% reduction in CO2e per single product it creates thanks to increased solar energy production and use of its electric boiler, meaning that all its products are manufactured using clean renewable energy.

Having secured its B Corporation Certification in 2022, Bio-D’s fourth annual report has been expanded to include the company’s B Corp Impact Report, which further measures, manages and improves its positive social and environmental performance. A leader in the global movement for a fair, inclusive, and regenerative economy, Bio-D is one of just 1,621 companies in the UK to hold the prestigious B Corporation certification, and operates from premises on Marfleet Environmental Technology Park on Hedon Road. MD Lloyd Atkin said: “Securing B Corp status was a huge achievement for the whole team at Bio-D. We were the first company in Hull to achieve the accreditation, and since then we have been contacted by others that want to learn about the process, which is fantastic.” This year’s Sustainability and Impact Report also details how it has also saved over 78 tonnes of CO2 emissions by creating its consumer bottles and five-litre refill containers from 100% post-consumer plastic. Bio-D was in fact the first UK consumer cleaning brand to use recycled plastics in its packaging. These reductions have meant that Bio-D is now net zero for all its scope one and two emissions. Mr Atkin added: “As a company that puts sustainability first, we’re always looking at ways to improve our processes to ensure we’re benefitting the environment as much as possible. “Whilst we have achieved so much over the last year, there are always ways in which we can further improve, which is why we have created goals to work on throughout 2023, including continuing to reduce our CO2e across the business, as well as conducting a life cycle assessment of our products and organising an external review of the site to see how else we can create energy savings.

Katherine gets partner role at Wilkin Chapman in Louth

Stuart Pearcey
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Katherine gets partner role at Wilkin Chapman in Louth

Katherine Marshall has been promoted as a partner at Wilkin Chapman to lead a new team offering dispute resolution and Will dispute expertise to clients across the Lincolnshire Wolds.

The newly-formed team, based in the company’s new offices at Oxley House in Louth, is the first time the firm has offered these services in the Lincolnshire Wolds area.

Wilkin Chapman is the largest law firm in the Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire region and Katherine Marshall has become a partner four years after joining. She said: “It’s an exciting time as we’ve just moved into our new Wolds office in Louth and we have a fantastic opportunity to establish a dispute resolution and Wills disputes presence in the Wolds area. We now have a dedicated team that can deal with those disputes and we have a good foundation from which to grow those two areas.

“There’s a team of three of us at the moment here in the Wolds, and we’ve only been working together for four months. It’s already working really well and we’re a very close knit unit. I’m looking forward to growing the team, growing the Will disputes offering and having a permanent dispute resolution presence in the Wolds to help those in the local area.”

Qualifying as a solicitor in 2009, Katherine undertook her training with a large regional firm. Following qualification she joined a niche litigation firm, dividing her time between its Lincolnshire and London offices. After the founder of the firm decided to end the business and become a barrister, Katherine joined Wilkin Chapman in 2018 and has now progressed into the role of partner. She said:

“Before joining, I already had a good working relationship with the various partners at Wilkin Chapman from when I had worked opposite them. So I just picked up the phone, had a few interviews and here I am now!

“Becoming a partner is always something I’ve wanted to do. When you start out as a trainee solicitor that is always the thing that you’re ultimately aiming for. My family has farmed on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds for several generations, and I attended school in Horncastle and so I have a strong link to the local area and to the agricultural sector in the region too.”

New energy park proposed for Lincolnshire

Tess Egginton
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New energy park proposed for Lincolnshire
A new renewable energy park, which could provide power to more than 190,000 homes is being planned for North Kesteven. The proposed Beacon Fen Energy Park will be made up of solar and energy storage and is proposed for land east of Sleaford, between the villages of Heckington and Helpringham. Renewable Energy Company Low Carbon said, if given permission, Beacon Fen Energy Park would generate an estimated 600MW of electricity a year while also avoiding 120,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions annually. James Hartley-Bond, director at Low Carbon, said: “We are looking forward to speaking directly with local communities about our plans to hear their views first-hand. “We are currently planning an early engagement consultation so we can ensure residents’ feedback links into the proposals, before holding a statutory consultation which is planned for later this year. “The UK Government has made clear its plans for the country to reach Net Zero by 2050. Its aim is to increase the nation’s solar capacity fivefold by 2035. If given permission, Beacon Fen Energy Park will be a significant step forward towards reaching this vital goal and securing sustainable energy for the country.” The project includes building the infrastructure needed to export the electricity the energy park would generate onto the national grid. It is planned this would be via an existing connection point at nearby Bicker Fen. Mr Hartley-Bond said: “For more than a decade, Low Carbon has been at the centre of the UK’s journey to Net Zero. Through working with local communities, we deliver renewables projects which bring about real change to ensure a cleaner and greener energy industry for all. “The amount of electricity Beacon Fen Energy Park could generate exceeds 50MW and is therefore classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This requires us to submit an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to the Planning Inspectorate. “We anticipate the development process for the project through to DCO submission and then examination will take between two and three years. Subject to achieving consent, construction would start no earlier than 2026.” He added: “We look forward to speaking to residents within the coming weeks and introducing them to our proposals.”

Former councillor jailed for Eat Out to Help Out claims fraud

Stuart Pearcey
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Former councillor jailed for Eat Out to Help Out claims fraud
A former West Yorkshire town councillor has been jailed for trying to steal more than £430,000 through the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme. Mohammed Ikram, 36, of Springfield Court, Keighley, admitted stealing money from the Covid-19 support schemes, following an investigation by the HMRC Taxpayer Protection Taskforce. He used his own café and takeaway business as well as several fake food outlets to submit fraudulent claims under the scheme, and pocketed thousands of pounds in payments that he was not entitled to. Mohammed Ikram was also previously a member of Keighley Town Council until his resignation in 2022. Simon York, Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “This was a blatant fraud by somebody who held a position of trust and responsibility. “These schemes were designed to support individuals and businesses during a terribly difficult period. Instead, Mohammed Ikram stole money which should have been paying for vital public services and helping those who needed it most. “This is the first conviction of Covid scheme fraud by HMRC, but we have arrested 70 people and have a number of cases working their way through the criminal justice system. So far, we have prevented the payment of, or recovered more than £1.2 billion, with compliance activity still ongoing.” The Eat Out to Help Out scheme was introduced to support the hospitality sector throughout August 2020. It enabled restaurants, cafés, pubs and other food outlets to offer a discount to customers and obtain a reimbursement from HMRC for the same amount. Mohammed Ikram used his business Khan’s Café and Chai Point, in Keighley, and also set up seven fake food outlets using hijacked company details, to submit 20 fraudulent claims under the scheme, worth a total of £434,073, between 7 August and 6 September 2020. He received £189,208 in payments, but further claims, totalling £244,865, were rejected by HMRC and an investigation was launched. He admitted cheating the public revenue, fraud by false representation and associated money laundering, at Bradford Crown Court in June 2022, and was jailed today for two-and-a-half years at the same court. Action to recover the stolen money has been launched.

New campaign will show SMEs how to achieve a gain equal to a 5% increase in sales but cutting energy bills

Stuart Pearcey
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New campaign will show SMEs how to achieve a gain equal to a 5% increase in sales but cutting energy bills
A new campaign to help SMEs increase their energy efficiency and drive down bills by making simple changes at low-to-no cost has been launched by the government. The campaign offers guidance on how organisations can make significant savings while cutting emissions, from installing light and heating timers, to turning down boiler flow temperature and changing light bulbs. Many organisations are already aware of ways to boost their energy efficiency and have put these measures into practice. However, a substantial number of businesses are missing out on huge potential savings, due to a lack of information on how to cut down on their energy costs. For many companies, a 20% cut in energy costs represents the same bottom-line benefit as a 5% increase in sales, according to Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan. He said: “Falling wholesale energy prices are welcome news, but this in no way changes our firm, long-term commitments to vastly boost UK energy efficiency across industry and households. “From today businesses, charities and public sector bodies can access helpful and practical advice on simple actions they can take to substantially reduce their energy use – and potentially increase profits.

“Not only will this help lower operational costs by up to hundreds of thousands of pounds, but smarter energy use will help us deliver on our critical pledges to cut demand by 15% and reach net zero by 2050.”

‘No upper limit’ fines could be levied on polluting water companies

Stuart Pearcey
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‘No upper limit’ fines could be levied on polluting water companies
Tougher penalties and fines on water companies will be reinvested back into a new Water Restoration Fund, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey is expected to announce this week, making polluters pay for damage they cause to the environment. This fund will deliver on-the-ground improvements to water quality and support local groups and community-led schemes which help to protect our waterways. It will form part of a new Plan for Water, to be published shortly, which will map out the government’s action plan for tackling pollution, boosting water supplies, driving up performance and toughening up enforcement against companies who fail to deliver improvements. The fund will help local groups – bringing together local NGOs, councils, farmers and others – to identify the biggest issues and direct investment to where it is most needed to improve our rivers, lakes and streams. It will support projects to look after the water environment, improve management of our waters and restore protected sites. These could include restoring wetlands, creating new habitats in important nature sites, tackling invasive non-native species and ‘rewiggling’ rivers – adding natural bends to improve water quality and biodiversity. The Environment Secretary is also expected to publish a six-week consultation on strengthening the Environment Agency’s ability to impose sanctions on water companies without going through the courts. The consultation sets out the government’s preferred option for lifting the upper cap on civil penalties on water companies, allowing unlimited fines. These penalties will be quicker and easier to enforce although the most serious cases will still be taken through criminal proceedings. The Plan for Water will include measures on every source of pollution – storm overflows, agriculture, plastics, road run-off and chemicals – as well as managing the pressures on our water supply. Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: “I know how important our beautiful rivers, lakes, streams and coastlines are for people and nature – and I couldn’t agree more than more needs to be done to protect them. “I want to make sure that regulators have the powers and tools to take tough action against companies that are breaking the rules and to do so more quickly.

“Through the Water Restoration Fund, I will be making sure that money from higher fines and penalties – taken from water company profits, not customers – is channelled directly back into the rivers, lakes and streams where it is needed. We know that around 310 miles of rivers each year have been improved through community-led projects – we must build on that success.”

Holiday-let landlords warned of changes to tax rules

Stuart Pearcey
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Holiday-let landlords warned of changes to tax rules
New eligibility rules for business rates self-catering properties in England and Wales have been introduced – and failure to meet the rules will make properties eligible to pay council tax. For properties in England to continue to be eligible for business rates properties must be
  • available for letting commercially for short periods that total 140 nights or more in the previous and current year.
  • actually let commercially for 70 nights or more in the previous 12 months.
The rules apply to  properties that are let with the intention of making a profit. This usually means the property is let at market rates and actively advertised. For example, using holiday cottage websites, estate agents, and tourist web pages to advertise the property. Any non-commercial lettings, for example lettings to family and friends for amounts below the market rates, would not count towards commercial lettings. The new rules apply only to properties classified as self-catering holiday lets by the VOA within the broad use category of short stay accommodation. They don’t apply to other types of accommodation in this category, such as hotels, hostels and guest houses. There won’t be any exceptions in the application of the new eligibility rules. They will apply equally to all self-catering properties across England and Wales. New self-catering properties will be liable for Council Tax until the property meets the eligibility rules. Valuation officers conduct a rolling programme to check that properties listed as self-catering properties in the non-domestic rating list meet the eligibility rules. A valuation officer will ask for this information in the ‘Request for Information’ form,It will consider whether the property meets the new rules on actual lettings for properties in 2022/23.  

Pensana in talks with manufacturers over supply of material to magnet manufacturers

Stuart Pearcey
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Pensana in talks with manufacturers over supply of material to magnet manufacturers
With funding for the Saltend ore earth separation facility near Hull at an advanced stage, Pensana has established a direct relationship with the key Japanese magnet manufacturers and has entered into an MOU for 25% of Saltend’s annual production. It has ongoing discussions with Japanese trading houses with direct access to the Japanese automotive sector. In an update on financing and project development,  the company says terms have been agreed with a major European wind turbine OEM and the Company has been shortlisted to supply major US and European automotive OEMs, for what it says is the increasingly attractive point of differentiation for an independently validated sustainable product from the UK.
Located in the Saltend Chemical Park in the Humber Freeport, Saltend will be the world’s first rare earth processing hub, capable of processing third party feedstock imported from around the world. A number of discussions are underway with potential third-party feedstock suppliers for access to uncommitted processing capacity at Saltend. The Company has partnered with the adjacent Yorkshire Energy Park for a private wire connection to offshore wind battery storage under which it will have access to 4 MW rising to 10 MW of low carbon electricity for ten years and together with Longonjo’s ten-year low-cost supply of hydro-electric power the Company is able to demonstrate that it can supply ultra-low embedded carbon products from mine to customer. A direct example of this is Pensana’s partnership with Polestar to create the first truly climate-neutral car by 2030. The scope of the Polestar 0 project is to identify and eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction of raw materials to when the car is delivered to the customer and onwards to the end of vehicle life. Pensana and Equinor are studying the use of low carbon hydrogen produced from Equinor’s flagship 600MW low-carbon hydrogen production plant with carbon capture, Hydrogen to Humber (H2H) at Saltend, to recycle the seven tonnes of rare earth permanent magnets in the nacelles of wind turbines currently being installed in the 3.6GW Dogger Bank windfarm.

Henry Boot and partners fund new playground at Sheffield nursery

Tess Egginton
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Henry Boot and partners fund new playground at Sheffield nursery
Sheffield construction and property firm, Henry Boot PLC, teamed up with several local contractors recently to fund and install a new play area for Bolehill Nursery in Walkley. The project is dedicated to a boy called James, who attended Bolehill Nursery and sadly passed away in 2022 at the age of one. Funded by Henry Boot PLC and installed by Henry Boot Construction, along with colleague Adele Matijosiute-Jones who has children at the nursery, the team oversaw the concrete groundworks, and then partnered with a host of its trusted regional supply chain to deliver the social value project. This included Timberplay and their sister company Lightmain – who provided and installed the play equipment; Banner Plant – who loaned the installation tools and machinery; Playgarden – who donated play bales; Dean Construction – who provided several timber sleepers; and Gavin Jones UK – who provided 30m2 of new turf. Building services specialist NG Bailey, Fletchers Waste Management, building materials-supplier Markovitz; DAL Contractors and Northstar Civil Engineering also contributed greatly to the worthy cause. The nursery’s brand-new timber play structure features a 1.5m raised platform – complete with a stainless-steel slide, ladder and two styles of climbing wall. A raised timber-sleeper sandpit for the children has also been installed alongside the apparatus. The full team of volunteers installed the playground across last month and it was officially opened to the children following a short ribbon-cutting ceremony with several members of the project team and nursery staff. Nicola Moore, manager at Bolehill Nursery, said: “After a plea to our parents for help to refresh our garden area, Henry Boot, Timberplay and the rest of the team have built a climbing frame in memory of James. “Henry Boot has been so supportive, previously providing hard hats, yellow jackets, gloves and tools for the children to play with. “As a charity ourselves, we are overwhelmed by the support they have given us and we want to say a very big thank you to the whole team for all they have done for our children and in memory of James who will forever be at Bolehill Nursery.” James’ parents added: “James was a busy and boisterous little boy who was always on the go. James would have loved this garden, and we are very thankful for the support the nursery staff have provided us, as well as gratitude to the companies who have made this vision a reality. It brings us happiness that his legacy lives on, and that other children will enjoy this space for many years to come.” Tony Shaw, Managing Director from Henry Boot Construction, said: “As a South Yorkshire business, we are always looking for new ways to give back to the local communities in which we work. The Bolehill Nursery opportunity was one that popped up and meant a lot to members of our team, so we were delighted to help coordinate the project. “We couldn’t have managed it without the help of our trusted local partners though. It really was a real team effort from everyone involved and I’m sure the children will get many years enjoyment out of the new play installation.” Paul Collings, Managing Director of Timberplay & Lightmain, said: “I am immensely proud of our team for their dedication and hard work in installing the play hut at the Bolehill Nursery. Doing work within our local community is so important to Timberplay & Lightmain, as we strive to create better spaces for all. It is heart-warming to know that this play hut will not only provide countless hours of joy for the children, but also serve as a touching tribute to James, who will forever be a part of this community.”
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