The number of planned redundancies in the UK has jumped 103% in just one month, from 8,869 in January to 18,043 in February, says specialist employment law firm GQ|Littler. The number of redundancies planned by businesses has increased sharply as interest rates continue to rise. In February the Bank of England made the second of three increases in interest rates – pushing up the cost of borrowing for businesses. Raoul Parekh, Partner at GQ Littler says: “An extreme shortage of staff and hopes of a post COVID recovery had persuaded businesses to hold off on redundancy programmes, with numbers in December 2021 and January 2022 at their lowest levels since April 2019. It looks like that period of stability might be behind us. “It’s clear that the Bank of England intends to slow the economy in order to keep inflation under control. Spiralling energy costs and other impacts from the war in Ukraine are also likely to dampen optimism amongst businesses and lead to cost cutting.” The company feels it’s likely that some businesses are making redundancies in anticipation that consumer spending will drop off in some sectors due to the cost-of-living crisis which is expected to be exacerbated by the rise in National Insurance rates in April. This climb in the number of planned redundancies comes after months of low redundancy rates. Mr Parekh adds: “It is not yet clear whether these higher numbers of dismissals will result in higher unemployment, or whether the current labour shortages instead create a higher sectoral churn. Given the attention paid to P&O’s mishandled redundancy programme employers will want to ensure that any similar measures are undertaken with extreme care and as sympathetically as possible.”

As a business owner, the idea of asking for help can seem a little tricky to get your head around. After all, you are the one in charge, and if this is your business, then you will have built the whole enterprise from the ground up. It can be so easy to get into a mindset where you feel like you need to do each and every thing all by yourself to be confident that it has been done right. However, if you want your business to succeed then you need to know when it is time to ask for advice from someone with specialist knowledge and years of experience. This is especially important right now, when we are emerging from two years of unprecedented difficulty into a period of rising costs and continuing uncertainty. You need to be doing everything you possibly can to ensure that things run smoothly and to avoid one issue spiralling into something that could potentially cause real trouble. Here are just a few of the areas where your business could use some outside expertise in the months ahead. Find An Excellent Business Lawyer It is never a good time to find yourself in a position where you need legal help. As a business owner, however, there are several instances where you will need to reach out to an excellent business lawyer to guide you through the legal process. A solicitor can be an invaluable asset if you are looking at taking your business to the next level, as they will be able to talk you through any potential pitfalls and help you to draw up contracts and agreements. There are going to be times when you will need a good business lawyer to make a claim for you and to recover the losses that you are owed. You simply cannot afford to be losing out on what you are due right now. So, for example, if your business has suffered from the professional negligence of another party, your professional negligence lawyer will talk your claim through with you and advise you on the best course of action. Hugh James is a top 100 law firm with a wealth of experience in professional negligence claims. Ask For Financial Advice If your business does not have an accountant on staff, then it is high time that you think about bringing one on board. Most small business owners will have an accountant or financial advisor that they use to discuss their taxes at the end of the year, but anyone who has had even a quick look at the way the markets have been going in recent months knows that planning for your business’s financial security is not something that can wait. A good accountant will be able to help you strategize how to build a cushion to carry you through any slow months, and they can help you look at any government programmes you can apply for. Should things take a real downward turn, they can also help you to figure out how you can make cuts that won’t affect your business too badly. Digital Marketing Is Going To Be Crucial Just because you know your business inside and out, that does not necessarily mean that you know the best way to communicate it to potential customers and clients. Given everything that UK businesses have been through in the last couple of years, it is not surprising that competition is absolutely brutal out there right now. If you are planning a digital marketing campaign, you need to remember that there are companies with more resources and experience than you who are fighting for the same eyes online. A good digital marketing agency will understand that it is not about the resources that you have available to spend, but how good your campaign is. Find an agency that understands your brand and what sets you apart from the competition. Work with them to draw up person specifications for your target audience and talk to them about how you can continue to make use of customer data after the campaign is over. Cybersecurity Is Still A Risk As much as it pains us all to admit it, the cybercrime wave is not going to go away any time soon. When the numbers started to spike back in 2020, it made a lot of sense given that there were so many more people doing their business online. However, it is two years later, and the experts are warning us that the risks are as great as they ever were. Now, we all have a rudimentary understanding of the basics when it comes to cybersecurity. We use different passwords for different accounts, and we know not to click any obviously suspicious email links. However, it is clear that we need to be taking this issue more seriously. That means bringing on a cybersecurity expert to sit down with your IT team and identify those areas where you need extra help.

Nottingham City Council has announced it is ready to hand over the Nottingham Tennis Centre to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) from the end of April. The move follows talks between the City Council and the LTA that began in August 2021 over the future of the Tennis Centre. Public consultation was undertaken on proposals for the LTA to take over the lease to secure its future. The arrangement would build on the centre’s success, aiming to further develop it as a key grass-court tournament venue, enable further investments to develop the facility into a world-class tennis training and competition base, while retaining community and public tennis facilities. The process is now completed. With centre users and other stakeholder feedback collated and evaluated as well as with staffing, legal, and commercial aspects addressed, the City Council is pleased to be able to formally announce that the site lease and operation of Nottingham Tennis Centre will be handed over to the LTA from the end of April. Feedback and questions from the consultation centred around the implications for current Active Nottingham fitness members as well as for those who use tennis facilities or are on the current coaching programme. As the handover continues, the centre will continue to operate its existing programme of activities. Further communications will be sent out to members and facility users outlining what the change in ownership means to them and for their Active Nottingham membership contract. The LTA will also be holding events in-centre for people to come and discuss their plans and membership options. Active Nottingham Tennis coaching members, with their permission, will be moved to the new LTA programme. All Active Nottingham gym and fitness members can access facilities at any of the six other city-wide sites. There are several membership options and the team is committed to discussing options for ongoing membership with individuals. All current Active Nottingham members will maintain their free membership which allows discounts on pay as you play bookings and activities at the remaining City Council sites. Cllr Eunice Campbell-Clark, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture, and Schools said: “We are so pleased to be able to move forward with the transfer and we look forward to hearing about the LTA’s ambitious development plans in greater detail in the near future. We truly believe this agreement is the best way of building tennis in the city and beyond using the strong foundations that are already in place at the centre. While we are mindful that the change in operations will mean changes for some of our Active Nottingham customers, we are committed to making the transition as smooth and as seamless as possible.”Gary Stewart, LTA Head of Operations, said: “We’re delighted to be taking over the lease and running of the centre. This is a strategically important site for British tennis, and this move will allow us to safeguard its future.  Work has already begun on upgrading the existing tennis facilities and there are more plans in the pipeline, as we look to add additional indoor courts over the next 12 months. These changes will help us support the thriving community tennis programme as well as provide infrastructure for events throughout the year. The tennis courts will be amongst the best in the country, but still available for the local community to use.”

Plans to create an innovative, inland freeport in the East Midlands have taken a big leap forward with the submission of a key document. The ‘Full Business Case’ (FBC), sent to the Government on Thursday, keeps the East Midlands Freeport on track to become fully operational later this year and builds upon the Outline Business Case approved in February. Government approval will unlock the complete range of benefits offered by the Freeport, adding to the special incentives already available to eligible businesses investing in the Freeport’s Tax Sites. The blueprint sets out plans to make sure that the UK’s only inland Freeport is fully equipped to achieve its objectives, including promoting growth in advanced manufacturing and logistics, low carbon and renewable energy production and research and development, as well as supporting the Government’s Levelling Up, Net Zero, skills and innovation and trade and investment objectives. This will in turn enable the Freeport to create an estimated 61,000 new jobs and generate £8.9 billion for the economy over the next 30 years, playing a critical role in levelling up the region. Building on the Freeport’s public and private sector partnership, it makes the case for £25 million of seed capital funding that will deliver new road infrastructure, cycle routes, land preparation works and a Hydrogen Skills Academy – subject to local planning processes. The plans include upgrades to regional transport infrastructure and cycle routes centred around delivering more sustainable connectivity across the Freeport’s three main locations at the East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster (‘EMAGIC’), East Midlands Intermodal Park (‘EMIP’) and the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station Redevelopment Site. The Hydrogen Skills Academy, backed by Loughborough, Nottingham and Derby universities, is expected to open in November 2023. It complements a series of innovative hydrogen projects being taken forward by the region’s Hydrogen Task Force and will be the UK’s first practical, industry-based training centre associated with the production, handling, storage and use of hydrogen, helping put the East Midlands at the forefront of the UK’s Net Zero transition. Penny Coates, chair of the East Midlands Freeport Board, said: “The submission of the Full Business Case to Government demonstrates our continued progress in building the UK’s only inland and best-connected Freeport. “The designation of our Tax Sites in March means the Freeport is already offering real benefits to attract new investment to the East Midlands. Approval of the FBC will enable us to deliver even more benefits, both for businesses and communities across the region. “The Hydrogen Skills Academy is just one example of how the Freeport is harnessing our region’s strengths to further increase our ability to secure new opportunities for the future, creating new jobs whilst supporting the advance towards Net Zero. “This has all been made possible by the ongoing collaboration and hard work of our public and private sector partners, whose shared commitment will continue to ensure the Freeport delivers its full potential.”

Dozens of businesses across the East Midlands are backing Derby’s bid to be the home of Great British Railways. The Government launched a national competition to choose where the new public body responsible for running Britain’s railway will be based. As the centre of Europe’s largest rail cluster, Derby is a front runner in the competition. Now dozens of companies across the East Midlands have added their backing. Paul Simpson, Chief Executive, Derby City Council, said: “It’s because of businesses like these and the highly skilled workforce behind them that makes the East Midlands and Derby ideal for Great British Railways. Along with its central location, it provides an unparalleled opportunity for closer collaboration within the sector and beyond.” East Midlands Airport, East Midlands Railways, Sperry Europe, Costain, Deutsche Bahn ESG, Toyota, Freeths, Compendium Living, Chatsworth, Maber, Alstom, St James Securities, MacMartin and Loughborough University are just some of the organisations from across the East Midlands who have put their name to Derby’s bid. Justin Stroud, Managing Director, Sperry Europe, said: “Our European Headquarters have been located in Derby since 1999 and it is where all of Sperry’s European business and operations, including Network Rail, are managed. “Derby is also the location of Sperry’s European Headquarters because of its connectivity – geographically the city is positioned centrally in the UK and provides the fastest access to all points of the UK, as well as easy access to suppliers and clients in mainland Europe (through rail and air links).” Heidi Lee, Marketing and Communications Manager, DB ESG, said: “The railway beats in this city’s heart, with both a rich rail heritage stretching back over 200 years and over 11,000 people working in the railway today in this area. Not only does Derby have a central geographical location, but it homes the largest cluster of railway companies certainly in Europe, probably in the world. “For this reason, it was selected as the obvious home for Rail Forum Midlands and a large number of global transport companies have offices based here, including my parent company, Deutsche Bahn and many other such as Alstom, Siemens, SNC Lavalin, Hitachi and Balfour Beatty. “Derby has great transport links with major UK cities, such as London and Birmingham and huge support from non-railway organisations, such as the University of Derby and Marketing Derby. As Engineering thrives here, with non-railway organisations such as Rolls Royce and Toyota manufacturing also in this locality, it encourages transfer of skills, innovation and knowledge between sectors. For example Porterbrook Leasing has recently announced a new collaboration with Rolls Royce to look at technological innovations that reduce carbon emissions. “Housing GBR in Derby, would show real commitment to our city and its people and highlight the important role that Derby plays in the global rail industry.” Individuals and organisations can show their support and back Derby’s bid by joining the ‘Destination Derby’ campaign and using #DERBYGBR on social media.

Students will be helping businesses in the city to come up with action plans to cut their carbon emissions and go green. A team of volunteer students have been trained at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) and the University of Leicester to carry out funded sustainability audits to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based in Leicester city. Businesses who sign up are visited by a team of trained student auditors, who go through a set questionnaire to cover topics such as energy use, transport and waste management. From the information provided, the students will then prepare a report which outlines the company’s current sustainable business practices and outline ways in which the business can improve its sustainability performance and reduce its carbon footprint. The reports also signposts the companies to potential funding, grants and other local support services. The sessions are funded by the Government’s Community Renewal Fund (CRF) which aims to invest in skills, local businesses and new jobs. A key part is supporting the Net Zero agenda. Asha Mistry, Social Innovation Officer at the University of Leicester Innovation Hub, has been training students from both DMU and Leicester to carry out the audits. She said: “It’s aimed at all SMEs as it is broad enough that the questions will be relevant to a range of sectors and industries to help identify some practical suggestions that will support them to make a change. “We have delivered audits to all kinds of businesses, from cafes, retail shops to engineering and manufacturing companies. “This is a great opportunity for business but also students to understand the problems and challenges that companies face and present some practical suggestions.” So far 40 Leicester students and 25 DMU students have been trained as Social Innovation ambassadors. Among those at the DMU training was PhD student Ling Tian, who is studying for a PhD in DMU’s Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development. She said: “My research area is about green building management and doing these audits is a chance to take those principles and put them into practice.” Businesses who want to find out how to book a sustainability audit can email zerocarbon@dmu.ac.uk