‘Moment of opportunity’ highlighted for Sheffield culture sector
Ambitions to develop Sheffield’s cultural offer and ensure the city is creative, prosperous, diverse and full of opportunity for its residents, have moved forward.
A review of Sheffield’s culture sector has highlighted areas of growth and opportunity for the city, including strengths in its grass roots offering and independent businesses showcased.
Some of the city’s larger, anchor institutions were also recognised for their acclaimed national and international profile.
However, the city also faces challenges, with the report outlining that Sheffield must ramp up cultural investment and attract more funding for the sector.
More must also be done to champion diversity and inclusion and better reflect the city’s residents and creators. The report also indicates that young people who face barriers accessing culture must be better supported.
The audit was commissioned as part of the new Sheffield Culture Strategy 2024, which is being developed to address some of the long-standing obstacles faced by creatives living and working in the city.
The strategy is being championed by the Culture Collective and Culture Consortium, and funded by Sheffield City Council, the University of Sheffield and Arts Council England, and aims to tackle obstacles laid out in the review.
The sector audit is just the first phase of work being done ahead of the development of the strategy, and will help to shape it, along with the outcomes of consultation with both the public and individuals working in the sector.
Streets Chartered Accountants covers updates to payroll management, HR and compliance, Trade Credit Insurance, and more in new news roundup
Streets also looked at the broader HR matters that may concern employers now and in the year ahead, along with the potential impact of changes to and the introduction of new employment legislation. If you missed it you can catch up now!
Trade Credit Insurance can protect your business
Does your business have Trade Credit Insurance? Have you reviewed it recently to ensure that your policy is the right fit and level of cover your business needs?
Trade Credit Insurance protects manufacturers, traders and service providers against losses from non-payment of a commercial trade debt. Debts can arise as a result of a customer becoming insolvent or failing to pay within agreed terms.
Open Road is Colchester office’s new nominated charity As part of Streets’ commitment to the communities in which its teams live and work, the Colchester office of Streets Whittles has an established approach to supporting a nominated local good cause.
As of March 2024, Streets has selected Open Road to benefit from its support. An established drug and alcohol recovery support charity in Essex and Medway, Open Road provides services to support individuals on their journey to recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
Have we become too obsessed about the use of technology in our businesses?
Is it time to regain control of our senses about the benefits and use of technology? The last 12 months seem to have been unprecedented in terms of the use and introduction of technology and digital innovation.
Who would have thought that OpenAI and ChatGPT only really came to market and wider use in November 2022? With the launch of Google’s AI and other platforms there does seem to be a frenzy of activity as organisations seek to understand what artificial intelligence can do for them or how it might impact their businesses.
Work starts on new Community Diagnostic Centre at Seacroft Hospital site
I&G have started work on the new Community Diagnostic Centre on the Seacroft Hospital site in Leeds.
Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) are local hubs which provide a broad range of diagnostic care, such as checks, scans and tests, without patients having to go to a main hospital.
The new CDC, which will be run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, will be developed on the site of Seacroft Hospital, off York Road in Seacroft, Leeds. The project will involve the refurbishment of one of the unoccupied areas of the site, retrofitting it and adding two extensions to make it into a modern healthcare building to house state-of-the-art technology.
Once open, the CDC will have the latest equipment to offer MRI and CT scanning, X-rays and various tests to local people, saving them a journey into the city to a large hospital.
A major part of the work will be to improve the thermal efficiency of the old building, upgrading windows and insulation to ensure the centre will take less energy to heat and cool, and reducing its overall carbon footprint, adopting a retrofit programme of works that will protect the facility and those that use the building for many years to come.
I&G Managing Director Christopher Carline said that the project would help give the building a new future: “Working in historic buildings is really rewarding, as through sensitive refurbishment we can bring them back to life, making them more sustainable and fit for the demands of modern healthcare for decades to come.
“Working in the hospital grounds is a challenge, as there are already functioning medical facilities on the site, and we need to carefully plan our work to avoid disrupting patients and staff. However, I&G are experienced at completing complex projects on live hospital sites, so we’re confident we can deliver this exciting scheme and improve health outcomes for patients in Leeds.”
South Yorkshire business park fully let
MAGNA 34 Business Park, near Rotherham in South Yorkshire, is now fully let. New 3-year and 5-year leases have been agreed on the last of the units, announced Commercial Property Partners (CPP) and Knight Frank (KF), joint letting agents working on behalf of Mileway.
The 40,200 sq ft business park in Templeborough consists of units ranging in size from 2,535 sq ft to 4,758 sq ft. Occupiers for the thirteen modern warehouses within the business park include, DB Automotive, WashCo Ltd, Tyrolit Limited, Check Fire and Keyhole TIG (UK) Pty Ltd.
Chloé Bennett, for CPP, says: “Magna 34 has come to market at the height of demand for warehousing, and its location between Sheffield and Rotherham ensures access to a highly skilled and motivated work force within easy commuting distance.
“We are obviously delighted that Magna 34 is now fully let, testament to the quality of the units of offer and the very favourable location of the scheme – but there is still need for additional stock to satisfy the confirmed demand for space from occupiers.”
Harry Orwin-Allen, for letting agents Knight Frank, says: “Magna 34 is an established business park in a very sought-after location with great access to the M1. We are delighted to have concluded lettings on this scheme and have secured a mix of well-established national and local occupiers.
“Demand remains high across South Yorkshire for new, purpose-built commercial space, particularly for sub-5,000 sq ft units such as the units offered at Magna 34. The Magna 34 scheme has provided much-needed high quality industrial accommodation for the South Yorkshire region, with lettings swiftly achieved to a variety of well-established occupiers, which demonstrates the huge success of the development.”
Council decides not to engage in talks over East Riding nuclear waste disposal site
East Riding councillors have voted to withdraw from conversations about the possibility of a nuclear geological disposal facility being built in South Holderness.
Councillors have voted 53-1 in favour of a motion brought by Councillor Sean McMaster, which called on the council to withdraw from the siting process for the facility.
However, the process is ongoing for another site in our region, at Theddlethorpe in Lincolnshire.
Councillor Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The purpose of the Working Group was always to open a conversation with the community about whether a GDF would be right for the South Holderness area. The council and NWS were clear about that from the very start.
“In the past few weeks, many people within the community have made it clear that they find this idea unpalatable and do not want South Holderness to be part of the conversation.
“Many other people have attended the drop-in events curious to find out more about the long-term benefits a GDF could bring to its host community.
“Councillors have today considered all these views and decided that it is right to withdraw from this process.”
Nuclear Waste Services, a division of The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, is currently seeking a suitable site for a GDF for the UK’s legacy of radioactive waste.
West Yorkshire farmer becomes NFU Vice President
Rachel Hallos from West Yorkshire has been named as the new Vice-President of the National Farmers’ Union.
Rachel’s family has an upland farm at Ripponden, home to a herd of pedigree Salers cattle and a flock of Scottish blackface sheep. She joins Present Tom Bradshaw and Deputy President David Exwood as an officeholder of the organisation representing 46,000 farmers in the UK.
She said: “I’m incredibly proud and grateful to have the opportunity to represent Britain’s farmers as part of the NFU officeholder team.
“As farmers are on the front line of climate change it is essential that profitability is built back into the sector, so we are able to invest in resilient businesses that are able to continue producing nutritious food for the nation. I look forward to working with Tom and David over the next two years to navigate the industry through times of much change.”
Deputy President David Exwood said: “I have been proud to represent the British farming industry over the past two years as Vice President and I am looking forward to building on this work as Deputy President. I would like to thank Minette Batters for everything she has done for the organisation and congratulate Tom and Rachel on their new officeholder roles.
“With a general election on the horizon, the next two years are key for the future of British agriculture as we continue the transition from direct payments. In an uncertain business environment, it is essential that farmers are recognised by all political parties for the climate-friendly food they produce, economic contribution they make to rural communities and their role as caretakers of the countryside.”
Proposal would see UK steel industry jobs protected from imports for two more years
The Trade Remedies Authority has proposed that the UK’s steel safeguard measure, protecting the country’s steel industry from surges in imports, be extended for a further two years.
The current measure, which covers 15 categories of steel would expire at the end of June if it was not extended. If the measure is extended this year, it must end by 30 June 2026. Under World Trade Organisation rules another safeguard measure for these product categories of steel could then not be put in place for another eight years.
TRA Chief Executive Oliver Griffiths said: “Our interim findings are that the steel safeguard measure should be extended for a final two years to June 2026, after which point they would fall away. This would cover all steel categories currently covered.
Five UK producers engaged with the TRA during its investigation, covering all product categories in the review.”
Sales of these products account for around 84% of these producers’ £5bn turnover. The producers also employ on average 15,000 staff in the UK and contribute a total of £595m to the UK economy.
Businesses would be able to apply for other trade remedy measures on specific categories of steel products if they felt that the UK industry was being injured by, or was at threat of, dumped or subsidised imports. Interested parties can contact the TRA’s pre-application office to discuss applying for a new anti-dumping or countervailing measure.
The TRA began an extension review of the safeguard measure in September last year. In conducting its review, the TRA found that imports would be likely to increase if the safeguard measure were to expire. The review also found that it is likely that serious injury would recur to UK producers across all 15 categories of steel if the safeguard measure were to be removed. These conclusions are based on the data provided to the TRA, the overcapacity in the global steel market, the risk of steel being diverted to the UK due to measures in other major markets and the attractiveness of the UK steel market.
South Yorkshire businesses asked ‘are you ready for Artificial Intelligence?’
South Yorkshire businesses are being canvassed for their thoughts about Artificial Intelligence — and the implications they anticipate it will have for them — in a new surveybeing conducted by the regional Chambers of Commerce.
The Artificial Intelligence Survey is open from now until Monday the 11th of March and gives respondents a chance to share views on different aspects of this hot button topic. Among other things, it will ask whether they perceive AI to be a promising opportunity or a looming threat, if they have the skills in-house to properly utilise said technology, how well-positioned they are when compared to their competitors in this respect, and if they expect the latest developments to have any effect on the number of people they employ.
Equipped with the findings from this poll, South Yorkshire’s Chambers in Sheffield, Doncaster, and Barnsley & Rotherham, will then be able to better represent and support the local business community with the results being used to prepare the region for AI.
The Chief Execs for all three South Yorkshire Chambers said in a the joint statement: “AI is only increasing in prominence right now and its potential applications are spanning all industries. No sector will be untouched by these rapid developments and, though it goes without saying, we have to acknowledge that things are fundamentally going to change for businesses.
“We truly are on the cusp of another industrial revolution in this sense, so it’s imperative that places like South Yorkshire do not get left behind. That’s why we are running this timely survey, to try and gauge how organisations really feel about the emergence of AI, the opportunities it represents for them, as well as the associated concerns they might have.
“As Chambers who represent the business community, we need to understand how great the appetite is for embracing this technology and what more we —and our strategic partners in the region — can be doing to help. That’s why we are asking firms about their plans in relation to AI and if they know where they can turn to for support in fulfilling their ambitions.
“We want South Yorkshire to be at the very forefront of this emerging sector and the insights gleaned from this survey will be invaluable in getting us there. As is always the case, it will help us to better amplify the voice of local business owners, to authentically represent them on a national stage and to advocate for meaningful change of their behalf. With that said, we are urging organisations to spare just a few minutes here to have their say here, as every last response counts.”
Sheffield Hallam wins shortlisting place in apprenticeship award scheme
Sheffield Hallam University has been shortlisted for the Educate North 2024 Apprenticeship Award.
The University’s National Centre of Excellence for Degree Apprenticeships currently supports close to 3,000 degree apprentices studying across 40 disciplines and subjects, more than any other provider in the UK. In the past year it has achieved key milestones including working with its 700th employer partner and facilitating higher and degree apprenticeship (HDAs) courses worth a total of £61.1 million.
Dan Lally, Group Director of Business, Enterprise, Skills and Employability at Sheffield Hallam said: “At Sheffield Hallam, we are the home of the National Centre of Excellence for Degree Apprenticeships. That means we have a responsibility to enhance understanding of the opportunities apprenticeships provide to individuals and businesses, especially here in the north.
“Bridging the knowledge gap around degree apprenticeships is so important, and this year we have led the higher education sector in positioning them as a viable alternative to traditional higher education. This nomination reflects the breadth of the work we have done in a really busy and successful year.”
The Educate North Awards, now in their tenth year, celebrate, recognise, and share best practice and excellence in the education sector in the North. Some 43% of Hallam degree apprentices are from Yorkshire. Winners will be announced on Thursday 18 April at a ceremony in Manchester.
Drax becomes second founder member of the University of Sheffield’s Energy Innovation Centre
Renewable energy company Drax has become the latest founder member of the University of Sheffield’s newly-launched Energy Innovation Centre. The new partnership will drive forward research into next generation carbon capture technology, including innovations in bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, or BECCS.
Drax joins Boeing as the second founder member of the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC), launched by the University of Sheffield Energy Institute, which offers partners from industry access to two of the University’s newest world class research facilities.
The first – the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre (SAF-IC) – is a first-of-its-kind facility in the UK that tests and certifies new sustainable aviation fuels. The second – the Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC) – contains pilot-scale production facilities suitable for investigating different methods of carbon capture, utilisation and storage.
The partnership will use the first-of-their-kind technology available at TERC to carry out research and development into carbon capture and utilisation technologies, and to investigate the use of other routes to decarbonise and defossilise industry, including renewable natural gas, hydrogen, battery storage and new BECCS technologies.
In particular, Drax will look at BECCS, a process in which carbon dioxide from using biomass as an energy source, such as wood pellets or agricultural residues, is captured and stored. Because plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the process results in negative emissions.
Access to the equipment at TERC, including the first-of-its-kind Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell, and a grate-fired biomass boiler which enables studies into BECCS, will mean Drax can carry out pilot-scale testing on some of the most cutting-edge carbon capture rigs in the UK.
Drax is the second largest producer of sustainable biomass globally, and its biomass power station in North Yorkshire is the UK’s single-largest source of renewable power by output.
The new partnership with TERC aims to further demonstrate and understand the opportunities for new forms of energy and application of BECCS in the UK’s energy and industry landscapes.
Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, Managing Director of the University of Sheffield’s Energy Innovation Centre, said: “We are excited to welcome Drax as a founding member of the EIC. Drax’s commitment to furthering renewables and other low-carbon sources of energy make them an ideal partner for driving research and development in these areas.
“Combined with the expertise of the researchers at TERC, we hope Drax’s work within the EIC will lead to impactful, practical applications of innovative processes and technology. We look forward to working with Drax and to the continued growth of the EIC.”
Jason Shipstone, Drax’s Chief Innovation Officer, said: “This new partnership between Drax and the University of Sheffield is hugely exciting for the carbon removals sector. The incredible facilities, and the global academic excellence of TERC, will enable Drax to innovate further as we look to deploy BECCS technology at scale in the coming years.
“Governments around the world are increasingly turning to BECCS in the fight against climate change as it is the only technology which can simultaneously remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while generating dispatchable renewable electricity.”
