- Electrification of the Midland Main Line
- Improved rail connectivity between Nottingham, Leicester and Coventry
- The delivery of HS2 to the East Midlands and Leeds
- Enhancements to the A46 Growth Corridor
- Reducing congestion and improving safety on the A5 Growth Corridor
- Supporting growth and improving reliability throughout the A50/A500 Corridor
- Improving safety and reliability on the A1
- Improving connectivity across EMDevCo and East Midlands Freeport areas.
Improving road and rail connectivity highlighted as priorities for ‘Levelling Up’ the East Midlands
Better rail links, reduced congestion and safer roads are all highlighted as key priorities for ‘Levelling Up’ the East Midlands in a new document.
Transport for the East Midlands (TfEM) and Midlands Connect, have highlighted eight shared priorities in a new joint vision for the cities and counties of the East Midlands.
Delivering these priorities will boost growth and investment, contribute to the Government’s ‘Net Zero’ and ‘Levelling Up’ Agendas, and help address the historic underfunding of transport in the East Midlands.
The eight priorities are:
Almost half of East Midlands staff now ‘hybrid working’
Nearly half of workers in the East Midlands are spending at least one day a week at home, new figures have revealed.
In a government survey of more than 1,100 firms in the area, 31.9 per cent said their workers were in the office one or two days a week, while a further 15.9 per cent were in three to four days a week.
Across the East Midlands, 15.9 per cent staff never work at home, the study found.
The 47.8 per cent of staff now hybrid working in the East Midlands is above the UK average of 42.7 per cent.
The Office for National Statistics data was gathered in the two weeks to August 21, and surveyed a total of 9,207 firms across the UK.
Hybrid presentation expert and former politician Gavin Brown, director of UK firm Speak With Impact, said the new numbers showed habits which developed as a result of the pandemic were here to stay.
He added that there were opportunities for East Midlands businesses who embraced the hybrid world to broaden their horizons, as well as for individual employees who excelled in a hybrid environment.
Gavin Brown, director of Speak With Impact, said: “Unless you work every day in the office, or indeed every day at home, you are a hybrid worker.
“These figures show us that now accounts for almost half of East Midlands workers, and it illustrates just how drastically things have changed in a couple of years.
“This transformation in working and business environment must be adjusted to, and holds a great deal of opportunity.
“But pitching, collaborating and performing in a hybrid world requires an entirely different set of skills which, prior to the Covid pandemic, almost nobody had.
“If businesses can excel in this hybrid world by maximising in-person and virtual opportunities in tandem, it could provide a real boost to our economy and to individual prospects generally.
“Other parts of the developed world are doing this now, and it’s essential the East Midlands and the wider UK does not get left behind.”
Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance say’s ‘Thanks to ride of thanks’
Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance are saying a big thank you to the hundreds of motorcyclists from across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire who took to the streets on the 4th September for their annual Ride of Thanks ride-out.
Approximately 280 bikers created an eye-catching procession as they wound their way round the 62-mile circular route taking in some of the most glorious countryside and villages across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Several trikes and 3 wheelers also joined in on the action. The event raised a total of £3,264 which will be split between LNAA, the Lincolnshire Emergency Blood Bikes Service and Nottinghamshire Blood Bikes. Both blood bike groups provide a free service to the LNAA ensuring that life-saving blood and plasma are delivered on board 24/7.
Chris Bailey, Operations Manager for LNAA said: “Thank you to the organisers of the Ride of Thanks for the very generous donation of £1088. The money raised will help keep our helicopter airborne and Critical Care Cars operational across both counties. Events like this raise awareness of not only LNAA, but also those other Charities that support us, such as the Blood Bikers. Without their support it would be challenging to provide the advanced level of service we provide, which has seen over 100 units of blood products transfused on scene this year; the highest in any year for LNAA”
The LNAA is one of the UK’s leading Helicopter Emergency Service (HEMS) Charities. The enhanced level of pre-hospital critical care delivered to patients at the scene, gives people with the most severe injuries and medical conditions the very best chance of survival when minutes matter. And with the crews are on call 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year, the highly skilled doctors, paramedics and pilots are there to help people in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, involved in life-threatening incidents every single day.
Roland Johns, volunteer and joint organiser of the event said: “On-line registration was slow to start with but increased nearer the event and even a few bikers turned up on the day and donated the £10 requested to take part. As part of the preparation, we contacted all the 26 villages on the route and encouraged residents to come out and give us a wave as we passed by. I am pleased to say that we received great support and it was lovely to be greeted at all the villages that we passed through.”
The Ride of Thanks was such a success due to the hard work and commitment from all committee members, sponsors Robin Hood Harley Davidson, the volunteers that marshalled the route, the people in the communities that cheered the bikers along the route and of course all the bikers who took part.
Plans are already underway to make the Ride to Save Lives 2023 even bigger and better so even more money can be raised to support these three life-saving charities.”
£120m refinancing deal for housebuilder
Allison Group has has secured £120 million of funding to achieve its goal of delivering 2,000 homes a year by 2025.
A £20 million, 5 year term loan from HSBC and a 5 year £100 million Revolving Credit Facility (RCF) has been put in place with HSBC and NatWest, placing the group in a strong position for future growth plans.
The RCF will be used for investment in new land and development and will enable Allison Group to achieve its goal of delivering 2,000 homes a year by 2025. The business recognises that this target cannot be reached without the support of its supply chain and in recognition of this the group is pleased to be able to announce that from 1st August 2022 it has improved supplier payment terms from 45 to 30 days.
Chief Operating Officer and former Chief Finance Officer Alastair Gordon-Stewart talks of how pleased he is to announce the news of the refinancing: “I am very satisfied with the financial firepower the refinancing gives to the Allison Group. This builds on our long standing relationship with HSBC and I am delighted to form a new relationship with NatWest and look forward to working with both Lenders into the future.”
John Anderson, CEO of Allison Group said: “Refinancing will undoubtedly bring exciting possibilities for Allison Group. We are making significant progress and have excellent ideas in store for our future that will now be viable with the £120 million we’ve secured from HSBC and NatWest. We are continuing to seek new talent, improving payment terms for suppliers, and making great headway towards our goal of building 2,000 homes a year. Our growth strategy is being brought to life and we are excited about what the future holds for us.”
Tenders invited for enviro-crime enforcement contracts in Lincolnshire
A tendering process inviting businesses to carry out enforcement across council areas of South Holland, Boston, and East Lindsey has been launched for the first time.
The work will cover litter, dog-fouling, fly-tipping and other enviro-crime offences which blight communities. It’s felt that opening up procurement to work across all three areas is a key milestone for the Partnership while also being able to address enviro-crime head on across each authority.
The successful bidder will provide foot patrols and overt CCTV surveillance across the Partnership to tackle littering, dog fouling and fly tipping. Officers will also be able to enforce offences in areas under Public Space Protection Orders.
CCTV surveillance has already proved successful in Boston at fly-tipping hotspots with incidents on a downward trend. Enviro-crime enforcement officers have also recently started in East Lindsey and now the scheme aims to share that best practice by introducing the measures across the Partnership.
The launch of the procurement process is a significant milestone for the Communities Directorate as set out in the Annual Delivery Plan.
Cllr Deborah Evans, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services at Boston Borough Council said: “While I have been frustrated by the length of time it has taken to get the tender out, I can see the huge benefits of the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership coming together to make our councils attractive to potential enforcement companies and better value for money for our residents.
“Giving us a wider choice will deliver the best possible outcome and service for the people of Boston.”
Cllr Martin Foster, Portfolio Holder for Operational Services at East Lindsey District Council said: “I am very happy that Partnership working has led to this opportunity to help deliver a wider-approach to tackling enviro-crime across each authority.
“By working across the Partnership, the successful bidder will also help deliver our key education messages to all our residents no matter where they live over such things as fly-tipping and litter.”
Cllr Anthony Casson, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection, at South Holland District Council said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for enforcement companies to operate across three councils and make a difference to enviro-crime issues which impact so many villages and towns.
“I am sure residents will be supportive to bring this enforcement to South Holland and being able to deliver a cost-effective way to tackle the problem collectively for all our residents is a positive step forward.”
New funding to spark growth of regional SME housebuilders
A new fund has been launched to help SME housebuilders to add more than 5,000 properties to the UK’s housing stock when traditional funding is not available.
Mattioli Woods and other private institutional investors, alongside Homes England and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, have committed £80m to the Initial Close of the Newstead SME Real Estate Lending Fund.
The Fund is to be managed by specialist fund manager Newstead Capital and the intention is to grow the fund to £300m in subsequent capital raised and deliver £1bn of funding over the Fund’s lifetime.
It is intended to help to meet Homes England’s mission to accelerate change in the housing market by bringing in new sources of institutional capital and more lending channels to the SME housebuilding sector, whilst enabling the construction of over 5,000 high-quality, affordably priced, and efficient new homes throughout England.
Peter Denton, Chief Executive of Homes England, said: “This partnership is our latest intervention to offer SME housebuilders a route to finance that may otherwise be unavailable through traditional means.
“Introducing new sources of institutional capital to support SME house builders is a priority for Homes England and our cornerstone investment in this fund signals government support for accessible and competitive finance to meet the needs of SME developers across the country.
“We look forward to working with our new partners and welcome further institutional capital to help grow this fund and give SME housebuilders the helping hand they need to get more quality homes built in our regions.
“By empowering smaller regional housebuilders, the Fund will help to encourage the creation of sympathetic and environmentally responsible projects while supporting the regional SME house building sector and boosting regional job creation. The Fund employs a robust underwriting process overseen by Newstead, incorporating its own credit, environmental, social and governance metrics and will encourage the development of sustainable housing by taking new homes’ energy efficiency into account at the underwriting stage. Simon Champ, CEO at Newstead Capital, said: “This is an exciting step for Newstead. Our fund is the first of its kind. We are providing a conduit for long term institutional investors to gain access to a market which until now has been out of reach. “The Newstead RELF is aimed exclusively at the unfulfilled need for capital from regional housebuilders. Regional housebuilding has historically been critical to the economy, providing the country with a diverse range of smaller housing communities. The fund gives pension, insurance, and wealth management institutions an appropriate long term investment platform to support this vital industry.“By meeting this demand, we will provide an attractive return for investors, the taxpayer and Manchester retirees, while also empowering local SME builders to compete with larger housebuilders. The Newstead RELF fund will allow more new homes to be built, tackling the housing shortage and contributing to levelling up by allowing smaller sites to be developed, with the associated environmental benefits.”
Government to make 33,000 more loans available to new businesses
An £884m loan scheme for new businesses is to be greatly expanded, delivering much needed finance to the UK’s array of innovative start-ups, the Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg announced over the weekend.
With 33,000 new loans available, the programme’s eligibility will be expanded to support businesses trading for up to three years, up from two years. Businesses can apply immediately under the new criteria. This builds on the Start Up Loans programme that has provided more than 95,000 loans to start-ups across the UK since June 2012, offering an average of just over £9,000 in support.
Start Up Loans provide a fixed interest rate of 6%, as well as mentoring, support and funding to aspiring business owners across the UK, providing support to those who might find it difficult to secure loans from traditional lenders.
Alongside this, a new second loan will be available to businesses operating for up to five years, providing eligible businesses between 3 and 5 years old a much-needed Government-backed finance to support their expansion at a crucial juncture.
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “Encouraging entrepreneurship and new businesses to thrive is critical to growing the economy and raising living standards.
“From a hair salon in Wales, to a furniture business in Northern Ireland and a cake seller in the Lake District, expanding the Start Up Loans Scheme will support these small businesses through this challenging period and position them to grow – creating jobs and opportunities across the UK.”
The scheme has backed businesses across the United Kingdom, with more than £54m provided to businesses in Scotland, £42m in Wales and over £12m in Northern Ireland.
Expansion of the Start Up Loans scheme follows the 2021/22 Spending Review, at which the government made the commitment to provide 33,000 loans to the programme over the next three years.
The extension provides further government support for businesses grappling with cost pressures and adds to measures announced by the Chancellor earlier this week, including the introduction of the Energy Bills Relief Scheme to help support them with the costs of energy, reforming off payroll working rules and simplification of the alcohol duty system.
It also builds on key measures the Government has announced for small businesses in particular, including extending the £4.5 billion Recovery Loan Scheme and delivering the Help to Grow schemes, which provide mentoring and free software to thousands of businesses across the UK.
Michelle Ovens, founder of Small Business Britain said: “The expansion of funding opportunities for start-ups and growing businesses will certainly be welcomed by small firms as a positive move to unleash their potential. Access to finance is vital for entrepreneurs to grow, and with rising costs and challenges across the board they need all the help they can get right now to realise their ambitions.”
£50m boost to cut industry’s reliance on fossil fuels
Nearly £50 million in government funding is being made available to support the future of British industry through the development of fuel switching technology.
It’s intended that a wide range of industries, including steel, ceramics, pharmaceuticals and food production will be helped to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and slash energy costs.
Business and Energy Minister Lord Callanan said: “We’re investing £49.4m to back British industry, making sure they’re fit for the future and helping end their dependency on expensive fossil fuels.
“Developing fuel switching technology will make this possible, accelerating the transition to cleaner fuels across our economy, and driving down costs for businesses.
“Industrial fuel switching shifts industrial energy use from high carbon to low carbon fuels, with the aim of decarbonising industry in line with the UK’s target of reaching Net Zero by 2050 while boosting economic growth, jobs and prosperity.” Fossil fuels (including coal, gas and oil) made up around 55% of industrial energy consumption in 2019. As set out in the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, to decarbonise industry in line with net zero, it is expected that industrial emissions need to fall by around 2 thirds by 2035 and at least 90% by 2050. Investing in this technology will make it easier and more cost-effective for industry to be powered by cleaner fuels like hydrogen and renewable electricity, instead of fossil fuels. The funding, available through Phase 2 of the £55 million Industrial Fuel Switching competition, will support the development of new fuel switching technology in the UK, helping to attract private investment into the country and supporting new green jobs.Derbyshire construction firm makes contracts manager promotion
After joining the Enrok team just 18 months ago as a project manager, Matt Shelley, MCIOB has been promoted to contracts manager to focus on client liaison, pre-construction and planning.
Responsible for overseeing all of Enrok’s construction projects, Matt will now have a greater focus on client liaison, managing site teams and ensuring they have the long-term help and support they need to run successful, safe projects. Entrusting his teams to deliver on short term goals, Matt will concentrate on the wider outlook of projects and be involved in pre-construction planning and tender submissions, as well as meeting prospective clients and broader company development.
Talking about his promotion Matt said: “I’ve always had a long term plan and vision for where I want my career to be heading and this is a positive next step for me in a great team. It’s an indictment of joining a company riding a wave of success and I guess its recognition and reward for doing a good job, which is always appreciated.
“First and foremost, I want to continue Enrok’s outstanding safety record and strive to bring in best practice expertise from working with larger contractors. Secondly, I want to continue to play an active part in growing our business and replicating the fantastic year we have had for many more to come.”
With over 20 years’ construction management experience, Matt has worked for several market leaders across several number of sectors including manufacturing, retail, education, probation and multinational consumer goods. He’s been involved in leading large teams to deliver multi-million-pound projects for some well-known brands.
Jordan Mallisch, director at Enrok Construction, says: “Matt’s been instrumental in several of our projects since he joined us, working on Hartshill doctor’s surgery in Nuneaton and our Regan Way and Ashbourne projects too. It’s great to have Matt as part of the senior management team and be involved with projects from start to finish. We’re really pleased to promote him within the firm and look forward to where we can take the business in the future.”
Matt concludes: “I really enjoy the inclusive, open and honest culture at Enrok. When big decisions need making, the whole senior team are involved. We come to a conclusion together, which is great for bringing everyone on board and driving the business forward.”
Godwin secures planning permission for residential development in Shepshed
Property developer Godwin Developments has secured outline planning permission for a residential scheme comprising up to 50 new family homes on Ashby Road, in the Leicestershire town of Shepshed.
The development is located on a vacant site next to the established community of Crowson Close and is part of the emerging Charnwood Local Plan. It will create a much-needed extension to the town of Shepshed which plans to build 2,331 new homes by 2037 to satisfy growing demand.
The development is well positioned for access into the town and all major amenities including local primary and secondary schools, shops, health care, services and employment, as well as the surrounding regional and national transport networks. It lies just over half a mile from junction 23 of the M1 motorway and approximately three miles from Loughborough, the principal settlement in the Borough of Charnwood. It is also surrounded by a range of historic parks and gardens and Charnwood Lodge National Nature Reserve is within a short drive.
The approved outline plans feature an extensively landscaped area facing Ashby Road Central, giving residents access to shared green space and adding to the appeal of the town. As a part of the work to increase connections with the town of Shepshed, the proposals will improve footpaths, offering active forms of travel to new residents.
Nick Harrison, planning director at Godwin Developments, said: “We’re pleased to have secured planning permission for our residential development in Shepshed which will play a vital role in meeting the growing demand for new homes in the area. This housing scheme will support the Council’s strategy for sustainable development, while also promoting Shepshed as a desirable place for people of all ages to live, work and play.”
The Godwin Developments team included Planning and Design Group Ltd as the planning consultants and engineering firm HSP Consulting.
