Yorkshire firms enjoy success at construction industry awards
Yorkshire-based construction firm, Hobson & Porter, has seen off fierce competition from some of the biggest names in the industry to scoop the prestigious ‘People Development’ accolade at the national and highly acclaimed Constructing Excellence Awards.
Hull-headquartered Hobson & Porter was presented with the award at The London Marriott Grosvenor Square, in recognition of the company’s successful Foundations Programme, which it launched in 2016 with the aim of creating a sustainable workforce for the construction industry.
The national awards showcase excellence in the built environment across England and Wales, bringing together the regional winners from 16 different categories to celebrate the very best of the best.
Hobson & Porter’s invite to the industry’s top table came after the company won the equivalent accolade at the Constructing Excellence in Yorkshire & Humberside (CEYH) Awards earlier this year, as well as being highly commended in the ‘SME of the Year’ category.
The national awards proved to be particularly successful for the Yorkshire and Humber region. In total, there were five wins and a highly commended prize for the region, across the 16 categories, with Mason Clark Associates, Tilbury Douglas, Environment Agency (Yorkshire), Seismic Consortium and Kier Group also picking up honours.
The national judges praised Hobson & Porter’s Foundations Programme, which has developed into a collective drive to reduce the construction industry’s skills shortage in the north of England.
In addition to attending regular careers events, Hobson & Porter invests more than £150,000 each year in the training and development of its directly employed team and recruits at least six apprentices each year and an equal number of non-apprentice-based trainees.
The company is also planning to remove a significant barrier that prevents people getting live construction site experience via a new initiative that will be known as ‘The Foundations Experience,’ which will launch soon. The plan is to provide a live construction site environment at Bishop Burton College, where learners can get hands-on site experience, which is vital for their progression.
Each October the company also organises and hosts Foundations Live at Bishop Burton College which is now one of the north’s biggest construction, trade, networking, and careers events. Last month’s event attracted over 200 industry professionals and more than 400 students of all ages who were able to meet and develop contacts with representatives and exhibitors from more than 80 leading names in the construction industry.
David Blades, SHEQ director at Hobson & Porter, which employs around 120 people, said: “Six years after launching Foundations, to win a national award for our efforts is incredible for our whole team and everyone who supports the initiative.
“The skills shortage facing the construction industry is too big to overcome by only promoting our own apprenticeships or training programmes, but by bringing the whole industry together and using our collective power, we genuinely believe we can make a difference, as well as giving people the opportunity to enjoy successful and rewarding careers.
“The way Foundations has grown and gained momentum over the past six years is phenomenal. However, we couldn’t do it without the support of our clients, suppliers, our competitors and everyone else involved in the construction industry, who can see the bigger picture and work together for the greater good of the industry, and this award is testament to that.”
Micronclean names new associate director
Skegness-based Micronclean has named Sophie Harris as Associate Director Quality, Health and Environment.
She joins Micronclean after a 14-year career in the water industry, where she held positions in Production, Quality, Regulation and Environmental Departments delivering company-wide environmental improvement programmes.
Sophie said: “I am passionate about sustainability and reducing our environmental impacts to meet the needs of today and those of our future generations. As a result, I would like to create a true circular economy to remove waste through implementation of innovative packaging solutions. My ambition is to work in partnership with our customers and communities to create real value to deliver against our joint goals, and most importantly, to protect the environment.”
Micronclean says it has long recognised the importance of environmental sustainability, being one of the first companies to achieve BS7750 accreditation, the precursor to ISO14001. For many years Micronclean’s environmental and sustainability activities were captured within our SKIEs values under the banner of Stewardship. Micronclean recognises the need to give even greater focus to the environment, sustainability, and a more circular economy, appointing Sophie Harris to provide Board level leadership and focus to this critical aspect of our business.. To support Sophie, Micronclean will be strengthening its environmental team.
New energy centre opens at Grantham College
Grantham College has officially opened its new energy centre which sets out to develop students’ skills and “be part of a brighter future.”
Principal Paul Dean welcomed visitors and the Mayor of Grantham, Councillor Graham Jeal, cut the ribbon to open the centre.
Mr Dean said: “It is a real delight to open these facilities after all of the work from our staff, suppliers and contractors. This centre will help us develop the skills of the students that are so urgently needed if we are to transition to net zero.
“Sometimes colleges have to lead and take risks and have vision for capacity to be developed. When these skills are developed, the opportunity to develop businesses is there and investing in green skills is a win win. It should not be seen as a cost but a long-term investment.
“We at Grantham college want to be a part of a brighter future, supporting energy security and the transition to net zero. It is hoped it will help solve current skills gaps but also help to inspire our students.”
The college’s existing engineering and link block spaces have been transformed to create a centre that combines engineering and construction with state-of-the-art and industry-standard equipment.
It provides new learning opportunities in electrical engineering, plumbing, gas fitting and renewable energies including solar, wind and air.
This project also extends the curriculum to not only give students more skills, but allows more businesses to work with the college.
Steven Peacock, Vice Principal of Grantham College, showed guests around the centre to give them an exclusive look into the project.
He said: “We are very delighted that the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership has funded this project. The two disciplines of construction and engineering are taken into account with a view to developing technologies and looking towards the future in terms of energies.”
With the new centre, the college offers a number of courses including levels 1 to 3 in plumbing studies, levels 1 to 3 in construction skills, as well as apprenticeships in plumbing and domestic heating and engineering fitting alongside other courses.
The centre will also offer flexible green skills boot camps including introductions to heat pump installation, solar panel installation, smart metering and more.
More than 10,000 illegal cigarettes seized in Grantham shop raids
Joint agency raids on two premises in Grantham have led to more than 10,000 illegal cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco, 350 illegal vapes and cash seized.
Many of the contraband items had been hidden in elaborate ‘hides’ within one shop.
The raids were carried out by Lincolnshire Trading Standards, Lincolnshire Police’s licensing team and Grantham’s neighbourhood policing team.
At 28 Westgate, known as The Local Store, illegal goods were found hidden in three separate locations – in a hide behind a bathroom mirror, in an electrically operated magnetic lock beneath the counter, and under the counter floor.
At ‘Baltic’ located at 16 Westgate, approximately 3,000 illegal cigarettes and 100 illegal vapes were found – mainly in the rear storeroom.
The operation was a result of community and police intelligence, and behind-the-scenes work by the Licencing Team, which is a partnership between Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire County Council.
PC Mark Barr, Community Beat Manager for the Grantham Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), said: “We know that the sale of illegal goods like this is linked to youth anti-social-behaviour (ASB) as well as organised crime.
“Disrupting that activity through raids at stores where we think there may be counterfeit goods puts an almighty dent in the profits of criminal gangs. Make no mistake, these stores can make up to £50,000 a week, so the profits involved in selling what is an illegal and often dangerous product are quite staggering.
“This latest activity shows that we won’t tolerate this, and we will take action. We would encourage our community to continue to come forward with intelligence which can help us stamp out the sale and trade of counterfeit goods.”
Principal Lincolnshire Trading Standards officer, Andy Wright, said: “This is another excellent example of the partnership work between Trading Standards, Police Licensing and Police Neighbour Teams. Many of the cigarettes seized were counterfeit, and many don’t include vital safety features which allow them to self-extinguish when not being smoked, making them a huge fire safety risk.
“The complexity of the hides – both using electro-magnetic locks – in use in the second shop show that this was a professional enterprise with the specific objective of selling illegal cigarettes.
“Increasingly, we are finding shops selling illegal cigarettes also sell illegal vapes. Some of the illegal vapes seized contained way over the legal limit of nicotine, with some having the same nicotine content as 150 cigarettes.
“By tackling and removing shops selling illegal cigarettes, we’ve seen it can result in a huge reduction in general crime and anti-social behaviour in an area. We are aware of the concerns of local residents in those areas and, with help from our partner agencies, we are doing all that we can to help improve the quality of life in these communities.”
Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station gets planning consent
The Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station has been granted development consent by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The application involves a combined cycle gas turbine power station, carbon capture and compression plant, electrical, gas, and cooling water connections, and associated development.
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 07 September 2022.
This is the 121st Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and 71st energy application to have been examined by The Planning Inspectorate within the timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008.
The Planning Inspectorate’s interim Chief Exec Navees Rahman 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, the local authority and other interested parties have had the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them.
“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.”
Postmasters given access to Horizon compensation and £900 to prepare their claims
Postmasters who played a key role in exposing the Post Office Horizon IT scandal from the 1990s will be able to access the compensation they deserve, thanks to a new funding scheme unveiled by Business Secretary Grant Shapps.
In 2019, 555 postmasters who had taken the first legal action against the Post Office over Horizon received £43 million plus legal costs in a settlement. However, much of this money was taken up by the associated costs of funding their case, and they were ineligible for the Historical Shortfall Scheme was subsequently set up to compensate others who were affected by the failure.
Recognising the unique position of these postmasters in the Group Litigation Order group, the compensation scheme will enable them to receive similar compensation to their peers. From today, claimants are being asked to start preparing their compensation claims ahead of submitting their application next year. The Business Secretary has also confirmed that the government will pay £900 per claimant as part of reasonable legal fees to prepare their claim.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I am acutely aware of the pain and suffering that these postmasters and their families have been through as part of the Horizon IT scandal. As Business Secretary I will always stand by them.
“This compensation scheme will ensure these trailblazing postmasters who did so much to uncover this injustice receive the compensation they deserve.”
Licence trade specialist brings industry expertise to growing law firm as regional partner
Wilkin Chapman Solicitors has added decades of commercial property experience to their Beverley office with a key strategic appointment.
Justin Graves has joined the East Riding of Yorkshire branch of the firm’s nationally recognised commercial property team following a year of incredible growth. Heading up the commercial property department in Beverley, he will embed essential industry experience from over 22 years of working in the sector to the department.
The appointment is an encouraging addition to the department’s already firmly established team, which is ranked in tier 1 in ‘The Legal 500’ guide to law firms for its cumulative expertise.
Growing up in Northumberland, Justin went to the University of Hull from which he graduated in 1991, before soon qualifying as a solicitor in 1994. He has worked exclusively in commercial property law since 2000, initially starting out as a trainee solicitor – or an ‘articled clerk’ as it was known at the time, followed by post-qualification positions in Hull and Sheffield.
Justin Graves, commercial property solicitor and partner at Wilkin Chapman, said: “The lexicon might have changed a little since I began my career but the underlying focus on cultivating close relationships with business owners certainly hasn’t.
“I’ve nurtured a lot of strong connections in the local area which will be a huge boost to the team, I’m sure – especially now that business owners are under more pressure with impending tax rises and public sector cuts. Empathy and understanding go a long way in building trust, and that’s certainly something I’ll ensure our Beverley team continues to lead with.”
Since joining the firm, Justin has already been instructed for a multimillion pound acquisition of a property on the South Coast. The acquisition comes as a welcome addition to Wilkin Chapman’s growing portfolio, which has seen it ranked in the Lawyer’s Top 200 law firms nationally.
Justin Graves continued: “I was approached to join Wilkin Chapman directly and I said ‘yes’ to progress my career and explore a new challenge. As the largest law firm in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, they’re certainly well equipped to give me just that. I specialise in licenced property, which I’ll be underpinning as I lead the Beverley office’s commercial property team.
“On a personal level, it certainly helps that the commute to work is now much greener and more pleasant than when I worked in more urban areas – something that’s also reflected in the office. They say the grass isn’t always greener, but on this occasion, it definitely is.
“It’s a refreshing change and I’m honestly very excited to add my own expertise to the team in Beverley as we drive growth, which it’s particularly well placed for geographically, given its wide catchment area.”
‘Container-style’ food village could be tasty new addition to outdoor market
Leeds Kirkgate Market’s outdoor trading area could be set for a bright new look under proposals designed to safeguard the long-term future of this open-air shopping spot.
Leeds City Council’s executive board will next week be asked to approve the launch of a consultation exercise seeking people’s views on plans to bring an innovative food and drink venue to part of the outdoor market site.
The outdoor market has space for a total of 185 stalls, with around 85 of them being filled on a typical day.
This is a considerable figure – particularly given the gradual nationwide drop-off in the popularity of open-air markets – but at the same time the council recognises that it means a sizeable portion of the site is regularly left standing empty.
Provisional plans have therefore been drawn up to reduce the number of outdoor stalls, with the remaining pitches being positioned adjacent to the indoor market.
Should the scheme get the go-ahead, the newly-created space would then become home to a ‘container-style’ food village of the type already found in cities such as London, Manchester and Bristol.
The council has been approached by a number of potential operators who have expressed an interest in running an attraction of this kind at the market.
If approved, the venue is likely to be built from refurbished shipping containers and would aim to boost week-round footfall across the whole market site – indoor and outdoor – by bringing in a diverse mix of customers, with a specific focus being placed on appealing to children and families during weekend daytimes.
It would also complement previously-approved regeneration plans for a new hotel and ground-floor commercial units on the George Street side of the market.
The ‘container’ food and drink scheme would deliver a significant income stream for the council, putting the open-air market on a more secure financial footing following a period when the money generated by its stall rents has declined in tandem with occupancy.
The reconfigured outdoor area would still have enough space to comfortably accommodate the current level of trader activity, and would also remain one of the largest sites of its kind in the region.
Subject to approval by executive board members at their meeting next Wednesday (December 14), the consultation on the plans would involve a wide range of interested parties, including traders, customers and businesses that are based near the market.
The findings would then be considered at February’s executive board meeting along with any further steps that would have to be taken before a final decision on whether to press ahead with the scheme.
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s executive member for economy, culture and education, said: “Leeds Kirkgate Market is a historic part of the fabric of life in our city and, as such, we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure it remains a modern, exciting and inclusive shopping destination.
“It is therefore important to explore imaginative new ways to make the best use of all the market space, particularly at a time when the council, like many other local authorities nationwide, is facing hugely-difficult financial challenges.
“If the consultation is approved, we will be encouraging as many people as possible to have their say on these plans for the outdoor market – and it’s crucial to stress that no decision has been taken on the proposals, this is an ongoing process and one that we are keen to ensure involves plenty of listening and dialogue.”
The council’s determination to keep Leeds Kirkgate Market at the heart of the city’s retail offer was underlined in 2021 with the production of a new five-year strategy for the site.
The strategy included plans for continued improvements to the market’s infrastructure, with more than £1m having already been invested in the building and refurbishment of units in its indoor section in 2019.
The council also provided a major package of support – including rent discounts – to help traders cope with the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Occupancy levels in the indoor market are currently running at more than 90 per cent of lettable units, with its Market Kitchen street food hall proving a big hit since it opened in 2016.
Investment in new equipment helps drive growth for ERIKS
ERIKS have significantly invested in new equipment in Barnsley to create more jobs for local people and meet increased demand due to their success.
ERIKS are a specialised industrial service provider that offers a wide range of engineering components, technical services and customisation solutions to all areas of industry.
The company has seen significant growth over the previous five years, including through the pandemic, which has led to the need for investment in new equipment to support ever-increasing customer demands.
Three new production machines were purchased for their base in Oakwell at the cost of £422,000 to improve capacity and create five new jobs.
Councillor Robert Frost, Cabinet spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “It’s fantastic to see another company investing in Barnsley to drive growth and create more jobs for local people.
“We look forward to seeing ERIKS continue to grow their business operations in the heart of the borough.”
Dan Nicholson, Director of ERIKS Sealing and Polymer, added: “The new machinery is a big investment which will support orders in the UK and overseas, increasing the quality of our work.
“It will also help facilitate future growth for the company as it brings more capabilities, allowing us to expand our offer.
“Our order book is ever-growing, and we still have vacancies to fill, which we hope will be taken by Barnsley people.”
Outdoor advertising specialist acquires bus and tram advertising business
Outdoor advertising specialist CP Media has acquired bus and tram advertising business Adverta Transport Advertising.
CP Media is one of the UK’s fastest growing outdoor advertising companies, providing bespoke advertising and sponsorship services for local authorities and transport providers. It has offices in Halifax and Harrogate.
Adverta is one of the UK’s largest bus and tram advertising specialists and represents around 30 bus companies.
The acquisition sees CP Media add 23 staff to its growing team, which now numbers 70 people, along with further offices in the East Midlands and Ripon.
Mike Brennan, Chief Executive of CP Media, said: “The bus and tram advertising sector is one that we know well. I was heavily involved in transport advertising for many years alongside my business partner Andrew Walker. This means that Adverta is a perfect fit for our ambitious growth strategy.
“We are really looking forward to working with the Adverta team and growing the business in the same way that we have grown the main CP Media business and subsequently Eye Airports following our 2019 acquisition.”
Lisa Ratcliffe, Managing Director of Adverta, said: “I am proud of Adverta and very happy that it will be joining the CP Media group. CP Media has a great track record of diversification, acquisition and growth and I know that this move will help Adverta to grow significantly.”
Earlier this year, CP Media was awarded a major contract by CalMac Ferries to rollout a full upgrade of advertising sites across its fleet of 33 vessels.
