Ashby-based property consultancy makes new IT hires
Fisher German has added five new members of staff to its IT team after the recent promotion of five others, including Neil Jones to Head of IT Infrastructure and Service Operations.
Joining the team are Craig Sharpe and Nathan Robbins, who both join as Systems Support Engineers, Hugh Gilmore who joins as a Junior Project Manager, Emmanuel Isitor who joins as Database Administrator, and Anthony Benskin who becomes Head of Change.
These follow the promotions of Liam Morton to Service Desk Manager, Charlie Pook to Systems Administrator, Daniel Baldwin to Software Development Manager, and Brian Shaw to Systems Administrator.
Fisher German has been able to grow its team and promote internally in part due to an increased requirement from its clients to work more collaboratively across all facets of a project – which often involves integrating how they capture and process data.
Neil, who started working at Fisher German in 2006, said: “I’m really pleased that the IT team has been able to grow organically following my colleagues being rewarded with promotions for their excellent work.
“Fisher German has always looked to proactively invest in IT and its team in order to deliver the best service for its clients, which has resulted in the team needing to expand due to increased demand.
“Our clients are increasingly looking to integrate their own systems with Fisher German so they can work seamlessly on key projects, and our team ensures bespoke IT solutions are created to make this happen.
“Instead of just recommending software that can be bought on the market, we work closely with our clients to tailor-make a solution that gives them exactly what they need.
“We also want to be leading the way in business intelligence and analysing the data we gather in the right way, not only for Fisher German’s benefit, but our clients’ too.
“We expect this kind of work to only increase into the future, which means we need the right people in place to deliver the solutions our clients expect from us.”
While Fisher German has added to its IT team recently, with the expected increase in workload, further expansions are likely in the near future.
“Now Fisher German has grown to a record size, there’s real scope for talented, ambitious IT professionals to join the firm and progress their career in-house,” Neil added.
“We’re expecting that many of our IT team will become specialists in particular software or solutions as we continue to grow, without them losing that general level of expertise.
“It’s a really exciting time to be working for Fisher German in IT, and I’m intrigued to see how much we will evolve in the coming years.”
Carl Stirland, IT Director at Fisher German, added: “Fisher German provides an excellent working environment that promotes and fosters personal development and community spirit.
“These are excellent appointments following well-deserved promotions, and I am immensely proud and thankful of all who have contributed to the incredible growth of the IT team.”
University of Nottingham spinout secures £500,000 for Tourette’s therapy wristband
Neupulse, a University of Nottingham spinout, has secured a £500,000 equity investment through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, facilitated by appointed fund manager for the East and South East Midlands, Mercia Ventures.
Founded in 2021 by husband and wife team, Professors Stephen and Georgina Jackson, with Dr Barbara Morera at the University of Nottingham, Neupulse is pioneering a safe, non-drug treatment to help manage the symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome.
The wristband device stimulates the median nerve in the wrist to help control the tics or involuntary movements caused by Tourette’s syndrome. Clinical trials have shown the device can reduce tic frequency on average by 25% on initial use, with a further reduction in frequency after four weeks of use.
The funding will enable the company to finalise development of its device and carry out further trials as it seeks to gain regulatory approvals in the UK, Europe and the USA. It follows a £2.5 million investment earlier this year from a consortium including Eos Advisory and US-based investors and brings the total the company has raised to date to almost £4.5 million.
Paul Cable, CEO, Neupulse, said: “This funding from Midlands Engine Investment Fund II will take us one step further towards our mission to roll out our device and give new hope to people with Tourette’s. Having Mercia Ventures on board as a partner provides additional value, given its expertise in backing businesses that are developing new products and helping them gain entry to the US market.”
Sandy Reid, Mercia Ventures, added: “Tourette’s syndrome is believed to affect up to two per cent of all children worldwide but currently the only treatments are medication and behavioural therapy, neither of which are ideal solutions. Neupulse’s device offers a genuine alternative. This funding will help the company to bring it to market and transform lives.”
£15m+ contract places Leicestershire-based Bluesky at forefront of UK aerial data provision
The Government’s Geospatial Commission has awarded Bluesky International the contract to supply aerial photography to public sector organisations across Great Britain.
The contract, worth more than £15 million, also includes the provision of 3D height models and colour infrared. It runs for three years, with the option to extend for a further two years.
Branded as Aerial Photography for Great Britain (APGB), the agreement commits Leicestershire-based Bluesky as the sole supplier of data on a two-year cyclic basis.
It means more than 4,500 local authorities, emergency services, environmental bodies, and central government departments will gain access to the most up-to-date aerial imagery and height data available – free at point of use.
It is the first time the contract has been awarded to a sole supplier and puts the innovative Ashby-based aerial survey company firmly at the forefront of aerial data provision for Great Britain.
Bluesky’s CEO Rachel Tidmarsh said: “The award of this contract is a great achievement and is testament to the high standards of work we produce and the professionalism of our team.
“Bluesky celebrated its 20th year just a few months ago, and this contract highlights the importance of the investment and innovation we have carried out over this time.
“The APGB contract offers significant benefits to the public sector. We are seeing public organisations use our data to unlock an increasing number of applications.
“This is particularly as these government organisations strive to meet legislative requirements around biodiversity, climate change, and planning.”
Under the APGB agreement, Bluesky will provide aerial imagery at 12.5cm resolution across the entirety of England, Wales and Scotland. Urban areas (as defined by the ONS) will be even more closely photographed, with images captured at an incredible 5cm.
In addition, Bluesky will provide access to its derived datasets, including Digital Surface Models (DSM) at 2m, Digital Terrain Models at 5m, and Colour Infrared at 50cm.
APGB members will also have access – free at point of use – to all of Bluesky’s historical imagery. This highly detailed archive dates back to 2000, with historical data having an important role to play in measuring change over the past two decades. It will also help with identifying patterns, supporting local authority future planning.
Microlise Group sees strong six months
Microlise Group, a provider of transport management software to fleet operators, has reported a “strong performance” for the six months ended 30 June 2024.
The results for first half of the year saw revenue grow by 15.4% to £39.1m, driven by strong growth in recurring revenues, which have grown 21.5% (11% organic) to £26.6m. Annual recurring revenue, meanwhile, increased 20.6% (11% organic) to £54m.
During the period, the Nottingham-based Group added 202 new customers, securing new business across all its target geographies and with significant wins with LGV fleet operators. The period also saw Microlise announce the acquisition of K-Safe, a developer of road safety products.Nadeem Raza, CEO, Microlise said: “I am delighted to report strong performance in the first half of the year, with significant recurring revenue growth following a strong period of delivery in the second half of last year and with new products from our successful acquisitions leading to an increase in cross selling and upselling.
“In addition, we secured a significant number of new clients, including strategically important contract wins in our international markets.
“We continue to seek acquisitions that can further enhance our offering and accelerate our growth within all regions. With superior market positioning, favourable market conditions, and a strong pipeline, we are confident of meeting expectations for the full year.”
Directors of care recruitment company banned after failing to pay more than £30m in tax
The directors of a Derby company supplying NHS workers to the care sector have been disqualified after failing to pay more than £30 million in tax.
Raja Usman, also known as Usman Raja, was the director of Umbrella Care Ltd, with his wife Khair Un Nisa.
The pair knowingly submitted inaccurate VAT, PAYE and NIC returns to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on behalf of Umbrella Care between May 2017 and at least April 2020.
More than £33 million in tax owed by the company was under-declared by the pair during this period.
Usman was disqualified for 14-and-a-half years at an uncontested hearing of the High Court in London, with the order starting from Tuesday 30 July.
The 38-year-old was also ordered to pay costs of £5,399.10.
Nisa, 41, signed an 11-year disqualification undertaking which began in September 2023.
Lawrence Zussman, Deputy Head of Company Investigations at the Insolvency Service, said: “Raja Usman and Khair Un Nisa deliberately under-declared the amount of tax Umbrella Care was expected to pay by tens of millions of pounds.
“This was money that should have been used to provide vital public services and investment in areas such as schools, hospitals and roads.
“The disqualifications ban Usman and Nisa from being company directors until 2034 and 2039 respectively and the liquidators continue to recover millions in pounds of assets worldwide.”
Investigations into Usman and Nisa revealed that £12,031,159 in VAT and £21,596,982 in PAYE and NIC was under-declared to HMRC. Umbrella Care was wound-up in court in November 2020 following a provisional liquidation granted on petition from HMRC. Insolvency practitioners from Azets Holdings Ltd, who were the previous provisional liquidators of Umbrella Care, were then appointed as liquidators on the same day. The company went into liquidation owing more than £35 million to HMRC. The joint liquidators working with HMRC and solicitors from Wedlake Bell LLP have conducted extensive investigations and litigation to recover approximately £5.2 million from numerous bank accounts. They have also traced the missing funds to 14 properties which have been recovered and sold for approximately £7.3 million. Further property sales and investigations into funds transferred overseas and to third parties are expected to bring in an additional £1.5 million, bringing the estimated total recoveries to around £14 million. Louise Brittain, joint liquidator at Azets, said: “Azets have conducted extensive investigations and litigation in this case to recover wrongfully removed company funds and this has led to a considerable return to creditors. “We are pleased that these actions have enabled the Insolvency Service to obtain the disqualifications and undertakings that they have and this case demonstrates the strength of private and public sector working.” The disqualifications prevent Usman and Nisa from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.New low carbon county council office takes shape
Nottinghamshire County Council’s new low carbon, all-electric office continues to take shape with all three floors and a roof now in place.
The new office, which is along the A611 Annesley Road near Hucknall, is to be known as Oak House and will have at least a dozen oak trees planted as part of the site’s green space.
Oak House is designed to help bring long-term savings for the taxpayer and environment as part of a wider project to move more front-line council services into cost-effective, energy saving buildings.
Council Leader, Councillor Ben Bradley, welcomed the building’s progress. He said: “Not only will it be the home of some of our front-line services and the place where all council decisions are made, it is an investment which will help bring jobs, skills and more investment into the Hucknall area.
“It’s all part of our wider plan to prioritise delivering services rather than just running expensive buildings, which is why we are reducing the number of council offices from 17 to nine.”
The new office is being designed, project and cost-managed by Arc Partnership and delivered through Arc’s construction partner, Morgan Sindall Construction.
A target of 86 per cent of local spend has been set for the project and associated infrastructure works, with subcontractors and tradespeople located within 20 miles of the site.
Councillor Keith Girling, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management, said: “I’m delighted that local small and medium-sized businesses are already benefitting from this project, which is great news for the local economy.
“Oak House is a fitting name for this new office. An oak tree is the main image on our council’s logo, which is of course a nod to the county’s world-famous Major Oak.”
A former Nottingham Trent University student, Luke Meville is now working as a graduate site manager for Morgan Sindall Construction at the Oak House site.
This is his second stint working on a county council-funded construction project and is continuing to help him get more experience under his belt, boosting his skills and career chances.
Luke was an assistant site manager when he worked on the new school building at Millside Spencer Academy in East Leake.
Luke explained how the size and scale of the Oak House building is helping him to progress. He said: “The complexity of the building, with it being three floors, and the prestige of it being a new council office has been massively beneficial to me. It’s another step up the career ladder working on this site.”
As well as the council’s civic, democratic and leadership functions, it will be the new home to two key frontline services, the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) for vulnerable children and adults, and its customer service centre, which handles all public enquiries.
Construction work is still on track to be completed in early 2025.
Thanks to a low carbon design, high insulation levels and heat absorbing features of the new building, heating bills will be kept as low as possible and to help meet the Council’s environmental ambitions. This design will also help keep the building cool in the warmer months, so no air-conditioning will be installed. Rooftop solar panels will also help generate electricity.
Meanwhile, construction of a new section of road and roundabout within the site, which began in September 2023, is now complete. This will provide access when the new office is open and ultimately help traffic flow ahead of planned new housing due to be built on the wider site.
The wider site is planned to be regenerated into a new community which will include 805 new homes, led by Vistry Partnerships. The site is on council-owned land, which is mixed-use land that has been earmarked for development for more than a decade.
Marketing Derby encourages nominations for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024
As Business Link’s East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 draws closer, Marketing Derby is encouraging entries.
John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, said: “There is so much great work going on in the built environment. Here in Derby, we have a number of major schemes, which are set to come to fruition in 2025, which has been dubbed Derby’s ‘olympic year’.
“These awards have a real democratic, bottom-up feel to them – ending with an informal event at Trent Bridge. I would really encourage companies to consider applying.”
A key event in the business calendar, showcasing the exceptional work of the region’s property and construction industry, the East Midlands Bricks Awards will take place on Thursday 3rd October, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. Revealing the winners in a glittering awards ceremony, the evening also offers time to establish new connections with property and construction professionals from across the region, and hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby.
Nominations for the prestigious event are open, and now is the ideal time to make your submissions, ahead of the deadline – Thursday 5th September.
To nominate your (or another) business/development for one of our awards, please click on a category link below or visit this page.
Tickets can now be booked for the 2024 awards event, click here to secure yours.
Taking place in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on Thursday 3rd October, from 4:30pm – 7:30pm, connect with local decision makers over nibbles and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region.
Attendees will also hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby, partner at Geldards LLP, chair of the Advisory Board to Nottingham Business School, chair of Broadway independent cinema, trustee of Clean Rivers Trust, chair of Nottingham Partners, board member of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, and former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
Dress code is standard business attire.
Thanks to our sponsors:
Award categories include:
- Most active agent
- Commercial development of the year
- Responsible business of the year
- Residential development of the year
- Developer of the year
- Deal of the year
- Architects of the year
- Excellence in design
- Sustainable development of the year
- Contractor of the year
- Overall winner (this award cannot be entered, with the winner, and recipient of a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000, selected from those nominated for the event’s other awards)
Nominations end Thursday 5th September
Tickets can now be booked for the 2024 awards event, click here to secure yours.
Taking place in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on Thursday 3rd October, from 4:30pm – 7:30pm, connect with local decision makers over nibbles and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region.
Attendees will also hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby, partner at Geldards LLP, chair of the Advisory Board to Nottingham Business School, chair of Broadway independent cinema, trustee of Clean Rivers Trust, chair of Nottingham Partners, board member of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, and former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
Dress code is standard business attire.
To be held at:
Plans submitted for second phase of East Midlands logistics hub
Plans for the second phase of Summit Park, located on the A617 between Ashfield and Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, have been submitted by Peveril Securities and Sladen Estates.
The proposals include two distribution warehouses – Building One, a smaller unit of 172,000 sq ft alongside a 525,000 sq ft unit in Building Two – on the site adjacent to Summit Park, which is occupied by Amazon. The units will be built to BREEAM Excellent standard.
Matt Sladen, development director at Sladen Estates, said: “Summit Park was a hugely significant development for the area and we are very pleased to be bringing forward this second phase.
“Between the two units, it will create nearly 700,000 sq ft of additional distribution space following on from the success of the first phase in this key area for the logistics sector.”
The scheme spans two planning authorities, with applications being submitted to both Ashfield District Council and Mansfield District Council for buildings one and two respectively.
Ralph Jones, managing director at Peveril Securities, added: “Following the success of Summit Park – which delivered some 1,750,000 sq ft of distribution space for Amazon – we have now submitted applications for this important second phase of development on this site.
“With its links into the motorway network via the nearby M1 junction, the site is a prime location for the logistics sector, and these submitted proposals for two additional warehouses are a significant step forward for the development.”
East Midlands businesses most confident in UK
Business confidence in the East Midlands was the joint-highest of any UK region or nation in July, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
Companies in the East Midlands reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 33 points at 75%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy – which was 50%, the same as in June – this gives a headline confidence reading of 62% (vs. 46% in June). This was the joint-highest reading on the Business Barometer in July, alongside Wales (also 62%).
Looking ahead to the next six months, businesses in the East Midlands identified their top target areas for growth as investing in their team, for example through training (51%), evolving their offering, for example by introducing new products or services (41%) and entering new markets (36%).
The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide.
National picture
Overall UK business confidence climbed nine points in July to a net balance of 50% – the same as in May when confidence reached an eight-year high.
Businesses’ confidence in their own trading prospects rose 12 points to 56% – the highest reading since April 2017. Meanwhile, confidence in the economy climbed six points to 45%.
Sector insights
There was an improvement across all sector categories this month – most notably in retail which rose by 25 points to a post-pandemic high of 60%. There were also significant gains in manufacturing trading prospects, with the net balance increasing by 9 points to a two-year high. Services rose 10 points to 56%, while construction saw a more modest increase by 2 points to 44%
Dave Atkinson, regional director for the East Midlands at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “It’s encouraging to see East Midlands confidence rise again to now lead the country, and particularly to see such a strong outlook for businesses when it comes to their own prospects.
“As firms put their growth plans into action, we’ll be by their side every step of the way, whether that’s through expert support through our on-the-ground teams, or specialist products to help them manage working capital while expanding their operations.”
More than 120 new homes approved in Leicestershire
Housebuilder William Davis Homes has welcomed a decision to approve a scheme for more than 120 new homes in Leicestershire, to help meet the demand for new housing.
The development will be on a site off Snells Nook Lane in Nanpantan, which is allocated for housing in the emerging Charnwood Local Plan.
The area was previously earmarked for development as part of the Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park.
In addition to 128 new homes, the scheme will create publicly-accessible open space equivalent to almost 4.5 football pitches and a new children’s play area.
The Group Land Director at William Davis Homes, Sarah Whetton, welcomed the decision by Charnwood Borough Council’s Plans Committee.
Sarah said the company was committed to helping the borough council achieve its vision of making Charnwood one of the most desirable areas in which to live and work in the region.
“We have been proud to be part of Charnwood’s development landscape since 1935,” said Sarah. “Whilst we develop our award-winning schemes throughout the Midlands, the majority of our employees, apprentices and our supply chain is based in Charnwood.”
William Davis Homes has been working with Charnwood Borough Council to ensure there will be a range of house types to meet demand. The scheme includes both first-time buyer and larger family homes, with a 30% allocation of affordable homes.
