Sheffield has recently been awarded a certificate of compliance for managing its street trees sustainably by the world’s largest Forest Certification Scheme, PEFC UK (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). Over the last eighteen months, the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership, of which the council and its highways contractor, Amey are part, has been working with PEFC UK, to develop a standard of certification for Trees Outside Forests (TOF) or in this instance, urban trees. Sheffield is participating in a pilot scheme designed to test a demanding certification standard. As a result, Sheffield has become the first local authority to have its urban tree management assessed against the new criteria and judged to be compliant. This innovative and trail blazing milestone has enabled the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership to achieve a key objective outlined in the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership Strategy, following months of dedication and collaborative working, which included representatives from Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Tree Action Groups being involved in a working group of national street tree specialists to develop the standard of certification. Liz Ballard, Chair of the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership said: “We are really excited about what is essentially a world first for Sheffield and our street trees. As part of the Street Tree Strategy, the partnership were keen to find a way to independently check how well our street trees are being managed. Fortunately, PEFC, a Sheffield based company who work globally, offered their expertise to provide just the scheme we needed. Their new audit of our street trees is the first of its kind in Europe and it’s been great to work alongside them. Knowing that the management of our street trees meets this demanding international standard is a real step forward and shows just how far we’ve come.” Until recently only forests and woodlands could be certified by these standards as proof of being managed sustainably. However, a recent change in the PEFC standards has allowed PEFC UK to develop an appendix to their UK endorsed forest certification scheme, UKWAS (UK Woodland Assurance Standard) to allow for Trees Outside Forests to also be certified. Last November the certification body Soil Association Certification undertook an audit based on the draft standard of certification. Prior to the audit, Soil Association Certification also conducted a stakeholder consultation to gather information from all interested parties. The audit found that Streets Ahead is in compliance with the new draft standard, which is a fantastic achievement for all who have contributed to improving the management of street trees in Sheffield. Rob Shaw, Technical Manager and the Auditor on the TOF audit from Soil Association Certification said: “Soil Association is delighted to be working with PEFC UK and the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership on this ground breaking initiative. The audit was both unusual and interesting but the commitment and dedication from all the people involved at Sheffield City Council, Amey and the Partnership really shone through. We look forward to continuing the journey and look forwards to full endorsement of the Trees Outside Forests extension to the PEFC UK Scheme.” Applauding this first for Sheffield, Alun Watkins who heads up PEFC in the UK, commented:  “We are delighted that Sheffield has become the first city in Europe to be audited against our new TOF criteria. Their participation will help us fine tune the standard, before it is submitted to PEFC International later this year for endorsement. “We expect the Trees Outside Forests standard to be fully endorsed by Spring 2023 and look forward to Sheffield being awarded the first ever certificate for sustainably managing its street trees”. The audit, which has been undertaken by industry professionals, means Sheffield’s management of street trees has been found to be at an exemplary standard, and Sheffield residents can benefit from a pioneering tree management process. With a particular focus on the standard of works being carried out by tree surgeons and reviews of the routine safety and survey processes that take place all across the city’s tree stock every day, the audit looks at how these factors feed into the wider management of maintaining a safe and healthy tree stock in public areas. In recent years, Sheffield City Council has committed to promoting and enhancing a network of street trees that the city can be proud of; with the publication of a Sheffield Street Tree Partnership Strategy in 2021 and the creation of a dedicated partnership group who continue to positively, actively and sustainably steer the sustainable management of Sheffield’s urban forest. The partnership includes representatives from Sheffield City Council, Amey, Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust and Sheffield Tree Action Groups. Sheffield’s trees and woodlands are one of the city’s greatest natural assets and contribute to its reputation as one of the greenest cities in the UK. They provide benefits for the people of Sheffield, as well as making urban areas and local neighbourhoods attractive and healthy places to live and work. Executive member for Housing, Road and Waste Management at Sheffield City Council, Councillor Paul Wood said: “This certification signifies a real achievement for Sheffield and is testament of the hard work and tenacity of the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership. By working together with our partners, we have successfully developed and enhanced the way we manage our street trees, becoming the first authority in Europe to be assessed against this innovative criteria. “What’s more, through the delivery of our new Street Tree Strategy and in line with our recently published Street Tree Guidelines, we are continuing to make positive and significant progress with our approach to managing highway trees across the city; ensuring their longevity for many years to come.” PEFC UK is the National Governing Body of PEFC International, the world’s largest Forest Certification Scheme. It has 1.5 million hectares of certified forest in the UK and 330 million hectares in total worldwide. A copy of the certification can be found on the council’s webpages.

City of York Council is working with HSBC Bank to host a pop-up local business week from Monday, 14 March to Friday, 18 March 2022 to showcase and support local businesses in the city.

City of York Council is starting to make the first of the latest phase of Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) payments to eligible businesses affected by the rise of the Omicron variant.

The Sustainability Business Grant – designed to help local businesses invest in low energy technology – is being reopened following a £75,000 top-up. The grant was so successful it was oversubscribed, so North Lincolnshire Council is putting more Government cash into the scheme. This will help protect the environment and safeguard local jobs. Up to £10,000 will be available to local businesses looking cut their carbon footprint and embrace a more sustainable future. The Sustainability Business Grant can be used to invest in energy production infrastructure such as solar PV panels or biomass boilers and building improvements including insulation and heat pumps. It can also be used to buy energy efficient products including LED lighting and low energy equipment such as fridges and dishwashers. Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “We all want a greener, cleaner future for the planet, and we can achieve that by putting North Lincolnshire at the cutting edge of sustainable technology. “This grant is not just aimed at our larger industries – small businesses can make a big difference just by replacing their light bulbs or buying A+ rated appliances.” “The Council is committed to being carbon neutral by 2030 and this Government money will help our businesses go a long way towards achieving that.” The announcement comes after a £100,000 top-up to the Digitalisation Grant was announced in last week’s budget and was once again over-subscribed. It follows more than £200m of Government cash into the area since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. More information on the grant, eligibility criteria and how to apply is on the Invest in North Lincolnshire website.

Lincolnshire County Council and South Kesteven District Council will be putting a joint expression of interest to host the Great British Railways Headquarters.

The world’s largest hydraulic crane is heading to the port of Immingham in a £3 million investment by Associated British Ports (ABP). Supplied by Cooper Specialised Handling Ltd, the UK’s leading independent port equipment supplier, the crane, model Mantsinen 300M Hybrilift is currently being built by Mantsinen in Finland. In their early years, the forerunners of today’s 300M were material handlers and have become popular with UK ports for their speed of operation. They have historically however been ‘small cranes for small vessels,’ an ideology that Mantsinen blew away with their 200 series machines in 2008 and the launch of the 300 in 2018. These super-sized machines now have the reach and capacity to serve panamax size vessels and can handle as much as 1500 tonnes per hour – far greater than the rope crane equivalents. Simon Bird, Regional Director for ABP Humber said: “Our investment in buying the world’s largest hydraulic crane shows our commitment to ensuring we have the best plant and equipment on the ports to service our customers’ needs. We’re also thrilled to be the first company in Great Britain to have this giant on our port’.” ABP already operate a fleet of smaller Mantsinen machines across its network of 21 ports, but this will be the first 300 in the fleet and the first delivery into England – Cooper’s first being delivered to Belfast Harbour in 2019. The machine weighs in at 365 tonnes (without attachment) and is diesel powered by an EU stage 5 Volvo 16 litre diesel engine. ABP have opted for an 18.5m curved boom and 14m stick and the machine has a wheeled undercarriage of 6 axles with 4 wheels per axle. The machine will also come supplied with Mantsinen’s cab riser to enable the operator to position the cab in the optimum position over the hold to gain a direct line of sight. The machine also is supplied with a range of automatic and semi-automatic attachments that also reduce the need for direct labour in the holds thus enhancing safety further than if stevedores were slinging. David Cooper, Executive Director of Cooper Specialised Handling said: “ABP have enjoyed high uptime and operational performance with their Mantsinen fleet since 2016, and we are thrilled that ABP have opted for the biggest of them all. It seems quite appropriate that the UK’s largest port by tonnage should invest in a machine that can handle the most tonnage per hour” The new machine is anticipated to arrive as a complete unit in Immingham in April on a direct shipment from Finland together with two 95ER machines destined for Ipswich.