For the first time Leeds City Council has earned a place as the best local authority on the Department for Education’s index of the country’s best employers for providing apprenticeship opportunities. More than 632 council employees are currently on apprenticeships from level 2 to level 7. In the 12 months to 31 March 2024, 316 started apprenticeships on pathways ranging from social care, child care, housing, digital and project management to building trades, civil engineering and more. Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for resources, said: “This is a testament to our commitment to providing high-quality apprenticeship opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds in Leeds. “Apprenticeships are a vital way of developing the skills and talents of our workforce, as well as supporting the local economy and combatting the skills shortages in some sectors. We are proud of our apprentices and the valuable contribution they make to our council and our city.” Leeds City Council is a living wage employer. All employees, including apprentices of any age, are paid a salary that matches or exceeds the Living Wage Foundation minimum rate. The DfE’s top 100 apprenticeship employers list was compiled by analysing data from apprenticeship employers across different industries and employment sectors. Over 1,000 employers entered by submitting data from the 12 months to 31 March 2024 on their apprenticeship starts, successful apprenticeship completions and the diversity of their apprentice cohort.  

A new link to the Baltic ports has been created with the arrive in Hull of a load of timber from Finland aboard the Humber Sprinter, under charter to TTS (Shipping) Ltd. For her return to the Baltic, the vessel’s cargo was to be load static caravans. TTS operates long established timber lines from the Baltic Sea into the ports of Goole, Hull and Immingham. The Humber Sprinter, the sister ship to Humber Runner, will call at the Humber ports at least twice a month with timber from The Baltic and Scandinavia. Juliet Keep, MD of TTS Shipping, said: “We now have another vessel within our own fleet which can all call in the three ABP Humber ports where we are tenants. This gives us much more flexibility and reliability for the services we offer our customers. Peter Waud, MD of Global Shipping Services Ltd, added: “This is fantastic news, and gives great flexibility in continuing to service the needs of clients into The Ports of Hull, Goole and Immingham where we operate as licenced stevedores.” The Humber Runner was acquired three years ago to assist TTS in maintaining the schedule of their many services to the Humber Ports. Global Shipping Services will act as stevedores in the Ports of Hull, Goole and Immingham. The Navalis Group and TTS Shipping have traded together successfully for more than 20 years before the acquisition in December 2021. Both companies specialise in the forest product trade in the North and Baltic Sea.

Following its first 18 months of co-ownership, Sewell Estates Co-Owner Council has released its first annual report, which looks back at what’s been achieved so far and the impact becoming a co-owned business has had on its people and customers. The report was co-written by two ‘voice champions’ from different parts of the business who sit on the Co-Owner Council; the body that represents the 280 people from across Sewell’s seven businesses. Dieter Franks, Co-Owner and Site Manager at Sewell Construction, said: “It’s been fantastic to see our ideas and suggestions not only heard but implemented throughout the business. The positive feedback I’ve received has been so encouraging and has motivated me to share my thoughts and ideas even more.” Since launching its employee ownership trust in January 2023, new governance arrangements have been put in place, which include a Trust Board and Co-Owner Council to represent the voice of its people. The team have attended events up and down the country to learn more about employee ownership and share examples of best practice, and Co-owners have had the opportunity to attend board meetings to directly input into the running of the business. Stuart Verry, Co-Owner Council Member and Operations Manager at Community Ventures said: “I am extremely proud of what the Council has achieved so far. A group of people from varying roles across the group has developed into a cohesive unit who support each other as we navigated through the first year of employee ownership.” Some of the achievements include launching a new Co-Owner Charter, which outlines the responsibilities of all employees to ensure the business is serving its customers in the best possible way and continuing to drive efficiencies and improvements. New employee benefits have also been introduced, including enhanced cost of living pay increases, health screenings, a new payroll saving scheme and uplifts in holiday allowances. Co-Owners have also been actively submitting ideas for developing the business through new or improved ways of working and identifying areas for making productivity gains and cutting waste.  

The director of a Halifax-based recycling company has been given a community order after a worker lost part of his left leg when it was crushed by machinery. Daisy Ning Bai, 43, the director of BW Recycling Limited, was told she must complete 160 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to health and safety breaches. They related to an incident on 26 November 2019 at the company’s Cinderhall Works site on Sidall Top Lane. The incident saw Nathan Bland, who was just 20 years of age at the time, have the lower part of his left leg instantly amputated. He also lost several toes from his right foot after his legs were crushed inside a waste baler – a piece of equipment used to compress waste products into a form that’s easy to manage for recycling or disposal. In a victim personal statement, Mr Bland, who is now 25, said ‘every day was a struggle’ and that returning to work had proved to be very difficult due to the prosthetic leg he now has to wear. “I can still have flashbacks,” he said. “I also struggle as my stump has issues fitting on my prosthetic leg. The incident has also affected my social life as it has given me PTSD and depression. I have had to get a support worker to help with my daily activities to help me with daily activities such as shopping and going to appointments.” An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Daisy Ning Bai introduced a working platform in front of the baler to make the job of filling the hopper easier for the operatives. The introduction of the platform in front of the hopper permitted easy access to the baling chamber including access to the dangerous moving parts of the baler itself. Daisy Ning Bai, director of BW Recycling Limited of Ridge View Drive, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. She was given a 12-month community order and must complete 160 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £5,843 in costs. BW Recycling Limited was not prosecuted by HSE after it was dissolved via compulsory strike off on 5 December 2023. After the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Lee said: “A young man has had his life changed forever as a result of this incident. “Companies and individuals that use balers should not install working platforms or other devices in front of the hoppers on balers as it permits access to dangerous moving parts of the baler. “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.”