Councillors and transport experts will meet in Nottingham today for a transport summit, to share plans for improvements to the city’s transport network.
The event organised by Midlands Connect in partnership with Nottingham City Council will see discussions of proposed improvements to rail links in and out of the city, and a presentation of innovative transport developments.
The Nottingham Transport Summit will also focus on innovative transport in the city, with presentation and a panel from key figures in Nottingham City Council’s transport department. Nottingham is ahead of the game when it comes to innovative transport, with £11m of investment for electric buses being announced last year. The city has also invested in active travel such as e-bikes and e-scooters.
Midlands Connect will present an update on its proposals for rail improvements to Nottingham. One of these is the Nottingham to Lincoln line, passing through Newark Castle. The sub-national transport body is working on plans which would improve safety measures and reduce journey time.
Tawhida Yaacoub, senior rail programme manager at Midlands Connect, said: “It’s great to be here in Nottingham today sharing our plans to improve connectivity to the city.
“Nottingham is such an important and key city in our patch so we want to showcase how we can help its residents keep moving.”
Cllr Audra Wynter, portfolio holder for transport at Nottingham City Council, added: “Both Nottingham City Council and Midlands Connect have such exciting plans for enhancing transport options in Nottingham. It is fantastic to come together and share these ideas with members of the community.”
The Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) has announced its work programme after its funding was extended for a further five years by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
From January 2023 the ESCoE will begin the development of a new programme of work on economic statistics, hosted at King’s Business School at King’s College London with professor Rebecca Riley as director, and professor Paul Mizen, of the University of Nottingham, as deputy director.
Established in 2017 with the support of the Office for National Statistics, ESCoE is the UK’s first-ever dedicated academic centre of expertise for economic measurement and one of just a handful around the world.
With the new funding, the ESCoE will:
Deliver research and analysis that enables the ONS to meet its vision of delivering world-class economic statistics
Deliver research and conceptual work which is influential in the international standard-setting agenda, allowing ONS to exert greater influence over the direction of travel of such standards
Deliver an international annual conference to facilitate the sharing of best practice and world-class challenge to the work of the ESCoE
Provide opportunities for joint working between the ONS and academic community
Work in collaboration with the ONS Data Science Campus to develop new techniques
Promote and develop a wider academic community with skills and research experience in economic statistics.
Professor Rebecca Riley, director of the ESCoE, King’s College London, said: “Our programme of work looks at new challenges for economic statistics, from increased concerns about the climate and the environment, to the changing nature of work and shifts in the way we contribute to the economy over our lifetimes.
“I am proud that King’s will be at the forefront of research that we hope will have a significant impact on the development of national statistics, and in turn support better decision-making on issues we all care about.”
Professor Paul Mizen, deputy director of the ESCoE, University of Nottingham, said: “The ESCoE plans for the next five years, drawn up by the contributing universities and institutes, address important challenges for economic statistics and produce better data that will benefit all those who rely on the ONS. I am excited to be part of this, and to have the opportunity to work with over 60 researchers at King’s, Nottingham and beyond.”
King’s College London and the University of Nottingham are collaborating with the University of Cambridge, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Nesta, the University of New South Wales, the University of Strathclyde, and many other partners.
The programme draws on a network of more than 60 established experts in economic and environmental-economic statistics from across the UK and internationally. The ESCoE’s foundation followed the recommendations of the Independent Review of UK Economic Statistics by professor Sir Charles Bean, published March 2016. This Review recommended that “in conjunction with suitable partners in academia and the user community, ONS should establish a new centre of excellence for the analysis of emerging and future issues in measuring the modern economy.”
There are six programmes of research currently planned for the next phase of ESCoE:
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 Andy Priestley, Managing Director of DSP (Interiors) Ltd Derby.
A sense of normality finally started to emerge again in 2022 following a turbulent few years for business in the wake of the pandemic. But this sense of calm hasn’t lasted long and we are now faced with a cost of living crisis, rocketing energy bills and an impending recession.
However, we have to stay positive and as we look towards 2023, there are a number of trends I predict will come to the fore, especially in industrial production and the emergence of factories of the future.
There is significant demand for UK manufacturing to evolve in order to maintain international competitiveness and promote economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Factories of the future are future-oriented manufacturing companies that embrace industry changes. In the coming year, we are set to see future-oriented manufacturing companies drive flexibility, customisation, and product innovation.
The industry will have to become more efficient in response to fast-changing market demands to produce better results but will have to do it sustainably.
Research from the World Economic Forum suggests that manufacturing represents 54% of the world’s energy consumption and is responsible for 20% of global emissions, meaning the industry must act fast to reduce its footprint.
Sustainable manufacturing will continue to be an important topic into 2023, with trends towards optimum sizing of production equipment, reducing waste and material and energy use. More on this topic later.
I predict there will be more automation and digital transformation heading into 2023 and beyond, with companies adopting a new culture of experimentation and innovation within their organisations.
Companies that embrace automation and advanced manufacturing technology across their factories and supply chains will thrive in their respective sectors.
This will involve employees working alongside new technology to ensure operations run smoothly, with staff re-training taking place where appropriate.
Those companies that don’t adapt accordingly risk falling behind, with business growth slowing down.
A key example of this early adaptation is SureScreen Diagnostics Ltd. The team at DSP Interiors have recently delivered phases 1-3 of a new state-of-the-art production facility at Sherwood Business Park in Nottingham for them. The flexible, agile nature of the facility allows SureScreen to quickly adapt their technology to address new challenges facing both the UK and abroad.
This agility and adaption will also extend to contemporary workplaces. The pandemic has challenged the notion of the office, allowing staff to work more flexibly where required but also support a more collaborative workplace environment centred around the activity of the worker when they do visit the office. For example, areas for focused work, huddles for team meetings, informal areas for creative collaboration, ‘re-charge’ breakout zones and more.
More precisely it has been a catalyst for design-led thinking that had started to garner momentum prior to COVID – biophilic agile offices that promote staff well-being, foster creativity and improve productivity through collaboration.
I see workplace design in 2023 continuing to evolve this flexible offering with a heavy focus on user well-being, assisted by technology and incorporating biophilic elements.
East Midlands-based law firm Nelsons has welcomed a new senior associate and solicitor specialising in commerce and technology to its Nottingham office as part of its continued growth.
Sarah Eley specialises in advising on commercial agreements, data protection and e-commerce terms and brings a wealth of expertise having advised organisations on these matters throughout her career.
With more than six years’ experience, Sarah started her career with Mills & Reeve LLP before qualifying in 2016. She then moved to work in-house for Derby City Council in 2020.
She said: “Nelsons has a great reputation for its culture and for the service it provides to clients. They also have key values which align with my own, so this was the ideal next step in my career. My colleagues have made both my guide dog, Berry, and I feel incredibly welcome. In fact, Berry has already amassed a substantial fan club.
“I’m looking forward to being involved in business development and continuing to help as many clients as possible to achieve their objectives and exceed their expectations.”
Sarah will work alongside partner and solicitor Emma Toes who heads the intellectual property team at Nelsons.
Emma said: “Having robust agreements and contracts is vital for any business and we’re thrilled that Sarah has joined us to strengthen the commercial services that we offer to organisations throughout the East Midlands.
“Sarah’s expertise and skillset, advising on commercial agreements and non-contentious intellectual property matters, links closely with the work that I do, so we’ll be working closely together to provide a comprehensive service. I am looking forward to seeing Sarah flourish in her new role.”
Clowes Developments’ Forbes Park Scheme in Long Eaton, where agents Tim Gilbertson of FHP Property Consultants and Richard Sutton of NG Chartered Surveyors have acted on their behalf, in now fully developed.
Formerly the home to a substantial manufacturing complex, the 6.5 acre site was initially fully remediated by contractors for the scheme, Roe Developments, and then a development of small to large industrial and warehouse units, augmented by trade counter facilities and roadside retail, was crafted and implemented, designed by Ben Hall of IMA Architects. Once the agents had quickly found occupiers, leases and freehold sales were documented by Heather Dixon of Geldards.
With many units put under offer before and then during the construction phase, just before the end of 2022 the final unit of over 26,000 sq ft was delivered to the last local occupier to enable their relocation and expansion.
The finished scheme sees over 78,000 sq ft built and developed on the park.
This is not the end of similar size development for Clowes in the region as the developers, together with their agency, architectural and legal team, are now rolling forward and starting to progress the marketing and development of Stud Brook Business Park at Castle Donington, a few miles drive away.
Stud Brook Business Park Masterplan
Stud Brook will see the development of 23 units totalling 180,000 sq ft, all to be delivered before the end of 2023.
Already interest is strong in this scheme with a number of pre-lets in place.
The headline NatWest East Midlands PMI Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – posted 45.4 in December, down from 47.1 in November, to signal a strong fall in output across the East Midlands private sector.
The decline in business activity was the second-fastest since January 2021 and quicker than the UK average. Of the 12 monitored UK regions, only Northern Ireland recorded a sharper decrease in output. Lower activity was linked to weak client demand and a further fall in new orders.
East Midlands private sector firms signalled a marked decrease in new orders during December, with the pace of contraction accelerating for the third month running. The rate of decline was the sharpest since May 2020 and faster than the UK average. In fact, the pace of decrease was the second-quickest of the 12 monitored UK regions, slower than only Northern Ireland. The downturn in client demand was linked to economic uncertainty and the impact of inflation on customer spending.
Business confidence across the East Midlands private sector dipped at the end of the year. The degree of optimism was below the series and UK averages. The region’s firms remained optimistic overall of an increase in output over the coming 12 months amid hopes of a pick up in client demand. That said, inflation and recession concerns weighed on output expectations.
Workforce numbers across the East Midlands private sector fell for the second month running in December. The rate of job shedding quickened to the fastest since January 2021, albeit was only marginal overall. The decrease in employment was slightly faster than the UK average, as firms attributed lower staffing numbers to the non-replacement of voluntary leavers in an effort to cut costs.
Private sector firms in the East Midlands registered a sharp decrease in the level of outstanding business during December. The fall in backlogs of work accelerated notably to the steepest since May 2020. The decline in incomplete business was linked to weak client demand which allowed firms to work through backlogs. The rate of contraction was the sharpest of the 12 monitored UK regions.
East Midlands private sector firms registered a marked rise in input prices during December. Higher cost burdens were often linked to increased supplier prices. That said, the pace of cost inflation eased to the slowest since April 2021 as the prices of some key inputs fell. The rate of increase was the second-fastest of the 12 monitored UK regions, however, slower than only Northern Ireland.
Private sector firms in the East Midlands signalled a further sharp increase in output charges at the end of the year. The rise in selling prices was attributed to the pass-through of higher costs to clients. In line with the trend for input prices, the pace of output charge inflation was stronger than the UK average. That said, the rate of inflation was the slowest since August 2021 as cost savings were also passed on to customers.
Rashel Chowdhury, NatWest Midlands and East Regional Board, said: “East Midlands private sector companies signalled a dour end to 2022, as activity and new orders shrank at sharper rates.
“Inflationary pressures and the impact on customer spending continued to be felt keenly, with new business contracting at the steepest pace since the initial pandemic lockdown period. As a result, backlogs of work dwindled and firms started to report that cost-cutting measures including the non-replacement of voluntary leavers drove job shedding.
“On a more positive note, cost and price pressures eased. Emerging reports of lower prices for some inputs were reflected in less severe hikes in output charges. Nonetheless, 2023 is likely to prove another challenging year for East Midlands businesses as the cost-of-living crisis and economic uncertainty threaten to dampen customer demand further.”
Totally, a Derby-based provider of frontline healthcare services, corporate fitness and wellbeing services, has been awarded a new contract by NHS England to provide national NHS 111 contingency services.
The contract, awarded to Vocare, part of Totally’s Urgent Care division, will run from 1 March 2023 at a value of c. £10 million per annum, initially for one year with the option to extend for a further year.
NHS England has commissioned this support to provide additional call handling and clinical capacity to help to alleviate some of the pressures on local NHS 111 services, as required. NHS 111 provides an essential service to the UK population, offering support as wide-reaching as over-the-telephone healthcare advice, to access to urgent and emergency care.
Vocare is a long-standing provider of regional NHS 111 services. This new contract provides additional flexible capacity, which can be precisely targeted where and when needed.
Wendy Lawrence, CEO of Totally, said: “Totally has significant experience providing quality, resilient and responsive regional NHS 111 services. Our services have provided essential access to core healthcare services as demand has risen beyond the level anticipated by commissioners.
“This new contract re-affirms Totally as a core partner in the delivery of NHS 111 services and moves to recognise the new normal in which healthcare providers are operating, providing essential additional capacity into the system.”
A major design competition has been launched inviting architects to design a significant new social housing scheme on a derelict site close to Mansfield town centre.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is managing the competition to find an outstanding design for Mansfield’s White Hart Street area on behalf of Mansfield District Council.
Executive Mayor of Mansfield Andy Abrahams said: “We are delighted to be working with RIBA to help find a designer for this flagship redevelopment scheme.
“White Hart Street is an important area close to the town centre which has been crying out to be resurrected into something that combines the old with the new and which will breathe new life into an area which has been run-down and largely derelict for many years.
“We want to find an architect who is sensitive about the area’s heritage and excited about designing new housing that will stand the test of time, addressing the challenges of climate change, and providing affordable high quality homes that people of all ages enjoy and feel proud to live in.”
Applications are invited from architects across the world in accordance with the requirements set out in the briefing document and selection questionnaire on the RIBA website.
Teresa Borsuk, Pollard Thomas Edwards’ and RIBA Architect Adviser for the competition said: “This is an important and exciting opportunity to transform White Hart Street in Mansfield by providing new homes and an identity that will help secure its future.”
The deadline for submission of the selection questionnaires is 12noon (GMT) on Wednesday 15 February 2023.
The land to be redeveloped is located within the Bridge Street conservation area which contains buildings of historic and architectural merit.
Full Council approved a £16.5m budget to build new council homes on this brownfield site in 2019. Architects entering the competition currently have a £14m budget for the scheme although this may increase subject to a successful bid for grant funding.
The properties are expected to be a mix of housing types, including family houses and apartments for older people, and built to the Future Homes Standard to save energy for residents, in line with the council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan. They would be added to the council’s stock of affordable homes.
The area has stood derelict for over a decade. It previously had planning permission for a mixed retail and residential scheme in 2008, but market conditions meant this scheme was never taken forward. It subsequently became blighted and has, as a consequence, become a magnet for anti-social behaviour.
The council purchased land in this area last year (2022) in order to facilitate its regeneration. Redevelopment of this area would strongly align with the council’s Growth, Aspiration, Wellbeing and Place priorities.
The Mayor added: “One of the key principles of the masterplan is for our town centre to be a place where people want to live.
“This will increase footfall for retailers as well as improve the appearance of the centre, and these, in turn, should act as a catalyst for external investment.”
The firm winning the competition will progress the design for planning permission – subject to approval by the Full Council of the business case expected in January 2024.
If approved, a planning application could be submitted in the same month and if that is approved, demolition work could start around October 2024 and building work in February 2025.
Stagedale Limited, the operator of two high-dispensing volume pharmacies in Lincolnshire, has been sold.
The sale comprised West Elloe Pharmacy, which sits adjacent to a busy health centre in Spalding, and Knight Street Pharmacy, which occupies a prominent high street location in Pinchbeck. On average, West Elloe Pharmacy dispenses a huge 53,000 items per month – making it one of England’s highest dispensing bricks and mortar pharmacies – and Knight Street Pharmacy dispenses over 9,000 items per month.
Innovation and technology have been core principles of the business, as they have adapted over the years to implement automated dispensing services and to allow patients to collect prescriptions 24 hours a day – a service that has developed strongly as a result of the pandemic.
Stagedale Limited, which owned and operated these pharmacies for over a quarter of a century, was put up for sale following the impending retirement of some of its shareholders.
Through a confidential sales process managed by Carl Steer and Tony Evans at Christie & Co, it has been sold to BMP Healthcare Limited, a Leicester-based, eight-strong pharmacy group.
Ryszard Cygan, Managing Director of Stagedale Limited, says: “We are delighted to have sold the business to BMP Healthcare, a young and exciting group which shares the same ethos and principles we have had at the core of our business for the last 25 years. We are confident that Rahul and team will continue to develop the services the pharmacies offer, further enhancing their profile with patients across the Spalding area.”
Rahul Patel, Managing Director of BMP Healthcare Limited, says: “We are delighted to have acquired such a prestigious pharmacy business which has been at the heart of community pharmacy in the Spalding area for over a quarter of a century. Working alongside our existing eight pharmacies, we are looking forward to delivering not only the strong service the pharmacies already offer but also to introducing additional services to further enhance the delivery of care to our patients.”
Carl Steer, director – Medical at Christie & Co, says: “The sale of Stagedale Limited demonstrates the appetite and confidence some operators have in the marketplace. Knowing Rahul’s existing pharmacy estate, the purchase of Stagedale Limited’s pharmacies will complement this further to the benefit of patients and the communities the pharmacies serve.”
Stagedale Limited operating West Elloe Pharmacy and Knight Street Pharmacy was sold for an undisclosed price.
Up to 50,000 Ugandan lives will be significantly improved after the Ugandan Red Cross Society partnered with a Leicestershire charitable foundation to build a manufacturing plant for re-usable sanitary pads.
Thanks to significant grant funding from the Randal Charitable Foundation the plant in Namakwa, Mukono district of Uganda, will also create employment opportunities for over 200 vulnerable girls and women who will be trained to make and market the pads.
Once fully established the plant will manufacture 200,000 re-usable pads per year, which is an equivalent of 50,000 4-pad packs. Around 20 percent of the pads will be given to 10,000 vulnerable girls in-school free of charge. The remaining 80 percent will be commercialised to 40,000 girls and women in the wider community at a subsidised price, which will ensure the long-term sustainability of the manufacturing facility.
Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, founder and chair of trustees of the Randal Charitable Foundation, said: “Our mission is to directly save and significantly improve the lives of the most vulnerable in society in the UK and globally.
“This project is so beneficial to the community because without access to high quality sanitary pads and toilets, or washrooms for changing, many girls and women are not able to go far from their homes.
“The consequence of this is that they often cannot attend school, and in many cases become trapped in their homes unable to earn a living to support their families.
“We are delighted with our partnership with the Ugandan Red Cross Society because the manufacturing facility will have the dual benefits of ensuring girls are able to stay in school to gain a good education, and in many cases a future free of extreme poverty. It will also deliver sustainable skilled employment to the women and girls involved in the production and sale of the pads.”
The grant funding will support the setting up of the manufacturing facility to produce re-usable sanitary pads and the training and up-skilling of selected girls and women to make them. It will then fund capacity building to involve more girls and women in specific skills, such as record keeping and marketing, as well as support supervision and monitoring.
After acquiring the required production skills, each female trainee is targeted to produce 50 reusable pads per day, which equates to 1,000 per year. Once the first group of 20 trainees have mastered the skills to produce the reusable pads, they will then recruit another group of 20 to expand their labour force.
The project is part of a collaboration between the Uganda Red Cross Society and the Ministry of Education & Sports and partners, which in 2019 launched a countrywide initiative named Keep a Girl in School. The main aim of this project is to improve Menstrual Health Management among Primary and Secondary School going adolescents in vulnerable communities.
During the implementation of the project, URCS is partnering with She for She, which is an indigenous organisation whose goal is to ensure that every menstruator can attend school by improving access to pads and providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights education.
She for She has experience in training community groups to sew pads and partnering with established local organisations to provide education and dialogue on menstruation and related Menstrual Hygiene Management. While the first set of materials will be imported, the Society will advocate for in-country factories to start producing the materials locally.
Robert Kwesiga, Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross Society, said: “I would like to thank the Randal Charitable Foundation for their significant support for the humanitarian cause to keep more girls in school through manufacturing, good sanitation, and provision of pads.
“As a result of a lack of access to hygienic sanitary wear, girls and women in the community often resort to using inappropriate materials such as rugs torn from their old clothes, papers, pieces of old mattress foam and leaves.
“And in some cases, in rural communities, they become house bound, and forced to sit over a hole dug in the middle of their mud floors until the menstrual flow ends. School going girls who get blood on their clothes are also often teased by teachers, boys, or other girls, and this has been reported as a significant cause of school dropouts for girls.”
Keep Girl in School is also part of the Uganda Red Cross Society Health and Social Service Agenda under Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Interventions – which plays a crucial role around key issues such as health, education, protection and security of women and adolescent girls, both in emergency and in the development context.
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