Bradford taxi trade offered £4m to support transition to electric vehicles
Clean Air Zone grant funding of £4.1m is now available for Bradford’s licenced taxi trade to help with running costs for fully electric hackney Carriage or Private Hire Vehicle.
Applicants can choose to purchase or take out a long-term lease (minimum 2 years lease at time the grant agreement is signed and returned) to be eligible for the grant.
There are currently 200,000 electric vehicle movements per month in Bradford district, these grants will support the Bradford taxi trade to also make the change to full electric vehicles.
The Bradford taxi trade has been extremely proactive in upgrading vehicles to Clean Air Zone standards, and has become the cleanest fleet in the country with 99% of the 4,800 licensed taxi and private hire trade meeting the Bradford CAZ standard.
Owners of electric vehicles can see savings in fuel costs as well as lower servicing and maintenance costs. These are on top of the driver health benefits of in-vehicle pollution reduction, respiratory health improvements and also a reduction in noise.
The applications process is now live for Bradford licensed vehicle proprietors. The grant will be increased for non-Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles from £6,000 over two years up to £10,000 over two years which brings it into line with the Hackney Carriage and Wheelchair Accessible Private Hire Vehicle EV grants.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “We recognise that there is a desire from the taxi trade to switch to fully electric vehicles. We want to further support the taxi trade by offering up to £10,000 per vehicle in grant funding to assist proprietors with the running costs of a fully electric Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Vehicle. This is the highest grant of this type in the UK.”
More information from the Clean Air Zone team on 01274 435533
Keepmoat starts work on next phase East Hull redevelopment
The start of the second development phase on Preston Road in East Hull signals a new major milestone in Hull’s 15-year city-wide housing regeneration programme.
The redevelopment of the Preston Road site is being carried out by Hull City Council’s long term, strategic development partnership KSHP, a consortium of housebuilders including Keepmoat, Strata Homes, Home Group, and Priority Space.
The scheme is being supported by the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership’s allocation of the Local Growth Fund, part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.
The entire site will deliver over 500 new homes to replace the 514 no longer fit for purpose homes which are being demolished. Strata are presently on site building 242 new homes as part of the first phase.
Keepmoat Homes, is delivering the next phase, with 168 new homes in the pipeline, of which a proportion will be social housing for rent and low-cost ownership.
A further 340 properties in the area have been refurbished, including energy efficiency improvement work.
There’s also new infrastructure and extensive landscaping with the creation of new greenspaces to create a greener, more attractive local environment.
Throughout the building phases, the partnership is committed to creating training and apprenticeship opportunities as well as new jobs throughout the supply chain.
Hull City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing Councillor Drake-Davis said: “The housing-led regeneration in Hull is one of the most ambitious nationwide.
“Decent homes are vital to people’s health and wellbeing. We want our residents to live in well-built quality houses in attractive neighbourhoods, which meet their needs and, hopefully, their aspirations too.
“As well as proving new homes, the commitment by the partnership to providing local jobs for local people is already making a significant contribution to the sustainability of our regeneration areas.”
Daniel Crew, Regional MD at Keepmoat, Yorkshire East added: “We’re thrilled to be continuing delivery under the Hull city-wide partnership to deliver quality, sustainable homes for the latest phase in this historic Hull regeneration project.
“More than 70% of Keepmoat developments are on former brownfield land, so we’re excited to get started on site and breathe new life into this former residential area.
“We’re also working with the Environment Agency to create a nature trail along Holderness Drain, where one of our urban nursery projects will grow plants, shrubs and trees that will then be planted along the path to create a butterfly haven.”
Hull Trains named ‘best in class’ for second successive year
For the second consecutive year Hull Trains has been named ‘best in class’ at an awards ceremony to recognise the most reliable train fleets in the railway industry.
The Golden Spanners is an event at which the rolling stock sector meets to celebrate improvements in train maintenance practices and reliability.
Organised by trade publication Modern Railways, the event recognises the best in rolling stock maintenance and practices, paying tribute to those companies making the greatest strides in train reliability on behalf of passengers.
Three categories of trophy are awarded: Gold for best in class, Silver for most improved over the last year, and Bronze for the lowest impact on the customer of failures.
Hull Trains was awarded a Gold – the highest=possible accolade – in the 2nd Generation new inter-city train fleet category. The local, open-access operator was awarded the same accolade in 2022.
Figures are calculated using the measure of Miles per Technical Incident (MTIN) on a Moving Annual Average basis, with a TIN being recorded where a train is stopped for three minutes or more due to a fleet issue. Train types are broken down into categories based on age and type.
Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Hull Trains, said: “Our £60m investment in a state of the art bi-mode Hitachi train fleet continues to go from strength to strength in delivering improvements for our customers, as well as the environment . Hull Trains has consistently delivered for our customers. Prior to last year’s success at the Golden Spanners, we had not been recognised since 2016. So, to win a Gold Award two years running is testament to the great work of our fleet team colleagues and our train manufacture and maintenance partner, Hitachi, which enables us to deliver the dependable service that people have come to expect from Hull Trains.
“The strong performance of our train fleet is also a key ingredient in the recent news that we are currently England’s most reliable train operator.”
Jim Brewin, Chief Director UK & Ireland at Hitachi Rail, said: “We share these awards and success with our customers because their day-to-day collaboration is essential to ensuring that we break new records in reliability together.
“A huge congratulations to our maintenance teams, whose ‘always improve’ mindset puts them at the forefront of our digital maintenance transformation, which is setting the industry benchmark in reliability. Our digital solutions are part of Hitachi Rail’s wider investment in the UK which is delivering over £640 million benefit to the British economy in 2023.”
Environment Secretary promises to be on the side of rural businesses
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay has used his first major speech to set out his commitment to backing British farmers and being on the side of rural businesses.
In a speech at the Country Land and Business Association conference he set out his vision for an innovative and productive agriculture sector, supporting the sector to continue to develop into a more sustainable and profitable industry.
Almost £45 million in competitions and grants are set to open in the coming weeks as part of the Government’s £168 million investment this year to support farmers to foster innovation, boost productivity and improve animal welfare.
This includes an initial £30 million on offer in the second round of the Improving Farming Productivity Grant, providing capital grants of £25,000 – £500,000 towards robotic and automatic equipment, with further funding potentially available depending on levels of interest. For the first time, it will also fund grants of between £15,000 and £100,000 towards solar equipment which can be fitted on rooftops and float on irrigation reservoirs, helping increase energy resilience and take-up of renewable energy generation on farms.
Almost £8 million will also be available in the third round of the Large R&D Partnership, a competition specifically designed to boost industrial research and experimental development projects, and a further £850,000 through the Research Starter Round 4 competition to identify and accelerate new agricultural solutions, funding growers or foresters who have bold, ambitious, early-stage ideas.
By enabling some of the UK’s most promising innovation and research initiatives to get off the ground, this funding will not only see our farmers become more efficient and productive, but will also equip them with the knowledge and tools to maintain our high degree of food security.
He said: “My pledge to you is that this government will always back British farmers who produce some of the highest quality food in the world, contribute billions to our economy, and to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude for taking care of our countryside.”
Mayfair Group Investment to develop new state of the art medical centre in Leeds following £3m loan
OakNorth has provided a £3m loan to Mayfair Group Investment, a developer, investor, and manager of healthcare, commercial, and residential property.
The loan will be used to develop the group’s new three-storey, Harehills Medical Centre, located along Harehills Lane in Leeds. The new state of the art, purpose-built medical centre will consist of a GP surgery, retail pharmacy and large 35-space car park, spread across a 1,400 sq m site.
Rohin Dhand, founder and CEO of Leeds-headquartered Mayfair Group Investment, said: “We believe property development is about understanding and appreciating how buildings work and fit within their communities and what their end users want.
“Since our launch over a decade ago, we’ve been passionate about developing high-quality medical centres that transform the lives of patients and help practices deliver exceptional services, with our latest project along Harehills Lane fully encompassing this approach.”
Dale Cowdell, director of debt finance at OakNorth, said: “With a wealth of knowledge working in the UK’s real estate and healthcare markets, Rohin and his team have extensive experience in delivering high-quality residential, commercial and medical sites across the full breadth of the country.
“With recent figures showing the scale at which the UK’s population is ageing, the need for more medical centres is becoming more critical as time goes on. As a result, this new site is set to be a vital part of the local community in Harehills and we’re delighted to support Mayfair Group Investment with the project.”
Yorkshire Water pays record £1m to charity after Harrogate pollution incident
Yorkshire Water has paid a record £1m to charities after polluting a Harrogate watercourse, following an investigation by the Environment Agency.
The company breached its environmental permit with an unauthorised sewage discharge from Hookstone Road combined sewer overflow, which polluted Hookstone Beck.
It submitted an Enforcement Undertaking to the Environment Agency proposing a charitable donation totalling £1m, the largest ever accepted by the Agency.
It has paid £500,000 to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and £500,000 to Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust. It has also completed a significant £1.85million sewer network upgrade in the area as part of the enforcement terms.
An Enforcement Undertaking is a voluntary offer made by companies or individuals to make amends for their offending, and usually includes a payment to an environmental charity to carry out environmental improvements in the local area.
Hookstone Road combined sewer overflow has an environmental permit which allows a discharge into the beck when the storm sewage facility is full due to rainfall or snow melt.
On 31 August 2016 the Environment Agency received a report of pollution in Hookstone Beck. Investigating officers traced it to the overflow at Hookstone Road, which had blocked and not alerted Yorkshire Water due to faulty telemetry equipment.
The investigation found that almost 1,500 fish had been killed and water quality affected for 2.5km downstream. A series of further blockages and discharges took place in the following months.
A detailed Environment Agency investigation was undertaken, this included the use of devices called sondes in the river to measure the impact of ammonia and an assessment of Event Duration Monitoring data that revealed the company was in breach of its environmental permit.
As part of the Enforcement Undertaking requirements Yorkshire Water has already carried out a £1.85m improvement and rebuilding project to the overflow and surrounding sewer network to bring it back into compliance with its environmental permit.
New Bill set to cut National Insurance rates in the new year
Almost 30 million employees are to receive the largest-ever cut to National Insurance payments in the new year with a reduction from 12 percent to 10 percent.
The House of Commons has debated the National Insurance Contributions (Reduction in Rates) Bill, with the average employee and self-employed set to get an extra £450 a year and £350 a year, and allows the Government to say the £9 billion a year tax cut means that personal taxes on average salaries will be lower in the UK than every other major economy.
To the average employee on a salary of £35,400 this will be worth £450 a year, improving living standards and reducing the current combined tax rate of 32% for employees paying the basic rate of tax to 30% – the lowest since the 1980s.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: “I’ve been clear from the start that I want to cut taxes. Now, having met our pledge to halve inflation, taxes can be cut in a responsible way that rewards work and helps grow our economy.”
“These changes will mean that, for those on average salaries, personal taxes would be lower in the UK than every other G7 country, based on the most recent OECD data.
“Taxes for the self-employed will also be cut and reformed. From 6 April 2024, Class 4 NICs for the self-employed will be reduced from 9% to 8% and no self-employed person will have to pay Class 2 NICs, simplifying the tax system and saving the average self-employed person on £28,200 a year £350 in 2024/25.”
The changes will see an average full-time nurse on £38,900 receive an annual gain of over £520; an average teacher on £44,300 would receive an additional £630 a year; and a typical self-employed plumber on £34,400 would be £410 better off as a result of these cuts.
Rules relaxed around solar panel installations
Businesses will be able to install rooftop solar panels more easily under new rules which scrap the need for planning permission for systems generating more than a megawatt.
The rule change means organisations will be able to install more solar panels on rooftops without the delay and cost of applying for planning permission.
Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, said: “Today we are cutting through red tape to make it easier for businesses to install solar panels on their rooftops.
“Removing the 1MW restriction for industrial rooftop solar will help us meet our target of 70GW of solar power by 2035 while supporting hundreds of long-term skilled British jobs, bolstering our world-leading renewables sector and reducing bills for consumers with panels.”
The Government says that where possible already developed land should be used for solar panels, which is why the changes will make it easier for panels to be installed in canopies above car parks, if they are over ten metres away from people’s homes. The changes to permitted development rights build on government action to speed up the planning system and slash bureaucracy, as set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act which is now law. Changes to permitted development rights rules will mean more homeowners and businesses will be able to install solar panels on their roofs without going through the planning system. Currently those who have to go through the planning system are having to wait over eight weeks and face extra costs. The move will encourage more people to install solar panels on their properties, slashing their energy bills in the process and cutting down on harmful emissions. Housing and Planning Minister Lee Rowley MP said: “We must make sure our homes are fit for the future and can help us meet our net zero ambitions.“By cutting red tape in the planning system we can make sure homeowners and businesses can install solar panels without being held up by costly delays. Crucially, these permitted development rights are still subject to important conditions, including their use in conservation areas.”
Engineering firm invests £850k in new machinery and creates ten new jobs
Barnsley engineering company LNS Turbo has invested £850,000 in new machinery, creating ten new jobs in the last year at its site at Waterside Park in Wombwell. The continued investment by new owners is helping to increase productivity and bring automation into their processes.
LNS Turbo opened in 1999 and makes chip disposal systems for industrial cutting machines, selling them across the UK and Europe. The Barnsley site is the company’s only manufacturing site for chip conveyor systems in Europe and currently employs 76 people.
Operations manager Mark Scanlan said: “The investment in new machinery, equipment and facilities is helping us to increase capacity to satisfy our growing customer demand and enabling us to change the manufacturing environment in which we operate.
“New facilities include offices, locker rooms and canteen facilities on a purpose-built mezzanine floor, freeing up much valuable floor space for further improvement activities.
“The support we have received from Enterprising Barnsley has been invaluable in helping the company access funding streams and having the support to develop our operation. This has provided job security and opportunities for our employees as we continue to grow and enables us to show that manufacturing is alive and well in Barnsley and the surrounding regions.”
Throughout 2021 the company saw an extraordinary hike in demand for its products, far exceeding growth projections, which has continued this year.
Working closely with Enterprising Barnsley, the council’s business support team, LNS Turbo has received support over several years in reviewing their business operations and achieving efficiencies.
Councillor Robert Frost, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “LNS Turbo are a well-established business in Barnsley, and it is excellent news that they are once again investing to drive further growth and create jobs in the area.
“They have a thriving business model, supplying right across Europe, and we are delighted they are achieving such success here in our borough.”
Barnsley offers white heat of Technology at The DMC Furnace
Barnsley’s Digital Media Centre has launched The Furnace, an intensive six-month tech and digital incubation programme, starting in January 2024, and now open for applications.
This fully funded six-month residency at the DMC will provide dedicated workspace, use of its MakerLab and CreatorLab facilities and lots of practical and specialist support in digital and tech innovation, business development and access to finance.
The incubator will also bring participants into the heart of Barnsley’s thriving digital business community, which has developed a national and international network of contacts in the tech sector, over the past 15 years.
Manager Ben Hawley said “We’re keen to hear from people with a burning desire to work on an original tech innovation. Whatever they have in mind, and whatever stage they are at in the process of turning their innovative digital or tech idea into a commercial product or service, we want to hear from them.
“If they have the potential, we have the tools, resources and guidance to help them transform their vision into reality.”
The Furnace will offer technical support to build, test and refine protypes; help to develop the business proposition around their idea, and support to finesse their pitches for investment, introducing them to possible funders.
Applicants are invited from across Yorkshire and the wider region – in fact from anywhere in the UK, or the world.
Cllr Robin Franklin, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “This will be Barnsley DMC’s first incubator for tech entrepreneurs with a new idea. It builds on a proven track record of helping digital and tech businesses to start-up and scale through a range of programmes, accelerators and events.
“We’re regional leaders in tech and digital ecosystem growth and believe that, to see our community succeed, we need to support those who want to innovate. We, therefore, look forward to receiving applications for the Furnace incubator and would like to stress that applicants are welcome from anywhere. Come to Barnsley and be part of our dynamic digital community. It really is the place of possibilities. We make it so.”
Applicants to the Furnace must commit to spending two days a week in the DMC for the duration of the incubator, attend events included in the programme, and sharing a progress report on what they have gained through the programme at its conclusion.
Apply online here before Wednesday 20th December to start in January 2024.
