BlackDice establishes new UK headquarters in Leeds
BlackDice, a tech start-up that develops AI-driven cybersecurity solutions for global telecoms provider consumers and SME subscribers, has opened its new UK headquarters in Leeds.
By setting up its UK headquarters in Leeds, BlackDice aims to tap into the city’s diverse tech ecosystem, access top-tier talent, and forge strategic partnerships that will propel the company forward.
Situated within the Leeming Building – part of Wizu Workspace’s portfolio of serviced offices – BlackDice’s new headquarters will serve as a hub for the company’s technology operations, bringing together its growing workforce to provide an environment conducive to innovation and collaboration.
“We chose to establish our UK headquarters in Leeds because it’s a city that truly embodies the spirit of industrial ingenuity and technological innovation,” said Sarah Hague, Chief Operating Officer at BlackDice.
“Leeds offers a fertile ground for our growth plans, with its exceptional talent pool, supportive business community, and vibrant atmosphere. We believe that our presence here will enable us to forge valuable connections, collaborate with industry leaders, and solidify our position as pioneers in AI-powered cyber security solutions.”
As BlackDice continues to expand its global footprint, the new UK headquarters in Leeds is just the latest move for the business, which established its European HQ in Malaga, Spain – another flourishing ‘tech zone’ – last month, and will play a pivotal role in building the company’s presence in the EU cyber ecosystem.
“We aim to strengthen our commitment to the Leeds city region and create high-value employment opportunities. By nurturing local talent we want to become known for our culture of innovation, diversity and inclusion, contributing to the ongoing success story of Leeds as a burgeoning tech hub. We are confident that our presence in Leeds will bring significant benefits to the local community and enable us to chart an exciting path of growth and expansion,” added Hague.
First stage plans submitted for new urban district at Sheffield brewery site
Initial plans for a new urban district in Sheffield’s Neepsend have been submitted by social impact developers Capital&Centric.
Outline plans have been lodged with Sheffield City Council to overhaul the derelict industrial Cannon Brewery site. The blueprint is being developed in stages, with the aim to deliver a bold vision for a city centre district that stitches itself into the character of the surrounding area.
It details the plans for over 500 1, 2 and 3-bed apartments, planned to be delivered through a mix of contemporary new builds and retention of some of the existing buildings, namely the Water Tower and Brew House.
Nestled alongside the homes will be workplaces and spaces for independent shops, delis and café-bars, creating opportunities for local indie operators and new start-ups. A lush, green urban park will surround the water tower, whilst on Boyland Street a new public square surrounded by cafes and shops will be the perfect space for pop-up events, performers and installations.
The expansive Cannon Brewery site is seen as a massive opportunity to grow Sheffield’s city centre in sustainable way, with high-end architecture sparking the renaissance of the industrial area around Neepsend. It’s a chance to bring more people to the area and deliver new homes without displacing existing businesses.
Richard Spackman, development director at Capital&Centric, said: “We’ve set out to make Cannon Brewery a standout community that draws people to Sheffield – one that respects and reflects back the industrial heritage of Neepsend. It’s a really challenging site to work on, but we’re progressing at pace because we see such pent-up potential.
“Like many communities we’ve done before, we’re proposing a mix of old and new. Our contemporary homes will be real juxtaposition against some of the existing industrial buildings we’re aiming to keep and repurpose.
“We want the end goal to be that Cannon Brewery becomes Sheffield’s best address…a city centre district where people not only want to live, but spend their weekends, hang out with mates or locate their start-up business.”
Once home to Stones Brewery, the site – made up of two triangular plots bordered by Neepsend Lane and Boyland St – was the birthplace of the UK’s best-selling bitter at the time, before the doors closed for good in 1999. The place has been empty ever since and has become a magnet for street artists.
Capital&Centric’s outline application aims to set the initial parameters for the district, including the footprint of the new buildings, buildings to be retained, heights and access points. Whilst previous plans had proposed for all buildings at the site to be demolished, Capital&Centric is aiming to keep those that it’s feasible to retain and repurpose.
The submission follows a packed out consultation event at the neighbouring Heist Brew Co. that kick-started the conversation about Cannon Brewery. The session saw people voice support for transforming the site; as well as calls for use of greenery; a mix of homes; and a focus on securing a mix of independent operators to give the community a distinctly local vibe.
Following this application, it’s intended for detailed designs of the buildings to follow in stages – with style and materials set to take inspiration from the surrounding industrial warehouses and further consultation and discussion with the community.
Housing Association breaches economic standards, finds Regulator
South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited has breached economic standards over both its governance and financial viability, according to the Regulator of Social Housing, and as a result it has been downgraded to non-compliant G3 / V3 grades.
An investigation revealed weaknesses in SYHA’s internal controls framework and concluded that its board has not been managing the organisation with an appropriate level of skill, diligence, prudence or foresight.
Weaknesses in its financial governance has led to SYHA miscalculating its covenant compliance over a number of years. This has resulted in actual and forecast covenant breaches with one of its funders.
SYHA’s business plan demonstrates limited financial capacity in the short to medium term, and does not currently have adequate mitigation strategies in place to deal with plausible financial stresses.
In agreement with the regulator, SYHA is working to strengthen its financial capacity and improve its governance arrangements.
Harold Brown, Senior Assistant Director for Investigations and Enforcement at RSH, said: “Our investigation found serious issues of concern with SYHA’s financial processes and controls, resulting in breaches to its loan covenants. SYHA needs to address these issues promptly to ensure its long-term viability and covenant compliance, and we will continue to monitor the provider closely as it carries out this work.”
Lincoln cyber security firm sold
Lincoln-based cyber-security-as-a-service (CSaaS) provider Cyberlab Consulting Ltd has been sold to technology provider Chess for an undisclosed sum.
As part of a shared growth strategy, the acquisition will supercharge Cyberlab’s expansion, as well as add a unique product to Chess’s extensive suite of existing products and services.
Expanding its portfolio and solidifying its position as a leading technology service provider, the strategic acquisition will see Chess add Cyberlab’s innovative CSaaS portal as a new service to clients. The portal simplifies the oversight of security posture, identifying individual blind spots and providing tailored training programs to automate fixes.
Ryan Bradbury, founder of Cyberlab, has joined Chess’s team as part of the deal, taking on the role of CTO. He said: “We’re delighted to be adding something new, which fits perfectly into Chess’s existing incredible portfolio. There is huge potential for our portal and the backing of such a big player like Chess will help us to meet our ambitions for the Cyberlab brand.”
Chess employs more than 300 people across the UK and supports more than 1,000 UK blue-chip enterprise businesses, government departments, and household names. Its expanded capabilities now cover a wide range of services, including testing, assessment, discovery, consultancy, delivery, and hardening.
Michael Squirrell, partner at Shakespeare Martineau, who advised founders Ryan and Jessica Bradbury on the sale of Cyberlab, said: “There are clear synergies between the businesses and obvious wins from their union. We’re very happy to have supported Ryan and Jessica on the sale.”
The Shakespeare Martineau team involved in the deal also included corporate associate Ashley Taylor, corporate solicitor Nana Maisuradze, intellectual property partner Kerry Russell, and employment expert Oscar Ciaurro.
Antony Voakes and Amy Weston at Wright Vigar advised on tax and financial matters. Chess was represented by Nimbus Legal and Vector Tax Consultancy.
HMRC issues fines of more than £3m for money laundering rule breaches
Hundreds of businesses including a baker’s dozen from the East Midlands have been fined a combined total of £3.2 million for breaching anti-money laundering rules have been named by HM Revenue and Customs.
The 240 supervised businesses named today were fined between 1 July and 31 December 2022 by HMRC for breaching Money Laundering Regulations aimed at preventing criminals from exploiting illicit cash.
Certain types of business are required to register with HMRC which is a supervisory body for Money Laundering Regulations.
Xpress Money Services Ltd, based in London, was hit with a large fine of £1.4 million for failing to carry out risk assessments, not having appropriate anti-money laundering controls, and failing to conduct proper due diligence checks.
HMRC’s work with other enforcement agencies and government departments to tackle economic crime and crack down on breaches is working to drive non-compliant firms out of business. This means that the number of money service businesses has fallen by around a third from 1,508 in 2020 to 1,049 in 2023, and the number of money service business agents has reduced from 35,507 to 30,217 in the same period.
Nick Sharp, HMRC’s Deputy Director of Economic Crime, Fraud Investigation Service, said: “Money laundering is not a victimless crime. We are here to help businesses protect themselves from criminal attacks and will continue to tackle the minority of businesses which do not comply with the Money Laundering Regulations.
“Serious and organised crime costs the UK billions of pounds every year and our anti-money laundering supervision is a vital tool in combatting that.”
In addition to the named businesses, another 179 companies received smaller fines totalling more than £200,000 for rule breaches.Business communications specialist set for growth with multi-million pound investment
Wakefield-based business communications specialist NGC Networks is targeting £10 million turnover in the next year, backed by significant new investment from CloudClevr.
NGC Networks was established 20 years ago by joint Managing Directors Dean Harrop and Nikki Guest and has grown to be a leading player in its sector across the North of England.
The company employs 45 people and has more than 800 customers, providing them with telephony, unified communications, connectivity, mobile, contact centre solutions and managed services.
CloudClevr is a new venture with majority investment from specialist investment business Rigby Technology Investments (RTI), part of Rigby Group PLC, a £3.3 billion privately owned technology group and one of Europe’s leading technology investors.
NGC Networks will use the investment to drive its growth across Yorkshire and the North, increasing its customer portfolio, capability and creating jobs in the coming 12 months. CloudClevr will support NGC with enhanced cloud-based propositions and investment in sales and marketing, enabling NGC to concentrate on customer management, sales and technical leadership.
Dean Harrop, joint Managing Director of NGC, said: “We are delighted to secure the investment and support of Rigby Group and to benefit from the ambition and technology investment going into CloudClevr. It’s great for our colleagues who will benefit from being part of a growing, national business allowing them to develop and succeed in an ever-changing marketplace.”
Nikki Guest, joint Managing Director of NGC, said: “We are committed to remaining our customers’ trusted advisor, helping them navigate the growing complexity of converged IT and communications. I’m very excited about the market opportunity we have ahead and to continue building NGC as a powerhouse of the northern region as part of CloudClevr.”
Steve Harris, CEO of CloudClevr, said: “I am pleased to be working alongside Nikki and Dean. In NGC, they’ve created a fantastic business with strong potential. They have a brilliant team in place and I’m really looking forward to starting this new journey together.”
The investment in NGC is the first in a series of strategic investments which will see CloudClevr emerge as a next generation managed services provider focused on delivering converged Cloud, IT and communications services.
Sheffield becomes home to first-of-a-kind campus for Government employees
A first-of-its-kind campus for government staff in key policy roles has been launched in Sheffield, as new figures show Yorkshire and the Humber have benefitted from more than 2,400 relocated roles.
It comes as the Cabinet Office announced the pilot of a new regional fast stream, part of the government’s ambitious plans to bring jobs and drive local economic growth across the UK.
The scheme will prevent graduates having to leave the Yorkshire region to move into decision-making policy teams.
There are also plans for expanded policy apprenticeships and events to attract university-leavers within the city, providing greater opportunities for the young people of Yorkshire.
Traditionally most civil service teams based outside of London have been operationally-focussed, but the aim of the policy campus is to create a hub of core policy jobs, where people can advance their careers in key decision-making positions. Under these new plans, people will no longer have to move to, or work in, London to have a long and fulfilling career in the civil service.
This forms part of a broader strategy to ensure people from all regions and backgrounds are contributing to the creation of government policies. Levelling up the civil service in this way is key to ensuring it reflects the communities it serves, whilst delivering on the Government’s priority to grow the economy.
Latest relocation studies suggest a local economic benefit of £30 million per 1,000 roles relocated.
Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said: “This Government is delivering on its promise to level up across the country by ensuring that we create opportunities for people across the country.
“This policy campus is a commitment to the people of Sheffield that local people will have a central role to play in the development of major national policies.
“Relocating roles out of London and establishing skills clusters will provide a fantastic economic boost for the people of Yorkshire and the Humber, a region that has an immense array of talent and I’m delighted that we’re going to make use of it.”
Around 1,000 civil servants working a range of departments including the Department for Education, the Home Office and the Department for Work & Pensions are based at the site.
The Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Transport and the Cabinet Office have moved the most roles to Yorkshire and the Humber.
637 roles have relocated into Sheffield, primarily in the Home Office alongside more DWP, DfE and Ministry of Justice jobs which have moved to the city under the scheme. Sheffield also has 75 senior civil servants based in the city, one of the highest proportions outside of London.
Farming businesses can bid for share in increased funding for equipment to boost sustainable food production
Farm businesses can benefit from new equipment and technology to boost sustainable food production and reduce emissions and waste after a fund of £17m was upped to £31m in this week’s latest round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund.
Applicants can now claim for grants under the Productivity and Slurry budget to help cover the costs of over 90 pieces of equipment, from rainwater harvesting tanks to reduce water scarcity for farmers in the summer; tree shears to help stop the spread of pests and diseases; to equipment to minimise grass contamination and ammonia emissions when spreading slurry.
The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund provides funding to farming businesses so they can invest in the tools they need to improve sustainable production across agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Productivity and Slurry grants will specifically support the procurement of equipment and technology that will help farmers use fewer inputs, reduce emissions and cut waste.
With more than 3,000 applications received for the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry grants, the government is matching this high demand by increasing the total funding offered from £17m to £31m. Twenty-one additional items have been added under the scheme in 2023, including camera-guided inter-row sprayers to help reduce herbicide usage, and mulchers for forestry, orchards and vineyards to help reduce input costs and improve carbon retention in the soil.
This will ensure as many farmers as possible can claim for the equipment they need to run a profitable farming business that delivers for both food production and the environment.
Secretary of State for Food and Farming Thérèse Coffey said: “The tremendous interest shown in the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry underscores the determination of our farmers to drive ever more productive and sustainable farming practices to keep food on our plates whilst protecting our important landscapes and habitats.
“By empowering farms to invest cash in new kit, we are ensuring our farmers, growers and foresters have the equipment they need to embrace innovation, protect the environment, and contribute to a thriving and sustainable agricultural sector.”
Items applied for in the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry budget include:
- Direct drill with fertiliser placement for precision drilling of arable and cover crops to help reduce crop establishment costs and increase efficiency of fertiliser usage. 250 applicants to be offered this grant worth £6.25m.
- Robotic drill and guided hoe – an autonomous robotic vehicle which can precisely place seed in the ground and return to mechanically weed – this helps to reduce herbicide usage and associated costs. Ten applications accepted with a value of £250,000.
- Rainwater harvesting tanks with a minimum capacity of 5,000 litres which will help to reduce water scarcity for farmers in the summer months. This equipment will now benefit 86 recipients with a value of £110,802.
- Tree shears with the capacity to fell 300mm diameter trees to stop the spread of pests and diseases across our woodlands. This funding helped 113 recipients with a total value of £363,747.
- Dribble bars with a minimum working width of 6m designed to apply slurry to the soil surface as accurately as possible to minimise grass contamination and ammonia emissions. This equipment was made accessible to 94 farmers, amounting to a value of £403,200.
- Direct drills with a width of 3m to conserve moisture and reduces soil erosion. This initiative assisted 129 applicants, totalling £1.555m in value.
Labour leader tours British Steel’s Scunthorpe steelworks
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has visited British Steel’s Scunthorpe site to discuss the significant challenges faced by Britain’s steelmakers.
British Steel is the UK’s only manufacturer of structural sections, which it supplies into three out of four major construction projects in this country, and is the only company in the UK which makes rail and special profiles. In addition to this, it provides thousands of highly skilled and well-paid jobs while an estimated 19,000 people are employed in its supply chain.
During its first three years of ownership, Jingye has invested £330 million in capital projects at British Steel.
The company says its decarbonisation strategy is underpinned by a Low-Carbon Roadmap which will help secure low embedded carbon steelmaking in the UK. A spokesman for the company said: “However, we need the UK to adopt the correct policies and frameworks now to back our drive to become a clean, green, and successful company. Governments in the countries where our major competitors operate have adopted such policies and the longer we wait for their implementation in the UK, the more impact this will have on our competitiveness and the country’s ability to meet its carbon objectives.”
Alun Davies, National Officer for Community, the steelworkers’ union, said: “It was good to meet today with Keir and discuss Labour’s plans to deliver a decarbonised steel industry at the core of an ambitious industrial strategy. Britain needs its steel industry and Britain’s steelworkers need government to do far more to support our steelmakers to go green and prosper. All us steelworkers ask is the chance to compete on a level playing field with EU producers.”
Sir Keir was joined on his visit by Ed Miliband MP, Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero, and Sir Nic Dakin.
Sewell Construction joins ranks of firms to share in £305m of capital works
Sewell Construction has been chosen as one of the suppliers for procurement organisation Fusion21’s Refurbishment, Construction, New Build and Modular Buildings Framework.
The framework is designed to support public sector organisations to deliver up to £305m worth of housing, education and healthcare capital works programmes, including building and refurbishing schools and hospitals.
Sewell Construction Joint MD Chris Soper said: “We’re really pleased to have been awarded a place on this framework, which compliments our place on the Fusion21 Decarbonisation Framework. Our team have extensive expertise across the public and private sectors, but some of our highest profile projects have involved constructing and refurbishing schools, colleges, universities and healthcare buildings. We’re looking forward to working with partners across the North of England to ensure that education and healthcare professionals can deliver services in world-class facilities.”
Paul Towers, Framework Manager (Construction & Decarbonisation) at Fusion21 said: “We welcome Sewell Construction to the framework. The tender process was highly competitive and has identified the best contractors for our members to use for the delivery of a whole range of construction programmes.
“Members accessing this framework will benefit from flexible call-off options, UK-wide coverage, and the option to deliver social value to their communities, aligned to their organisational priorities.”
Sewell Construction, based in Leads Road in Hull, has more than 150 years’ experience in construction projects across Yorkshire and the Humber. Recent successes include the design and building of the new Broadacre Primary School, the construction of West Hull Health Hub (pictured above), the refurbishment of The Edge fitness centre at the University of Leeds and the ongoing conversion of the former Central Fire Station in Hull into a high performing, low carbon-impact extension of the Ron Dearing UTC, housing a renewables innovation lab, creativity hub and sixth-form centre.
