A below-inflation budget for North Lincolnshire residents will supercharge the post-Covid recovery and continue to protect the most vulnerable people. In the coming year, the council will spend almost £170m on its residents with more than 80 per cent used for vulnerable children, families, older people and those with disabilities. The budget – of which £100m comes from Government – includes investments to radically enhance the environment in every community across North Lincolnshire, enable businesses to create more new jobs, fast-track road infrastructure upgrades and crack down even further on anti-social behaviour while protecting the most vulnerable. It is designed to super-charge recovery and growth in North Lincolnshire, driving prosperity and enabling the many communities of North Lincolnshire to flourish. Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This inflation-busting budget recognises that people are feeling the pinch through global inflation while still enabling the council to prioritise the most vulnerable people here in North Lincolnshire. “As we truly begin to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, we will be investing heavily in our young people – from continuing the Imagination Library scheme which sees 7,000 under fives get free books every month to major capital allocations for school buildings to ensure they can maintain their excellent education. “We’ll be supporting our communities further, enabling them to recover properly from the impact of the pandemic and ensuring that they are even better placed to take advantage of the many opportunities coming to North Lincolnshire. “The plans will support businesses to create jobs, creating a more attractive environment for businesses to invest so we help create more highly-skilled, well-paid, sustainable jobs in Scunthorpe and North Lincolnshire.” Spending plans include protecting free parking in Ashby, Brigg and Scunthorpe, the continuation of the Imagination Library, the planting of thousands of trees, additional investment to extend footpaths across the county, increasing visitors to the Baths Hall, and protecting concessionary fares for older and disabled people. The inflation-busting budget means general council tax will increase by 0.89 per cent and the adult social care precept increase by two per cent. Inflation in January, according to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), stood at 5.5 per cent. The small increase is being offset further by the Government’s £150 rebate for people living in Band A-D properties (the majority of homes in North Lincolnshire) which is designed to assist households with cost-of-living pressures. Cllr Waltham said: “We have had unprecedented levels of support from the Government throughout the last two years – more than £200m alone in North Lincolnshire. “That support continues and means that the majority of people across the area, and particularly those who need it the most, will pay less council tax in the coming year than they did last year.”

City of Lincoln Council delivered a successful 2021 Lincoln Christmas Market despite the pressures of an exceptional year due to Covid-19, allowing for an increase in visitors for the local economy.

One of Yorkshire’s fastest growing businesses has announced a restructure and exciting future plan to support continued expansion.

ORB Recruitment, headquartered in Balby, Doncaster, has restructured to allow the business to grow sustainably whilst retaining control and supporting staff and clients.

As part of the transformation, ORB has developed sub-brands to service specialist sectors in executive recruitment, healthcare, construction and civils and manufacturing / industrial services.

Internal processes have also been reviewed, with steps being taken to make processes more efficient and effective to better serve candidates and clients.

The restructure has created new opportunities, with several staff set for internal promotions. Senior roles will also be created for external applicants.

The changes come after ORB enjoyed an impressive 2021, despite the uncertain business environment.

The company revised its year-end forecast, with both revenue and profit surpassing expectations. Compared to 2020, ORB grew 170% Year-On-Year (YOY).

It also continued its UK expansion, opening a Scotland office which has already secured several key contracts.

At the start of this year, the Yorkshire team moved into a larger, modern office in Balby, with capacity for up to 35 staff.

As part of the restructure, Stewart Olsen, previously ORB managing director, has taken on a new title as ORB Group CEO.

Stewart said: “Restructuring was imperative to continue our growth trajectory. As a business we should always be reviewing and reflecting on our work and thinking of ways to better serve our candidates and clients.

“We are on an exciting journey and will be looking for even more great people to join us. If we keep going on this path, we will be ‘opening the flood gates’ for trainee and experienced consultants to join the business and be part of the next step.”

UK holiday operator, Haven, has acquired its first holiday park in six years following the growth in staycations, and its first since its acquisition by Blackstone last year. Haven has acquired Richmond Holiday Centre in Skegness from its previous family owners, who have provided thousands of families with holidays and holiday home ownership in the area for over 50 years. With Haven’s heritage firmly embedded in family ownership, the business is in a strong position to continue to deliver the holiday experience that guests and owners have enjoyed for decades. This, together with the support of Blackstone, was a key consideration for the previous owners when considering the sale. Situated on the Lincolnshire Coast, Richmond Holiday Centre has over 700 pitches offering accommodation for holidaymakers and holiday homeowners alike. The park has an extensive range of central facilities from pools to restaurants and entertainment venues and is located a short walk from the bustling resort of Skegness. With further investment planned, Haven will look to build on the work of the previous owners together with the learnings taken from improvements made across the Haven portfolio. “We believe the acquisition of Richmond Holiday Centre provides us with a fantastic platform to move into one of the UK’s prime seaside locations for the first time and clearly demonstrates our commitment to the domestic tourism industry,” said Simon Palethorpe, Managing Director of Haven. “We have a proud and rich heritage of embracing and nurturing family businesses over many years and believe we are perfectly placed to take Richmond Holiday Centre forward. With the support of Blackstone, we continue to look for opportunities to expand the business further and are always open to welcoming similar businesses to the growing Haven family in the future.” Mark Williams, representing the family owners, added: “It is always a massive decision to part with a family business such as this as it means so much to so many people – not just us as a family but also our fantastic staff and loyal customers – whether they are holiday home owners or visitors to The Richmond who return year after year. “What has been at the forefront of our minds has been to find the right ‘fit’ in the new owner, one who understands not just the industry, but our Park in particular. We believe we have found that in Haven and that they are ideally placed to take the business forward to the benefit of all involved.” Whilst Richmond Holiday Centre becomes part of the wider Haven business with immediate effect, it will continue to trade under its existing name and website for the 2022 season. The acquisition of Richmond Holiday Centre will take Haven’s number of holiday parks to 41 but with plans to further expand as Bourne Leisure continues to explore other potential holiday locations.

Anglian Water has reached the halfway point on the first section of new major pipeline route between Lincoln and Ancaster. The pipeline is the inaugural scheme for Anglian Water’s Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA), which will in total create hundreds of kilometers of interconnecting pipelines, making it longer than the M6, and the largest water infrastructure project the UK has seen for a generation. This long-term project will be crucial in addressing the predicted future imbalance where demand for water greatly outstrips the available resources in the east of England.  It will create the ability to move water in stages from wetter parts of north Lincolnshire to the south and east of the region, where it is less readily available. The new pipeline will also strengthen local resilience by reducing the number of homes and businesses which rely on a single water source. As work continues on the first section, the water company has now submitted further planning applications to Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Local Planning Authorities for permission to begin work on a further 99km of pipeline running from Grantham in Lincolnshire to Bexwell in Norfolk. This section of pipeline will run from Wilsford Heath, south of Ancaster, via Welby Heath, to the east of Grantham, down to Etton, near Peterborough, ending at Bexwell, near Downham Market. It will include two new pumping stations and a new covered treated water reservoir at Welby Heath.  Subject to planning consent work will commence on site later in 2022. The mammoth project is part of Anglian’s Water Resources Management Plan, which looks 25 years ahead to make the East resilient to drought. Without taking this action, the East of England would face a water deficit of 30 million litres a day by 2025 due to the combined impact of a rapidly growing population, climate change, and being located in the most water-scarce part of the UK. That’s a shortfall of 4,380 Olympic swimming pools of water, every year. Strategic Pipeline Alliance Director for Anglian Water, James Crompton said: “The strategic pipeline is vital in addressing the predicted ‘jaws of death’ moment for water availability in the East of England – the point at which demand for water greatly outstrips the available supply. “That point in time is very real and not far into the future. Time is of the essence and crucially, we need local planning authorities to work with us to grant the necessary permissions as quickly as possible so we can meet these timescales. With 175,000 new homes to be built in the next few years, it is vital we ensure we have resilient infrastructure in place to support local authorities in delivering their Local Plans. We look forward to working with all of the local councils on developing these proposals.” As a business with environmental and social purpose at its core, Anglian applies green thinking to every aspect of its capital programme. The strategic pipeline will make use of the latest technology, some never used before in the UK, each one designed to reduce the carbon footprint and any environmental impact associated with the scheme delivery. The Grantham to Bexwell pipeline has been specifically designed to bypass sensitive ecological sites  where environmental surveys have found protected species like badgers, water voles, bats and Great Crested Newts. The entire pipeline has also been designed to have the lowest carbon footprint possible in line with Anglian’s pledge to reach net zero carbon by 2030. James added: “Our commitment to protecting the environment is as vital as securing customer supplies. This project will help meet our targets to reduce the amount of water we take from the environment by 84 million litres a day, but our infrastructure needs to be sustainable too. “Climate change isn’t just a risk in terms of the challenges it poses us, it is also an opportunity to challenge established practice and to do things differently and more efficiently, for wider gain. This scheme is an excellent example how we’re doing both for the long-term benefit of our region.”