Charity launches free jobs fair for Bradford women

Stuart Pearcey
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Charity launches free jobs fair for Bradford women

Women jobseekers in Bradford are being encouraged to attend a free jobs fair hosted by charity Smart Works Leeds in partnership with Ilkley-based High Speed Training.

The event, on 24th September at Bradford City Football Club, will provide local women with an opportunity to meet employers who are keen to bring more women into their workforce, with a variety of live vacancies and training opportunities.

Lottie Roberts, Outreach Manager at Smart Works Leeds, said: “We are so proud and excited to host our first Women Into Work Bradford Jobs Fair, an event to connect women in attendance to prospective employers directly. Our clients often tell us that job application processes are confusing, that they struggle to find opportunities, and that it is really hard to get in front of employers.

“Through this event attendees will be able to find out more about the rich range of vacancies available in Bradford and the surrounding areas and speak personally to top employers- to get advice about making applications and further their job search. It is an honour to do an event on this scale for the women of Bradford.”

Smart Works Leeds is a women’s employment charity offering free interview coaching and a dressing service so women can feel confident and be empowered to find a job quickly. It supported over 800 women across Yorkshire in 2023, and are on course to help 1000 women a year by 2025. 63% of the women supported by Smart Works are in employment within one month of their appointment.

The Women Into Work Jobs fair is being sponsored by Ilkley-based online training provider High Speed Training, who are members of Smart Works’ Collective, corporate supporters’ network. A registered B-Corp, High Speed Training believes in using their business as a force for good and one of the issues that they focus on is employability.

The last job fair hosted by Smart Works saw more than 360 women attend to speak to prospective employers, and was attended by a range of local businesses, including Lloyds Bank and Morrisons, who will be returning to the Bradford event. They will be joined by a host of other top employers including Yorkshire Water, Solenis, and the National Media Museum.

 

Harrogate firm changes leadership at the top of its Trusts, Wills and Estates team

Stuart Pearcey
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Harrogate firm changes leadership at the top of its Trusts, Wills and Estates team

Harrogate-based Raworths has changed the leadership of its Trusts, Wills and Estates team with partners Alison Walker and Sam Jenner stepping up to take over as joint heads of the 23 strong department.

Alison’s and Sam’s promotions will enable the former Head of TWE, Rachel Tunnicliffe to focus on expanding her other leadership roles as Senior Partner at Raworths and Head of Private Client Services. She will continue to manage her existing portfolio of client work offering specialist legal advice on wills, trusts and succession planning.

Rachel said: “I’m so proud of this incredible team. On the back of achieving national recognition at the recent Chambers HNW awards now is the perfect time to hand over the reins. Alison and Sam each bring a unique set of skills and knowledge which together make for an inspirational leadership team. I’m looking forward to embarking on a new chapter at Raworths, supporting our Managing Partner, Simon Morris, in my role as Senior Partner and Head of Private Client Services – and continuing to work with my clients, many of whom I’ve advised for more than 2 decades and who I hope to continue working with for a long time to come.”

Alison Walker, who joined Raworths in 2015, advises on all aspects of wills, trusts and wider succession, wealth structuring and tax issues, particularly for business owners.  Alison has specialist knowledge in the administration of complex estates, with business interests and overseas property.  Sam Jenner, who has been with the firm since 2014, offers a breadth of technical expertise on complex succession planning, administration of estates, family investment companies, wills and tax. Sam is also involved in leadership on the firm’s IT projects.  Both Sam and Alison play an instrumental role in mentoring younger members of the team.

Alison commented: “I’d like to thank Raworths for this opportunity. Rachel has been an inspirational leader over the last ten years, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work alongside Sam to oversee the future direction of the team, whilst providing the very best service to our clients.”

Sam added: “I have really enjoyed mentoring junior team members and as joint head of TWE, I hope to play an even bigger role in the development of the next generation of talented lawyers. Raworths has a special culture that places value on building relationships, as a team within the firm and with our clients and referrers. Alison and I both have families – and I’m glad that Raworths supports joint leadership roles that enable us to have work/life balance, which can only be a positive for both our professional and personal lives.”

Two dozen young people start work at Siemens Mobility in Goole

Stuart Pearcey
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Two dozen young people start work at Siemens Mobility in Goole
Siemens Mobility has taken on 24 apprentices and graduates at its Goole Rail Village, where it’s assembling new Piccadilly line trains, and which could deliver the UK’s next generation of main line trains. The recruitment includes 22 apprentices – its highest number in the UK for a single site in a year – and comes as the pioneering development in East Yorkshire gears up to becoming fully operational. The trainees are aged between 16 and 26 and all started on the same day, across a variety of roles in the Manufacturing, Logistics and Warehousing, Quality, Commissioning, Components, Materials Control, Operations and Commercial teams at Goole. More than half of the new starters are from the Goole area, with most of the others from the wider Yorkshire region. Taking on so many young people in a single phase demonstrates Siemens Mobility’s commitment to developing a new generation of talent while establishing Goole as a centre of excellence for the rail industry in the UK, according to Mark Speed, General Manager of Siemens Mobility at Goole. He said: “We’re excited to welcome all these new recruits to our growing team in Goole. Bringing on board so many talented young people demonstrates our commitment to creating new opportunities to join the UK rail industry and help to shape its future. “These new team members represent a major investment in creating a powerful pipeline of talent and a lasting legacy of skills for our business and the wider industry. The numbers taken on also reflect the scale of our operations in Goole and the range of functions within the Rail Village. “We’re looking forward to seeing our new colleagues grow and develop in their roles and contribute to the success of our operations in Goole as we transform rail travel and transport.” Siemens Mobility is investing £200m to develop a train manufacturing facility and associated operations in Goole, creating up to 700 jobs directly as well as around 1,700 opportunities in the wider supply chain. The first trains built at the new factory will be new tube trains for Transport for London. 80% of new trains for the Piccadilly line on the London Underground will be assembled at Goole. Siemens Mobility plans to build all future main line trains for the UK at Goole, including new battery bi-mode trains that it has calculated could save Britain’s railways £3.5bn and 12 million tonnes of CO2 over 35 years.

Yorkshire and the Humber sees one of the most marked falls in insolvency-related activity in UK

Tess Egginton
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Yorkshire and the Humber sees one of the most marked falls in insolvency-related activity in UK
Yorkshire and the Humber delivered a resilient economic performance in August, showing the third greatest decrease in levels of insolvency-related activity of all the 12 nations and regions across the UK since the previous month, according to the latest research from the UK’s insolvency and restructuring trade body, R3. In August, Yorkshire and the Humber saw 211 businesses impacted by insolvency-related activity, down from 256 the previous month. This 17.6% drop was only beaten by Northern Ireland with a month-on-month fall of 26.7%; and the North East which decreased by 19.1%. In contrast, five of the nations and regions saw an increase in this type of activity (which includes liquidator and administrator appointments and creditors’ meetings). The East Midlands showed the greatest increase (up by 33.3%); followed by the South West (up by 15.4%); East Anglia (up by 12.8%); the South East (up by 10.1%); and Wales (up by 2.8%). The research from R3, which is based on an analysis of data provided by CreditSafe, also showed a less encouraging sign of economic well-being with every one of the 12 nations and regions seeing a decrease in the number of start-ups between July and August. However, Yorkshire and the Humber was among the best performing with a month-on-month fall of just 3.5%. In July there were 4,076 new businesses in the region and this fell by 142 to 3,934 in August. Other nations and regions which saw only a slight drop in the number of start-ups were East Midlands (-1%); Scotland (-1.1%); East Anglia (-1.5%); and Greater London (-3%). Those with the greatest month-on-month fall in new businesses were Northern Ireland, with an 26.9% decrease; the West Midlands with a drop of 10.6%; and the North East, down by 9.7%. “After the initial euphoria of getting the General Election behind us, it looks like there are still some tough decisions ahead before the UK economy can return to pre-Covid growth,” says Dave Broadbent, chair of R3 in Yorkshire and partner at Begbies Traynor in York and Teesside. “Unfortunately, there are no easy fixes for businesses as households continue to struggle under the strain of increased living costs. However, it is encouraging to see many of the nations and regions experiencing decreases in levels of insolvency-related activity in August compared with the previous month, and for Yorkshire and the Humber to be amongst the strongest performers. “With poor forecasts for growth in the short term, businesses should be prepared for the difficult conditions to continue and would be wise to seek professional advice at the first sign of financial pressure when problems have the best chance of being contained.”

No funding for road will cost us £350m in lost economic benefit, says Lincolnshire County Council

Stuart Pearcey
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No funding for road will cost us £350m in lost economic benefit, says Lincolnshire County Council

Plans for Hykeham Relief Road near Lincoln are dead in the water if Government won’t stump up a previously-promised £110m, according to Lincolnshire County Council.

Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “Losing this funding would mean not being able to unlock land for 4,500 homes and 7 hectares of employment space, but also missing out on £350 million in economic benefits over the next sixty years. That’s a massive blow to our county – and there’s absolutely no way the county council would be able to find £110 million to fill the gap. “We’ve already poured £14 million into the project, secured planning permission, and are just over a year away from breaking ground. We’ve got support from Dr Caroline Johnson MP and have also reached out to Lincoln’s new MP and the transport secretary, urging them to safeguard this vital project. “We’ve done all we can. Now, we wait – hoping for the right decision.” Funding for the road, which would complete the ring rod around Lincoln, was agreed in 2019 by the previous government, but put in doubt by the new government’s decision to review major spending plans. Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, said: “Lincolnshire County Council has provided significant funding for this project and a serious amount of work has been undertaken by the council to complete the necessary consultation, planning, tendering and acquisition processes.  “The Government’s decision to review of capital schemes means that the future of this road now hangs in the balance. I will continue to work with local leaders to urge the Government to provide assurance that the project can proceed to construction as soon as possible. This project has long been promised to the local community and the allocation has been committed to in the government accounts for some time.”

UK economy stands still in July

Tess Egginton
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UK economy stands still in July
The UK economy failed to grow in June – the second month in a row, in contrast to an expected rise by 0.2% month-on-month. According to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), GDP (gross domestic product), a key measure of economy growth, showed no growth in July. It reflects a modest rise in services output which was offset by drops in both production and construction: services output grew by 0.1% month-on-month, construction output fell by 0.4% month-on-month, and production decreased by 0.8% month-on-month. Ben Jones, CBI Lead Economist, said: “The figures suggest the UK’s recovery remains on track, though sector performance remains mixed and growth over the second half of the year will probably be a bit slower than in recent quarters. “Ahead of what promises to be a difficult budget next month, the government is treading a narrow path to put the public finances on a sustainable footing while maintaining the confidence of business and investors in the recovery. “The government must remain focussed on its agenda for long-term growth. This means avoiding further pressures on business costs and providing firms with the certainty and long-term commitments over tax, regulation and infrastructure that will give them confidence to invest. “By doubling down on the recently announced planning reforms, introducing a Net Zero Investment Plan and implementing a clearer, fairer and more competitive business rates system, government has an opportunity to supercharge investment and UK growth over the next Budget period and beyond.”

Yorkshire Water tech trials could turn fatbergs into fuel for its van fleet

Stuart Pearcey
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Yorkshire Water tech trials could turn fatbergs into fuel for its van fleet
UK first trials of a cutting-edge fats, oils and grease Recovery Hub at Yorkshire Water’s wastewater treatment works in Hull are helping the company to improve environmental performance while lowering costs, says Chris Clemes, chief executive of engineering technology company EcoClarity. And that means waste fats and oils could be converted into biodiesel to fuel Yorkshire Water’s van fleet.
Yorkshire Water’s waste services manager James Gudgeon said: “We are working with EcoClarity towards the potential nirvana of being able to harvest the FOG from our sewer network and turn it into biodiesel that fuels our vans.  That’s the end goal. “As a water company, we suffer from thousands of preventable blockages each year from fats going down sewers. FOG blockages, or fatbergs impair the performance of wastewater assets which can cause sewer overflows, that can impact the environment. “Water companies can spend a significant amount of money on staff and equipment costs to remove FOG from our sewers and send it to landfill – which also has an environmental impact. Additionally, network failures caused by FOG blockages carry the risk of costly environmental performance fines.” As part of Yorkshire Water’s drive to increase efficiency within its operations, the water utility works alongside technology consultancy Isle to identify the latest technologies and innovations in clean and wastewater. “In 2021, Isle suggested working with EcoClarity on our wastewater site, at a time we were looking to grow our imported waste business. The EcoClarity proposition gives us the ability to import different types of waste that we would not normally be able to treat.” Yorkshire Water is the first UK water utility to install EcoClarity’s patented technology – located at its Hull wastewater treatment site. The modular, containerised EcoClarity system was introduced in February 2024 and will be used to treat FOG wastewater generated onsite during cleaning and maintenance procedures, as well as loads from waste management companies.  

Dental studio signs lease to double the size of its footprint at The Springs

Stuart Pearcey
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Dental studio signs lease to double the size of its footprint at The Springs
Family-runVitruvian Dental Studio has agreed a new 15-year lease for a 1,664 sq ft unit alongside its existing 1,632 sq ft unit at The Springs in Leeds. Since opening its first studio at The Springs in 2021, Vitruvian has acquired over 10,000 customers, operating five surgeries and a consulting room. The expansion will allow Vitruvian to add three further surgeries, another consulting room and an on-site laboratory to support same day smile transformations with teeth straightening, veneers, implants and dentures.  The practice expects to create fifteen new support jobs at The Springs alongside its team of expert dental consultants. Building on its success at The Springs, Vitruvian Dental Studio recently announced the expansion of its footprint beyond Leeds, with its second location at The Glass Works in Barnsley. This new studio will further enhance the practice’s reach and accessibility, bringing its renowned dental services to a broader audience. Vitruvian was set up by dental surgeons Dr Katy Nolan and Dr James Nolan who qualified at the University of Leeds. The couple who are both highly regarded in cosmetic dentistry have recruited a team of expert and specialist dentists in every field of dentistry to allow patients to receive expert care for whatever they require. James Nolan said: “In just three years we have grown from a start-up business to now serving over 10,000 clients with an expanding wait list. “The Springs has proved to be a fantastic location for us with its accessibility and highly contemporary environment that fits perfectly with our brand proposition. “To be able to expand through premises just next door is a huge benefit and The Springs management team have been exceptionally supportive throughout our journey. “It has indeed provided a secure launch pad for Vitruvian, and we are delighted to also announce our next studio opening in Barnsley.” Rachel Vickers, Senior Commercial Manager at Scarborough Group International , developer and asset manager of The Springs and Thorpe Park Leeds, said: “As well as serving the East Leeds community, Vitruvian provides a fantastic convenience for around 7,500 people who work at the established Thorpe Park Leeds business estate. “Through reputation the practice has achieved a major milestone with over 10,000 patients and this is a great example of how a well-placed and inviting environment with plentiful shops and attractions can support independent businesses with great vision. “Our lettings strategy has always been to secure a blend of high street brands alongside independent businesses to achieve a strong dynamic for retail, leisure and amenity at The Springs Leeds and increased footfall, month-on-month, is testament to that.”

Government in talks to ‘get Britain working again’

Stuart Pearcey
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Government in talks to ‘get Britain working again’
Experts advising government on how to tackle the ‘greatest employment challenge for a generation’ have met Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall for the first time. At its first meeting, members of the new Labour Market Advisory Board offered new approaches to shape government work on economic inactivity, tackling the root causes for people remaining out of work such as poor physical and mental health, and how the group can help the government reach its ambition of an 80 per cent employment rate. The Board will develop new ideas and initiatives for the Work and Pensions Secretary to consider as she sets about bringing down the levels of economic inactivity, with the UK being the only G7 country whose employment and inactivity rates haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Liz Kendall said: “Spiralling inactivity is the greatest employment challenge for a generation, with a near record 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness. Addressing these challenges will take time, but we’re going to fix the foundations of the economy and tackle economic inactivity.

“The board’s knowledge, expertise and insight will help us to rebuild Britain as we deliver our growth mission, drive up opportunity and make every part of the country better off.”

Paul Gregg, Chair of the Labour Market Advisory Board said: “Having studied the UK’s labour market across several decades, it is clear that the current labour market faces a deep-seated set of challenges. “We have seen a sharp increase in economic inactivity and long-term sickness, most notably in our young people post-pandemic. Further, real wage growth has been heavily supressed for 15 years hitting living standards and government tax revenues. Reversing these trends will be key to ensuring the long-term prosperity of the UK’s labour market.

“I look forward to working with members of the board and the Secretary of State to support her vision for growth and examining positive solutions to address inactivity and harness the true potential of the UK’s labour market.”

Lincolnshire County Council sells land at Kirton to grow local economy

Tess Egginton
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Lincolnshire County Council sells land at Kirton to grow local economy

Lincolnshire County Council has sold 10.16 acres of development land to expand Kirton Distribution Park.

The purchasers – Melbourne Holdings – will initially be constructing ‘Stonebridge Business Park’, a 25,000 sq ft space comprising 9 new industrial units, on the land. Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy at the county council, said: “This sale marks an important development for the well-established Kirton Distribution Park, paving the way for the phased development that will significantly enhance the area’s economic landscape. “As a council we have responded to a growing demand for more industrial space in the county. We’re committed to supporting businesses to start up, grow and re-locate in Lincolnshire, creating jobs, supporting local supply chains and enhancing the local economy.” Lucie Bryant, Director at Melbourne Holdings, said: “We are delighted to further our commitment to supporting employment and industrial growth in Lincolnshire with our recent acquisition and proposed development at Kirton Distribution Park. “The purchase comes after recently securing planning permission to deliver a diverse range of warehousing that will support start-ups, growing businesses, large companies and international trade in this key strategic position, reinforced by Lincolnshire County Council and Boston Borough Council. “The units will be available off plan via our appointed agents Pygott and Crone, and we look forward to working with current and prospective requirements with design and builds opportunities being considered.”
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