East Midlands farmers urged to check insurance during lambing season
An agricultural expert has warned farmers they risk heavy financial losses if temporary employees taken on during the busy lambing season are inadequately insured.
Rupert Wailes-Fairbairn, of rural insurance broker Lycetts, also emphasised the need to insure new additions to flocks, with livestock rustling incidents having risen during the ‘cost-of-living’ crisis.
“Having the correct insurance in place is vital to safeguarding livelihoods,” he said.
“This is one of the busiest periods of the farming year and extra staff are often employed to help manage the increased workload.
“The demands of lambing may dominate farmers’ minds, and time, but they can ill-afford to forget the importance of Employers’ Liability insurance. Farming, after all, can be one of the most dangerous of occupations.”
The Health and Safety Executive found that 25 people were killed in the agriculture sector in 2021/22. The highest cause of fatalities involved people being struck by farm vehicles such as quad bikes – often used during lambing season.
“Apart from the trauma for all concerned, claims for accidents – even non-fatal incidents – can cost thousands of pounds,” said Wailes-Fairbairn.
“The assumption shouldn’t be made that having a farm insurance policy offers adequate protection – Employers’ Liability insurance is not automatically included. Moreover, it should be remembered that part-time, casual, seasonal, temporary and voluntary workers all constitute employees.”
To help prevent incidents that lead to claims, Wailes-Fairbairn advises temporary workers to be given a thorough induction and comprehensive training, while all health and safety procedures should be carefully observed. Toolbox talks are a useful additional resource that can be used.
“It is also important to check that new lambs are included in your farm insurance policy. Not all policies will cover this, and with flock sizes often doubling during lambing, and livestock theft on the rise, underinsurance could cost you dear. Progeny should be insured under the loss of revenue section of the policy, which provides wider cover than purely insuring under the livestock section.”
East Midlands business confidence up again
Lloyds Bank’s Business Barometer for March 2023 shows:
- East Midlands business confidence has risen for a second consecutive month from 18% to 23%
- Region’s businesses identify top growth opportunities as evolving their offer (46%), investing in their team (30%) and investing in sustainability (30%)
- Overall UK business confidence in March reached its highest level since May last year, with eight out of 11 regions and nations reporting higher levels of confidence than February
East Midlands Freeport given final sign off today
The East Midlands Freeport has received final government signed off today, with the prospect of new jobs and investment..
The Freeport will now receive up to £25m seed funding from government and potentially hundreds of millions in locally retained business rates to drive growth in the UK’s advanced manufacturing, biomanufacturing, logistics, and low carbon industries, says the Government.
It will help encourage investment into sectors including automotive, space, and satellites sectors, generating thousands of jobs and boosting the local economy.
This is the seventh Freeport in England to become fully operational, with just one more expected to get final government sign off in due course. Four new Freeports have recently been named in Scotland and Wales.
The East Midlands Freeport is uniquely positioned as the only inland Freeport in England, with connections to major regional transport hubs, such as the East Midlands Airport.
Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison said: “The East Midlands has a thriving manufacturing sector and we want to capitalise on those strengths while also developing new green growth industries.”
Taking full advantage of the freedoms of leaving the EU, businesses in Freeports are offered generous tax incentives and a simplified customs procedure, unlocking much-needed investment and high-quality jobs.
East Midlands Airport MD Steve Griffiths said: “As the ‘port’ within the Freeport, we welcome today’s news. The Freeport will provide a focal point around which the public and private sectors can collaborate to shape the future economic success of this region. We look forward to working as part of the East Midlands Freeport to make the most of this opportunity and to build on our role as a key gateway for facilitating global trade.”
East Midlands Freeport estimates that it will generate over 28,000 new jobs and is already home to multinational companies, like Toyota Manufacturing UK, and East Midlands Airport – the UK’s busiest ‘pure’ cargo airport.
- The Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station site will focus on low-carbon energy and advanced manufacturing, and be redeveloped to become a zero-carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands, helping to meet the region’s decarbonisation goals.
- East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster (EMAGIC), home to the East Midlands Airport, will advance the nation-leading advanced logistics market in the East Midlands.
- East Midlands Intermodal Park (EMIP), located adjacent to the nationally significant Toyota manufacturing plant, has the potential to become the next generation of rail connected business parks. The proposed investment will also enable a significant modal shift, from road to rail freight, reducing carbon emissions for businesses within the region and increasing connectivity.
BID Leicester introduces national scheme aimed at safer nights out
A nationally-recognised scheme to improve standards and promote excellence in licenced premises has been launched in Leicester.
It has been launched by BID Leicester, Leicester’s Business Improvement District, in partnership with Leicestershire Police, Leicester City Council and Leicester City Watch. The scheme is also sponsored by De Montfort University and PPL PRS.
The Best Bar None scheme aims to support efforts to:
The Best Bar None accreditation scheme, supported by the Home Office and drinks industry, aims to help provide a safer night out for all visitors to the city centre by recognising well-run licensed premises which meet national standards of best practice.
- Reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder
- Build positive relationships between the licensed trade, police and local authorities
- Improve knowledge and skills in the responsible management of licensed premises
- Recognise and reward responsible premises
- Champion ongoing improvement in the management of licensed premises
- Enable the sharing of good practice among licensed premises.
Nottingham man named as joint MD at Wright Vigar
The man responsible for the Nottingham office of Wright Vigar has been named as one of two Joint MDs for the firm.
He’s Kevin Shaw, who will work alongside James Sewell in the role as they take over from Pete Harrison, who steps down after five years as MD.
Kevin became a Director of the firm in 2013, and his specialities focus on medium and large owner-managed businesses, ranging across many industries. However, his passion and experience lie within the construction and property development sectors. As well as responsibilities for the Nottingham office, he looks after clients in Lincoln.
James joined Wright Vigar in 2007 and became a Director in 2010. He is responsible for teams at the Sleaford and Lincoln offices who support a wide range of clients in a variety of industry sectors. James is experienced in all areas of business advice from tax planning, growing a successful business, to sales, mergers and acquisitions.
Wright Vigar has grown significantly over the past few years to become a regional firm and James and Kevin have played a significant role in that growth. They look forward to continuing the development of the practice across the East Midlands in their new roles. They will continue with their respective client responsibilities.
Pete Harrison said: “It has been my great pleasure to be MD for the past five years and for the growth we have achieved during that period. I am delighted for both James and Kevin. They both bring different qualities to the table and their knowledge and experience will be vital as we continue to grow and develop.”
Innovative project launched to accelerate crop harvesting
The University of Lincoln is part of an innovation to deliver an accelerated programme of robotic crop harvesting for horticulture and is one of just three projects to be chosen for a share of £9m funding from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ Farming Innovation Programme.
The project, called Agri OpenCore, aims to tackle the lack of seasonal labour in the UK horticulture industry and is looking to accelerate the delivery of robotic crop systems for horticulture.
Many crops have gone unpicked this year, leading to large amounts of unnecessary waste. President of the National Farmers Union (NFU) Minette Batters has said that the waste in the food sector is an ‘absolute crisis’.
The Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) at the University of Lincoln, UK, is partner in Agri-OpenCore alongside project lead APS Produce Ltd with Dogtooth Technologies Ltd, Wootzano Ltd and Xihelm Ltd.
There is currently no robotic harvesting system that can match the speed of human picking. Agri-OpenCore aims to make progress in this area by cutting the time and cost of developing a robotic harvesting system that achieves parity with human picking.
To deliver this, Agri-OpenCore will develop the world’s first open development platform for agri-robotic harvesting, aiming to develop commercial robotic systems for tomato and strawberry harvesting that achieve human-picking-cost-parity in two years.
Dr Grzegorz Cielniak, Associate Professor at the Lincoln Agri-Robotics Centre and Principal Investigator for the University of Lincoln, said:
“The University of Lincoln robotics team, together with the agri-robotics industry, is working on Agri-OpenCore, a project targeting an open development platform for robotic crop harvesting. The platform will facilitate standardised access to the core robotic software and hardware components enabling rapid adoption by the industry and academia.
“The University of Lincoln team will work on the standardisation of the framework as well as on the development of the autonomy, perception and safety components.
“The core functionality of the platform will enable further development and customisation which can be privately exploited by the industry. The project will lead to faster adoption of more reliable robotic technology in agriculture which will be demonstrated by developing robotic tomato and strawberry harvesting systems. Such a strategy will lead to step changes in farming productivity and help to alleviate global problems with the availability of a workforce in the sector.”
Phil Pearson, Group Development Director, APS Group, said: “The Agri-OpenCore robotics project is an exciting, and vital project for the fresh produce industry. It promises to deliver the significant progress required to automate fresh produce harvesting in the UK.
“As this work brings leading technology providers, Dogtooth, Xihelm and Wootzano, with the academic excellence of the University of Lincoln team, we can expect significant progress towards autonomous harvesting.”
Cactus Images expand to new studio space
After more than a decade of success at Connect Derby managed workspaces, commercial photography studio Cactus Images has expanded to new premises in the city.
The company was founded in 2008 by Angela Jenkins and Chris Howard, who met when they were studying for a degree in commercial photography at University of Derby. Cactus Images started life at the university’s Banks Mill creative studios, before joining Connect Derby’s Friar Gate Studios in 2010.
Since then, both Cactus Images and Connect Derby have gone from strength to strength. By 2016, Cactus Images had outgrown its studio space at Friar Gate Studios and expanded to the penthouse suite at the iconic Marble Hall, which is also part of the Connect Derby portfolio of managed workspaces.
Cactus Images work with a broad client base, including Fujifilm, World of Sweets, and Royal Crown Derby.
Following another sustained period of growth, Cactus has now outgrown any available space at the six Connect Derby managed workspaces and has relocated to a new 3,500 sq. ft studio on Gresham Road in Allenton, just minutes away from their previous premises.
Angela and Chris have also expanded their team. Charlie Valentine, also a University of Derby alumni with a first class honours degree in Commercial Photography, joins the studio after working as a fashion photographer since 2021. In her new role as studio co-ordinator and assistant, Charlie will help organise the studio, liaise with clients, and assist on photoshoots.
During their time at Connect Derby, Cactus Images established itself as one the region’s leading commercial photography and post-production studios, with a reputation for its ability to translate its clients’ ideas into dynamic images.
As the business has developed, Angela and Chris have expanded the range of services they offer to support and strengthen their photography projects and now provide creative planning, prop sourcing, styling and set builds.
Speaking of the move and the help and support the business has received from Ann Bhatti and her team over the past 12 plus years, Angela said:
“When we joined Connect Derby in 2010, we were new to business and were unsure of what would come next for us. Connect Derby provided us with a studio space that met all our needs, and most importantly created an environment for our business to grow and succeed.
“The help and support that the Connect Derby team, particularly Ann, have given us over the years has been invaluable and we will always be grateful. It is sad to leave, but this is an important step in Cactus Images’ development – and we will still pop in to Marble Hall for a cup of tea with the team!”
Ann Bhatti, head of Connect Derby, added:“It is with a mixture of a heavy heart and immense pride that we have to say goodbye to Angela and Chris after a wonderful 12 years plus with Connect Derby.
“They’ve been fantastic tenants and are a great example of what a company can achieve with the right infrastructure and the range of business support and mentoring that is available through Connect Derby.
“I look forward to catching up with them soon in their new premises once they’re settled in.”
University Vice Chancellor is chosen to lead the LEP
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln is to lead the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership as the new Chair of its Board of Directors.
Professor Neal Juster will replace the outgoing Chair Pat Doody, who is stepping down after serving three years as Chair.
Professor Juster took over as Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln from Professor Mary Stuart in October 2021. He holds a BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Computer-Aided Design, both from the University of Leeds,and has extensive experience of management in higher education including Senior Vice-Principal and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Glasgow, and Pro Vice-Principal and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. His research interests were in the area of computer-aided design including rapid prototyping and the use of virtual reality in design and manufacturing processes.
Professor Juster said: “I am honoured to have been asked take on the role of Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP following from the two, very inspirational, previous Chairs. They, together with Ruth Carver as CEO and the wider team, have given the Board a clear strategy to help the county achieve economic growth.
“I would like to thank Pat Doody for his last three years as chair and eight years as a member of the Board. It is an incredibly exciting time for Lincolnshire as we discuss devolution, attract and create new businesses, create jobs and develop critical infrastructure. This cannot be done by any one institution and I look forward to working with partners across the region to achieve collective success.”
LEP Chief Executive Ruth Carver said: “Bringing in Neal Juster to lead our Board of capable Directors is a tremendous opportunity for the LEP. Following in the footsteps of Ursula Lidbetter and Pat Doody will be tough, but we know that Neal has a wealth of experience, knowledge and business acumen as well as the high profile and excellent far-reaching contacts that this role requires.
“His deep knowledge of the engineering sector will be an advantage as we promote and strengthen the manufacturing and engineering heritage of Greater Lincolnshire. Never has the business voice been more important in driving forward the economy, and Neal and the Board will bring fresh ideas to help us navigate the period of change that we’re facing.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Neal and getting started on the task in hand, which is to represent the business voice for our area at a regional and national level, build on our four game-changing sector developments across energy, food, ports and defence, and lead projects and programmes which are all aimed at driving economic growth.”
Joining Professor Juster on the LEP Board will be four new non-executive directors drawn from the private sector and the third sector:
- Liam Scully, CEO of Lincoln City FC
- Shaun Povey, Head of Strategic Planning & Projects at Siemens
- Nikki Cooke, CEO of LIVES
- Mark Webb, CEO of Grimsby-based business support group E-Factor
East Midlands firms at increased risk of HMRC investigation, says tax expert
Tax services and insurance provider Markel predicts that HMRC tax investigations will significantly increase in the East Midlands this year.
With NatWest saying the East Midlands faced one of the fastest economic declines in the country at the end of 2022, including falling output and the first decrease in employment since January 2021, HMRC’s actions will add significant pressure on businesses already facing uncertain futures.
HMRC tax investigations can be incredibly intrusive for businesses. Markel estimates that a typical enquiry lasts for between 18-24 months, with client firms paying in the region of £5,000 in excess accounting fees. At a time when inflation and the cost-of-living crisis is creating a highly challenging recessionary environment, this additional pressure could prove disastrous for employers across the region.
In last year’s budget statement, the Chancellor announced an additional £1 billion for HMRC over the next four years to tackle tax evasion and fraud, including investment in technology and additional staff to investigate cases.
James Cordiner, Tax Investigations Manager at Markel, said: “With recent scrutiny by the National Audit Office on HMRC’s pandemic performance, HMRC are seeking to improve compliance performance levels, which is leading to an increase in investigations. Estimates suggest an additional 2,500 HMRC compliance staff by 2022-23, but with these likely to take around four years to be fully up to speed, the length of enquires and associated costs are likely to rise further.”
Markel has highlighted several risk factors that will put businesses in the East Midlands on HMRC’s radar and increase their chances of being investigated:
- The Covid Bounce Back Loan Scheme has been beset by fraud, increasing HMRC’s focus. With a quarter of East Midlands firms taking a bounce back loan, East Midlands firms won’t escape HMRC’s attention.
- Furlough offers another indicator with this scheme again open to abuse. East Midlands firms furloughed over 13% of their workforce, over 300,000 people, representing a significant number of the employed people in the region.
- The R&D tax credit scheme is a third area that has come under scrutiny in recent months with HMRC looking to reduce the number of spurious applications. Businesses in the East Midlands made almost 5,900 claims in the 2020-2021 year.
Chesterfield mortgage company named as finalist in two award schemes
Chesterfield-based mortgage brokerage Mortgage 1st has been named as a finalist in two major industry awards.
The firm has been named amongst the list of finalists in the ‘Best Mortgage Broker (8 to 50 advisers) category at the Mortgage Strategy Award3 2023. The ceremony is regarded as the pinnacle of success for those in the UK mortgage industry. Winners will be announced at the Gala dinner in London on the 25th of May.
The company is also looking to scoop ‘Broker Firm of the Year (11-50 employees)’ at the Financial Reporter Awards. Winners will be announced at the awards event on May 11th.
Lisa Stones, Operations Director at Mortgage 1st said: “To be named as finalists in both of these awards and listed alongside some fantastic businesses is absolutely amazing. Testament to our entire team, their passion, commitment and ongoing hard work. We would love nothing more than to bring home a winner’s trophy but regardless, we’ll have a fantastic time at the award events and will be celebrating our achievements.”
