ABP Humber has invested further in its efforts to decarbonise its port operation equipment. Four 10T Carer Electric forklift trucks have arrived at Immingham Bulk Park and Immingham Fertiliser Terminal on the port. The company is investing more than £2 million to expand its fleet of electric forklifts, with a further ten arriving later this year for the Humber Ports’ general use. The investment covers work to instal storage canopies and charging points for the vehicles. Simon Bird, Director Humber, said: “ABP Humber has ambitious plans to deliver its port operations using renewable energy. Not only does this make sense from a business perspective, saving on escalating energy costs, but also enables us to support the delivery of sustainable supply chains for many of our customers, without compromising on efficiency, and most importantly safety.” Between them, Immingham Bulk Park and Immingham Fertiliser Terminal play a significant role in supplying the farming industry with fertiliser. The two terminals host bagging and blending facilities to ensure landowners get exactly what they need to keep their soil in good health, which in turn supports healthy crops. The electric forklifts will be used to ensure the safe and secure storage of the product before it makes its onward journey.  

The Sewell Construction team repurposing Central Fire Station in Hull, working with Hull Esteem on behalf of Ron Dearing UTC, have scored 45/45 in their recent Considerate Constructors Scheme inspection for respecting the community, caring for the environment and valuing their workforce. A post-inspection point has been awarded for implementing innovative best practice by the team at Sewell Construction engaging with students in producing a 360 degree video tour of the project as it progresses for sharing with wider stakeholders. The former fire station building is being transformed into a new sixth form centre and STEAM studios for the UTC to increase student places to meet demand and will open from September 2023. The Considerate Constructors Scheme is a not-for-profit, independently managed organisation that supports and guides positive change in the industry. Monitors are looking for projects that follow the ‘Code of Considerate Practice’ in three key areas, which the site team achieved 15/15 for in each category. Sewell Construction Project Manager Dave Major said: “We are continuously looking for innovative ways to develop the business and deliver sustainable solutions to help our clients, whilst supporting skills development. This score echoes that and is a testament to the hard work of the team and the quality approach we take when delivering projects.” The Industry Average for Schools and Colleges sites is 40.77 and there are over 3000 sites currently registered with the scheme nationwide.

The headline NatWest Yorkshire & Humber PMI® Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – rose back above the critical 50.0 level and thereby into growth territory during February. At 52.6, the headline measure was up from 48.6 in January to signal the first expansion in private sector business activity across Yorkshire & Humber since September last year. Overall, the increase was only moderate, but the strongest since June 2022. Private sector firms in Yorkshire & Humber saw new business intakes rise during February. Although the expansion was only marginal, it was the first since September 2022. The securing of new contracts and customer restocking was reported by some panel members. That said, the upturn was markedly weaker than seen for the UK overall. Compared to the other ten monitored parts of the UK that saw growth, Yorkshire & Humber was the weakest (new business across Wales declined). Surveyed businesses across Yorkshire & Humber were optimistic of growth over the next 12 months during February. Although the level of confidence eased slightly, it was stronger than that seen for the UK as a whole. Expected increases in orders, new product launches and market share gains were noted as reasons to be confident towards the business outlook. The level of private sector employment across Yorkshire & Humber increased for a second month running midway through the first quarter of the year. Moreover, the rate of job creation was solid and quickened to a five-month high. According to anecdotal evidence, company expansion plans and efforts to cater for higher workloads supported additional hiring. The seasonally adjusted Outstanding Business Index rose above the 50.0 mark in February, signalling a renewed increase in backlogs of work at private sector firms across Yorkshire & Humber. The region saw the second-fastest rise in incomplete orders of the 12 monitored regions, after London. Capacity pressures were intensified as a result of improved demand and a lack of staff, according to survey respondents. Private sector businesses in Yorkshire & Humber experienced another month of rising input costs during February. Salary increases, elevated energy prices and rises in the price of certain materials put upward pressure on operating expenses, according to firms. Overall, the rate of inflation eased to a two-year low, but was still higher than seen on average across the survey history. Prices charged for the goods and services provided by private sector firms in Yorkshire & Humber continued to rise at a historically marked pace in February. The latest increase, albeit weaker than seen on average over the last two years, was well above the series average. Efforts to at least partially share the burden of higher costs with clients was mentioned by some panel members. Malcolm Buchanan, chair of the NatWest North Regional Board, said: “After four successive months of contraction, private sector business activity across Yorkshire & Humber increased during February. The improvement was in line with the UK-wide trend, and the region was in fact one of the UK’s top performers in the latest survey period with only London, the South East and West Midlands recording stronger expansions. “The renewed upturn in activity was accompanied by an improved trend in sales, which suggests underlying business conditions have certainly picked up since the end of last year. This has facilitated stronger employment growth across the region, and bodes well for near-term prospects. “A further weakening of input price inflation will also be welcomed by firms. That said, cost pressures remain steep and companies continue to respond by marking up their charges, suggesting that sellers remain confident in their pricing power.”

From Saturday 1 April the cost of charging an electric vehicle at a charge point owned by Sheffield Cit Council will jump to 72p per kWh from just 30p. The council says the price hike will make EV charging points across Sheffield more sustainable for the Council against the backdrop of rapidly-rising energy prices, with the Council absorbing much of the costs to run the charging point network.   The Council says the new change will bring the Council in line with the national average price as seen with other providers for rapid EV charging points.   In addition to the tariff changes, the charge for overstaying the one hour free parking time limit will double from £10 to £20 (including VAT) to encourage drivers to free up the space for the next driver to come along.  Cllr Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair of Transport, Regeneration & Climate Committee, said:“We know the rise in the charging point tariff may have a financial impact on some, and we’ve done our absolute best to sustain this low price for as long as possible. The Council has absorbed much of the cost for keeping the tariffs low, however, with energy prices increasing, this simply isn’t sustainable moving forward.   “We’re also investing in making the existing network more resilient and will soon launch a further two rapid charging points and 46 fast charging points, to make it even easier for electric vehicle owners to access a charging point locally.”