Immingham Museum gets new exhibit with help from ABP
A floor dedicated to the overview of the history of the Port of Immingham has been officially opened at Immingham Museum by ABP in the Humber.
Called the ABP Room, it is the result of a financial donation given by the UK’s largest port operator in 2022 to help the town’s museum enhance its digital offering.
Simon Bird, Regional Director of ABP Humber said: “ABP is proud to support the town’s museum in the telling of our stories, which are intertwined. The strong links between Immingham and the port are told in the story of our industrial heritage and how the area developed connecting it to the rest of the world to become the leading port it is today Through the telling of these to a wider audience it also showcases the career opportunities in the ports.”
John Trevitt from Immingham Museum said: “We are very grateful and proud to be supported by ABP. This has enabled us to significantly improve our existing displays and create what we believe to be a unique experience in the new ABP docks’ room. Unusually for a Museum using the latest digital technology, we can now show the area’s economic past, present and dynamic future.
“Visitors will be able to see in real time live information of the area’s shipping, rail, and aircraft movements. This is streamed to three large screens together with spectacular contemporary, historical and aerial video footage.”
The first-floor room is dedicated to the history of the port and enhances people’s understanding of its beginnings from coal exports to the UK’s largest port by volume of tonnage handling around 46 million tonnes of cargo every year.
Videos being streamed in the room show the modern-day port, and the daily operations from cargoes being handled to vessels coming in through the lock.
Based in Immingham Civic Hub, the museum staffed by volunteers, opened in 1970 and its main theme is the history of the port of Immingham, and the Mayflower pilgrim connection. Entry to the museum is free and it is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, 1pm to 4pm. For more information on the museum visit the website here.
Business confidence in Yorkshire remains strong as firms focus on growth
Business confidence in Yorkshire remained strong in April at 30% for the second consecutive month, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
Companies in Yorkshire reported lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down 11 points at 41%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 13 points to 21%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 30%.
Yorkshire businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as evolving their offer (41%), investing in their team (35%) and investing in sustainability (29%). The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. A net balance of 7% of businesses in the region expect to increase staff levels over the next year, up 13 points on last month.
Overall, UK business confidence climbed one point to 33% in April. Every UK nation and region reported a positive confidence reading and six out of 11 regions recorded a higher reading than last month. London reported the highest levels of business confidence at 47% (up nine points month-on-month), followed by East Midlands (up 18 points) and North East (up three points), both at 41%.
Firms’ outlook on their own trading prospects remained strong at 39% for the second consecutive month, and a net balance of 27% of businesses are intending to increase their staff levels, up two points on March.
Ahead of the three Bank Holidays in May, firms’ optimism in the overall economy increased five points to 28% – the highest reading since June last year.
Steve Harris, regional director for Yorkshire at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “It’s great to see business confidence in Yorkshire remain strong in April as businesses make ambitious plans for growth, with many looking to bolster revenue streams by evolving their offering.
“We’re committed to supporting businesses to achieve their plans for growth by providing them with practical advice to help firms manage their cashflow and working capital as they discover new avenues of development.”
Business confidence in the service sector rose to 36% this month, the highest since May 2022, with sentiment particularly upbeat in hospitality and financial services. While the other sectors saw slight decreases, construction remained strong at 43% while manufacturing and retail remain above last year’s lowest levels.
Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “The recent increases in business confidence indicate that the economy entered the second quarter of 2023 with positive momentum.
“The revival in the demand for labour, which improved for the fifth consecutive month, may account for the modest uptick in wage expectations for the next twelve months.
“While firms’ concerns on overall cost pressures have eased, there is little evidence that pricing expectations have declined which may impact wider pricing decisions for the remainder of 2023.”
Lee Freeman appointed to Government police and fire role from August
Humberside’s former Chief Constable Lee Freeman has been named as one of two officials to take over the dual roles of His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary in England and Wales and Inspector of Fire and Rescue in England.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman appointed him alongside Michelle Skeer, and they’ll both move into post in August.
Mr Freeman has been Chief Constable of Humberside Police since May 2017. In January 2019, he was asked to support Cleveland Police as interim Chief Constable during a period of crisis. He also served as a police officer at Lincolnshire Police between February 2010 and April 2015, reaching the rank of Assistant Chief Constable. Mr Freeman was awarded the King’s Police Medal in 2023.
Since March 2018, Mrs Skeer has been Chief Constable of Cumbria Constabulary, having joined the force in 1990. She performed a variety of operational roles before moving to the criminal investigation department where she held roles at every rank and led on both public protection and serious crime operations. Mrs Skeer was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2017.
Suella Braverman said: “I’m pleased to welcome Lee Freeman and Michelle Skeer to these important roles, where they will play a vital part in ensuring that our police forces and fire and rescue services provide the excellent service that the public rightly expects.
Mr Freeman said: “I look forward to working with colleagues across both policing and fire and rescue services in order to ensure the services provided to the public continue to improve.”
Games developer makes German acquisition
astragon, a subsidiary of Team17, the Wakefield games developer, has acquired German development studio, Independent Arts.
Independent Arts has been a trusted third-party development partner of astragon for a number of years and has a strong existing relationship with the business. The acquisition brings a team of experienced ‘working simulation’ developers in-house to support current owned IP development and accelerate new IP that will launch in future years.
Supported by the wider studio knowledge within Team17, this is the first 100% owned studio acquisition by astragon.
Debbie Bestwick MBE, Chief Executive Officer of Team17, said: “This adds further conviction to our belief in astragon, showing they were a key part of our group’s performance in the first year within Team17 following its acquisition in 2022 and will prove to be an equally important part of our growth journey over the coming years.
“Led by Julia and Tim, they are an exceptional team and one of the world’s best when it comes to producing original, highly creative IP in the hobbyist ‘working simulations’ sector of the games market, as evidenced by their successful Fire, Police, Bus and Construction simulation titles.
“This is an important opportunity for the astragon team to accelerate its pipeline of new IP and add experienced, fully owned development capability to its operational footprint.”
Multi-million pound boiler turns ‘waste’ gas into electricity for British Steel at Scunthorpe
British Steel has spent £3m recommissioning a huge boiler vital to its steelmaking operations at Scunthorpe – meaning the site can generate its own electricity from waste gases and could even export to the National Grid.
The site relies on electricity generated at its Central Power Station to power a range of activities on site. Bob Fish, Plant Engineer Energy Operations and Fuel, said: “This three-storey boiler is huge – it’s the equivalent in size of 2.5 houses stacked on top of each other – and contains an astonishing 15,080 metres of tubes. These tubes are filled with water and four multi-fuel burners in contact with the tubes convert the water to steam. This is then used to generate electricity and is also used directly as steam across the site.
“Over time the tubes wear and this inevitably leaded to leaks that affect the boiler’s performance. This £3 million investment allowed us to change 12,000 metres of tubes with a combined weight of 60 tonnes. We’ve now brought the boiler back on line and, thanks to the hard work and skill of all involved, it’s performing very well and providing a reliable service to the site.”
The project involved sourcing 76.1mm diameter steel tubes. The material used to make the tubes has a chromium molybdenum addition and this helps improve corrosion resistance, extending the performance life of the tubes. Contractor Heathyards bent, shaped and welded the tubes off site and contract company Altrad Babcock then installed the new tubes, a complex task involving specialist equipment and a team of 50 that clocked up a total of more than 90,200 hours working on the project.
Process steam is used in a variety of applications including generation of electricity via turbines and creating the vacuum needed in secondary steelmaking operations at the Steelmaking plant, as well as providing heat to office blocks across the Scunthorpe site. “But none of this can happen without the works-arising gases,” said Bob. “The gases created in our operations, such as that at the blast furnaces, feed directly into what we do to create both electricity and steam.
“It all goes hand-in-hand – and by doing this, we can also generate savings for the business. With eight boilers in total on the Scunthorpe site, when all are operating fully we have the potential to save £13,500 an hour and can even bring in money to the business when excess energy is exported to the National Grid.”
North Yorkshire timber business secures six figure loan to invest in technology
A Leeming Bar-based family-run timber business has received a six figure loan to invest in technology and help fulfil growing customer demand.
Fall Timber Ltd, which was founded more than 45 years ago and managed by its second generation owner, Helen Fall and her husband, Matt, received the loan from NPIF – BEF & FFE Microfinance, which is managed by BEF and FFE, and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
Supplying timber for national building projects as well as agricultural clients, self-builders and gardeners, Fall Timber moved to its current site in Leeming Bar Industrial Estate during the pandemic, and offers a drive-through warehouse.
Helen, who has a background in operations working for brands such as Rolls Royce, Deloitte and Credit Suisse, said: “The loan from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund is going to play a vital role in keeping up with customer demand.
“The need for timber isn’t going away and with the additional funds, we’re planning on investing in cutting technology to improve productivity, which may require some research and development. Traditional methods of cutting timber are incredibly labour intensive so with the support of technology, we’ll be able to supply customers much quicker.
“We’ll also be launching an ecommerce website so that we can continue to serve our customers efficiently, while giving them the option to browse and pre-purchase our stock prior to pick up or delivery. This will be especially useful for our self-build and gardening customers who are in the midst of projects.”
Fall Timber, which has a team of eleven employees, originally operated from the family farm on the outskirts of Bedale. Of the move, Helen, who took over the business from her father 10 years ago, said: “We’d outgrown our operations on the farm, so around three years ago we moved to our current premises. Since then, we’ve been on a journey of growth and overcoming the setbacks the pandemic brought.
“The loan came at a great time for us and the process was so simple. We’re excited to bring these plans to life this year and give the business space to develop. Both Matt and I had vastly different careers to the world of timber before this, but it feels important to my family heritage to keep the craft going. There are few independent timber merchants left and we love being able to offer our customers the best service and product.”
Lee Vickers, investment manager at BEF, said: “With its longstanding history, Fall Timber already has a successful model as a timber merchant. Helen and Matt have great aptitude for the business and using the loan to invest in technology to improve efficiency and keep up with customer demand will help them compete with larger companies while remaining true to their roots. We’re looking forward to seeing what the rest of this year has in store for them.”
Accountancy group acquires Yorkshire firm
Accountancy group Azets has acquired Naylor Wintersgill, the £4m+ independent firm of chartered accountants, business and tax advisors, based in Yorkshire.
The acquisition is Azets’ eleventh in 12 months.
Naylor Wintersgill, which will rebrand as Azets with immediate effect, delivers accounting, audit, corporate finance, tax, payroll, and HR advisory services to SMEs, private clients, and not-for-profit organisations across the Yorkshire region.
The acquisition sees Azets expand its presence and deepen its advisory expertise in Yorkshire, adding two offices to its UK network which now totals 90.
Naylor Wintersgill has been based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, for more than a century.
Acquiring Naylor Wintersgill adds 67 people into the Azets team, including eight partners.
Managing Director Victoria Wainwright, who started her accountancy career as Naylor Wintersgill’s first apprentice in 1991, will continue to lead the team as office managing partner.
She said: “The team at Naylor Wintersgill are thrilled to be joining Azets. This is a brilliant opportunity to strengthen our services offering to SMEs and owner-managed businesses in Yorkshire. It is also an opportunity for our team to be part of a much larger ecosystem, creating even more value for our clients.
“We will continue to build on the achievements of Naylor Wintersgill, delivering the same high-quality level of service, with the advantage of being able to offer more specialist advice and be part of a growing group that offers new and exciting opportunities for our clients and our people.
“It was clear from the start that Azets’ culture and values align closely with our own, and we are confident that that this acquisition is the perfect fit for our future growth.”
Peter Gallanagh, regional CEO for Azets’ UK North region, said: “I’d like to offer a warm welcome to our new colleagues and clients from Naylor Wintersgill as we embark on this exciting journey together. This acquisition offers a platform for Azets to keep building its regional presence in Yorkshire and leverage shared skills in support of our SME clients.
“Like Azets, Victoria and her team have a strong reputation for delivering a full range of quality professional services and support to clients through a collaborative relationship built on trust and confidence.”
Russell Turner, regional managing partner with Azets in Yorkshire, added: “This acquisition is a wonderful opportunity to expand Azets’ geographical presence in Bradford and enhance our specialist offering to SME clients right across the Yorkshire region. We are delighted to be working with Victoria and her team.”
Streets Chartered Accountants covers directors remuneration and more in new news roundup
Streets Chartered Accountants covers directors remuneration, its podcast with the co-founders of Cognito, provides useful tax information, and more in its new news roundup.
Directors remuneration – salary versus dividend, food for thought for 2023/24For many years, director shareholders in limited companies have often been advised to take a small salary, at a rate to retain access to state pension credits and other benefits, and then supplement their income using dividends. Looking at the individual and the company together, this is a very tax effective route.
Podcast: Sisters with more than a thought when it comes to an enterprising ideaThis episode of The Streets Sessions features sisters Ellie and Zara Pickles, co-founders of Cognito, a contemporary Sushi and Japanese restaurant and bar. It explores what led them to open Cognito, the challenges they’ve faced, the role and support of the wider family and their exciting vision for the future.
Tax Rates and Allowances 2023/24Streets’ handy format Tax Rates and Allowances card is now available as a PDF online. For a printed copy please email info@streetsweb.co.uk
Tax Return Checklist 2023Download Streets’ tax return checklist which, whilst not exhaustive, does include the majority of the information required in connection with the completion of your tax return.
SmartMoney – March/April 2023
SmartMoney is the bi-monthly magazine from Streets Financial Consulting plc, Streets Chartered Accountants’ independent financial planning arm, full of news and helpful information on personal financial planning.
Demolition on former Wilkos site begins
Demolition work on the former Wilkos building on Corporation Street is under way as the regeneration of Rotherham town centre continues.
The Council acquired the building at 4 Corporation Street in January 2023 to prevent it from becoming a long-term empty building, after high street household, DIY and homewares chain, Wilkos, closed the store after 127 years in the town centre.
The site will be utilised to enhance the Council’s Town Centre Masterplan, and over the next 18 months will be part of the Forge Island site compound.
Heavy plant machinery is currently in operation on the back of the building and will continue to demolish the rest of the structure in sections over the next six weeks.
After being removed, the materials will be recycled and reused in other projects across the UK.
Prior to the demolition starting, the building was stripped inside to ensure that all asbestos was removed.
Cllr Denise Lelliott, Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Business and Economy, said: “With the crane now towering over the ongoing works on Forge Island and more town centre homes becoming occupied, we’re making progress on our plans to regenerate Rotherham town centre.
“The closure of Wilko’s after such a long time was clearly a loss but sadly this is a pattern seen in other town centres across the country. So rather than leave the building empty we want to use the space to help facilitate the wider Forge Island development over the coming months.”
Multi-disciplinary built environment consultancy secures £40m investment
Multi-disciplinary built environment consultancy Ridge and Partners, which has offices in Leeds, has secured a significant investment of more than £40 million from Horizon Capital.
Horizon’s investment supports Ridge in delivering the next phase of its ‘Quality, Innovation and Growth’ vision, which sets a strategy for expanding expertise and nurturing talent in a progressive way.
The success of this strategy is clear in Ridge’s recent expansion from 577 people and £61 million turnover in 2020 to 1,000 people and a forecast £105 million in 2023 across its 13 UK offices. Strategic acquisitions in the last three years have included Scott Hughes Design and Projex.
Ridge’s broad multi-disciplinary offering to clients, which includes depth in architecture, building services, engineering, planning, surveying, sustainability and transport, will be expanded by investing in talent across its core disciplines as well as through new acquisitions.
New acquisitions will complement Ridge’s existing practices and develop new services to enhance its track record of strong client relationships. Strategic opportunities include the digital revolution, the net zero carbon and social impact agendas and changing ways of living, working and learning. Through its investment in Ridge, Horizon Capital is adding built environment services to its portfolio of 14 technology services, business services, software and data companies.
Adrian O’Hickey, senior partner, Ridge, said: “This is a transformational deal for Ridge – a catalyst for some of the most ambitious changes in our strategy. We’ve already been successful in turning up the dial on this business, introducing new initiatives and developing our people. We want to continue that progress, with the benefit of new investment, while maintaining our core values of quality, collaboration and agility all the way.
“Progressive growth is crucial for us and that means creating better and more sustainable places while offering cutting edge services for our clients and career opportunities for our colleagues.
“Horizon Capital’s focus on professional services and technology makes them a strong fit for Ridge and protects the personal culture of our 75-year-old business. Horizon understands the personal touch that distinguishes the Ridge culture and our willingness to exploit the latest technology to work more efficiently and more accurately.”
Luke Kingston, managing partner, Horizon Capital, said: “Horizon is providing the first institutional capital to Ridge in its 75-year history. Its partners have already taken opportunities for sustained growth in recent years, and we will help them to be even more ambitious in the firms and talent they reach out to.
“This professional expertise will be vital in the next few years as the UK upgrades its infrastructure and brings its building stock up to net zero standards. The winners in this market should be the consultants who have the trust of their clients and a track record of maintaining the highest standards throughout their businesses.”
