- Market Hall Roof
- Cartergate
- Fishing Heritage Centre (not inc. Heritage Square)
- Town Hall
- Garibaldi Street
- Meridian Road
- Thrunscoe Land
- High Street
- St Peter’s Avenue
- Wardall Street
- Grant Street
Small firms given support as Council offers free parking for Small Business Saturday
North East Lincolnshire Council and its delivery partner Equans are providing free parking in many council car parks across Grimsby and Cleethorpes on Smal Business Saturday December 3rd to encourage people to shop local and support small businesses.
The following car parks which will be free all day on Saturday 3 December:
Grimsby
Progeny expands presence in the south with acquisition of financial planning firm
Leeds-headquartered multi-disciplinary professional services firm, Progeny, has acquired Chartered financial planning practice, Lewis Brownlee Financial Services.
The acquisition will allow Progeny to further expand its presence in the south of England and take its assets under management to nearly £7bn.
Established in 1990, Lewis Brownlee Financial Services have offices in Chichester, Midhurst and Whiteley and have built a reputation for high standards and providing a progressive and ethical approach to financial services.
Steve Burns, Managing Director of Lewis Brownlee Financial Services, said: “This is an exciting time for both us and our clients.
“Joining Progeny will allow us to continue to flourish while remaining loyal to our founding principles and the ethics and values we have worked hard to embed in the business.
“Becoming part of a multi-disciplinary professional services firm will also allow us to increase the range of services we offer, bringing a new scale and scope that will present fresh opportunities for our clients and our team members.”
Neil Moles, CEO of Progeny, said: “Lewis Brownlee Financial Services have established themselves as a firm focused on building trusted relationships, driving up standards and providing meaningful financial planning and financial services for their clients.
“Their team members pride themselves on the highest levels of professionalism and integrity and so we are delighted that they will be joining us at Progeny.
“We are looking forward to welcoming them and to the value they will add to the business.”
A team from Progeny’s corporate legal department acted as legal adviser to Progeny on the transaction, with Mae Salem of Squire Patton Boggs providing legal advice and support on the deal.
Morson Projects welcomes first female apprentice design engineer in Hull
Morson Projects, a multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy, has welcomed its first female engineer apprentice at its Hull site.
Hannah Lee, 19, was recently accepted onto the company’s Early Careers Development Programme as an Apprentice Design Engineer and is the first female candidate to join the team in Hull.
Hannah says: “Throughout school my favourite subject was Design and Technology, I have always been very interested in designing and was sure that there was a career for me in the engineering sector. I completed work experience in a civil and structural engineering firm and began searching for a way into my dream career in engineering.
“Following a successful interview, I was asked if I would like to take the position as an Apprentice Design Engineer for Morson Projects. It wasn’t a difficult answer, with my love for aviation and strong passion for design, it was a definite yes.
“I have only been with the company for 8 weeks, but can already see the future prospects the company holds. I attended the Early Careers Day as part of the Early Careers Programme, this was an amazing experience to have so early into my career, it allowed me to meet and learn from other graduates in the early careers programme and gave me an insight into the size and scope of the company and the future that I could have with Morson Projects.
“In five years I will have completed my Level 3 Engineering Design and Draughstperson and I hope to be well into my degree in engineering.
“I aim to be a more confident and capable engineer and to have had the chance to work on a variety of projects that Morson Projects have lined up in the future.”
Morson’s Early Careers Development Programme has been created for engineers, by engineers. Designed to attract and retain the best future talent it allows Morson Projects to continue to deliver market leading engineering consultancy solutions to its clients.
Jordan Knapp, Chair of the Early Careers Development Programme, shared: “Our Early Careers Development Programme has been created for engineers, by engineers. It has been designed to attract, develop and retain the best future talent in our industries to allow Morson Projects to continue to deliver market leading engineering consultancy solutions to our clients.
“We do this by empowering our early careers employees to take ownership of their own continual professional development with a structured career path framework.
“We’re absolutely delighted to have Hannah onboard, she is already proving to be a valuable member of the team, and I look forward to seeing her journey progress, aided by a wealth of knowledge and support around her, here in Hull and across the wider business.”
The programme also gives the company’s senior engineers and previous ‘Early Careers Development Programme’ cohorts an opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with the next generation of budding engineers in a measured way through a bespoke mentoring scheme. To find out more about Morson Projects and the Early Careers Development Programme, visit the website.
Spencer Group to deliver new home for iconic vessel in major Hull maritime regeneration project
Hull-based engineering company Spencer Group is delivering a new permanent base for an iconic vessel as part of a major regeneration project in its home city.
Spencer Group has been awarded the contract to build a wet berth for the Spurn Lightship in Hull Marina.
The new dock for the cherished vessel will form an important part of the Hull City Council-led Hull Maritime project.
The £30m city-wide cultural regeneration scheme has been launched to celebrate and preserve Hull’s rich maritime heritage.
It involves the refurbishment of the Hull Maritime Museum and the restoration of two historic ships – the Arctic Corsair and the Spurn Lightship.
The lightship was built in 1927 and served for 48 years as a navigation aid in the approaches of the Humber Estuary. It was decommissioned in 1975 before being bought by Hull City Council and moved to Hull Marina as a museum.
It has been closed since 2018 but is now expected to reopen in its new home in the north-west corner of the marina, close to the Murdoch’s Connection footbridge, next summer.
The delivery of the wet berth is the latest in a portfolio of marine projects delivered by Spencer Group, which include significant port infrastructure works.
Richard Green-Morgan, construction director for Spencer Group, said: “Spencer Group is delighted to have been awarded the contract to provide the wet berth for the Spurn Lightship.
“We’re excited to be a part of the transformative Hull Maritime project in our home city and proud to aid the return of the iconic Spurn Lightship vessel to the marina, for residents and visitors to enjoy.
“As a leading multi-disciplinary engineering company, we deliver major projects across the UK and the world, but we always enjoy working on our own doorstep.
“We hope to carry out some early investigation works before Christmas, with the main works beginning in January.”
The works will include dredging of the berthing area and the installation of five mooring piles and a concrete bankseat, as well as a steel walkway to allow access onto the lightship once it has been moved into place.
The majority of the works will be carried out from floating pontoons. The bankseat will be constructed on land and will require a short pedestrian diversion to allow access to the area.
Work to restore the lightship is in its final stages and is expected to be complete in the coming months. The ship will then move to a temporary home on the marina until the new dock is scheduled to be complete next spring.
National Highways, which is carrying out major improvements to the A63 Castle Street route in and out of Hull, has awarded Hull City Council over £1m through its Designated Funds programme for the delivery of the wet berth.
Councillor Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: “The appointment of Spencer Group is excellent news and an important step for the Hull Maritime project.
“Work will get underway shortly and, once complete, the lightship will open for visitors again for everyone to enjoy and explore in its new home.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the Spurn Lightship restored to its former glory in a fantastic new setting, delivered by Spencer Group.”
Let’s twist again! Historic Sunny Bank Mills building reopens with new deals sealed
Two new deals have been completed at the historic Twisting building at Sunny Bank Mills, the iconic Yorkshire mill complex between Leeds and Bradford.
The Twisting, which has just undergone a £350,000 refurbishment, is now fully open and fully let.
During the past ten years Sunny Bank Mills, one of the most famous family-owned mills in Yorkshire, has been transformed into a modern office and mixed-use complex for the 21st century, creating 400 sustainable new jobs with almost 100 companies.
The two new tenants at the Twisting are shoemaker Yorkshire Sole and woodwork school Wharfedale Workshop. They join the cocktail bar Botanic Request and the Emma White Jewellery Studio, run by BBC TV’s All That Glitters star Emma White, in the Twisting. Emma will be opening her new showroom this weekend in her renovated premises.
Yorkshire Sole’s founder Dean Westmoreland, who is one of the stars of the popular BBC programme The Repair Shop, said: “Sunny Bank Mills has been on my radar for a long time and I am absolutely delighted to have moved here. The whole atmosphere around the place is one of creativity and innovation, while also being steeped in heritage. As a shoemaker I have a love of heritage.
“When I first visited the Twisting, I was immediately taken with the fantastic light from the large windows – something essential for my craft. This, along with the space being more than four times the size of my previous shop, really got me excited.
“This was perfect for the development of my business, which specialises in bespoke shoemaking and retailing fine shoes, as well as the repair side, which has gained a reputation for high-quality work thanks in part to the Repair Shop.
“The Repair Shop originally got in touch three years ago asking if I could repair an old pair of Olympic running shoes – on TV to six million-plus viewers! What an opportunity. I said yes, thinking it was a one off, but they keep asking me back and I’m now riding this surreal world of TV work while running and growing Yorkshire Sole.
“I’m incredibly proud of the reputation built with Yorkshire Sole. The new space at the Twisting will allow us to grow further, release our own line of handmade boots and serve the people of Farsley and beyond with this ancient craft of repair and shoemaking that will, hopefully, always be in demand.”
Dean added: “Landlords John and William Gaunt have been incredible. They were genuinely interested in Yorkshire Sole and what we’re trying to achieve. They want the businesses at Sunny Bank Mills to thrive.”
Meanwhile Dean has been joined in the Twisting by Nick Thompson, who runs the popular Wharfedale Workshop, which specialises in woodwork courses for beginners and intermediates.
Nick, who has relocated from Ilkley, explained: “I had been looking for a new home for my woodwork school for some time. Once I heard there was a vacancy at Sunny Banks Mills, I jumped at it.
“The whole site has a fantastic feel which matches my hand tool woodwork ethos and the Twisting has been wonderfully renovated, with large windows, lots of light and lovely views. It has a real sense of history and character. Everyone I know told me I should move there.
“I teach hand tool woodworking to beginners and intermediates, specialising in traditional and modern woodworking skills. Courses are in the evening and weekends and we have a wonderfully diverse range of students. I know everyone will love our new premises.”
William Gaunt said: “The regeneration of the Twisting is another piece in the jigsaw in the regeneration of Sunny Bank Mills. Now the renovation has been completed, it is ready to be a tremendously stimulating space in the heart of our mill complex.
“We are absolutely delighted that Dean and Nick have moved into the Twisting. They both practice traditional crafts which are making a welcome comeback in the 21st century. Their businesses and their ethos fit in perfectly with the character and heritage of our mill.”
John Gaunt added: “Both these deals are a resounding endorsement of our new-look Twisting building. We are very proud that all four units in the gallery were let well before the renovation was complete, with a wonderful blend of innovative experiential craft based retail, ranging from jewellery, to gin making, to shoe making to cabinet making.”
The Twisting was first renovated in 1935 following a fire.
US tech giant opens facility in Barnsley
One of the largest IT solutions providers in the world has set up a new state-of-the-art business facility in Barnsley to support its global expansion plans.
US company SHI International has opened its ‘Nexus Integration Centre’ at Capitol Park beside the M1 in Dodworth last week.
The company’s £12 million investment in this technology integration centre, sales and customer experience hub will enhance its capacity to deliver advanced data centre and end-user computing solutions to clients across the UK.
The Barnsley business centre will be fully operational by January next year. It complements similar SHI configuration facilities in the U.S., the Netherlands, France and Singapore, plus its existing SHI UK offices in Milton Keynes, London, and Glasgow.
SHI International is a world-leading tech company and the largest Minority Woman Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) in the USA. It’s CEO and president Thai Lee has been at the helm since 1989 and built the company into a $13bn global corporation with 35 offices across the world. Their new 46,000 sq ft Barnsley base creates an IT configuration and integration centre, customer service and warehouse facilities. It will attract customers from all over the UK to view IT solutions from dozens of tech partners which are showcased here.
Senior vice president for SHI’s international division Celeste Lee flew in from SHI’s headquarters in New Jersey to officially open the new Barnsley centre. She said: “The opening of the Nexus Integration Centre is another key milestone in SHI’s continuing UK, European, and international expansion plans.
“The customised client and data centre hardware solutions configured and shipped from Nexus will provide our customers with greater efficiency and availability and with reduced cost and shipping times. By bringing these operations in-country, any UK-based customer looking for direct oversight of complex integrated solutions can visit the integration centre where the actual work is performed.”
SHI in Barnsley has already recruited to jobs in IT, sales, customer service, administration and warehouse roles, with further plans for workforce expansion over the coming months.
Mayor of Barnsley Cllr Sarah Jane Tattersall attended the official opening and welcomed the US company to the borough.
Enterprising Barnsley has helped SHI UK move here, by assisting with planning matters, securing financial support to back their own investment and making connections with local suppliers. It has also helped with recruitment and training alongside partners, Barnsley College.
Cllr Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for growth and sustainability, said: “It is wonderful to see SHI UK opening its new integration centre in Barnsley and we look forward to seeing the company flourish here. “New jobs have already been created and we anticipate more opportunities over the coming months as the facility ramps up to full operational status.”
SHI employs more than 6,000 people worldwide and specialises in delivering innovative e-commerce, fulfilment and IT asset management solutions and data centre management and storage solutions, as well as integrated digital workplace consultancy and support. Enterprising Barnsley, the business support arm of Barnsley Council, aims to attract new businesses to invest in the borough and help new and existing businesses develop and expand; generating economic growth and creating jobs.
Government plans to put burden of fixing unsafe buildings onto developers
Proposals for how developers would pay to fix unsafe buildings have been set out by the government as it moves a step closer to imposing its new Building Safety Levy.
The government has now begun consulting developers and other interested parties on the plans, which will see an estimated £3 billion collected over the next 10 years.
Under the proposals drawn by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, developers of residential buildings, regardless of their height, will have to pay the levy contribution as part of the building control process.
This will mean that unless the levy is paid, a developer could not move on to the next stage of the building process, which could lead to project delays and impact future revenues.
Minister for Local Government and Building Safety Lee Rowley said: “We have been clear that developers must pay to fix building safety issues and the Building Safety Levy is an important part of making that a reality.
“Today’s consultation will give industry and local authorities an opportunity to work with us going forward.
“By having these plans in place, we can ensure that all leaseholders are protected, regardless of whether their developer has pledged to remediate or not.”
The government’s proposals include an option to alter levy rates depending on where in the country the building is, with lower rates in areas where land and house prices are less expensive. It also suggests that local authorities will be best placed to act as the collection agents as they have the necessary systems, data, knowledge, and relationships in place with the developer sector. In order to protect the supply of affordable homes, it is proposed they be exempt from a levy charge. This is alongside a number of community buildings, including NHS facilities, children’s homes and refuges, including those for victims of domestic abuse. The levy will be reviewed regularly so that it can be adjusted to take account of changing circumstances, such as wider economic conditions. There are also plans to protect small and medium sized enterprises by excluding smaller projects. The Building Safety Levy will run alongside the developer pledges which were announced earlier this year. Under the pledges, 49 of the UK’s biggest homebuilders have committed to fix life-critical fire-safety defects in buildings over 11 metres where they had a role in developing those buildings in the last 30 years. This amounts to a commitment of at least £2 billion. The Building Safety Levy was first announced in February 2021 and plans to extend it to cover all residential buildings were confirmed in April 2022. The Building Safety Levy is one of the ways we will ensure that the burden of paying for fixing historic building safety defects does not fall on leaseholders or taxpayers. The consultation seeks views on the delivery of the Levy, including how it will work, what the rates will be, who must pay, what sanctions and enforcement will apply, and who is responsible for collecting the levy. The consultation will be open for 10 working weeks from today (22 November 2022) and seeks the views of all interested parties, especially developers of all sizes, building control professionals and local authorities. Their views will be taken into account before any final decisions are made next year.Leeds engineers RWO complete Yorkshire business incubation hub contract
Leeds engineers RWO has completed an undisclosed structural and civil engineering contract to support the development of a major new business incubation hub in South Yorkshire.
Working in partnership with design and build contractor Esh Construction and architects The Harris Partnership, the project saw the Park Square-based engineers provide services for the latest phase of the Rotherham hub. This is a major commercial development that is creating new jobs and providing 20 workshops, 16 office units and two laboratories for dozens of micro and start-up businesses.
The second phase of work builds on the success of the nearby Century Business Centre, which was constructed in 2000 and has since supported over 300 businesses, playing a critical part in the economic regeneration of the Manvers area.
Located just off the A6195 at Wombwell, with good connection links to the M1 and A1, the hub will utilise the latest building information modelling (BIM) techniques to deliver the highest levels of energy efficiency and sustainability. This includes a building and renewable heating system incorporated within the office spaces via air source heat pumps.
Completion of the contract comes as RWO, which currently employs 35 people across its offices in Leeds and Newcastle, is seeing strong demand for its civil and structural engineering services from many of the region’s commercial property developers as well as national house builders.
Andrew Fairburn, head of RWO’s Leeds office, said: “We look forward to developing our partnership with Esh and support its plans for the delivery of ambitious development projects with unparalleled technical advice, skills and engineering excellence. This latest completion comes at a time when we foresee continued strong growth in 2023 with a pipeline of forward orders and enquiries from across the country.”
Esh’s operations director, Paul Waller, said: “We were delighted to work with RWO on a facility that allows businesses to become more successful and sustainable, contributing to a boost in local employment and the economy. Their engineering design experience and technical capabilities ensure the hub is being delivered to the highest standards of quality and on time.”
The Autumn Statement, perhaps it should have come with a health warning? By James Pinchbeck, partner, Streets Chartered Accountants
The Autumn Statement was the third fiscal statement from the Government in as many months, set against a background of rising inflation and an economic recession.
Our latest Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, with an expectation to last longer than his predecessor, sought to regain the confidence of the financial markets, gain the economic credibility of not just his party but that of the UK government across the world stage, as well as to create a stability for individuals and businesses. As he himself indicated prior to delivering his Budget, it was going to be no magic trick including rabbits or hats. Even the best magician was unlikely to conjure up a trick to impress or please a growing discontented and disillusioned audience.
In an attempt to reverse the damage and impact of the bungled mini Budget delivered by Kwasi Kwarteng under the premiership of Liz Truss, it would seem the majority of his announcements set out to reverse both their ‘ideology’ and as well as the changes to tax reliefs and financial interventions introduced.
For many, such steps would have perhaps seemed obvious, not least for the negative financial impact in one afternoon it achieved in terms of increasing both the governments level of borrowing along with the cost to servicing the national debt. That is aside of the impact it had on the cost of mortgages and the cost of living for individuals.
Only a few weeks ago we heard of plans for stimulating economic growth, with the rhetoric of ‘go big or go home’. With the UK economy now officially being in recession, Jeremy Hunt made little or no reference to growth. In fact it might be fair to say he did little to stimulate or encourage business growth, which perhaps is a very regrettable oversight. At best we can hope his budget at least provided the certainty businesses sought over the economic conditions in which they operate, whether we like them or not.
Perhaps holding off potential public spending cuts until after the next general election may help to lessen the impact of a recession.
Mr Hunt’s Budget not only saw the re-instatement of the proposed increase to corporation tax from 19% to 25% next April, but also the proposed introduction of Vehicle Excise Duty for electric vehicles from 2025, changes to R&D Tax credits, Stamp Duty Land Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Dividend Allowances – all are invariably less favorable for those to whom they apply.
The Chancellor also announced that the Income Tax additional rate threshold will be reduced from £150,000 to £125,140 with effect from 6 April 2023. This move will see an estimated 250,000 further taxpayers pay the additional rate of Income Tax of 45% from next April.
Then we come to ‘stealth taxes’ – a tax levied in a way that is largely unnoticed or might not be recognised as a traditional tax.
The Autumn Statement included a number of these by way of freezing the thresholds for the Personal Allowance, National Insurance Primary Threshold, Inheritance Tax and Residence Nil Rate Band.
Whilst September’s mini Budget perhaps created the feeling of a ‘sugar rush’, in terms of its tax giveaways, the Autumn Statement may well see many seeking more significant cures than a sugar rush as they grapple with an economic downturn and increasing costs of living from both a business and personal perspective.
Perhaps the Chancellor, a past Secretary of State for Health, should have made reference to the fact that his Autumn Statement may be going to hurt.
If you missed Streets Chartered Accountants’ post Budget webinar on Friday 18th November, you can access the recording here: https://my.demio.com/recording/oJuVaOve.
See, partner at Streets Whittles, Dan Insley’s thoughts on the Budget here in ‘The Autumn Statement – What it means to you‘.
Download the Streets Guide to the Autumn Statement 2022 here.
Food waste recycler fined £36,000 for illegally spreading and storing waste
A food waste recycling company has been fined £36,000 for the illegal spreading and storage of waste at three sites in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
In September 2022, Whites Recycling Limited pleaded guilty to eight offences, including the breach of environmental permit conditions related to the spreading of waste to farmland in Auckley and Blaxton, Doncaster, and Susworth, Lincolnshire, contrary to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
Doncaster Magistrates’ Court heard that Whites Recycling Limited, in breach of its environmental permit, spread liquid waste to fields near to Ivy House Farm, Auckley between March and May 2018; to Acomb Farm, Blaxton in November and December 2018; and to East Ferry Road, Susworth, Lincolnshire in November and December 2019.
Liquid wastes containing nitrogen and phosphates were spread on land by the company at the wrong time of year or in excessive quantities, which posed a risk of pollution to groundwater. In addition, the Lincolnshire-based company pleaded guilty to illegally storing liquid waste in a storage tank on Acomb Farm between July 2017 and April 2018.
Whites Recycling Limited is a company involved in the disposal and recycling of waste sludge and liquid waste, the majority of which are generated by the food industry. The company can lawfully spread such waste to farmland in circumstances where it can be demonstrated that land spreading will result in agricultural or ecological benefit.
Although the company had an environmental permit that allowed it to spread food waste to land for agricultural benefit, it was a condition of its permit that before it could start to store or spread waste at a location, it must notify the Environment Agency using a deployment form, and the Environment Agency must agree to the spreading.
This ensures that waste is only permitted to be spread to land when it benefits either the soil or the crop being grown in it and where it will not pose a risk of harm to the environment. If waste is spread to land without a deployment first having been agreed, or if waste is spread to land in circumstances which are not in accordance with the agreed deployment, then there is a risk of environmental harm.
Passing sentence, District Judge Young stated that the company had been negligent, in that it had failed to take reasonable care to put in place and enforce proper systems for avoiding the offences. The court acknowledged that the company had reviewed its systems and steps had been taken designed to avoid further offending. The court stated that it had to balance the need to bring home to the company’s management and shareholders the need to improve regulatory compliance, with the fact that the company had recently been operating at a loss.
The Court fined the company £36,000 and further ordered the company to pay a statutory surcharge of £170, and the Environment Agency’s investigation and legal costs of £38,008.17.
Area Environment Manager Steve Lawrie said: “Our rules are in place for a good reason and to ensure that any material that is spread is done correctly and managed in a way that protects the environment. We will not hesitate to take enforcement action in future for those who breach their permits and refuse to cooperate.
“We hope this case sends a message to other land spreading operators and farmers that we take land spreading offences very seriously. Operators must follow the correct procedures to ensure they spread safely, in accordance with their environmental permits.”
