Sewells team wins top marks for fire station repurposing project
The Sewell Construction team repurposing Central Fire Station in Hull, working with Hull Esteem on behalf of Ron Dearing UTC, have scored 45/45 in their recent Considerate Constructors Scheme inspection for respecting the community, caring for the environment and valuing their workforce.
A post-inspection point has been awarded for implementing innovative best practice by the team at Sewell Construction engaging with students in producing a 360 degree video tour of the project as it progresses for sharing with wider stakeholders.
The former fire station building is being transformed into a new sixth form centre and STEAM studios for the UTC to increase student places to meet demand and will open from September 2023.
The Considerate Constructors Scheme is a not-for-profit, independently managed organisation that supports and guides positive change in the industry. Monitors are looking for projects that follow the ‘Code of Considerate Practice’ in three key areas, which the site team achieved 15/15 for in each category.
Sewell Construction Project Manager Dave Major said: “We are continuously looking for innovative ways to develop the business and deliver sustainable solutions to help our clients, whilst supporting skills development. This score echoes that and is a testament to the hard work of the team and the quality approach we take when delivering projects.”
The Industry Average for Schools and Colleges sites is 40.77 and there are over 3000 sites currently registered with the scheme nationwide.
HGV and motor trade insurance broker snapped up by Yorkshire group
Leeds-headquartered JMG Group has acquired independent HGV and motor trade insurance broker, New Era, for an undisclosed sum.
JMG Group has invested in the Stoke-on-Trent-based business which will continue to be led by New Era directors Ella Burgess and Nathan Pedley, who set up the business just as the pandemic hit in January 2020. A former Gauntlet Group appointed representative, the firm will continue to trade as New Era and brings its team of four insurance professionals to the Group.
Having met when they worked together at One Sure Insurance, Ella and Nathan quickly recognised that their skills – Ella’s compliance and business analyst expertise and Nathan’s client-focussed approach – were a successful combination. With 17 years’ combined insurance industry experience, the pair have built New Era up from a standing start to a £2 million GWP business in just over three years and have set their sights on further growth.
Ella Burgess says: “We had outgrown the appointed representative model and were looking at routes to support our accelerated growth ambitions. This sale gives us the best of both worlds – Nathan and I remain autonomous and client focussed but with the added benefit of having access to a wider market and business security as we move into the next development phase.”
On the acquisition, Nathan Pedley says: “JMG Group could see our vision and it felt like the right fit. We are immensely proud of what we have achieved so far, especially with the hurdles that a global pandemic, a fuel crisis and a cost of living crisis have thrown at us. To be recognised by such a well-respected group is a real ‘pinch-me’ moment and we are very excited about what this will mean for us and our clients.”
Nick Houghton, JMG Group CEO, says: “The ability to start and build a business from scratch through a global pandemic is a testament to the directors’ tenacity and resilience when faced with unprecedented challenges. It shows their strength of leadership and business acumen. Bringing New Era into our group supplements our existing experience in this specialist market and will open up further opportunities for us in the wheels-based insurance arena.”
Yorkshire and Humber business activity rises at strongest pace since June 2022
The headline NatWest Yorkshire & Humber PMI® Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – rose back above the critical 50.0 level and thereby into growth territory during February.
At 52.6, the headline measure was up from 48.6 in January to signal the first expansion in private sector business activity across Yorkshire & Humber since September last year. Overall, the increase was only moderate, but the strongest since June 2022.
Private sector firms in Yorkshire & Humber saw new business intakes rise during February. Although the expansion was only marginal, it was the first since September 2022. The securing of new contracts and customer restocking was reported by some panel members.
That said, the upturn was markedly weaker than seen for the UK overall. Compared to the other ten monitored parts of the UK that saw growth, Yorkshire & Humber was the weakest (new business across Wales declined).
Surveyed businesses across Yorkshire & Humber were optimistic of growth over the next 12 months during February. Although the level of confidence eased slightly, it was stronger than that seen for the UK as a whole.
Expected increases in orders, new product launches and market share gains were noted as reasons to be confident towards the business outlook.
The level of private sector employment across Yorkshire & Humber increased for a second month running midway through the first quarter of the year. Moreover, the rate of job creation was solid and quickened to a five-month high.
According to anecdotal evidence, company expansion plans and efforts to cater for higher workloads supported additional hiring.
The seasonally adjusted Outstanding Business Index rose above the 50.0 mark in February, signalling a renewed increase in backlogs of work at private sector firms across Yorkshire & Humber. The region saw the second-fastest rise in incomplete orders of the 12 monitored regions, after London.
Capacity pressures were intensified as a result of improved demand and a lack of staff, according to survey respondents.
Private sector businesses in Yorkshire & Humber experienced another month of rising input costs during February. Salary increases, elevated energy prices and rises in the price of certain materials put upward pressure on operating expenses, according to firms.
Overall, the rate of inflation eased to a two-year low, but was still higher than seen on average across the survey history.
Prices charged for the goods and services provided by private sector firms in Yorkshire & Humber continued to rise at a historically marked pace in February. The latest increase, albeit weaker than seen on average over the last two years, was well above the series average. Efforts to at least partially share the burden of higher costs with clients was mentioned by some panel members.
Malcolm Buchanan, chair of the NatWest North Regional Board, said: “After four successive months of contraction, private sector business activity across Yorkshire & Humber increased during February. The improvement was in line with the UK-wide trend, and the region was in fact one of the UK’s top performers in the latest survey period with only London, the South East and West Midlands recording stronger expansions.
“The renewed upturn in activity was accompanied by an improved trend in sales, which suggests underlying business conditions have certainly picked up since the end of last year. This has facilitated stronger employment growth across the region, and bodes well for near-term prospects.
“A further weakening of input price inflation will also be welcomed by firms. That said, cost pressures remain steep and companies continue to respond by marking up their charges, suggesting that sellers remain confident in their pricing power.”
Grimsby office building welcomes new tenant
Grimsby office building, Cartergate House, is welcoming a new tenant as social housing provider Lincolnshire Housing Partnership (LHP) moves in.
As his team are preparing to settle into the new home, LHP Chief Executive Murray Macdonald was greeted by North East Lincolnshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Assets, Cllr Stephen Harness whose authority is the landlord.
Cllr Harness said the decision by LHP to move brought with it various benefits – a main one being the influx of professional workers close to Grimsby town centre.
“This is further good news, and we are delighted to welcome Murray and his team to this modern office building.
“If we look at what is being planned in our town centre in the coming months and years, we see an area that will be transformed – offering more opportunity for work, and leisure for all ages and enforcing our ambition to build a stronger economy and stronger communities.
“Work on St James’ House has started in what is now a lovely St James’ Square, the council’s Market Hall and Leisure Scheme is progressing, the redevelopment of Riverhead Square has started, and there is the new Garth Lane area and bridge.
“Then there is the forthcoming Onside Horizon Youth Zone which will regenerate the West Haven Maltings and this week Cabinet approval was given to take forward plans to develop good quality new homes on brownfield land at Alexandra Dock – a scheme identified in the Grimsby Masterplan. This is all part of a vision now being realised to bring about massive and positive change for the town centre. These are exciting times,” added Cllr Harness.
The move by LHP means the building now has two leading tenants, having been occupied by regional law firm Wilkin Chapman since its construction and opening in 2018. LHP will be occupying the ground floor office suite with just under 5,000 sq ft of space.
Mr Macdonald said: “We have recently launched our 2022-2027 Corporate Plan, Great Homes… Strong Communities, which outlines our commitment to a more sustainable future, and working more closely with our customers in their neighbourhoods.
“As an organisation we are embracing modern ways of working and providing our colleagues with both flexibility and the most appropriate facilities for them to undertake their role.”
Mr Macdonald explained how the organisation, formed by the merger of Shoreline and Boston Mayflower in 2018, has seen customers’ habits change and was responding to that.
He added: “We work best when we are engaging with customers and other agencies to deliver housing solutions. Such engagements can work better in the community and, sometimes, in people’s homes. Having a large office with rows of desks is not particularly efficient and so we have taken the view that a smaller office base and increased technology and flexibility will enable us to invest further into the business.”
New President takes over at Hull and Humber Chamber
At the AGM of the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce Albert Weatherill became the 111th President since its foundation in 1837.
His Vice President for the year is Kirk Akdemir, the managing director of AaGlobal, a translation business which has made its home in Hull after starting out in Worcester. AaGlobal has recently undergone a rebranding exercise to celebrate its 30 years in business.
Albert’s connection to the Chamber goes back 40 years and he is proud of the fact this Chamber is the only one in the UK to have a Shipping, Transport and Renewables Committee.
He promised to do his best during his year of office as the President of what he described as ‘aq truly great organisation’, and said: “The Chamber is led by an excellent Chief Executive in Ian Kelly and represents an eclectic mix of businesses which belong to it from all around the Humber. The Hull & Humber Chamber is ranked fifth financially in the UK and includes most of the biggest businesses in the area in its membership. You look at some of the esteemed Past Presidents’ names on the website, and you become aware that you’ve got some big shoes to fill in this role.
“The Chamber really does fight the corner of all businesses, large or small, within its membership.
“I come from a marine background so my focus will be on the shipping side and it needs to be. The River Humber is pivotal to the Humber economy and links flow from our past to our future. Immingham, for example, is the biggest port by tonnage in the UK and the Humber is the fourth largest port complex in Europe with 40,000 shipping movements a year.
“There is a lot of industry, and a lot of environmental cost, with the area being the highest emitter of CO2 in the UK, but it is also a global leader in renewables. As the Government moves to Net Zero, there is £15-billion being committed to reduce and capture CO2, not from Government, but from local businesses. The world is watching what we do here. The World Economic Forum which meets every year in Davos, highlighted two areas globally which are leading on renewables and carbon capture, one is in China, and the other is the Humber. This attention brings prosperity and jobs. There will be 10 years of construction to build a pipeline to capture our CO2 and that one project will create 10,000 jobs. And did you know, 25% of all the rain that falls on England flows out through the Humber – it’s a centre point of all we do”.
Outgoing President Mike Whitehead thanked the Chamber team for their hard work in supporting him during his year as President.
Mike said: “Only as President do you realise how important the Chamber is to the business community – it is the only pan Humber, non taxpayer funded membership organisation, it does a fantastic job – and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise – this Chamber is the Voice of Business in the Humber!
“My biggest achievement was to play a part in promoting the Chamber, North and South of the Humber and have enjoyed being part of the strong Chamber team, led by Ian.”
Kexgill Group settles £25m refinance facility with InterBay Bank
Andrew Jackson Solicitors has advised the Hull-based Kexgill Group, one of the largest privately-owned providers of student accommodation in the UK, on a £25m refinance facility with InterBay Bank.
The transaction is a ten-year interest-only commercial investment refinance loan involving the refinancing of 55 residential units at Bradford, Hull, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Nottingham, and Preston.
Kexgill’s legal advice was provided by a team at Andrew Jackson Solicitors, led by property partner Helen Mellors and supported by Claire Ramsden, Robert Hill, Adrian West, and Ailish Ward in the real estate and property team, as well as Philip Ashworth, Nick Scott, Martin Frost and Benn Shilleto in the corporate team.
Hull-headquartered Kexgill is an award-winning student accommodation provider with a consistent track record of successfully re-investing in its expanding portfolio, as Richard Stott, its MD, explained:“Securing medium term fixed rate debt in a variable market is important for our Group particularly where we are creating scale in locations outside our Hull base. We are delighted that this latest transaction has been stress-free in a market which has seen considerable flux in recent months.
“We are grateful for the help and advice of those involved in this deal, including Andrew Jackson Solicitors, who remain our trusted legal partner and whose expertise in complex matters is essential to help us realise our commercial objectives.”
Helen Mellors added: “Our client relationship with Kexgill spans several years and it is particularly rewarding to have assisted Richard and his team on the group’s latest significant transaction, and to support their growth in the affordable student accommodation sector.”
It’ll be Q4 next year before UK economy gets back to pre-pandemic levels, says BCC
The UK economy won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until next year’s final quarter, predicts the British Chambers of Commerce, which expects inflation to continue slowing this year, hitting 5%by the fourth quarter.
The organisation is now forecasting that the economy will shrink in 2023, but by much less than previously expected. However, the recovery will remain weak with predicted growth for 2024 has been revised down.
In the immediate term, the BCC is now expecting the first quarter of 2023 to see GDP fall, before three quarters of flat or weak growth – leading to an overall contraction of 0.3 per cent for the year. This is a slightly more optimistic outlook than either the Office for Budget Responsibility or Bank of England’s predictions. The BCC also expects the economy to grow in 2024, at 0.6 per cent.
The expectation for 2023 has been revised upwards from -1.3 per cent in the BCC’s last forecast, due to a more resilient economic performance at the end of 2022. Household spending held up well, despite a fall in real disposable income due to rising energy costs, inflation outstripping wages, frozen income tax allowances and higher mortgage payments.
Despite a big drop in business confidence in Q3 2022, this now appears to have stabilised albeit at a lower level. Business investment has now returned to pre-pandemic levels, although it was not performing well then.
Alex Veitch, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Although the economy should now avoid a technical recession, the stark reality is that businesses face a very difficult year ahead. With the Government having little fiscal headroom for the Spring Budget, it is vital it spends the money it has got wisely.
“We know we have a tough year ahead and there is currently little incentive for firms to risk ploughing their dwindling cash reserves or fresh loans into new projects.
“But unless we unlock investment into growth areas of our economy, then the UK will get left behind by our competitors.
“The Chancellor must show more faith in the ability and talent of our businesses. If he backs them, by acting on childcare to ease staff shortages and helping them manage their energy costs, then the UK economy could still prosper.”
Cost of charging an EV in Sheffield will more than double from April
From Saturday 1 April the cost of charging an electric vehicle at a charge point owned by Sheffield Cit Council will jump to 72p per kWh from just 30p.
The council says the price hike will make EV charging points across Sheffield more sustainable for the Council against the backdrop of rapidly-rising energy prices, with the Council absorbing much of the costs to run the charging point network.
The Council says the new change will bring the Council in line with the national average price as seen with other providers for rapid EV charging points.
In addition to the tariff changes, the charge for overstaying the one hour free parking time limit will double from £10 to £20 (including VAT) to encourage drivers to free up the space for the next driver to come along.
Cllr Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair of Transport, Regeneration & Climate Committee, said:“We know the rise in the charging point tariff may have a financial impact on some, and we’ve done our absolute best to sustain this low price for as long as possible. The Council has absorbed much of the cost for keeping the tariffs low, however, with energy prices increasing, this simply isn’t sustainable moving forward.
“We’re also investing in making the existing network more resilient and will soon launch a further two rapid charging points and 46 fast charging points, to make it even easier for electric vehicle owners to access a charging point locally.”
ABP wins two maritime industry awards at ceremony in Hull
Ports group ABP has won the Employer of the Year and Maritime 2050 categories at the won two categories in the prestigious Maritime UK Awards at a ceremony in Hull.
This recognition by Maritime UK – the collective voice for the UK’s maritime industries – follows a number of significant steps taken by the company to empower employees and create a great place to work as well as ABP taking a leading role in delivering the objectives of the Maritime 2050 Strategy.
As a leading employer, ABP says it is committed to supporting the upskilling of employees as it continues to invest in broadening the scope of courses offered by its in-house training provider, the ABP Academy. The academy now offers a host of innovate training formats, including Virtual Reality (VR) safety training and an immersive theatre-style safety course called Thrive.
Kerry Thompson, Head of ABP Academy, said: “Having the in-house capabilities to upskill colleagues is a truly valuable resource because it allows us to be more responsive to their needs and quickly identify and address any skill gaps. “We are also able to work together to test different training formats in the quest to find the most effective ways to equip our colleagues the knowledge they need to keep Britain trading sustainably.” Most recently, ABP became the world’s first IEMA- accredited training provider in the port sector, showing its commitment to delivering first-class environmental training for its employees. This will help equip ABP’s workforce with the skills needed to deliver the company’s sustainability strategy, Ready for Tomorrow, which was launched in February 2023. The fact-based, comprehensive sustainability strategy sets a net zero target for greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and was the culmination of teamwork and ideas generated across all levels of the organisation. ABP is also committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, supporting a workforce of skilled, diverse and committed individuals, who can work in an inclusive environment in which all our colleagues are valued and treated equally so they can perform at their best.Rotherham hosts one-day event for Sellafield suppliers
An event at the AMRC Knowledge Transfer Centre in Rotherham on Thursday 30 March, will give potential and current suppliers the chance to talk about Sellafield’s process for new product introduction.
The one-day event hosted by the Nuclear AMRC introduces NPI process, which will support its future contracts for manufactured products.
The event will include:
- An overview of Sellafield and its new Manufactured Products Organisation.
- An introduction to the NPI process, and why Sellafield has chosen a different approach.
- The principles of the commercial model that will support the NPI process.
- An overview of the different phases of the NPI process and supplier requirements.
- A question and answer session.
