Anglian Water outlines largest ever year of investment

Anglian Water outlines largest ever year of investment focusing on climate resilience, environmental protection and driving down leakage Including £28million of support for customers as cost of living increases Anglian Water has today unveiled a huge £680million investment programme for the year ahead. The largest investment ever planned for a single year will be spent across the entire East of England, which is the driest and one of the fastest-growing parts of the country. The funds will be ploughed into areas of work specifically aimed at preparing the region to meet the urgent challenges of climate change and population growth, as well as protecting the environment. The water company will also continue to offer a wide range of support for customers to help them plan and manage their water bills, as the cost of living increases that have swept the UK over the last 12 months are set to continue. Average water bills for the coming year are expected to be £454 for the year, or just £1.24 per day – an increase of just 6p per day on last year’s charges. This 5% rise compares to a forecasted average energy bill price hike of around 40%. Having a water meter remains the best way of keeping bills affordable as customers only pay for what they use. Anglian Water’s Director of Customer and Wholesale, Pete Holland said: “We know this year is going to be tough for our customers, as the cost of living increases for us all. That’s why we’re committed to keeping water bills as low as possible while still preparing our region to meet the significant challenges of a rapidly changing climate, and growing population. “The average bill of £1.24 per day pays for all the water you need to wash your hands, to drink and to cook, and for every flush of the loo and cycle of the washing machine. But more than that, it helps us build and look after a water network that protects both the environment and our customers while looking ahead to future challenges too.” A £680million investment programme: fit for a changing region Operating in the driest region of the UK, Anglian Water has often highlighted the future challenges of water scarcity facing the East of England. The company’s largest ever five-year business plan, which began in 2020, outlined ground breaking schemes specifically designed to tackle this challenge, while protecting the region’s environment for the long term. The proposals were wholeheartedly endorsed by customers. This is the third year of that cycle and will see boots-on-the-ground as this work continues, including: ·       Environmental investment: £157million to protect and enhance the natural environment by removing chemicals such as phosphates and ammonia from used water, and working with organisations like The Rivers Trusts on river restoration projects to protect some of the region’s unique chalk stream habitats. This work forms part of Anglian’s £800million Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), which is larger than that of any other water company. ·       Tackling CSOs: Within that programme of work, £52million will be spent on work tackling Combined Storm Overflows by increasing the network’s capacity to store excess rainwater, investigating and remedying the highest spilling CSOs and installing more monitors across the sewer network, so future investment can be targeted in the places where it can have the most benefit for the environment. ·       Securing future supplies: £124million continuing work on the region’s biggest water infrastructure project for a generation, creating hundreds of kilometres of new interconnecting pipelines and associated infrastructure to move water around the region wherever and whenever needed.  This is part of an ambitious new investment in resilience to keep taps running and minimise the impacts of future droughts, and reducing the amount of water taken directly from the environment. ·       Helping customers save water: £31million will be spent on the continuation of the company’s programme to roll out over 1 million upgraded water meters across the region, helping customers to understand their water usage and identifying leaks in customer’s homes to better meet demand for water in the future. ·       Reducing leakage: £11million on continuing to drive down leaks, retaining Anglian Water’s position as having the lowest level of leakage of any water company in the UK, by almost half. The company will also invest heavily in maintaining and improving customer service, providing top quality drinking water and protecting the region against severe weather such as drought and flooding. Continuing support for customers and communities Every year Anglian Water commits £1million to help vulnerable customers facing financial hardship. The year Anglian Water will  continue to extend financial support to over 300,000 households via its WaterCare Service. Alongside helping people who’ve needed financial support this year, the water company has also increased the number of customers signed up to its Priority Services Register, meaning over 250,000 of the most vulnerable customers will get additional help should they need it. The company’s priority service helps a wide range of people, from those with sight, hearing, or mobility difficulties, to parents with babies under 12 months old. The service also provides support to customers with long or short-term medical needs should there be any interruption to their water supply. Pete continued: “Offering the right support for our customers has never been more important. Over the next 12 months we’ll be helping over 300,000 people by putting together packages of support that are tailored to meet their individual needs. This might be through accessing affordable tariffs or payment holidays for those who may be struggling to pay, or could be as simple as direct debit payments to help spread the cost each month. “Whatever the circumstances, our message to customers is simple: if you’re struggling, please get in touch. The sooner we talk, the sooner we can help. And not only with your water bill, our Extra Care team can also signpost you to other support that you may be entitled to. “This is the biggest investment we’ve ever made in a 12-month period and it comes at an incredibly challenging time for everyone. Our customers can be reassured that we invest every pound in doing the right thing now and for the long term. We believe our responsibility is to them, their communities and to the environment we look after.”

Leicestershire alternative finance provider secures £100m in additional funding for SMEs

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ThinCats, the Leicestershire-based alternative finance provider to mid-sized SMEs, has extended its partnership with specialist global asset manager Insight Investment, which has agreed to allocate a further investment of up to £100 million from its funds under management. The new capital will be deployed by ThinCats as a senior finance line to support SMEs across the UK and follows an earlier participation from Insight Investment managed funds in September 2018. Insight Investment’s managed funds are part of a panel of senior investors, including Barclays and Citi, which is deployed alongside ThinCats’ own capital. Shaheer Guirguis, head of secured finance, Insight Investment, said: “Insight has partnered with ThinCats for more than three years and seen it grow from strength to strength. “During this time, and despite the substantial economic impact caused by the Covid pandemic, our investment capital has continued to provide valuable support to UK SMEs while delivering good risk-adjusted returns to our investors. We are delighted to be continuing our relationship through this further investment of £100 million.” Ravi Anand, Managing Director, ThinCats, said: “The relationship between ThinCats and Insight Investment has been a successful one, and we are pleased to be extending the partnership in this way. “The new investment will provide much needed additional support for mid-sized SMEs as they invest in their post-pandemic growth strategies. Adding this new investment to the existing capital of our investor panel, alongside our own funding, means we have £650 million currently available to deploy in support of businesses across the UK.”

Final finial now in place on historic Market Hall roof

Restoration of Derby’s historic Market Hall roof is close to completion with the second and final finial being lifted into place. The Market Hall has been undergoing a transformation beginning with the restoration of its cast iron, copper and glass roof. Completion of the roof leads the way for the internal transformation to begin, as repairs continue to the Victorian brick and stone exterior. Cllr Mick Barker, Deputy Leader of Derby City Council, said: “Completing the restoration of this historic Market Hall roof paves the way for the rest of the Market Hall’s transformation. Soon we can move onto the internal renovation and give Derby a fantastic market which is full of life.” Derby Market Hall will become a vibrant retail and leisure destination at the heart of city. The scheme will link various parts of the city centre together increasing the diversity of the city centre economy. The transformation will also play a key role in creating a thriving cultural heart in the Market Place and surrounding area as part of plans to encourage economic recovery and investor confidence in the city centre. When it reopens the transformed Market Hall will offer traditional and themed markets, events, one off or pop up uses and events, with a greater emphasis on food and drink. It will also contain a Make and Trade area where crafters and makers can create and sell their work. A traditional market offer will be complimented by a new food court and flexible events space adding to Derby’s day and night time economy. Plans to remodel the Market Place and surrounding area as the cultural heart of the city centre is part of the wider vision for a vibrant city centre, which is key to ensuring Derby’s economy remains resilient following COVID 19. A task force, made up of representatives from both public and private sectors, is driving activity to maintain business and investor confidence, and recently a £1.75 million initiative was launched by Derby City Council to encourage more businesses to locate in the heart of Derby.

Register now for free entry to Lincolnshire’s Property & Business Investment Expo

The Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo will return on Wednesday 27 April 2022 at The Bentley Hotel, Lincoln. A well targeted, free to attend event aimed at the Construction, Property, Business, Investment, Finance, Professional Services and related B2B markets, for which Business Link is a proud partner, it has everything you require for a great day of networking and business generation. Take this opportunity to meet more potential clients in one amazing cost effective day, than it would take months out on the road. Opening at 9am, as the exhibition closes (circa 2pm), it will roll directly into an informal network lunch – tickets are just £25 plus vat and can be ordered and paid for directly online.

To attend the event, register for free here.

To generate opportunities by exhibiting at the event, click here.

Purchase tickets to the networking lunch here.

Clowes Developments break ground at luxury apartments in Matlock

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Groundworks have begun at Matlock’s brand-new luxury apartment development, Riber View. Riber View will comprise 47 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments benefiting from south facing aspects towards the iconic Riber Castle, which overlooks the historic town of Matlock. Construction contractor, Roe Developments have commenced ground improvement and piling works following the satisfaction of pre-commencement conditions set out by the local council. The works are expected to take 12 months to complete with the apartments ready for occupation by Spring 2023. Local agent, Sally Botham and her team of experts will be marketing the properties locally. Residential agent Sally Botham said: “I am delighted that Sally Botham Estates will be marketing a scheme of this nature in our hometown of Matlock. Our brand-new marketing suite will be opening next door to our main office on Bank Road within a matter of weeks. We will be using this space to showcase the scheme to all prospective occupiers over the coming months. We are excited to start promoting this development on behalf of our client, Clowes Developments.” There will also be 3,000 sq ft of ground floor retail opportunity at Riber View. The space can be taken by one occupier or split into two units to suit occupier requirements.

Ditch NICs to recover 250,000 drop in apprenticeship starts, small firms urge, as #NAW2022 gets underway

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is urging the Government to look again at its planned hikes to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) to facilitate more workplace opportunities for young people as part of levelling up efforts. The recommendation comes as this year’s Apprenticeship Week begins today in England. Last week, the Government established an aim of having “200,000 more people successfully completing high-quality skills training annually, driven by 80,000 more people completing courses in the lowest skilled areas,” as part of its Levelling Up white paper. FSB’s latest Small Business Index shows the proportion of small firms citing lack of access to appropriately skilled staff as a barrier to growth has risen ten percentage points to 33% over the past year. Though exemptions do exist for apprenticeships, FSB estimates that employers are paying NICs for most apprentices across the UK. Apprenticeship starts have dropped from just under 500,000 a year in 2016/17, before the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, to under 325,000 in 2020/21. To address these trends, FSB is urging policymakers to:
  • Remove all employer NICs costs for apprentices to spur role creation.
  • Cancel planned increases to NICs across the board and dividend taxation to free up funds for recruitment and training among entrepreneurs.
  • Reintroduce the £3,000 incentive to hire an apprentice that ran until January of this year, targeting the funding at small businesses.
FSBs policy representative Clare Elsby said: “Apprenticeship Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the importance of on-the-job education and the massive benefits it brings to employee and employer alike. Our apprentices are our future business leaders and innovators, and that’s why we should be doing all we can to create more of them. “By looking again at its approach to NICs, the Government can make a real difference here – directly, by bringing down the immediate costs of taking an apprentice on, and indirectly, by freeing up more funds for recruitment and training at a moment when cash reserves are depleted. “Small businesses disproportionately hire young people and those from disadvantaged groups when they create apprenticeships, so a targeted reintroduction of the hiring incentive that existed over lockdowns makes sense in the context of the levelling up agenda.”

Two storey office block sold in Burton

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Commercial property agents, Rushton Hickman Ltd, has just sold an 11,769 sq ft two storey modern office property on behalf of a private investment client to local businessman and optometrist, Mr Raheel Fayyaz. The Derby Turn Building is located along Derby Road, Burton upon Trent and is a part let investment, providing ample car parking. Mr Fayyaz intends to convert the unoccupied space into high quality two bed residential apartments, which he hopes to bring to the market in February 2022. Rushton Hickman have been retained immediately as the commercial property agents for marketing ground floor Suite 2, which will provide office or dry storage accommodation suitable for a business looking for swift occupation on a short or long term basis. Mr Fayyaz said: “The Derby Turn building presented an attractive opportunity for a residential conversion following a viewing with Simon from Rushton Hickman. The location and numerous parking spaces further added to the viability of the project. “I have worked with Simon and his colleagues for a number of years, having completed a number of acquisitions through them and trust their knowledge and guidance completely. We hope to add quality housing which is much needed in the area to the rental market in Burton on Trent, by offering luxury living at affordable prices.” Rushton Hickman commercial property agent, Simon Walker, said: “We are delighted to have recently concluded the sale of The Derby Turn Building. The property benefits from easy access to the main A38 arterial route and is close to Burton upon Trent town centre and railway station, which makes for an ideal site to consider for a residential accommodation conversion. “We very much look forward to continuing our business relationship with Raheel in the future and agreeing terms on more property projects with him.”

Save Derby County – Team Derby disheartened by latest meeting

A group seeking to work with the EFL and administrators to save Derby County say they are disheartened by the league’s latest position. ‘Team Derby’, made up of MPs, council leaders and business stakeholders, have been attempting to broker an agreement that would allow the football club to come to an arrangement with creditors and secure a sale to new owners. At a joint meeting with the EFL and administrators last week, the league agreed that the High Court would be asked to adjudicate on the issue of legal claims being mounted by Middlesbrough FC and Wycombe Wanderers against the Rams. The administrators contend that these claims should not be treated as football debts, which the league’s rules demand would have to be paid in full as part of any rescue package. The claims, although felt to be spurious by the administrators and their legal advisors, could run to millions of pounds if they were upheld and none of the parties currently interested in buying the club are prepared to move forward while matters are unresolved. Despite the league’s agreement last week that the issue could be put before the High Court for determination, the EFL has now issued a statement saying that the claims must be treated as if they are football debts and cannot be crammed down as part of a restructuring plan to exit administration. At a meeting to consider the latest developments, Team Derby concluded: “We are fast losing confidence in the process and are struggling to see how actions are matching the rhetoric of trying to save DCFC. “Team Derby feels that the EFL’s change of position is disheartening and leaves them increasingly concerned about the future of the club and they are now demanding an urgent joint meeting with EFL representatives and the administrators and will seek separate discussions with Government through Sports Minister Nigel Huddlestone. “Parliament has already called for all parties to show pragmatism in finding a solution to ensure Derby County’s survival. So far, we have seen little evidence of this from the EFL. “Team Derby members are concerned that another week has gone by, and we are no nearer to a solution. The situation becomes more and more perilous by the minute. “The EFL has repeatedly said that it does not want to see Derby County fold. Now it is time for their actions to match their words.”

Robot Xchange puts fizz into processes for Coca Cola as client base and headcount soars

Nottingham-based robotic automation specialist, The Robot Exchange, has announced the completion of a major discovery project with soft drinks giant Coca Cola HBC. In the last year, The Robot Exchange has seen a 10 times increase in clients and a headcount rise of 15 becoming a major supplier of robotic process automation (RPA) to the UK and Irish markets as customers seek greater efficiencies in their processes and seek to reduce wastage of resource and time. The project with Coca Cola HBC saw the expanding The Robot Exchange team create a full RPA transformation roadmap for the business as part of their plans to scale up RPA digital transformation. After reviewing existing workflow and repetitive and human intensive processes, the team worked with Coca Cola HBC’s internal business leaders and process owner SMEs within the group to talk about which processes were frustrating, causing issues or were unnecessarily time consuming. Andy Wallace, CEO at The Robot Exchange, said: “Working with such a globally recognised brand and business has been hugely rewarding and a testimony to the quality of service that we can provide. “I am very proud of the work the team has done in terms of documenting processes in terms of maps, sizing and checklists and identifying the best areas for automation suitability. “We have also been able to assess the current human time and costs for our client and as a result, we have identified opportunities to improve efficiency by allocating resources in the best possible way whilst providing a clear view on the return on investment by moving to automation.”

ALB Group helps Tiger Community Hub roar onto high street

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Retro gaming, beginners’ yoga and arts and crafts are just some of the activities being brought by a community initiative to a high street currently undergoing regeneration. Tiger Community Enterprise CIC is the latest tenant to move into Nottingham’s Lister Gate. They have moved to a unit owned by property developer ALB Group, which previously revealed ambitious plans to revitalise Lister Gate and nearby Bridlesmith Gate, having acquired 14 commercial properties in the area. As well as offering community activities, there will also be a shop and cafe at the unit, which was a former bank and most recently used as a window display. Tiger was established in 2013, to support enterprise and to help individuals and organisations to grow, sharing skills and building confidence. It has led projects including making and distributing scrubs and face masks to hospitals and care homes during the pandemic, and it is currently working on reusable sanitary wear and sewing drainage bags, which are discrete bags that carry surgical drains. It had to move from its previous base at 38 Carrington Street Urban Room, which is now a pop-up concept. Tiger leaders have spent the past three months with their belongings in storage, waiting for the ideal space to become available. Toni Jarvis, Tiger’s project leader, said: “We wanted something in the city centre that was going to be big enough to do all the things we want to do. We also want people to be able to access us by train, tram, bus, or car, and where Lister Gate is is really central to all these things. “We will drive our own traffic in by doing activities, but it’s also going to be great for people living in the city centre, who say there are very little community activities to do, while also being accessible across the wider county.” As well as selling creations made by volunteers in the shop, the cafe will also be a space for ‘social eating’, with regular cooking workshops and opportunities for people to eat as a community. There will also be work experience opportunities, particularly for people with learning difficulties. The Nottinghamshire Federation of the Women’s Institute have already been involved in making the shop window display. Toni added: “It’s nice to be revitalising Lister Gate. So many people are disappointed with it down there. We are hoping that lots of people come down to do activities with us.” She praised ALB and agents FHP for the swift exchange, saying: “They have been fabulous. We were really struggling to get a decision on a previous property, with a different landlord, and when this one became vacant they moved pretty quickly. We can’t wait to get our team of Tigers back together.” Toni said she was hopeful that Tiger will qualify for community discounted business rates. Arran Bailey, Managing Director of Nottingham-based ALB Group, welcomed Tiger, but said: “It is currently a very difficult time to find tenants for Lister Gate with the half-demolished Broadmarsh Shopping Centre and the high rateable values on the street. “The location is good for these sorts of tenants as they are able to achieve lower business rates than others. “The council should be offering free or lower rates in the area to encourage business to move down there while the works continue at Broadmarsh or the properties on the street to be revalued as soon as possible, due to the decline of the area. “As an example we have let the unit at 14 percent of the rateable value of the property which quite clearly shows how incorrect the rateable values are in Nottingham City Centre.” Oliver Marshall, associate director with FHP, said: “It’s great to see a community-focused operation making the most of the opportunities available on the high street, bringing life into Lister Gate. “Lister Gate is going through a period of change with the proposed redevelopment of the Broadmarsh, but FHP are working with landlords like ALB to bring new tenants into the city. “It has been a breath of fresh air working with ALB to secure this deal with Tiger. ALB are quick to agree a deal and realistic with their expectations on rental prices they will achieve. “This follows other successful deals for ALB including 32 Lister Gate to Hatchet Harry’s and the recent exchange of contracts at 2-4 Albert Street nearby.” It is hoped that the Tiger Community Hub will be fully open by April 1.