For 14 years NYnet – a company wholly owned by ourselves – has worked solely within the public sector providing gigabit broadband to schools, hospitals, GP surgeries as well as local authorities where speed and reliability are essential.
NYnet will now extend its Local Full Fibre network to 12 rural business parks across North Yorkshire, which have historically struggled with poor connections, as part of the £3.6m investment which was awarded to us by the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership as part of its allocation from the government’s Getting Building Fund.
NYnet’s Chief Executive Officer, Alastair Taylor, said: “We are delighted to be sharing the knowledge and expertise we have developed over more than a decade of working with the public sector to benefit local businesses.
“Our provision of gigabit broadband to schools has recently put the county in the top three in the country for school broadband and we hope that the expansion of our service into business parks will help put the region on the map for digital services and capabilities.”
The programme will potentially benefit more than 1,000 businesses across the county, enabling them to stay competitive and enhance the economy and attractiveness of North Yorkshire as a place to invest.
Executive Member for Access Cllr Don Mackenzie said: “NYnet is well established and highly trusted by public sector services in our region and we are delighted that these benefits will now be available to business parks in rural parts of the county that have typically struggled with reliable connectivity.
“The move to expand into the private sector and support rural business is excellent news for our local economy and comes at a time when many organisations are looking to relocate away from big cities, with advances in technology such as this making that possible.”
Helen Simpson OBE, Chair of the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Our region has ambitions to become a greener, fairer, stronger economy and schemes like this will help us get there. Improved digital connectivity is absolutely vital for businesses so we’re really pleased to see the continued progress of this work.”
BHP kicks off 2022 with two new part-qualified additions to its tax team
Yorkshire and North Derbyshire’s leading accountancy firm is kicking off 2022 with the appointment of two new members to its tax team.
Corporate Tax Trainee Ben Lawson and Personal Tax Trainee Charlotte Owen joined BHP’s Sheffield office in January and take the growing team to a total of 57.
Charlotte, who is from Sheffield, completed her AAT and ATT qualifications in her previous role.
She said: “BHP has such a solid reputation. I know a colleague who already works here, and they really enjoy it and recommended it as a place where you can see yourself with a long-term future.
“Everyone has been really welcoming and helpful, if you have any questions there’s always someone you can ask. We were invited to the company’s Christmas meal in December so we could get to know people before we started which I really liked.
“I’ll be studying for my ACA/CTA qualifications now and it’s reassuring to meet colleagues who’ve been through the same recently, who are happy to share advice and guidance. Overall, the company has a really supportive, welcoming feel to it.”
Ben is also from Sheffield and joins the team from another Sheffield firm where he started as a school leaver and worked for three years. Ben said: “BHP offers the opportunity for me to take the next steps in my career and grow within a strong and friendly team. It’s always stood out as a firm that really looks after its staff.”
Tax Partner Zoe Roberts commented: “The early years of your career can be really formative, and with all the training and qualifications in our industry, young people need to be supported as much as possible. This is something we pride ourselves on at BHP.
“As well as an investment in the future of our firm and the wider industry, it’s energising to be bringing in new voices, ideas and talent. We can’t wait to get to know Charlotte and Ben and look forward to them becoming a core part of our team.”
BHP has been ranked the second-best accountancy firm to work for in the UK, and the 35th best company to work for across Yorkshire and the Humber in the Best Companies survey 2021.
The independent accountancy firm is made up of over 400 professionals and 37 partners working across a wide range of specialities including audit and assurance, consulting, corporate finance and taxation.
Ditch NICs to recover 250,000 drop in apprenticeship starts, small firms urge, as #NAW2022 gets underway
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is urging the Government to look again at its planned hikes to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) to facilitate more workplace opportunities for young people as part of levelling up efforts. The recommendation comes as this year’s Apprenticeship Week begins today in England.
Last week, the Government established an aim of having “200,000 more people successfully completing high-quality skills training annually, driven by 80,000 more people completing courses in the lowest skilled areas,” as part of its Levelling Up white paper.
FSB’s latest Small Business Index shows the proportion of small firms citing lack of access to appropriately skilled staff as a barrier to growth has risen ten percentage points to 33% over the past year.
Though exemptions do exist for apprenticeships, FSB estimates that employers are paying NICs for most apprentices across the UK.
Apprenticeship starts have dropped from just under 500,000 a year in 2016/17, before the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, to under 325,000 in 2020/21.
To address these trends, FSB is urging policymakers to:
- Remove all employer NICs costs for apprentices to spur role creation.
- Cancel planned increases to NICs across the board and dividend taxation to free up funds for recruitment and training among entrepreneurs.
- Reintroduce the £3,000 incentive to hire an apprentice that ran until January of this year, targeting the funding at small businesses.
Stations on Barton-on-Humber line to receive £400k upgrade
East Midlands Railway (EMR) is to spend more than £400,000 upgrading and refreshing 12 stations along the Barton-on-Humber line.
The works, which aim to improve the overall station environment and travelling experience for customers, include the installation of passenger electronic help points – which allow customers to contact EMR’s customer service centre for information or the emergency services for assistance when required.
The stations will also have benches, signage and platform information replaced and refreshed – as well as new grit bins installed.
Metal fencing will be repainted, timber fences will be stained, while other structures, such as brick shelters and columns, will also be painted – helping to improve the appearance of the stations for customers up and down the route.
Specifically at Thornton Abbey and New Clee replacement fencing will also be erected.
EMR expect the work to be finished by late Spring.
Lisa Angus, Transition and Projects Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “We understand how important these stations are to the rural communities they serve and we hope these improvements will help to enhance the experience for customers who use the line for commuting, to visit loved ones or enjoy the lines scenic tourist locations like Thornton Abbey.
“The improvements are real boost to the line and will provide better signage, seating and information at every station on the route.”
Gill Simpson, Community Rail Officer at Barton Cleethorpes Community Rail Partnership, said: “Station improvements are always a high priority for the BCCRP and every year our members campaign for large scale improvements and fund smaller projects, so this news from East Midlands Railway is most welcome.
“With the high growth of employment opportunities in North and North East Lincolnshire, this is just another excellent reason for people to come to live and work here, and enjoy all the things this area of the country has to offer. The improvements also enhance the station experience for existing residents and casual visitors.”
Gordons launches UK tech start-ups and emerging companies service
UK tech start-ups and high growth businesses can now benefit from a specialist emerging companies service launched by Gordons.
The firm, which has been sole legal partner to digital and tech start up investment network NorthInvest for more than three years, provides emerging companies and investors with advice ranging from initial set-up, to fundraising and exit.
Gordons’ start-ups and emerging companies clients include marketing technology platform ContentCal, which entered into an agreement to be acquired by Adobe Inc. in December 2021.
The firm has advised ContentCal for a number of years including helping the business secure Series A investment from Fuel Ventures and Guinness Asset Management last March.
Other Gordons start-ups and emerging companies’ clients include film production company HTYT, construction web application company C-Link and many private and corporate investors.
Gordons’ head of start-ups and emerging companies is solicitor Amy Pierechod who also leads the firm’s relationship with NorthInvest. She leads a multi-disciplinary team from Gordons advising owners of tech start-ups and high growth businesses as well as investors.
“Through our work with NorthInvest we have built up a great network of founder and investor clients and we recognise that they need fast, to the point advice that focuses on what is important to them,” Amy said.
“The launch of our nationwide start-ups and emerging companies service is to show we recognise the particular challenges faced by companies in these early stages and want to work with those businesses to help them grow.”
Gordons’ start-ups and emerging companies team has advised on all aspects of business operations including Series A fundraises, licensing and exploiting ideas and technology, commercial contracts and incentivising employees.
Amy added: “Our aim is to be a first choice law firm for start-ups and emerging companies to enable entrepreneurs to realise their growth potential as quickly and effectively as possible.”
University of Hull helps fish processing firm Copernus evolve through sparkfund grant
One of Hull’s fish processing companies is evolving and growing with the help of new technology and the University of Hull’s SparkFund programme.
Copernus, a family-owned business established in the 1980s, secured funding from SparkFund to overhaul its buying process and fish tracking system using new computer software.
The previous paper-based system no longer met the requirements of the fast-growing business, and Copernus needed an integrated system to help keep up with the market, legal requirements and competitors.
The new system, along with other significant investments by Copernus has facilitated them to compete for and win a number of very high value supply contracts with major blue chip retailers, where margins and tight and control of operations and costs is critical to maintain profitability and sustainability of those contracts.
Jeff Milner, Finance Director at Copernus, said: “The funding has allowed us to build an integrated system that allows us to track and trace all of our fish from where it was caught through to the end consumer.
“Making our data electronic and creating a system to manage it has made a drastic change to the business and helped us make key strategic decisions.
Airmaster promotes a Senior Project Manager to their Maintenance team
Project Engineer, Scott Wolstenholme who has worked in Airmaster’s Contracts team for the last 3 years is moving over to the maintenance department as Senior Contracts Manager.
Scott will be responsible for attracting more work from the Refrigeration sector, bringing our existing customers up to date with what Airmaster can offer as an Air Conditioning & Refrigeration company.
Scott said “I will be working closely with our Maintenance/service engineers, with the aim of providing technical support, using some of my 25 years’ experience as a Refrigeration Engineer whilst on the road. I will still be carrying out site surveys and tenders for a variety of works which can include anything from small/large AC or refrigeration installations, cold rooms, clean rooms, ventilation systems, thermal insulations works as well as maintenance and service contracts.”
Lisa Pogson, Managing Director said “We are delighted to have promoted Scott into this new role. Our aim is to support our existing customers and attract additional clients to the maintenance department who are looking for a refrigeration specialist. Our maintenance team will benefit further from his expertise. This will enhance our team of skills looking after air conditioning, plumbing and heating systems.”
Anglian Water outlines largest ever year of investment
Anglian Water outlines largest ever year of investment focusing on climate resilience, environmental protection and driving down leakage
Including £28million of support for customers as cost of living increases
Anglian Water has today unveiled a huge £680million investment programme for the year ahead. The largest investment ever planned for a single year will be spent across the entire East of England, which is the driest and one of the fastest-growing parts of the country.
The funds will be ploughed into areas of work specifically aimed at preparing the region to meet the urgent challenges of climate change and population growth, as well as protecting the environment.
The water company will also continue to offer a wide range of support for customers to help them plan and manage their water bills, as the cost of living increases that have swept the UK over the last 12 months are set to continue.
Average water bills for the coming year are expected to be £454 for the year, or just £1.24 per day – an increase of just 6p per day on last year’s charges. This 5% rise compares to a forecasted average energy bill price hike of around 40%. Having a water meter remains the best way of keeping bills affordable as customers only pay for what they use.
Anglian Water’s Director of Customer and Wholesale, Pete Holland said:
“We know this year is going to be tough for our customers, as the cost of living increases for us all. That’s why we’re committed to keeping water bills as low as possible while still preparing our region to meet the significant challenges of a rapidly changing climate, and growing population.
“The average bill of £1.24 per day pays for all the water you need to wash your hands, to drink and to cook, and for every flush of the loo and cycle of the washing machine. But more than that, it helps us build and look after a water network that protects both the environment and our customers while looking ahead to future challenges too.”
A £680million investment programme: fit for a changing region
Operating in the driest region of the UK, Anglian Water has often highlighted the future challenges of water scarcity facing the East of England. The company’s largest ever five-year business plan, which began in 2020, outlined ground breaking schemes specifically designed to tackle this challenge, while protecting the region’s environment for the long term. The proposals were wholeheartedly endorsed by customers.
This is the third year of that cycle and will see boots-on-the-ground as this work continues, including:
· Environmental investment: £157million to protect and enhance the natural environment by removing chemicals such as phosphates and ammonia from used water, and working with organisations like The Rivers Trusts on river restoration projects to protect some of the region’s unique chalk stream habitats. This work forms part of Anglian’s £800million Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), which is larger than that of any other water company.
· Tackling CSOs: Within that programme of work, £52million will be spent on work tackling Combined Storm Overflows by increasing the network’s capacity to store excess rainwater, investigating and remedying the highest spilling CSOs and installing more monitors across the sewer network, so future investment can be targeted in the places where it can have the most benefit for the environment.
· Securing future supplies: £124million continuing work on the region’s biggest water infrastructure project for a generation, creating hundreds of kilometres of new interconnecting pipelines and associated infrastructure to move water around the region wherever and whenever needed. This is part of an ambitious new investment in resilience to keep taps running and minimise the impacts of future droughts, and reducing the amount of water taken directly from the environment.
· Helping customers save water: £31million will be spent on the continuation of the company’s programme to roll out over 1 million upgraded water meters across the region, helping customers to understand their water usage and identifying leaks in customer’s homes to better meet demand for water in the future.
· Reducing leakage: £11million on continuing to drive down leaks, retaining Anglian Water’s position as having the lowest level of leakage of any water company in the UK, by almost half.
The company will also invest heavily in maintaining and improving customer service, providing top quality drinking water and protecting the region against severe weather such as drought and flooding.
Continuing support for customers and communities
Every year Anglian Water commits £1million to help vulnerable customers facing financial hardship. The year Anglian Water will continue to extend financial support to over 300,000 households via its WaterCare Service.
Alongside helping people who’ve needed financial support this year, the water company has also increased the number of customers signed up to its Priority Services Register, meaning over 250,000 of the most vulnerable customers will get additional help should they need it.
The company’s priority service helps a wide range of people, from those with sight, hearing, or mobility difficulties, to parents with babies under 12 months old. The service also provides support to customers with long or short-term medical needs should there be any interruption to their water supply.
Pete continued: “Offering the right support for our customers has never been more important. Over the next 12 months we’ll be helping over 300,000 people by putting together packages of support that are tailored to meet their individual needs. This might be through accessing affordable tariffs or payment holidays for those who may be struggling to pay, or could be as simple as direct debit payments to help spread the cost each month.
“Whatever the circumstances, our message to customers is simple: if you’re struggling, please get in touch. The sooner we talk, the sooner we can help. And not only with your water bill, our Extra Care team can also signpost you to other support that you may be entitled to.
“This is the biggest investment we’ve ever made in a 12-month period and it comes at an incredibly challenging time for everyone. Our customers can be reassured that we invest every pound in doing the right thing now and for the long term. We believe our responsibility is to them, their communities and to the environment we look after.”
Go ahead for new housing in Crookes and Manor
Two new house building homes for rent projects are set to start as part of our plan to deliver 3,100 additional high quality and affordable council homes by 2029.
Sheffield City Council’s plans for council housing over the next 5 years will focus on continuing to build more houses in the city, maintaining and improving tenants homes and improving energy efficiency.
£310 million will be spent on major improvements to existing council homes on top of the £40 million that is spent on day to day council house repairs each year. A further £339m will be spent increasing the supply of new homes, £650 million in total.
Already the council has built or purchased 732 homes as part of this plan, called the Stock Increase Programme, a mixture of homes purchased on the open market and new homes built or purchased ‘off plan’. 221 new homes are already under construction and scheduled to be completed by Summer 2022. 762 homes on a further 8 sites are currently being planned.
The ‘Bole Hill View’ new build project in Crookes will provide 36 x 1 bedroom apartments on the site of the former older persons care home which has been disused for the last seven years. The apartments will meet the need for one bedroom homes in this area and will be built using a ‘fabric first strategy’ construction technique will be built using a ‘fabric first’ approach involving maximising insulation and air tightness integrated with quality build techniques and efficient ventilation systems.
Building in this way is part of our response to the climate emergency where homes will be more energy efficient, warmer and result in lower heating bills.
The ‘Corker Bottoms’ project will see the purchase of 47 new homes in Manor which will be delivered by Sheffield Housing Company (SHC), the council’s innovative regeneration vehicle. Planning approval has already been granted for their construction on the vacant housing site. There will be 15 x 2 bedroom, 20 x 3 bedroom and 12 x 4 bedroom homes and SHC intends to start building in spring this year, with all units due for completion in winter 2023/24.
Councillor Paul Wood, Executive Member for Housing, Roads and Waste Management, said: “These are another two important projects approved as part of our plan to build more houses of the right type and in the right location. I’m pleased to see that one of them is due to start in only a few weeks with the second starting in the autumn. We’re on target with our plan which can only be good for those who need a safe, warm and affordable home and for the city as a whole. We’re building energy efficiency into existing homes and in new build homes to respond to the climate emergency and through our house building we’re providing more job opportunities and apprenticeships for local people too.”
Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Executive Member for City Futures, Culture, Development and Regeneration, said: “As Sheffield’s population continues to grow it’s really important that everyone has access to high-quality, affordable housing where they want to live. These new developments will see hundreds of new homes built to meet demand and provide a range of housing types to cater for different needs; creating new communities in these popular locations.”
Application submitted for new housing development in Stokesley
A development of 25 new high-quality homes is being planned for Stokesley in a move that would see a derelict farm building replaced.
The proposal would see a combination of two, three and four bedrooms homes built by North Yorkshire’s Brierley Homes Ltd, with seven affordable homes included within the development to help those who would otherwise struggle to get onto the property ladder.
A planning application has been submitted for the development on land situated off Westlands Road, to be called Levens Pastures. If that is successful, work could start on site before the end of summer.
Brierley Homes is our housing development company, part of the Brierley Group, the trading arm of the council. It has already delivered high-quality homes at several locations across the county, often using brownfield sites to help meet housing needs.
Brierley Homes, and the local contractors who work on developments, also make great efforts to involve themselves in the community and have provided help and support to various groups, through supplying a combination of materials and skills.
All the properties have been designed to meet national space standards, creating high-quality family homes with appealing landscaping and open space. These are factors house buyers want to see, but which also help to ensure the homes are a positive addition to the communities in which they are built.
Brierley Homes Director Matt O’Neill said: “We are very proud of the quality of new homes we have been able to bring to North Yorkshire.
“Working with our local contractors and high quality independent businesses for our kitchen, bathrooms and other services, we produce well-designed and carefully constructed homes, which help to meet the county’s housing needs.
“Better still, value generated from these developments will be used to support County Council activities, so the whole county benefits.
“One thing which sets us apart is that we put great effort into being part of the community and on previous projects, we have been delighted to help local groups, schools and organisations with materials and other assistance we and our partners have been able to donate.”
County Councillor Derek Bastiman, Executive Member for Growth and Economic Development, said: “As a council, we took the opportunity to help the local economy and encourage growth by entering the housing market with Brierley Homes. This has proved most effective by filling a void. It is great to see another fine development that should help to address local housing needs.
“I am sure the quality will match their previous developments and I believe it will be a positive addition to Stokesley.”
Brierley Homes is part of the Brierley Group, which was established in 2017 to bring together council-owned companies with the aim of improving front line services. The group offers services within North Yorkshire and beyond. Other companies in the group are NY Highways, Align Property Partners, First North Law, NYnet, Yorwaste, Veritau, North Yorkshire Education Services and NY Tech.
Get more information about Brierley Homes.
First rural business park benefits from ultrafast speeds
Businesses at Thirsk Industrial Park will soon be able to access ultrafast broadband speeds via full fibre provider NYnet Ltd.
