£2.5 million boost for local sustainable transport schemes
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) has welcomed an announcement from the Department for Transport that Sheffield City Region has been awarded a £2.5 million funding boost to support improved local walking, cycling and public transport schemes.
SYPTE Executive Director, Stephen Edwards, said: “This welcome funding will allow SYPTE and our local authority partners to continue to build on the success of sustainable transport projects delivered through the Inmotion! scheme. Walking, cycling and public transport plays a key role in supporting a diverse and resilient economy. By improving facilities and empowering communities across the region to make greener travel choices, we aim to reduce excess traffic delays, tackle poor air quality and noise, and combat health problems associated with physical inactivity.”
South Yorkshire Mayor and local business leaders back rail HQ bid
Mayor of South Yorkshire, Dan Jarvis and local business leaders are urging businesses and people across South Yorkshire to support Doncaster’s proposals to become the new home of Great British Railways Headquarters (GBR HQ)
The Mayor said Government support for the bid would help cement Doncaster’s status as the ‘national capital of rail’ and level up South Yorkshire.
Locating the HQ in Doncaster will catalyse a new rail economic cluster, building on the town’s train heritage and innovative rail businesses, to attract more firms and good quality jobs in the region.
His call comes as South Yorkshire prepares to host its inaugural Economic Summit on Wednesday 9 March, which brings together leading speakers and thinkers from the region, government, and finance to showcase the region’s economic potential.
Mayor Dan Jarvis said: “Locating the new GBR Headquarters in Doncaster would bring huge benefits to our region’s economy and create hundreds of much-needed jobs in the rail sector, for which there is plenty of appetite.
“This is the perfect opportunity for government to make good on their promises and commit to levelling up Doncaster and the wider South Yorkshire region. In turn, Doncaster has the skills, the facilities, the potential, and the heritage to help their plans in transforming the way the sector works.”
South Yorkshire LEP and Transport for the North Board Member Peter Kennan said: “Doncaster’s bid to be the new home of Great British Railways would give South Yorkshire a fantastic route to implement the LEPs Strategic Economic Plan which serves to drive economic strength and create good jobs for the region.
“Doncaster has a proud history of rail innovation and investment stretching back to the opening of The Plant in 1853 with ‘Mallard’ and ‘Flying Scotsman’ being just two of the famous locomotives to emerge from that great engineering powerhouse. That great tradition continues, and the Headquarters of Great British Railways would cement Doncaster’s place even more firmly as a major national and international centre for rail investment.”
CEO of Doncaster Chamber and South Yorkshire LEP board member Dan Fell said: “I want South Yorkshire to win this bid because we smash the criteria out of the park. Doncaster is impeccably well connected including great links to London and the devolved administrations. The region’s rail sector is thriving and a hotbed of innovation. Learning institutions such as the University of Sheffield, National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure, and Doncaster University Technical College are allied with the sector and will provide the future workforce.
“Doncaster is renowned as a place where partnerships work and where partnering organisations can become more than the sum of their parts. If, indeed when, GBR locates to South Yorkshire, the organisation will be welcomed into our ecosystem and embraced by many businesses and partners.”
The public are being urged to get involved by indicating why they think the HQ should be based in Doncaster through completing a short survey and submitting their comments.
Charging charities at lower rates of VAT – Streets Chartered Accountants
There are special rules under which a VAT-registered business can sell certain goods and services to charities at the zero or reduced rate of VAT, as Streets Chartered Accountants details below.
Before charging VAT at a lower rate, you must be able to show evidence that the charity is eligible. This is usually done by obtaining suitable evidence of the charity’s status and a written declaration or ‘certificate’ confirming they meet the conditions for a particular VAT relief.
Charities are legally required to provide an eligibility certificate when you supply qualifying building or construction services to them at zero VAT. A declaration is not required for other supplies but is recommended to prove the charity is eligible for the relief. Completed declarations should be held for at least 4 years.
The reduced VAT rate applies on the sale of fuel and power in certain circumstances to an eligible charity. The zero VAT rate applies on a wider range of supplies including the aforementioned construction supplies and items including certain medical and veterinary equipment, aids for disabled people, advertising and items for collecting donations, drugs and chemicals and equipment for making ‘talking’ books and newspapers.
Headstar strengthens its team with two appointments and a promotion following record growth
Finance recruitment consultancy Headstar has made two appointments and a promotion to its Leeds-based team following record demand for its services.
Sharon Phillips has been appointed to head up the company’s transactional finance division, which is experiencing surging demand as employers look to strengthen their finance functions through the hiring of credit controllers and payroll managers in particular.
With a successful track record in recruitment spanning 30 years within blue chip organisations specialising in various sectors including legal, health, care, and business support, Sharon has built an unrivalled reputation for developing long-lasting business relationships. In her new role, she will support the growth of the transactional team, expanding its markets in temporary and permanent placements across the region.
She’s joined by Sam Goodwin, who has been appointed as marketing manager. As a senior chartered marketing manager with over 14 years’ experience working in market-leading companies, Sam will lead on the development and delivery of a marketing strategy to complement the business’ growth objectives, raising the profile of its services and burgeoning events programme.
Headstar has also promoted Jenny Mayer to the position of head of senior finance. A specialist in placing financial controller and finance director roles, Jenny is now also responsible for leading a team of consultants who recruit for part and qualified accountant roles across Yorkshire.
The appointments and promotion come as demand for the company’s range of SME-focused finance consultancy and recruitment services continues to surge. The business, which recruits all areas of a finance team from entry-level to CFO, reported record growth of 35% in its latest financial year, driven by a post-lockdown hiring boom in finance professionals.
Headstar’s commercial director Natalie McGregor said: “We’re delighted to welcome Sharon and Sam to our rapidly growing 19-strong team.
“They both bring with them a wealth of expertise and experience, and their appointments, coupled with Jenny’s well-deserved promotion, mean we’re better placed than ever before to connect businesses with good people and meet ever-growing demand for our services.
“The business has got off to a great start in 2022, and in addition to Sharon and Sam, we’re looking to add at least a further four people to our team over the course of this year, ranging from consultants to heads of division, as well as expanding our portfolio FD team.”
The business, originally known as Finance Directors Yorkshire, was established 35 years ago and has grown significantly in recent years, expanding its client and contractor base which consists of a wide range of UK SMEs, mainly based in Yorkshire, including PureGym, Mamas & Papas and Tile Giant. Alongside placing permanent and interim finance staff, Headstar also provides a range of consultancy services, designed and delivered by experienced finance directors, including turnaround support and part-time finance directors.
“Don’t be lazy by assuming your recruitment problem is a skills gap,” says Yorkshire-based headhunter
Don’t be lazy by assuming your recruitment problem is a skills gap – that’s the message from Emma Robinson, founder of Yorkshire-based executive headhunting firm, Red Diamond.
The statement comes as a recent ONS report on shortages in the labour market indicated that one in three businesses with 10+ employees have difficulties in filling vacancies.
“The most common reasons for a sluggish uptake in roles were a low number of applications and a lack of qualified applicants,” says Emma. “Of course, this is problematic, as it means that businesses are unable to meet the demands of customers – which has a knock-on effect on the economy and national productivity. But, for the most part, the problem does not come from a skills gap.
“Yes, unemployment rates are low, meaning there is a smaller pool of ‘readily available’ people to fill roles, but let’s not forget that most candidates – particularly from shopfloor to director level – come from previous employment and are not usually unemployed.
“Sitting back and waiting for candidates to knock on the door is not necessarily the best approach – after all, the best candidates may not even be actively looking for a new role. The problem usually derives from one of two issues – either an internal recruitment problem or a factor that’s out of your control, such as location.”
Another recent ONS report on shortages in the labour market indicated that there were 97,000 jobs vacancies in the manufacturing sector in January 2022 – up by 42,000 since 2019.
“If we look at manufacturing as an example, I can honestly tell you that the problem has always been the same. I’ve worked in the sector for 20 years and it usually comes down to the fact that the pay rate is lower than a competitor across the street; poor internal recruitment processes; bad reviews on GlassDoor; or thinking in the here and now rather than the future – as a handful of examples.”
Emma claims that businesses need to conduct an analysis of their processes if they are to tackle the problem.
“One of our manufacturing clients went through four financial directors in three years – they couldn’t seem to keep hold of them. As a result, they kept increasing the job salary. After analysis, we realised the problem was that the managing director had a financial background and didn’t give the FD much autonomy. The solution we proposed was to find a more junior FD, on a lower salary, meaning they could learn from the MD. It also saved the client approximately £20,000 per year.
“Another scenario was a manufacturer who knew that they were losing their staff to a builder across the road. The internal narrative was ‘they always come back, though’. We carried out an investigation and found that just one person had returned, and the competitor paid £1 more per hour. Our solution was to up their hourly rate by £2 per hour, which attracted higher quality of staff, and meant they didn’t need as many shop floor workers, saving them thousands per year.”
“My advice? Don’t assume anything. Investigate why you are struggling to fill roles. Leave no stone unturned. Of course, the jobs market is competitive, but I don’t believe we can declare a skills shortage just because the right candidate hasn’t fallen into your lap.”
Hat-trick of new recruits for growing financial firm Northern Accountants
Yorkshire-based firm Northern Accountants has expanded its workforce with the appointment of three key hires following a year of record growth leading to a 30% increase in revenue.
The trio of recruits coincide with promotions for existing colleagues too, as the business focuses on continuing to build its industry-leading service levels and innovative products offering for small and medium-sized companies.
Joining as head of internal services, Toni McCoy will oversee the internal services team to ensure clients receive the highest levels of service and delivery. An experienced management accountant, Toni previously ran her own practice and will use her leadership skills to provide specialist training and development to her fellow Northern Accountants colleagues.
She heads up a team that includes newly promoted duo James Harrison and Tyler Boston who have moved into the roles of senior financial controller and junior financial controller, respectively.
A specialist in management accounting, James Heighton has been appointed as client manager and will be part of Sally Claxton’s external services team. They will both be supported by Sarah Lockwood and Sophie Hill who have progressed in their roles to become senior financial controllers.
The third hire is Paula Kingston-Heath who has joined as group business manager. Her primary responsibilities revolve around ensuring the entire organisation is running smoothly and that clients are supported with everything from accounting records to tax advice.
Meanwhile, Jayne Waugh has moved into the position of head of cloud accounting services with the aim of helping customers access real-time accounting information via data-driven technology. And finally, Shaun Lindley will manage the business’s new self assessment company.
Speaking about the organisation’s growing workforce – which now stands at 16-strong – Phil Ellerby, CEO and founder of Northern Accountants, said: “We are incredibly proud of the business we have and central to that is our people and our culture. The new team coming in are a really good fit for us and are only going to make us stronger and build on already impressive service levels. In terms of the promotions within the team, they are thoroughly deserved and from our point of view, it is really important we recognise our team and consistently provide an environment where they can continue to develop.” Yorkshire entrepreneur leads Land Rover Defender specialists to Middle East expansion
Leading Land Rover Defender specialist Twisted has taken the next step in expanding operations in the Middle East, with the opening of a new assembly workshop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Twisted USA-LLC Group division of North Yorkshire-based Twisted Automotive, was launched by entrepreneur and CEO Tom Maxwell in April 2020 and owns the licenses for Twisted North America, Twisted Middle East and Twisted EV.
As such, Maxwell has overseen the brand in establishing a foothold in North America as well as the Middle East, with growing interest in the market resulting in the latest 3,000Sq/Ft workshop opening near the main highway in the city of Dubai allowing the business to scale up its manufacturing significantly.
This new site will facilitate a variety of different Twisted services, including servicing, modifications and full builds of the classic Land Rover Defender vehicle, with plans in the pipeline to open a consumer facing retail space both within the luxurious Dubai Mall and an additional location in Abu Dhabi in the future.
Twisted Middle East currently has a team of five, led by General Manager, Jeremy Green, who joined the company with a background in investment and extensive leadership experience working for firms with OEM, ICE and EV holdings.
As overarching CEO, Maxwell’s aim is to consolidate the footprint made by Twisted Middle East in the region, before eventually increasing the number of staff and scaling up operations further moving forward.
Additionally, Twisted USA-LLC Group has multiple workshops open for business in North America and, through Twisted EV, remains the only business in the world to have the capability to fulfil orders for a fully electric 4×4 vehicle.
Commenting on the company’s planned growth into the Middle East, Maxwell, said: “It’s been fantastic to see demand and interest grow in the Middle East, the Twisted brand has certainly made its mark and we are delighted with the level of performance to date.
“We have a great team based in Dubai and the newest workshop will enable them to scale up operations and continue offering the very best bespoke services for current and prospective customers, extending the legacy of the Land Rover Defender worldwide.
“I’m proud of the resilience the team has shown to negate the challenges of the ongoing pandemic to keep putting Twisted on the map in the Middle East, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve in 2022.”
European office seating manufacturer acquires Huddersfield company
Flokk, the European manufacturer of office seating products, has acquired Connection Seating Ltd., expanding its footprint in the strategically important UK market and underpinning its international growth strategy.
“Having Connection join the Flokk group moves us into the major league of Europe’s second-largest office seating market. We roughly double our size to about EUR 30 million in the key UK market. The transaction is another example of Flokk continuing to consolidate the fragmented European office seating market through targeted and value-creating acquisitions of attractive companies and brands,” says Lars I. Røiri, CEO of Flokk.
Through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions, Flokk has been transformed from a Scandinavian player to a European market leader within office seating, with a strong foothold in the US market and annual revenues of more than EUR 300 million.
Founded in 1997, Connection is headquartered in Huddersfield and has showrooms in Manchester and London.
“We’re excited to join the Flokk group, and I see great potential for the Connection brand and our employees in this setting, as it will give us a strong operational and financial platform on which to base future growth,” says Kelvin Bromley, Managing Director of Connection Seating.
“Connection has a strong position within collaborative furniture, including rooms and booths, and excellent channels to designers and architects in the project market, complementing Flokk’s offering and underlining our position as a total seating solutions provider. The acquisition also gives us a manufacturing presence in the UK, and we see substantial commercial synergies and mutual benefits from Connection joining the Flokk group,” says Mr Røiri.
Modular buildings firm raises further £200k
A modular buildings manufacturer which tripled its turnover during the pandemic has secured a £200,000 loan to support its further growth.
Actiform has raised funding from NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF). The company has played an active role in helping the NHS extend capacity by creating additional hospital space and rolling out new diagnostic sites around the UK.
It is currently working on projects at Glenfield Hospital near Leicester, Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, and Southend University Hospital, as well as providing site accommodation for contractors working on HS2, the smart motorway programme and other major infrastructure projects.
Actiform has also been helping clients to reduce carbon usage by incorporating high levels of insulation, solar panels, heat recovery units and heat pumps in its buildings. It recently supplied a carbon neutral endoscopy unit for a healthcare group in Aberdeen.
Established in 1984 by Stefan Dransfield, the current Managing Director, Actiform is now one of the largest independent manufacturers of modular buildings in the UK, employing around 60 staff at its Mirfield headquarters. The company also manages specialist site teams and a wide range of subcontractors.
Actiform’s turnover rose from £7m to £23m in the 12 months to September 2021 and is set to increase further in the current financial year. The latest funding is the third round it has received from NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance in the past three years and will enable it to expand manufacturing capacity on its site and provide working capital to finance new projects.
Stefan Dransfield says: “Our business has gone from strength to strength in the past couple of years and the support we have received from Mercia and NPIF has been instrumental in that. The projects we take on require a major upfront investment in structural steel and manufacturing and the money can be tied up for long periods. Without this funding, we wouldn’t have been able to take on some of these projects and certainly would not have been able to achieve this level of growth.”
David Wright of Mercia added: “Actiform is an established business that has undergone a real step change in recent years. The previous funding has enabled it to take advantage of strong demand from the NHS and establish itself as a key player in the sector. This latest round will allow it to continue its growth story and create a number of other jobs in the year ahead.”
Phil Bentley of Bentley Associates based in Harrogate provided fundraising advice to Actiform.
Student accommodation firm to dispose of 11 properties for £306m
Unite Students, the owner, manager and developer of student accommodation, is disposing of a portfolio of 11 properties, comprising 4,488 beds for £306 million (Unite share: £236 million) to an affiliate of Lone Star Funds.
The disposal portfolio includes Devonshire Courtyard, The Forge, and The Forge 2 in Sheffield (1,700 beds), The Priory in Leeds (77 beds), as well as assets in Reading (703 beds), Leicester (665 beds), Bedford (517 beds), Liverpool (390 beds), Birmingham (337 beds), and Bristol (99 beds) and has nomination agreements covering 46% of beds on short-term contracts.
Completion will occur on 15 March on four of the properties in the portfolio for £51 million (Unite share: £11 million). The completion of the remaining properties will occur on 31 August 2022.
Richard Smith, Chief Executive of Unite Students, said: “We have now completed the disposal programme set out at the time of our acquisition of Liberty Living in 2019. These disposals have increased the focus of our portfolio in the strongest university cities and ensure our ability to sustain rental growth over a longer time horizon.
“Our balance sheet is also positioned for growth with the investment capacity to deliver our biggest ever secured development pipeline of £1 billion and pursue further opportunities to extend our best-in-class platform.”
