Businesses based in Boston Town can now benefit from fully-funded support and training to help them to prosper and grow. The Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics has been set up by the University of Lincoln’s National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM) in association with Boston College.
Funded through the Boston Town Deal this forms one of the eight projects within an overall funding package of £21.9 million to Boston provided through the Town Deal Initiative by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The funding is aimed at businesses in: Agri-Food Technologies, Port & Logistics, Manufacturing, Engineering & Packaging, Equipment & Technical Services plus Food Service including Retailers and Restaurants.
The delivery partners provide an outstanding resource base and work in collaboration with Boston businesses to identify growth needs and provide suitable solutions. The ambition is to enable businesses to grow through adoption of innovation, digital technologies, scientific research, training and development of workforce, products and process development plus business advice. There is also a Capital Grant element to help towards equipment purchases.
Benefits are tailored to suit the needs of the business and employees with a focus on:
Business Support to Enhance Productivity, Profitability and Job Creation
Access to technical services and consultancy provided by a dedicated team of experts at the National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM), Boston College, Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology and University of Lincoln College of Science. Project examples include – Digitalisation, Automation, Product Trials and New Product Development, Processes, Packaging, Robotics, Finance, Marketing, Crop Storage, Scientific Research and General Business Consultancy.
Knowledge Transfer and Networking
Programme members benefit from business networking and knowledge sharing activities such as – Events, Equipment Demonstrations, Masterclasses and Signposting to other sources of relevant support.
Workforce Development through enhancement of Skills and Knowledge
Boston College provides the lead for the development and delivery of training programmes to match the growth needs of programme businesses. Topics aim to upskill the workforce and enhance the effectiveness of business leadership and management. Sector activities will also campaign for career awareness, create a talent pipeline and encourage new entrants. Some courses will be delivered via distance learning and course costs will be covered by the programme, thus avoiding the main barriers to workforce development.
Capital Grants
Potential for Capital Grant funding contribution towards the purchase of equipment identified as required to meet project needs established during programme engagement. Up to 50% of purchase cost to a maximum of £5000 could be available, subject to application and panel approval.
Councillor Paul Skinner, leader of Boston Borough Council, said: “This new opportunity which focuses on skills development for the food chain and technology sector is something we have been looking forward to for many months now. The Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics forms part of the wider South Lincolnshire food knowledge cluster centred on the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone in Holbeach. Getting this project underway by enhancing and developing our younger generations education is key to future successes.”
Chair of the Boston Town Deal Board, Neil Kempster, said: “I am delighted to see the official launch of the Centre for Food & Fresh Produce Logistics which is a key component within the portfolio of projects being supported through the funding from the Boston Town Deal.
“It targets some of the key sectors of the local economy providing support and access to funding and resources that will enable local businesses to prosper, as well as helping to educate our younger generations of the significant opportunities available to them in this specialist and diverse environment. I would encourage as many local businesses as possible to take advantage of this initiative which I believe will make a real difference to the local economy.”
Dean of The University of Lincoln Holbeach Campus and head of NCFM professor Val Braybrooks MBE said: “The new Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics will enable Boston Town to play a pivotal role in achieving the Local Enterprise Partnerships UK Food Valley ambitions to grow and promote our world class food sector as a major talent and investment hub.
“It will help to drive business partnered enterprise, innovation, and research, with an aligned skills offer to enhance productivity and provide access to high quality career opportunities for Boston’s agri-food sector and community.”
Principal & CEO of Boston College, Claire Foster, said: “We are delighted to be associated with this Boston-focussed project to support our food and logistics sector. Never before has it been more important for colleges, universities and businesses to combine our efforts for innovative collaborations, mutual support and benefit, increasing productivity for the shared prosperity of all. We look forward to being integral to the success of our local industries, providing skills and employment opportunities for now and the future.”
Enabling works on the site of the Newstead general housing and older people’s independent living projects in Birley are now underway. The enabling works are being delivered by Esh Construction’s civil engineering division to pave the way for over 200 new affordable homes in Sheffield.
The steep site will undergo major earthworks to contour the site and create a series of new plateaus for the developments. New access routes, footpaths and green corridor spaces will be constructed, and main drainage installed along with a large surface water attenuation tank.
The Newstead site in South East Sheffield is being developed by Sheffield City Council in collaboration with Peak Architects. Planning approval has been granted for 77 new family homes and a large-scale older people’s independent living project of 141 new homes, contributing much needed new affordable housing to the Council’s approved Stock Increase Programme.
Kerry Bollington, head of housing growth delivery, Sheffield City Council, said: “The enabling works are the first stage of our exciting plans to positively transform the vacant Newstead site to provide a platform from which the Council will deliver new affordable homes for rent, with both the general needs and the older persons independent living projects coming to life.
“This project sits within the Council’s Stock Increase Programme and will address the shortfall of affordable homes in the area. The site will be closed whilst this work takes place, and we want to thank Esh and all our stakeholders, including the local community, for their cooperation and help during the duration of the works.”
Esh Construction was appointed to deliver the scheme via the YORhub YORcivil2 framework. Esh’s construction director, Steven Garrigan, said: “This is a key scheme in the wider transformation programme underway in the Birley area and we’re pleased to be working with both Sheffield City Council and Peak Architects to pave the way for the new housing developments.
“As with all Esh Construction schemes, this development will allow us to maximise the social and economic value within the local community.”
Peak Architects has developed the design of the new homes and older people’s independent living development which will occupy the vacant site. Patrick Arends, director at Peak Architects, added: “The Newstead development is well positioned to further build a sense of community within and across the wider neighbourhood. The proposed scheme will provide high quality homes and comfortable living for generations to come. The start on site is a major milestone for this development.”
Carter Jonas has acquired specialist real estate strategy practice, Tomorrow Advisory, welcoming Tom Devine as a partner and Nicky Visick as a consultant to its Leeds office.
This development marks Carter Jonas’ second acquisition this year, demonstrating its drive to enhance its transactional and non-transactional capabilities whilst bolstering its business presence in key hub locations across the UK.
Both Tom and Nicky join Carter Jonas’ national public sector team, led by Alexandra Houghton, which specialises in consultancy and estate strategy, HM Treasury Business Cases and delivering solutions to meet business needs through estate change.
Carter Jonas’ consultancy and strategy team advises a number of local authorities across the country including Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, LB Ealing, Scarborough, and Warwickshire, as well as other public and third sector clients such as The British Library, RSPCA and several central government departments.
Tom and Nicky have earned a reputation as leading strategic real estate surveyors to public and third sector occupiers in the North of England. The pair work with clients including charities, local authorities, non-departmental government bodies and central government, providing advice at critical points in the property lifecycle.
Their track record includes mandates with Science Museum Group, Durham County Council, Greater Manchester Police and several Higher Education Institutions, including the University of Manchester, the University of Salford and the University of York.
Tom established Tomorrow Advisory in 2010. He has over 20 years of experience in the sector and was previously head of strategic consulting at Drivers Jonas in the North. Earlier in his career, he worked for Donaldsons and Knight Frank. Nicky, also with 20 years of experience, has a particular focus on Yorkshire and the North East. She previously held roles in the occupational agency and capital markets team at Gerald Eve LLP as well as at Sanderson Weatherall and JLL.
Alexandra Houghton, head of public sector, Carter Jonas, said: “Tom and Nicky bring a wealth of experience to our team operating throughout the country. They have extensive knowledge of the regional and national markets and of the pressures facing public bodies to improve efficiencies on property holdings and deliver robust and sustainable estates. Our combined expertise reinforces our position as a UK-wide consultancy providing services and insightful, concise and deliverable advice to our clients.”
Scott Harkness, head of commercial, Carter Jonas, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Tom and Nicky to Carter Jonas. This acquisition is a significant addition to our commercial team and the wider business and closely follows our purchase of McGuiness Waddington Real Estate in March. These investments underline our commitment to strengthening all principal areas of our business, including our consultancy services, to deliver a stronger and broader offering to clients.”
Tom Devine said: “Nicky and I are delighted to be joining Carter Jonas and its consultancy and strategy team. We look forward to being able to offer our clients an even stronger service and care, supported by the full range of services that Carter Jonas provides including valuation, building consultancy and development advice. I’m also thrilled to be working with Alexandra Houghton again, having worked with her previously in 2003 – 2005.”
British Steel’s Rail business has almost completed the final shipments making up a 5kt rail order to Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, Europe’s largest purchaser of rail.The contract fcame as the German infrastructure owner’s demands soared over the winter. Rail Commercial Director Craig Harvey said: “Since coming under Jingye ownership in 2020, the UK Rail business has worked closely with Deutsche Bahn to meet stringent quality and environmental criteria. This has resulted in British Steel being upgraded to the highest possible Q1 supplier status rating.”Rail Supply Chain Manager Lothar Seifer said: “While we’ve worked with Deutsche Bahn in the past, this is the first contract we’ve been awarded by them as a direct supplier from Scunthorpe, and now as a preferred supplier, we hope this is the start of a long-term partnership between our businesses.”The rails, which made their way through the Channel Tunnel to a service centre in Königsborn, will be used throughout Germany to support Deutsche Bahn’s track renewal programme over the next year.Popular in the European market, the longer-length 120m rail was first produced for Deutsche Bahn by Scunthorpe Rail and Section Mill in 2018 after a seven-figure investment in its manufacturing facilities.
Plans by property and development company, S Harrison, for a student apartment scheme in York have been approved.
York-based S Harrison worked closely with planning officers and councillors to update its initial plans for the three to five storey development on the site of the former Alton Cars on James Street in York, before re-submitting it for consideration.
Gavin Douglas, from S Harrison, said: “It’s a positive outcome that will help address the huge demand for student accommodation in the city, of which there is a chronic shortage. We look forward to delivering the scheme soon.”
S Harrison scaled the scheme down and it now includes 231 study bedrooms in clusters of up to eight, which have shared living and dining areas. There will also be 72 individual studio rooms. The development will also include communal areas on the ground floor, as well as soft landscaped areas, including a public pocket park on the site’s southeast corner.
Gavin added: “Our design will also deliver much-needed public open space in this area of the city, with more than 200 sq mt of green space. The pocket park will be a great addition to this part of York and will be a usable outside space for all. The South facing park will benefit from natural sunlight and will be an attractive visual addition to the streetscape on Lawrence Street – a primary route into the city.”
In addition to the pocket park, S Harrison will be delivering improved cycle infrastructure on James Street. The developer will create a 3.5m wide shared pedestrian and cycle lane along the site’s eastern boundary. The work will see the existing footpath widened and the kerb radius modified at the junction of James Street with Brinkworth Terrace and Elvington Terrace, where new segregated raised priority crossings will be installed.
Gavin added: “Our work will improve safety for all cyclists and pedestrians in the area, whilst also slowing traffic at the approach to the junctions from both sides – something that highways officers have welcomed.”
Gavin concluded: “Schemes like this not only regenerate and deliver a viable new future for a redundant site, but they bring added value to the local community by investing in the local infrastructure. Students provide a massive boost to the economy of this city, supporting jobs and creating a vibrant community.
“Specifically designed for the booming student sector in York, these new, modern, energy efficient spaces are within close proximity of the universities and an ideal home for students wanting to live in this popular part of the city.”
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has decided to raise interest rates once again – from 0.75% to 1%. It is the fourth consecutive rise since December, and comes against the backdrop and amidst the challenges of a cost of living and what is becoming a cost of doing business crisis.
Business associations react to the newsMartin McTague of the FSBFederation of Small Businesses (FSB) chair Martin McTague said: “Small businesses are caught between a rock and a hard place: spiralling operating costs on one side, rising personal and professional debt costs on the other.
“The hope is that today’s move goes some way to putting the brakes on input price inflation in a way that hasn’t been achieved by previous rate rises, mitigating the pain of higher debt repayments.
“When we spoke to members over the first lockdown, the majority were carrying debt, and four in ten were concerned that their debt was now ‘unmanageable’.
“Those with bounce-backs are rightly protected with a fixed rate on those facilities, but a lot of the wider personal and professional loans that small businesses and sole traders hold will move in line with the increase today.
“Consider the electrician who is trying to manage surging fuel prices and the costs of supply chain disruption at work, whilst also being hit by spiralling utility bills and, now, higher mortgage repayments at home.
“Microbusinesses are especially hard-hit by the cost of doing business crisis. Energy costs are particularly difficult to manage, as they are not eligible for the relief offered to consumers, and don’t benefit from the leverage that big businesses can bring to bear. As these new figures show, their fight to bounce back from Covid is that much greater than for a lot of big corporates.
“Those with coronavirus business interruption loans will be feeling particularly apprehensive after today’s increase, which is why we’re urging government to extend Pay As You Grow options to CBILS customers to ease at least one of the mounting pressures they face.
“We’re also encouraging policymakers to look again at our debt for employee equity proposals, giving the minority who are really struggling to repay bounce-backs the option to convert to an employee ownership trust model – protecting livelihoods, improving productivity and protecting taxpayer funds in the process.
“This is a moment for the banks to step up: helping their small business and sole trader customers to manage the effects of rising rates responsibly. Widespread collapse is not good for anyone long-term.”
Alpesh PalejaAlpesh Paleja, CBI lead economist, said: “Another rise in interest rates is warranted, given the persistence of high inflation. However, the Monetary Policy Committee are walking an increasingly fine line. Further action to curb price pressures needs to be weighed against the increasing need to protect growth, particularly in light of a historic cost-of-living crunch. Households are feeling it and so are businesses, with cost pressures across the board.
“While monetary policy is the appropriate first line of defence in tackling inflation, government needs to take further action to shore up the broader resilience of the UK economy. In the near-term, higher inflation will hit poorer households hardest, so support measures for this group will need to be kept under review. Over the longer-term, securing greener energy supply and a relentless focus on raising potential growth will bolster our ability to withstand shocks and further price pressures.”
Kitty Ussher, chief economist of the Institute of Directors, said: “We welcome the Bank of England’s judgement that the need to tackle high expectations of inflation is of greater concern than the risk of curbing demand too fast in the short-term.
“Our own surveys show that only a third of our members currently expect inflation will come back to the Bank’s 2% target before 2024 and much of the current uncertainty business leaders are feeling comes from having to operate in an environment where prices are unstable.
“The Bank, however, has today said it expects inflation to be near the 2% target two years from now, which will be welcome to business leaders.
“The Bank has also signalled that further interest rate rises are on the cards, to around 2.5% this time next year. If, however, cost of living pressures cause households to rein back on discretionary spending, or further difficulties in our export markets cause British companies to suffer lower orders, this assumption may need to be revised.”
Neil Bartholomew has become MD of KCOM retail after John Rooney left the job at the end of the month to take up new opportunities in his native Ireland.
Neil has been KCOM Retail’s Head of Sales and Marketing since 2021, and has more than 20 years’ experience in the telecommunications and broadband industry including time at Virgin Media where, as Executive Director of Customer Operations, he led its customer operations teams across all consumer facing areas of sales, care, field service and installs including in their network expansion areas.
KCOM has also announced that Tim Shaw, MD of the business’s Wholesale & Networks division, has agreed to become KCOM’s new Chief Executive Officer. He will also take on his new CEO responsibilities this month.
During his two years at the Hull-based broadband provider, John Rooney oversaw the transformation of KCOM Retail as it has established itself in East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire and outside of its traditional Hull heartlands.
Over half (55%) of landlords need to make improvements to their rental properties to increase their energy efficiency, according to research by Simply Business, one of the UK’s largest providers of small business insurance.
A survey of over 600 landlords by the leading provider of landlord and business insurance found that improving energy efficiency is a key concern for landlords and could cost them thousands of pounds each.
Currently, landlords in England and Wales can only let properties that have a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E, but as part of the Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings Bill, the government is considering increasing the minimum EPC requirement to C for all new tenancies by 2025 and all existing tenancies by 2028.
If the minimum EPC rating for rental homes is increased, over half (55%) of the landlords surveyed said they would need to improve their properties to make them more energy efficient.
Almost a third (32%) of landlords said making properties energy efficient is a key challenge, while just under a fifth (17%) said they’re worried about their ability to maintain their properties.
The survey revealed that changes to minimum energy efficiency standards are likely to cost landlords a significant sum of money.
One in five (19%) estimated that they’ll have to spend over £10,000, and one in four (27%) anticipated spending between £5,000 and £10,000 on making their properties more energy efficient.
Meanwhile, a further two in five (40%) thought they’d need to spend between £1,000 and £5,000 to increase their EPC rating.
Improvements that can increase a property’s energy efficiency include cavity wall insulation, solar panels, and double glazing.
Meanwhile, the government recently announced the details of a Boiler Upgrade Scheme, allowing landlords to claim £5,000 towards the cost of an air source heat pump.
Whether it’s due to changing legislation, higher interest rates, or inflation, the rising cost of being a landlord is a significant threat to the rental market, according to just under half (45%) of survey participants.
Alongside meeting government requirements, the need for energy efficient homes among landlords and tenants is only set to increase in the coming months.
As energy bills continue to rise, tenants will be looking for well-insulated, energy efficient properties that can help to keep their living costs down.
At the same time, landlords will also feel the benefit of lower energy bills if they offer bills-included tenancies and during void periods.
Alan Thomas, CEO of Simply Business said: “With a potential 2025 deadline for a new minimum EPC rating fast-approaching, our study has revealed the worries facing landlords who will need to make drastic and costly improvements to increase the energy efficiency of their properties.
“The rising cost of living is having an impact on us all but with the prospect of tighter EPC rules on the horizon, landlords are feeling the squeeze. Many are concerned about how they’ll fund these improvements and whether they’ll be completed in time. This is putting significant financial pressure on landlords and, with a fifth already concerned about their properties’ ability to generate revenue, this could be a real threat to the rental market.
“Insuring over 300,000 landlords has offered us a fresh perspective on the significant role they play in providing safe and affordable housing, in addition to the £16 billion annual contribution to the economy. Therefore, it’s important they receive the necessary support, education, and clarity to meet the requirements set by the government.”
Researchers at the University of Sheffield will lead a £7.7m collaborative project, aiming to change how we monitor and maintain important parts of the UK’s infrastructure, such as bridges, telecoms masts and wind turbines.
Healthy infrastructure is critical to ensuring the continued functionality and growth of UK society and the economy. Unfortunately, monitoring and maintaining our buildings and transport network is expensive; in the UK, a backlog of maintenance works, identified in 2019, will cost £6.7bn.
Considering bridges, inspection is usually carried out visually by human experts. Resources are stretched, so inspections cannot be carried out as often as desired, repairs aren’t made quickly and opportunities are missed to make cost effective decisions on maintenance and improvement. In a few extreme cases structural failure can result in fatalities.
The offshore wind (OW) sector is another area for concern. OW has driven down energy costs and increased power output, pioneering a global change to clean energy. The UK leads globally in OW energy, providing almost one third of the UK’s annual electricity demand and helping meet the UK’s net-zero-by-2050 target. The drive for turbines in deeper water demands new ways of asset management, controlling and limiting operation/maintenance lifetime costs. As turbines increase in numbers, size, and capacity, these issues become even more important.
A collaborative team of researchers, led by the University of Sheffield, has been awarded a £7.7m programme grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The ROSEHIPS (Revolutionising Operational Safety and Economy for High-value Infrastructure using Population-based SHM) project will aim to solve the infrastructure asset management problem in the UK for maintaining our buildings and structures, such as bridges and transport networks, via transformative new research to automate health monitoring.
Instead of expensive scheduled inspections, diagnoses can be provided economically by permanently-installed sensors, collecting structural data continuously and interpreting it via computer algorithms.
The team in Sheffield will work with partner institutions, the University of Cambridge, Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Exeter, combining sensor development, machine learning and civil engineering expertise, as well as with key industry partners, including Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure, Translink, Arqiva, Cellnex (UK) and Siemens Gamesa.
Professor Keith Worden, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, said: “Population-Based Structural Health Monitoring (PBSHM) is a game-changing idea, emerging in the UK very recently. It has the potential to overcome current technological barriers and transform our ability to automatically infer the condition of a structure, or a network of structures, from sensor data.”
The EPSRC project will extend and exploit PBSHM, developing machine learning, sensing and digital twin technology for automated inference of health for structures in operation now, and drive new standards for safer, greener structures in future.
Professor Worden continued: “This programme brings together the perfect team, mixing complementary skills in machine learning and advanced data analysis with expertise in new sensor systems and insight into complex infrastructure systems.”
Professor Mark Girolami, from the University of Cambridge, added: “This research programme is set to make significant advances in the theory, methodology, application, successful deployment and adoption of PBSHM, in making our critical inter-connected infrastructure safe, resilient and more efficient.”
The work will be underpinned by experiments using facilities such as the Structural Dynamics Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV) at the University of Sheffield to monitor the dynamic response and ‘health’ of structures, such as traffic loading, a full scale or near full scale.
The decision to increase interest rates by 0.25% to 1%, taken this week by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, could do more harm than good according to the British Chambers of Commerce.
Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce predicts ‘considerable alarm’. He said: “The decision to raise interest rates will cause considerable alarm among households and businesses given the rapidly deteriorating economic outlook and mounting cost pressures many are facing.“The Bank of England face an unenviable trade-off between soaring inflation and a wilting economy. However, higher interest rates will do little to address the global headwinds and supply constraints driving this inflationary surge. Italso raises the risk of recession by damaging confidence and intensifying the financial squeeze on businesses and consumers.
“With monetary policy continuing to tighten, it is vital the fiscal policy is now loosened to ease the crippling cost pressures faced by consumers and businesses, and to support wider economic activity. Urgent action is needed to limit the unprecedented surge in costs facing businesses, including financial support for those struggling with soaring energy bills.”
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