Housebuilder Keepmoat names new CFO
Doncaster-based housebuilder Keepmoat has appointed Mark Dilley as Chief Financial Officer.
He previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Tilia Homes, as well as serving as Group Finance Director at Town Centre Securities. Mark also spent 14 years at Asda, where he was Vice President of Retail and Property Finance.
Mark said: “The future is extremely bright for Keepmoat, and I am looking forward to playing a part in the continued success of the organisation.
“Keepmoat’s vision of building communities and transforming lives speaks volumes about its ethos and culture, and I’m excited to have joined a leadership team so clearly committed to delivering quality affordable homes to more people where they need them most.”
CEO Tim Beale added: “It’s great to have Mark on board. He brings a wealth of experience from not only the housebuilding sector but also property investment and FMCG retail. He is the perfect person to work alongside me and the other members of our executive board as we steer Keepmoat through its next stage of development.”
Judges select shortlist from record entries for Hull BID awards
Hull BID Executive Director Kathryn Shillito revealed that a record number of applications has been received for the awards, and the finalists are now looking forward to sharing their success with family, friends and colleagues at the big celebration on Friday February 21 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
The judges have now drawn up their shortlists with three finalists in each of 10 categories – four of them earning two nominations. In addition there will be a Judges Special Recognition Award.
Kathryn says more than 420 applications came in from city centre businesses and other organisations and the shortlist features hopefuls from sectors including retail, hospitality, personal services, professional services, leisure, culture, and charities.
She said: “The feedback from all three judges once they’d finished their deliberations was that this year is all about quantity and quality – we received applications from a lot of businesses and other organisations and many of them really were outstanding.
“That’s so important because the awards are about much more than a badge of honour for each of the winners – the fact that so many people entered with such impressive submissions sends out a clear message about the quality on offer in our city centre, and that’s something for us all to shout about when we get together for the big night.”
Schofield Sweeney names new employment team partner
Andy Gilchrist has been appointed as a partner in the employment team at Yorkshire-based law firm, Schofield Sweeney.
He is a multi-award winning employment lawyer and joins the firm from Lupton Fawcett, where he was Head of Employment. Andy has advised on significant employment law cases in the UK, and also businesses with operations overseas. Last year he advised a US Fortune 500 company on the departure of a senior executive, a US company on the closure of its UK operation, and a number of household brands on the restructuring of their workforces.
Partner Simon Shepherd said: “Andy’s experience and excellent reputation enhances our already strong team, and shows our commitment to the growth plans we have for the employment team. I’m really pleased to welcome him, and to continue providing support to our existing and future clients.”
The company has also promoted Rajveer Basra from Solicitor to Associate.
Schofield Sweeney employs 175 at offices in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield.
Leeds agency appoints Head of AI to help drive growth
Leeds-based digital marketing agency Spike has appointed Said Lopez as Head of AI, underlining its commitment to cutting-edge technology to transform its services and drive growth.
Said brings over a decade of expertise in machine learning, automation, process improvement and digital transformation. In the past four years, he has spearheaded artificial intelligence and ML initiatives, driving innovation and delivering impactful results for leading venture capital-backed companies.
In his new role at Spike, the first of its kind for the business, he will spearhead the development and deployment of the agency’s AI tools, helping to accelerate the impact of Spike’s marketing strategies and deliver greater value and measurable results for its clients.
Rob Powell, Founder and Director at Spike, said: “AI is going to revolutionise marketing as we know it, and we’re thrilled to welcome Said to our team to ensure we remain at the forefront of the technology.
“He has a breadth of experience, as well as an incredible passion and energy that I know will help take our innovative AI and digital transformation strategies to new heights. I can’t wait to see the impact he’ll make not only on how we work, but also the successes we drive for our clients.”
Said added: “I’m really excited to be joining Spike at such a pivotal time for the agency. The bold move toward AI-driven digital transformation is a forward-thinking direction, and I can’t wait to help bring it to life.”
Morgan Sindall starts work on Leeds housing development next month
Next month Morgan Sindall expects to start building an extra care housing scheme on a two-acre site at Armley in Leeds.
The Middlecross development will be home to 65 affordable apartments providing independent living opportunities for older people.
The three-storey complex – to be built on brownfield land between Armley Grove Place and Simpson Grove – will also have care facilities and communal spaces, including a 50-seat dining area. It’s expected to be finished by 2027.
The bulk of the funding for the development is being provided by the council’s housing service via Right to Buy receipts and borrowing, with £1.3m of grant support due to come from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Fund.
Councillor Jess Lennox, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, said: “At a time when there is a well-documented shortage of affordable extra care housing in Leeds, this development will make a real difference to the lives of its residents.
“The start of construction will also be another notable milestone for our Council Housing Growth Programme, which is working – with the support of partners – to bring positive and lasting change to communities across Leeds.”
Government organisation says inheritance tax changes will hit three quarters of farms
AHDB has calculated 42,204 out of 54,938 farming businesses (76.8%) in England and Scotland that are 50 hectares (124 acres) or larger will be affected.
The study looks at average balance sheet data mainly sourced from Defra, the Farm Business Survey and the Scottish Government.
More than half of those affected are involved in cereals or general cropping production as their main enterprise, with the rest predominantly livestock producers or mixed farming operations.
The NFU has repeatedly warned of the risk the changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief pose to family farms throughout its Stop the Family Farm Tax campaign, with the majority of farms not earning enough money to pay the potential inheritance bill without selling off some of their land or business.
Sheffield businesses Visit Pittsburgh with city councillors
Sheffield-based businesses Tickets for Good, Westfield Health, and Reach Studios are currently in the American city of Pittsburgh to help explore the possibilities for inter-city collaboration.
With Sheffield City Council Leader Tom Hunt and Chief Exec Kate Josephs they are working on building meaningful and fruitful relationships and to open lines of opportunity to work together in the future.
They will meet city officials and a range of organisations and businesses from the biological and advanced manufacturing, health, medical tech and robotics sectors, plus many more.
Tom Hunt said: “Sheffield is global, green and growing. We have world-leading strengths in many sectors, from advanced manufacturing to health technology, cultural industries and low carbon, resilient energy. This week we will share our knowledge and best practice with our friends in Pittsburgh. “As sister cities, Sheffield and Pittsburgh share a similar industrial past, but we have both seen our economies transform in recent decades. We both have big ambitions for our future and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can learn from one another and achieve together”Work starts on sustainable Harrogate business units as part of scheme that could support 2,000 jobs
Opus North and Bridges Fund Management have begun construction of the Harrogate 47 sustainable employment development in North Yorkshire. These works will deliver new flexible business units totalling more than 106,000 sq ft of high-specification Grade A space, with a focus on sustainability. The units are expected to complete in Autumn 2025.
The partners will speculatively develop two terraces of flexible business units from 5,540-12,188 sq ft, as well as three detached units from 10,200-21,600 sq ft. Access and infrastructure works for this major new mixed-use employment scheme are now complete, allowing delivery of the first units on site. The appointed contractor is Stainforth Construction.
The units are situated on a 45-acre site near Harrogate at J47 of the A1(M) in North Yorkshire, which in total comprises more than 600,000 sq ft of employment space for industrial, logistics, hi-tech and office uses, as well as amenity uses, within a landscaped environment.
Planning permission was secured from Harrogate Borough Council for the low-carbon scheme, which is targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and has the potential to support 2,000 jobs.
Ryan Unsworth, Joint MD, Opus North, said: “Seeing construction of the units get underway at Harrogate 47 is a great way to start the year. Our innovative scheme has been designed with energy efficiency in mind to offer sustainable, high-quality property solutions for businesses.”
Henry Pepper, Partner, Bridges Fund Management, said: “This well-connected development on the A1(M) corridor will support economic growth and job creation in the local area.
“Our plan is to develop sustainable units that will be highly attractive to a range of regional or national occupiers looking for cost-efficient, future-proofed employment space. We are delighted that construction can now begin on the units.”
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, Cllr Mark Crane, said: “This is a very welcome investment in mixed use business accommodation in North Yorkshire.
“It’s in a prime location to boost employment in the county and encourage economic growth across a range of sectors. We look forward to seeing the development take shape and hearing about the businesses that will eventually occupy the site.”
Appointed agents for Harrogate 47 are CBRE and Gent Visick.
Contractor appointed in Hull for Drypool Bridge investment
Hull City Council’s cabinet has approved the appointment of Esh Construction Limited to deliver a programme of works to futureproof and extend the lifespan of Drypool Bridge.
The historic structure has been a part of the city’s transport network and skyline for generations, but a routine inspection in April 2024 discovered that several of the load-bearing columns under the bridge had significantly deteriorated, resulting in a short-term closure to enable emergency repairs to be undertaken and allow the bridge to re-open.
Since then, council engineers have been proactively planning a wider scheme of investment to the full structure, which will guarantee the bridge for 25 years and add a further 50 years to its operational life.
“We’re committed to Hull’s bridges, as they play a massively important role in people’s day-to-day lives,” said Councillor Mark Ieronimo, cabinet portfolio holder for transportation, roads and highways.
“We know the council must maintain and invest to fix Drypool Bridge and that’s why we’re taking action.
“Now that we’ve approved these next steps, the council will work with our contractor to deliver a scheme that will improve the bridge’s integrity and maintain it as a reliable transport link for decades to come.
“We fully understand the frustration that roadworks can have for residents,
commuters, businesses and visitors, but the council needs to step in now to fix this bridge.
“As part of the scheme, we will look to reduce the likely impact that these essential works will have on the city.”
Details of the scheme, including exact timeframes, will be announced in the coming weeks, but it is anticipated work will start on site in the spring and take approximately six months.
Streets gains greater footprint with further merger
Streets Chartered Accountants, a Lincolnshire-based top 40 UK professional service firm, has established Streets Hackett Griffey LLP.
It follows the merger of the well-established Haverhill practice of Hackett Griffey Chartered Certified Accountants with Streets Chartered Accountants.
This latest merger sees Streets establish a greater footprint in the East of England.
When asked about the merger, Jon Griffey, Partner at Streets Hackett Griffey, said: “The firm was founded in 1984 by Philip Hackett but our roots can be traced back to the 1950s, making us by far the longest established firm in Haverhill and the surrounding area.
“As such when myself and fellow partners Simon Iron and Nicky Harris were looking at a merger with a larger firm, it was important that we considered and were able to retain a local presence and personal service that our staff enjoy and clients expect.
“We chose to merge with Streets as they are a very well respected and established firm and we are delighted to say they share the same client focussed ethos as we do which makes them somewhat unique amongst larger firms.
“Streets are not private equity backed and have no interest in being so, which offers long term security for our staff and clients.
“The need to look at a merger was driven by the fact that to remain competitive; to service the needs of clients and to look after our staff now and in the future, we need to be part of something bigger.
“Being part of Streets offers economies of scale and a wide range of expertise and other services, the benefits of which we can pass onto our clients. They also offer sector specialisms such as agriculture, technology, legal and entertainment which will enable us to attract clients that require a more specialist service.
“They also have a strong presence and so were the perfect fit for us.
“The merger will offer much greater career prospects for our staff as Streets are keen to promote rising stars and offer opportunities to do more specialised work if they so want.”
Looking at what the merger means to Streets, the firm’s Managing Partner, Paul Tutin, said: “We are delighted to have partners Jon Griffey, Simon Iron, Nicky Harris and their colleagues join the practice. It is especially pleasing to see and experience the mutual benefits and synergy to be had through firms like ours coming together.
“It certainly is important to us and those firms we come together with to share the same ethos and values and to have a real sense of community in terms of that in which we live, work and for the clients we look after.
“Following on from the merger of the Colchester and Essex practice of Whittles, now Streets Whittles, as well as Mitch Consulting, the specialist tech start up and scale up accountancy practice in the East of England, we have been keen to increase our presence locally.
“With Hackett Griffey joining the practice we are truly becoming a significant player in the region. With our regional approach forming part of our overall strategy to be a substantial UK practice.
“We continue to find that firms we talk to and that merge with us like our approach, which is very different to the private equity led deals, as we seek to build on the success of the existing practice and empower individuals to drive and lead on their future growth and success.”
Streets Law, the firm’s dedicated corporate and commercial law offering led by Managing Director and Solicitor, Adam Aisthorpe, undertook the legal work on behalf of Streets for the merger, including drafting the sale and purchase agreement and dealing with the due diligence process in collaboration with internal colleagues in the tax and audit teams at Streets.
