Director appointment for Leeds-headquartered Northern Accountants
Northern Accountants — a 25 strong practice with offices in Liverpool, Hull and its Leeds HQ — has announced the appointment of a new director.
29-year old Mark Alderson has been awarded an internal promotion to the board, six months after joining t the award-winning business.
Having joined the firm as senior client manager in Q3 of 2022 — after spending 11 years with a boutique accountancy practice in the Yorkshire Dales — Mark has quickly demonstrated his ability to add value to clients’ organisations.
So — in the year Northern Accountants celebrates its 15th anniversary — he has been promoted to this leadership role, for the benefit of the business and customers’ alike.
The move follows Northern Accountants’ acquisition of two other firms last year, which extended the team’s geographical reach to the western tip of the M62 and strengthened its presence in Hull.
Mark’s directorship also coincides with the definition of additional internal structure, which sees Anelya Tucker promoted to client manager and head of the newly-formed business division. Under her steer, this fresh department — which currently includes 350 organisations — is dedicated to the provision of agile accountancy support and guidance, for more autonomous customers.
“Some clients come to us because we can fulfil all their financial needs, with analysts and advisors on hand to drive business growth strategies too,” explained founding managing director Phil Ellerby. “This is where Mark excels, alongside Ricky Field who was appointed as our Hull director last year. They look beyond the numbers alone, to uncover other factors that can become real enablers of business success.
“Other clients don’t require that level of support, but the quality of service should still be stellar — that’s what Anelya ensures, as we continue to grow. It means we can efficiently take on more and more clients in this division too.”
RR Engineering becomes employee owned
Azets, the Top Ten UK Accountancy firm, has advised RR Engineering Ltd on becoming employee owned.
RR Engineering, based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was set up over thirty years ago by Roy Hendry and Russell Beck. They are handing over 100% of the business to their employees. Karen Bulman, Jamie Thompson, Matthew Taylor and Jamie Dixon will take over the day to day running of RR Engineering.
Since its formation in 1990, RR Engineering has established itself as a leading provider of high-quality products to a range of industries throughout the UK. Standing within a 25000 sq. ft. site, on Eastfield Industrial Estate in Scarborough, RR Engineering offers a complete service from large contracts to small bespoke orders, meeting customers exact requirements.
The company provides sheet metal fabrication and design services working with stainless and mild steel, aluminium and specialised materials using state of the art machinery.
Roy Hendry & Russell Beck, Joint Managing Directors are transferring 100% of their shares to the Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) for the benefit of all its employees. Under the move, all employees will benefit financially from the future success of the company.
Roy Hendry & Russell Beck, Joint Managing Directors, RR Engineering said: “It’s such a proud moment to be able to hand over RR Engineering. Selling the company we founded to our employees through the creation of the EOT ensures the stability of the business for the long-term and supports our desire for further continued growth.
This move recognises the value that our fantastic team has delivered over the years, and it is a very exciting opportunity for each individual to take a pivotal role as the businesses progress. We’d like to wish Karen Bulman, Jamie Thompson, Matthew Taylor and Jamie Dixon all the best in their new leadership roles. Creating a great place to work has always been fundamental to our business principles, and we’re very excited about the next stage of the journey.”
RR Engineering was advised by Tariq Javaid, Corporate Finance Partner, Richard Weston, Corporate Finance Manager and Karen Sadler, Senior Tax Manager at Azets. Legal advice was provided by Chris Blantern at Tyr Law and Adrian Ballam at Ward Hadaway.
Tariq Javaid, Corporate Finance Partner at Azets said: “RR Engineering is a business exceptionally well-suited for employee ownership, being an organisation with a strong culture, firmly established values, and an emphasis on the quality of its products and its people. It has been a privilege to work with Russ, Roy and the team in assisting them with this transition and I am confident that the company has a bright future as an employee-owned business”.
‘’Azets advised on 6 EOTs in Yorkshire in 2022 and we’ve already got several more in the pipeline this year. They are an increasingly popular option for the transition of ownership, given the wide range of benefits they can provide to the business, its owners and employees.”
New council promises to boost North Yorkshire businesses by promoting tourism
A strategy to promote tourism and to on world-famous heritage and culture is aiming to drive forward North Yorkshire’s economy and help support thousands of businesses.
Already worth £1.5 billion a year from domestic visitors, tourism accounts for 11% of the county’s overall economy, and employs 41,200 workers, the visitor economy is a pillar of North Yorkshire’s economic prosperity.
The new North Yorkshire Council, which launches on Saturday, will be instrumental in providing a co-ordinated county-wide plan to promote the visitor economy, while also ensuring the industry is centred around environmentally-friendly business growth.
Council leader Carl Les, who will assume the leadership of the new authority, said: “By having one council we can join up and strengthen North Yorkshire’s cultural offer, lobby for a greater share of funding for arts and culture here and support a year-round visitor economy.
“The new council will build on the globally recognised brand of North Yorkshire, advocating for the best possible opportunities for residents and businesses, while protecting and enhancing our landscapes and heritage.”
The new council will launch when North Yorkshire County Council and the existing seven district and borough authorities, which are currently responsible for promoting tourism, merge in the biggest shake-up of local government since 1974 to pave the way for a devolution deal.
Talks are already under way with politicians and other councils across Yorkshire after the Government announced in November that a national overhaul of destination management organisations, which promote tourism, will take place.
The new council will be engaging with businesses, business networks and the leisure, culture and tourism sectors in the county in the coming weeks to help develop a strong partnership.
Other schemes which will be overseen by North Yorkshire Council include work on High Street Heritage Action Zones in Northallerton, Selby and Skipton. These projects have unlocked more than £2 million in funding from the Government via Historic England to deliver a range of heritage, art and community projects, including engaging with young people through a digital recreation of Selby Abbey using Minecraft and a community and heritage hub on Northallerton’s High Street.
Cllr Les said: “We want to strengthen our tourist and cultural offer, by ensuring there are year-round attractions, and increase visitor spend.
“North Yorkshire Council will have a strong voice and will work with the county’s six MPs to ensure that the Government understands and acts on the issues that affect residents and businesses here.
“Via devolution, we will have a real opportunity to lobby the Government to ensure North Yorkshire enjoys the benefits seen in urban areas, which have mayoral-led combined authorities.”
Rule change aims to enhance safety for whistleblowers
A review of the whistleblowing framework – the laws that support workers who blow the whistle on wrongdoing in the workplace – has been launched by the Government today.
The review will seek views and evidence from whistleblowers, key charities, employers and regulators.
Whistleblowing refers to when a worker makes a disclosure of information which they reasonably believe shows wrongdoing or someone covering up wrongdoing. Workers who blow the whistle are entitled to protections, which were introduced through the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). Successive governments have taken steps to strengthen whistleblowing policy and practice.
For authorities tackling corruption, fraud and other economic crime, whistleblowing is a crucial source of evidence, as these activities and their perpetrators can only be exposed by insiders.
It also provides a route for employees to report unsafe working conditions and wrongdoing across all sectors.
This was keenly felt during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, when the Care Quality Commission and Health and Safety Executive recorded sharp increases in the number of whistleblowing disclosures they received.
Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake said:”Whistleblowing is a vital tool in tackling economic crime and unsafe working conditions, and the UK was one of the first countries in the world to develop a whistleblowing framework.
“This review has been a priority for me since joining government, and it will take stock of whether the whistleblowing framework is operating effectively and protects those who call out wrongdoing in the workplace.”
This review will cover central topics, key to the whistleblowing framework:- who is covered by whistleblowing protections.
- the availability of information and guidance for whistleblowing purposes (both on gov.uk and that provided by employers).
- how employers and prescribed persons respond to whistleblowing disclosures, including best practice.
Yorkshire Building Society signs pledge for responsible banking
Yorkshire Building Society has become an official signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking – a single framework for a sustainable banking industry.
The mutual has committed to identify and measure environmental and social impacts of its business activities, set and implement targets where it has the most impact and regularly report publicly on its progress.
Developed through a partnership between banks worldwide and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), the Principles ensure banks and building societies’ strategy and practice align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.
In signing the Principles, the Society joins the world’s largest global banking community focused on sustainable finance, sharing best-practice and working together on practical guidance and pioneering tools of benefit to the entire industry at a time when action is urgently needed to address the major planetary crises of climate change, nature loss, pollution and social issues.
Susan Allen, chief executive at Yorkshire Building Society, said: “We’re committed to being a responsible business and playing our part in building a greener society. We want to ensure a better future for our members – providing practical support for the local communities we serve. Becoming a signatory of the Principles reaffirms this and underlines our drive to ensure a more positive tomorrow.
“Working with fellow responsible banks and building societies we aim to accelerate the changes necessary to create a better future for all.”
Digital marketing experts prepare to unlock content ideas
Digital marketing experts from across the region will assemble in Hull this week for the latest in the Power Hour series of events organised by 43 Clicks North (43CN).
The event at Social, Humber Street, on Friday will bring together Leeds-based content specialists Ashley Liddell from the Sticky Eyes agency and Peter Lowes from Present Works. They will be joined by Marisa Crimlis-Brown, Senior Client Strategist at 43CN.
Previous Power Hour events have attracted nearly 100 people for a free afternoon sharing ideas and eating pizza. For Power Hour 6 the focus will be on digital content and the audience is expected to include creators from other agencies and clients who want to connect more closely with their suppliers.
Marisa, who held a number of senior marketing roles before joining 43CN in the autumn, will talk about how to persuade the people within an organisation to open up with the ideas that make great content.
Ashley, the SEO Content Lead at Sticky Eyes who has returned to the University of Hull to study for his Masters, will explore how to maximise the impact of content and how to distribute it to achieve impact on more than one channel.
Peter will draw on his experience with several leading agencies, including as Strategy Director at Present Works, which he co-founded nearly five years ago.
Marisa said: “Content is one of the biggest frustrations for most brands because it sits inside the heads of the employees but they are so busy with their own day to day jobs. The challenge is to make it easy for them to share their ideas ready to promote across social media.”
Mike Ellis, founder and Managing Director of 43CN, said Power Hour 6 will also showcase the company’s recent brand refresh as it continues build a digital community in Hull and strengthen links with partners across Yorkshire.
Mike said: “We aim to present the Power Hour every three months but we delayed this one slightly because we have refreshed our brand and that will feed into this, but in a low key way.
“It’s another stepping stone for us because we have now been going for five years and have evolved a lot. We refreshed our brand to better reflect our culture and the new aspects of performance marketing which we have brought into the business.
We drew on the views of everybody in our 20-strong team in terms of what they think of the agency, because they are the agency. It marks a turning point for us as we continue to work to put Hull on the map in the digital world, and Power Hour is also a big part of that as we bring together people from some of the top agencies in the region.”
Doncaster company brings cancer diagnosis blood test to UK
A new blood test for cancer is being brought to the UK by Doncaster-based Accendo Supplies, believing it has finally found the right technology for early diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
Accendo says it’s been amongst the first to recognise the diagnostic potential of this new technology. In a 1,000-subject clinical trial conducted in India, consisting of 500 cancer patients and 500 non-cancer patients, the HrC Test successfully detected who was who, with the 500 cancer patients encompassing 25 different types of cancer including: Breast, Liver, Ovarian, Lung, Leukemia, Renal, Bladder, Prostate, Pancreatic, Cervical, and Colon.
Company Co-Founder & Director Steve Smith said: “When we first came across The HrC Test we were struck by the potential of having one test to detect all cancers. However, equally as important was to have a test that could definitively rule out cancer as a cause of illness, to definitively advise people that they are cancer-free.
“We are currently working on arranging studies in the UK as to further evaluate the performance of this remarkable technology with a view to making the test available in the UK as quickly as possible. In our opinion, we have finally found the right technology to enable earlier detection & diagnosis of cancer.”
The developers of the test claim that their technology can detect every type of cancer earlier than any other known technology, even prior to symptoms and tumour development. This makes The HrC Test the ideal test for cancer screening programmes in the UK.
“The HrC Test offers us the opportunity to no longer be fearful of cancer as the disease can no longer hide from us, the challenge now is to turn this opportunity into reality for the benefit of all,” added Steve
Bridge repair specialist employs Grimsby people for Corporation Bridge project
Hull-based Spencer Group’s work on Grimsby’s Grade II listed Corporation Bridge will involve companies from Grimsby, says Project Manager Ben Lorne.
““It’s always good to have local people working on a local structure such as this, which is why we’re using Grimsby companies in the delivery of this project.”
Spencer Group will have a team upwards of 15 working on the project at any one time, as well as a local waste management company, to recycle redundant materials taken from the bridge and a Grimsby builder’s merchant and haulage company, as well as encouraging its own workforce to use nearby facilities to further boost the local economy.
Mr Lorne said: “We’ll be safeguarding the bridge for future generations with structural, mechanical and electrical works, as well as painting to protect it from corrosion.
“Much of the work will be done on the underside of the bridge, where we’ll be inspecting, repairing and replacing the structural beams that support the roadway. These works won’t necessarily be visible to the public, but are vital to keep it safe.”
The Corporation Bridge restoration is a £5.1m scheme – funded by almost £3m from the Department for Transport, £1.83m set aside by the council and a further £320,000 from the Local Transport Fund. The Department for Transport funding is specifically ringfenced for these works.
Diane Rowe, Customer Relationship Manager for Spencer Group, said: “It’s important with a project like this to engage with the community and employ local people wherever we can, which is what we’re doing.”
“Anyone who wants to find out more about the project and how it’s progressing is more than welcome to get in touch with us for an update.”
Government seeks to boost tourism industry with grants of up to £100,000 for recreational sea fishing
Up to £1 million has been made available for coastal communities across the UK to invest in new and improved infrastructure for recreational sea fishing.
From today eligible applicants will be able to bid for between £10,000 and £100,000 for projects to upgrade recreational fishing facilities, reduce carbon emissions, support the protection and recovery of the marine environment, and provide training to help recreational sea fishermen operate in a more sustainable way.
Recreational sea fishing involves fishing for the purposes of pleasure, tourism or sport. With an estimated two million recreational sea anglers taking to the water every year, recreational sea fishing contributes over £800 million to the UK economy annually and boosts local economies through activities such as fishing tournaments, boat rental, bait and tackle supply, and local tourism.
Part of the £100 million UK Seafood Fund infrastructure scheme, this funding will ensure recreational fishing continues to prosper by backing projects which could enhance piers and harbours, create more accessible paths, floating walkways and pontoon dockings; and promote fishing tournaments.
Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said: “Recreational sea fishing is a small but mighty part of our fishing industry. It contributes to the economic growth of coastal communities and is a much-loved sport that can improve the health and well-being of those who take part.
“This new round of funding will encourage the development and expansion of the sport in coastal areas, promote and support more sustainable fishing practices, and ultimately make recreational fishing bigger and better for anglers across the UK.”
The £100 million UK Seafood Fund is supporting the long-term future and sustainability of the UK fishing and seafood industry by backing innovation, skills and job creation around our coastline. This funding is the latest from the UK infrastructure scheme and will be open until 19th June 2023. Applicants can apply here: Atamis Contracts Search (force.com). IGovernment pumps more than £9m into farming to boost productivity
Three projects are to share £9.13m of government funding for research and development on schemes to boost agricultural productivity, sustainability and climate resilience.
The funding will support projects developing robotic crop harvesting for horticulture, an autonomous system to change cows’ bedding to improve their health, welfare and productivity, and a more environmentally-friendly approach to potato cultivation.
The three projects are being supported through the Large R&D Partnership competition, which is part of the government’s £270 million Farming Innovation Programme, and a second round of the competition is currently open for applications.
This is all part of the government’s commitment to spend around £600 million on grants to provide support for farmers to invest in productivity, animal health and welfare, innovation, research and development over three years. It will be funded from the £2.4 billion annual farming budget, which is being maintained at its current level for the rest of this current Parliament.
Alongside the ongoing roll-out of the Environmental Land Management schemes, the grants will help to deliver long-term sustainable food production and support farmers to halt and reverse the decline of nature as set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Farming Minister Mark Spencer said: “It’s important that we fund projects like these – and those still to come in future rounds – as we support farmers to deliver sustainable food production and protect the environment.
“Innovation, research and development will help keep the sector at the cutting edge of technology as we look into the future.”
