New Evri site provides major Barnsley jobs boost
The new Evri hub in Barnsley will be operational from today, providing a major jobs boost in the local area.
The brand-new development, accessed directly from the M1 via a new road which is now enabling traffic to by-pass the centre of Hoyland Common, represents a £60 million investment.
It will have the capacity to process up to 1.1 million parcels per day, providing up to 1,400 jobs. This includes seasonal or part-time warehouse or HGV driving roles available to support during busy periods for those looking for more flexible employment.
The site also has a number of sustainability initiatives, including a fleet of bio CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) vehicles, planting of over 25,000 shrubs and trees, and solar panels.
Cllr Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture at Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, said: “We are delighted to see the positive figures on recruitment for the new Evri site here in Barnsley. Our commitment has been to create more and better jobs in the borough, and it’s great to see local people benefitting from new job opportunities in a range of roles.
“It is also a key benefit from such a significant investment, like the Evri site, that we will attract new people and businesses to the area to enjoy all that Barnsley has to offer.
“Barnsley is investing so businesses, and jobs, stay in Barnsley. Having a job is more than just income. It’s about having a purpose and motivation, supporting good health and having a sense of pride and belonging. We are committed to giving people these opportunities. I know many people will be excited about starting their new roles, and I wish all staff at Evri every success at the new Barnsley hub.”
Gareth Shawcroft, head of Barnsley Hub at Evri, said: “We’re pleased to have created so many great job opportunities for the local community, and I’m delighted that a large number are from the surrounding areas with such a good range of applicants and skillsets.
“A number of local contractors were used during the build, and we intend to continue those relationships. This is a huge investment for the business as we respond to the ever-increasing demand for online shopping and lead the way in creating responsible delivery experiences for everyone, everywhere.”
Jeweller expands at Sunny Bank Mills
Emma White, one of Yorkshire’s leading contemporary jewellers and jewellery teachers, is expanding her studio and workshop at the iconic Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley, near Leeds.
Emma has been based at Red Lane Mill at the historic mill complex for almost ten years and is now moving into the adjacent Twisting Gallery, which is currently undergoing an extensive renovation.
These are busy times for Emma, as she is currently taking part in the popular BBC Two series All That Glitters: Britain’s Next Jewellery Star.
She explained: “I’m very excited to be expanding into the Twisting Gallery, I have been a tenant at Sunny Bank Mills since 2013 and I love being part of the hub of creativity and energy that landlords John and William Gaunt have nurtured.
“I am very proud to call the vibrant village of Farsley my home and love that I am part of the mill complex and neighbour to the myriad of wonderful businesses that are housed here.
“I am currently based in a smaller space at Red Lane Mill, just through the wall from the Twisting Gallery, and I will be knocking through to make one bigger jewellery workshop, full of fun and light.
“The new larger space will be perfect for teaching my jewellery courses and classes to larger groups and improving the day to day running of my handmade jewellery business Emma White and the Jewellery Makers.
“The courses run throughout the year and are suitable for complete beginners up to experienced makers. We teach weekly classes, project-based weekend sessions and also one to one. Jewellery-making is a great hobby and it’s very rewarding to know that you have made something special, that you can wear forever, with your very own hands,” said Emma.
During the past ten years Sunny Bank Mills, one of the most famous family-owned mills in Yorkshire, has been transformed into a modern office and mixed-use retail and leisure complex for the 21st century, creating 400 sustainable new jobs.
William Gaunt commented: “The regeneration of the Twisting Gallery is another piece in the jigsaw in the regeneration of Sunny Bank Mills. Once the renovation is completed in October, it will be a tremendously stimulating space in the heart of our mill complex.
“We are absolutely delighted that Emma is taking the opportunity to expand her studio and workshop space at Sunny Bank Mills by linking Red Lane Mill with the new space at the Twisting Gallery. We are especially pleased because Emma is one of our longest and most-valued occupiers, who has flourished here at Sunny Bank. We are proud to have nurtured her business.
“It is also fitting that Emma has made her home here, as she is a true Yorkshire craftsperson and maker, which chimes in with the mill’s rich history. Her decision to expand her business here is a tremendous endorsement of our ever-growing creative community at Sunny Bank Mills.”
He added: “The first phase of the £1m regeneration of the three storey Twisting Gallery will be completed in October. This phase of the redevelopment is creating four bespoke creative and retail units. All these units, including Emma’s, are pre-let.”
Telecoms firm puts £3,000 into community projects
A buddy bench for a local school, meals for a foodbank, and a sensory garden for children with special needs have all been chosen by KCOM to receive up to £1,000 each under its community grant scheme.
The scheme, which donates cash sums to community groups, charities and causes once every two months, highlights groups which aim to improve the quality of life for people across the KCOM region of Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
Louise Babych, KCOM Community Partner, said: “From enriching the lives of local children to helping the region’s vulnerable, KCOM community grants will benefit a wide range of people in our communities.”
The latest community grant winners are Westwoodside School in North Lincolnshire, Hull’s St. Philips Food Bank and Stockwell Academy in east Hull.
Katie Fretwell from Westwoodside School said their grant will buy a buddy bench to help reduce social isolation and encourage friendship-building during break times.
She said: “We are so grateful to KCOM for awarding us a community grant to buy a buddy bench for the school playground. This was specifically chosen by the children and will be a fantastic tool to help us promote inclusivity and help children make conversation and friends at school.”
St Philips Food Bank encourages support the most vulnerable and those who are victims of food inequality in East Hull. Its £1,000 grant will be put towards buying more stock and food to provide balanced meals for their 270-household community.
Kia Macpherson from St Philips said: “We promise to make the grant count. Every penny will be spent to make a real difference.
“As an organisation we’re also part of the newly formed Hull Food Inequality Alliance looking at the problems behind food inequality in Hull to see if we can work together to solve the problems nearer to source.”
Stockwell Academy, in Greatfield, east Hull, is using its grant to build a sensory garden for its children with special educational needs. This will include wheelchair accessible seating, a water feature and a sensory pathway.
A spokesperson said: “Out of the 400 children we have on roll 105 of them are on the register as having special needs. Many students this year are non-verbal and have severe autism. They sometimes only respond to sensory provocations and we do not have the resources to provide for their extremely high levels of need. The garden will mean that the children have a space to access the curriculum at their level and be fully included into mainstream education and able to make amazing progress.
“The garden would also be used for children who need a quiet space – a space to talk to social workers, teachers and other outside agencies. We see the garden as a ‘legacy piece’ of the puzzle – something that will make a long-lasting impact to our children for years to come and allow them to reach their full potential.”
KCOM Community Grants were launched in 2006 and have since supported hundreds of local groups to make life better in their communities.
Grants of up to £1,000 each are awarded every three months and are available to any charity or community group with the KCOM area of Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. The window for applications is always open and the only criteria for entry is that each entrant must work to improve the quality of life for people within their area.
Hull accountancy firm 360 to sponsor Wakefield Trinity
Hull’s 360 Chartered Accountants has signed a sponsorship deal with Wakefield Trinity.
The deal, which will carry on throughout the 2023 season, includes sponsoring the club’s half-time and full-time social media posts, the Winning Wednesday Draw and other opportunities during the year.
With their place in the Super League secure for next year, work has also just started on Wakefield’s long-awaited multi-million-pound redevelopment of the Belle Vue stadium.
Adrian Hunter, MD at 360, said: “We are massive sports fans at 360 and are really excited to be partnering with Wakefield Trinity. There’s so much potential for development at the club, particularly with the new stadium – and we want to be part of that. We also have a developing portfolio of clients in and around West Yorkshire, so this has come at the perfect time for us.”
Michael Carter, Chairman of Wakefield Trinity, said: “We are already planning our campaign to maintain our Super League status next season, so it’s great to have 360 on board as a sponsor and look forward to working with them for the foreseeable future.”
Housing Secretary must protect the most vulnerable as energy prices double and inflation stays high
The chief executive of Leeds-based housing association Unity Homes and Enterprise has appealed to new Housing Secretary Simon Clarke to be an advocate for extra financial assistance for those left most exposed by the hike in energy prices.
Cedric Boston said: “I welcome the support the Government has pledged to bring forward but the fact remains that average energy bills have doubled in just 12 months.
“This will have a devastating impact on individuals and families on the lowest incomes including a considerable proportion of housing association tenants.
“Such a major hit on limited household budgets comes in the midst of a spiralling cost of living crisis with inflation seemingly out of control.
“I appeal to Simon Clarke, the new Housing Secretary, to be an advocate for the needs of the most vulnerable at the heart of the Government’s decision-making as we approach an incredibly difficult winter.
“This should include allowing those on housing benefit, who Ministers say they want to help, to retain the additional support received from the proposed social housing rent cap rather than the Treasury clawing it back to central funds.
“The benefit cap must also rise to enable households in receipt to meet inflationary rent increases.
“Further, there can be no excuse for annual benefits for individuals and families not to go up in line with inflation.
“Unity will always do everything we can to safeguard the wellbeing of local communities, but the Government must commit to supporting us and our tenants in the short, medium and long-term.”
Company insolvencies jump by more than 70%, reveal new figures
UK company insolvencies have increased by 72% in the year to the end of August, from 11,949 to 20,512 says international audit, tax and advisory firm Mazars.
The hospitality sector has been hit especially hard, with 216 insolvencies of pubs, bars and restaurants in just the last month – up 37% from 158 in July. Over the past year, insolvencies of pubs, bars and restaurants have increased 59%, from 1,354 to 2,156. Spikes in energy bills seen in the sector are forcing many to consider closure.
Adam Harris, Partner at Mazars says: “Many UK businesses were already in a weak position before energy prices surged. The size of energy price rises was always likely to cause some businesses to close but the scale and pace of these insolvencies is especially concerning.
“Small business owners in particular are struggling under the weight of multiple crises, often without the resources or financial cushion to see them through.
“The hospitality sector is facing an unusually challenging environment as the cost-of-living crisis hits them from both sides. Just as their energy costs are spiral and their interest costs rise their customers are cutting spending on non-essentials such as eating out.
“The Government’s upcoming energy package will be key to determining whether many businesses survive. Unless the picture dramatically changes, we are likely to see many more businesses close their doors in the months to come.”
Leeds veterinary inspection services firm swoops for the Vorenta Group
Leeds-based Eville & Jones has completed the acquisition of the Vorenta Group, which includes HallMark Veterinary and Compliance Services, and Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Ltd (MLCSL).
Under the expanded Eville & Jones Group umbrella, the acquisition will accelerate E&Js growth, expanding operations into Scotland, building on its existing service offerings, and broadening its range of service offerings for both existing and new customers.
Customers will see no changes to the day to day delivery of service, however will start to benefit from increases in the range of services offered.
Group CEO, Charles Hartwell said: “Vorenta and E&J are natural partners with shared ambitions and values. This merger accelerates our growth plans and enables us to expand our service offering to both our existing and future customers whilst providing opportunities for our people.”
David Peace, chair of Vorenta, said: “Both E&J and Vorenta have built a reputation for delivering quality, value-adding solutions to the food industry. As part of the expanded E&J group, we will be able to focus our resources to reach and serve more customers and give our people a wider spectrum of opportunity. I very much look forward to joining the E&J Board, in addition to continuing as the Managing Director of MLCSL.”
E&J’s core business is the provision of Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors to undertake Official Controls, and the delivering Export Health Certification services to exporters of Products of Animal Origin (POAO).
Vorenta’s core business is the provision of carcass classification services to the meat industry, the deployment of veterinarians under contract to various government departments and delivering both Portal Inspection and Export Health Certification services relating to POAO.
Sustained high inflation maintains pressure on businesses, says BCC
This rise in Consumer Prices Index inflation by 9.9% confirms the sustained pressure businesses and consumers have been facing over the past year, according to Alex Veitch, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce.
He said: “This is also reflected in the squeeze on businesses’ operating costs as Producer Price Inflation figures remain at record highs of 20.5% in the year to August 2022.
“While the rate of growth has eased slightly, this has been driven by a fall in motor fuel costs – other goods continue to rise.
“There is a limit to how long any firm can sustain these rising costs before something has to give. We know from our research that two thirds of businesses plan to increase their own prices.
“The size of last week’s Government intervention on energy prices should have a dampening effect on inflation when it is enacted.
“But the lack of detail on exactly how much help any individual business will get, and for how long, means very few will be planning to invest any time soon.
“There are also a whole host of other issues ranging from transport and shipping costs, raw material prices, energy sector regulation and the tight labour market that must be addressed.
“It is imperative the Government’s forthcoming ‘fiscal intervention’ provides business with confidence that there is a cohesive plan to take the economy forward.”
NFU opens visa door for poultry industry to get seasonal workers
The NFU has helped established a route for UK poultry producers to secure seasonal workers by under the Government’s visa scheme.
Under the scheme, and in discussions which began in June, two visa providers have been dedicated to the country sector. They are ProForce Ltd (poultry@pro-force.co.uk ) and RE Recruitment Ltd (SeasonalWorkerVisa@rerecruitment.com). The NFU says anyone wanting to make use of the 2,000 visas for the poultry sector this year should make contact with them.
NFU Poultry Board chair James Mottershead said: “We have been working to help determine the much-needed scheme details to help members best utilise the visas and access the labour they so desperately require.”
Housing development takes shape following £3.6m funding package
Specialist lender Together has agreed a £3.6m funding facility for a family-orientated homes development in South Yorkshire.
Bespoke housebuilder Walshaw Homes is constructing 22 homes on a plot of land on the site of a demolished social club in Main Street, Hackenthorpe, Sheffield.
The developer’s funding partner, Together, provided the finance package for the ‘Valley View’ scheme of three and four bedroom luxury homes.
Walshaw Homes Managing Director Joel Richards approached Together, which provides commercial and development finance, after acquiring the site of the long since demolished Cherry Tree Social Club.
Becky Hall, head of origination at Together, said: “We agreed to provide the funding after seeing the potential of the location and having been really impressed with the vision of Walshaw Homes and its Managing Director, Joel Richards.
“I already had a strong business relationship with the developer, having worked with them in the past, so it’s great to help Joel and the team realise their ambitions for this latest scheme as it begins to take shape – it will bring quality housing to meet the needs of Sheffield’s growing population.”
Planning permission for the housing scheme was granted in November last year, allowing construction to begin in June. It is expected to be completed by August 2023.
Joel Richards said: “Construction is now well underway, with foundations in place for five of the plots, and there has been a huge amount of local interest.
“These new, modern two and three storey homes will be ideal for couples and young families and are next door to local shops with other amenities such as the Crystal Peaks shopping centre and the Rother Valley Country Park just on the doorstep.”
He added: “It’s fantastic that Together has agreed to support us. It’s particularly beneficial to have a lender on board which really understands the needs of developers like us and is willing to help turn our exciting vision into a reality.
“The finance was arranged very quickly – from initial contact to receiving the funds took between four and five weeks, with everyone pulling together to get the deal done.”
