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New managing partner named at LCF Law
Yorkshire law firm, LCF Law’s managing partner Simon Stell, who has led the firm for almost 30 years, is to step down from the role with partner and disputes specialist, Ragan Montgomery, taking up the position this month.
Simon joined LCF Law in 1995, when it was known as Last Cawthra Feather before becoming LCF Law in 2014. Shortly afterwards, in 2016, he was named Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year at the Yorkshire Legal Awards, and during his tenure he has overseen LCF Law’s growth.
Simon will continue to work with Ragan to assist with the handover. He will continue with the firm, acting as a mentor and sounding board as well as supporting the wider team, to help achieve LCF Law’s ambitious goals and objectives moving forward.
In her new role, Ragan will be responsible for overseeing LCF Law’s operations and leading the firm’s client service, growth and development strategies.
Ragan has worked at LCF Law since 2003 and is currently operational head of the firm’s Dispute Resolution department. Ragan specialises in disputes concerning wills, trusts and inheritance, as well as property litigation and professional negligence claims. She’s also a qualified civil and commercial mediator.
Ragan said: “After joining the firm 21 years ago as an assistant solicitor, to be appointed managing partner is a huge honour and it’s a challenge that I’m really looking forward to as we strive to build on our enviable reputation in Yorkshire and beyond.
“I’m taking over the role at a time when LCF Law is in a very strong position. Simon has never let the firm stand still and has always laid the foundations for future growth. We have a highly experienced group of 22 partners whose continued aim is grow the firm serving our existing clients, winning new clients to seek our advice and support as well as attracting the best people to join our team.”
Simon added: “Over the many years that I have been with LCF Law, there have been lots of changes, but we have always had a firm eye on the future, planning and modelling our strategic development, so that we can achieve our ambitions and the career aspirations of our colleagues. Five years ago, we began to look at a succession strategy and set about planning the structure and recruitment for the 2020s and beyond.
“One thing we were certain about was that law would still be a people business and we’ve worked hard to build a great team. I’m proud to remain a part of it in my new role. I very much look forward to supporting Ragan and continuing to be a dedicated contributor to LCF Law’s ongoing success.
“Ragan is a vastly experienced and highly respected lawyer who is always forward-thinking and has a natural ability to quickly identify and solve problems, which makes her very popular with clients, her colleagues and everyone she deals with. There’s no doubt she’s the perfect person to lead LCF Law going forward.”
Call goes out for possible development sites across North Yorkshire
A call for possible development sites across North Yorkshire has gone out this week as part of preparation for the county’s new local plan.
Landowners, site promoters, developers and other interested parties are being given the chance to submit site suggestions to North Yorkshire Council. They will be considered as part of the local plan being drawn up to meet the future growth of the county.
Sites can be submitted for any use or special designation, including but not limited to housing, employment, commercial development, retail and leisure, renewable energy generation, and biodiversity or other environmental enhancement schemes.
The North Yorkshire Local Plan, which the council aims to adopt by 2028, will set out where development will take place across the county over the next 15 to 20 years. It will also include policies and strategies that planning applications will be considered against.
Sites put forward for consideration will be subject to a lengthy process that will take several years to complete and will include independent government examination of the plan and the proposed sites.
Director of community development, Nic Harne, said: “The call for sites represents a crucial early stage in our local plan preparations and we welcome submissions from across North Yorkshire.
“However, submitting a site for consideration does not necessarily mean it will be taken forward for development. This exercise is not the planning application process and at this early stage, it is often the case that more sites are submitted than are needed to meet the future needs of the area.”
Site ideas must be submitted online using the council’s planning portal and allows the user to plot the site boundary, submit site details, include supporting documentation, and add details of any work carried out to date on the site.
This level of information is important and will allow the planning team to consider the impact of a site in detail. The process will include seeking expert advice on the impact on local services such as schools and health provision, capacity of local sewerage and water services, impact on wildlife and biodiversity, and the capacity of local roads and junctions.
When the initial assessment of sites is complete, the council will invite comments on the sites as part of a public consultation.
Anyone wanting to put a site forward for consideration should aim to do so by the end of June.
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Firms offered free workshops to make their business better
Free workshops are being staged jointly by Invest East Yorkshire and Invest Hull over the coming weeks to help business owners get better results from the recruitment process, improve their job adverts, tackle difficult conversations with employees that are under performing and manage staff absence.
Taking place online and at a number of venues across East Yorkshire and Hull, the workshops have been developed to enable time-poor small business owners to maximise their efficiency and effectiveness when managing people, ensuring that they’re better positioned for growth and success and don’t leave themselves at risk because they’ve not got appropriate policies and procedures in place. The dates and venues are as follows: Managing Performance workshops- Wednesday 24 April: Online from 9.30am to 11.30am.
- Tuesday 21 May: At the Louis Pearlman Centre at 94 Goulton Street in Hull (HU3 4DL) from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
- Thursday 4 July: Online from 10am to 12 noon.
- Wednesday 8 May: At Bridlington Business Centre from 9.30am to 12.30pm.
- Thursday 27 June: Online from 10am to 12 noon.
- Wednesday 17 July: At ERGO, Bridgehead Business Park, Meadow Road, Hessle (HU13 0GD) from 9.30am to 12.30pm.
- Thursday 16 May: Online from 9am to 11am.
- Thursday 13 June: At Sewell Group, Craven Park, Poorhouse Lane, Hull (HU9 5HE) from 9.30am to 12.30pm.
East Yorkshire firms get more then £400,000 in levelling up grants
Invest East Yorkshire has awarded more than £400,000 of Levelling Up grant funding to businesses from a broad range of sectors across East Yorkshire.
This grant funding milestone represents a major boost for the local economy and underlines the team’s commitment to supporting small to medium-sized enterprises in East Yorkshire. Grants of between £1,000 and £50,000 have been awarded to businesses to support a broad range of projects, from external consultancy expertise and marketing support to capital expenditure on machinery and carbon reduction technology. The Levelling Up funding comes from the Government but has been allocated by Invest East Yorkshire’s Business Support Services team, which is part of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. During the same 12-month period, the team handled more than 1,000 enquiries and provided support to 700 different businesses. In addition to allocating £400,000 in Levelling Up funding, a further 45 grants have been provided to businesses through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural Economy Productivity Fund since June 2023. Tim Watson, MD of Brough-based The Word Agency, one of the businesses to have benefited from a Levelling Up grant, said: “The support from the Business Support Services team has been invaluable. As a growing business, we spotted an opportunity to enhance our service to our customers but taking that step required significant financial investment that would not have been possible without the funding we have received. Thanks to the support we have received we have been able to invest in technology that has made the business more efficient and allowed us to develop new products and services we know are in demand. This funding has helped us move faster and ensure the business continues to grow.” Councillor Anne Handley, Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: “The Business Support Services team offers a wide range of services that help support our local business community. These grants are having such a positive impact in supporting the growth of our economy. I would encourage any local business owners and entrepreneurs to make contact to discover what’s on offer.” The grants provided by Invest East Yorkshire are aimed at supporting growth and innovation among East Yorkshire’s businesses, which means that they can’t be used to pay for everyday operational expenses. However the scheme does cover capital expenditure, with grants of up to £10,000 available for fixed assets, £5,000 for movable assets and carbon reduction grants of up to £20,000 on offer to businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint. To support larger-scale projects capable of delivering significant economic impacts, such as the creation of multiple jobs, the use of local supply chains or those that boost the visitor economy, grants of up to £50,000 are available.