- Anyone can call themselves an agent, but this does not mean they are a member of a professional body. Check an agent’s background before signing a contract.
- If an agent is a member of the Rating Surveyor’s Association (RSA), Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), or Institute of Revenues, Rating, Valuation (IRRV), they must follow rating agent standards. This provides business owners with extra reassurance.
- Check the length of a contract before signing. Rogue agents have been known to tie business owners into costly, long-term agreements.
- Make sure you read the small print and fully understand the services you are paying for. Legitimate agents should not pressure you into signing a contract, or demand large sums of money up front.
- Familiarise yourself with the VOA’s Check service and create a Business Rates Valuation Account to manage your property and view correspondence between the VOA and your agent.
- It is your responsibility to ensure the information your agent provides to the VOA is correct.
Businesses warned about using rogue business rate agents
The Valuation Office Agency is urging businesses to protect themselves from rogue business rates agents who’ve started to operate since new rateable values for business properties came into effect in April 2023.
Councils used these new values to calculate business rates bills, but businesses can challenge their valuation if they think it’s incorrect. They can use a rating agent do this.
Alan Colston, Chief Valuer at the VOA, said: “Be cautious of anyone who guarantees they can secure big business rates reductions. The vast majority of agents are reputable and provide a good service. But there is a small minority promising big reductions in business rates, based on incorrect information.
“These rogue agents often charge substantial fees for providing poor quality submissions using our online Check and Challenge service, which is free to use.
“We strongly advise businesses do their own research and explore different options before appointing an agent. Make sure you choose your own agent – don’t let an agent choose you.
“And remember, you can manage your business rates yourself by creating a Business Rates Valuation Account on GOV.UK.”
The VOA offers a checklist to help businesses intending to use an agent:
British Steel secures four-year contract to supply Belgian rail network
British Steel’s Scunthorpe-based rail business has signed a four-year contract with Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel to supply 40,000 tonnes of rail in various profiles for the maintenance and renewal of track across the Belgian rail network.
Jérôme Bonef, British Steel’s Export Sales Manager, Rail, said: “Deliveries are scheduled to start this month, and we look forward to working in partnership with Infrabel over the next four years.
“We operate in a highly competitive market so it’s extremely pleasing that Infrabel has selected us to supply rail for the Belgian network once more. It’s a great endorsement of our proven technical record, ability to develop products to meet demand, superb logistics solution and excellent delivery performance – securing another contract with a national network operator is a source of enormous pride.”
The 100-metre-long rails will be manufactured at British Steel’s Rail and Section Mill in Scunthorpe, before making their way by rail to Infrabel’s welding facility in Belgium.
Today’s announcement comes a short time after British Steel announced it had secured a contract to supply the Guinea Bauxite Company with 244,000 steel sleepers – its largest ever order for rail sleepers.
Jérôme said: “By working in partnership with our customers we can offer superb value for money by reducing the need for costly and time-consuming maintenance and replacement works. The less disruption to a network, the greater the flow of traffic – major benefits felt by passengers and freight operators.
“We look forward to continuing to work together collaboratively with Infrabel as we deliver high-quality products into this partnership.”
Lindum-built store will create 35 new jobs in Mablethorpe
A new B&M store built by Lincoln company Lindum on land just off Peter Chambers Way in Mablethorpe will officially open its doors at 8am on Thursday, June 22.
Jon Quick, Lindum Construction Manager, said: “It is fantastic news that the new B&M store will be opening very soon and creating so many jobs for the local community.
“Lindum has been involved in the Mablethorpe area for 15 years, and so we are fully invested in the local community. We hope the new store will continue to benefit the people of Mablethorpe once it opens.”
A spokesperson for B&M said: “We’re feeling extremely positive about the creation of more jobs for local people, and we hope customers are going to be delighted with their new store. We are all really excited to get the doors open and welcome our new customers through the door.”
Singapore property giant invests in York
Work has started to build a 303-bedroom student scheme in York after a forward funding deal was agreed with Singapore-based Q Investment Partners (QIP).
The mix of 195 cluster apartments and 108 studios will be spread across a three to five storey development on James Street in York.
Planning permission was secured for the scheme by S Harrison last year, and the respected York-based development firm is working with QIP and a wider development team to deliver the project in time for the 2025 student intake year. The development will then be operated by the Prestige Student Living brand of Homes for Students.
GMI Construction Group has been appointed as contractor, and it is expected that the development will complete in the Spring of 2025.
Peter Young, CEO and co-founder of QIP, believes that purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) is increasingly attractive to institutional investors. He said: “James Street is one of the student schemes that is part of a £200m build-to-core UK student housing venture between QIP and property investment group, Soilbuild.
“This expansion complements our existing stabilised portfolio, in partnership with Ares, that encompasses c.1,000 bedrooms across the UK’s leading student cities. This latest partnership reaffirms our unwavering commitment to the sector and allows QIP to leverage our existing platform scale to meet the rising demand for high-quality student accommodation in the UK.”
Martyn Harrison, from S Harrison, said: “We have been headquartered in York for over 70 years and have successfully designed and delivered many successful PBSA schemes in York, Leeds and Edinburgh in recent years, totalling thousands of bedrooms.
“Our ability to create exceptional developments in highly sought after locations means we have strong relationships with many leading PBSA and institutional investors, both in the UK and globally, and we’re very pleased to agree our first deal with QIP.
“High quality PBSA is in real demand in York, especially for schemes like this one, which is so close to both the University of York and York St John University. When this is combined with our local knowledge and QIP’s experience in the sector, there’s no doubt this development will prove to be very popular with the city’s student population.”
With an A-shaped footprint, the development has been designed by York-based CSP Architects and includes a large external central communal area, and also offers study space, a games room, cinema, gym and laundry facilities.
The site’s central location means it will mostly be car-free and a large cycle store forms part of the scheme. With plenty of soft landscaping and a South facing public pocket park on the site’s southeast corner and more than 200 sq m of green space, the Lawrence Street streetscape, which is a primary route into the city, will also be greatly improved.
Yorkshire’s divisional managing director at GMI Construction, Andrew Hurcomb, said: “GMI has a strong track record of delivering student accommodation across the North of England and the Midlands. The James Street development is in an ideal location given it’s within walking distance of two universities and will help York confirm its position as a top study destination by expanding the range of quality facilities available for students.”
Martyn concluded: “This scheme ticks so many boxes as it’s creating new, energy-efficient homes for students in an easily accessible location, as well as benefiting the local community with improvements to both pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, as well as a new community park for all.”
QIP is a private equity real estate firm that specialises in the global residential living sector. The company invests in the UK, US and Japan, by investing in PBSA, multi-family and co-living rental buildings, build-to-rent and care homes.
Lindum start work on £9.5m affordable homes project
By autumn next year Lincoln-based Lindum Group expects to have completed a £9.5m project to build 50 new affordable homes in the Cambridgeshire village of Bottisham, on behalf of Accent Group.
The development includes 30 shared ownership homes and 20 properties for affordable rent. It will be a combination of one-bedroom flats, two to four-bedroom semi-detached houses, and four two-bed bungalows.
The homes will all be built to the previous building regulations, but they will all achieve EPC rating A through the installation of solar panels.
Steve Morris, Accent Group Director of Development, said: “This is a significant development for us and reflects the ambitions of our development strategy which commits to building sustainable homes in areas of high housing need.
“The new homes will be thermally efficient, reducing both fuel consumption and the overall running costs for our customers. We have made a commitment to build all our new homes in our land led programme to an EPC A rating and currently have around 600 homes on site being built to this standard.”
Lindum Construction Manager Colin Knight said: “We are thrilled to be under way on what will be a very exciting project for Accent Group.
“These 50 properties will make a significant impact on the affordable housing needs of the area, encouraging first time buyers to come to the village, whilst also helping the people who grew up there to stay.”
Since work started, foundations have been put in place, and work will soon begin on the roads and sewers. The road works will connect the site to the existing road on Ox Meadow. The Scheme is being developed with part funding from Homes England.
Work starts on new home for Leeds Law School
Leeds Law School at Leeds Beckett University is relocating to the university’s Broadcasting Place building later this year, a move that will see the School’s facilities transformed and enable students and staff to bring law to life.
The new development will serve as the new home for Leeds Law School’s undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes, offering state-of-the-art facilities that will allow students to work alongside legal academics and learn in an environment that will promote deep learning and develop critical analysis.
An immersive simulation suite, a courtroom with a jury deliberation room, a reading room and social learning areas are among the spaces that will support students to expand their knowledge of the legal profession and provide them with an ideal platform to launch their career.
The national charity Support Through Court will have a dedicated room within the new premises to support members of public to represent themselves in court.
Professor Deveral Capps, Dean of Leeds Law School, said: “The Law School has grown considerably in recent years, and we’ve now reached a level where we want to give our students and staff a real sense of place, and for them to have somewhere amazing they can call home. This huge investment means we will have the most modern law school in the country, which fills me with great pride.
“I’m incredibly excited to open the doors to our new Law School in time for us to celebrate the school’s centenary. We’ve been teaching law at Leeds Law School since 1924 and settling into such modern, state-of-the-art facilities by 2024 gives us a sense of great achievement and opportunity for our students and staff.”
Work on the project is due to start in June 2023 and is expected to be completed by September 2023. Once complete, it will provide the students at Leeds Law School with the chance to thrive in an environment designed specifically to support their needs.
£400k project will bring empty Hull building back into use
Grade II listed building Silvester House will be brought back into full use thanks to a grant from the Levelling Up fund.
Half of the building in The Maltings is currently in use, but investment from Bud Properties Ltd and the grant will see a full renovation of its empty eastern side.
This part of the building will be subsequently fitted out as 14 one and two bedroom apartments.
The works, valued at more than £400,000, will see new electrics and plumbing installed, alongside new kitchens, windows, flooring and decoration. New internal alterations and partitions will also be added.
Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for regeneration, said: “This renovation is great news for this area of the city centre, rich in stunning architecture.
“These grants from the government’s Levelling Up Fund are really helping to enhance the city centre’s offer to residents and visitors alike and it’s great to see another building being brought back into full use.” Work will begin on the renovations in the coming weeks.
Keighley gets green light for health and wellbeing centre
Keighley has received Government confirmation of the funding it needs to proceed with building a new health and wellbeing centre.
The funding of £3.4million forms part of a Towns Fund grant from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
It means that building the centre can now get underway with the centre expected to open in the summer of 2026.
The new facility would include GP services, self-care and prevention, community care, mental health, dental care, a GP training hub and other healthcare services, at an accessible town centre location.
The scheme would also bring around 200 jobs to the town centre, 50 of them being new posts, helping bring extra footfall to local shops and other businesses.
The site on which the new centre will be built comprises two areas of brownfield land at the corner of North Street and Cavendish Street, previously occupied by Keighley College, which was demolished in 2017.
Ian Hayfield, Keighley Towns Fund Chair, said: “It is fantastic news for Keighley that we’ve been given the go-ahead by the Government for the Health and Wellbeing Centre. It is a project that will make a real difference and bring in much needed investment to help achieve real social and economic change for our community.
“I want to thank all the residents and businesses of Keighley, the project sponsors, my fellow board members and the council for the hard work that has gone in over the last few years.”
Professor Mel Pickup, place-based lead for Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, said: “The funding announcement is great news for the people of Keighley and for our whole health and care partnership. The new Health and Wellbeing Centre is much needed and will provide a ‘state of the art’ integrated health and wellbeing centre at the heart of Keighley.
“The centre will bring a wide range of services under one roof, and help ensure local people receive the care they need closer to home. This project is an exciting opportunity to construct a landmark building on the central site that enhances the town centre, provides value for money and, most importantly, improves the health and wellbeing of local people.”
Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “The announcement today is a great result for Keighley. It will bring a brand new facility in the heart of Keighley, in easy reach of transport links and which will provide essential services to improve the lives of those living in the community.
“In addition it will be a great boost for investment and jobs for Keighley and the wider district. This is a partnership success and thanks must go to the Keighley town fund board and everyone involved in this bid who has made this happen.”
Humber is a land of opportunity for business, says KCOM CEO Tim Shaw
The Humber region is a land of opportunity for its businesses, KCOM CEO Tim Shaw told delegates to the Humber Business Week launch event.
The event, entitled Let’s Talk Place, was organised by Future Humber to energise the local business community and build momentum towards a shared prosperous future.
Mr Shaw said there was enormous potential for the digital and tech sectors in the Humber, using KCOM’s award winning full fibre broadband as a platform to build on.
“Digital and tech are really key in the area,” he said: “There are many global companies that are using the Humber as their base and lots of great start-up companies such as Vertual, which is developing world leading cancer treatment, at places such as C4DI Add to this the potential for remote working that was kickstarted by the pandemic and we have a huge platform here to attract people to our region.”
Mr Shaw added that the growing green energy sector led by companies such as Siemens had the potential to transform’s the area’s economy, while the region also had a strong pipeline of talent coming through from the strong science-teaching institutions such as the University of Hull, Hull College and Ron Dearing UTC.
“If we can fix the carbon problem in the Humber we can take that right around the world,” he said.
Mr Shaw was part of a panel discussing the subject alongside Jane Stafford, CEO of Hull University Students’ Union, Charlotte Bowen, Founder of The Culture House and James Trowsdale, Strategic Lead for Culture, North East Lincolnshire Council.
Supply chain challenges continue to hold back business growth
Continued supply chain pressures, including cost increases, delayed materials and shortages outrank workforce challenges and increasing business costs as a main concern for over a third (36%) of mid-sized businesses, according to latest research from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.
The bi-monthly survey – which looks at the challenges and opportunities facing mid-sized businesses – reveals over three quarters (77%) are facing persistent disruptions within the supply chain. Faced with these prolonged pressures, almost half (49.8%) of mid-sized businesses say they will be focusing on onshoring as much of their operations as possible in the next 12 months.
This change in strategy is having the biggest impact for mid-sized businesses within the retail and hospitality, manufacturing and technology and media sectors with just over half (51%) planning to onshore operations, suggesting an urgency to reduce a reliance on imported goods and overseas suppliers. A quarter (24%) of businesses say their supply chain strategy is focused on reducing the impact of global geopolitical events on their business, whilst the same number wish to avoid complex post-Brexit customs regulation.
However, despite many making attempts to onshore operations, over a fifth (21%) of businesses report that costs are too high in the UK. A further fifth (20%) say there are no UK-based suppliers capable of delivering the services they need. Motivated by access to more competition, almost a third (31%) hope to find lower costs in markets with a wider range of suppliers.
Businesses are calling on government to incentivise more UK operations, in order to boost economic growth. When asked about what policies would help their businesses grow this year, a fifth (21%) want to see tax cuts for companies working with domestic suppliers and/or partners.
Ed Dwan, partner at BDO LLP, said: “While the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit have fallen out of the limelight somewhat, the supply chain pressures we’ve seen over the past few years are far from easing. Our latest research shows that mid-sized businesses continue to face persistent chaos and disruption, both at home and abroad, with many choosing to onshore operations to the UK, but still facing major barriers in doing so.
“These businesses should not be overlooked by policymakers who need to prioritise domestic partnerships and industry, as without the right support to help manage lingering supply chain challenges, they could see a knock-on impact on plans for improving productivity and UK market growth in the months ahead.”
Bradford housing association appoints director of development and growth
Bradford housing provider Incommunities has appointed Aimee Law to the role of director of development and growth.
Aimee has more than 18 years’ experience in delivering large scale, mixed tenure, residential developments across both public and private sectors.
She joined Incommunities in July 2022, as head of new business and programme compliance in the Development Team, where she has played a key role in the organisation’s growth.
Incommunities, which owns 22,650 homes across Bradford and other parts of Yorkshire, sees Aimee’s appointment as a pivotal part of their ambitious growth targets, which include securing 2,000 new build homes by March 2026, with a goal of delivering 400 new starts per year.
Aimee’s decision to join Incommunities was driven by her strong desire to deliver new affordable homes and have a meaningful impact improving communities.
She said: “Having grown up living in social housing, I am passionate about ensuring people have access to good quality and affordable housing and I am excited to take on this new role at Incommunities.
“This opportunity will allow me to use my skills and experience to develop more affordable homes for those in need. I am committed to driving our growth ambitions and making a lasting impact on the communities we serve.”
Under Aimee’s leadership in her new role, Incommunities will focus on delivering larger-scale mixed developments, encompassing Affordable Rent, Social Rent, Rent to Buy, and Shared Ownership.
The organisation’s geographic focus will span West and part of North Yorkshire, with specific emphasis on Bradford, Kirklees, and Calderdale.
Graeme Scott, executive director of development and growth at Incommunities, congratulated Aimee on her promotion.
He said: “I would like to congratulate Aimee in securing this role. With her substantial experience and vision, she will really help to drive our growth targets. She has already been instrumental in implementing new development processes, securing valuable development opportunities, and supporting the growth and development of the team.”
To support its growth targets, Incommunities is also recruiting for key positions within the Development Team, including head of delivery, project manager, and new business manager.
Financial support welcomed for growing the rural economy
The government has unveiled a £7m fund to support the most remote areas in the UK and provide them with better access to wireless networks which will support the government’s wider mission of growing the rural economy.
The new fund will involve testing new ways of bringing together satellite, wireless and fixed line internet connectivity with the aim of providing fast and reliable connectivity to remote areas for the first time, helping to support the likes of farmers and tourism businesses.
The investment follows the government’s £8 million grant scheme that they announced earlier this year which committed to delivering improved, high-speed broadband via satellite connectivity to up to 35,000 homes in the most rural areas of the UK, speeding up broadband by 10 times.
Rural areas currently contribute 15 per cent to the UK’s economy and the government hopes to support these communities in all areas, including housing, transport, digital connectivity and jobs, with the goal of providing improved opportunities.
Elizabeth Anderson, Interim Chief Executive Officer at the Digital Poverty Alliance, said: “It is fantastic to see the government taking further steps to support the drive of providing connectivity and digital access for everyone. For some, access to wireless networks is an everyday norm, however, for millions, this is currently out of reach, leading to exclusion and acting as a key barrier when looking for jobs, or attempting to use services which are now commonly online as well as many other tasks that require digital access.
“The release of this new fund coincides with the DPA’s launch of the National Delivery Plan, which sets out 6 core missions to end digital poverty. Digital technology plays a huge role in individuals’ lives, affecting our ability to learn, participate and interact, highlighting the vital importance of proving everybody with digital access. While it is great to see the government making steps in the right direction, we must all do more to support those who lack access with the hope of a fully connected UK in years to come. We must also remember that digital inclusion is about more than just connectivity, with devices, skills and trust in online services all vital.”
Yorkshire Water plans £180m of improvements to cut storm overflow discharges
Yorkshire Water is to invest £180m in reducing discharges from storm overflows in the next two years.
More than 190 overflows have been earmarked for investment as part of the plan and work on the first batch of improvements is already under way, with work being carried out on overflows which discharge into all the major rivers throughout the region.
The investment is in addition to the £147m being spent as part of the utility’s current five-year business plan and the work being planned between 2025 and 2030, which will see the company’s largest environmental investment since privatisation.
Nicola Shaw, CEO of Yorkshire Water, said: “We did not act quickly enough to tackle the issue of storm overflows into rivers. Despite the number and duration of discharges from storm overflows in Yorkshire decreasing in 2022 we understand they happen more than our customers would like, and we are determined to tackle this issue and do our bit for river health.
“Tackling overflows, which were designed into the system as a relief valve, is a priority for us, but it is also a significant task. In Yorkshire, we have over 2,200 overflows and we know replumbing the whole of Yorkshire is not a quick fix as it would be both significantly disruptive and costly to customers. But, further investment from our shareholders is helping us tackle this issue.
“We’ve now launched a project that will see £180m spent on storm overflow improvements in the next two years. This will target the overflows we know are operating more frequently and for longer. Our teams are already on the ground working on the first of these overflows and the investment will help to reduce discharges by at least 20%, but in most cases, we’ll be going way beyond that and reducing them significantly.”
Projects will involve building additional storage tanks to retain more wastewater, holding it back, so it doesn’t go through overflows, redirecting rainwater away from sewers and into water butts or SUDs, removing water sources that shouldn’t be plumbed in the network and preventing water naturally seeping in and changing operations at the wider sewer network and pumping stations that could reduce the need for overflows to kick in to action.
Nicola added: “Storm overflows are a priority for us and that’s why we’ve funded these improvements. We’re going beyond the government’s storm overflow reduction plan and we’re already planning our largest ever environmental investment programme between 2025 and 2030, this is only the beginning as we embark on the biggest investment programme since privatisation.”
Drax pumps almost £38,000 into more than 20 good causes
Renewable energy company Drax has donated over £37,500 from its Community Fund to 26 local groups and causes near to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire.
Jane Breach, Drax UK Community Manager, said: “Drax has a long tradition of giving back to the communities we operate in, and this year we have stepped up our community funding to allow us to support even more good causes and ensure our business has a positive impact on people, nature and the climate. “We are pleased to announce that in the first round of community funding this year we will be awarding close to £60,000 of grants to 40 different organisations in the UK which support STEM education and skills or work to improve the local community.” Of the total, £37,530 has been awarded to 26 different community-led projects local to Drax Power Station near Selby. This includes developing an outdoor space for volunteering and educational opportunities at St John’s Church in Goole, purchasing equipment to deliver a STEM programme for children at Carlton Playgroup, helping Kellingley Juniors Football Club to purchase sports kit and the Stillingfleet Community Group to deliver a village playground project. Jonny Patton, Operations Director at St John’s Church, said: “As the only green space in the centre of the town, St John’s churchyard has the potential to make a significant contribution to the lives of the people of Goole, and play a key role in the rejuvenation of the town centre. This donation from Drax will help us to progress plans for our project ‘Life and Hope Gardens’, which will be an inclusive and accessible space for volunteering, community-led projects and school activities as well as create opportunities to reduce social isolation and improve health and wellbeing.” Drax’s Community Fund donations are awarded once a quarter to local projects in the regions where Drax operates which fit into the following categories:- STEM education, skills development, and employability
- Improving green spaces in local communities
- Improving our communities
Private sector activity could be poised for a modest rebound, says CBI
After ten consecutive months of decline, private sector activity could be poised for something of a rebound, according to the CBI.
It’s predicting a return to modest growth, with business and professional services expected to lead the recovery with an upswing in activity (+20%), while consumer services activity and distribution sales are expected to stabilise (-3% and -1% respectively). Only manufacturing output is expected to fall, but at a slower pace once again (-5%).
All major subsectors saw activity fall over the last quarter. Services business volumes declined at a broadly similar pace to last month (-8% from -7% in April), reflecting a mild contraction in business & professional services (-4%) and a sharper fall in consumer services (-24%).
Distribution sales resumed their downward trend after two flat months (-17% from +1% in April), falling at the fastest pace since November 2022. Likewise, manufacturing output continued to fall, but at a slightly slower pace than last month (-10% from -15% in April).
Alpesh Paleja, CBI Lead Economist, said: “Amid the enduring headwinds of strong cost pressures and labour shortages, it’s clear that the private sector continues to face difficult trading conditions. However, the latest Growth Indicator shows that businesses remain hopeful of seeing activity rebound over the three months ahead.
“Falling wholesale energy prices will eventually relieve some pressure on firms’ margins, while lower household energy bills from July will support consumer spending, in turn giving a boost to broader demand conditions.”
Groundbreaking new conference responds to farming crime wave sweeping rural Britain
The NFU HQ at Stoneleigh hosted a major conference for the National Rural Crime Unit involving police forces from across the UK to discuss a coherent approach to rural crime, including sharing best practice, effective tactics and managing joint operations.
NFU Vice-President David Exwood said: “Highly organised gangs of criminals continue to plague the great British countryside, stealing livestock and expensive GPS equipment, trespassing on private land and regularly fly-tipping tons of rubbish; their actions significantly impact farm businesses, farming families and rural communities, both financially and emotionally.”
Following the first session of the event, almost every police force unit in the room confirmed they have a dedicated rural crime team; the few which still plan to develop these dedicated teams have already set up processes to ensure national police priorities on rural crime are addressed.
Superintendent Andy Huddleston, Head of the NRCU, highlighted the recent upsurge in thefts of tractor GPS units, with every police force in the room indicating that they have dealt with such thefts. New research from NFU Mutual has revealed the cost of GPS theft in the first four months of 2023 exceeded £500,000, more than double compared to the same period last year.
The Superintendent praised the wok of rural crime leads across the UK but acknowledged “the need and want to do more”. He said: “There is an urgent need to improve co-ordination and partnership problem solving, regionally and nationally. The newly-formed NRCU is designed to do this and support UK police forces to combat the organised crime groups that target rural communities”.
Bob Henderson, NFU Mutual lead on Rural Crime explained how NFU Mutual has set up a dedicated agricultural vehicle theft unit and has collaborated with police forces to seize millions of poundsworth of stolen machinery. “This team is now part of the new Rural Crime Unit which will strengthen work at a national level so that specialist police resources can be targeted where they are needed most to protect farmers and the wider rural community. We are proud to be the primary funders of the new unit and wish it every success in its work.”
Greg Smith MP discussed his Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill that aims to ensure security measures must be included on quad bikes at point of sale. The NFU has been working closely with the Home Office on the new Bill, along with NFU Mutual, and other key stakeholders. The Bill is currently passing through the Committee stage in the House of Lords.
Connecting with the world: business completes web translations for a dozen companies
A company with premises in Boston and Nottingham is bringing business home by translating web sites into a range of languages and ‘localising’ them too.
PAB Language Centres operates globally, and in the last quarter completed 11 website translations and localisations for clients, including into French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Swedish, and Japanese.
Iwona Lebiedowicz, founder of PAB Languages Centre Ltd, said: “A multilingual website engages new audiences and opens the opportunity to become visible across international search engines. A properly localised website speaks directly to the consumer in their own language, enabling businesses and brands to compete with local and global players in their niche.
“Localisation is a comprehensive process that entails not only text translation but also other factors to bear in mind. These include modifying your content to respect local market habits, addressing economic, historical, and sometimes political references, adjusting images, icons, and colours to local tastes and culture, changing dates, addresses, phone numbers, and other details to fit a local format, and converting to local currencies and units of measure.
“The numbers are quite staggering – translating your website into English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese and Italian enables you to reach 80% of the global online purchasing power – so it’s no surprise that an increasing number of businesses are looking to translate and localise their websites.”
It has UK offices in the East Midlands as well as Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, and Essex. PAB works locally and internationally with clients from the UK and around the world.
“Localisation is a complex process and one that requires a huge range of skills and specialist knowledge. For these reasons, the process of localising a website is best handled by a team of professionals,” added Iwona.
Around 40% of internet users said they will never buy from websites that are not in their native language and 65% of non-native English speakers prefer content in their native tongue, even though they are highly proficient in English, according to CSA Research.
And in a 2022 study by PayPal, 57% of online shoppers said that they shopped internationally. In fact, two out of five global shoppers had made a cross-border purchase in the previous three months.
Property auctioneers merge with combined auctions
Two of the north’s largest property auction houses, North-West based Pugh and South Yorkshire based Mark Jenkinson, are combining their online property auction listings from this month.
Mark Jenkinson, which has been based in Sheffield for over 125 years, was acquired by Eddisons earlier this year, joining Pugh which was bought by Eddisons in 2016. Between them the two firms have sold a wide range of commercial, residential and land assets worth £94m in the last year.
Combining the lots of both auction houses, under the Pugh brand and as part of Eddisons, will provide a more extensive list of investment opportunities across the regions.
Pugh Managing Director Paul Thompson said: “This is an exciting development for our business and reinforces our strength and leading position in the northern property auction market. Combining the two very capable teams ensures we continue to deliver a high performing service to our selling and buying customers.”
Mark Jenkinson senior partner, Adrian Little, added: “Working with Pugh, as part of Eddisons, gives us a superb geographic reach, unrivalled market insight and a vast network of buyers and sellers.
“The personalised customer service our clients have always enjoyed will be backed by cutting-edge technology and strategic marketing support.”
Over £4m building improvements funding secured for Yorkshire schools
Property consultant Eddisons, which is headquartered in Leeds, has secured more than £20m of funding to improve buildings at schools across the UK, including more than £4m for Yorkshire schools, in the latest round of the Government’s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).
Education sector specialist Eddisons has raised more than £200m in school funding over recent years and the latest round of secured funding for projects in Yorkshire includes £350,000 for the Yorkshire Collaborative Academies Trust to carry out fire safety and roofing works, and over £700,000 to fund a roofing project and asbestos removal for the Brooksbank School in Elland.
Ian Harrington, head of Eddisons specialist education team, said: “This is another year of fantastic results for both our clients and the team. However, the success also highlights once again the fact that education is one of the more poorly funded sectors, with 2,000 projects unsuccessful in their bids in this round of funding alone.
“We will continue to work with those schools and academies that were unsuccessful, to offer guidance on future bids, as well as offering advice on other funding opportunities that are available. With the total CIF pot remaining unchanged on last year, despite base rate inflation being at 11% and construction inflation nearer 30%, it was one the most fiercely competitive rounds of funding we’ve experienced.”
The CIF programme is an annual round of bidding under which academy schools and colleges can apply for funding for the upkeep and improvement of their buildings and to fund expansion projects for schools that have been rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. In total, the Department for Education received funding requests for over 3,000 projects this year, with 1,033 projects across 859 academies being allocated a share of the £456m.
Mr Harrington added: “The CIF bidding procedure is highly complex and Eddisons’ education team have built up huge knowledge and experience over the years to help deliver successful bids and projects that make a real difference to schools and to the people who study and work in them.
“Every year the process of submitting a successful CIF bid becomes ever more competitive and we are really pleased to say that we have maintained our position as a key adviser to the education sector, with an excellent success rate for our bids.”
The successful projects will all get underway shortly and will be project managed by Eddisons.
Positive signs for Yorkshire’s retail sector as Leeds and Sheffield emerge in UK’s top 10 growth cities
The Yorkshire region fares well in the retail sector with both Leeds and Sheffield ranked in the UK’s top 10 growth cities according to CBRE’s latest research report ‘Which City? Which Sector? Real Estate Prospects over the Next Decade’. Leeds is ranked fourth in the retail sector with Sheffield positioned eighth.
CBRE examined the growth prospects for 12 real estate sectors across the 50 largest regional towns and cities in the UK. Findings were informed by economic drivers (including GDP, employment and income growth), demographic trends and property market data such as supply pipeline, local universities and housing affordability. The top 10 performing cities and growth sectors were identified.
Ram Rasiah, senior director, CBRE said: “It’s great to see two Yorkshire cities in the top 10 list. Retail continues to adapt to changing consumer habits and repositioning the role of the store. Within this, the polarized performance of retail locations is becoming increasingly apparent. While small, local destinations continue to remain relevant through their convenience and regional schemes benefit from their critical mass, the performance of mid-sized locations has been more challenged.
“In contrast, larger locations deliver a greater catchment potential. And aligning these trends, population and expected population growth were among the metrics used in our analysis. Birmingham ranks strongest in this measure, followed by Leeds and Glasgow,” continued Rasiah.
Birmingham took the top spot for retail followed by Bristol and Manchester respectively.
Retail performance is not only driven by scale. CBRE’s research has shown that affluent cities see healthier property performance, have lower vacancy rates and experience higher rental and capital value growth. A review of average household incomes ranks Sheffield highly versus other locations. A comparison of cities highlights Bristol and Manchester with the strongest growth potential.
In addition, a critical driver of a retail location’s performance is the balance of supply and demand. Allowing for a shift of some spend online, CBRE estimates that the volume of retail floor space in the UK will need to decrease by 16% to reach average sales densities of 2015-2020. Ranking cities by floorspace per capita and a review of vacancy rate data, gives an indication of potential oversupply in locations. The majority of the top ten potential growth cities identified have a lower retail floor space per capita than the sample average, with Sheffield and Bristol in the strongest position.
Leeds ranked sixth in the office sector with Sheffield taking the eighth position for growth cities. Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham placed as the top three growth cities in this sector.
Alex Hailey, senior director in CBRE’s Office Agency team in Leeds, said: “It’s great to see both Leeds and Sheffield identified in the top 10 growth cities. The role of the office has changed over time to align with occupier requirements, as the way we use offices evolves. The movement from cellular offices to flexible and agile formats has reduced the average space requirements per employee and hybrid working is challenging historic working norms.
“Occupiers focusing on talent attraction and retention are considering a range of flexible, amenity-rich spaces to curate the optimum user experience. But in tandem with these trends, demand for office space ultimately continues to be driven by the wider economic environment. Economic and demographic factors are fundamental when identifying key growth markets for office real estate.
“The size of the talent pool is a key factor used in forecasting office demand, with growth in those of working age and populations with qualifications at or above Level 4, could indicate the potential for employment growth by office-based sectors,” continued Hailey.
Supply factors are also key when considering a market’s ability to support future demand. In the flight to quality office space, CBRE expects pre-letting of development space to continue. 29% of space under construction is already pre-let or under offer in eight of the top ten markets where CBRE tracks pipeline data.
Sheffield placed third behind Manchester and Bristol in the urban logistics sector with Leeds ranked ninth.
As supply chains diversify to keep up with accelerated online retail activity and consumer expectations, increased demand is being placed on smaller prime urban logistics facilities located in the UK’s major metropolitan areas. These provide more agile warehouses, accommodate numerous delivery vehicles, increase cost efficiencies and shorten delivery times for end consumers.
Online shopping is a major driver in the demand for urban logistics space and the report has identified locations with a high online penetration percentage, access to high-speed internet and a forecasted growth in population of age groups with a high online spend propensity. Sheffield, Manchester and Bristol ranked highly in the growth of 34-49 year olds at 13.52%, 10.63% and 9.86% respectively.
Sheffield also ranked fifth in the Single Family Housing sector with Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol taking the top spots. Sheffield has the most affordable rental market for houses in CBRE’s top five – the average rent for a house accounts for 37% of a single local income.
Jennet Siebrits, UK head of Research at CBRE, said: “Leeds, which has one of the most diverse economies in the UK, ranked particularly well in the office and retail sectors and Sheffield was ranked among the highest cities respectively for projected growth in the urban logistics sector, which has undergone a period of supply chain diversification to keep up with accelerated online retail activity and consumer expectations since the pandemic.
“The way towns and cities evolve is very much reflective of their local geographies, natural resources and cultural history. As a result, no two UK cities are the same and subsequently, different real estate sectors thrive in different locations. Real estate professionals need to be mindful of these differences to help inform their future strategies.”
