Local businesses invited to help shape the future of education and skills delivery
‘Careers Made In Chesterfield’ – a brand new Careers Workshop pilot, which is designed to inspire and inform local students, will be launched at this year’s Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference.
Schools and employers, who are keen to support the future career and job opportunities for local young people, are being urged to attend the free annual conference to learn more about the initiative.
The Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference, which aims to strengthen links between education providers and businesses, is returning for a seventh year and will take place at the Winding Wheel Theatre on Wednesday 8 February, from 8am -11am.
Confirmed speakers at the go-to event include Andy Byrne, property development director for the Devonshire Group, which is behind the Staveley Works scheme. He will be updating on the innovative Construction Skills Hub, which is set to provide specialist training for thousands of learners as part of the Staveley Town Deal.
Alongside Andy Byrne, Julie Richards, principal of The Chesterfield College Group will be speaking at the event. The College, with support from the University of Derby, has been appointed as the training provider for the new Hub. Over 10 years, the public/private sector collaboration aims to provide training, careers insights, and work experience for over 5,000 learners.
The conference will also welcome students from Whittington Green School and apprentices from Tarmac as well as Cllr Amanda Serjeant, deputy leader of Chesterfield Borough Council.
The conference is an opportunity for businesses, schools and education providers in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire to come together and shape the future of education and skills delivery in the area.
During the morning, businesses are invited to feed into local and regional skills plans and help shape the strategic direction through discussion of business needs, challenges and successes.
Organised by Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield, with support from Derbyshire North Careers Hub, the conference is part of the Festival of Business programme and open to all businesses, schools and education providers in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire to attend.
Councillor Amanda Serjeant, deputy leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This year’s Skills and Employability Conference looks set to be another packed showcase of the exciting opportunities and aspirations which exist across our borough. It’s a great way to strengthen the links between business and education, which ensures that our young people can develop the skills local employers need – creating a thriving and ambitious local workforce for the future.
“On the day, we will be delighted to be joined by students from Whittington Green School and look forward to hearing from senior leaders at Brookfield Community School about steps we can take together to develop robust career strategies that will further benefit the borough’s young people, along with an employer panel that will be chaired by Tarmac’s apprentice.
“The spotlight will also be on some of our innovative skills projects which are moving ahead in the borough, including investment in the Construction Skills Hub through the Staveley Town Deal which is set to create some fantastic opportunities for thousands of learners over the coming years, especially young people living in the Staveley area.”
Peter Swallow, chair of Destination Chesterfield, said: “With over 15,000 students set to gain their GCSEs and A Levels over the next five years in North Derbyshire, a strong and successful partnership between education providers and local businesses is critical.
“We need to ensure young people have the right skills, are work-ready and can make the most of the employment opportunities available in a wide range of sectors and industries on their doorstep. This conference is the first step in making this happen.”
Geldards law firm announce trio of partner promotions
As part of its annual promotion round leading law firm Geldards, who has offices in Nottingham and Derby, has announced a raft of promotions including three new partners across different disciplines.
The new partner promotions recognise contribution to the ongoing success and growth of the firm and came into effect from 1st January, bringing total number of partners at the firm to 62.
Senior Associates promoted to Partner include:
Senior Associates promoted to Partner include:
- Clare Hardy – Public Sector
- Laura Alliss – Probate Litigation
- Kevin McManamon, Education
- Gosia Evans – Dispute Resolution
- Josie Bradford – Commercial Property
- Kate Keenan – Family
- Lewis Adamson – Dispute Resolution
- Llinos Davies – Property Dispute Resolution
- Alex Wood – Family
- Catrin Green – Commercial Property
- Douglas Hamer – Education
- Esther Trevelyan – Private Client
- Gweni Reeves – Family
- Stewart Knights – Corporate
Availability of staff in the Midlands deteriorates amid ongoing economic uncertainty
At the end of 2022, the KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: Midlands survey signalled a renewed uplift in temp billings but the second fall in permanent staff placements in three months. Meanwhile, with candidates reportedly reluctant to move positions, supply for both temporary and permanent candidates deteriorated. Wage inflation was sustained in December but displayed tentative signs of easing.
The KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: Midlands is compiled by S&P Global from responses to questionnaires sent to around 100 recruitment and employment consultancies in the Midlands.
Second reduction in permanent staff placements in three months
Having increased in November, permanent staff appointments in the Midlands declined in the final month of the year. According to surveyed recruiters, falling demand for permanent staff resulted from recent company budget reviews amid the current tough economic conditions.
On a regional level, the reduction was broad-based and led by the South of England.
Renewed upturn in temp billings
For the first time in four months, billings received from the employment of short-term staff rose in December. Where an expansion was reported, panellists linked this to an increase in client workloads. The rate of increase, however, was only slight and much softer than the rates recorded throughout much of the period following the COVID-19 pandemic.
All four monitored English regions registered growth in temporary billings in December with the strongest expansion recorded in the South of England and the weakest in the Midlands.
In line with the trend seen over the majority of the past two years, job vacancies at firms in the Midlands increased in the final month of 2022.
Permanent job openings rose once again in December, but at the slowest pace since February 2021. A similar increase was registered for temporary job openings which grew at the fastest pace in four months. On a regional level, the Midlands recorded the second-strongest growth in both permanent and temporary job vacancies of the four English regions.
Permanent candidate availability declines following increase in November
Recruiters in the Midlands signalled a reduction in the availability of permanent staff at the end of 2022. According to anecdotal evidence, nervousness about current economic conditions led to a growing reluctance to move jobs among candidates. Overall, the latest drop in availability was sharp but softer than the average for the past two years as a whole.
Led by the Midlands, three of the four monitored English regions registered lower permanent staff availability in December. London bucked the wider trend and recorded the first uplift in 20 months.
Supply of temporary staff deteriorates at slowest rate in current 22-month sequence
The supply of temporary workers in the Midlands decreased in December. Recruiters mentioned that candidates were seeking more stability in permanent roles amid ongoing economic uncertainty. Notably, the rate of deterioration was the weakest in the current 22-month sequence of reduction.
All four monitored English regions registered a reduction in the supply of candidates for temporary positions, with the strongest fall seen in the North of England.
Softer rise in permanent starting salaries
The seasonally adjusted Permanent Salaries Index posted above the 50.0 no-change mark for the twenty-second month in a row in December to signal further growth in starting salaries in the Midlands. Companies reportedly increased pay in an attempt to attract fresh talent.
All four monitored English regions recorded increases, with Midlands-based recruiters seeing the fastest inflation and London the slowest.
Slowest increase in temp pay rates since April 2021
As has been the case since December 2020, recruiters in the Midlands registered an increase in temporary pay rates in the final month of 2022. That said, the rate of inflation softened for the fourth month in a row with the latest reading the weakest in 20 months. Temporary pay inflation was sustained across the four monitored English regions in December and led by the North of England.
Commenting on the latest survey results, Kate Holt, people consulting partner at KPMG UK, said: “The challenging economic environment continues to constrain the jobs market, as December’s data shows. The ongoing industrial relations turmoil in many sectors, along with the scarcity of available staff in all sectors, means that wage inflation may soften only slightly in the near term.
“Yet, at the same time, vacancy growth rates are trending down again this month from a historically high peak in July 2021, as employers continue to rein in permanent hiring and employees choose to stay put. Overall, the jobs market looks less than rosy at the start of 2023, so employers who hold their nerve and continue to invest in skills in particular are likely to benefit most when the economic upturn comes.”
Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, said: “A slowdown in permanent placements is not unusual in December. Recruiters tell us that this was because firms pushed hiring activity back into January in the face of high inflation and economic uncertainty. The big test of the labour market will come this month.
“Permanent job openings in Midlands rose once again in December, and temporary job openings, in the run up to festive Christmas, grew at the fastest pace in four months.
“As we move into 2023, the need to ensure our labour market can deliver economic growth and prosperity should be a critical concern to politicians. People telling recruiters that they are anxious about moving jobs is a concern in this regard – as a move is a great way to boost pay and build up skills.
“If people are less willing to move jobs, this could make shortages worse in the near term. That is why a stable economy, and support to address labour and skills shortages – from welfare to work support to immigration and skills reform, need to be major priorities for all the UK governments.”
East Midlands furniture manufacturer wins its largest school fitout contract
Mansfield-based Deanestor has been awarded its largest contract to date in the education sector – a £5m project for BAM to manufacture furniture and fit out the two high schools on the new Dunfermline Learning Campus.
The Deanestor team will supply and install more than 42,000 items of loose and fitted furniture for St Columba’s RC High School and Woodmill High School – that are relocating to Dunfermline Learning Campus in Fife.
Due to open by Summer 2024, the high school project is part of a wider learning campus development, which also sees the construction of the new Fife College. The schools project is being delivered by the Council’s partner, hub East Central Scotland.
William Tonkinson, Managing Director of Deanestor, said: “This is our largest school fitout contract to date and we are even more thrilled that it is local to our Scottish offices in Dunfermline. We are pleased to be playing our part in such a visionary and ambitious education scheme which will provide world class facilities for students, the local community, and businesses across the region.”
Deanestor will manufacture a range of education furniture for the new high schools, including teaching walls, storage solutions, worktops, shelving, and kitchen units. Its team will fit out over 500 rooms across both schools and the shared facilities.
The interior design theme is based around the principles of openness, connectivity, and inclusiveness. The fitted furniture and joinery from Deanestor will be finished in white and different tones of grey to reflect the history of Fife and its industrial heritage.
Frontier Software named as supplier on G-Cloud 13 Framework
Frontier Software have been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s G-Cloud 13 Framework, Lot 2 Cloud software, for applications that are accessed over the internet or private network and hosted in the cloud.
With forty years of experience, Frontier Software is a proven supplier of cloud software delivering functionally rich, highly configurable, and truly integrated HR & Payroll solutions.
The company has offices across the UK, including one in Nottingham providing outsourced payroll services to a wide range of organisations across all market sectors.
For more information visit www.frontiersoftware.com.
The company has offices across the UK, including one in Nottingham providing outsourced payroll services to a wide range of organisations across all market sectors.
For more information visit www.frontiersoftware.com. Friends and family combine as Northants’ “flagship” franchise acquired by new owner
A family-run Northamptonshire-based domestic cleaning business is celebrating a milestone moment for the company as their “flagship” territory, in their hometown, has been acquired by a new franchisee.
Time For You Cleaning, which has over 150 franchisees across the UK, began in the town with one small territory, run by the co-founder, Freddie Rayner, in 2001.
It was then successfully developed as a pilot for the growing franchise and has continued to grow as a business in its own right. Now, the Northampton franchise will be taken forward by a new owner, with Mia Garrod taking the helm.
Speaking about her new business, Mia said: “As a friend I’ve been pretty close to the family for many years, in fact I’ve known Sam’s (current MD Sam Stawarz) wife Emma since I was 3 and my husband James has been friends with Sam for years too.
“James runs his own firm and we’ve often discussed business opportunities and naturally, one of which has been looking at franchises with Time For You because Emma has run hers for 13 years with great success.
“However, until now, the timing hasn’t been right because I’ve been focused on bringing up the kids and even with the work/life balance which is great in this business, the location hasn’t quite been right in terms of available franchises.
“My youngest is now 7 though so the time was right and then the ‘home’ franchise became available which was pretty incredible really and I just had to take the opportunity.”
Curiously, Time For You franchisees like Emma don’t actually do any cleaning, instead, they access a business model that attracts the cleaners, whilst they focus on running a profitable franchise.
Meanwhile, the Team at Time For You’s Northamptonshire franchise headquarters help to drive demand from the local customer base via marketing and administrative support.
It was set up by husband and wife team Freddie and Ruth Rayner in 2001 and has grown sustainably ever since, with global expansion now on the cards since son Sam Stawarz took over as Managing Director in the summer of 2022.
Speaking about Mia taking over the franchise, Sam comments: “I’m delighted for Mia. To be honest, the Northampton franchise is the big one for us as a family business because this is where it all started. I was speaking to Freddie about it when the franchise was looking like it might become available for a new owner last year and it is a really personal thing for him and for all of us.
“We know that it is in safe hands with Mia and we will be right behind her, just as we are with our 150+ franchisees across the UK. Of course, Mia has known our business model, from the outside at least, for many years, so we’re confident that she will have a flying start to her business in the new year.”
As for Mia, her focus is now on balancing marketing her cleaning services with attracting and recruiting hard-working cleaners to look after her clientele.
“There is plenty of work out there for cleaners who are professional and reliable because now more than ever, people value their time very highly. That’s what we’re actually giving our clients, time. Time to do whatever they want to do that isn’t cleaning!
“There are great earning opportunities for our cleaners too. They can work as little or as much as they want with us and we will sort out all of the logistics and paperwork. So if anyone is looking for a new career in the new year or just to supplement their current earnings, they know where I am.”
New solar farm proposed for North Kesteven, powering over 180,000 homes
EDF Renewables UK and Luminous Energy have announced plans and a public consultation for Springwell Solar Farm, a proposed new solar farm with battery storage located between Lincoln and Sleaford in Lincolnshire.
Springwell Solar Farm would provide enough clean energy to power over 180,000 homes every year – that’s the equivalent of around half of all the homes in Lincolnshire.
Consultation on early plans for Springwell Solar Farm will run for six weeks from Tuesday 24 January. Feedback from local communities will help shape the plans for Springwell and identify potential benefits that it could support in the local area.
EDF Renewables UK’s head of Solar, Ben Fawcett said: “At EDF Renewables UK, we’re passionate about creating a future where clean energy powers our lives. Springwell Solar Farm would produce much needed low-carbon electricity here in the UK, helping to power thousands of homes and businesses every year.
“We are currently at a very early stage on Springwell, with local views vital to helping us develop our plans. We encourage everyone to get involved in the upcoming consultation to find out more about Springwell and let us know their thoughts.”
Jolyon Orchard, CEO of Luminous Energy, said: “Our company was established to make a meaningful contribution towards mitigating climate change and we now have numerous renewable energy projects in development, under construction or operating across four continents. When we initiated this project, we recognised it provided a real opportunity to help the UK transition to net-zero.
“We are looking forward to working with EDF Renewables UK and the local community to create a scheme that delivers affordable, clean energy.”
As part of the consultation, members of the public are invited to a series of public exhibitions to meet the team behind Springwell and share feedback. The exhibitions will take place at the following dates and locations: Tuesday 31 January – Blankney Old School House (2pm –7pm); Wednesday 01 February – Scopwick Village Hall (2pm – 7pm).
Law firm makes third Yorkshire takeover
Regional law firm Sills & Betteridge LLP continues its expansion drive with its acquisition of Sheffield city centre practice Acclaimed Family Law. Acclaimed Family Law who will continue to operate under their own well-established name from Cathedral Chambers, Campo Lane in the city are a multi-award winning niche firm dealing exclusively with private divorce and family law matters. They will now make available to their clients the full range of personal and commercial services provided by Sills & Betteridge. Sills & Betteridge Chief Executive Martyn Hall explained their decision to join forces. “This move is a strong strategic fit both for our existing operations in Yorkshire and our ongoing investment aspirations. Michelle and her team are dynamic and enterprising and share our service-first culture. We are delighted to have them onboard and look forward to building on the strong foundations both firms already have in the area.” AFL director Michelle Cooper is delighted with the merger. “We will continue to provide the exceptional service we are renowned for as Acclaimed Family Law under the Sills & Betteridge umbrella so our clients will benefit from direct access to other departments including commercial, probate and conveyancing to provide them with an enhanced service from beginning to end which other stand alone family teams cannot offer.” The collaboration sees the firm’s Yorkshire network grow to 5 offices since it first opened a small family practice in Doncaster in 2018. It later acquired South Yorkshire full-service firm Bridge Sanderson Munro and Rawson Family Law also of Sheffield, and in 2022 opened the doors to its first office in the East Riding of Yorkshire, in Howden near Hull.
The Nottingham appoints new chief financial officer
The Nottingham Building Society has named Anthony Murphy as its new CFO, subject to regulatory approval. Anthony is set to join the Society in March 2023 to lead the Finance team and continue the Society’s strong financial performance and drive strategic growth.
Anthony joins the Society from digital challenger bank, Tandem, where he had been CFO since January 2019. During his time at Tandem, Anthony played a pivotal role as it navigated through a strategic review, migrated to a new core banking platform, concluded a number of capital raises, merger and acquisitions activities and significantly grew its deposit offering, all of which culminated in the Group achieving profitability in Q1 2022.
Prior to his most recent role, Anthony worked in the United Arab Emirates as CFO for a listed regional bank before returning to the UK to join Tandem. He has also held a number of senior finance and strategy roles with Lloyds Banking Group, including as finance director of their Middle East business based in Dubai where he supported its sale to HSBC.
The broad range of experience, both domestically and internationally within challenger and established banks, that Anthony brings will help The Nottingham progress its commitment to transforming the housing market. It recently signed a partnership agreement of up to £600m with innovative fintech mortgage lender Generation Home.
Anthony will ensure a smooth transition by working closely alongside Paul Astruc, who served as CFO and Board Member for the last two years with great success, maintaining a stable financial performance and leading key elements of the Society’s technology strategy. Paul Astruc is retiring to pursue a Non-Executive career and will leave the Society on 6th April.
Commenting on his appointment, Anthony said: “This is a great time to be joining The Nottingham as it emerges from a thorough and exciting strategic review process, with an eye on the future. I have been hugely impressed by the vision for the Society and look forward to meeting more of the team and continuing The Nottingham’s journey.”
Chief Executive Officer, Sue Hayes, said: “I’m delighted that Anthony is joining The Nottingham. His wealth of experience means he brings both solid foundations and genuinely innovative thinking to us at this exciting time as we build for the future.
“Anthony will be a key stakeholder in helping forecast and shape our strategic roadmap to deliver our purpose. As we welcome Anthony, I would also like to thank Paul Astruc for the integral role he has played navigating our strategic review process as CFO over the last two years.”
The appointment marks another key C-level addition to the Senior Leadership Team, following the arrival of Paul Howley as chief technology & transformation officer, since the new Chief Executive Officer joined the Society last January. During this time the executive team has also launched the Society’s strategic blueprint for future growth through delivery of its new purpose to colleagues.
Plans in for new public garden and entertainment space in Derby
Gleeds secures role on STEP fusion programme
Property and construction consultancy Gleeds has been commissioned via Perfect Circle to deliver procurement, commercial, and cost management services to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) ground-breaking Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme.
Property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Perfect Circle was appointed to support STEP with the delivery of this ambitious programme which sets out to explore the options, challenges, and solutions for accelerating fusion delivery, by bringing on board partners who will engineer and construct the prototype fusion energy plant, capable of producing net electricity.
The plant will be located at the West Burton power station site in Nottinghamshire and will demonstrate that fusion energy can be used to deliver net electricity to the grid, paving the way for future commercial energy plants to be commissioned and constructed.
One of Perfect Circle’s founding partners, Gleeds will initially be responsible for providing comprehensive procurement services to support the selection and on-boarding of STEP’s whole plant partners through a complex procurement process.
Andy Ellis, global head of energy at Gleeds, said: “Gleeds is delighted to support the UKAEA STEP programme in delivering its prototype fusion energy plant. This is an incredibly exciting project; not only does it demonstrate viable net energy production, but it also represents an important opportunity for the UK to maintain its role as world leader in fusion technology.
“Fusion will play a hugely important role within the UK clean energy transition as we seek clean, sustainable, low-cost energy sources to replace fossil fuels, and has the potential to generate almost limitless clean energy for future generations. I am delighted that Gleeds’ extensive expertise in the energy sector has secured us a place on the team to support the procurement of future partners.”
Perfect Circle and Gleeds’ work on the project will be supported and accelerated forward through the SCAPE Consultancy framework, which helps to drive collaboration, efficiency, time and cost-savings.
Victoria Brambini, Managing Director of Perfect Circle, added: “I’m delighted that our founding partner Gleeds will be delivering this truly ambitious scheme for the UKAEA. The Government-backed STEP programme will bring the site of this former coal-fired power station back to life, creating thousands of jobs during construction and operation, and undoubtably attracting other high-tech industries to Nottinghamshire in the process.”
Mark Robinson, group Chief Executive at SCAPE, said: “We are proud to be collaborating with Perfect Circle and Gleeds on this ground-breaking project, helping to accelerate the scheme forward. As we move closer to the government’s net zero by 2050 target, projects like these are significant in demonstrating how clean power production can be delivered effectively and sustainably to support many future generations to come.”
Sarah Palmer, STEP strategic procurement manager, said: “We’re pleased to be working with Gleeds in support of the highly complex procurement of whole plant partners that will work with us through design and construction of the prototype plant.
“Fusion energy has great potential to deliver safe, sustainable, low carbon energy for generations to come. It is sometimes described as the ultimate energy source and is based on the same processes that power the sun and stars.”
This is Gleeds’ second win for the UKAEA, having been named one of just six organisations appointed to its existing Project Delivery Services Framework, which aims to bolster the range of expertise across the UK’s world-leading fusion energy programmes.
Nottingham contractor files for administration
A Nottingham-based contractor has filed for administration, ceasing trading on Monday.
According to Construction Enquirer, roughly 30 staff are expected to lose their jobs at DAKO Construction.
Established in 2018, the company expanded into London in 2021.
Quoting a letter to staff, Construction Enquirer highlights the firm’s founder and Managing Director Assan Hussain as saying that dealing with COVID-19, a recession and soaring material prices, as well as recent non payment from certain clients has made its situation untenable.
Strong trading momentum continues at Leicester online electrical retailer
Marks Electrical Group, the Leicester-based online electrical retailer, has seen continued strong trading momentum with improved profitability in the nine months ended 31 December 2022.
According to a trading update, revenue grew 22% to £72.9m, up from £59.8m in the same period of the prior year.
Strong performance was driven across product categories, according to the firm, but particularly in A-rated energy efficient laundry appliances, televisions, refrigeration and small domestic appliances.
Mark Smithson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am proud of the entire team at Marks Electrical for delivering a record quarterly performance, with year-on-year growth of 33.4% against a tough economic back-drop. This further demonstrates the resilience of our business model and the attractiveness of our market-leading customer offering, which more people are discovering up and down the country.
“To continue our focus on growing brand awareness, we further invested in highly targeted television, radio and out-of-home campaigns over the Black Friday and Christmas sales peaks. This led to increased website traffic and broad-based revenue growth across the UK, but with particularly strong improvements year-on-year in London, South East England and the East Midlands.
“We’ve worked closely with our suppliers throughout the quarter, enhancing our position as a growing, but agile, national retail partner of choice. As supply has stabilised during the last 12 months, we have been able to capitalise on our strong net cash position to enhance our inventory range and product availability, further improving our offering for customers.
“After an improvement in profitability in the third quarter, we look forward to maintaining our performance management discipline on revenue, profit and cash in order to achieve our full year targets and continue to demonstrate our differentiated proposition.”
Shoe Zone hails “a very positive year”
Shoe Zone has experienced “a very positive year” with revenue and profits rising.
In audited results for the 52 weeks to 1 October 2022, the Leicester retailer posted revenue of £156.2m, up from £119.1m in the prior year. This saw store revenue grow to £129.8m from £88.6m, while digital revenue dipped to £26.4m from £30.5m.
Profit before tax sat at £13.6m, up from £9.5m.
Shoe Zone ended the period trading out of 360 stores, having closed 63 stores, opened 13 new stores and converted a further 11 existing stores to new formats.
Anthony Smith, Chief Executive, said in a statement: “Shoe Zone had a very positive year due to trading for the full 52 weeks, strong trading over our key back to school period and due to the incredible hard work from our teams. These increases are primarily due to the increased revenue and resultant gross profit generated in a normalised trading period post pandemic.”
Record half year sales performance for Games Workshop
Games Workshop has delivered another record half year sales performance. However, having set itself a higher sales growth goal, the record number, “isn’t where [it] wanted to be,” thanks in particular to flat sales in the US.
According to results for the 26 week period to 27 November 2022, revenue grew to £226.6m, up from £211.6m in the same period last year.
Profit before tax at the Nottingham firm meanwhile dipped to £83.6m from £88.2m.
Kevin Rountree, CEO of Games Workshop, said: “Games Workshop and the Warhammer hobby are in great shape.
“Another rewarding and successful period for the global team with core sales for the six months of over £200 million for the first time.
“We will continue to focus on making the best miniatures in the world, sign new licensing contracts with partners to exploit our IP outside of our core business and support our staff. I’m so proud of their considerable hard work and commitment, thank you all.”
2023 Business Predictions: David Santaney from WestBridge Group
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to David Santaney from WestBridge Group which provides specialist tax and SSAS administration services to business owners and professional advisers.
Most predict a bleak economic outlook for 2023 with help being sought from any quarter. One area of predicted growth however is within the Small Self-Administered Scheme (SSAS) pension arena.
SSAS has become the forgotten pension product in recent years following the rise in popularity of the better-known Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). The SSAS offers all of the same features in that it can acquire the premises from which a business trades (allowing the payment of rent into another pocket of the business owners wealth) but has one key advantage – it can lend money back to the founder employer.
With interest rates on the rise, obtaining or renegotiating borrowing terms from the high street lenders may become problematic. A SSAS can lend up to half of its value back to the business to assist cashflow or fund special projects. The interest rates should be commercial but usually there are no up-front arrangement fees and interest when paid is routed back into the pension fund rather than to a third-party lender.
A SSAS can also acquire the premises from which a business trades. The release of capital to the business might be opportune in the predicted environment and control of the premises is not lost as it becomes an asset of the SSAS.
Unlike SIPPs which are a regulated product of the pension provider, a SSAS is controlled by its trustees, almost always the scheme members themselves. With these features, the re-emergence of SSAS as the preferred pension vehicle of choice for business looks likely.
Plans submitted for £14m, 50 home development in South Normanton
Housebuilder Honey has submitted plans to deliver a £14m development comprising 50 new two, three and four-bedroom homes in the village of South Normanton, near Alfreton.
Called Amber and located on Lees Lane, if planning is granted the 4.5-acre development will be the Sheffield-based housebuilding company’s first in Derbyshire.
Amber will feature 14 housetypes which Honey says have all been specifically designed to combine “style, substance and sustainability” for the benefit of buyers. Prices will start from £184,950 for a two-bedroom mid-terrace home.
If given the go ahead by Bolsover District Council, work at Amber is anticipated to start in spring with the first residents expected to move into their new homes this December.
As well as providing new homes for the area, if planning is granted, Honey will also make a £160,000 contribution to initiatives that will benefit the local community.
Honey was founded by former Avant Homes CEO, Mark Mitchell. He said: “We have worked very hard to ensure all our homes will provide buyers with an ideal combination of style, substance and sustainability.
“We know there is strong demand for high quality, high specification new homes in South Normanton so we are pleased to submit our plans for consideration by Bolsover District Council.”
Furnley House make key new hire
Leicestershire independent financial adviser firm Furnley House have strengthened their Protection offering with the recruitment of Darren Bradbury.
Furnley House was founded in 2013 to provide high quality solutions to individuals, families, business owners, and corporate clients, helping them work towards and achieve their goals.
Darren has over 25 years of expertise in Financial Services and joins as a protection specialist.
Stefan Fura, Managing Director at Furnley House, said: “Darren coming on board supports Furnley House’s planned growth as well as our goal of helping clients in every stage of their life.
“His values really tie in with ours and we’re delighted to have him as part of our team going forwards.”
Darren Bradbury said: “Having been self-employed for a few years, it would have taken an amazing opportunity to return to being employed, and that is exactly what Furnley House has offered me.
“Coming from Leicester myself, I am very excited to be joining a local company that shares so many of my values. Both mine and Furnley House’s focus is always on the client, and I’m looking forward to supporting more people with their protection needs.
“I was also attracted by Furnley House’s strong charitable ethos. They have helped and improved the lives of so many people over the years through the Furnley House Foundation and I’m looking forward to getting involved with this as well as continuing my own charity work.
“I am so thankful to everyone involved for the opportunity and cannot wait to get started!”
Government unveils new “Energy Bills Discount Scheme” for businesses, scaling back support
A new, scaled back, energy scheme for businesses, charities, and the public sector has been confirmed ahead of the current scheme ending in March. The new scheme will mean all eligible UK businesses and other non-domestic energy users will receive a discount on high energy bills until 31 March 2024, rather than costs being capped.
While some have welcomed the news, others critiqued the plan as being out of touch, a disappointment, and catastrophic.
Government says it will help businesses locked into contracts signed before recent falls in the wholesale price manage their costs and provide others with reassurance against the risk of prices rising again.
The government provided a package of support for non-domestic users through this winter, worth £18 billion per the figures certified by the OBR at the Autumn Statement. This is equivalent to the cost of an increase of around three pence on people’s income tax.
The new scheme has a cap set at £5.5 billion.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, said: “My top priority is tackling the rising cost of living – something that both families and businesses are struggling with. That means taking difficult decisions to bring down inflation while giving as much support to families and business as we are able.
“Wholesale energy prices are falling and have now gone back to levels just before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. But to provide reassurance against the risk of prices rising again we are launching the new Energy Bills Discount Scheme, giving businesses the certainty they need to plan ahead.
“Even though prices are falling, I am concerned this is not being passed on to businesses, so I’ve written to Ofgem asking for an update on whether further action is action is needed to make sure the market is working for businesses.”
From 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, eligible non-domestic customers who have a contract with a licensed energy supplier will see a unit discount of up to £6.97/MWh automatically applied to their gas bill and a unit discount of up to £19.61/MWh applied to their electricity bill, except for those benefitting from lower energy prices.
A higher level of support will be provided to businesses in sectors identified as being the most energy and trade intensive – predominately manufacturing industries. A long standing category associated with higher energy usage; these firms are often less able to pass through cost to their customers due to international competition. Businesses in scope will receive a gas and electricity bill discount based on a supported price which will be capped by a maximum unit discount of £40.0/MWh for gas and £89.1/MWh for electricity.
East Midlands Chamber Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “Businesses have been desperately seeking some certainty ahead of the new financial year, so the Government’s announcement of a two-year provides some clarity about the road ahead.
“Scaling back the support towards energy costs will be a blow for many firms, however, as the cost-of-doing-business crisis that has thwarted them over the past year has been driven predominantly by escalating energy prices that remain at sky-high levels.
“While it was anticipated that support would decrease, this will nevertheless squeeze many companies that are already fighting cost pressures from across the board – also including people, raw materials and fuel – and ultimately affect their ability to invest.
“This should be of great concern to Government given that our Quarterly Economic Survey showed investment intentions for both plant and machinery, and people, among East Midlands firms declined throughout 2022 as confidence nosedived.
“We know the energy crisis is predominantly the result of global headwinds but there is more Westminster can do to restore business confidence by looking at the barriers to business success that we can control.
“We need to ‘get the basics right’, as we have outlined in our regional Business Manifesto for Growth, A Centre of Trading Excellence, by cultivating a wider business ecosystem geared around supporting success.
“This should focus on incentives to invest in people, support certainty for firms by developing a long-term approach to business taxation and regulation, and ensure businesses and communities are digitally and physically connected locally and with the wider world.”
Tom Thackray, CBI director for Decarbonisation Policy, said: “The extension to the scheme will provide respite for many firms at the start of the year and help them plan ahead for the next 12 months with more certainty.
“It’s unrealistic to think the scheme could stay affordable in its current form, but some firms will undoubtedly still find the going hard. The Government has done much to protect businesses through the energy crisis. It must remain open, flexible and pragmatic in its approach to volatile wholesale energy markets as the year unfolds.
“Heavy energy users and those exposed to global trade are among some of the most impacted in the current crisis, so the additional support for these firms is a particularly welcome step.”
Martin McTague, national chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said: “Today’s decision to all but eliminate help through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) is a huge disappointment for small businesses. For those struggling, the discount through the new version of the scheme is not material. Many small firms will not be able to survive on the pennies provided through the new version of the scheme.
“This is so out of touch. Two pence off a kWh of electricity and half a pence off gas is totally insignificant for small businesses, despite costing billions to the taxpayer. The Government will inevitably have to come back.
“The current EBRS scheme provides certainty for a small business owner over their rates, and has made a material difference to the survival of many small businesses. The replacement scheme will do neither.
“While the New Year should be a time of optimism and excitement, 2023 looks like the beginning of the end for tens of thousands of small businesses, which have been relying on the government energy support to survive this winter.
“In addition to the withdrawal of the vast majority of support to cope with high energy prices, this decision also risks stoking inflation as small businesses bills rise, but their prices will rise at the same time. The EBRS original scheme suppressed inflation by 5% points, but this has been cancelled, today. Slashing support will drive higher inflation, just as we enter a recession.
“Our latest research shows one in four small firms anticipate either closing, downsizing, or radically changing their business model when the Government reduces energy support after March. Five days after the Prime Minister’s pledges to restore optimism and hope and grow the economy, small firms will feel let down by the Prime Minister’s decision to call in the scheme decision planned for December, and cutting back the scheme to such a minimal state.
“What’s certain from this catastrophic move is there’ll be a cliff edge after March. The small fish and chip around the corner, your local pub, and the family-run independent laundrette – all will see much higher bills. That’s on the Government.
“Gambling that wholesale energy prices will continue to fall this year is transferring the risk of further energy price shocks to small businesses. Think of the children’s nursery in East Sussex which saw its energy prices reduce from £1,200 to £600 per month by the EBRS and the small engineering company in Leicester which is facing a 500% increase in gas bills – they will have no way to mitigate a sharp jump in energy costs.
“Dividing the scheme into two tiers is sensible, but not so that the tier of support for any small businesses lighting or heating premises, or using freezers or ovens, has been set so low as to mean support diluted to such a feeble level. It would have been better value for money for small firms if the £2bn cost of their element of the scheme had been used to improve energy efficiency, to reduce the need for energy from the grid.
“The Government said that taxpayers cannot prop up failing or unproductive firms, which is insulting to many small business owners struggling this winter.
“Since the onset of Covid, we’ve lost half a million small firms. Allowing more well-run businesses to go under would be a false economy. But with this absurd degraded Energy Bills Discount Scheme, it looks like we’re getting there.”
Accountancy firm becomes climate positive
An accountancy firm is rooting for environmental change after joining forces with a global tree-planting and footprint reduction initiative.
Dains, which has offices across the Midlands, is working to reduce its carbon footprint after joining forces with the innovative sustainability business Play It Green.
Since signing up for the green scheme in August 2022, Dains has taken measures to understand and lower its net emissions by completing a carbon footprint report, mapped out the long-term net zero plan and sent weekly footprint reduction tips and discounts to all staff to reward, educate and strengthen the positive sustainability culture within the business. Whilst on the journey to net zero Dains wish to make an ongoing environmental and social impact and to date had 17,360 trees planted in a dedicated forest garden and passed vital funds to child bereavement charity Edwards Trust.
These trees support employment and communities in impoverished nations, helping meet ten of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and within six years will absorb 2,676.3 tonnes of CO2 emissions. This is the equivalent of taking 1911 cars off the road, 18,132 people cancelling their short-haul flight, or saving the energy use of 824 homes.
The firm pays Play It Green a monthly fee to plant 13 trees for each member of its growing workforce and benefit from its footprint reductions support. Dains recently embarked on a recruitment drive to add to its nearly 300-strong team and with the recent acquisition of William Duncan + Co will now be nearly 400-strong.
The forest gardens are managed by Eden Reforestation Projects, which fund projects to restore healthy forests for the benefit of local communities in developing countries including Madagascar, Haiti, Nepal, Indonesia, Mozambique, Kenya, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Play It Green wants businesses to make changes towards a net-zero future by becoming climate positive, while at the same time contributing to the community.
Founders Richard Dickson, one of the entrepreneurs behind Carbon Free Dining, and Chris Thair, a former CEO of Wales Rugby League, believe private companies can make a social impact to help a net-zero future, which is the state at which global warming stops.
Dains has signed up to be a Climate Positive Workforce and says it is working to reduce its carbon footprint while it seeks out help from Play It Green’s network of sustainability experts to do so.
Richard Dickson, co-founder of Play It Green, said: “It’s so exciting to be on this journey with Dains and to see our ideas come to life and change happening. Dains have embraced this and are eager to look at all the ways they can make a difference to reduce their current carbon footprint and historical one.
“We are all imperfect environmentalists, and it is only through the collective efforts of the many that real change will come. We are delighted Dains believe in our three-step solution to climate change of reducing carbon footprints and making an ongoing positive environmental and social impact whilst on the journey to net zero. Our services help Dains build upon the fantastic work already taking place at the company.”
In recent years Dains has adopted a number of green measures at its offices while encouraging staff to make climate positive changes.
Employees have access to affordable electric cars for a fixed monthly payment through a salary sacrifice scheme. Meanwhile, the firm’s IT system has plans in place to cut back on energy use to reduce the firm’s carbon footprint.
“All the trees we are planting can be tracked as they are added to our own forest garden. They replace lost ecosystems, and the trees are monitored and protected with 10 per cent of their cost going to a charity of our choice,” said Dains head of HR, Angela Millward.
“We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, so we have partnered with Play It Green to improve our sustainability practices and have a positive impact on the planet. We want to make our business a climate-positive one by rebalancing our historical and company emissions to become carbon neutral.”
Dains has bases at Birmingham, Derby, Burton-on-Trent, Stoke and Lichfield.
