East Midlands Chamber at Westminster to present growth manifesto for the region to government

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East Midlands Chamber at Westminster to present growth manifesto for the region to government

Improvements to taxation, infrastructure, skills alongside reform of the planning system are among key asks that will be handed to the UK government and MPs today in a new manifesto from East Midlands Chamber. 

Under the proposals taxation and regulation would see reforms to make them simpler, transport would benefit from electrification of the Midland Main Line and upgrades to key road networks, while acceleration of full-fibre broadband roll-out across the East Midlands would boost digital growth. 

The document also identifies the ‘Big Opportunity’ for the East Midlands – to develop the region as a centre for the future of energy production, storage and provision.

Hosted by Nigel Mills MP, co-Chair of the East Midlands All Party Parliamentary Group, alongside East Midlands Chamber President Stuart Dawkins and Chair of the Board Kevin Harris, and with a delegation of regional business leaders in attendance, the event at 13.00 today in Westminster will mark the official launch of the Manifesto for Growth 2024.

Speaking ahead of the Westminster launch, East Midlands Chamber Chief Executive, Scott Knowles, said: “This document is the culmination of in depth engagement with our members.

“It builds upon our core themes of Innovation, Infrastructure, International trade and Investment, making specific recommendations in four areas: Skills reform for the reality of today’s workforce; Transport and infrastructure that is fit for purpose; Developing a taxation and regulation regime that is aligned with a long-term vision for the country; and how we fix the broken planning system.

“We’re also really excited to be presenting our Big Opportunity, to create a centre for the future of energy production, storage and provision in the East Midlands. We’ve already had some exciting recent developments in this space, including the STEP fusion plant development in West Burton, the Freeport’s ambitions for the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station site and the work Rolls-Royce are doing on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.

“A vision of the future where the East Midlands is exporting the products, processes and people that can deliver Net Zero is absolutely possible, and it’s essential that we get the right policy support from Government to unlock that opportunity.”

Chris Hobson, the Chamber’s Director of Policy & Insight, added: “We might not know when a General Election will be called, but it’s a certainty that it will at some point in the next ten months. With economic growth still precarious after several disruptive years, it’s a critical time to release this Manifesto that outlines the things businesses have told us they need for those that live and work in the East Midlands to be successful.

“This isn’t a zero sum game. If we get this right we all win. And the policy environment in which we operate is a key enabler to helping us get this right. Whoever is leading the country, businesses themselves will continue to do what they’ve always done: looking to develop opportunities, open new markets and maximise the materials they have and circumstances they are in to be successful.” 

Some of the key asks in the Manifesto for Growth 2024 include: 

  • Business rates: Full review of the system
  • Tax and regulation: Simplify the R&D tax credits system
  • Skills: Incentives for businesses that invest in staff training
  • Infrastructure: Speed up rollout of full-fibre Broadband
  • Planning: Let the private sector plug gaps on council staffing
  • Transport: Full electrification of the Midland Main Line commitment, reinstatement of direct rail links between Coventry and Leicester and improvements to the A50/A500 and A46 corridors.

Clowes Developments employees vote to fundraise for Derbyshire Mind

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Clowes Developments employees vote to fundraise for Derbyshire Mind
2024 marks a new chapter for the Derbyshire-based property group, Clowes Developments, as they implement their new charitable giving policy. Historically, donations and support for initiatives have always been done on an ad-hoc basis, however, this year in line with the group’s wider Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, leaders have taken the opportunity to formalise the way they give back to the community. For the first time, employees were invited to nominate charities close to their hearts. Nominations were then shortlisted to ensure the suggested charities align with the group’s values, employees then voted for their preferred charity. For the financial period, 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025, the group have elected Derbyshire Mind as the beneficiary of their charitable fundraising initiatives. Thomas Clowes, Managing Director, Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, said: “As we celebrate 60 years in business this year, it feels poignant to formalise the way we give back to our community. This is something we’ve done since my father set up the business in 1964. “As we evolve our business with ESG in the forefront of our minds, our charitable initiatives remain a priority. Mind has always been a charity that’s been on my radar as Mental health affects so many people in so many ways. Whilst the charity was chosen by our employees, I am personally pleased to be supporting this charity for the next year.” Derbyshire Mind is the local independent mental health charity within the national Mind network. Their focus is on improving mental health and wellbeing for people across Derby and Derbyshire. They provide a range of community mental wellbeing services designed to support local people with mental health problems as well as the wider population. Laura Mitchell, Marketing & Fundraising Co-ordinator, Derbyshire Mind, added: “I’m delighted that Derbyshire Mind have been chosen as the Charity of the Year for Clowes Developments. “We use our fundraised income to deliver a range of services, including our mental wellbeing services and projects, these are all designed to boost mood, reduce loneliness and isolation, and create connections between people to support good mental health. The money raised will make a big difference to our work. “Derbyshire Mind’s vision is for everyone in Derbyshire to have good mental wellbeing and to live their best life. We’re excited to be working in partnership with Clowes Developments and look forward to seeing how the partnership develops over the next year.” Clowes have several fundraising events planned throughout the year with the first being a charity golf day, sponsored by Leicestershire-based design company, Carve. ‘ProperTee’ will be held on Friday 3rd May at Brailsford Golf Course. The 12-hole course will host 12 teams of 4 made up of businesses from the property sector. Following a welcome breakfast at the course’s clubhouse, Acorns, teams will head out to play a Texas scramble format off a shotgun start. Following the competition there will be a prize giving ceremony with a top prize worth £500 donated by FHP. Interested parties are invited to contact lucy.bloor@clowes.co.uk. It isn’t the first time Clowes have supported Derbyshire Mind. In 2023, the group match donated funds raised at a live music event organised by The Hairy Dog. As well as committing to donate all fundraising activities to Derbyshire Mind for the next financial year, Clowes have been announced as headline sponsor for the Derby County Community Trust Black and White Ball which is taking place on Thursday 11th July. Clowes Developments will also be taking part in Mental Health Awareness Week from the 13th-19th May. The group’s Marketing Assistant, Lucy Bloor, will be posting a mental health awareness campaign every day across their various social media platforms. On the 17th September, Clowes will be officially celebrating their 60th anniversary with employees and to mark the occasion staff will wear blue for Derbyshire Mind. In November, members of the Clowes team will be taking part in the ‘Mental Elf’ fun run at Elvaston Castle.

Midlands Connect highlights benefits from linking cities by rail

Stuart Pearcey
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Midlands Connect highlights benefits from linking cities by rail
A new report by Midlands Connect has highlighted ‘massive’ benefits to universities throughout the region if the rail link between Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham is delivered, with academics saying it would support growth at the universities and help collaboration. The report chronicles a series of in-depth interviews with senior managers and academics at five major universities who all welcomed the proposals and saw benefits to their institution, staff and student recruitment. Alongside this report consumer research conducted by Censuswide for Midands Connect shows that 85% of students surveyed struggled to get to or from university because of delayed trains or missed train connections. Nearly 78% believed a stronger local rail network in the Midlands would have made their university a more appealing option and 72% would be more likely to travel by rail more if local services were more frequent, faster, and involved less changes. This research highlights the impact of better rail connections could make. Currently, just 3% of trips between Coventry and Leicester are made by train; compared to 30% of journeys made between Coventry and Birmingham and average speeds for trains between Coventry and Leicester are currently around 30mph, compared to average speeds of over 100mph for trains from Coventry to London. The scheme could bring benefits of over £170million to the local economy and journey times along the route will be cut significantly, with trips from Coventry to Leicester falling from 54 to as low as 30 minutes, with trips from Coventry to Nottingham falling to below 60 minutes. Loughborough and East Midlands Parkway could also have new, direct and more frequent links to Coventry. William Rossiter, Nottingham Trent University said: “I think investment in the rail corridor between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham would facilitate growth at the university. Without a doubt, it would facilitate the kind of cross university collaborations that are increasingly essential if you’re going to attract public funding for research. “Connectivity does make a difference to the to the quality of the student experience. “We tend to operate on quite large catchment areas, particularly for academic staff because of the need to fill roles that are very specialized. I would argue for universities, intra and interregional transport connectivity is more important than the average employer. “While transport connections are important for students, it is also critical in supporting research collaboration across different institutions.”

Managed hosting and data centre services firm expands in Nottingham

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Managed hosting and data centre services firm expands in Nottingham
Following increased demand for managed hosting and data centre services, CWCS Managed Hosting has acquired a 9,300 sq ft building in Nottingham to increase the company’s data centre footprint. Headquartered in Nottingham, with locations throughout the UK and USA, CWCS provides 24/7/365 enterprise-grade infrastructure for mission critical data systems, websites and applications through a choice of cloud, bare metal, dedicated servers, and colocation services. The acquisition of the new site follows extensive research and the data centre is due to be online in 2024. The announcement forms part of CWCS’s strategy to support growing demand from existing and new customers, as well as supporting the growth for current and future acquisitions. Karl Mendez, Managing Director of CWCS Managed Hosting, said: “In the last three years, we have embarked on an ambitious growth strategy to expand our portfolio of services through company acquisitions. “There’s an increasing demand for hosted solutions, especially private cloud and server colocation where customers want their data in a redundant and secure data centre facility with technicians available 24/7, and that’s exactly what we can offer. “Opening a new data centre in Nottingham significantly increases our capacity to offer flexible options comprising of cloud hosting, dedicated server hosting, and colocation services. “Above all, it ensures we can continue to meet the individual needs of our customers and positions us as a partner in mission critical data hosting.” Giles Davis, Partner at chartered surveyors, Geo Hallam & Sons, acted as the agent to find premises for the state-of-the-art facility. Giles said: “The search to find a suitable facility was a challenging brief, given the nature of the CWCS business. “We looked for premises that were well located and could be stripped back with planning permission. The building we’ve secured is an ideal canvas for CWCS to fit out with their new data centre and associated offices. We wish the team every success.” Mark Tomlinson, Director at FHP, who acted for the sellers in the sale, said: “The lack of industrial freehold opportunities could have prevented CWCS from achieving its expansion, but by working with Giles Davis at Geo Hallam we’ve been able to solve the problem by putting forward a building they can repurpose, securing a sale for our client, and helping CWCS achieve its vision. “We are delighted to have completed this deal with them and wish CWCS every success with its expansion.”

Saint-Gobain PAM UK reveals plans to close Leicestershire factory

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Saint-Gobain PAM UK reveals plans to close Leicestershire factory

Saint-Gobain PAM UK has revealed plans to close its Holwell factory in Melton Mowbray.

It puts 161 staff members at risk of redundancy, according to reports in the Construction Enquirer, as the firm looks to move the manufacturing of access covers and gratings products to its factory in Blénod, France. A period of consultation is now underway with employees and the GMB union. A closure of the factory is not expected until the end of the year.
Alan Gwilliam, Managing Director of Saint-Gobain PAM UK, said the factory had become uncompetitive after contending with Brexit, Covid and cost increases over the last few years, and despite efforts from the Holwell team. Meanwhile the French factory has recently been invested in to minimise the carbon intensity of production, resulting in a significant reduction in the carbon emissions related to products.

Theatre refurbishment gets the go-ahead

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Theatre refurbishment gets the go-ahead
At Planning Committee this week, Ashfield District Council approved the plans for the refurbishment of Sutton Community Academy’s Theatre. Ashfield District Council secured the funding to upgrade the theatre, which will be rebranded and opened to the public as Cornerstone Theatre, as part of their £6.27m Future High Streets Fund. The Council are working with Sutton Community Academy on the plans for the project. As part of the improvement work the theatre will be completely renovated and reconfigured to create a new multifunctional community space that will accommodate a wider range of high-quality performances and acts. The new theatre will allow residents and visitors to watch professional theatre performances, cinematic experiences, music and comedy nights, as well as other community uses. Following the approval of the planning application, work is expected to start in summer 2024, with a finish date of early 2025. Cllr Matthew Relf, Executive Lead for Growth, Regeneration, and Local Planning, said: “This project will help us achieve our goals of creating a vibrant and safe night-time economy in Ashfield. As the new Planetarium will connect young people to space and raise their aspirations, Cornerstone Theatre will ignite their creativity and imagination. “We are so proud to be investing in arts and culture, to allow more people of all backgrounds, young and old, in Ashfield and beyond to experience the magic of cinema, live theatre and music in an easy to access place. “All our regeneration projects, funded through over £100million external investment, have the common aim – to create an Ashfield that is a great place to live, work, play, study and visit.” Simon Martin, Vice Principal at ATTFE, said: “ATTFE is hugely excited to be involved in the inception and the future running of the Cornerstone facility. “Sutton-in-Ashfield and the surrounding area has long needed investment in and opportunities for cultural experiences of all sorts, and Cornerstone will provide these for the direct communities, neighbourhoods, and families that we serve.” New dressing rooms and a green room, toilets – including a changing places room, foyer and box office will be created to accommodate the improved theatre. Inside the theatre itself the auditorium will be completely refurbished with new flooring, ceiling, acoustic wall treatments and doors. A new retractable seating system will provide seating, and specialist lighting will also be installed. Considerations are being made to ensure the theatre will be an accessible space for staff, performers, and the audience.

Meridian Space Command chooses Space Park Leicester for HQ

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Meridian Space Command chooses Space Park Leicester for HQ
An organisation helping to accelerate the expansion of UK space technology around the world has opened its headquarters at Space Park Leicester. Meridian Space Command helps space sector organisations to secure funding for, and complete technology demonstration missions which enable them to expand into commercial markets. It also supports the space industry with end-to-end mission management, operations, software, audits and education. To further its growth, Meridian has moved to the University of Leicester’s £100 million science and innovation park to capitalise on Space Park Leicester’s state-of-the-art facilities. The move will also enable the organisation to collaborate with the University of Leicester and to showcase its offering to businesses, ranging from industry giants to innovative start-ups, in and around the Space City Leicester cluster. Meridian Director, Dr Sam Richards, said: “I am extremely proud to establish Meridian’s headquarters at Space Park Leicester, and look forward to cultivating our partnerships and expanding our capacity to offer collaborative opportunities for UK technologies. “Space Park Leicester is a hub of expertise, innovation, education, and partnerships and we’re excited to participate in all these things and to contribute to them. We see Space Park Leicester as a key partner in Meridian’s vision to accelerate the global offerings of UK’s space tech. “It also means a great deal to be part of the Space City Leicester community. It’s rare to find somewhere with commercial enterprises located alongside space companies. This unique environment will help us to develop partnerships with services that could otherwise be overlooked. “Space City is a bold development and its continual expansion provides great opportunities for collaboration.” Meridian’s move has been welcomed by Vinay Patel, Head of Commercial and Innovation, at Space Park Leicester. He said: “Meridian is a fantastic organisation and we’re delighted that they have moved to Space Park Leicester to help further expand their client base. “With their educational offering it also makes perfect sense for them to be here as they can benefit from fantastic links with the University of Leicester. “We were particularly excited to hear Meridian is set to offer an educational short course in Newspace Mission Operations and Management which will train the next generation of space industry enablers.”

£9.2m secured for Hucknall town centre regeneration

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£9.2m secured for Hucknall town centre regeneration
Ashfield District Council has secured £9.2 million for their Levelling Up Fund Round 2 application for Hucknall. The Council’s ambitious plan to drive economic regeneration in Hucknall has been recognised by the government as being high-quality and ready to deliver. The Levelling Up Fund bid is centred around three main themes – Skills and Economic Regeneration, Cultural and Heritage Gateway, and Access to Hucknall town centre. The Levelling Up Fund investment is part of the Council’s ambitious regeneration programme for the District which will see well over £100m of investment during the next 2-3 years. Cllr Matthew Relf, Executive Lead Member for Growth, Regeneration and Planning, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that the Council’s ambitious plan for Hucknall has been recognised by the government. We aim to improve the access into the town to attract more visitors, and businesses to reinvigorate the town centre. “The cultural and heritage enhancements will celebrate Hucknall’s rich heritage and provide new opportunities for people to learn about this history. This outcome is tremendous and will support the Council’s aspirations for Hucknall to be a modern town centre where businesses prosper, and residents are proud to be from.” Councillor Jason Zadrozny, Leader of Ashfield District Council, said: “This is the culmination of a lot hard work from Hucknall’s Councillors, our administration and Officers from the Council. “It will fulfil our vision of creating a vibrant, thriving town centre. Now we have secured money for every major town in Ashfield – our concentration will now be on securing more investment for the Selston Parish and our other villages.” Cllr Lee Waters, Ward Councillor for Hucknall North, said: “I am overjoyed that Hucknall’s Levelling Up Fund bid has been approved. It is hugely ambitious and will be one of the biggest investments in our town for decades. “It will focus on improving the life chances of residents, turbo charging investment, fast tracking public transport improvements – all whilst remembering our heritage. This is our chance to make significant change that will be benefit Hucknall for generations to come.”

College site sold in Melton Mowbray

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College site sold in Melton Mowbray
FHP, acting on behalf of Melton Mowbray Town Estate, have completed the sale of the former Brooksby College on King Street in Melton Mowbray. David Hargreaves, who handled the sale, said: “The college relocated long ago from this site and it had sat there partly derelict for a while despite being in a really good central location in the town centre, opposite a car park and close to the bus station.” The building totals some 16,000 sq ft with parking for 10 cars and was marketed with a guide price of “offers over £400,000.” Hargreaves said: “Our marketing targeted Residential Developers, Housing Associations, Office, Workshops and Medical users and we had significant interest. This ranged from an Art Gallery, to a Dance Studio, a Church, Manufacturing and a Recording Studio, as well as interest from Developers looking to either refurbish or demolish the building for housing. “We started marketing in August which was not ideal due to holidays and with the property market as a whole still in shock from Base Rates rising to 5.25% from sub 1.00%. “Because of the market conditions we ‘guided low’ in terms of price which generated strong interest and enabled us to go to ‘Best Bids’. “We received 5 offers with a sale completing at the end of January – just 5 months after launch at a price well in excess of £500,000.” It is understood the Peterborough-based buyer is proposing a refurbishment of the property into apartments for rental plus some new build accommodation. Graham Betts, Chair of Melton Mowbray Town Estate, said: “We are delighted to have sold this building and look forward to seeing it being brought back in to use for the benefit of the town. “David Hargreaves and FHP did a great job in terms of marketing and generating interest and secured a price above our expectation – brilliant.” Chattertons acted as legal advisors, and Nottingham-based FHP Property Consultants as property advisors.

Nottingham Building Society reports “strong” 2023 financial performance

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Nottingham Building Society reports “strong” 2023 financial performance
Nottingham Building Society (The Nottingham) has reported “a positive financial performance” for the year ended 31 December 2023, achieving growth in mortgage lending in a challenging economic environment as it continues its transformation plan. The Nottingham saw an increase in gross new lending (reaching £887m), total mortgage assets (reaching £3.6bn), and new mortgage customers (6,957), while its total savings balance also grew, as well as total interest paid to savers. The firm’s CEO praised the results, despite a dip in profit, where profit before tax stood at £8.3m, representing a decrease of £10.6m on the prior year. Underlying profit before tax of £24.2m, however, represented a £9m increase.

Sue Hayes, CEO of The Nottingham, said: “I am pleased to report our financial results for 2023 alongside the progress towards delivering our strategy. Our financial performance in 2023 was strong, with profit before tax of £8.3m (2022: £18.9m), an underlying profit before tax of £24.2m (2022: £15.2m) and an 18.3% increase in mortgage balances compared with 2022.

“We achieved significant growth in mortgage lending while overall lending in the UK mortgage market fell. We helped 6,957 (2022: 3,984) customers either take out a mortgage with us for the first time or move to a new mortgage.

“We achieved good growth in our savings balances of 18.3%. We diversified our proposition to offer a variety of attractive products and savings rates to our customers via our branch network and online savings app.

“As interest rates have risen and remained high throughout this year, we have focused on paying savers the best rates we can whilst doing what we need to strengthen the Society. We paid a total of £91.8m in interest to savers in 2023 (2022: £23.9m). 

“I am proud of the results we are sharing today and would like to thank our members, and each one of our dedicated colleagues, for their continued trust in the Society. We look ahead to the coming years with a renewed sense of focus, guided by a clear and impactful purpose, with mutuality as our bedrock. 

“Looking to the future, we will continue to monitor the impact of movements in base rate on our mortgage and savings propositions, while focusing on innovation in our products as part of our ongoing transformation journey. We will also continue to support our saver members with attractive savings propositions.“

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