The East Midlands Expo – a day of endless networking opportunities

Tess Egginton
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The East Midlands Expo – a day of endless networking opportunities
Providing endless networking opportunities, the free to attend East Midlands Expo will make its return next month on Monday 14 November 2022. Taking place at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, the established event of over 20 years has everything you require for a great day of business generation, with the chance to meet more potential clients in one amazing cost effective day, than it would take months out on the road. A well targeted exhibition, aimed at the construction, property, business, investment, finance, professional services and related B2B markets, register to attend the event for free here. The day, for which Business Link is a proud partner, will begin with exhibitor breakfast networking, with the exhibition opening to attendees at 9am. A seminar will take place between 10:45am and noon with BSP Consulting’s directors Mark Rayers and Tony Goddard lined up to present ‘Sustainability and how engineering plays its part’. Not to be missed, a special networking lunch (for which tickets can be purchased here) will then take place between 12:15pm and 2:15pm, and the exhibition will close at 3:30pm.

For more information on exhibiting at the event click here.

To register to attend the event for free click here.

To secure tickets for the networking lunch click here.

From property agents to developers, architects, contractors, investors, PR firms, and more, see the list of current exhibitors here.

Council plans £5.5m purchase of Leicester building for new affordable homes

Tess Egginton
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Council plans £5.5m purchase of Leicester building for new affordable homes
Plans to use £2.4m of Right to Buy cash to help address the need for more affordable homes have been announced by Leicester City Council. The city council intends to purchase the Zip Building, on Rydal Street – close to the city centre, for around £5.55m. The three-story building consists of 58 flats and bedsits which will be added to the council’s own stock of affordable housing. The purchase will be part-funded by £2.4m of cash from the sale of council properties under the Government’s Right to Buy scheme. This is the maximum allowed under the current rules. The remainder will be through permitted prudential borrowing, which is common for investments of this type, and allowable debt. Rental income from the properties will be reinvested into maintaining and improving council housing stock. The majority of the units (47) within the Zip Building are one-bed flats and bedsits. The remaining units are a mix of two-bed flats – including two wheelchair accessible properties – and three- and four-bed cluster flats. The council will invest up to £550,000 in improvements to the building, including remodelling two of the cluster flats into separate, self-contained flats. The planned purchase will help meet the growing demand for one and two-bedroom affordable housing across the city. The city council has negotiated the contract so that all existing tenancies can be honoured until Summer 2023, to help minimise disruption. Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, assistant city mayor for housing, said: “There is a desperate need for more affordable housing in the city. “There is no doubt that the Right to Buy scheme has hit the supply of council housing hard. We’re losing homes much faster than they are being built and it’s time the Right to Buy scheme was abandoned. We have been forced to sell thousands of council houses over the past 30 years. “That makes it absolutely vital that we invest our Right to Buy cash receipts back into addressing our local and critical need for more affordable homes.” Whenever a council property is sold under Right to Buy, the proceeds of the sale must be used in line with strict Government guidelines. This means that only some of the proceeds can be used to support the costs of building and/or acquiring new affordable homes. Each year, Leicester City Council loses an average of 400 council homes through the Right to Buy scheme. Over the last forty years, the city council’s housing stock has been reduced from 36,000 to 20,000 homes. As part of its work to address the huge demand for affordable housing in Leicester, the city council has purchased 595 properties to be used as council homes since April 2019, at a cost of around £74m. The Zip Building dates back to around 1900 and was built to the designs of regionally renowned Stockdale Harrison for Thompson & Co wholesale boot and shoe manufacturers. By the mid-20th century, it had been converted into a hosiery factory. The building was redeveloped as residential accommodation around 12 years ago.

Proposals to redevelop National Stone Centre in Derbyshire receive support from local community

Tess Egginton
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Proposals to redevelop National Stone Centre in Derbyshire receive support from local community
A six-month-long public consultation process concerning proposals to redevelop the National Stone Centre (NSC) in Derbyshire has received overwhelmingly positive support from the local community. The virtual and physical consultation, led by the NSC’s partner the Institute of Quarrying (IQ), included attendance by representatives of the NSC and IQ at Wirksworth Market and the Matlock Go Green Event, as well as a meet and greet at the NSC. Feedback forms were also available online on the IQ website. Two further town hall-style meetings also took place at the NSC, with attendees drawn from across the local community. James Thorne is IQ’s Chief Executive Officer. He says: “This process was very much about listening to what people had to say and providing a channel via which all feedback could be delivered – positive and negative. “We had a good response to the consultation, both in person and in writing. This included insightful feedback on the project’s outline plans, which we have taken and used to inform a further iteration of the proposed development plans. “We are looking to make a significant contribution to the Derbyshire visitor economy and through doing so, inspire future generations to join an exciting sector to help tackle significant challenges, such as digitisation, the circular economy, zero carbon and skills of people in the industry today.” Throughout the consultation, IQ reassured regular visitors to the National Stone Centre that facilities such as the much-loved café will remain operational during the building works. Updates to the proposed plans are being incorporated into the full planning application which will be submitted to Derbyshire Dales District Council in due course.

WilSon Energy expands team with a raft of new appointments

Tess Egginton
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WilSon Energy expands team with a raft of new appointments

Midlands-based WilSon Energy, a provider of fully integrated heating, metering, Pay as You Go, billing and bureau services for residential homes and commercial developments, has announced the expansion of its team with six new appointments.

The appointments follow a period of sustained growth for the Newark-based business, leading to a proactive recruitment drive to meet customer demand.

In addition to several new client wins, WilSon Energy has seen increased demand for its support with billing and bureau management services. Earlier this year, the firm also secured a large-scale Heating Interface Unit (HIU) service and maintenance contract for a major utility provider.

The six new recruits will be working across the whole business.

Joining the customer support team is Adam Waby, who returns to the business, focusing on supporting its field engineers and internal technical support, as well as Emma Tomlinson. Emma also previously worked at WilSon around five years ago in the billing and bureau department and has now returned to the business with renewed enthusiasm after getting married and having two children.

Sami Zaqiri has been recruited to the role of field service engineer. Having worked extensively as an HIU service engineer for several years, Sami has in-depth sector experience as well as general plumbing and heating knowledge. James Hawley has also joined the business as a field service engineer and similarly to Sami, has also worked in this area extensively, after a career in the military.

Shannon Haywood has joined the post pay billing and bureau team again bringing with her a wealth of customer service skills. Chris Rathore has taken up a sales role and is responsible for new billing and bureau and pre-payment contracts. In addition to this he works extensively with new utility connections, fiscal meters and energy procurement.

Finally, Steve Burn moves to head of mechanical and electrical project management. For the last couple of years, he has worked successfully delivering a number of multi-utility projects in the residential sector.

Andy Wilkinson, CEO at WilSon Energy, said: “WilSon Energy has seen significant growth in the last 12 months with new contract wins in Heat Network and District Heating schemes across a wide portfolio of residential and commercial developments. We have also seen growth in our Energy Billing and Bureau solutions and these appointments are testament to that success and our proactive approach to meeting customer demand for our extensive range of services.

“We are pleased to bring these new staff members on board at an exciting time for the business and wish them a long and rewarding career with us.”

Ashby property firm makes key IT appointment to drive growth

Tess Egginton
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Ashby property firm makes key IT appointment to drive growth

A property consultancy has appointed a new leader of its IT operations to help drive the firm’s ongoing growth.

Fisher German has appointed Carl Stirland as IT director, where he will oversee more than 20 in-house professionals in teams specialising in software development, project management, business change, IT infrastructure and IT service management.

Carl joins Fisher German with 30 years of IT experience across the construction, housebuilding, engineering, manufacturing, and distribution sectors.

This included 20 years of service at a multi-million-pound construction and development group, where he played an instrumental role in laying the digital foundations for key projects to be carried out efficiently, ranging from supermarket developments through to mass housebuilding.

He also spent two years at a FTSE 250 construction firm to help them overhaul their cloud migrations, network, and telecom systems for around 6,000 users.

Carl has recently worked for a leading multi-national plc supplying insulation, roofing, commercial interiors, and specialist construction products as the UK IT business partner to develop the firm’s technological efficiency across 580 distribution centres and trade counters.

Carl said: “Joining a progressive firm such as Fisher German is a brilliant challenge for me to be able to put my three decades of IT experience into practice to help accelerate the firm’s ongoing growth.

“I am passionate about working for a business that is focused on providing great client satisfaction, and my role is to ensure that Fisher German’s IT platforms enable the business to maintain this and improve even further.

“Another key aspect of my role is striking the balance between future proofing the business’s IT portfolio – both for our colleagues and through the services we provide to clients – whilst also ensuring the company’s digital and operational strategies are aligned.”

Carl, who is also a chartered engineer and chartered IT professional, will be based at the firm’s Ashby-de-la-Zouch headquarters with nationwide responsibility for developing the firm’s IT capabilities across its 29 offices.

Managing partner, Andrew Bridge, added: “We are excited for Carl to join us and to oversee our continued investment in sophisticated and market-leading IT solutions for our colleagues, to help deliver a first-class client service.”

Plans approved for apartments at former Nottingham lawn bowls club

Tess Egginton
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Plans approved for apartments at former Nottingham lawn bowls club
Plans to transform a former lawn bowls club on Addison Street, Nottingham, have been approved.
The proposals, from Unitech Plus Ltd, would see the construction of 29 one, two, and three-bed apartments. The development would predominantly form three buildings which would front Addison Street. In addition the original three storey element of the pavilion would be retained and converted and two storey extensions added to the east and west.
It is proposed that the area that currently makes up the bowling green would be used as a communal garden area for future residents.
11 parking spaces and 30 cycle storage spaces are planned.

Businesses react following Liz Truss’s resignation as Prime Minister

Tess Egginton
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Businesses react following Liz Truss’s resignation as Prime Minister
Following the resignation of Liz Truss as Prime Minister, seeing her become the shortest-serving PM in history, East Midlands business leaders are reacting. Mike Staton, director of Mansfield-based Staton Mortgages, said: “It’s hard to imagine it but it’s pretty safe to say Liz Truss is leaving the country in a worse position than she found it. If ever there was going to be a definition of the grass isn’t always greener, Liz Truss has owned it. Liz Truss has made one correct decision in her role of Prime Minister, and she made that today by handing in her resignation. “However, the fine print needs needs to be checked so that there is no possibility that she can perform another U-turn on this decision. How she ever got voted in shows how much of a farce the current system is. Under no circumstances should another Prime Minister be allowed to have this sort of power without being voted in by the public. Ladies and Gentleman, Liz Truss has left the building, and Thank God.” Imran Hussain, director at Nottingham-based Harmony Financial Services, said: “Truss and her party have made a mockery of our country and we are simply left with no choice but to have a general election now or be left rudderless moving into the new year. And it’s shaping up to be a brutal 2023.” Lewis Shaw, founder of Mansfield-based Shaw Financial Services, said: “I’m generally not speechless, and right now is no exception. We need a general election. We cannot have more of this circus. Every day we look more like a banana republic led by donkeys. Everyone I talk to agrees: let’s have an election get it over and done with once and for all, and inject some democracy back into the UK. The game is up for the Tories now; if they can make it as painless a transition as possible because that’s the only honourable thing they can do now, I’m sure we’d all be grateful.” Tony Danker, CBI director-general, said: “The politics of recent weeks have undermined the confidence of people, businesses, markets and global investors in Britain. That must now come to an end if we are to avoid yet more harm to households and firms. “Stability is key. The next Prime Minister will need to act to restore confidence from day one. “They will need to deliver a credible fiscal plan for the medium term as soon as possible, and a plan for the long-term growth of our economy.” Adam Bamford, COO of Derby-based corporate gift firm, Colleague Box, said: “Another day on the hamster wheel of British politics. What is the point in the time and expense of another leadership race? The Tories are a complete shambles with infighting at every turn. Until we have a general election we are stuck with this cycle of unending mediocrity at the top with jobs for mates. Get us a general election quickly and let us have a say.” Rachel Hayward, Managing Director of the Derby-based business bids and tenders specialist, Ask the Chameleon, said: “It was clear she could not carry on, as there were no avenues or U-turns left. I am frankly embarrassed by our Government. What has happened to this country? This is a drama even the writers of The Crown couldn’t cook up. So what next? Or who? Can we PLEASE choose someone with credibility and a plan? Oh wait.” East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “One of the roles of Government is to create an environment where businesses can thrive in order to create jobs, stimulate economic investment and generate wealth. “This endless saga of political instability is anything but that and, once again, businesses are left to pick up the pieces. “For months, they have had to endure a relentless cycle of uncertainty that has created a zero-confidence environment, hampering their ability to plan ahead and invest. “They can at least take some consolation from the fact they won’t have to sit through another lengthy leadership election. But once a new Prime Minister is in place within the next week, they will expect the chosen individual to work with firms to find solutions to the increasing pile of challenges they face as the crisis in the cost of doing business deepens.”

Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister

Michael Fisher
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Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister
Liz Truss has resigned from her post as Prime Minister, making her the shortest-serving PM in history. The markets have thus far been quiet, but the value of the pound did rise immediately after the announcement, signaling the lack of faith in Truss’ leadership. There is no news yet on who will take over, or who will throw their hats into the ring, but Jeremy Hunt has claimed that he will not be running for leadership. Labour leader Keir Starmer has demanded an election.

Nottingham modern slavery experts to advise UK construction industry

Tess Egginton
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Nottingham modern slavery experts to advise UK construction industry
Modern slavery experts at the University of Nottingham are part of a new partnership to promote ethical labour in the UK construction industry. The ‘Alliance against Exploitation’ brings together the University’s Rights Lab; SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading public sector procurement authorities; the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority; modern slavery charity Unseen; and Achilles, a leader in supply chain risk and performance management. The partnership has been formed to eradicate modern slavery and labour exploitation across the construction sector by sharing intelligence, identifying emerging trends and committing to robust auditing procedures. In interviews with 1,200 UK construction workers, almost half said they had not received written terms and conditions of employment while almost one in three admitted using non-standard evidence of right to work documentation to gain employment. The interviews, conducted by Achilles across the industry, also revealed four out of five workers had not been spoken to about modern slavery. Dr Alexander Trautrims, associate director at the Rights Lab and professor of Supply Chain Management, said: “This newly formed alliance will help to make real progress in addressing modern slavery in the construction sector through public sector procurement processes. Modern slavery continues to be a significant management challenge across the construction supply chain and collaborative initiatives like this are key to developing the knowledge that is required for progress.”

“Another robust quarter” for Dunelm

Tess Egginton
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“Another robust quarter” for Dunelm

Dunelm, the Leicestershire-headquartered homewares retailer, has reported “robust trading” in an update for its first quarter.

The company said it was “pleased” with the performance during the 13-week period ended 1 October 2022, against the backdrop of a challenging environment.

Sales of £357m were down 8% year on year, which the firm said was expected, given a very strong comparative period, with Q1 last year benefitting from pent up demand and the firm’s rescheduled summer sale.

Compared to pre-pandemic, however, total sales grew by 36%.

Digital sales made up 33% of total sales in the quarter, in line with the same period last year.

Nick Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “It has been another robust quarter for Dunelm against a very strong comparative period, which illustrates the strength and resilience of our business model and the appeal of our market-leading offer.

“Dunelm has emerged from the last two years as a bigger, better business, with total sales up 36% against the same period pre-Covid. We have benefitted from the commitment, expertise and adaptability of our colleagues and supplier partners – the same qualities that are serving the business as we navigate the current inflationary challenges.

“As we enter what will clearly be a challenging winter for consumers, our absolute focus remains on making every pound count for everyone, through a tight grip on operations. We will continue to offer outstanding value at all price points, so our customers can make their own choices around adapting to the economic backdrop. This focus on value has seen Dunelm successfully navigate previous periods of economic uncertainty.

“The landscape is a demanding one, but we feel both energised and confident in our ability to grow market share as the 1st choice for UK homelovers.”

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