Historic first meeting for new East Midlands Combined County Authority

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Historic first meeting for new East Midlands Combined County Authority

The first meeting of the new East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) took place this week – with council leaders making a series of decisions that establish the organisation’s constitution, budget and plans to improve the lives of everyone who lives and works in the region.

The EMCCA Board, made up of the four leaders and deputy leaders from Derbyshire, Derby, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham councils debated a number of key reports at their first meeting on 20 March at Chesterfield Borough Council.

They were joined by representatives from district and borough councils across the area, who will join the Board at the next meeting planned for after the mayoral election.

The meeting was chaired by Cllr Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council, who said: “Our shared ambition for our place and the people we serve has united us over the past few years and will continue to be the driving force behind all we do as EMCCA develops and grows.

“The £4 billion of government funding on the table for us through the devolution deal is just the start.

“We aim to attract more investment by making things happen and turning round historic under-investment in the East Midlands so the regional economy is stronger and better for local residents.”

The board meeting took place in Chesterfield ahead of elections for the region’s first Mayor, on Thursday 2 May. After the election future board meetings will be chaired by the Mayor.

Following the board meeting more than 100 partners and stakeholders joined political leaders in a launch event to hear more about EMCCA’s future plans.

The group discussed the strategic framework that focuses on the importance of growing the region’s economy for everyone’s benefit by targeting investment to speed up economic growth, improving transport links to towns, cities and major employers in the East Midlands and improving skills support and training in key sectors.

The launch event was supported by SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading public sector procurement authorities, which is wholly-owned by six local authority shareholders, including the four constituent councils involved in the EMCCA.

End of production at Alstom in Derby would be a “death-knell for the city”

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End of production at Alstom in Derby would be a “death-knell for the city”

A key member of the Midlands rail industry has described the news of how Derby’s Alstom train-building plant could stop production this week as “a death-knell” for the city – and the tragic result of a long history of short-term economic thinking.

Malcolm Prentice, group chairman of rail maintenance firm MTMS and former managing director of Derby rail engineering firm Garrandale, said it would take many years for the city to recover should the factory have to close, with the loss of 3,000 jobs.

His comments follow an interview on BBC Radio Four with Alstom managing director Nick Crossfield, in which he said that production at the firm’s Litchurch Lane site was nearing the end, with an 18-month gap until the next order.

He added that the firm could no longer guarantee a presence in the city, admitting that any loss of work and jobs in Derby would have a knock-on effect on the local and national supply chain.

Mr Prentice, whose company is based in Moira, Leicestershire, and maintains depots across the country for a host of train operating companies, said its fortunes would not be affected by the lack of work at Alstom.

But he could not say the same for Derby, where he worked for the majority of his 40-year career in the rail industry and whose fortunes and identity rely heavily on its train-making industry.

And he said it was another sign of how under-investment in the UK’s railways over the past decades is now starting to catch up with the country, which has already seen the HS2 project heavily scaled back due to cost-cutting.

He said: “This is a death knell for Derby, and for Derbyshire, in so many ways. We’ve gone from being at the heart of the Industrial Revolution to being on the verge of losing the very industry that helped to build the city because there has been a lack of investment in home-grown manufacturing building trains for our own rail network.

“That’s a legacy of a political and business approach that has focussed on the short-term economic gain from cutting costs and selling off assets to overseas companies rather than investing for the long term.

“Once these factories are gone and the skills are gone, they’re either gone for good, or it takes many years to build them back up again. If we lose Alstom and those 3,000 jobs, plus all the jobs in the supply chain, then it will take Derby very many years to recover.

“I certainly don’t think I will see its recovery in my lifetime, and that makes me feel very sad.”

MTMS, which services and maintains rolling stock and equipment at more than half of rail depots across the UK, serves such familiar names in mainline rail as First MTR South-Western Railway, Govia ThamesLink Railway, Arriva and Siemens.

It is also a patron of the Midlands Rail Forum, which is the biggest forum of its kind in the UK.

Malcolm added: “This isn’t just about manufacturing. Transport is an important part of our country’s infrastructure and vital to us being a strong nation. Our economy relies on being able to transport the goods we import around the country and rail should be a big part of that, especially since the UK wants to cut emissions and become more sustainable.

“I don’t see the electric lorries, or the fleet of electric Amazon vans, that will deliver that to us, but I do know that rail is far more environmentally friendly than road haulage and should be at the heart of our national transport strategy.

“That isn’t happening, but it is across the rest of Europe, which has invested in their rail industry and are now way ahead of us.”

Plans for entertainment hub in Northampton given the green light

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Plans for entertainment hub in Northampton given the green light
Plans to transform the vacant Market Walk shopping centre in Northampton town centre have been given the go ahead by West Northamptonshire Councillors at the Strategic Planning Committee this week. Leisure developer STACK’s planning application will see the creation of an exciting and innovative entertainment hub with independent street food outlets, bars and a dedicated space for interactive games. The scheme also includes a main stage, which will be used for live music and entertainment. The facility is set to be the first in the Midlands and will enhance the town’s vibrancy and vitality, supporting both the daytime and night-time economy and complementing the adjacent ongoing transformation of the historic Market Square and public realm of Abington Street and Fish Street. STACK completed on the site in August 2023 and the planning approval takes it one step forward, license approval is still pending but once granted the design development can be progressed to the next stage. The scheme is being supported by the council, which is providing up to £4.2m investment through the Towns Fund, with a further £8m investment from STACK which will enable the space to be transformed into a new leisure, entertainment, and social community hub. Cllr Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “I am delighted that plans for STACK’s first facility in the Midlands have been given the go ahead and look forward to seeing works begin to set up this innovative entertainment space in the heart of Northampton town centre. “STACK offers something truly unique for our town centre and will see footfall increase significantly, attracting more families and people who might not normally have visited the area. “Together with our other regeneration projects, the leisure economy in Northampton is set to rocket and provide a diverse mix of entertainment, food and drink, and retail opportunities which will benefit residents, local businesses and traders.” The plans for a STACK in Northampton are the latest in a number of announcements made by the company as it rolls out its master plan to become a nationally recognised brand. Neill Winch, CEO of STACK, said: “We are thrilled that we can now start to move forward with our plans to bring STACK to Northampton and to create an exciting leisure destination for local residents and visitors. “STACK will play a vital role in the plans to regenerate the Market Square area – of which Market Walk Shopping Centre is a part – and which will make a massive, positive difference to the local economy.”

Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25%

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Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25%
The Bank of England has held interest rates for the fifth time, at 5.25%. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet a 2% inflation target, which is expected to be achieved temporarily in Q2 of 2024. At its meeting ending on 20 March 2024, the MPC voted by a majority of 8–1 to maintain Bank Rate at 5.25%. One member preferred to reduce Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 5%.

Anna Leach, CBI Deputy Chief Economist, said: “The Bank of England has as expected chosen to keep interest rates on hold for the fifth occasion, following February’s inflation number which came in at its lowest since 2021.

“Nonetheless, services inflation, though falling in line with expectations, remains relatively high at 6.1%. And wage inflation, while likewise having fallen back is still running too hot to sustainably deliver 2% inflation, with risks that the forthcoming rise in the national living wage may yet spur renewed wage pressures.

“The CBI’s own surveys have shown the downward trend in price expectations stall across much of the private sector recently, amidst a renewed uptick in cost pressures. And the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine present further risks to the inflation outlook.

“Unsurprisingly therefore the Bank has reiterated that they’re looking for further evidence of sustained declines in domestic inflationary measures in particular in the coming months before they’ll consider dropping rates, with markets expecting the first downward move to come in June.”

Silverstone electric vehicle firm shuts down commercial arm

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Silverstone electric vehicle firm shuts down commercial arm
Silverstone-based electric vehicle firm, Lunaz Group, backed by David Beckham, has put its commercial arm into administration. The business, which upcycles vehicles to zero-emissions electric powertrains, is shutting down Lunaz Applied Technologies in a major overhaul, with the arm going into administration. A spokesperson for Lunaz, as reported by The Telegraph, said the company was “restructuring its business to re-scope timelines for the start of production for commercial vehicle products.” They added: “This means, the business entity ‘Lunaz Applied Technologies’ has stopped operations.” The Government’s decision to push back the ban of sales of new petrol cars and vans to 2035 was slated to be one of the reasons for the decision. The restructure will mean the business can focus attention on passenger cars, while Lunaz noted intentions for commercial vehicles to be produced when market conditions drive demand.

Nottingham City Council forges ahead with Forest Recreation Ground Sports Zone improvements plan

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Nottingham City Council forges ahead with Forest Recreation Ground Sports Zone improvements plan
Nottingham City Council is embarking on the next stage of developing the Forest Sports Zone, having received approval from Executive Board. Located on the Forest Recreation Ground, where Nottingham Forest Football Club was founded 150 years ago, it comprises a full-size floodlit all-weather 3G pitch, a floodlit sand-based multi-activity pitch, and a new pavilion with six changing rooms, catering facilities and indoor space for education, club and social activities. Since its construction in 2015, in partnership with Nottingham Forest Community Trust (NFCT), the Forest Sports Zone has become a premier community facility and provides a range of football development and other sports activities, for both the local community and teams from around the city. However, nine years on, the lower sand-based pitch which was originally funded by Sport England, is now past its operational best and requires replacement. As a condition of the Sport England grant, the council agreed to set up a Forest Multi-Use Activity Pitch ‘sinking fund’ to help pay for the replacement of the sand-based pitch. To enable the authority to further improve the facilities at the site, £1.8million has been secured from the Football Foundation and £530,00 from Nottingham Trent University (NTU), who are keen to be involved at this site to help provide use for both the university and the local community. Councillor Corall Jenkins, Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment, Waste Services and Parks at Nottingham City Council said: “We are very excited to have received approval to go ahead with improvement developments for the Forest Recreation Ground Sports Zone. “This project funding is essential to drive forward the improvement of the facilities which are so important to young people in the community and city-wide. We look forward to working with partners and funders to deliver another project that really benefits all our citizens, as well as visitors from outside the city.” Calum Osborne, Chief Executive Officer at Nottingham Forest Community Trust, said: “I am excited to announce the development of The Forest Sports Zone, currently one of the busiest community football facilities in the UK. “Following the original development in 2015, The Forest Sports Zone has been a hub for physical activity and community football in the heart of our city, engaging more than 2,500 local people each week and helping to divert young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour. “Together with The Football Foundation, Nottingham City Council and Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham Forest Community Trust have collectively committed significant investment to further enhance the facilities to offer flexible and accessible spaces for children, young people and members of the community to take part in physical activity and both recreational and organised football. “Locally and nationally, there is a lack of high-quality facilities for people to play football, so to get this project over the line, at a place that Nottingham Forest Football Club once called home is a great result for local football and our communities.” Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government – to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country. “Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities. “This grant award to Nottingham City Council towards developing the Forest Sports Zone is fantastic news for the local community and will help give more people access to a great place to play.” The plans were given the go-ahead by the council’s Executive Board on Tuesday afternoon.

Derby communications specialist acquired

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Derby communications specialist acquired
Communications specialist Evad has been acquired by one of the UK’s leading providers of essential business technology. The Derby-headquartered firm has been bought by Focus Group to support its plans for growth and development into new sectors. The deal enables both brands to extend their geographical reach across the UK, diversify product portfolios and deliver service expertise to specialist market sectors. Evad, formally owned by Ethos Group, has been rebranded as Focus Group with regional director Matt Hill and sales director Richard Osborn continuing at the helm of the regional office at Cubo Derby. Matt said: “As part of the Ethos Group we enjoyed a lot of success and grew the business organically to be recognised as a leading communications provider. “The last decade has been brilliant, and I can’t thank the Ethos Group enough. “However, the opportunity to become part of Focus Group was too good to miss and perfectly timed as Ethos looked to actively pursue the growth of its core digital print business. “Joining the Focus Group family brings us a wealth of knowledge and provides the ability, and product portfolio, to grow significantly. “Most importantly, our intrinsic company values are aligned. With a focus on ensuring our team and customers benefit from any investment, it is enabling us to provide the same award-winning services, but turbo charged.”

Derby Civic Society names Nightingale Quarter as Conservation Winner at ABCD Awards

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Derby Civic Society names Nightingale Quarter as Conservation Winner at ABCD Awards
Wavensmere Homes’ £175m Nightingale Quarter development in Derby city centre was the double winner in the conservation category at the Civic Society’s annual ‘A Brighter City of Derby’ Awards. The awards were presented in recognition of the painstaking restoration to two pepperpot buildings along London Road – abandoned relics from the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary (DRI), which opened in 1894 and closed 15 years ago. After laying derelict for a decade, Wavensmere Homes purchased the vacant 18.5-acre site in 2019. While the vast majority of the Florence Nightingale-designed Victorian hospital had been bulldozed, the Birmingham-headquartered firm pledged to save and restore the imposing pepperpots, despite one of the buildings being previously consented for demolition. Pepperpot South opened as the marketing suite for the 925 houses and apartments in 2021. With 95% of the homes now sold, the building is being re-purposed as a gym for residents’ use. The second (North) Pepperpot opened on 14th February as The Fulton Partnership’s sixth hospitality venue in the Midlands. Styled by the interior designer for Gleneagles hotel – to introduce a new concept in luxury dining to the city of Derby – no expense has been spared on the Art Deco-inspired furnishings and refined heritage colour pallet. Ashley Waterhouse, Chairman of Derby Civic Society, said: “What has been achieved by Wavensmere Homes and The Fulton Partnership at Nightingale Quarter is remarkable. Being the former DRI, this is a very emotive site for so many local people. “With the surviving hospital buildings not nationally listed by Historic England, their fate was in the hands of the developers. The end result has surpassed all our expectations. The quality of the restoration works across both pepperpot buildings is immaculate inside and out, creating a highly impressive approach to the city centre from London Road.” James Dickens, Managing Director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “When we acquired this vacant site five years ago, we set out to design a landmark scheme that embraced the DE1 location and didn’t turn its back on the city centre. “We are proud that the 925 apartments and houses have transformed the city living market, acting as the catalyst for thousands more homes to be delivered within central Derby. “By installing new footpaths, cycle routes and roads – and making a restaurant Nightingale Quarter’s new focal point – we wanted to actively encourage people from across the city and beyond to visit. “The process of selecting the finest operator for what would become ‘The Pepperpot’ took 12 months. Thanks to the vision, significant investment and sheer talent of Graeme Fulton and his incredible team, it has become the heart and soul of this vibrant new neighbourhood. “We are thrilled that Derby Civic Society has recognised the quality of our restoration work, concluding that these historic buildings now serve as assets to the community living at Nightingale Quarter and the city of Derby as a whole.” Wavensmere Homes commenced remediation and construction work at The Nightingale Quarter in late 2019. The complex site is one of the UK’s most significant city centre regeneration projects. Construction work is ongoing for the final phases. A community garden is also being delivered on site, in partnership with Community Interest Company Down to Earth Derby.

Leading AI voice and former Dragons’ Den investor partners with Champions (UK) plc

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Leading AI voice and former Dragons’ Den investor partners with Champions (UK) plc

Former Dragons’ Den investor and AI expert Piers Linney has partnered with growth consultancy firm Champions (UK) plc. 

He joins the Costock-based company as ‘AI & Technology Lead’, in another key management appointment to the organisation’s team. 

Mr. Linney’s entrepreneurial and investment experience spans across technology, automation and communications. He is the co-founder of Implement AI, a next generation consultancy dedicated to helping small and medium-sized businesses understand and implement artificial intelligence. 

He is also the co-founder of Atherton Bikes, a producer of titanium and carbon-constructed mountain bikes which were used to win the World Championships 2023. 

He said: “I’ve been working with the Champions family for around seven years now, and we’ve really built a business together which has been my speaking profile and my keynotes, which has gone incredibly well. 

“The Champions business and the ambition has expanded, and I’m really excited to be partnering with them on bringing my AI experience and Implement AI’s capabilities into the fold. 

“We’re going to be bringing together the strategy to help companies grow, to expand, to understand how they can extract the most out of their business to increase profitability and valuations. It is critical that every business includes artificial intelligence in their growth strategy and operational planning before their competition does.” 

Mr. Linney is best known for his time on Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire, and Dragons’ Den between 2013-2015, where he sat alongside other renowned figures such as Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden as an investor. The former Dragon is a qualified corporate lawyer and former M&A banker at Credit Suisse. 

He acted as a Non-Executive Director to the British Business Bank during the £90 billion roll out of COVID business support loan schemes, and was also a trustee of Nesta, the UK’s largest innovation foundation with a £600m endowment. 

Mr. Linney was recognised as one of the UK’s Top 20 Ethnic Minority Executives in 2020, and is a D&I adviser to Sky, following his experience as a former future strategy adviser to one of the world’s leading luxury automotive manufacturers. 

As AI & Technology Lead, Mr. Linney will be leading projects regarding business automation, AI implementation and investment solutions, helping organisations navigate through Champions’ audit to activation process. 

The business adviser and influencer will be bringing over vital experience in technology, modern manufacturing and M&A investment banking, which will provide Champions’ clients with industry leading insights into growth and automation. 

Champions (UK) plc Managing Director Matthew Hayes said: “I’m very pleased to announce our new AI & Technology lead, Piers Linney. 

“Piers will lead our clients’ efficiency and competitive difference via helping them navigate the complex landscape of AI and integration. 

“His passion for supporting businesses with tech-first strategies has seen him become a globally recognised AI expert, with the world’s number one AI for Business podcast and LinkedIn appointed ‘Top AI voice’. 

“We’re excited to see what our clients’ future holds as they reap the benefits of our powerful, technology-led solutions. 

“Welcome to the family Piers.” 

Mather Jamie appoints new planning manager

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Mather Jamie appoints new planning manager
Loughborough-based specialist land development and property consultancy Mather Jamie has expanded its planning team following the appointment of Georgina Doyle as a planning manager. Georgina, who lives in Loughborough, holds an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning and is a Chartered Member of The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). She joins Mather Jamie after spending 5 years with Pegasus Group, where she managed a variety of residential and commercial development projects. Prior to this, she spent almost 15 years in Local Government, gaining extensive experience both in policy and development management, including the management of strategic development projects. In her new role, Georgina will work alongside head of planning Tom Collins and planning manager Jenny Adams to ensure Mather Jamie’s clients are able to negotiate the best outcomes for their land with development potential. Georgina said: “I am very excited about continuing my planning career from a land promotion side. Whilst I have experience in this area, I will now be working directly with land owners and promoters. Everyone at Mather Jamie has made me feel very welcome.” Tom Collins, head of planning, added: “Having an expert like Georgina in the team who has experience working both sides of the fence on land and planning issues will be a huge asset to our team. Her unique insight will undoubtedly benefit our clients and boost our internal knowledge.”
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