The University of Nottingham has cut casual teaching staff from its Language Centre, citing financial pressures and the need to prioritise core academic services. The decision affects staff delivering evening language courses to the public as well as supplementary language options for undergraduate students.

According to the university, these offerings did not generate a financial surplus, prompting a review of resource allocation. The cuts are part of broader cost-saving measures aimed at stabilising the institution’s financial position.

The affected staff were employed on casual contracts, which required no notice or consultation prior to termination. This has sparked concern among some educators, particularly those who had relied on the work for income stability.

The move has drawn criticism from members of the University and College Union and the wider community, with concerns about access to British Sign Language education and the erosion of the university’s community-facing initiatives. An open letter opposing the decision has gathered hundreds of signatures.

The university stated that it may reconsider community language programmes once its financial situation improves. For now, it is focusing its investment on undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences.

Blackrow Group and On Line Group Ltd (OLG) have entered a strategic partnership aimed at delivering integrated engineering solutions across the UK’s industrial heartlands. The move positions both firms to capitalise on growing public and private investment in energy and transport infrastructure, following the 2025 Spending Review.

Combining over 100 years of industry experience, the two companies generate a joint annual revenue exceeding £75 million and employ more than 600 staff. Their six-site footprint, including key locations in Grimsby, Immingham, and Leicester, offers more than 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

The partnership offers a comprehensive suite of services, encompassing design, engineering, fabrication, installation, and mechanical services. Blackrow will lead on mechanical and installation services, while OLG will handle design and project management, creating a unified delivery model from concept to completion.

Workforce development is a priority for the alliance, with over 50 apprentices in training across six disciplines. Both firms are working towards ISO 44001 certification to formalise a collaborative approach centred on client value.

Sustainability is also a core focus. Blackrow contributes to the renewables sector through the fabrication of components for wind, solar, and biofuel infrastructure. The partnership is aligned with government-backed industrial decarbonisation initiatives in the Humber region, including hydrogen, carbon captur,e and clean energy projects.

The alliance reinforces the UK’s industrial supply chain at a time when scale, specialisation, and collaboration are increasingly essential for delivering national infrastructure.

Robert Anderson, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, delves into the evolution of the finance director’s role. The role of the finance director or finance lead continues to evolve rapidly. As businesses face a perfect storm of geopolitical disruption, digital transformation, cyber threats and rising costs, finance leaders are stepping far beyond the boundaries of traditional reporting and compliance. Their remit now spans strategic insight, risk management and operational leadership. New US trade tariffs: time to reassess your exposure With Donald Trump now back in the White House and new US trade tariffs already announced, UK businesses, particularly those with US-facing supply chains or export markets, are being forced to re-evaluate their international exposure. For finance directors, this means quickly modelling cost increases, understanding margin pressures and scenario-planning the wider impact on pricing, procurement and revenue. Currency volatility and logistics disruption may also follow, requiring strong financial resilience and flexible forecasting. Cyber threats and ransomware: more than an IT issue Ransomware attacks and data breaches are becoming more frequent, more sophisticated and more financially damaging. Increasingly, finance teams themselves are being targeted by cybercriminals through invoice fraud, phishing and social engineering. Cyber risk has become a board-level issue, with finance directors playing a critical role in response planning, fraud controls and cyber insurance decisions. As the threat landscape intensifies, financial oversight and resilience planning must keep pace. AI in finance: driving automation and deeper insight Finance functions are rapidly adopting AI technologies to streamline processes, detect anomalies and provide richer, real-time insight. AI is being used for everything from invoice matching and expense processing to predictive forecasting and reporting. For finance leads, this shift offers a chance to free up time for value-added work while also introducing new responsibilities around data governance, integration and ethical use. The ability to harness AI effectively will increasingly separate progressive finance functions from reactive ones. Rising employment costs and tax changes The increase in Employers’ National Insurance contributions adds further pressure to cost bases already stretched by inflation, wage expectations and economic uncertainty. For finance teams, this means reviewing workforce models, optimising payroll strategies and ensuring compliance with evolving HMRC regulations. There’s a growing need to balance cost control with talent retention and investment in growth areas. The expanding finance leadership remit Finance directors today are expected to lead far beyond the finance department. Studies from the ACCA and others show that finance leaders are now increasingly responsible for areas like IT strategy, ESG reporting, operational risk and even HR and legal oversight. They are trusted advisers to business owners and boards shaping strategy, influencing transformation and helping drive long-term performance. Supporting strategic finance leadership The finance function is no longer just about compliance it’s about enabling better decisions, safeguarding the business, and identifying opportunity amidst complexity. For many organisations without a formal CFO, the finance director is stepping into that strategic leadership space. At Streets, we work with finance directors to support them through every stage from audit and tax planning to risk management, digital transformation and growth. Our aim is to help finance leaders confidently meet today’s demands and tomorrow’s challenges. See this column in the June issue of East Midlands Business Link Magazine here.