Hull City Council continues to urge businesses to act responsibly when managing the disposal of waste, to avoid being fined or prosecuted like Red Shop Mini Market on Inglemire Lane, was ordered to pay £1,200 for irresponsible waste management. The business was convicted in its absence of an offence, contrary to section 47(6) Environmental Protection Act 1990. Councillor Charles Quinn, portfolio holder for environment, said: “We have zero tolerance for unlawful waste management in Hull. There is no excuse for businesses not to have lawful arrangements in place, it is irresponsible and harmful to our environment. “Everyone, including businesses, have a responsibility to look after our local environment. By taking such a tough stance on enforcement action, we can deter any potential offenders.” Following this successful prosecution, the council is also urging residents to report businesses who have unlawful waste arrangements in place, to help keep Hull clean and tidy. Cllr Quinn added: “Tackling unlawful waste management requires a collective effort. By working together, we can make a significant difference. “I would like to thank local residents for their cooperation and commitment to keeping our city clean and tidy.”

Farmers and growers are concerned that the introduction of the UK’s new Border Control Post inspections are adding unnecessary costs and disruption to supplies of new season seeds for crops including tomatoes and oil seed rape.

The British Tomato Growers’ Association is calling for an assured, fast-track process for tomato seed after reporting that growers who propagate young tomato plants from seed are experiencing delays of up to six weeks at the border. This is because of the need to re-test seeds on arrival in Britain. They are being held at Border Control Posts for up to 15 working days. Postal and other delays also add to this time. The British Society of Plant Breeders has reported that consignments of future varieties of oilseed rape from the EU have been held and delayed at BCPs. It said the deadline for the seeds to be ready for use in trials was 10 August. “The trials are essential for growers to be able to access the latest and best varieties, because unless a new variety passes distinctness, uniformity and stability and value for cultivation use, it cannot be marketed,” the BSPB explained. NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Martin Emmett said: “We have been warning of issues for grower businesses following changes to Border Control Posts for several years. “The results of these concerns are now having real-life impacts on businesses’ ability to operate and plan ahead for next season. It is vital that the new government understands the extent of the issues and we work together towards achieving solutions as quickly as possible. “This will ensure businesses can trade smoothly and continue producing fresh fruit, vegetables and plants for the nation.” A Defra spokesperson said: “Our border posts have the sufficient capacity needed to efficiently handle the volume of checks required, while our inspectors have undertaken extensive training to ensure goods are treated safely and with care. “We will continue to work with and support businesses throughout this process to maintain the smooth flow of imported goods.” The seeds are being checked even though ‘seed of European origin’ is tested and certified as disease free before it is dispatched to Britain. From 30 April, physical and identity checks began to apply to medium and high-risk animal products, plants and plant products entering the UK from the EU. The new controls mark the second phase of the UK’s Border Target Operating Model which sets out a new risk-based approach to import checks on goods entering the UK from overseas. The NFU has repeatedly warned of the potential for delays following the introduction of the checks. In particular, for horticulture businesses, the shift of of controls away from their businesses to border control points adds an additional risk to a highly bio-secure, ‘just-in-time’ supply chain and could result in long delays, meaning plants are damaged or destroyed.

A £3.4 billion funding package has been awarded by Ofgem to build a proposed new subsea and underground 500km cable between Scotland and Yorkshire which could power up to 2 million homes. Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) is the first of 26 projects to complete a fast-track process to secure funding through Ofgem’s new Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework. ASTI accelerates the funding process by up to two years, allowing electricity generated by offshore wind to be delivered to British consumers sooner. The projects delivered via Ofgem’s ASTI programme are a vital part of the work to upgrade the energy system and allow more renewable energy to be brought onto the grid. This will help to deliver Government’s goal of clean power by 2030 and reduce our reliance on volatile international gas markets. EGL2 will deliver a 2GW high voltage electricity ‘superhighway’ cable link between Peterhead in Aberdeenshire and Drax in North Yorkshire, which will help harness the potential of British offshore wind power. Most of the cable (around 436km) will be under the North Sea with the remaining 70km buried underground onshore. Two converter stations, one at each end of the cable, are planned to help feed the electricity transported by the cable into the grid and from there onto consumers. As part of its mission to upgrade the energy system at least possible cost to customers, Ofgem scrutinised the developers’ proposal and identified over £79m of savings which have been cut from the project costs without impacting delivery or quality. ASTI projects will not only help provide millions of consumers with access to homegrown wind energy, but by boosting grid capacity they will deliver an estimated £1.5bn of savings by reducing the need to compensate generators who are currently asked to turn off production, during times of high wind, due to lack of grid capacity. Jonathan Brearley, Ofgem CEO, said: “Ofgem is fully committed to supporting the government to meet its aims of getting clean power by 2030. Today’s announcement is a further step in putting the regulatory systems and processes in place to speed up network regulation to achieve its aim. “Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) accelerates approval times for projects such as Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) by up to two years. However, streamlining the process does not mean blank cheques for developers as we are able to step in and make financial adjustments to maximise efficiency and consumer benefit.” Work on the project is expected to begin later this year and to be complete by 2029. Ofgem has announced a proposed funding allowance of £294.8m for another project in its ASTI cohort, the Yorkshire Green Energy Enablement (GREEN) project. The project involves a proposed upgrade to the local electricity network to help transport energy generated by Scottish and North Sea windfarms to consumers. Plans include building new substations, underground cables, over 7km of overhead lines and cable sealing end compounds (where underground cables meet overhead lines). Ofgem’s proposed funding allowance are now subject to consultation with the project currently slated to be operational by 2027.   

Sports and Leisure Management’s Everyone Active has been named the new operator of Sheffield’s sport and leisure venues, as of January 2025. Last year, Sheffield City Council revealed that the city’s leisure and entertainment venues were set to receive £117 million of investment including rebuilds of some of the city’s most popular leisure centres and improvements to Sheffield’s Utilita Arena and City Hall. As part of these plans, in June 2023, a competitive procurement process was launched in a bid to attract the best in leisure and entertainment provision to run Sheffield’s venues. Earlier this year, ASM Global was announced as the new operator for the entertainment venues, Utilita Arena Sheffield and Sheffield City Hall. Following the final stage of the highly competitive tender process, Everyone Active, part of Sports and Leisure Management (SLM), has now been announced as the new operator of Sheffield’s citywide sport and leisure centres, and golf courses. Founded in 1987, Everyone Active manages over 220 leisure and cultural centres across the UK in partnership with more than 60 different local authorities. Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “Sheffield is a city of sport, and we are incredibly proud of our sporting heritage and facilities. “Thousands of people enjoy our sport and leisure facilities every day, and our incredible venues have played host to major sporting events over the years. Our facilities have also cultivated talented athletes that have gone on to compete in the Olympics, world championships and who have reached the highest level in their sport. “Everyone Active will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to help elevate our sport and leisure offer across the city, even further.” Councillor Kurtis Crossland, Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee at Sheffield City Council, added: “We are committed to ensuring that every person in Sheffield has access to facilities and services that support them in being more active, more often. “Everyone Active share these ambitions and have shown their commitment to help us tackle health inequalities across Sheffield, which is why we are delighted to welcome them onboard.” From January 2025, Everyone Active will take over the management of three golf courses and seven leisure facilities across the city, including the English Institute of Sport (EISS), one of seven high performance centres across England providing access to high quality facilities that are specifically designed for elite athletes. These include boxing, paralympic table tennis, paralympic badminton and table tennis. The EISS has a rich sporting history. It is home to a range of professional sports clubs and has supported some of the country’s most successful athletes who have trained at the venue, including Sheffield’s Dame Jessica Ennis Hill, Anthony Joshua during his time on the GB Boxing programme, World Champion Para Badminton player, Jack Shepherd and Will Bayley, the world’s number one paralympic table tennis player. It is also home to several National Governing Bodies and influential sporting organisations as well as community gym and indoor athletics facilities. Everyone Active will also operate Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, which is home to City of Sheffield Swim School and City of Sheffield Diving; the home of Paris 2024 bronze medallist Yasmin Harper. It is one of only a dozen Olympic sized swimming pools in the UK and also home to Europe’s deepest diving pool. Alongside Ponds Forge, Everyone Active will operate IceSheffield, the home of British Ice Skating and the Sheffield Steeldogs. It is also a centre of excellence for figure skating, ice dance and hockey and one of the only two facilities in the UK that has two Olympic sized ice pads. Hillsborough, Concord and Springs Leisure centres and Heeley Pool, will also come under Everyone Active control next year, followed by Graves, Thorncliffe and Wisewood Leisure Centres in 2026. David Bibby, Managing Director at Everyone Active, said: “We feel privileged to have been chosen as the new operator for Sheffield’s sport and leisure venues. There is an incredible array of facilities within the city, renowned for hosting major sporting events and cultivating world-class athletes. “As a company that started out 37 years ago running a single site, it is fantastic to continue our growth in new areas of the UK, now reaching more than 240 leisure and cultural facilities. “Sheffield is an amazing city, and we are delighted to be working in partnership with Sheffield City Council to serve the vibrant communities within it. We take huge pride in offering opportunities for people of all ages, abilities and interests to engage in physical activity. “Our experience of managing elite facilities across the country means we are well placed to continue the legacy of Sheffield’s iconic venues, and we look forward to keeping the spirit of sport and exercise alive across the city.” Councillor Kurtis Crossland added: “As we enter this new exciting chapter, we would also like to thank the amazing teams at Sheffield City Trust and Places Leisure, who have done so much for our venues and to keep our communities active over the years. “The majority of these teams will transfer to Everyone Active and continue their hard work to help keep Sheffield Moving More.”

The NatWest Regional Growth Tracker showed a turnaround in the fortunes of the Yorkshire & Humber private sector, as business activity rose at the strongest pace since April 2023. After decreasing in June and placing at the bottom of the regional rankings for output across the UK, local activity levels rose for just the third month in the year-to-date. The headline Yorkshire & Humber PMI Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – increased by four points from 47.7 in June to 51.7 in July, a 15-month high and signalling a modest expansion in private sector business activity. Malcolm Buchanan, Chair of the NatWest North Regional Board, said: “After a difficult start to 2024, which saw Yorkshire & Humber consistently rank as one of the weakest-performing parts of the UK, our regional tracker for July finally brought with it a slew of positive trends. “Not only did business activity rise at its quickest pace in over a year, but demand for Yorkshire & Humber goods and services also expanded at a strong pace and business confidence surged to its highest level in over two years. Local employment benefited from the region’s economic upturn, with the rate of job creation accelerating. “The hope will be that this new-found momentum can carry on through the second half of the year, although the resurgence of stronger price pressures is something to monitor closely, as this could scupper the recovery.” Performance in relation to UK Yorkshire & Humber businesses reported a strong influx of new work at the start of the third quarter, with new order growth aligned with the UK average after a sustained period of underperformance by the region. The seasonally adjusted New Business Index rose sharply above the 50.0 no-change mark, signalling a rejuvenation of demand for local goods and services. In fact, the expansion in sales was the most marked since March 2022. There was also a sharp rebound in business confidence, as signalled by the Future Activity Index rising by over 12 points from June’s 20-month low to its highest level in just over two years. Company investment plans, confidence in the economy, new product launches and forecasts of strengthening sales performances underpinned optimism, anecdotal evidence revealed. July survey data signalled further gains for the local labour market, as net private sector employment increased for a third month in a row. The rate of job creation across Yorkshire & Humber accelerated slightly to the quickest since June 2023 and was well above the survey average. Where workforce numbers grew, this was linked to stronger demand, the filling of vacancies and efforts to raise output potential. Backlogs of work decreased in July, suggesting efficiency gains and adequate operating capacities to process workloads in a timely fashion. The decrease was only mild, however, and the slowest seen in 16 months. Sharp cost pressures persisted for Yorkshire & Humber companies in July, with prices charged subsequently rising further as firms endeavoured to protect margins. The seasonally adjusted Input Prices Index remained well above the 50.0 no-change mark in July, signalling a further steep rise in operating costs. The rate of increase signalled by the data was the strongest for three months. Higher shipping costs and wage pressures were cited by panellists. Prices charged for Yorkshire & Humber goods and services subsequently rose as firms shared cost inflation with their customers. The overall extent to which selling prices were marked up was the greatest in four months, but below the UK average.