Businesses will be encouraged to set-up shop in vacant retail units in Ilkeston and Long Eaton through a new Golden Hello grant scheme. The scheme is one of a number of projects being rolled out by Erewash Borough Council over the next two years following a successful bid for a share of the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund. The project, set to launch this summer, will provide grants of up to £2,000 for new or existing businesses occupying empty shops to help pay for quality signage and other shop front improvements with the purpose of: • Bringing empty shops back into use; • Supporting businesses by helping to pay for essential set-up costs; • Improving business viability by enhancing their ‘shop appeal’; • Improving the look and feel of Ilkeston and Long Eaton town centres; • Support with a marketing strategy Councillor Bryn Lewis, lead member for Town Centres at Erewash Borough Council, says: “Residents have consistently told us that they want empty shops brought back into use, but the council can only achieve this by encouraging local start-up and expanding businesses to take up the vacant units and bring them back to life. “This project will do just that, by encouraging more investment into our town centres, including independent and boutique premises, to provide more customer choice.”

The management team at Abellio UK has acquired the company from Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the Dutch state-owned rail operator. It marks a significant milestone in the UK transport sector and transfers the company, which includes East Midlands Railway, to domestic ownership after approximately 20 years. A multi-disciplinary team from RSM advised Managing Director Dominic Booth who has been at Abellio UK since 2007. He, along with the management team, will continue to run Abellio UK’s existing operations and franchises through a newly created company called Transport UK Group Ltd. Transport UK Group Ltd will serve millions of passengers a year, operating more than 60 London bus routes and four UK rail passenger services (East Midlands Railway and West Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia and a 50:50 joint venture with Serco on Merseyrail). Dominic Booth, Managing Director at Abellio UK (now Transport UK Group), said: “We are thrilled to return key public transport services back into UK ownership. While our name will change to Transport UK Group, our values remain the same. We will continue to play a key role in the country’s transport sector, ensuring the provision of our award-winning services to passengers around the UK and driving innovation to develop a low-emission UK transport network. “I am grateful to RSM for the breadth and depth of their advice to the management team to ensure the successful completion of the transaction. They worked closely with the team to understand a range of complex issues and provided clear, concise advice to senior management, as well as support along the way.” Natalie Ord, partner at RSM UK, said: “This deal brings the provision of vital services fully into UK ownership and offers a framework for continuity, certainty and confidence for all key stakeholders. Dominic and the team have a strong track record in the industry and their experience will be instrumental in their plans to drive long-term growth opportunities. “This was a complicated cross-border transaction with many moving parts, highlighting the importance of an integrated team of specialist advisors. Abellio UK has been a valued client of RSM’s for many years and it has been fantastic to support Dominic, Ed, Alan and the team through this journey. We wish them all the best.” The deal completed on 28 February 2023 following receipt of all formal regulatory approval from partners including the Department for Transport, Transport for London, and Merseytravel. Regulatory consent has been submitted to the Office for Rail and Road and this is expected to be issued 28 days after completion.

Your business wouldn’t be where it is today without your employees. To encourage your employees to keep delivering good results, you need to provide them with a safe working environment. Regardless of the industry you work in, or what your employees do for a job, there is still a chance that they’ll get injured or ill at work. Therefore, you need to take steps to keep your employees protected and safe. Make sure that the office is clean, and if you get a report of any issues, ensure that you carry out repairs as soon as possible. Our tips will help business leaders to create a safe workplace for their employees. Keep Up With Regular Inspections To maintain an excellent level of safety in the workplace, you need to keep up with regular inspections. Some of the things you should always look out for are problems with gas, electricity or plumbing. With companies such as Trade Facilities Services, you can arrange an inspection and apply for the renewal of your Electrical Safety Certificate. If the inspection goes well, you can rest assured that your employees are safe from any critical incidents. On the other hand, if the result isn’t as good, you can come up with a plan of what needs to be done in order to create better conditions for your employees. Ensure That The Workplace Is Clean Keeping the workplace clean shouldn’t be seen as a safety precaution. Instead, make it a standard throughout the company. Even though your business has a cleaning team, you should encourage the rest of the employees to look after their workplace. If they have lunch in the office, they should pick up anything left behind. And when they notice that there is a spillage in the hallway that might put others in danger, they should get in touch with the cleaning team. They should also try to keep all the pathways clear of clutter. That way, other employees and site visitors might be able to avoid tripping and causing injuries. Provide Your Employees With Appropriate Training To boost the safety of your employees, you need to make sure that they know how to work with their equipment. If they are responsible and hold on to the right procedures, they might become more productive and protect other employees at the same time. In order to achieve such a feat, you need to provide your employees with appropriate training. When you’re onboarding employees, train them to understand your policy and procedures. And if you want to bring in a new piece of equipment or machinery, you should organise a training session that would help your employees to learn how to work with the new addition. Deal With Repairs As Soon As Possible When you find out that some of the equipment got broken or that there is something wrong within the building, you need to resolve the issue as soon as possible. If you delay the repairs, you might put the health and well-being of your employees in danger. However, if you schedule the repairs promptly, you might be able to protect the people in the building from any harm. To make sure that the repairs don’t interrupt your employees, try to schedule them outside working hours. That way, your employees might be able to focus on their work, and your business should be able to keep running without any significant interruptions. Encourage Employees To Take A Break As an employer, you’re legally obligated to provide your employees with time for rest during the day. But when your employees have many tasks to finish and are busy, they might want to skip their break completely. If they feel stressed and tired, they might start making mistakes. And in the end, it might cost your business clients, money and possibly employees. To make sure that your employees are at their best throughout the day, encourage them to take breaks regularly. Even a small coffee break can help them to come up with fresh and more creative ideas. When your employees feel relaxed and full of energy, they might be able to provide your clients with better results and help your business grow and gain more recognition. Conclusion: Get Your Employees On Board All of your efforts might go in vain if your employees aren’t on board with your policy and procedures. To boost the safety of everyone in the building, you need to make sure that your employees know the rules and have the proper training to keep themselves and others away from harm. And when you and your employees keep the workplace clean, you might reduce the risk of accidents happening. Once you get all of your employees to do their bit and help you with your efforts, you might be able to create a working environment that is safe for all of the workers and any site visitors you might receive.