New partner at Timms Solicitors
Family lawyer and Resolution-trained family mediator, Adrian Rose, has become a partner with Timms Solicitors which has offices in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter, Burton-upon-Trent, Swadlincote and Ashby.
Adrian joins the leadership team of Fiona Moffat, Dee Khunkhuna and Jo Robinson having made such a positive impact on the work of the Family Law team with the development of mediation services for clients.
Managing partner Fiona Moffat explained: “We are delighted that Adrian has become a partner with the firm and this promotion is well-deserved.
“His expertise and his excellent reputation on family law matters and mediation services has greatly enhanced the fast-growing team and this timely and cost-effective resolution has had a hugely positive impact on clients during difficult times in their lives.”
Adrian has worked exclusively in family law for almost thirty years and specialises in all areas of family law, including divorce and cohabitation, financial matters and disputes relating to children.
His area of practice focusses on more complex and medium to high net worth financial cases, he has a particular interest in cases which involve pensions, businesses and farms, trusts, and property portfolios.
He also advises in respect of wealth protection and relationship planning, dealing pre and post nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements and declarations of trust.
Adrian also has a wealth of experience of dealing with issues relating to arrangements for children, dealing with these in a practical and sympathetic manner. He advises clients of the realistic prospects of any application and ensures that the welfare of the child or children remains at the forefront throughout.
In his spare time, Adrian enjoys the great outdoors, especially hill and mountain walking, gardening and horticulture as well as sport and is a long-time supporter of both Derby County Football Club and Leicester Tigers.
Business optimism flatlines as output and employment slump
Business optimism stagnated in January as output significantly declined and firms cut back on hiring staff, according to the latest Business Trends report from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.
For the third time in just six months, all four of the Indices tracked by the report – Output, Optimism, Employment and Inflation – fell simultaneously.
BDO’s Output Index, which tracks economic growth, experienced a sharp decline for the fourth consecutive month, as a 3.45-point fall brought it down to 89.15, remaining well below the crucial 95-point threshold between expansion and contraction for the second consecutive month.
This overall decline in output was driven largely by the Services Output Sub-Index which registered a 3.85-point dip in January as the cost-of-living crisis weakened consumer spending and demand across the services sector. This marks its lowest level since March 2021 when the economy was about to reopen following the third national lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dips in services productivity were also reflected in optimism across the sector. The Services Optimism Sub-Index fell by 0.23 points in response to inflationary pressures expected to heighten economic pressures facing businesses in the coming months.
In contrast, January saw the Manufacturing Optimism Sub-index end nine consecutive months of decline, increasing by 0.25 points. Diminishing input price inflation slowed declines across manufacturing output for the first time in four months – bolstering business confidence across this sector.
However, this turning point wasn’t enough to outweigh the net-pessimism across the services sector which led to an overall dip of 0.01-points in BDO’s Optimism Index to stand at a 91.88, remaining in negative territory for the fourth consecutive month.
Responding to the net declines across Optimism and Output, BDO’s Employment Index fell to its lowest reading since December 2021. Weakened hiring intentions led to a drop of 1.02-points as firms expect to cut back on plans for recruitment in the months ahead.
BDO’s Inflation Index witnessed a significant 3.75-point drop as it fell to 114.16, its lowest point since March 2022. The gradual easing of price pressures has marked a shift across the Input Inflation and Consumer Inflation indices driven by recent falls in wholesale energy prices. Despite this fall, inflationary pressures remain historically elevated.
Kyla Bellingall, regional managing partner at BDO in the Midlands, said: “A net decline across the Optimism, Output and Employment Indices, coupled with historically high levels of inflation, suggests the outlook still remains bleak for businesses, with hiring intentions at their lowest levels in over a year and ever-increasing economic headwinds driving threats of a recession.
“With a new Department for Business and Trade in place and a Spring Budget on the horizon, there is space in Government to consider how best to offer firms a helping hand. Businesses need the right support in place to ensure they can weather the challenges ahead and focus on continuing to drive the growth of the UK’s economy.”
Plans submitted for student accommodation at Nottingham office
Plans have been submitted to transform offices in Nottingham into student accommodation.
Thiskey House, at 2 St James’s Terrace, would be converted into a 9-bed scheme if new proposals from DE74 PROPERTIES LTD are given the go-ahead.
A games room/cinema room are also planned for the listed, three storey building that dates back to the 1820’s.
A design statement says: “The development utilises an existing developed site in a highly desirable location within Nottingham and the Castle Conservation Area of the city.
“The current building is in need of maintenance work and the conversion back into a dwelling will give the listed property a new lease of life that we feel will not only benefit the end users with high quality accommodation but preserve the appearance on the street scene of a listed building within an established conservation area.”
New business centre set to transform vehicle workshop and former stables in Long Eaton
A vehicle workshop and former stables in Long Eaton are set to be transformed into a business centre, now that plans have been approved.
The workshop and non-original additions to the building will be demolished to make way for the scheme, which would provide 14 studio units.
Erewash Borough Council are behind the proposals at Town Hall on Derby Road, which aim to allow for small/start-up businesses to thrive and make use of the vacant Grade II listed site.
A design statement says that the conversion “will revitalise the spaces and bring the listed asset back up to its former prowess.”
32 full-time equivalent jobs are expected to be created at the development.
Decline in East Midlands business activity slows to softest since July 2022
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 47.3 in January, up from 45.4 in December.
The latest data signalled a solid decline in business activity, albeit the slowest since last July. Lower output was often attributed to weak client demand and reduced customer spending amid strong inflationary pressures. A softer contraction meant East Midlands firms bucked the wider UK trend which pointed to a faster decline in activity.
Private sector firms in the East Midlands recorded a further decline in new orders at the start of 2023. The fall in new business was solid overall and among the fastest of the 12 monitored UK regions, slower than only Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Lower client demand was often linked to economic uncertainty and reduced customer spending amid strong inflation. Nonetheless, the rate of contraction eased to the softest since last July.
Expectations regarding the outlook for output over the coming year across the East Midlands private sector strengthened in the opening month of the year.
The degree of confidence picked up to the highest since May 2022, but remained weaker than the UK average. Nevertheless, greater positive sentiment was often attributed to planned investment and hopes of the acquisition of new customers and stronger client demand.
Workforce numbers at East Midlands private sector firms expanded in January, following back-to-back contractions in November and December. Where a rise in employment was noted, firms linked this to efforts to expand capacity. That said, the rate of job creation was only fractional overall and well below the average for 2022. The UK average, however, signalled unchanged staffing numbers on the month.
Data for the opening month of 2023 signalled another monthly contraction in the level of outstanding business at East Midlands private sector firms. The decrease in backlogs of work was commonly attributed to sufficient capacity to process incoming business. The rate of decline eased notably from that seen in December, but was quicker than the UK average.
East Midlands private sector firms indicated another marked rise in input prices in January. The increase in cost burdens was reportedly due to greater fuel, energy, wage and material bills. The region saw the sharpest uptick in input costs of the 12 monitored UK areas, despite the rate of inflation softening for the second-month running to the slowest since April 2021.
Private sector firms in the East Midlands recorded a further substantial increase in selling prices during January. The rate of charge inflation was quicker than the long-run series average and broadly in line with that seen across the UK as a whole. Anecdotal evidence stated that greater output charges stemmed from the pass-through of higher input costs to clients. That said, the pace of increase in selling prices was the slowest since August 2021.
Rashel Chowdhury, NatWest Midlands and East Regional Board, said: “2023 started in a muted tone across the East Midlands private sector as firms continued to record solid contractions in output and new business. High inflation squeezed customer spending further, with the region registering one of the fastest downturns in new orders of the 12 monitored UK areas.
“Nevertheless, companies were buoyant in their expectations for future output, as business confidence strengthened. At the same time, firms registered renewed job creation, albeit only fractional overall.
“Although inflationary pressures remained historically elevated and continued to place downward strain on demand conditions, rates of increase in costs and selling prices cooled in January. The ability to pass-through any cost savings to customers will likely provide hope to businesses of a pick-up in customer spending as the year progresses.”
Stilton producer gets share in £12m from Government to cut emissions and energy costs
Melton Mowbray’s Long Clawson Dairy is to get a share in £12m funding from the Government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to help cut carbon emissions and energy costs.
It’s one of 22 winning projects across England, Wales and Northern Ireland which will be able to clean up their industrial processes and improve their energy efficiency – benefiting industries including pharmaceuticals, steel, paper, and food and drink.
Long Clawson has been making cheese for over a century, running over 31 farms in the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire areas. The production of cheese is an energy intensive process involving both heating and cooling activities. Through IETF funding, the company has created a new thermal storage system, using revolutionary high temperature heat pumps to reduce overall energy by 27% and saving 34% carbon emissions, with the ambition of moving to a purely electrically powered in the long term.
Iain Grant, Operations Director, Long Clawson Dairy, said: “The production of our Stilton cheese is an energy-intensive process involving both heating and cooling activities. With the investment in this project, it has enabled the dairy to take a more cost-effective approach to energy consumption, alongside a clear carbon emission reduction. This is a substantial investment for a business of our size, and would not have been possible without the support of the IETF grant funding.”
It is estimated that industry is currently responsible for producing 16% of the UK’s emissions and will need to cut emissions by two thirds by 2035 in order for the UK to achieve its net zero target.
This funding will play a crucial role in helping to clean up big-emitting industries as part of the UK’s green industrial revolution – decarbonising their industrial processes and reducing their reliance on expensive fossil fuels, such as gas, says Energy Minister Graham Stuart, the MP for Beverley and Holderness. He said: “Boosting the energy efficiency of industrial processes is a critical step not only in our transition to a lower-carbon economy, but also by helping businesses to cut their energy costs and protect valuable British jobs.
“That’s why the government has stepped in once again to support energy intensive industries, with a fresh funding round to unleash the next generation of green innovators who are re-shaping the way technology can reduce carbon emissions.”
So far, £34.8 million of funding has been awarded through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, which was first launched in June 2020.Plans in to revive derelict brownfield site with student accommodation
Plans to revive a derelict brownfield site in Nottingham with student accommodation have been submitted to the city council.
Cassidy Group are behind the proposals for 66-68 London Road, which occupies a prominent site within the Southside Regeneration Zone on the approach into the city centre.
The site is partially occupied by an empty three storey Victorian commercial building. The remainder of the site has been cleared.
Planning permission was previously granted on the application site in 2019 for the development of 150 residential apartments. The new development largely reflects the existing permission in respect of layout, scale, appearance, landscaping and access.
The new scheme however would provide 245 student bedspaces, across a mix of cluster bedrooms, studios, and accessible and premium studios. It would preserve the façade of the existing Victorian building and erect an adjoining part 3 part 8 storey building.
Home care provider to create 50 jobs after securing contract with Notts County Council
Your Home Care, a provider of home care services, has signed a contract with Nottinghamshire County Council to be an approved provider of home care in the Mansfield & Ashfield area.
The agreement is initially for a 3.5-year term.
With this new contract, Your Home Care plans to create 50 new jobs in the area over the next 12 months.
“We are thrilled to have been selected as an approved provider of home care services in the Mansfield & Ashfield area,” said Paul Pitchford, director at Your Home Care.
“This agreement is a testament to our commitment to providing high-quality care to those in need and is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of Your Home Care’s care staff,” added Scott Marsh, director and nominated individual.
Derby Football Hub ready for kick-off
Plans to progress the development of a proposed community grassroots football and sport hub on Derby Racecourse will be discussed at next week’s Cabinet meeting.
The proposed Hub would seek to address the shortfall in the city’s football pitch provision and would include the development of three new full-size 3G football turf pitches (FTPs) on the site, as well as the refurbishment of an existing FTP and a new changing pavilion including a community café and meeting space. In addition to the improved pitch provision, the Hub development would include increased parking spaces as well as improved entry and exit to the site.
Derby City Council’s Cabinet are looking to approve a total budget of £11.902m to enable the development to kick off, with funding proposed from the Council alongside a pending funding decision from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.
The pitch works would be delivered by a specialist contractor of the Football Foundation while the pavilion and car park aspects would be delivered by Alliance Leisure with plans for work to start onsite in Spring 2023.
Will Gardner, Alliance Leisure business development manager, said: “We’re delighted to be coordinating this project that brings together lots of partners to provide a first-class facility for the local community.”
Councillor Jerry Pearce, Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Public Spaces and Leisure, said: “This project is a worthy investment for the Council and will give our communities the grassroots football facilities they deserve. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the Football Hub take shape over the coming months.”
A decision will be made on the plans at February’s Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 15 February.
UK narrowly avoided recession at end of 2022
The UK managed to narrowly avoid a recession at the end of last year, but that is unlikely to be the case in 2023, with both the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Bank of England forecasting a return to recession this year.
ONS GDP data shows that GDP in Q4 2022 was flat, after a contraction in Q3, with weak trade offset by rising consumption and investment.
As a result, the UK has recorded the fastest growth of any G7 economy in 2022 (4 per cent), while still being the only G7 economy not to have returned to its pre-pandemic size (down 0.8 per cent since Q4 2019).
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) policy chair Tina McKenzie said: “While it is positive that the UK has technically avoided a recession in the second half of last year, the news will come as cold comfort to many thousands of small businesses.
“In particular, the 0.5% fall in GDP in December is a red flag showing the economy stalled at the end of 2022, just when small firms were hoping for a traditional festive boost.
“Looking ahead, the IMF and the Bank of England both predict a contraction in the size of the UK’s economy this year, leaving small firms facing a long period without growth. Just next month, many small firms who fixed their energy bills last summer as prices rocketed are worried that they will see three- or four-fold increases when the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme shuts down, making a number of them unviable.
“Our headline Small Business Index confidence tracker fell deeper into negative territory in the last quarter of 2022, at -46 points – far lower than it was during the Omicron lockdown, and only just an improvement from the depth plumbed during the second national lockdown in the final quarter of 2020.
“That’s why we’re greeting today’s news with a strong dose of caution.
“Inflation is still a concern, and its effects will linger in the economy even once it falls back into a range we are more used to seeing. Interest rates remain high in the fight to curb inflation, with small businesses caught between elevated prices and greater debt costs.
“On the plus side, financial markets are performing well, and the reopening of China’s economy will help improve general global economic conditions.
“We want small firms to be in a position to take advantage of any improving economic conditions – and to create a groundswell of growth which will boost the overall economy. Setting them up for growth must be a key focus of the newly-created business and trade department, and we are looking to the Budget in mid-March to set out a positive agenda for small businesses and the self-employed.
“Late payment must be tackled, to get small suppliers the funds they are due in a timely fashion. The day-one taxes – like business rates – that take a chunk out of budgets before small firms make a penny in turnover should be examined, while the VAT threshold should be increased to encourage revenue growth.
“The cuts to R&D tax credits should be reversed, given the huge contribution to overall R&D made by small firms, and the Government’s own newly-reaffirmed focus on science and technology. More people should be helped to reskill and upskill, while bringing in Help to Green vouchers would allow small firms to cut their emissions and their energy bills, while boosting the economy.
“We know what will help, and now need the Government to work with us and turn an economy with GDP in the doldrums into one galvanised by a dynamic and growing small business community.”
Ben Jones, lead economist, CBI, said: “We may have avoided a technical recession late last year, but we probably won’t avoid one this year. While we expect that the downturn will be shallow, if we act now, we can make the recession even shorter than predicted.
“All eyes are on the Chancellor’s March budget, when businesses will be looking for a bolder approach to tackling labour and skills shortages and falling business investment. In particular, firms will be looking for a permanent replacement to the super-deduction, as well as a focus on innovation and the green economy, to help boost economic growth in the years ahead.”
James Smith, research director at the Resolution Foundation, said: “The UK avoided a rapid return to recession last year by the narrowest of margins. But it is not out of the woods yet, and families are still living through a living standards downturn.
“The longer-term picture is more worrying, with the UK economy yet to return to its pre-pandemic size having suffered a prolonged period of weak growth since the financial crisis.
“However, falling wholesale gas prices offer hope for households and the wider economy – with inflation on track to fall sharply later this year.”
