Government will today grant hundreds of new oil and gas licences as the UK Government continues to work towards making Britain more energy independent. And the announcement includes the prospect of thousands of jobs in our region in what’s described as a ‘new industry’ – carbon capture. Project Viking in the Humber and Project Acorn in North East Scotland and  have been chosen as the third and fourth carbon capture usage and storage clusters in the UK. The Government has already committed to deploy CCUS in two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s – the HyNet cluster in North West England and North Wales, and the East Coast Cluster in the Teesside and Humber – and a further two clusters by 2030. Together, these four clusters will build a new thriving carbon capture usage and storage industry, which could support up to 50,000 jobs in the UK by 2030. The UK has one of the largest potential carbon dioxide storage capacities in Europe, making the North Sea one of the most attractive business environments for CCUS technology. The Government has committed to provide up to £20 billion in funding for early deployment of CCUS, unlocking private investment and job creation. The Government and the North Sea Transition Authority are today announcing a joint commitment to undertake future licensing rounds, which will continue to be subject to a climate compatibility test. By adopting a more flexible application process, licences could also be offered near to currently licensed areas – unlocking vital reserves which can be brought online faster due to existing infrastructure and previous relevant assessments. With the independent Climate Change Committee predicting around a quarter of the UK’s energy demand will still be met by oil and gas when the UK reaches net zero in 2050, the Government is taking steps to slow the rapid decline in domestic production of oil and gas, which will secure our domestic energy supply and reduce reliance on hostile states. This will increase the UK’s energy security and reduce dependence on higher-emission imports, whilst protecting more than 200,000 jobs in a vital industry as we grow the UK economy. As part of a visit to a critical energy infrastructure site in Aberdeenshire today, the Prime Minister will highlight the central role the region will play in strengthening the UK’s energy independence and meet the next generation of skilled apprentices key to driving this work forward. The NSTA – responsible for regulating the oil, gas and carbon storage industries – is currently running the 33rd offshore oil and gas licensing round. They expect the first of the new licences to be awarded in the autumn, with the round expected to award over 100 licences in total. Future licences will be critical to providing energy security options, unlocking carbon capture usage and storage and hydrogen opportunities – building truly integrated offshore energy hubs that make the best use of the established infrastructure. This comes as new analysis shows that the carbon footprint of domestic gas production is around a quarter of the carbon footprint of imported liquified natural gas. As the UK is a rapidly declining producer of oil and gas, new oil and gas licences reduce the fall in UK supply in order to ensure vital energy security, rather than increase it above current levels – so that the UK remains on track to meet net zero by 2050. Rishi Sunak said: “We have all witnessed how Putin has manipulated and weaponised energy – disrupting supply and stalling growth in countries around the world. “Now more than ever, it’s vital that we bolster our energy security and capitalise on that independence to deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses. “Even when we’ve reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas. But there are those who would rather that it come from hostile states than from the supplies we have here at home. “We’re choosing to power up Britain from Britain and invest in crucial industries such as carbon capture and storage, rather than depend on more carbon intensive gas imports from overseas – which will support thousands of skilled jobs, unlock further opportunities for green technologies and grow the economy.” The UK’s oil and gas industry are also vital to driving forward and investing in clean technologies that we need to realise our net zero target, like carbon capture usage and storage, by drawing from the sector’s existing supply chains, expertise and key skills whilst protecting jobs.

Lincoln Print & Copy Centre has continued investing in new equipment and recently bought new booklet making equipment to be able to offer folded and stapled booklets and brochures with many more pages. This has been used straight away for a customer needing booklets with many pages, as low a cost each as possible and a quick turnaround. They were able to offer exactly what the customer needed. It is particularly useful for short runs on brochures, catalogues, instruction manuals, information and training booklets. It allows clients to change the details and information regularly. Other new equipment meant a supplier to the NHS could have wire bound training manuals of 300 A5 pages or more, again in short runs to suit the numbers on their training courses. They are also able to produce small A6 booklets, landscape and square brochures. Particularly popular at this time of year are leaflets and posters advertising upcoming events and brochures for commercial companies going to trade shows. Lincoln Print & Copy Centre work with their customers to ensure the printing fits their needs and budget, and keeping their printed information up to date.

West Yorkshire’s creative and cultural industries have seen rapid growth over the last 12 months, with more jobs in the sector being created thanks to the Mayor’s commitment to deliver a Creative New Deal. New figures published by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority reveal that almost 48,000 creative, cultural and sport roles were advertised in the region during the 12 months up to June 2023 – a 17 percent rise on the previous year and almost three times greater than the national annual increase of six percent. And West Yorkshire’s creative industries is set to benefit from further investment, with a new £1.7 million package to help boost the sector announced. The ‘You Can Make it Here’ support package will support people into the region’s growing creative industries, upskilling them through a bespoke range of initiatives, including training accelerators and mentorships. Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin said: “Our creative industries are booming with thousands of job opportunities for people across the region and today’s investment will give everyone a chance to get the skills they need to do a well paid job that they love. “The support we’re providing is key to creating a greater, more diverse pool of talent and opportunities to help drive further growth and innovation throughout the sector. It’s going to help us to build a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire that will make a real difference to the lives of people in our communities and beyond.” The £1.7 million investment will further support the Mayor’s ambition to increase economic benefits for the region through culture, helping to boost recovery for creative industry businesses and freelancers, as well as tackling the lack of diversity within the sector. One of the schemes is an extension of support for the Mayor’s Screen Diversity programme. Delivered by Screen Yorkshire, it aims to increase opportunities in the screen industries by providing training and work placements for young people in under-represented groups. Of the last cohort, 43% identified as disabled and 38% were from ethnic minority backgrounds. Cllr Denise Jeffery, leader of Wakefield Council and chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Place, Regeneration and Housing Committee, said: “West Yorkshire has a strong and diverse creative heritage. It’s fantastic to see the progress our region is making to harness the opportunities which stem from that. “We’ve got huge potential. The Mayor’s You Can Make It Here support package will help Wakefield and everywhere else in West Yorkshire to realise that potential. Helping to create more new employment opportunities for local people, creating the right environment for business growth, and placing this vital sector at the heart of our region’s economy.” Leaders approved the £1.7 million ‘You Can Make It Here’ scheme at a meeting of the Combined Authority yesterday (27 July).

A self-confessed accidental entrepreneur, who became one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of colourful sensory putty, has secured a match-funded grant from the South Yorkshire Business Productivity Programme to help her unique business target future growth in international markets.

Ruby Sheldon launched her Carlton-based business Slime Party UK in 2018. Inspired by her daughter, who wanted to celebrate her birthday by inviting her friends to make slime together, Ruby decided to take matters into her own hands and began developing her slime making workshops.

The party proved to be an instant hit, and Ruby started receiving requests from other parents to host similar events. Sensing a small business opportunity Ruby decided to advertise her unique slime parties on a social media platform.

Within just a month, Ruby had secured party bookings for a full 12 months. As she began experimenting with new ways of making colourful, scented and sensory slime, she started selling her products online. When the Covid-19 pandemic forced Ruby to suspend her slime parties, she spent time developing her own unique compound, a sensory putty with a butter-slime texture designed to be thick and easy to hold, but also the perfect texture for stretching, squashing and encouraging sensory play.

Her unique products quickly caught the eye of national retailer Toymaster, and today Slime Party UK produces over 4,000 tubs of Ruby’s unique sensory putty each week. With demand for her services growing quickly, Ruby expanded her business, combining a manufacturing facility and colourful shop in Barnsley which opened its doors earlier this year.

With plans to expand her business internationally, Ruby knew that she needed to re-think the way her sensory putties were manufactured, enabling her to increase production to meet future demands and she decided to contact Enterprising Barnsley for help.

Working with key account manager Paul Johnson, Ruby secured funds through the South Yorkshire Business Productivity Programme, a match funded ERDF grant scheme, to enable her to automate her packaging processes. The funds helped Slime Party UK to invest in a labelling machine, allowing labels to be added to her pots of sensory putty automatically, rather than relying upon members of staff physically labelling her products.

The machinery helped to free up the time of two of her 13-strong workforce, enabling production capacity to increase, and since installing the new equipment, Slime Party UK has started to forge an international distribution network and even exhibited at trade shows in North America. The additional capacity created within the business has also enabled Ruby and her team to start developing a new range of sensory putties, and the company is also planning to release a range of gift sets in the near future.

Ruby Sheldon, Managing Director, Slime Party UK, said: “When my daughter started getting interested in slime, I thought it would be a fairly short-lived fad, but I was genuinely amazed by the reactions my parties received and just how much they were in demand. As I delved more into the science behind slime, I began to realise the importance of sensory play in childhood development.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we were unable to host the regular parties that I had built my business around and so I began developing my own sensory putties. We launched them in 2021 and since that time the business has gone from strength to strength. We’re planning to expand internationally later this year, but our products were already in high demand, so I wanted to explore ways of improving the way our manufacturing processes.

“From my very early days of trading, I’ve worked closely with the Enterprising Barnsley team: initially, through the Launchpad business support programme, which helped me to understand how to run a business, and they have also provided help and assistance as the business has grown and evolved.

“One of the barriers we faced was the way each tub of slime was packaged. I knew that automating part of the production process could help, but the costs of purchasing the machinery were inhibitive. Paul suggested that I should apply to the Business Productivity Programme, and since securing the funds, it has helped to transform the business. I’ve really enjoyed working with Paul and he’s been very supportive of our plans and he always goes the extra mile when it comes to helping us.”

Paul Johnson, key account manager, Enterprising Barnsley, said: “Although there are very few businesses out there who specialise in making sensory putties, like many businesses working in the manufacturing sector, Slime Party UK realised that to increase production, additional investment was required.

“Ruby realised that employing two members of staff to stick labels on her completed products was causing something of a bottleneck in her production line and realised that if the process was automated, her workforce could be used more effectively.

“Ruby has worked closely with Enterprising Barnsley since she first began developing her ideas, and it’s great to see how the business has grown and evolved over the past five years.

“The Business Productivity Grant scheme was developed to help businesses across South Yorkshire to overcome barriers to growth, and for Slime Party UK this meant being able to free up staff, which will help the business to increase its current production levels. Through the distribution network Ruby has forged, children across the world are enjoying Slime Party’s unique products, and I am looking forward to seeing how the business will develop in the future.”