With everything you require for a great day of networking and business generation, attend The Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo to establish new contacts. A well targeted, free to attend event aimed at the Construction, Property, Business, Investment, Finance, Professional Services and related B2B markets, for which Business Link is a proud partner, the expo will take place on Wednesday 27 April 2022 at The Bentley Hotel, Lincoln. Opening at 9am, as the exhibition closes (circa 2pm), it will roll directly into an informal network lunch – tickets are just £25 plus vat and can be ordered and paid for directly online. Meet more potential clients in one amazing cost effective day, than it would take months out on the road. To attend the event, register for free here. To generate opportunities by exhibiting at the event, click here. Purchase tickets to the networking lunch here.

City of York Council is co-organising a networking event in York with Natwest for women involved in business on March 22, 2022.

Protecting and enhancing the environment has been hard-wired into every part of North Lincolnshire Council’s budget. A scheme to support schools to install green-energy solutions will be rolled out across the area, enforcement of litter louts and fly-tippers will be stepped up and the council will look to add a sixth park to its stable of five Green Flag-winning parks. Hundreds more homes will be fitted with insulation, a raft of new electric charging points will be installed and thousands more trees and hedges will be planted – adding to the more than 90,000 trees which have been planted already. Cllr David Rose, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We launched our Green Futures strategy recently, announcing our intentions to be net-zero by 2030. “This is the first budget since it was launched and I am pleased to be able to say we have already made great strides into embedding the intentions of the Green Futures across the council. “The protection and enhancement of the environment is integral to everything we do.” The investments are part of North Lincolnshire Council’s annual budget which was approved at a full council meeting on Thursday, 24 February. The inflation-busting budget saw only a small council tax rise of 0.89 per cent and an uplift in the social care precept of two per cent.

The recently launched digitalisation grant – designed to supercharge digital growth across North Lincolnshire – has proved so popular with local business it has re-opened with more funds. The Government-funded £150,000 cash pot was immediately over-subscribed, so North Lincolnshire Council has allocated a further £100,000 to the scheme. The grants – which can be up to £5,000 – are targeted at companies looking to invest in the latest technology. This can be everything from cutting-edge hardware and software, upgrading internet connections, buying e-commerce equipment and paying for marketing campaigns or consultancy costs. Businesses of all sizes are eligible to apply, with the minimum award being £1,000. Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “We are listening to businesses and enabling them to take the steps they need to flourish. “We were pleased at the success of the digitalisation grant offer and have worked quickly to pour more money into the fund so no business will lose out. “This is part of the council’s pledge to deliver on the levelling-up agenda and support a strong, diverse business sector that will create jobs and enable growth.” The investment is part of North Lincolnshire Council’s annual budget which was approved at a full council meeting on Thursday, 24 February. The inflation-busting budget saw only small council tax rise of 0.89 per cent and an uplift in the social care precept of two per cent.

Mayor Dan Jarvis is bringing forward proposals for the formal investigation of bus franchising in South Yorkshire – describing it as a critical step for efforts to transform the region’s transport. The decision, which will set the wheels in motion for greater public control over buses, will be put before a special Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) meeting on 4 March. “I continue to believe in the huge potential of our buses, but it is clear the current system in South Yorkshire is not delivering as it should. We have to look at every option to transform our region’s transport – and that has to include franchising.” Jarvis said. “Franchising is not a silver bullet and we should be under no illusion about the challenges we face, irrespective of which bus model we choose. But greater public control has the potential to help build a bus system that better meets the needs and priorities of South Yorkshire. The assessment is a critical step that sets the stage for franchising if we are satisfied the case has been made. “Nevertheless, we’ve set out strong ambitions and invested millions to improve services. But just when we should be working together to rebuild public transport, bus companies that received millions in public subsidy during the pandemic are rushing to cuts and fare hikes that will cut off communities and lock in the harm done by Covid – while the government is asleep at the wheel. “Moving to the formal franchising assessment is the right decision for South Yorkshire. But I want and need operators to act like real partners now, for government to continue emergency funding support, and provide the transformative investment they promised. Without that we cannot hope to reverse the cycle of decline – and build the future that South Yorkshire deserves.” South Yorkshire’s proposed assessment of bus franchising follows plans to develop an Enhanced Partnership in response to the government’s National Bus Strategy (Bus Back Better). The Partnership’s blueprint for bus reform – founded on feedback from the region’s Bus Review – includes proposals for free travel for under 18s and capped fares for all passengers, bus priority measures to make journeys quicker, better journey planning information, ‘turn up and go’ bus options, and zero emission buses to make travel cleaner and greener towards a net-zero future. The Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme, recently subject to public consultation, would form a legally binding agreement between SYMCA and local bus operators to deliver the actions set out in South Yorkshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan. Work to establish and implement the Enhanced Partnership continues, in order to deliver passenger benefits.

Business confidence in Yorkshire rose three points during February to 51%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Yorkshire reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 12 points to 54%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, which dipped seven points to 48%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 51%. The Business Barometer, which questions 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. This month’s survey captured responses between 1st and 15th February before the removal of various COVID restrictions across the UK’s nations. A net balance of 53% of businesses in the region expect to increase staff levels over the next year, the joint highest of all UK regions and nations, up a significant 24 points, the joint highest climb on last month. Overall UK business confidence saw an uptick in February, rising five points from January’s reading of 39% to 44% – its highest level since last September. Firms remained positive about their future trading prospects, with a four-point increase month-on-month to 45%, while optimism in the economy overall also increased by five points to 43%. The net balance of businesses planning to create new jobs rose by nine points to 38%. Every UK nation and region maintained a positive overall confidence reading in February. The North East (up 17 points to 57%), South West (up nine points to 46%) and West Midlands (up eight points to 47%) saw the biggest increases month-on-month, with the North East reporting the highest levels of business confidence overall. Only the North West (which remained unchanged at 44%) and Scotland (down two points to 35%) did not have higher confidence readings than last month. Steve Harris, regional director for Yorkshire at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “It is very encouraging to see the confidence of Yorkshire’s SMEs continue to grow this month. Our region’s resilient businesses continue to weather the complex storm of the COVID-19 pandemic, price rises and inflation, and keep investing in growth. “With spring around the corner, Yorkshire’s thriving hospitality and leisure sector will be hoping for an uptick in tourists from the UK and further afield to further boost morale.” The further easing of COVID restrictions in January had a positive impact across the sectors with strong increases in manufacturing (up 11 points to 54%) and construction (up 18 points to 51%) with both reaching their highest level since the start of the pandemic. Retail confidence rose three points to 47%, another high since the start of COVID. Services remained unchanged at 38%. Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “It’s extremely encouraging to see a such an improvement in business confidence reaching its highest level since September, fuelled by trading prospects reaching their highest level since the start of pandemic. “With hiring intentions also reaching their highest level since the end of the furlough scheme there is hope that the easing of supply bottlenecks will alleviate a number of challenges that businesses have been facing and help underpin the UK’s growth in 2022.”