North Lincolnshire Council announces Scunthorpe broadband boost
Around 900 more commercial properties in Scunthorpe will be able to access gigabit broadband thanks to £150,000 of Government cash. The cash is part of the Government’s £27m Town Deal for North Lincolnshire which will help create jobs and grow the economy.
An event for businesses within 200 metres of a new gigabit fibre cable is being held online on Thursday 10 February between 8am and 9am. Businesses that are interested can register at www.northlincs.gov.uk/Gigabitbroadband.
Ultrafast fibre has already been installed in parts of Scunthorpe earlier this year.
Several local businesses have subscribed to the services and are benefiting from the enhanced digital infrastructure already.
Access to Ultrafast fibre will enable businesses to benefit from efficiency improvements and cost savings, through:
• Enable organisational change such as change to business processes.
• Improved online sales and marketing.
• Improved online ordering and invoicing.
• Enhanced video conferencing and VoIP services.
• Improved access to cloud-based services.
• Easier document sharing means businesses become more efficient.
• Productivity also improves as a large number of users can simultaneously use the internet with little to no effect on the overall performance of the broadband connection.
This new government money enabled us to unlock a further £500,000 of private sector investment, to extend the gigabit network into southern parts of Scunthorpe giving around 900 businesses premises access to gigabit broadband speeds.
ITS’ expertise in network design and build means that it is capable of connecting customers to gigabit connectivity far quicker than the industry norm.
This is because it will use a ‘dig once’ approach using public and private infrastructure where appropriate and avoid disruptive road digs and road works, only digging new trenches when absolutely necessary.
The map shows the gigabit fibre spine that runs through the heart of Scunthorpe’s business communities. Any business within 200 metres of this spine can now order full fibre broadband with speeds from 100mb to gigabit. This is now available to 2224 business premises in the Scunthorpe area.
Siddall & Hilton Products continues to invest in Brighouse manufacturing site
As part of its ongoing programme of improving facilities at its Brighouse site, welded steel mesh manufacturer Siddall and Hilton Products has made a £350,000 investment in upgrades to its premises and refurbishing its largest welding machine.
Over the Christmas period, the company undertook a three-week project to completely replace the roof of one of its factories on Foundry Street, increasing the amount of natural light in the building, improving its thermal efficiency and ensuring it is watertight to keep products in prime condition. At the same time, a new heating system was installed in both factory units, replacing old and inefficient gas heaters.
In addition, the 17-year old GRS144, one of Siddall and Hilton Products’ five welding machines and the largest welding machine in the world when it was built, has been fully reconditioned and refurbished during a two-month programme by an in-house team. This programme also saw the replacement of the staging and guarding around the machine, with the guarding having been fabricated on site using the company’s own mesh panels.
“It’s great to see our world-class vision starting to take shape. As a business with a 127-year heritage, there are parts of the site, both buildings and machinery, which need to be upgraded and, following the MBO in 2019, this forms a key part of our strategic plan,” explains Ian Thurley, chief executive. “We’re really pleased to have our largest welding machine back in production and looking as good as new, proudly standing alongside our latest £2m welding machine which we added last year.
“Our ongoing investment into the redevelopment of the site and machinery forms part of our commitment to maintaining our position as the UK’s largest manufacturer of welded steel mesh for high-security fencing, general fencing and industrial mesh panels. This is the first of some exciting improvement plans we will be announcing during 2022 as we progress our ambitious vision for Siddall and Hilton Products to be a world-class operation.”
Demand for online sales leads to e-commerce investment for iconic Yorkshire brand, Wensleydale Creamery
The Wensleydale Creamery, based at Hawes in Wensleydale, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is investing in its e-commerce operation to optimise its business for increased direct-to-consumer demand.
The new e-commerce operation will see the brand launch a new website with plans to expand the operations team to facilitate the projected increased demand from UK consumers.
The new website, which showcases the Creamery’s rich cheesemaking heritage and provenance, aims to enhance and streamline the customer experience of buying online, direct from the artisan cheesemaker.
The investment follows recent increased online sales, which accelerated during the pandemic. Capitalising on the online food-buying trend, the Creamery is perfectly positioned to deliver direct to the increased number of consumers searching online for authentic food and all year-round gifting options.
The Creamery already sells directly to many loyal fans through its Online Deli, with freshly cut handcrafted cheese and a range of locally sourced artisan accompaniments, deli boxes and luxury hampers and gifts. The business has generated a 145% sales increase vs pre-pandemic levels and has further ambitious targets for the forthcoming year.
Sandra Bell, Marketing Manager at the Wensleydale Creamery, commented: “We’d identified the direct-to-consumer route as an opportunity for our business, and with the notable rise in online food sales activity over the past two years, we’ve been able to test our model to support our investment and growth plans. We’re now in a great position to expand our e-commerce offering and services and provide an enhanced online consumer experience to cater to the increasing customer demand.
“Our new website will make the shopping experience even smoother, allowing us to showcase our handcrafted cheese and artisan produce, and develop new ranges, not only for key calendar occasions but also all-year-round gifting for cheese lovers across the UK.”
To find out more, please visit: https://www.wensleydale.co.uk/.
Last chance to win a free office design
Entries close tonight at midnight for a chance to win a free office design as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations for Lincolnshire commercial office design and refurbishment company APSS.
As businesses across the UK have been forced to adapt to a post-COVID working life, many companies have been forever changed.
“The way offices are used has changed, and businesses need to ensure they reflect the new way of working,” explained Stuart Marsland, sales director for APSS. “When an office is designed to specifically meet the needs of the business, there is a significant increase in staff morale, as well as productivity. You will find the business flows better and becomes more efficient.
“In addition to celebrating our 25th anniversary, we want to help those businesses who may not have considered bringing in a professional company to redesign their office before. If we can help them to better understand the flow of how their business could work going forward, it will make a huge difference to that company.”
Established in Lincoln in 1997, APSS has evolved from a partitions and storage solution company to providing clients with a full design and fit out service.
APSS specialises in creating offices which showcase a company’s brand, personality and help boost staff morale, productivity, and efficiency using inspirational designs and natural light.
Entries close at midnight on February 7th, 2022. To enter, submit an online form and answer four questions about what both the company and its staff want included in their office environment. The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges and will receive computer-generated images and a video walkthrough of the design to show what potential the office has.
In the last 25 years APSS has completed over 10,000 orders for customers across the country. The company’s first-ever customer was Siemens. Since then, it has designed and refurbished offices and retail spaces for Wren Kitchens, Slimming World, Octopus Energy, Loughborough University, University of Sheffield and Bakkavor to name just a few.
For all terms and conditions of the competition, please visit the APSS website.
One of Europe’s largest battery storage facilities set for Hull as Harmony Energy signs 40 year lease
Keyland Developments, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister company to Yorkshire Water, has agreed a 40 year lease to Harmony Energy for the construction of a battery storage facility at a five acre site adjacent to Creyke Beck substation in Cottingham near Hull. When constructed it will be one of the largest battery storage facilities in Europe.
Harmony Energy has secured planning consent from East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a total of 100MW of battery storage. The development will enable energy from renewables, like solar and wind, to be stored and then released when customers need power most, helping the UK transition to net zero.
Yorkshire-based Harmony Energy develops, builds, owns, and operates utility-scale renewable energy assets across the UK. The new facility will have the capacity to store up to 200MWh of power to feed directly back onto the network via the adjacent Creyke Beck substation, making the site’s location ideal for this development.
Peter Garrett, Managing Director at Keyland Developments, said: “We’re very pleased to get this deal across the line; the energy sector represents an exciting new business area for us to explore and we look forward to sourcing further opportunities from within Kelda Group’s extensive landholding.”
Keyland Developments was advised by Carter Jonas’ Infrastructure and Energy team.
Carter Jonas’ energy specialist Simon Currie said: ”We are delighted to have advised Keyland on the development and promotion of this significant energy development site. The project is a prime example of the opportunity that presents itself to landowners and developers with sites adjacent to major grid substations, given the increasing demand for energy storage and frequency management on the grid.”
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.
