Finch Consulting makes new appointment

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Finch Consulting makes new appointment
Leicestershire-based health and safety risk management experts; Finch Consulting, have appointed mechanical and electrical Chartered Engineer Tom Leach. With over 20 years’ of practical experience starting with an NVQ in welding, more recently in various roles including surveying, project management, consultancy, and as an associate director, Tom will be joining Finch as a senior consultant. In his new role, Tom will be fluid in his skillset working in both Finch’s Consultancy and Expert services able to win and deliver work. Tom said: “I am thrilled to be joining such an agile and multi-disciplined team where I feel I can make my mark and add value to the business. I will also be furthering my professional development through Finch taking on several courses.” Dom Barraclough, Managing Director, said: “Tom compliments our resources and competencies, mainly in Asset Management but also Health and Safety Management capabilities, by bringing additional infrastructure M&E experience and contacts to boost our plan. “Our plan sets out to build work in manufacturing while diversifying with infrastructure, energy and defence, and build our reputation as the people to come to for highly qualified, highly experienced real-world experts in criminal and large complex technical cases (UK and International arbitrations). “Tom is our first recruit through our new in house recruitment process designed and led by Jade which is a real testament to the growth of the company.”

E.ON worker steals £70k from employer

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E.ON worker steals £70k from employer
A customer service advisor stole almost £70,000 from her employer and sent it to seven others in order to launder the proceeds from her crime. Gina Rani used her position at E.ON to facilitate a series of refunds that she paid to family members and friends who in return refunded some of the money to her. Police launched an investigation after E.ON reported £69,844 had been issued as false refunds by Rani between October 2016 and March 2021. The company told detectives it had uncovered evidence that indicated Rani, aged 36, had abused her position in order to create the false refunds, which she passed onto friends and family in the form of cheques. The police investigation found Rani had made changes to the E.ON systems in order to process the fraudulent refunds. She attended a voluntary police interview in which she confessed to her offending, adding that she had “fully messed up.” She admitted processing refunds totalling £69,844 and that the amount of money deposited back into her own account was approximately £24,000. Rani, of Lamcote Street, The Meadows, was charged and put before Nottingham Crown Court, where she pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and acquiring / using / possessing criminal property. She appeared at the court on Thursday, 26 October, for sentencing and was jailed for two years, suspended for two years. She appeared alongside her seven co-defendants, who all live in Nottingham and each pleaded guilty to acquiring / using / possessing criminal property. They were sentenced as follows:
  • Azim Aroon, 35, of Stotfield Road, Wollaton – given a community order comprising 120 hours unpaid work;
  • Ryan Aziz, 35, of HMP Nottingham – jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years;
  • Paula Fryer, 56, of Woodfield Road, Broxtowe Estate – jailed for 9 months, suspended for 18 months;
  • Kirpal Kaur, 62, of Parkdale Road, Bakersfield – jailed for 9 months, suspended for 18 months;
  • Shauna Kemp, 22, of Woodfield Road, Broxtowe Estate – discharged conditionally for 12 months;
  • Mark Thompson, 36, of Minver Crescent, Aspley – jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years;
  • Aisha Xavia, 40, of Eltham Drive, Cinderhill – jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years.
Following the sentencings, Detective Constable Akil Kapasi, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “Rani was a trusted employee but she abused her position by manipulating company systems for her own gain and committing fraud. “She was not alone in this enterprise. Indeed, seven others were heavily involved and I am pleased they, too, have been dealt with by the courts. “I hope this case sends a clear message to those who believe they can break the law for their own financial gain that offences will be uncovered and you will be brought before the courts to answer to your crimes.” An E.ON spokesperson added: “Acting in the best interests of our customers is of paramount importance and we took immediate action and worked with the relevant authorities to ensure this matter was handled as swiftly as possible.”

Plans approved for new homes at Chesterfield Waterside

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Plans approved for new homes at Chesterfield Waterside
A planning application for more than 100 houses, along with more than 40 apartments at Chesterfield Waterside has been approved. Following the submission of a detailed planning application in summer 2022, Woodall Homes has secured permission for a residential development and two commercial units as part of the regeneration scheme. The residential development features 103 contemporary homes and 41 apartments, comprising a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom properties. Darren Abbott, planning director at Woodall Homes, said: “We are thrilled that our Chesterfield Waterside application has now been approved. “Sitting alongside the River Rother corridor, this development will transform the local area with modern, bespoke and energy-efficient properties plus comprehensive landscaping proposals, which include a linear riverside park with trim trail and a natural habitat edge that will provide a significant net gain in biodiversity. “We can’t wait to reveal more details about the development over the coming months and see the exciting work getting underway as we look to further enrich the community.” Pedestrian and cycle links are to be provided throughout the site to encourage residents to take advantage of local commuter facilities and nearby amenities of Chesterfield town centre, including the railway station, Chesterfield College and Tapton Golf Course. Development at Chesterfield Waterside is rapidly continuing, following the completion of  One Waterside Place, a seven-storey office building which has already been fully-let to new tenants. Companies now operating from One Waterside Place include two financial firms, BHP and Rosewood Wealth Management, along with Fashion brand, Varley.

New College Leicester’s Business Development Manager shortlisted in national education awards

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New College Leicester’s Business Development Manager shortlisted in national education awards

New College Leicester is celebrating the shortlisting of its Business Development Manager, Wayne Allsopp, in the “Business Development Manager/Bursar of the Year” category at Education Today’s Schools & Supplier Awards.

The School & Supplier Awards, with Education Today, recognises and rewards the suppliers, schools, and individuals who work tirelessly for the greater good of the education sector.

Wayne was nominated by his colleagues at New College Leicester for his commercial acumen, commitment to collaboration and partnerships, as well has his marketing approach to raising the school’s profile among students, parents and the wider community.

Since his arrival at the school, Wayne has had a huge impact on the commercial operations at the school. He has introduced several new income streams, leading to the school now turning over half a million pounds in extra income annually. He is also driving additional income and community involvement through an asset-based community development approach, positioning the school at the heart of the local community.

Wayne has been instrumental in insourcing the catering provision that the school provides and creating an onsite coffee shop to increase footfall through the school at evenings and weekends.

Other projects he has worked on include Building Schools for the Future, the Closed Road Cycle Circuit, The Football Development Centre, The Gymnastics Centre, The Netball and Tennis Courts, the Salix Sustainability Scheme, the Data Centre and the Section 106 Funding from a local housing development, providing extremely welcome sources of income to improve and maintain the school’s estate, during increasingly challenging economic times.

Jane Brown, Principal at New College Leicester, said: “Wayne is always exploring new opportunities and ways of collaborating with additional stakeholders. He is an expert in developing and leading partnerships.

“Key organisations like the NHS West Leicester Children’s Mental Health Team now lease office accommodation from us and their support has been invaluable in dealing with the mental health crisis post the pandemic. Leicestershire Music Service are another partner now based at the school and in return for space they provide tuition for the students.”

Set in New Parks in Leicester, an area of above average levels of social deprivation, New College Leicester places itself at the heart of the local community and has become an over-subscribed school following the success of the team. It has recently increased their pupil admission numbers to cope with the demand.

Wayne Allsopp

Wayne Allsopp said: “I am so pleased that the hard work the team at New College has put into improving our school has been recognised by Education Today. It’s not just me, it’s for us all and its fantastic to be considered amongst the best in the UK for our work in providing included, rounded education for all.

“It’s a critical time for students and parents to make their secondary school choices and this kind of recognition helps us to demonstrate the range of opportunities we can provide here at New College.”

Winners will be announced at a black-tie celebration dinner at River Bank Park Plaza Hotel in London on Friday 8th December.

New College is judged to be ‘Good’ by Ofsted.

Council buys converted factory building for affordable homes

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Council buys converted factory building for affordable homes
Work is now underway to remodel and prepare 58 flats and bedsits to help address the urgent need for more affordable council housing in Leicester. The city council has recently completed the purchase of the Zip Building – on Rydal Street, close to the city centre – as part of plans originally announced last year. Leicester City Council bought the building for £5.55million, part-funded by £2.4million of cash from the sale of council properties under the Government’s Right to Buy scheme. This is the maximum allowed under the current rules. The remainder is through a mix of permitted prudential borrowing and allowable debt, which is common for council investments of this type. The three-storey former factory building will provide 58 affordable flats and bedsits, all of which will be added to the city council’s housing stock and help meet the growing demand for one and two-bedroom affordable homes across the city. Refurbishment work is now underway and the first council tenants are expected to be able to move into the property by March 2024. The majority of the units within the Zip Building will be one-bed flats and bedsits. The remaining units will be a mix of two-bed flats – including two wheelchair accessible properties – and three and four-bed cluster flats, some of which will provide support to help people with independent living. Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, assistant city mayor for housing, said: “The acquisition of the Zip Building will help meet the increasing demand for one and two-bedroom council housing. But we still face a desperate need for more affordable housing in the city. “The Right to Buy scheme has hit the supply of council housing hard. We’re losing homes much faster that they are being built and it’s time the Right to Buy scheme was abandoned. We have been forced to sell thousands of council houses over the past 30 years. “That makes it absolutely vital that we invest our Right to Buy cash receipts into schemes like this, which help addressing the critical need for more affordable homes.” Whenever a council property is sold under Right to Buy, the proceeds of the sale must be used in line with strict Government guidelines. This means that only some of the proceeds can be used to support the costs of building and/or acquiring new affordable homes. Each year, Leicester City Council loses an average of 400 council homes through the Right to Buy scheme. To help address the local housing crisis, the city council aims to help provide an additional 1,500 affordable homes in Leicester by 2027. The Zip Building dates back to around 1900 and was built to the designs of regionally renowned Stockdale Harrison for Thompson & Co wholesale boot and shoe manufacturers. By the mid-20th century, it had been converted into a hosiery factory. The building was redeveloped as residential accommodation around 12 years ago. As part of the sale negotiations for the building, the city council agreed that all previous tenancies should be honoured until the end of summer 2023, to minimise any disruption.

Gateley Legal bolsters East Midlands construction team with four appointments

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Gateley Legal bolsters East Midlands construction team with four appointments

Gateley Legal has bolstered its Nottingham-based construction team to a total of nine legal professionals servicing the East Midlands region following four new appointments.

Della Copley joins Gateley Legal as a senior associate. Prior to this, Copley spent five years at Geldards LLP and brings a strong construction background to the team, specialising in contentious matters including dispute resolution methods such as litigation, adjudication and arbitration.

Catherine Everington completed her training at Gateley Legal and spent a year with the construction team post-qualification before joining Shakespeare Martineau for eighteen months. Everington re-joins the Nottingham team as a solicitor and will work closely alongside legal director, Charles Jakeman, to support clients with the Government’s developer remediation contract, as well as core development matters.

Copley and Everington will both add significant specialist resource to strengthen Gateley Legal’s service offering which sees the team advising housebuilder and developer clients on a wide range of fire and building safety matters.

Miriam Forman and Davis Barwell join as trainee solicitors and will support the team with contentious matters for housebuilder, developer, contractor and subcontractor clients, as well as managing construction documentation for major projects.

Piet van Gelder, partner and head of the Nottingham construction team at Gateley Legal, said: “Our Nottingham construction team has grown to be one of the largest specialist teams in the East Midlands region through our work for major housebuilders and developers, as well as other construction stakeholders.

“The team has not only identified but is also leading on the implementation and scope of the Building Safety Act and so we have brought in Della and Catherine to strengthen the team and support clients with overcoming all the issues arising out of that piece of legislation. It’s also great to have new talent like Miriam and Davis on board to really boost the team.”

The four new appointments join partner – Piet van Gelder, legal director – Charles Jakeman, solicitors – Jaclyn Nelson and Ryan Ball and paralegal – Beth Eady to total nine construction team members in Nottingham.

Planning consent secured for industrial/storage and distribution facility at Leicestershire business park

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Planning consent secured for industrial/storage and distribution facility at Leicestershire business park
National property consultancy Carter Jonas has secured planning consent on behalf of Euro Property Investment Limited and its development delivery partner Henry Davidson Developments to deliver an industrial / storage and distribution facility with ancillary offices at Meridian Business Park in Leicestershire. The 1.38 acre (0.56 ha) site is located in Meridian Business Park. The scheme will deliver 21,062 sq ft (1,956.74m2) of warehouse / office floorspace and will help to boost the local economy by creating jobs for local people. The end user of the site is yet to be determined. Laura Stops, associate partner at Carter Jonas in Birmingham, said: “We are working with Euro Property Investment Limited and their development delivery partner Henry Davidson Developments on a variety of schemes across the Midlands and we are delighted to have worked alongside the project team, addressing concerns to receive unanimous approval at Planning Committee for the Meridian Business Park site.” Scott Davidson, Managing Director of Henry Davidson Developments, said: “The team have worked closely with the Local Planning Authority over the past few months, and we are extremely pleased that a resolution to grant has now been awarded. We look forward to commencing the delivery phase of the project and seeing the development come forward and provide jobs for the local community.” In achieving planning success, Carter Jonas worked alongside Stephen George + Partners LLP (architects), John Davies Associates Limited (highways and flood consultant), FCPR Environment and Design Limited (landscape consultant), Midland Ecology Limited (ecologists).

Jobs saved at Derbyshire security firm

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Jobs saved at Derbyshire security firm

The sale of a Derbyshire security company has rescued every role and kept 38 people in work.

Mike Dillon and Rochelle Schofield of Leonard Curtis were appointed administrators of Buxton & High Peak Security Services Limited on Friday 13 October 2023.

A sale of the company’s business and assets was subsequently completed to BHPSS limited – with all 38 jobs transferred under TUPE to the purchaser.

Leonard Curtis administrator Mike Dillon said: “The pre-packaged sale has allowed business continuity, maximising the outcome for creditors as a whole.

“In addition, the sale has allowed all staff to continue employment by the purchaser.”

An interview with Waldeck trainee technician, Connor Penlington

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An interview with Waldeck trainee technician, Connor Penlington
Waldeck and their sister company Morson are proud of the support and developmental opportunities they offer to the younger community. We caught up with Waldeck trainee technician, Connor Penlington to hear about his career journey so far: Hi Connor, tell us a bit more about your time at Waldeck so far? My career at Waldeck started following the realisation that I was in a role in the manufacturing industry which I felt had no clear opportunity for progression and didn’t suit my long-term career ambitions. Following a successful interview process with Waldeck, I joined the team in February 2022, and have since been in a new hybrid role of “Trainee Technician” which sees me working cross-disciplined between both our Lincoln-based Architecture & Digital Captures teams. The role has also seen me working on both single and multi-discipline projects, collaborating with other branches within Waldeck such as Civil, Structural, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. My role as Trainee Technician was a brand-new role as of Feb 2022 for the business, which came about following the amalgamation of two of the teams (Architecture and Digital Capture) under one Director (Stuart Denniss). This organisational change created an opportunity for this new hybrid role, seeing me supporting both of the established teams by operating as the linchpin between them, with the aim of improving the collaboration between the two departments to enhance Waldeck’s offering to clients and overall project delivery, through better combining, aligning and utilising the skills from both teams. My day-to-day role includes a mixture of office and on-site working, with support from senior members of the team to develop my skills and knowledge across the two different workstreams. As well as this core role, I have also trained as a Fire Marshal for the office, and completed by First Aid at Work course. I have recently been asked to take on the role of Health & Safety Champion for the Wellingore office too, which will include working with the wider SHEQ team to ensure the office remains safe and up-to-date. What has your professional development journey looked like? When I joined Waldeck I was in the middle of undertaking an HNC in Mechanical Engineering at Lincoln College. Even though I changed roles during the course, I was committed to finishing it, and Waldeck offered me an opportunity to complete the course alongside my new role, with day-release to College. On completion of the course through Lincoln College, I was delighted to come out with the top mark of a distinction whilst also picking up the ‘Student of the Year’ Award. Although this was associated to a different field of work, I picked up lots of different transferrable skills which have helped my transition into the construction industry. Since completing my HNC, I have chosen to continue my learning journey through starting a degree in Architectural Technology at Sheffield Hallam University. This is with the aim of becoming an Architectural Technologist on completion of the course. Between work and university, I often find myself doing research into new technologies and trends within the construction industry. This is with the aim of not only my own development, but also wanting to help the company adapt to these trends and be at the forefront of championing these new technologies. Director of Architecture & Digital Technologies, Stuart Denniss, shared: “Connor and his role have been pivotal to the success of the Digital Capture & Architecture team over the past 18 months. It’s clear to see the hard work and passion that Connor has for his career and own personal development, but more than that, Connor is a team player and has already proved himself as a valuable asset to the Waldeck team. “When I first met Connor, he excelled in his interview for his attitude, and although employing someone with no industry experience for such an important role was a risk to the business, I truly believe it has been one that has paid off. “Connor and his role have had such a positive impact on the team, not only due to the streamlining and collaboration aspects which have improved efficiencies and project delivery, but also due to the flexible nature of his role and his ‘can-do’ attitude. “Connor has been a valuable team player in terms of our resourcing, supporting the peaks and flows of the workload curve as projects progress and as the team has continued to grow. By taking each opportunity to say ‘yes’ to getting involved in projects, Connor has benefited the team’s success and turbo-charged his own learning. “Connor has proved himself so far and has set himself up well to build a successful career at Waldeck and within the construction industry.”

Bank of England leaves interest rates unchanged

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Bank of England leaves interest rates unchanged
The Bank of England has decided to hold interest rates at 5.25%. Its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of 6–3 to maintain Bank Rate, with three members preferring an increase of 0.25 percentage points, to 5.5%. It marks the second interest rates pause following a run of 14 increases as the Bank tried to get inflation under control. Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) national chair Martin McTague said: “This will at least be a relief for small businesses that we seem to be at the end of continually rising rates. This means they can now strategise for growth, given that we’ve, hopefully, hit inflation’s peak. “However, rates have got to start dropping soon as many businesses are reeling from the unwelcome effects of 14 consecutive base rate hikes. Our latest Small Business Index (SBI) has begun to show business confidence creep up, from -14.2points in Q2 of 2023 to -8 points in Q3. Now, in order for that figure to stabilise or even climb, targeted interventions are needed. “Small businesses are really feeling the double impact of high borrowing costs and reluctant customers – an unwelcome mix in an era where the cost of doing business remains notably high. “With the Autumn Statement on the horizon, businesses are holding their breath for supportive policies. Top of the agenda should be maintaining the 75 per cent business rates relief for SMEs in retail, hospitality, and leisure. It’s currently set to expire in March and losing it could be a knockout blow to sectors already on the ropes. It’s time the promised business rates overhaul actually happens. “The Chancellor should also tackle the late payments issue head on by making clear that it’s not acceptable for large businesses to finance their working capital at the expense of small businesses. We’d also like to see the self-employed being able to deduct the cost of training from their taxable income. This could be a transformative policy in an era when entrepreneurs need to adapt constantly to new developments.”
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