Hull technology company acquires training provider
Hull technology company Connexin has acquired Encompass Training, one of UK’s largest training providers.
The acquisition will see Encompass Training merge with Connexin Academy – Connexin’s training and development arm, as 30 additional staff join the team to accelerate employment opportunities for over 600 learners each year.
Connexin Academy was launched in 2021, with the aim to boost digital skills and enhance employability for the community.
Founded in 2009, Encompass is a Centre of Excellence with The Leadership Pipeline Institute (LPI). Several FORTUNE 500 companies, including Wren Kitchens, Stonegate Group, Eurocell and Diageo, have all chosen Encompass and LPI as the leadership model for selecting and growing leaders across all levels.
Adam Rhodes, director of commercial operations at Encompass, said: “At Encompass, we are immensely proud of our achievements so far, in training thousands of learners and working with some of the biggest companies in the region. Encompass and Connexin share their roots in the city of Hull and our equally strong commitment in upskilling the country’s workforce.
“Digital skills are absolutely vital in today’s economy and keep our businesses thriving. Uniting with the Connexin Academy is the next big step of many more to come.”
Encompass’ legal advice was provided by a multi-disciplinary team at Andrew Jackson Solicitors LLP, led by corporate partner, Philip Ashworth, who was supported by Nicole Waldron (corporate), Fiona Phillips (tax) and Nick Wilson (employment).
Philip said: “We are delighted to have advised the shareholders and board at Encompass on this complex transaction and we have every confidence that the business has a bright future ahead as part of Connexin.”
Heidi Greaves, Managing Director of Connexin Academy, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Encompass and its brilliant team will become part of the Connexin family. Encompass is a fantastic business and one that has received a number of great accolades.
“Connexin Academy shares the same values as Encompass for transforming lives through learning. This alignment in ethos and culture will bring huge benefits, not just to learners, but to employers across the region.
“Through this acquisition, we’re able to expand our offering with a range of extra courses, bootcamps and apprenticeships. We are thrilled to further cement our position as a leading digital skills and training provider.”
Hornsea Project Four offshore wind farm gains development consent
Development consent has been granted by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero for the Hornsea Project Four offshore wind farm, approximately 69km off Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire Coast.
The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by Orsted Hornsea Project Four Limited on 29 September 2021 and accepted for Examination on 27 October 2021.
Following an Examination during which the public, Statutory Consultees and Interested Parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, recommendations were made to the Secretary of State on 22 November 2022.
Orsted is planning to create a 180 turbine wind farm, which, if built out to full capacity, could provide enough power to meet the average daily need of over 1 million UK homes, producing up to 2.6GW of electricity.
The decision on the site was initially expected in February.
Hornsea Four is Ørsted’s fourth project in the Hornsea Zone. It will be located to the west of Hornsea One (now fully operational), Hornsea Two (now fully operational), and Hornsea Three (granted development consent).
The Planning Inspectorate’s Chief Executive, Paul Morrison said: “The Planning Inspectorate has now examined more than 100 nationally significant infrastructure projects since the Planning Act 2008 process was introduced, ensuring local communities have had the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them.
“Local communities continue to be given the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them. Local people, the local authority and other Interested Parties were able to participate in this six-month Examination.
“The Examining Authority listened and gave full consideration to all local views and the evidence gathered during the Examination before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State.”
Real estate advisor instructed to market largest available warehouse in Yorkshire
The Yorkshire industrial and logistics team at global real estate advisor Knight Frank has been instructed by Legal and General Investment Management to market Sherburn 550, the largest immediately available warehouse in Yorkshire and the North East of England.
The substantial 556,598 sq ft distribution / manufacturing facility is located off Junction 42 of the A1(M) to the east of Leeds and benefits from Grade A specification including 56 loading doors, 16.2m eaves height, three service yards, quality offices and generous power provision.
Iain McPhail, partner at Knight Frank’s Leeds office, said: “There has already been strong early interest in the building due to its quality specification and excellent connectivity. There continues to be a lack of existing large-scale warehouse availability both regionally and UK-wide, which is why the building has such a national significance.
“Its strategic position between Leeds, York and Wakefield means that occupiers can benefit from a large labour pool as well as easy access to the region’s motorway network via the A1(M), M1, M62 and M18.”
Rebecca Schofield, partner and head of Knight Frank’s Sheffield office, added: “The property offers the market a unique product because of its scale, power supply and being able to offer flexible lease terms. Occupational take-up in the region has been affected by the dearth of available existing stock and Sherburn 550 is able to accommodate the pent-up demand.”
Sheffield shares £1.24m amongst businesses to revitalise city centre street
Sheffield City Council is giving £1.24 million to businesses to help transform Chapel Walk into a vibrant city centre destination.
Two organisations will receive grants to improve shop fronts and increase accessibility to the upper floors of property on Chapel Walk, whilst small or new businesses will be able to apply for funding to move into empty shop units.
The funding comes from the Fargate Front Door Scheme, a £4m investment in shop fronts, access, and environmental improvements to make the area more attractive and fill empty shops. It forms part of the Future High Streets Fund plan to regenerate Fargate and surrounding streets.
Diane Jarvis, Head of Business Operations at Sheffield BID, said: “This is further positive, welcome news for the city centre. These latest investments will play a key part in continuing the regeneration story of the wider Fargate, High Street and Chapel Walk area.
“Anyone who has visited this part of the city centre recently will have seen that the whole area is going through a rapid period of change as the city centre continues to adapt to changes in visitor and consumer behaviour. The businesses in and around the area continue to deliver a first-class retail experience during the works on Fargate. We’re confident that the end results will speak for themselves and Chapel Walk will once again be a ‘must visit’ destination for city centre visitors. These are exciting times for the city centre and, as funding partner to ReNew Sheffield, we’re delighted to be playing a direct role in this transformation.”
The Sheffield Church Burgesses Trust will receive £250,000 to improve its shop fronts and support works to improve access inside the building to create new workspace in the empty upper floor. Whilst the Foundry Sheffield will receive £650,000 to improve its shop fronts, improve ground floor access and reconfigure upper floors at Victoria Hall.
£90,000 will be made available to help small and new businesses with fit out costs if they’re moving into a vacant property. Another £250,000 will be used to install public art to make Chapel Walk a pleasant and interesting place to visit.
The funding is part of plans to regenerate Fargate into a lively and vibrant place to meet, eat, shop, work and play. The Future High Streets Fund project also includes plans to turn 20 – 26 Fargate into an events and cultural hub, and investment in public realm to create space for events, reduce crime and improve walking and cycling routes.
Councillor Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee said: “Chapel Walk has a proud history as one of the city centre’s most loved shopping streets and this funding will give a new lease of life to the area, attracting new visitors and providing a boost for businesses.
“By enabling local organisations to upgrade their shop fronts, installing new public art, and providing grants to encourage small and new businesses to move into empty units, this funding will transform Chapel Walk into a fantastic place to visit in the city centre.
York businesses commit to ’emergency grab bag’ scheme
Four central York businesses have agreed to hold emergency grab bags to give immediate support in York city centre should a major incident occur.
The bags are at McDonald’s in Blake Street, Marks & Spencer in Pavement, Yates York pub in Church Lane, and the Popworld night club in Hudson Street.
The emergency grab bags have been designed to assist in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack or major incident. Each bag contains information and equipment that will aid the early response to an incident before the emergency services arrive .
The new bags help to bolster the current emergency response provision and have been funded by Safer York Partnership, York’s statutory Community Safety Partnership). A further bag will be held at the York Stadium Leisure Complex at Monks Cross on the outskirts of the city.
Superintendent Fran Naughton from North Yorkshire Police said: “Working with local partners and colleagues at Counter Terrorism Policing, North Yorkshire Police supports the installation of Emergency Grab Bags in York.
“The public should be reassured and not alarmed by this initiative; it is a precautionary measure to ensure that York is prepared for a major incident. Although there is no specific threat to York and North Yorkshire, the current UK threat level remains at substantial meaning an attack is likely.
“I thank members of the public for their continued support, and I would urge them to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour.”
This project builds on a number of proactive initiatives to protect those visiting, living and working in the city. This includes installing Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures, providing first aid trauma kits, delivering protective security advice and training in Counter Terrorism awareness for local businesses. Multi-agency partners are also taking part in regular CT training exercises, the most recent being the live national exercise held at York Racecourse in March.
The new grab bags were delivered to the identified locations by Counter Terrorism Security Advisors from Counter Terrorism Policing North East, alongside Project Servator staff from North Yorkshire Police. Both teams maintain regular contact with local businesses and partners across the city centre and have engaged extensively with them as part of ongoing work around protecting public spaces. Guidance has been given to management and staff explaining how to store the bags securely and use their contents.
Yorkshire construction firm at the heart of hospital project
The full refurbishment of Castle Hill Hospital’s MRI suite in East Yorkshire is now complete. Run by the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the hospital, which is located west of Cottingham, has made a significant investment in a new state of the art scanner as part of the refurbishment.
Yorkshire construction firm, Hobson & Porter, has carried out the four-month programme of construction work. The project has included stripping out all the existing fittings and fixtures from floor to ceiling and the management of the specialist removal of the old MRI scanner, before thoroughly cleaning and making good all internal areas.
New flooring, walls, reflective ceiling panels, internal doors and screens have all been installed, along with a new mechanical and electrical system. A specialist radiofrequency (RF) Faraday shield enclosure was built to block electromagnetic fields, before the new MRI scanner was installed alongside a smart new control room for staff, complete with a smart glass system for viewing patients and virtual dimmable windows.
The £500,000 programme of works by Hobson & Porter is one of several projects the firm is working on in the heath and care sector. As well as working on projects for the NHS, Hobson & Porter also works for a number of medical technology businesses and is delivering several large-scale care homes across the North of England.
Sam Robertson from Hobson & Porter said: “We have built up an impressive portfolio of works for NHS Trusts, medical centres and care operators over the years. We adapt our work schedules to take into account the fact that we are operating in fully functioning medical environments and work hard to deliver our projects on time and within budget, which is key to our success in this specialist area.
“This new state of the art MRI suite will enable Castle Hill Hospital to continue providing the best possible levels of patient care and it’s an honour to be part of this development, which will ultimately help to save lives in Hull.”
JLL makes seven promotions in Leeds
Global real estate consulting firm JLL has made seven promotions within its Leeds office in its latest round.
JLL has promoted the following team members across Yorkshire and the North East:
- Lee Conroy, Lease Advisory, Regional Lead
- Zach Mehdizadeh, Strategic Asset Management, Associate
- James Hendry, Residential Land & Development, Senior Surveyor
- Sue Oliver, Capital Markets, Executive Assistant
- Molly Orviss, Bewonder*, Senior Marketing Manager
- Holly Pickard, Bewonder*, Marketing Manager
- Bethany Robinson, Bewonder*, Operations Manager
Tom McWilliams, head of Yorkshire and North East region at JLL, said: “These promotions are incredibly well-deserved and reflect the hard work and dedication of our teams that continue to deliver joined-up real estate solutions across Yorkshire and the North East.
“Retaining and developing our talent is a key tenet of our business strategy. We are committed to helping our people grow and forge fulfilling and rewarding careers.”
LEP Growth Hubs work for business, report finds
An independent evaluation of LEP Growth Hubs between 2015 and 2020, commissioned by the government, concludes that LEP Growth Hubs increase turnover, business R&D, access to finance, and job creation.
The report has been welcomed by LEP Network Chair Mark Bretton, who said: “This report confirms what local businesses experience on the ground – LEP Growth Hubs are successful and proven to work. But, as the report makes clear, two things make that happen – a strong reputation for reliability and independence and a ‘human centred’ approach. These are essential and advantageous, particularly in times of heightened uncertainty. That uncertainty is more acute than ever, hence the role of LEP Growth Hubs has never been more valuable in enabling and supporting local businesses to start up, scale up, invest and export.
“But as the report states, increased consistency of the Growth Hub offer across the network, and improved resourcing, can enable LEP Growth Hubs to retain their high value staff and work even more effectively – this resonates with the Chancellor’s intention to maintain “a more consistent landscape” during LEP integration into local authorities. We simply cannot risk a patchwork of local business support in areas where LEPs are not able to integrate or where local leaders cannot reach agreement. I trust that this independent assessment of their performance will positively inform government as they consider their final decision on LEPs and LEP Growth Hub funding”.
LEP Growth Hubs, are currently funded to March 2024 with a final decision on future funding yet to be decided. The report, conducted by Technopolis and published on the government website, seeks to consider how LEP Growth Hubs operate at national, regional, and local levels, and to inform future decisions about policy and funding. The report shows that:
- LEP Growth Hubs are successful, and proven to work, especially for SMEs and have “a strong reputation for reliability and independence among stakeholders, partners, and businesses”.
- They reached 8% of all businesses in England – higher than the 2.5% ambition set in BEIS reporting.
- Growth Hubs simplify the business support landscape, undertaking significant stakeholder engagement and management, enabling local businesses to access the support and help available in their local areas.
- National and regional stakeholders saw Growth Hubs’ as having a unique understanding of local needs and strengths. This local strength and insight reaches local businesses where national programmes may not.
- Engagement with LEP Growth Hubs boosted employment levels for supported businesses – beneficiaries demonstrated an average 14% increase in employment one year after first engagement and an average 22% increase in employment after five years.
- In terms of turnover, there is clear sustained growth. Relative to the baseline, beneficiaries report an average increase of £782k one year after the first intervention, compared to £294k for non-beneficiaries. The equivalent increase five years post GH engagement is higher, at £953k.
- Businesses see the ‘human centred’ approach being of “immense value”, in terms of both dealing with partners and business beneficiaries, business felt this was “essential and advantageous, particularly in times of heightened uncertainty”.
- In conclusion LEP Growth Hub outcomes increased business R&D, access to finance, turnover, and job creation for local businesses
Water companies must go further and faster on environmental improvements, say authorities
Of the water companies serving our region only Yorkshire Water companies showed an improved environmental performance last year, climbing from a two-star to three-star rating.
Severn Trent and Anglian stayed the same, at four stars and two stars respectively, but it was noted that Anglian sat alongside Thames Water as together being responsible for more than half of serious pollution incidents. The Environment Agency has taken enforcement action against both companies.
Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said: “Regulators, water companies, government, eNGOs and many others all want the same thing: better environmental outcomes, including cleaner rivers and seas. We need to work together and take collective responsibility to achieve it.
“While there have been some modest improvements, it is unacceptable to still be seeing this level of pollution. We have seen a distinct culture shift from the water industry in recent months and that is welcome – but that must translate to profound, long-term change.
“The Environment Agency will play its part by transforming the way we regulate the sector. We welcome this week’s announcement on unlimited penalties which will also improve our enforcement powers.”
Ratings takes into account performance on environmental commitments such as pollution incidents and treatment work compliance. Last year, an updated reporting approach was introduced, with revised metrics and tightened performance thresholds.Whitby now out of the running for ‘hydrogen village’ trial scheme
Plans for Whitby to be part of a ‘hydrogen village’ scheme have been shelved.
The North Yorkshire location had been under consideration as one of three potential trial sites for using hydrogen to heat homes, but has been discounted along with Ellesmere Port, leaving Redcar as the sole contender.
The government continues to develop the proposal for a hydrogen village trial alongside Northern Gas Networks, and a decision on whether to proceed will be made by the government later this year.
The government intends to make policy decisions in 2026 on what role hydrogen should play in decarbonising heating. The hydrogen heating village trial will provide essential evidence for those decisions.
