The government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) would be used for community projects, business support and to promote new skills and employment opportunities.
It will also help to deliver the aspirations in the Making Mansfield strategy which sets out council aims and ambitions between now and 2030.
The Plan envisages that the council would deliver some projects itself, some via partners and commissioning, and others through grass-roots activity, targeted towards priority areas and themes, and carried out in collaboration with community groups and partners.
The council is expecting its Plan to be approved in the autumn and for work to start later this year and over the subsequent two years.
Executive Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “The Shared Prosperity Fund replaces EU funding streams previously available to Mansfield.
“The government expects the Plan to reflect the three national priorities of community and place, supporting local business and people and skills, and we will ensure that local needs are to the fore.
“Our aim is to target this support to areas of greatest need to support long-term fundamental change, growth and regeneration in our priority neighbourhoods and to open up opportunities across the district.
“We anticipate that the community impact could be enhanced through a community grants programme, supporting capacity at a local level and enabling groups to bring forward local solutions.
“We will be working with our partners and delivery agencies to bring forward additional business support which, enhanced by investment in people and skills, will encourage quality employment and training opportunities – and ultimately growth for Mansfield.”
£3m plan to support Mansfield communities and businesses
Mansfield District Council is preparing to submit its Investment Plan to secure its allocation of £3m from the government for projects to support businesses and communities over the next three years.
£21.1m Stapleford Towns Fund regeneration projects get underway
Stapleford Towns Fund Board is celebrating as its six long-awaited regeneration projects can now begin, following receipt of £21.1m in Town Deal Funding from the Government.
In March, it was announced that Stapleford was one of 100 towns to receive a share of the Government’s £3.6bn Towns Deal for urban regeneration planning and land use, skills and enterprise infrastructure, and connectivity.
Stapleford residents, workers and businesses have worked hard to understand the challenges and aspirations of the town and what it needs now, and in the future, to become a model for what a small town can achieve.
The £21.1m funding is being invested in six core projects:
- Community hub and young people’s centre
- Enterprise hub building
- Library learning facility
- Safer cycling scheme
- Street improvement scheme
- £1m Town Centre Recovery Grant Scheme – already underway
Derby needs to upset the odds in the vote for GBR HQ for the good of the next generation, warns city rail boss
A key member of Derbyshire’s rail industry says Derby will be letting down the next generation of engineering talent if it didn’t do all in its power to win the race to be named home for the Great British Railways HQ.
Malcolm Prentice, chairman of Swadlincote-based MTMS, says that the city has a huge chance to play a leading role in shaping the future of the rail industry after it was named as one of six finalists in a national competition to find a location for the headquarters outside of London.
But he described the city as an outside bet in the race – despite its rich rail heritage and place at the heart of the rail industry – and said it needs a huge collective effort across the region in order to beat off competitions from the others.
Mr Prentice, who has worked in the city’s rail industry for the past 40 years, was talking after Derby was named alongside Birmingham, York, Doncaster, Newcastle and Crewe on a shortlist in a public vote to find the best place in the country to base the new Great British Railways organisation.
Due to be set up next year, GBR will replace Network Rail as part of a huge overhaul of the country’s rail system, which will see the current rail franchise model consigned to history in favour of a more centralised system.
GBR will be at the heart of the new era, which is also being seen as a new dawn for railways, with plans also announced to bring smaller lines back into use in order to increase public transport options for commuters, as well as the development of green technology to make railways more sustainable.
Derby, thanks to its central location and engineering prowess, would be more than capable of playing an active role in this, says Mr Prentice, however it faces an uphill battle to convince the public and ministers that it has what it takes in the face of stiff competition from the heavyweights on the list such as Birmingham.
He said: “If I was a betting man, I’d say that Derby is an outsider in a vote such as this, because Birmingham is a big city and the headquarters for HS2 for a start, while York’s rail history is far better known.
“If we are to win it, then it can’t be left to the rail industry and the council to do all the hard work. Every business in every sector, as well as people across the city and elsewhere, needs to get on board to show the judges that we are all behind this.
“It’s a big ask, but we have a huge responsibility to the youngsters who are coming through, because their future livelihoods and prospects rely on the ability of Derby to secure opportunities like this ahead of other regions.
“All too often Derby has been left standing on the platform while investment opportunities have gone elsewhere. We have the talent and a wealth of local companies who are already exploring the kind of green transport technology that the rail industry will be looking at.
“It means that while Derby is a logical choice, it’s not an obvious choice, and it’s up to everyone to make the case for the city and give us the best possible chance we could have.”
The public vote to bring the GBR HQ to Derby will end on August 15.
Robot Xchange names tech specialist Elizabeth Gooch MBE as new chair
Nottingham-based robotic process automation (RPA) specialist, The Robot Exchange (TRX), has named award-winning tech entrepreneur, Elizabeth Gooch MBE, as chair.
The new role has been created to help the growing business expand its current offering by scaling up and accelerating the creation and delivery of its innovative RPA solutions in the UK and expanding overseas markets.
Gooch’s technology career began after she pioneered an emerging technology market that today is worth over $3bn. That software is now used in over 50 countries by blue-chip international companies in financial services, utilities, telcos, business process outsourcing and the public sector.
Her career highlights include; The Telegraph’s Most Disruptive Entrepreneurs, Finance Monthly CEO Award, PCR’s Top 50 Women in Technology, West Midlands Women of the Year Outstanding Contribution to Technology Award. Gooch was also awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2012.
The Robot Exchange, led by CEO Andy Wallace, specialises in developing and deploying RPA solutions for SMEs; enabling smaller customers to gain the same process efficiencies and reduced wastage of resource and time previously enjoyed by bigger businesses.
Speaking about Elizabeth’s appointment, Andy Wallace, CEO at The Robot Exchange, said: “This is a major moment for The Robot Exchange. We have ambitious plans and attracting someone of Elizabeth’s character speaks volumes for our potential. Now that she is on the team, we cannot wait to begin this exciting next step in the journey of The Robot Exchange.”
Speaking about her appointment, Elizabeth Gooch MBE said: “Staffing and recruitment is a massive challenge for SMEs and, at the same time, their processes have often lacked attention, becoming unwieldy and time consuming. TRX enables them to reduce the amount of work and resources locked up in manual processes and to leverage the faster roll-out of cloud based RPA solutions that the major corporations enjoy.
“I am looking forward to working with Andy on scaling his company and accelerating its transition from unassisted to autonomous RPA. It has the potential to become a major enabler for ambitious, forward thinking organisations in the modern economy and that is a very exciting challenge.”
Streets covers its charity fundraising, offers helpful information to manage business financial challenges and more in its latest business support update
In its latest Business Support Update, Streets Chartered Accountants highlights its charity fundraising, offers information to address a business’s financial challenges, reconsiders the statement ‘people are our greatest asset’ and more.
Streets Golf Day secures hole in one for air ambulance
Streets hosted its ninth annual Charity Golf Day this month raising £6,309 for the Air Ambulance. The total amount fundraised will be divided between the firm’s three regional charities; East Anglian Air Ambulance, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The event received fantastic support with 23 teams taking part and more than 25 local businesses sponsoring the day. There were Stableford team prizes as well as competitions such as Longest Drive, Nearest the Pin, Beat the Pro and Hole in One.
EVENT: Academies Update 2022
A free and informative update for all schools and academies – headteachers, accounting officers, bursars/business managers and governors – especially those on the finance/audit committee. The presentations will cover the Academies Accounts Direction for 2023, including key changes for financial reporting as Streets and its academy clients undertake the completion of annual accounts for 31st August 2022. Book now.
Streets Summer Newsletter 2022
We seem to have thrown off the major disruption due to the COVID pandemic, but we now have other challenges to consider. For example, rising inflation and interest rates, continuing supply issues and shortages of commodities from baby food to computer chips. There is a broad spectrum of information in this newsletter and hopefully you will find something of use to aid your management of business or personal financial challenges. Read more.
People are our greatest asset, is it just rhetoric or is there real value in this statement?
How many times have you heard a business leader or company director say our people are our greatest asset? How often we do we take a step back and think what does this really mean? Is it marketing spin aimed at making the organisation look good or to attract new employees or is there more behind this well-used phrase? Read more.
Humber Business Week – The Working Lunch podcast series
Last month Streets hosted Working Lunch, a special Humber Business Week series of The Streets Sessions podcast. Each day James Pinchbeck, marketing partner at Streets, was joined by a special guest to find out more about their role and the organisation they work with to gain an insight into what they think makes Hull a vibrant and diverse community and why it is a great place for enterprise. Listen here.
SmartMoney Magazine – July/August 2022
SmartMoney is the bi-monthly magazine from Streets Financial Consulting plc, Streets’ independent financial planning arm, full of news and helpful information on personal financial planning. Read more.
G F Tomlinson continues 15-year relationship with SCAPE as it’s appointed to new £750m regional framework
Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson has been appointed as an approved partner on the new £750m regional framework by SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading public sector procurement authorities.
The four-year framework will invest in the public sector across the Midlands and East of England, helping local authorities and organisations deliver ambitious, community-focused construction projects.
Following a competitive selection process, the Midlands-based construction company is just one of eight contractors chosen to deliver up to £750m of new investment for the public sector, via SCAPE’s Regional Construction framework, with G F Tomlinson being appointed to undertake projects up to £7.5m across Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland.
G F Tomlinson’s 15-year relationship with SCAPE has seen the company deliver over 500 projects valued at £240m on previous iterations of the framework. Through this ongoing collaboration the company has also provided communities with positive social, economic and environmental impacts including 82% of local spend and 89% of local labour achieved within 40 miles of each project and 98% construction waste recycled and diverted from landfill.
With a broader value range of up to £7.5m, more public sector projects can benefit from the range of services provided by G F Tomlinson, including early input on design development, risk management, cost certainty, construction delivery and post completion support.
G F Tomlinson has a strong focus on sustainability and social value and the SCAPE framework allows for the delivery of four key areas of investment, including: employment and training, sustainability and environmental protection and support. In particular, inspiring individuals into the construction industry from local schools, apprenticeship opportunities, commitment to local spend and the use of local labour and supply chains and helping public sector clients achieve their decarbonization targets.
Chris Flint, Managing Director at G F Tomlinson, said: “We are thrilled to have been appointed to the framework, continuing our long association and success with Scape. The framework allows us to continually focus on delivering high quality, value for money projects across the Midlands, ensuring social and sustainable values are considered to support the local communities.
“In addition to providing communities with the prospect of job opportunities and apprenticeships, the framework has agreed to a ‘net-zero ready’ lifecycle, assisting communities in achieving their net-zero ambitions as an effective response to the current climate emergency.
“We are extremely proud of the work already undertaken within this framework and cannot wait to continue to raise the bar and deliver tangible benefits to our clients and the wider community.”
John Simons, group procurement director at SCAPE, said: “The next four years represent a pivotal time for public sector construction across the Midlands and East of England to deliver infrastructure that empowers local communities and generates regional economic growth.
“After receiving positive feedback from clients, we’ve enhanced the framework to provide our public sector colleagues with the tools to not only deliver value-driven infrastructure in their areas but support their journey toward a net zero built environment.
“Aligned with SCAPE’s 15-year heritage of empowering local authorities to achieve their infrastructure objectives, the direct award framework is designed to achieve value for money, drive sustainability and deliver a local economic impact on every project.”
Mark Robinson, group Chief Executive at SCAPE, said: “As we continue to play our part in delivering infrastructure projects across the region that are more sustainable and strengthen local communities, our new framework will help our clients meet their goals and allow local contractors to build long-term relationships to grow their business.
“The addition of a new lifecycle contract form as part of the framework’s ‘net zero ready’ offering is testament to SCAPE’s commitment to supporting clients with energy conservation and the operational efficiency and performance of their assets.
“The new framework will act as a vehicle for contractors to champion greener infrastructure and upskill their teams to be able to deliver on the sustainability ambitions across the Midlands and East of England.”
Promotion celebrations at Sills and Betteridge LLP
Sills & Betteridge LLP has started its new financial year on a high with four promotions. The firm’s leadership development programme recognises the talent and dedication of its people; those who have demonstrated loyalty and commitment, shown a flair for managerial responsibilities and assisted with the development of the firm. This year’s appointments were again drawn from a range of practices. Lincoln-based family lawyer Jessica Firth-Brown has been promoted to partner. Jess joined Sills & Betteridge in 2012 later qualifying with the firm and becoming a highly skilled child law solicitor. Alan Rousseau, a residential property executive specialising in new-build conveyancing in Gainsborough and Katherine Wenham a wills, trusts & probate executive in Lincoln were given associateship. The firm also recognised the contribution made by an employee in a non-legal role, making its head of marketing, Jennifer Lowe an associate. Chief Executive Martyn Hall said: “Progressing to partner or associate is a reflection of many years of hard work. Each of our four new partners and associates joined the firm over 10 years ago, some at the very start of their careers. I am delighted that they have reached these career milestones and look forward to them continuing to play major roles in our future success.” The promotions mark the start of another exciting year for the firm as it looks forward to further development of its newly acquired offices and the imminent relocation of its Thorne team to larger premises on Fieldside in September.
Simply UK acquires six care homes in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire
Simply UK has acquired six purpose built care homes across Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and leased them to Portland Care Group.
Acting on behalf of the vendors, Anita Allen of Bespoke Care managed the ‘off market’ sales process and confirmed the sale concluded for an undisclosed sum.
Portland Care Group said that these transactions will add six care homes comprising 498 beds to its portfolio.
Managing Director of Portland Care Group, Rob McDonald, said: “We are delighted to have completed this acquisition. The addition of these 6 x purpose built care homes is a further step in our plan for growth.”
Agent for the sellers were: Anita Allen of Bespoke Care, Sheffield.
Solicitors for the sellers were: Trevor Bird, Amy Hallam, directors, and Morgan Summerfield, paralegal corporate, of BRM Solicitors, Sheffield and Sarah Rowland, director, and Matthew Lilly, solicitor of BRM Solicitors, Chesterfield and Elizabeth Harris and Ian Osborn of Best Solicitors, Sheffield.
Solicitors for Portland Care Group were: Steve Edgecombe, partner, Edwin Truesdale, legal director, DLA Piper Scotland LLP, Dean Peachy, senior associate, Harvey Clark and Kate Roden, associates, DLA Piper UK LLP.
Office layouts: which is best?
As businesses across the country adapt their workspace to better suite changes in their business following COVID, specialist interior design and fit out company APSS looks at which office layout is best for different types of businesses.
It’s important staff feel motivated at work, after all, it’s where you spend the majority of the week and needs to be a place you can feel focused and comfortable.
The challenges of trying to get people into the office are rife. As some staff claim they will never return, especially with the current cost of a commute, many businesses are considering a redesign. When it comes to style, there’s a whole host of considerations to make, but a fundamental one is office layout.
Which layout is best for your office? One geared towards functionality, comfort, or productivity? It can be a minefield as everyone has their own preferences. Here’s a few thoughts about what might suit your business:
Open plan office: best for discussion, collaboration and freedom
For teams that work closely together, need easy collaboration to bounce ideas off each other, ask for help and combine efforts which helps a project all come together perfectly, an open-plan office could be your best bet. Open and airy, they give you the option of having free discourse among staff, and a more welcoming environment than everyone squirrelled away in boxes.
Cost-effective and easily adaptable, open-plan offices offer a great deal of flexibility. Have a new stream of employees joining? It’s easy to adapt and move desks, seating arrangements and teams. It’s also great for efficiency, the open conversations you can have across the room lead to details being confirmed faster, staff feel more updated and there’s a sense of camaraderie that’s missing from other layouts.
The only drawback is privacy. A sensitive conversation or meeting free of distractions needs to be held elsewhere and so partitioned meeting rooms or separate areas also need to be considered. Noise can also be an issue in open-plan offices, if teams that clash in terms of their approach are placed in close proximity, it can be detrimental to concentration and therefore productivity. Introducing noise-cancelling baffles or partitions can be a life-saver here and is something to consider when matching the style of work your business does to your office layout. A call centre, marketing company or creative office could benefit, whereas if dealing with sensitive information or highly technical work it might not be the most conducive environment.
Co-working space: best for being adaptable, modern and convenient
Having risen in popularity over the past few years, the co-working model is often a great option for new businesses or established businesses expanding into new markets or territories, it offers the formal feel of an office, but with a casual, convenient air.
Most co-working spaces by their very nature offer a mix of open plan and breakout rooms which are shared among a mix of freelancers, small business owners and more sizable operations. Often hotdesking and collaborative spaces are common, but with shared facilities such as printers, coffee machines, and breakout areas available.
This is often a great way to meet with other business owners and offers many ways to connect and work together. It also fosters a great feeling of community, meaning partnerships can be struck up and developed upon.
Co-working spaces offer more opportunities for creative design choices. With more adaptable spaces and designated areas for meetings or quick collaborations. It can make it feel more dynamic and welcoming than a standard setup.
Even those who own their own business can adopt the style of layout. More breakout spaces, casual and collaborative aspects folded into a standard open-plan layout can improve morale and make an office feel like more of a creative space rather than a collection of desks and meeting rooms. Meetings that are held in breakout areas tend to be less formal and can therefore take up much less time in the day.
Cluster office layout: best for focus, efficiency and belonging
Not as popular due to the space it takes up, the team cluster office layout does offer some distinct advantages. By seating teams working on the same projects together, it offers a more focused, smooth and inclusive environment for staff. Working collaboratively is one thing many who are in favour of returning to the office cite they miss, so this offers a hugely beneficial way of making that happen.
However, it can lead to cliques forming, with little to no contact with other teams other than via email or virtually, it can mean a hermetic seal of contact. It can also be a noisy, busy way to work, with little to no privacy amongst those seated in this way.
Hybrid office layout: best for flexibility and compromise
Much has been made of hybrid working in terms of the time spent at home and in the office, but in a bid to appeal to all employees, some businesses have transformed their spaces into hybrid, multi-faceted places of work. A combination of open plan, flexible, private and collaborative options, there’s a plethora of choices here for all personality types and takes in every taste. This not only gives existing staff a choice in the way they work, but also gives you the edge when it comes to attracting new candidates. In a world where candidates hold the power and can pick and choose where and how they want to work, this is key to understanding the market.
Having a varied and exciting place to work and collaborate is really important these days. The only drawbacks here are the disjointed nature of work and where it is done. Conversely, this can be solved by simply taking in new ways of working, meeting and focus time separated and specific spaces designated for each task.
There’s a challenge for a lot of businesses out there, it can go one of two ways. Embrace the challenge and dare to innovate, or watch your best staff and candidates simply up and run. An office is a reflection of your business, if it does not appeal, you might be in trouble.
For more information on how to make your office space work best for your business, please visit the APSS website.
People are our greatest asset, is it just rhetoric or is there real value in this statement? By James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants
James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, unpacks the age-old term ‘our people are our greatest asset’.
How many times have you heard a business leader or company director say our people are our greatest asset? How often we do we take a step back and think what does this really mean? Is it marketing spin aimed at making the organisation look good or to attract new employees, or is there more behind the statement than we might think or are led to believe?
Certainly, from a financial reporting perspective people cannot really be an asset, as they are not owned by anyone or anything, nor can they be affixed a monetary value, salary aside, or used as collateral for investment or borrowings. Well at least certainly not in the 21st century. They don’t appear on the business balance sheet and certainly they are not subject to depreciation, written off over time, nor are they from time to time revalued.
It would probably be fair to say that whilst you may have many highly appreciated and ‘valued’ staff, not all staff might be deemed to be an asset. In fact, some might be deemed, due to perhaps poor performance, or other less favourable behaviours, to be more of a liability than an asset.
Given this background, how might our people be a real benefit and ‘asset’ to our organisation? What might they do to demonstrate the valuable contribution they make to the success and standing of the business?
We take on staff to help to deliver the business strategy, to produce goods and services and to meet the demands of the organisation’s operation. However, the true value of our employees is in much more than this. Whilst most if not all staff will undertake, with the appropriate training and guidance, the task or role they have been employed to do, the additional value is around much more.
In particular, well engaged employees who buy into or feel truly a part of the business and what it stands for are often great ambassadors and advocates, whether it is with existing customers, potential customers, potential employees or other stakeholders. They often help to contribute to improved productivity, even profitability.
In times of adversity, as we saw in the pandemic, valued and well engaged employees often demonstrate true grit and resilience going the extra mile to support the business. There is a true sense of commitment, often with a desire not to let people down with occasions when people will do more off their own back.
Rather than perhaps moan or complain about issues affecting the organisation, valued staff will tend to look to address them, showing initiative around problem solving as opposed to leaving it to others or doing nothing.
Well valued staff or people you might class as an asset often demonstrate more in terms of leadership, often going above and beyond the management of a task or team and looking to enhance the performance of the same.
Perhaps not surprising is the fact that employees who feel a real part of the organisation and its sense of purpose are less likely to seek alternative employment and as such help to improve retention and reduce the burden of recruitment – a situation highly relevant at the moment when most if not all organisations face challenges recruiting.
Whilst we can start to appreciate more about how staff could be an asset, even perhaps our greatest asset, there still is a real challenge around how businesses determine or define this, as well as how they might measure it. It seems that there is also work to be done to ensure the term ‘our people are our greatest asset’ is not such a cliché or passing comment or hollow rhetoric on a company’s website, social media and other marketing material. Such work probably starts with leadership and Board, certainly employees, potential staff and wider stakeholders are and will be challenging unsubstantiated statements and looking at how staff really are valued and recognised.
