2022 Business Predictions: Ben Cree, Director at Lesley Cree Opticians
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Ben Cree, Director at Lesley Cree Opticians based in Nottingham.
As we head into 2022, there are some exciting developments occurring in the world of Optometry.
Whilst the UK High Street is continuing to take a hit, as big name brands close their doors, for local independents like ourselves, we are continuing to see a trend of people shopping local. Consumers have enjoyed the personal service and the community spirit that has been created by supporting independents and I think this loyalty will remain.
Myopia Control will also be a keen talking point throughout 2022. Myopia control is the area of children’s eye care dedicated to slowing down myopia progression or otherwise known as short-sighted. Whilst there’s nothing currently available which can promise to STOP myopia progression, it is important to consult with your local Optometrist to perhaps consider strategies to slow down the progression, whether that be with special contact lenses or spectacle lenses.
In the wake of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November, discussions around sustainability have come into the spotlight. A number of high profile eyewear manufacturers are now opting to use plant-based or eco-friendly materials when designing and manufacturing their frames and lenses. I definitely see this trend to continue in 2022, as manufacturers look to provide products that cater for consumers’ sustainable buying habits.
Nottinghamshire County Council new virtual employment hub launched to help residents and businesses
A virtual one-stop-shop has been launched to support residents find work opportunities and help employers develop their talent pool.
Nottinghamshire Opportunities aims to be the go-to-place to explore local career opportunities and provides a platform for people to search for jobs, training courses, and apprenticeship opportunities.
Funded by Nottinghamshire County Council in partnership with careers guidance service Futures, the portal will ultimately improve access to training and employment – matching an individual’s skills and training with job opportunities.
Councillor Keith Girling, chairman of the county council’s Economic Development and Asset Management Committee, said the online portal would provide much-needed support for job seekers and employers.
He said: “Our goal is to remove employability barriers and provide access to better and more rewarding jobs that allow individuals to progress in their careers and fulfil their potential.
“We have lived through some of the most challenging and difficult times in living memory because of the pandemic, which means the launch of a platform such as Nottinghamshire Opportunities is more important than ever as residents look to find employment or upskill.
“It will also be a very useful tool for employers in our county who are looking to recruit local talent to join their teams as they continue to recover from the impact of the various lockdowns in the past two years.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how Nottinghamshire Opportunities supports and links people to advice to help them build the right career path, whether they’re a student wanting an apprenticeship in a particular industry or have recently been made redundant and want to explore different job options – we’ll be here to support them every step of the way.”
Futures CEO Paul Price-Hazlehurst said he was delighted his organisation was playing a ‘critical role’ in delivering a ‘fantastic’ initiative.
He said: “Nottinghamshire Opportunities portal has everything you need to help build a career.
“Futures is delighted to part of this fantastic initiative by Nottinghamshire County Council.
“The landscape of careers, employment and skills provision is complex, but there’s lots of support out there for employers, young people, and jobseekers.
“Nottinghamshire Opportunities can really help overcome that complexity and we at Futures are delighted to be playing a critical role in the delivery of this new service.”
The virtual hub also provides an opportunity for job seekers to try out a bespoke Skills Toolkit, which offers free digital courses to help individuals to progress in work and boost their job prospects, as well as support packs for people facing redundancy.
To access Nottinghamshire Opportunities, go to Nottinghamshire Opportunities | Get a foot on the career ladder (oppsinnotts.co.uk).
Plans approved to redevelop school building for student flats
Plans to redevelop a former school building at 203 Ilkeston Road, Nottingham, into student apartments have been granted conditional permission by the city council.
The proposals would provide 158 student beds, with indoor and outdoor communal amenities at ground level, including a landscaped garden. The rooms would be a mixture of studios and en-suite bedrooms with a cluster kitchen/living space.
A design statement submitted by Leonard Design Architects says: “The existing school building is of good quality with clear heritage and townscape value. Much of the street facing façades are of reasonable condition but are in need of repair.
“Meanwhile much of the character has been lost within the two courtyard spaces due to a series of 20th century additions including a large hall, which is proposed to be demolished and replaced with a new student accommodation block.
“The interior, however, is in a state of poor repair and is no longer fit for purpose for modern use. As such it is proposed that major refurbishment works will be undertaken to convert the building for use as student accommodation. Refurbishment will include performance upgrade to windows and insertion of new floors where appropriate.”
A new two storey gate house is also proposed along Stanfield Street, which will “define a new street scene and mark the entrance to the site.”
The student flats would be spread across the three buildings (the existing ex-school, the new build extension and the gate house).
The site is currently vacant, however it was originally used as a school and more recently was used by Nottingham City Council to house the Radford Unity Centre.
People in Leicester to have say on regeneration plans for site of former schools
People who live and work in the Eyres Monsell area of Leicester are being asked for their views on plans to redevelop the site of two former schools for new housing.
Leicester City Council has been awarded £360,000 of government funding from the One Public Estate (OPE) programme. This will help fund the proposed demolition of the disused Newry and Southfield school buildings and prepare the site for much-needed new homes.
Both school buildings have been vacant for over a decade and are now derelict. The city council is working to clear the site ahead of redevelopment with demolition work likely to being in autumn 2022.
Alongside this, the city council has appointed architecture practice Levitate to help develop an outline masterplan for the redevelopment of the three-acre site, located between Southfields Drive and The Newry.
Local residents and businesses are being invited to give their views on the initial proposals to redevelop the site for new council housing.
The proposals include a mixture of flats and family homes with private gardens, in addition to improvements to the existing through route for pedestrians and cyclists linking The Newry and Southfields Drive.
The masterplan currently proposes between 50 and 60 new homes for the site, with the final number to be confirmed at the planning stage. The buildings will be designed to high eco-standards as part of Leicester City Council’s response to the climate emergency.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “We are committed to investing in local neighbourhoods and estates across the city. The redevelopment of the vacant and disused Newry and Southfield school sites presents a valuable opportunity to make lasting and ambitious improvements to this neighbourhood and help address the huge need for new council homes in the city.
“Work is still at a very early stage and we want to involve the local community to help us develop an agreed vision and masterplan for how we can bring this derelict site back into use in a way that will bring real benefits to the local area.
Over 2,000 letters are to be delivered to homes and businesses in the local area inviting people to comment on the initial proposals.
People can also find out more and complete an online survey at my.engaged.space/southfieldandnewry
Closing date for comments is Sunday 13 February.
End of Covid-19 tests for fully vaccinated travellers arriving in England is a huge boost for East Midlands’ biggest economic asset, says Chamber
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement that Covid-19 tests will be scrapped for fully-vaccinated travellers arriving in England, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) said:“East Midlands Airport is arguably the greatest single economic asset in our region, so scrapping Covid-19 tests for fully-vaccinated travellers arriving in England will give it another catalyst to look ahead to a strong year of travel.
“With passenger numbers being a fraction of what they were pre-pandemic, it’s vital for the region that these recover as quickly as possible, starting with a buoyant 2022.
“This in turn will continue to fuel the exciting developments we’ve witnessed surrounding the airport, creating a hub of economic activity linked to the manufacturing and logistics industries that has been central to replacing many of the jobs that have been lost elsewhere.
“For businesses, they can now look forward to being able to re-establish connections with international suppliers and customers that have been difficult to maintain over the past couple of years.
“Our post-Brexit economic hopes rely on forging a new era of global trade, and this requires giving our firms, in particular our region’s innovative manufacturers, true access to the rest of the world without restrictions.
“Employers in many sectors, but particularly those in the hospitality trade, will also welcome an end to the staff shortages that quarantine periods has caused to their operations while they have attempted to reopen.”
A green future: North Lincolnshire Council pledge to be net-zero trailblazer by 2030
North Lincolnshire Council will end its contribution to climate change and become carbon neutral by 2030.
The pledge comes as part of a new policy set to be approved at the council’s Cabinet meeting today, Monday 24 January.
The ‘Green Future’ proposals are designed to enable the council, together with residents and businesses, to make positive changes to create a cleaner, greener, healthier and more sustainable North Lincolnshire.
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This is one of the most important pieces of policy we will be responsible for – it sets a vision which will protect North Lincolnshire now and for future generations.
“We already have an enviable track record when it comes to protecting and enhancing the environment; slashing our carbon emissions in the last decade, planting over 85,000 trees and re-establishing vast areas of urban wildlife habitats – but we can and will go further.
“It embeds environmental protections and enhancements into everything we do and across all that we are responsible for – and is designed to protect and create jobs, taking advantage of new green technologies and the emerging industries.”
The new policy is designed to enable every part of the council, each resident and community, together with all businesses, to play an active and involved role in achieving the best possible environmental outcomes for North Lincolnshire.
In a consultation, 99 per cent of respondents agreed with all the aims set out, which are designed to achieve decarbonisation, environmental protection and enhancement, personal wellbeing and economic growth.
Cllr David Rose, cabinet member for environment, said: “This touches every single community, every single business and every single resident.
“It recognises we all play our part in making our area a cleaner, greener, healthier and more sustainable and attractive place to live, work and visit.”
From 2009 the council reduced its carbon footprint by more than 60 per cent, making savings of £12m in the process. In 2019 alone £1m a year in savings was made from its energy bills through a variety of projects, including replacing every streetlight with low cost, energy efficient LEDs.
The new policy is developed across four themes; net zero and sustainable energy, resources, waste and water management, natural environments, a shared responsibility and vision.
Staffline confident for 2022 following “strong” 2021 performance
A “strong” 2021 performance has created “increased confidence” for 2022 at Staffline, the recruitment and training group.
According to a trading update for the year ended 31 December 2021, the Nottingham-based company expects to generate revenues of £942.7m, up from £927.6m in 2020, representing an increase of 1.6% notwithstanding management actions to exit low margin contracts.
As a result of these actions and the turnaround plan, the group is anticipated to deliver underlying operating profit for 2021 of £10.0m (2020: £4.8m), a significant increase of 108.3%, and 11% ahead of market expectations for 2021.
Albert Ellis, Chief Executive Officer of Staffline, said: “To have achieved such a strong profit performance during a year which presented a number of industry-wide challenges is testament to the underlying strength of our market leading positions and the group’s unrivalled reputation for delivery of labour at scale to major organisations across the UK in critical sectors.
“Having both re-capitalised and refinanced the group, we now have the balance sheet strength and operational agility to execute on more ambitious organic growth plans. The pipeline for 2022 is encouraging, underpinning the board’s increased confidence in the current financial year and beyond.”
East Midlands’ small businesses show resilience as confidence begins to return despite continued challenges
Confidence amongst small firms in the East Midlands is the highest in the UK, despite another challenging quarter for businesses in the region.
According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) quarterly Small Business Index, confidence in the East Midlands has improved slightly in Q4, following a stark drop in Q3, which puts the region’s businesses back into the top spot of most positive of all UK regions. The reading currently stands at 15%, compared to 0% at the end of Q3.
Investment intentions, employment intentions and predicted net gross profit were still holding up amongst small firms at a time when the ‘work from home’ message and international travel restrictions were still in place.
Other key headlines from the report:
- Confidence in business performance shows quarter-on-quarter improvement, as well as being a vast improvement compared with this time last year.
- The number of small businesses increasing headcount (13%) is similar to the proportion reducing staffing levels (12%).
- In the East Midlands, 60% of small firms increased the average salary awarded across their business over the last 12 months, with 55% increasing wages by 2% or more.
- 52% of small businesses in the East Midlands said that their growth aspirations in the next 12 months were to grow either rapidly (increase turnover/sales by over 20%) or moderately (up to 20%).
- Every big business/government organisation should be abiding by the prompt payment code as 18,000 East Midlands businesses could be forced to close this year due to late payment
- Increase the small business rates relief ceiling to £25,000, which would take 200,000 more firms out of this regressive tax
- An increase in the Employment Allowance from £4k to £5k to mitigate the National Insurance Increase from April
- The Government should learn lessons from the botched roll-out of the SME Brexit Support Fund and launch a new fund. This should have similar aims but a more sensible eligibility criteria, reasonable application deadlines and a genuinely international focus
Monthly fall in corporate insolvencies masking true East Midlands picture – R3 Midlands
A month-on-month fall in the number of corporate insolvencies in England and Wales may not be a true reflection of the heavy toll the pandemic is taking on local businesses, warns the Midlands branch of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3.
Figures published by the government’s Insolvency Service show that, nationally, the number of companies entering insolvency fell by 11.4% in December 2021 to a total of 1,486 compared to the previous month, but R3’s Midlands Chair suggests that this statistic could be masking the true situation in the East Midlands.
Eddie Williams, who is also a partner at PwC in the region, said: “The national monthly fall in corporate insolvencies is likely not a true reflection of the levels of underlying distress locally. Many businesses that were already challenged at the start of the pandemic are now dealing with further disruption, such as staff shortages, inflationary pressures and concerns over rising energy prices.
“When a longer-term view of the national data is taken, however, it more accurately demonstrates what may be happening in the region. The latest monthly corporate insolvency statistic is a 20.1% increase on December 2020’s figure of 1,237, and 32.7% above the 1,120 figure for December 2019.
“These increases were driven by a rise in Creditors Voluntary Liquidations, which suggests that the economic situation has pushed – and continues to push – many company directors to close their businesses voluntarily before that decision is made for them.”
Eddie Williams notes that East Midlands businesses in sectors such as retail and hospitality have had a particularly challenging time over the past few weeks with the peak Christmas period being severely affected by COVID restrictions and staffing issues.
He continued: “A sharp rise in COVID cases, increasing costs and falling consumer confidence hit footfall, personnel and sales throughout December. Company directors and management teams have also had to work in the midst of COVID restrictions, which will have affected day-to-day operations, customer behaviour and revenue levels.
“With the latest COVID rules set to end within days, local business owners still need to remain alert, and if their business becomes financially distressed, they should seek advice as soon as possible.
“Most insolvency practitioners in the region will offer a free hour’s consultation to potential clients, so they can understand more about their business, its circumstances and outline what options might be available.”
Associate director at Ashby property consultancy voted national deputy chair of key industry association
An associate director at a property consultancy has been voted national deputy chair of a key pipeline industry association.
Rachel Bridge, of Fisher German, has become the deputy chair of the Pipeline Industries Guild (PIG), the only association worldwide to cater directly for the needs of the pipeline industry.
The role will see her sit on the executive committee of PIG, looking at the development of the industry right across the UK, before becoming national chair in 2024 – one of only a small number of women to ever take up the position.
Rachel was first introduced to PIG during a university placement in 2007 and has since been an active member, taking on the role of Midlands chair in 2020.
She is now set to focus on driving sustainability across the sector as part of the guild’s 2025 strategy.
She also has a passion for education and has ambitions to educate young people on the importance of the sector and the varied career paths it offers.
Rachel is an associate director within Fisher German’s Infrastructure Services Division, and is based at the firm’s Ashby office.
She is responsible for business development and bidding for new infrastructure work and also has more than 10 years of experience managing infrastructure assets across the oil and fibre sectors.
Rachel said: “I am very pleased to be voted in as national deputy chair at such an exciting time for the industry.
“We are entering a green revolution which focuses on sustainability for now and the future, and PIG sees itself as being central to this.
“There are some major multimillion pound infrastructure projects set to take place across the UK, and I will be looking to drive innovation across the whole sector, exploring new technologies and encouraging the sharing of best practice.
“Education is a passion of mine and I will be ensuring that we connect with people at a young age so that we have a diverse pool of talented individuals joining the industry.
“With a number of major projects on the horizon we need to have motivated people coming into the industry to help make these happen.”
