Retirement brings 40-year legal career to an end
A legal career spanning over 40 years has come to an end with the retirement of former Deputy District Judge and Family Law Solicitor John Mitchell.
John joined Sills & Betteridge in 1981 after a brief period practising as a Barrister in Nottingham. He became a Partner of the firm in 1985, quickly gaining himself an enviable reputation for his handling of complex matrimonial matters. John was accredited by the Law Society Children Law Panel and Resolution Family Mediation Panel. He was recommended by the Legal 500 and a member of the Lincolnshire Family Justice Board.
A natural leader, John held a number of senior positions in the firm including Head of Family Law, Managing Partner and member of the Leadership Team.
Among his many achievements, John will be best remembered for the expansion ambitions he had for the firm, and the key part he played in achieving them – and for being a career-shaping mentor to aspiring young family lawyers.
Senior Partner Karen Bower-Brown worked with John for 22 years. She said: “John was a highly respected and widely popular colleague. He always gave 100% and played a substantial part in the development of our firm. I am sure I will not be the only one who will miss him on both a professional and personal level. We wish him a long and happy retirement.”
Streets covers its charity fundraising, offers helpful information to manage business financial challenges and more in its latest business support update
In its latest Business Support Update, Streets Chartered Accountants highlights its charity fundraising, offers information to address a business’s financial challenges, reconsiders the statement ‘people are our greatest asset’ and more.
Streets Golf Day secures hole in one for air ambulance
Streets hosted its ninth annual Charity Golf Day this month raising £6,309 for the Air Ambulance. The total amount fundraised will be divided between the firm’s three regional charities; East Anglian Air Ambulance, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The event received fantastic support with 23 teams taking part and more than 25 local businesses sponsoring the day. There were Stableford team prizes as well as competitions such as Longest Drive, Nearest the Pin, Beat the Pro and Hole in One.
EVENT: Academies Update 2022
A free and informative update for all schools and academies – headteachers, accounting officers, bursars/business managers and governors – especially those on the finance/audit committee. The presentations will cover the Academies Accounts Direction for 2023, including key changes for financial reporting as Streets and its academy clients undertake the completion of annual accounts for 31st August 2022. Book now.
Streets Summer Newsletter 2022
We seem to have thrown off the major disruption due to the COVID pandemic, but we now have other challenges to consider. For example, rising inflation and interest rates, continuing supply issues and shortages of commodities from baby food to computer chips. There is a broad spectrum of information in this newsletter and hopefully you will find something of use to aid your management of business or personal financial challenges. Read more.
People are our greatest asset, is it just rhetoric or is there real value in this statement?
How many times have you heard a business leader or company director say our people are our greatest asset? How often we do we take a step back and think what does this really mean? Is it marketing spin aimed at making the organisation look good or to attract new employees or is there more behind this well-used phrase? Read more.
Humber Business Week – The Working Lunch podcast series
Last month Streets hosted Working Lunch, a special Humber Business Week series of The Streets Sessions podcast. Each day James Pinchbeck, marketing partner at Streets, was joined by a special guest to find out more about their role and the organisation they work with to gain an insight into what they think makes Hull a vibrant and diverse community and why it is a great place for enterprise. Listen here.
SmartMoney Magazine – July/August 2022
SmartMoney is the bi-monthly magazine from Streets Financial Consulting plc, Streets’ independent financial planning arm, full of news and helpful information on personal financial planning. Read more.
Simply UK acquires six care homes in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire
Simply UK has acquired six purpose built care homes across Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and leased them to Portland Care Group.
Acting on behalf of the vendors, Anita Allen of Bespoke Care managed the ‘off market’ sales process and confirmed the sale concluded for an undisclosed sum.
Portland Care Group said that these transactions will add six care homes comprising 498 beds to its portfolio.
Managing Director of Portland Care Group, Rob McDonald, said: “We are delighted to have completed this acquisition. The addition of these 6 x purpose built care homes is a further step in our plan for growth.”
Agent for the sellers were: Anita Allen of Bespoke Care, Sheffield.
Solicitors for the sellers were: Trevor Bird, Amy Hallam, directors, and Morgan Summerfield, paralegal corporate, of BRM Solicitors, Sheffield and Sarah Rowland, director, and Matthew Lilly, solicitor of BRM Solicitors, Chesterfield and Elizabeth Harris and Ian Osborn of Best Solicitors, Sheffield.
Solicitors for Portland Care Group were: Steve Edgecombe, partner, Edwin Truesdale, legal director, DLA Piper Scotland LLP, Dean Peachy, senior associate, Harvey Clark and Kate Roden, associates, DLA Piper UK LLP.
Acquisitions allow York-based renewable technology business to expand into the North East and Norfolk
Low carbon and renewable technology specialists Green Building Renewables has acquired two new regional businesses to expand its nationwide network of local renewable energy experts.
Peterlee-based Unique Energy and Norwich-based Inspired Renewables join the York-based business and will increase its revenue to £15 million. The merger will also create 20 new jobs at the company across its two new offices over the next 12 months.
Green Building Renewables offers a range of renewable technology solutions through its growing network of local energy experts; it provides air and ground source heat pumps, underfloor heating, solar PV, EV charging, and battery storage.
The company’s network includes York, Doncaster, Daventry, Wellingborough, and Colchester offices. The two new offices in Peterlee and Norwich help to expand its nationwide reach further as it can now offer its services and products in the North East and Norfolk and Suffolk, respectively.
Chris Delaney, Managing Director of Green Building Renewables, said: “This is an exciting time for the business. These are the third and the fourth acquisitions for Green Building Renewables in less than 12 months, demonstrating our ambition and commitment to creating a nationwide network of local renewable energy experts.
“We want Green Building Renewables to be the first company people think of when they want to install renewable technology in their homes or businesses. We will do this by continuing to grow our network through the acquisition of quality local renewable technology businesses like Unique and Inspired.
“We’re delighted to welcome Michael and Andy’s team to ours. And we’re proud of how much of England we now cover. We will continue to grow our business that provides people with local solutions to the global issues of rising fuel prices and climate change.”
Unique Energy, which specialises in installing solar panels and renewable technology through the Government’s Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme and Inspired Renewables, a community partner of Norwich City Football Club, will begin a process of rebranding to Green Building Renewables.
Michael Metcalfe, Managing Director of Unique Energy, said: “Joining Green Building Renewables and becoming part of something bigger is a fantastic opportunity for my team and I. Together, we have built something special in the North East and now have the chance to share our knowledge and learnings with a wider team. With fuel prices expected to rise again later this year, the number of people affected by fuel poverty will only increase. We have been committed to helping those with the lowest incomes access renewable technology. By joining Green Building renewables, we hope to expand that offering.”
Earlier this year, Green Building Renewables acquired Eco East Anglia, based in Colchester. The acquisition of Norwich-based Inspired Renewables allows Green Building Renewables to offer its products and services to most of East Anglia and a large portion of the South East of England.
Inspired Renewables Managing Director Andy Glanville said: “The demand for renewable technology, particularly solar panels and battery storage like the Tesla Powerwall, continues to grow especially in the East and the South East of England, which gets its fair share of sunny weather. By joining Green Building Renewables, we can offer renewable technology to people across the region. The merger will create jobs in the region as we work to meet the demand.”
Promotion celebrations at Sills and Betteridge LLP
Sills & Betteridge LLP has started its new financial year on a high with four promotions.
The firm’s leadership development programme recognises the talent and dedication of its people; those who have demonstrated loyalty and commitment, shown a flair for managerial responsibilities and assisted with the development of the firm.
This year’s appointments were again drawn from a range of practices. Lincoln-based family lawyer Jessica Firth-Brown has been promoted to partner. Jess joined Sills & Betteridge in 2012 later qualifying with the firm and becoming a highly skilled child law solicitor. Alan Rousseau, a residential property executive specialising in new-build conveyancing in Gainsborough and Katherine Wenham a wills, trusts & probate executive in Lincoln were given associateship. The firm also recognised the contribution made by an employee in a non-legal role, making its head of marketing, Jennifer Lowe an associate.
Chief Executive Martyn Hall said: “Progressing to partner or associate is a reflection of many years of hard work. Each of our four new partners and associates joined the firm over 10 years ago, some at the very start of their careers. I am delighted that they have reached these career milestones and look forward to them continuing to play major roles in our future success.”
The promotions mark the start of another exciting year for the firm as it looks forward to further development of its newly acquired offices and the imminent relocation of its Thorne team to larger premises on Fieldside in September.
Freight industry heavyweights join Doncaster Chamber
Two heavyweights in the freight industry have joined Doncaster Chamber. Woodland Group Doncaster and iPort Rail have each signed up for Gold-tier memberships, entitling them to the highest level benefits that are available to those in the Chamber network. This decision to join has solidified both companies’ commitment to the development of local business growth and opportunities for the Doncaster community.
The firms are internationally-acclaimed players in logistics and transport. iPort Rail conducts freight services all around the country, moving 500 containers per day from its inland terminal at the iPort logistics hub near Rossington. Helping businesses import and export their goods nationally and internationally, they support cargo journeys all the way from port of entry to the warehouse door.
Meanwhile, Woodland Group now has two Doncaster facilities within iPort and boasts a very close relationship with iPort Rail as well. They joined forces to create a new rail service for Woodland clients, as part of its carbon-conscious solutions to make substantial carbon savings to their transport chains.
As one of the UK’s leading independent supply chain companies, Woodland Group is recognised for creating opportunities and sustainable supply chains, with offices as far afield as New York, Hong Kong and Delhi, as well as their numerous US, UK and Ireland locations. Given the expansive scale of their operations across transport, fulfilment, warehousing and customs, as well as their digital capabilities, Woodland Group is renowned for delivering excellence and expertise to facilitate their clients’ global growth.
Doncaster Chamber Business Director Jade Dyer said: “These companies are major economic powerhouses for the region. They bring a lot to South Yorkshire, with their state-of-the-art facilities, global operations and sterling reputations.
“We look forward to working with both iPort Rail and Woodland in the future to help connect them with other businesses, champion their achievements, address any challenges they may face, and to make their voices heard by national government.
“It’s also great to welcome these major freighting firms into the network at a time when we are also lobbying for Doncaster to be the new home of Great British Railway (GBR). We hope that the government takes notice of just how many businesses in the industry have already chosen to base themselves in our city and make the logical choice to situate GBR here too”.
Reflecting on why iPort Rail chose to join the Chamber, MD Steve Freeman said: “For us, local connections are just as important as the national and international businesses we serve. Over the past few years we have put down strong roots in Doncaster and becoming members of the Chamber is natural next step. We’re looking forward to working closely with more businesses in the area over the weeks and months ahead.”
Luke Fermor, Woodland Group’s Head of Fulfilment, added: “As a business with offices all over the world, getting involved with local initiatives and taking an active part in local growth and development of opportunities are a key part of our Woodland DNA and purpose. We are excited to be joining the Doncaster Chamber network now, allowing us to further strengthen our relationships with other firms in the region and to get involved with important conversations about Doncaster’s future.”
Anti-dumping measures could be lifted from Chinese construction steel
The Trade Remedies Authority is considering the lifting of anti-dumping measures on imports of Chinese HFP Rebar steel to meet demand from the UK’s construction industry – even though it recognises dumping might happen again.
The TRA has found that keeping the measures, which have been in place since 2016, would not be in the economic interests of the UK as there is currently a high demand for affordable imported HFP Rebar from the UK construction sector in particular.
All of the TRA’s transition reviews involve an Economic Interest Test to consider the economic impacts — both beneficial and harmful — of imposing a trade remedy measure.
In this case, the TRA found that the economic impact of maintaining the anti-dumping measures on HFP Rebar from China would be severe, particularly to the UK construction sector, which is worth over £108 billion annually to the UK economy.
HFP Rebar, also known as reinforcement steel and reinforcing steel, is typically used in the construction industry, which employs an estimated 1.4 to 2.2 million employees, to reinforce concrete and masonry structures to strengthen concrete.
The industry has been rebounding since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the TRA found a high likelihood that there will be continued high demand for HFP Rebar. However, in 2020-21, 27% of total Rebar imports came from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. These imports are likely to drop substantially as a result of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions. As such, high demand and an anticipated shortfall of supply means continuing the measure would increase prices paid domestically.
The TRA judges that impact on the UK economy would outweigh the potential harm to the UK producer Celsa in South Wals and Liberty Steel in Scunthorpe. In addition, a steel safeguard measure extended by the UK government last month applies to HFP rebar. This safeguard will limit a level of imports from China and give some protection to the UK.
Therefore, while the TRA found that dumping of HFP Rebar is likely to recur if the measures are revoked and that injury to the UK production would occur, it is not in the economic interests of the UK for the measures to be kept.
TRA Chief Executive Oliver Griffiths said: “We have a duty to weigh up the impact of dumping on UK producers against the broader effects on the UK economy of imposing tariffs. In this case, our assessment is that high domestic demand and international supply shortages mean that retaining tariffs on HFP Rebar from China would push up prices for key elements of the UK economy, such as construction. Our judgement is that the impact on the British economy of higher prices would significantly outweigh the impact on the sole UK producer of rebar of removing tariffs on Chinese imports.”
There will be a 30-day period in which interested parties can comment on the report. Comments can be submitted by Interested Parties to the TRA via the Trade Remedies Service website.
The TRA will then consider and produce a Final Recommendation, which will be sent to the Secretary of State for International Trade who will make the final decision on whether to uphold the TRA’s recommendation. The government is able to ‘call in’ the case at any point in the investigation, to instruct the TRA to undertake further or different analysis in the case.
Task Force looks to improve manufacturing talent in West Yorkshire
A manufacturing task force set up by Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, has released their recommendations to make manufacturing in the region more competitive, innovative and attract more diverse, young talent.
The Task Force is made up of manufacturing leaders from every part of West Yorkshire. Representatives from a range of industries and organisations have contributed to the report.
The report sets out four ambitious missions for the sector in the region.
- Mission 1: enable growth in West Yorkshire manufacturing through productivity, innovation, and the adoption of technology. The Task Force say this work should include rollout of more business support programmes.
- Mission 2: this is connected to the Mayor’s pledge to reduce carbon emissions and reach net-zero by 2038. The report recommends that manufacturers become more engaged with net-zero focused support programmes in the region.
- Mission 3: this is an objective for the manufacturing sector in West Yorkshire to increase exports and attract increased inward investment. To support these aims an Export Support Scheme will be created to help small and medium sized manufacturers understand the export potential of their business. Increased promotion of West Yorkshire manufacturing is also planned via international events and trade missions.
- Mission 4: the Task Force have set the objective for West Yorkshire’s manufacturing sector to double the number of people accessing manufacturing and engineering via apprenticeships, internships, and other technical qualification routes by 2028. Alongside this, there is an aim to make the workforce more diverse and capitalise on employment and skills support.
Call for water companies to face far tougher penalties for environmental damage
The Environment Agency wants water companies and their bosses to face much tougher sanction for pollution incidents, including higher fines for serious and deliberate pollution incidents and prison sentences for Chief Executives and Board members whose companies are responsible for the most serious incidents, as well as company directors being struck off so they cannot move on in their careers after illegal environmental damage.
The Environment Agency has today released its annual report on the environmental performance of England’s nine water and sewerage companies, and it shows that overall in 2021, the performance of the companies fell to the lowest level seen under the Environmental Performance Assessment.
Measured against a 4 star rating, most of the companies’ performance declined. Despite continuing enforcement action against those breaching environmental laws, water companies remain undeterred by the penalties currently being issued by the courts – where fines can be less than the CEO’s salary.
Southern Water and South West Water were given just a 1 star rating, while four companies were rated only two stars – meaning they require significant improvement.
Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities performed more positively and maintained 4 stars.
Since 2011 we have used the EPA, which rates each company in England from 1 star to 4 star, for performance on environmental commitments such as pollution incidents and treatment work compliance.
Following a regular 5-yearly review of the EPA process, the Environment Agency has deliberately tightened its metrics to set stretching targets that will push companies to meet regulatory requirements and our expectations. Not only did most companies fail to meet these new higher standards, most of them saw their performance deteriorate against the previous standards.
The latest EPA shows:
- The sector’s performance on pollution was much worse than previous years.
- Southern Water and South West Water were rated as 1 star.
- Three companies (Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities) maintained 4 stars, although certain improvements are still required.
- Seven water companies had an increase in serious incidents compared to 2020. In total there were 62 serious incidents for 2021 – the highest since 2013.
- There has also been no overall improvement for several years in total incident numbers or compliance with conditions for discharging treated wastewater.
“Company directors let this happen. We plan to make it too painful for them to continue like this. The amount a company can be fined for environmental crimes is unlimited but fines currently handed down by the courts often amount to less than a Chief Executive’s salary. We need courts to impose much higher fines. Investors should no longer see England’s water monopolies as a one-way bet.”
In response to its annual EPA report, the Environment Agency is today calling for:- Courts to impose much higher fines for serious and deliberate pollution incidents – although the amount a company can be fined for environmental crimes is unlimited, the fines currently handed down by the courts often amount to less than a Chief Executive’s salary.
- Prison sentences for Chief Executives and Board members whose companies are responsible for the most serious incidents
- Company directors struck off so they cannot simply move on in their careers after illegal environmental damage
“We will not tolerate this behaviour and we will take robust action if we don’t see urgent improvements. We are the first government to set out our expectation that water companies must take steps to significantly reduce storm overflows and earlier this year we consulted on a comprehensive plan to tackle the adverse impact of discharges from storm overflows.”
Since 2015 the Environment Agency’s prosecutions against water companies have secured fines of over £138 million. In 2021 the Environment Agency concluded seven prosecutions against water and sewerage companies with fines of £90 million, two of £4 million, £2.3 million, £1.5 million, £150,000 and £540,000. Five prosecutions have already concluded in 2022 with fines of £300,000, £240,000, £233,000, £50,000 and £18,000, and more prosecutions are progressing in court.Chamber of Commerce bosses unite in support of Doncaster Airport
The CEOs of Barnsley & Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield Chambers of Commerce have said they’ll back Doncaster Airport if it becomes clear that government support is needed to put the airport on a firmer footing.
Airport owners Peel Group say the facility isn’t economically viable, but the Chamber bosses have said: ” Since opening, Doncaster Sheffield Airport has made a significant contribution to South Yorkshire. The airport has created jobs, improved global connectivity and done much to attract further investment into the region. The owner, Peel, has made a significant contribution to that success.”
Recognising the environmental dimension, they say: “Air travel is rightly under the spotlight owing to the climate crisis but you cannot grow a world-class economy if you do not have word-class international connectivity.
“With the challenges facing the aviation sector it is unsurprising they (Peel) are now starting this review. Any sensible business would. The government has not done enough to support the industry throughout the global pandemic. Much more should have been done to ensure the sector had sufficient resilience to bounce back.
“Airports are not just assets for their shareholders but for the economies and communities they serve. If aviation activity at Doncaster Sheffield Airport ends or scales back, this would be another major blow to the region’s infrastructure after several others, including the axing of our planned HS2 connection and rail services from South Yorkshire to Manchester Airport. The evidence is well-established that international connectivity underpins inward investment.
“The South Yorkshire Chambers enjoy a strategic relationship with Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Throughout this review process, we will be engaging with the business community, so that we can comprehensively represent their views and interests on this matter, highlighting the importance of international connectivity to get our economy to truly take off.
“We will stand alongside local partners if it becomes clear that government support is needed to put the airport on a firmer footing.”
