£3.4m investment to help South Yorkshire businesses reduce carbon footprint
Businesses in South Yorkshire will benefit from a £3.4m investment to help them reduce their carbon emissions, improve resilience, and protect jobs.
Running until March 2025, the project will provide support to 260 small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham to help them understand the opportunities available to reduce their carbon footprint.
Businesses will benefit from a free energy audit to identify potential energy saving improvements such as low-energy lighting systems or insulation. Delivered by South Yorkshire’s local authorities, the project is part funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s Shared Prosperity Fund allocation.
Low carbon grants are also available to help businesses invest in solutions to reduce their energy consumption and costs, helping them to become more productive, resilient, and environmentally friendly.
As part of the package of support available, specialist advisors will provide comprehensive advice and support throughout the process.
Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee, said: “We know many business owners want to reduce energy costs and do their bit for the planet but it can be difficult to plan how to reduce your carbon footprint and find the money to pay for carbon saving measures.
“Specialist advisors will help businesses identify where they can make changes that save budgets and tackle the climate crisis. Low carbon grants will bring ideas into action and give businesses the financial support they need to make changes that will reduce energy costs and carbon emissions whilst improving efficiency and resilience.
“This scheme will give owners the confidence and support they need to make sustainable changes to their business, something that is crucial if we are to look after our planet and let business thrive.”
ACAS reviews Code of Practice over home working requests
More than a third of employers have seen an increase in staff working from home after the rise in the cost of living and that’s not a surprise to ACAS Chief Executive Susan Clews.
Ahead of a review of the ACAS Code of Practice on handling home working requests, which takes place next month, she said: “The cost of living pressures are impacting many people and it is unsurprising that over a third of employers have seen an increase in staff working from home.
“For some workers, the cost of commuting is eating into their budgets, while for others, going to their workplaces saves on home energy costs.
“It’s important for businesses to work with staff to agree suitable ways of working for specific roles, taking account of individual circumstances and regularly review arrangements. Acas has good practice in this area that can help.”
Acas’s advice for employers includes:
- A company home, hybrid or flexible working policy should explain how someone can request it, how job roles will be assessed and how decisions will be made
- Decisions around whether to agree to a staff request for home working should be fair and transparent
- Other forms of flexible working could be discussed as possible alternatives if home working is not practical for a specific role
- Familiarise yourself with Acas’s consultation on its new draft Code of Practice on handling requests for flexible working that has been updated to reflect shifts to flexible working and upcoming changes to the law.
- Who should be allowed to accompany an employee at meetings to discuss a flexible working request
- The need for transparency about reasons for rejecting a request
- Making it clear that employers should proactively offer an appeal where a request has been rejected.
Sheffield Forgemasters appoints new CFO
Amy Grey has been appointed as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) on the board of Sheffield Forgemasters.
Amy joined Sheffield Forgemasters in May 2022 as Finance Director but has operated as interim CFO since April 2023 and is a UK qualified accountant (CIMA) with 21 years’ experience including 10 years at executive team level.
The announcement follows Julie Colgan’s appointment to the role of Non Executive Director and Shareholder Representative for the Government at Sheffield Forgemasters, replacing Lorna Gratton.
David Bond, Chief Executive Officer at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “We are delighted to welcome Amy and Julie to the Board of Directors.
“As CFO, Amy will be working closely with a highly talented senior team as we drive the business into new markets. Her role will focus on factors driving the long-term success of the company, including financing arrangements, people investment and plant upgrades.”
The Board at Sheffield Forgemasters includes a former Vice Chief of Defence Staff as Chair, a former CFO at Network Rail, a former CEO of Balfour Beatty, and an ex-Government Ministry Director.
David added: “Amy was selected by the Board following a series of interviews alongside external candidates, through her core skills and impressive track record in senior financial roles with global companies.
“Amy will join a highly capable and diverse Board at Sheffield Forgemasters as we continue to provide vital components for UK Defence and global Customers whilst transforming our business through a major investment programme.”
In a previous role, Amy acted as Vice President of Finance for multi-national Greenlane Renewables, a global provider of biogas upgrading systems, moving to Canada to prepare the company for floatation on the Toronto Stock Exchange Ventures market.
Other notable roles include UK Finance Director for Heras Perimeter Protection, a Dutch-headquartered company with a global presence, Finance & Commercial Director at Kelda Group, a water services provider for Yorkshire, and Senior Finance & Commercial Manager for international outsourcing company, SERCO.
Amy joins David Bond (CEO) and Gareth Barker (COO) as Executive Directors of the Board at Sheffield Forgemasters and takes up position with immediate effect.
Henley Group makes two new senior appointments
Wakefield-headquartered construction services group, Henley Group has added two new senior appointments to its growing team.
Mark Jennings joins as group financial controller, whilst Dave Cawley, formerly Henley specialists senior project manager, has been promoted to group construction director. Both moves come as Henley Group continues to establish itself as an integrated construction specialist services group.
As group financial controller, Mark Jennings will play an intrinsic role in the continued growth of the business. Mark, who is ACCA Qualified, brings over a decade of experience in accountancy practice.
He is looking to use his expertise in accountancy and investment finance to implement best practice across the business, integrate financial reporting, and provide financial input into future growth plans across the whole of Henley Group’s portfolio of businesses.
Commenting on his move, Mark said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Henley team at an exciting time in the company’s expansion. I look forward to supporting the business’s continued growth within the UK construction sector, overseeing the day-to-day financial operations and providing essential financial insights to ensure success.”
Dave Cawley’s key responsibilities as construction director will include overseeing projects end-to-end, focusing on maintaining the Henley focus of delivering high standards of quality and safety across all group businesses, and contributing to long term growth by fostering long-term client relationships through successful project delivery.
Dave brings vast experience of the construction sector with his impressive skillset. Commenting on his new position, Dave said: “I am thrilled to be starting my new role as construction director at Henley Group.
“I already know the team well after working alongside them but I’m now looking forward to an exciting new challenge and can’t wait to be overseeing some of our incredible projects. One of my key accomplishments so far is gaining knowledge of the various products and systems within the construction industry, so I’m excited to use all the skills I’ve learned to further develop the business.”
Henley Group was established by Shaun Henley in 2012.
Shaun added: “The addition of Mark to our team is essential for our continued growth trajectory – he’s bringing experience from a wide range of businesses across several sectors to assist in producing key financials, giving us increased visibility over performance to make decisions at both division level and group level for shareholders and directors.
“The promotion of Dave is very well deserved, and a strategic move for the company. Dave has vast experience in the sector and his management experience with us means he understands the workings of our company. I’m certain he’ll have a positive impact as he leads our operational delivery teams.”
Leeds-based digital change specialist appoints new head of engineering
Axiologik – the Leeds-headquartered advanced digital delivery firm – is bolstering its technical team with the appointment of David Sugden as the company’s new head of engineering.
With a career spanning over two and a half decades, David brings a wealth of experience and expertise in software development, architecture, and end-to-end delivery.
David’s journey in the technology industry began with a junior developer role at AXA after graduating from university. He subsequently joined Equifax in the late 1990s, where his passion for technology and interest in other areas started to flourish.
In his 26-year tenure at Equifax, David made significant strides, moving from developer roles on mainframe applications to exploring various positions, including senior developer and architecture roles across the company.Throughout his career, David’s focus evolved from what applications are to how they are built, particularly in the realm of full end-to-end delivery. His proficiency expanded to encompass requirements capturing, project management, development, testing, customer support, and overall service delivery.
During this time, he led engineering initiatives across the UK team, promoting best practices in a guild format and building ancillary systems to define and uphold excellence.David’s interests eventually gravitated towards the production space, where he thrived in supporting applications, managing customers, and overseeing 24/7 services.
Notably, five years ago, he established the Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) function at Equifax’s UK branch, crafting and nurturing the department from the ground up. Before departing, David also embraced a global role and led internal developer tooling efforts from the company’s Atlanta office.On returning to the UK, David joined Axiologik, wanting to seek fresh challenges that would allow him to maximise his potential. In his new role as head of engineering at Axiologik, David will be collaborating with practice leads and other heads of departments to define the scope and direction of the engineering space. While the team starts with one member — David himself — he is eager to expand and build a team that aligns with Axiologik’s future objectives.Commenting on Axiologik’s mission, David said: “My interest in enhancing development experience and productivity seamlessly aligns with Axiologik’s mission. The firm focuses on delivering effective and efficient solutions to businesses, ensuring they can roll out new features swiftly while maintaining cost-effectiveness. This area is currently a hot topic in the tech industry and I hope my expertise will be a valuable asset in achieving Axiologik’s goals.” Ben Davison, Axiologik’s director, concluded: “We welcome David to our team and look forward to the positive impact he will make in driving the engineering practice forward. We are excited about the innovative ideas and valuable insights that David will bring to the table, solidifying Axiologik’s position as a leading force in the digital delivery realm.” Construction underway on major new operations base for the Humber’s offshore wind industry
Power producer RWE has welcomed local MPs Lia Nici and Martin Vickers to its Grimsby Hub to mark expansion work, with a new operations and maintenance facility now under construction at the company’s site in Grimsby’s Royal Docks.
RWE is responsible for operating the existing Humber Gateway and Triton Knoll offshore wind farms from the Grimsby Docks as well as the construction of the Sofia offshore wind farm and the development of a further two offshore wind farms on Dogger Bank in the North Sea.
Once fully operational, the Grimsby Hub will be the operations base for Triton Knoll and Sofia as well as hosting RWE’s Centralised Control Room (CCR), where technicians will oversee the operation of the vast majority of the company’s UK offshore portfolio, further reaffirming the Humber’s role as a leading location for the UK’s offshore wind sector.
Humber-based firm Hobson & Porter is responsible for the construction of the multi-million pound facility, which is expected to accommodate around 140 RWE employees in total. The Grimsby Hub has the potential to bring around 70 new skilled jobs to the region, plus indirect jobs required in support.
Although still under construction, recruitment is well underway with the opening of over 20 technician roles in support of the Sofia offshore wind farm.
The location of the Grimsby Hub at the Royal Docks was chosen because of its proximity to existing and future projects and its deep-water quayside, which is suited to the use of Service Operations Vessels (SOVs).
Construction is due to complete next year and will include a joint control room offering 24/7 monitoring of multiple sites, new shared office space, and separate warehouse facilities.
Guy Middleton, RWE general manager for the Grimsby Hub, said: “It was fantastic to welcome Lia and Martin to the Grimsby Hub to discuss our investment plans for the local region, which will bring plenty of skilled roles and provide many opportunities for the regional supply chain.”
RWE’s newly appointed director for Net Zero East Coast UK, Corinne Barry, added: “It is a hugely exciting time for RWE in the Humber with all the new investment proposed, and I cannot wait to see our plans progress. The Humber has gained an enviable reputation in supporting the country’s net zero ambitions and RWE is proud to be a part of its future!”
During the visit, the MPs also discussed RWE’s plans for a new carbon capture CCGT power station near Stallingborough which could generate up to 800 MW of decarbonised, secure, flexible energy, enough to potentially power the equivalent of around one million homes.
The new power station would be fitted with carbon capture technology and would make a significant contribution to the UK’s energy security and support our transition to a net zero economy.
RWE is working with Harbour Energy to explore options for transporting and storing the captured carbon through its Viking CCS network from both its proposed new power station and its existing Staythorpe power station in Nottinghamshire.
Lia Nici MP said: “It was great to see RWE’s continued investment in its Grimsby Hub offshore wind base, which is set to be a central location for the management of many of the company’s offshore wind farms across the UK – bringing high-quality job opportunities to Grimsby and reinforcing the town’s position as a leader in the sector.”
Martin Vickers MP added: “The visit also gave us an opportunity to hear about RWE’s wider investment plans in the region, which includes not only further offshore wind projects, but carbon capture investments at its regional power stations, linked to the Viking Carbon Capture and Storage network, which was recently awarded Track-2 development status by the Government.”
Electric bus goes on trial between Hull and Hessle
East Yorkshire Buses has been lent a single-decker electric bus to run a three-week trial on one of its routes in Hull.
The vehicle has been tested on the 66 service between Hull and Hessle, clocking up more than 100 miles a day.
Andy Benstead, Head of Engineering at East Yorkshire Buses, said: “Hull’s not really in touch with the electric commercial vehicle trend yet. This bus was the first to hit service, and for me it was quite a big thing, experiencing and understanding this new technology and what it can do.
“Considering how complex the system is, the simplicity of it is fantastic. It’s very easy to operate and delivers an exceptionally smooth and quiet ride, the regenerative braking is especially clever.
“We’ve had really positive feedback from our drivers, and it’s created a buzz in Hull – with passengers asking drivers whether it was going to be the same bus that would be turning up every day!
“We already have a very close working relationship with Volvo, so the great support we’ve received during the trial was no surprise. We would really like to see this technology in our area in the future.”
City Council representatives Kerry Ryan and Mark Ieronimo have been impressed with the bus. Said Cllr Ieronimo: “We were very impressed by the performance and benefits of the electric bus. It is quiet, smooth, comfortable and eco-friendly. We are committed to improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions in Hull. Electric buses are a great way to achieve our long-term goals, as they can reduce pollution, noise, and greenhouse gases.”
Kerry Ryan added: “I had never been on an electric bus until the Volvo BZL Electric. The difference is astonishing, not only the sound but also the smoothness of the ride. We all came away very impressed, and it’s a good experience for us if an opportunity was to present itself in the future, particularly when it comes to discussing how we could support our commercial operators with infrastructure.”
SMEs are in the dark about best route to Net Zero, finds BCC
A new report by the British chambers of Commerce and Lloyds Bank, compiled with the help of businesses in Yorkshire, has highlighted three key changes needed to help business hit Net Zero:
- Government should review its support and advice to SMEs on moving to Net Zero
- Large businesses and institutions must continue to drive behaviour change in their supply chains
- Government should demonstrate commitment and consistency in its Net Zero plans
- More than two thirds of SMEs (69%) have installed LED lighting
- More than a third (34%) are investing in greener vehicles
- Just under a third (30%) are using solar panels
- Almost half (46%) are using recycling and waste reduction practices
- Over a quarter (28%) use renewable energy providers or tariffs
Little things mean a lot to employee satisfaction, advises HR specialist
Employers need to consider using more than pay rises as an incentive if they want to keep hold of their best employees.
That’s the view of HR specialist Laura Reilly of Lincoln-based Taurus HR Solutions, who says small pay rises or unobtainable bonus schemes aren’t effective motivators, but can actually have the opposite effect on employees.
She says employers would begetter advised to look at rewards that are intrinsic motivators, such as recognition, learning and development, and additional responsibilities.
She said: “Contrary to belief, money isn’t the best motivator – especially for individuals who are career focused. What’s more important to these employees is feeling valued, having their accomplishments recognised, and creating a path that helps them reach their goals.
“Companies that take the time to learn more about these motivators in their employees often find that their teams are more engaged, more loyal, and far more productive.”
Laura also points out that small rewards can have a big impact on employee motivation and job satisfaction too.
She said: “Little things can have the same effect as a grand gesture, too. For example, giving a box of chocolates as thanks to an employee who has really impressed a client will demonstrate that you’ve noticed their actions and value their work.
“And helping an employee to work towards their career goals with additional learning and development opportunities will show how invested you are, and that you hope to have this employee working with you for years to come. It all helps an employee feel valued, appreciated, and demonstrates that you’re as committed to them as they are to you.
“These are all things that are low cost to you, but make a big impression on your people. In the current climate where budgets are often smaller, rewards like these can make a huge difference on your ability to retain your best people, which is another big bonus!”
This is the reason we must take food security seriously, says NFU President
In a year which has already seen UK agri-food inflation rise to 19.2%, and global instability caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine, the recent bouts of extreme weather are further highlighting the frailties of the UK’s food system.
Defra statistics for 2022 showed the UK is 60% self-sufficient in all foods. NFU President Minette Batters has called on the Prime Minister to “put words into action” and introduce legislation to “ensure the UK’s self-sufficiency does not drop below its current level of 60%”.
She said: “I have never known such volatility in the global food system. Climate change is wreaking havoc on food production across the world, with farmers in Southern Europe literally fighting fires while farmers here are despairing as they now must spend thousands of pounds to dry sodden grain. At the same time, the conflict in Ukraine is putting pressure on the global grain market.”
The recent ending of the Black Sea grain initiative has caused more uncertainty for the global crop market and could generate large movements in grain prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Minette added: “Ongoing inflation of input costs such as energy and fertiliser have meant that, for many farmers and growers, this year has already been incredibly expensive to produce food and now the weeks of wet weather mean more money is needed to dry the harvest that’s being gathered.
“It is clear that our food supply chains need to be better prepared and more resilient to dealing with global shocks and the extremes of weather that are fast becoming the norm.
“While we will always be a trading nation in food, we cannot remain over-reliant on imports when other countries are also facing significant challenges economically and climatically.
“Our supply chains are too vulnerable. So, the government needs to take an active interest in the UK food chain resilience. The UK must be able to be able produce more of its own food at home. It starts and ends with food security.
“Now is the time to ensure policies are in place to support the production of quality, climate friendly, home-grown food. This government has statutory targets for the environment and Ministers need now to give the same status to our food production.”
