Council leader pledges to engage with Hull’s business community
Recently-elected Leader of Hull City Council Mike Ross says he is keen to engage with the City’s business community.
Originally from West Sussex, he studied politics at the University of Hull and has been a councillor in the City since 2002, where he has held key portfolios including education and housing.
“Being the Leader of the Council comes with a responsibility to make the City the best it can be, and to attract more people to come here,” said Cllr Ross.
“The role of Leader comes with tremendous authority to make things happen, so I am keen to hear from people, to hear what they want to see happen in the City. Some will be small things, some will be massive things which will take more time, but I want to hear from people living here and making a living here.
“One of the key issues is what sort of council it is – I want to listen and am prepared to listen. I want to hear from people about what they want to see the council doing.”
Cllr Ross revealed he had made a start by writing to all council staff to see what changes they want to see to make improvements.
At a lunch, jointly hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and HullBID, Cllr Ross put a focus on the City centre which he said had to be supported as it was the focal point of the City.
“The Lib Dems want to support communities across the City,” he said. “It should be about place, and we want to create an environment where our places can thrive, not just survive.
“I want to be prioritising clean neighbourhoods where clean streets will encourage investment.
“Investing in infrastructure is important too – we all know about the road issues and we are keen to shift people away from cars and be greener, so we are starting a major listening exercise to see what the public wants, so we can get it right.”
Cllr Ross then turned to the cost of living and warned of tough times ahead. “The Council will not stand back as the City suffers,” he said. “I do want to see the Council do all it can to help the City thrive. I believe we can achieve more by working together, working in partnership, create an alliance of the willing to stand up for the City and work together.”
A question and answer session hosted by Chamber President Mike Whitehead, saw several members of the audience calling for changes to the City’s bus lane rules, and a show of hands conclusively called for a return to peak time restrictions, rather than all day restrictions.
Other questions included the Albion Street Car Park development, innovation and balancing the books, the Devolution debate, the skills agenda, digital exclusion and of course, the proposed Cruise Terminal.
In response the question from the Chamber’s Vice President and Chair of the Shipping, Transport and Renewables Committee, Cllr Ross agreed he was in favour of the City having a cruise terminal and would like to bring more people in to visit the City, but he didn’t want it to detract from what was already here and he promised he would make sure it was done properly.
Bringing a refreshingly honest session to a close, Cllr Ross urged people to get in touch and let him know what they want to see happen in Hull.
Delta-Simons acquires Ground Engineering Ltd
Delta-Simons, the Lincoln-headquartered multi-disciplinary environmental and health and safety consultancy division of the Lucion Group, has completed a key strategic acquisition in the East of England.
Peterborough-based Ground Engineering Ltd, which specialises in the provision of site investigation services and geotechnical testing, strengthens Delta-Simons’ Geo-Environmental team, bringing additional site investigation expertise, capability and also enhancing its geographical footprint.
The bolt-on deal, which brings a skilled team of 24 geotechnical engineers, geologists, laboratory technicians and drilling operators to Delta-Simons is the first acquisition since its own integration into fast-growing private equity-backed environmental services company Lucion Group in April 2021.
Ground Engineering has a distinguished history in the sector, tracing its roots back to 1936 when it was founded as Pre-Piling Surveys Ltd, which later became Soils Engineering.
Today, the company offers geotechnical and geo-environmental ground investigation and associated professional services to a wide range of civil engineering, construction, housing, environmental management and financial sectors.
Working mostly in the East of England, London and the South East, the team’s activities are supported by its UKAS ISO 17025 accredited geotechnical and construction materials testing laboratory.
Ground Engineering’s directors Chris Ebeling and Steve Fleming will remain with the business moving forward, supported by the Delta-Simons leadership team.
Chris Ebeling said: “We decided it was the right time to join forces with a larger group of companies to ensure the future sustainability, growth and success of the business. Our team have built a strong reputation for providing high-quality, trusted geotechnical services to our clients.
“When presented with the opportunity to join a progressive group of companies and specialising in similar services, we immediately recognised the synergies and saw it as a fantastic opportunity for our team.”
Alex Ferguson, Managing Director of Delta-Simons, added: “As an ambitious, purpose-driven and client-focused company we are always looking to strengthen our team with the addition of high quality acquisitions.
“We are therefore delighted to bring the Ground Engineering team into Delta-Simons and the wider Lucion Group. They are a great fit for our existing GeOps division, which continues to grow from strength to strength.
“We’ve had a really busy start to 2022 as we continue to scale the group of businesses in line with our strategic growth plan and look forward to making further progress this year with strong organic growth delivered alongside further potential strategic acquisitions.”
James Winterbottom, senior investment director at Palatine, Lucion Group’s private equity investor since 2019, added: “Alongside strong organic growth across the business we have been pleased to support Lucion Group with a number of value-enhancing bolt-on acquisitions over recent months and we look forward to working with the team to further deliver their strategic growth ambitions in the second half of 2022.”
The transaction was supported by business advisers BDO and HSBC.
Celebrating Olympic Legacy in action at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park
An “Olympic Legacy in Action” event will take place at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park this month as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations for the London 2012 Games.
On Saturday 18 June, from 10am to 3pm, children and adults of all ages are invited to come and join the free activities, ranging from paddleboarding to boxing, at venues across the Park.
Young and old can try their hand at inclusive and accessible activities like football, boxing, tennis, dance, and rugby league. There will also be opportunities for paddleboarding and kayaking on Sheffield and Tinsley Canal, and cycling at Don Valley Bowl.
The Olympic Legacy in Action event celebrates the 10th anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is also an opportunity to see the hugely impressive facilities available in the Park at partner organisations like Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre and the English Institute of Sport Sheffield.
The day also forms part of Move More Month 2022. It will provide a platform to showcase a variety of activity providers from across the city, all working collaboratively towards the Move More vision of creating a healthier, happier, and more connected Sheffield.
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park was established after London 2012 and is the only Olympic Legacy Park outside a host city anywhere in the world.
Bringing together expertise from academia, elite sport, the NHS, and public and private sector organisations, the Park creates a unique cluster of life sciences assets, including research centres, business incubators, educational facilities and laboratories for collaborative research and innovation in health and wellbeing.
Legacy Park Ltd Chair and former Sports Minister Richard Caborn, who was a key figure in bringing the Olympic Games to London in 2012, said: “We have brought sports science and medicine, sports psychology, and engineering together to create a unique legacy unrivalled anywhere in the world and I don’t think it could have happened anywhere else but Sheffield.
“We look forward to celebrating what the Olympic legacy has already delivered and achieved in Sheffield, showcasing our exciting plans as we move forward into the next development phase.
“This event in June kicks off those celebrations to bring hundreds and thousands of kids, young people, and adults onto the site.”
Tom Hughes, sport development manager at Yorkshire Sport Foundation, said: “10 years on from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games we have plenty to celebrate in Sheffield and what better way to do this than bringing together some of the brilliant people and projects from across Sheffield to one big free event.
“We are on a mission to create a happier, healthier and more connected Sheffield and we want to make it easier for people to move more and since there is a real willingness from organisations across Sheffield to do just that, we have 30 brilliant organisations coming down to offer free opportunities for people to get active. It promises to be a really fantastic event!”
Dragon Boat spectacular set for Lincoln Brayford Waterfront!
Ringrose Law & LIVES host the annual spectacular Lincoln Dragon Boat Challenge on Saturday 18th June when 21 teams will take to the water, watched by several hundred spectators. This is the first boat race since 2019 and is set to be the biggest and best yet.
Crews will race the thirty foot brightly painted Chinese boats over a 200m course on the Brayford North Waterfront.
The 21 crews representing local businesses and charity organisations across Lincolnshire will be raising money for LIVES on the day. Local teams include Branston, Streets Chartered Accountants, DatCom and Daniel Charles Construction and past winners Belton Construction.
LIVES is a vital Lincolnshire charity who attend 999 medical emergencies across the county, 365 days a year. Whether they are providing rapid first response support on their doorstep, or highly specialised medical interventions to the most seriously ill patients, they all volunteer their time – for free – to save lives and be there when someone is having their worst day. The charity provide the equipment and training for the ever increasing need.
Racing will commence from 11.30am and trophies will be presented by LIVES to the winning crew from around 4pm.
Alex Bennett, marketing manager at Ringrose Law and one of the organisers of the event, said: “We are delighted that so many local companies are supporting this event and through their generosity we hope to raise a significant sum for LIVES. We are sure that crews and spectators alike will enjoy a fantastic day with races every 10/15 minutes throughout the day and plenty of entertainment on the Brayford including a Penalty Shoot Out with Lincoln City Foundation, Face Painting, Active Nation, Party Delights, Gelato Cart, Coffee Trike, Custom Bakes and much more.”
Entrance to the event is free to spectators and parking is available at Lucy Tower Carpark and other public carparks close by.
Restaurant group losses slump by a further 24%
Losses at the top 100 UK restaurant groups grew 24% from £673m to £832m in just the past six months shows a new study by the national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young.
The scale of the losses has been driven by the effects of major restructuring programmes they have undertaken following the pandemic. Some restaurants that were forced to close during the pandemic saw their debts – primarily to landlords – build up to unsustainable levels. This resulted in some needing to write off debts through arrangements like CVAs.
Since the sector reopened, restaurants have also faced spiralling input costs as supply chain issues worldwide drive up the price of food.
UHY Hacker Young says that the restaurant sector was already in difficulty long before the pandemic. Many chains had expanded very aggressively, taking on large amounts of debt that they were struggling to service even before Covid.
There are some positive signs in the long term for the UK’s restaurant sector, with some expecting that the size of their losses may soon begin to fall. Restructuring programmes have reduced their debt costs, while a number of major chains have also taken the opportunity to close large numbers of unprofitable branches.
Peter Kubik, Partner at UHY Hacker Young says: “Losses among the UK’s major restaurant chains have reached enormous proportions. Many of them overextended themselves significantly over recent years, just in time to be hit by Covid and inflation running out of control.”
“With economic dark clouds still gathering and the UK facing a cost of living crisis, there are still strong headwinds facing the casual dining sector. Restaurants are likely to be under a lot of pressure for some time yet. However we feel the worst is over.”
“While some restaurants have disappeared from high streets altogether, many have managed to save themselves with far-reaching restructuring programmes. While the sector is not out of the woods, the groups that have dropped underperforming branches and shed debt through CVAs are in a better state to compete.”
Steelmaker explores possibility of hydrogen for journey to net-zero’ steel production
British Steel is conducting a major study into the use of green hydrogen in the company’s drive to decarbonise its operations and manufacture net-zero steel.
The steelmaker, which is collaborating with EDF UK, University College London, and the Materials Processing Institute, has pledged to deliver net-zero steel by 2050 and significantly reduce its CO2 intensity by 2030 and 2035.
To support the ambition, it has secured funding from the UK Government for a feasibility study into switching from natural gas to green hydrogen as a fuel source for re-heating furnaces.
If the study is successful, British Steel will undertake an industrial-scale demonstration, which could see the technology developed and rolled out across all its operations including its main manufacturing base in Scunthorpe. It could also be adopted by other UK steelmakers.
British Steel’s Environment & Sustainability Director Lee Adcock said: “As an energy intensive industry with hard to abate emissions, the steel industry offers the potential for large CO2 emission savings through fuel switching from natural gas to hydrogen. This study is, therefore, a vital and hugely exciting step on our journey to developing the technology needed to transform the way we, and other steel manufacturers, operate.
“We’re extremely grateful for the government’s support and look forward to working with our partners to reduce the carbon intensity of our operations, enabling us to manufacture the clean, green steel society needs.”
British Steel’s Head of R&D Dr Gari Harris said: “As part of the feasibility study, EDF UK R&D will carry out a technoeconomic assessment of the methodology and practicality of delivery of green hydrogen for fuel switching into the steel manufacturing process, and British Steel will assess the technical implications of the fuel switch on both product and process.
“Together the partners will carry out an assessment of the economic viability and environmental impact of switching from natural gas to hydrogen in defined aspects of steel manufacturing. The Materials Processing Institute and UCL will also play a role in aiding in the assessment of the product and process viability for British Steel.”
Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands said: “As we accelerate the UK’s energy independence by boosting clean, home-grown, affordable energy, it’s crucial that our industries reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
“This investment will help them to not only cut emissions, but also save money on energy bills, on top of supporting jobs by encouraging green innovation across in the UK.”
Bingley publishing house acquired
The Emerald Group has been acquired by Cambridge Information Group (CIG).
For over 50 years, Emerald has been an independent publishing house, formed by a group of management academics at the University of Bradford, UK, and latterly run as a family-owned business, spearheaded by the late Dr. Keith Howard OBE.
A publisher of academic journals, books, and case studies in the social sciences, Emerald has recently diversified into corporate learning through a suite of acquisitions which now form Emerald Works.
The acquisition signals a key milestone in the group’s history; one which allows continuity as well as change, and the opportunity to accelerate growth, particularly in response to the evolving open research landscape.
Cambridge Information Group is a family-owned, mission-led investment firm with a history of long-term investments in education, information, and software companies. During CIG’s multi-decade ownership of ProQuest, the business grew rapidly through investments in new products and multiple strategic acquisitions. CIG’s acquisition of Emerald builds on their deep experience in the higher education industry, with real ambition for long-term growth of the business.
Vicky Williams, CEO of the Emerald Group, says: “We are delighted to become part of the CIG family, and to continue to build on the legacy created by Dr. Keith Howard. Noting CIG’s heritage in the information industry and their mission to acquire and build businesses that have a positive impact on large numbers of people, we’re excited about both mission alignment and the growth path ahead of us.
“Our ambition to drive positive change and publish impactful research that makes a difference will be bolstered significantly by the expertise in the CIG team, and we look forward to an exciting future driven by shared values.”
“We are thrilled to welcome the Emerald Group to the CIG family and are excited about the opportunity to invest in building a global leader serving the critical needs of higher education research and learning,” said Pankaj Sharma, head of private investments for CIG.
“Given our family ownership and decades of experience building global information services businesses, we are uniquely positioned to help continue Emerald’s purpose of helping people making impactful decisions.”
Manchester eCommerce firm acquires York-based counterpart
Digital eCommerce agency, Space 48 Limited, has acquired Brave the Skies, a York-based provider of eCommerce development and consultancy services.
The acquisition has been made possible by the support of regional private equity investor Foresight Group, who invested in the company in February 2021; enabling the company to take on its next phase of growth.
The management team of Space 48 have known Brave the Skies for several years and Jon Woodall, Space 48’s CEO, has built a strong relationship with its founders. There are numerous synergies between the two companies that support the acquisition, including a shared commercial focus on sectors including fashion, health and beauty, and home and garden and expertise in key industry platforms such as Shopify Plus and Big Commerce.
Brave the Skies is owned by Ryan Atkins, with day-to-day operations overseen by Managing Director, Lucy Roberts. Lucy will continue to lead the fifteen person Brave the Skies division within the combined group.
Matthew Pomroy, director at Foresight, said: “This acquisition represents a key milestone in the evolution of Space 48. This talented team has gone from strength to strength since our initial investment, and with Brave the Skies now on board the future is incredibly exciting.
“The service available to customers has already been enhanced with the increase in headcount at Space 48, and a further enlarged group will be able to offer additional resource and expertise across the key platforms of eCommerce.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Jon Woodall, Managing Director of Space 48, said: “Since Foresight came on board, our business has taken significant steps forward. Our customer offering has improved as our team has expanded and, with Brave the Skies joining us, the future is very bright. I’ve known the brilliant Brave the Skies team for many years and I’m confident the synergies between our respective businesses will result in an enhanced service that will propel forward what can be achieved in eCommerce.”
Lucy Roberts-Mitchell, Managing Director of Brave the Skies, said: “Brave the Skies and I are excited to have the opportunity to join and work alongside the Space 48 team. We share a lot of core values with Space 48, including a strong focus on Crew and Client Experience alongside striving for excellence in our fields of eCommerce.
“I feel very privileged to be surrounded and supported by such a talented Crew of individuals at Brave the Skies and with the involvement of Jon, Hannah and the Space 48 team I look forward to seeing what the future holds.”
Hat-trick of deals completed at historic Yorkshire mill
Three new deals have been completed at Sunny Bank Mills, the Yorkshire mill complex between Leeds and Bradford.
Kaleidoscope Psychology and Psychotherapy, brand and marketing agency So Contented and IT support company CTek are relocating to the mill in Farsley, where YTV’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were filmed.
During the past 11 years Sunny Bank Mills, one of the most famous family-owned mills in Yorkshire, has been transformed into a modern office, retail and leisure complex for the 21st century. It is now home to 75 companies, which employ a total of almost 400 staff.
These three deals come hard on the heels of a raft of significant office, retail and leisure lettings at Sunny Bank Mills during the past few weeks.
William Gaunt, joint Managing Director of Edwin Woodhouse and Co, the owners of Sunny Bank Mills, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kaleidoscope, So Contented and CTek to Sunny Bank Mills. They are excellent examples of quality businesses being attracted to a quality business environment.
“Their moves underline the flexibility of space at Sunny Bank Mills, which is now attracting an exciting range and breadth of occupiers.”
Paul Walton, founder and Managing Director of Kaleidoscope, which has relocated from Far Headingley, explained that it was vitally important to find a home which was consistent with his values of community, inclusion, warmth and legacy.
He commented: “When I looked around Sunny Bank Mills and saw what the Gaunts have built here, saw the kind of businesses who have set up here, I knew that this is where we belonged. I’d viewed a few different locations but none that spoke to me in the way Sunny Bank Mills was able to.”
Meanwhile Gemma Edwards, co-founder and director of So Contented, relocating from Bradford Road in Leeds, explained: “We fell in love with our new office at Sunny Bank Mills when we walked through the door. The stone walls, high ceilings and big windows were lovely and we immediately felt like we were home.
“We were also really impressed with the number and variety of other businesses in the mill. We were attracted by its fabulous location with loads of lovely food and drink places in the mill, as well as the greenery around it. We think it’s going to be great for our work life and culture.”
Finally Howard Haigh, Managing Director of Ctek, which is relocating from Eccleshill, explained that Sunny Bank Mills was the perfect base for his IT support company, which was founded in 1994.
He said: “We have a much more hands on personal service than the current fad for support over the phone. We do a remote support too but it’s intermingled with site visits. We mainly have customers in West Yorkshire but do have some as far away as Liverpool and Warrington. Sunny Bank Mills is well-located for our clients.”
“Another year of strong revenue and profit growth” for Gateley
Gateley, the legal and professional services group, has hailed a “strong performance ahead of market expectations” in a trading update for the year ended 30 April 2022.
Revenue has increased to around £137m, up 13% on the prior year (£121.4m), while pre-tax profits have risen 10% to £18m (up from £16.3m).
The year saw three earnings-enhancing acquisitions, Tozer Gallagher in July 2021, Adamson Jones in January 2022 and Smithers Purslow in April 2022, and a new Revolving Credit Facility of £30m was agreed in April 2022, providing increased funding flexibility to support the group’s acquisition strategy.
Rod Waldie, Chief Executive Officer of Gateley, said: “We have delivered another year of strong revenue and profit growth and I am delighted with our overall performance. Our successful return to recruitment generated strong organic revenue growth of over 10%, which, allied to the completion of three exciting acquisitions, is delivering annualised consultancy revenue of over c.£32m.
“I thank our ever-expanding client base for their trust and support throughout FY22 and for giving us the opportunity to work on high quality mandates. We remain committed to our purpose of delivering results that delight our clients, inspire our people and support our communities. We have a strong pipeline of work and leave our financial performance guidance unchanged, despite the inflationary challenges, as we look forward to continuing to grow the group, both organically and via acquisition.”
