Royal Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen granted to John Mills of MHR International UK Limited
A Royal Warrant of Appointment has been granted to John Mills Esquire, President and Founder of MHR International UK Limited, for the supply of Payroll and HR Systems to Her Majesty The Queen.
John Mills says: “It is a real honour to be the recipient of this highly esteemed award. MHR is now among over 800 Royal Warrant holders, whose work in trade and industry has been acknowledged at the highest level.
“At MHR, we are united by a commitment to the highest standards of service, quality and excellence, and it is a source of great pride that MHR International UK Limited has received the Royal Warrant.”
Since the Nottinghamshire-headquartered business was founded in 1984 by John Mills, MHR has grown significantly and has adapted to many changes to continue to meet the needs of customers.
John Mills continues: “This is an exciting time for MHR. The receipt of this reward is a tribute to the endeavours and commitment of everyone within MHR International that has made it the company it is today. This recognition can also be attributed to all our staff for being an integral part of our journey.”
Notts fire & security company expand East Anglian presence
Notts fire & security system installation and maintenance company Tecserv UK has expanded its presence in East Anglia following the appointment of Simon Brighty as area manager for the region.
Simon, who has worked in the industry since 1995, joins the company from Honeywell Building Solutions where he has spent the last 18 years in a variety of servicing, project management and field based roles supervising teams of service technicians.
In his new role, Simon will be responsible for growing the service base in the East Anglia Area and managing a growing team of service engineers. This will include estimating new projects and small works opportunities.
Commenting on his appointment Simon said: “After a long period working for the same company I needed a change and a fresh challenge. Tecserv has a great reputation within the fire and security industry, and I am excited about the opportunity to help them develop their East Anglian presence based on my previous skills and experience.”
Colin Milligan, Tecserv UK sales director, added: “Simon brings a wide range of managerial, supervisory and technical expertise to the team and has a wide network of contacts in East Anglia that we hope will help to expand our profile and reputation further in this region.”
Two new starters bolster APSS team
Lincolnshire-based commercial interior design and fit out firm APSS has taken on two new recruits to help strengthen the team as demand continues to rise for office design and refurbishments post pandemic.
About to enter its 25th year of business, the office refurbishment company has received increased levels of enquiries to help businesses across the UK adapt their workplace to reflect a more flexible and hybrid working environment.
Both Simon Atkinson and Lee Morris join the team to support customers in their journey to a more efficient and productive workspace.
Simon has joined as a Business Development Manager focusing on potential new customers across the East Midlands. He has seven years’ experience within the commercial interiors industry and in previous roles he strategically focused on opening new pipeline opportunities.
Lee has joined the project management team and will be helping to deliver projects to the highest standards for clients across the UK, ensuring the company fulfils its Customer Satisfaction Promise by helping sites to run efficiently. He will ensure accurate costings and orders, so projects are completed on time and within budget. Lee has moved from Leicester City Football Club where he helped deliver internal projects with the stadium and training facilities.
Stuart Marsland, sales director for the office refurbishment company, said: “APSS is going from strength to strength as the business continues its growth. As a company, we are now looking forward to how we can help businesses achieve their ideal look in 2022 with a full design and build, refurbishment or to expand on their existing space with a purpose-built office mezzanine.
“Simon’s previous experience gives him a fantastic starting point as he already knows the ins and outs of the industry and his experience will be invaluable in driving new business within APSS. Whilst Lee is in the perfect position to manage our customers’ expectations on site.”
Since July, APSS has recruited five new staff and is still looking for more.
Streets cover the Self Assessment Tax Return, R&D tax credits, workforce shortages and more in latest business support update
In its latest Business Support Update, Streets Chartered Accountants dives into Self Assessment Tax Returns in the pandemic period, how businesses are missing out on R&D tax credits, the problem of workforce shortages, amongst other topics.
Self Assessment in the Pandemic Period
The deadline for submitting your 2020/2021 Self Assessment Tax Return online is 31 January 2022 and there is not expected to be an extension like 2019/2020. An automatic £100 late filing penalty will apply if submitted late without a reasonable excuse. Those who regularly submit tax returns will be familiar with the usual requirements for what they need to declare or what they can claim on their Self Assessment Tax Returns, but there are extra considerations to take into account this year as a result of the pandemic.
Podcast: Are You Taking Advantage of your R&D Tax Credits?
In this session, Streets Corporate Tax Partner, Mustafa Rafik looks at Research and Development (R&D) tax credits and why he feels businesses are missing out on this valuable source of financial relief. He dispels the myth that R&D is only something carried out by people in white coats in labs and seeks to highlight that businesses are often undertaking such work without knowing it.
Offshore Assets
HMRC have access to overseas accounts which may be in your name. Many financial institutions and banks have signed up to provide this information to HMRC. If you have any income or gains from assets held overseas you should declare that income via your self-assessment. Failure to declare could result in additional interest, penalties and in some cases even prosecution.
Workforce shortages – employers no longer have the upper hand or call the shots
It looks like workforce shortages are here to stay and are going to affect more and more businesses, not just those looking for lorry drivers or those to work in care, hospitality, food and agriculture sectors. Signs are that the professions and those in the tech sector, along with others, are seeing not just short-term labour shortages but what looks like longer term short falls.
C P Timber Recognised in National Timber Trade Journal Awards 2021
Streets’ client C P Timber, based in Hertford, have recently been awarded Hardwood Trader of the Year in the industry’s Timber Trade Journal Awards 2021. The Awards recognise service excellence and product quality across the timber industry in the key areas of wood-based panels, softwood, hardwood, joinery, structural timber systems and garden products.
SmartMoney Magazine – November/December 2021
SmartMoney is the bi-monthly magazine from Streets Financial Consulting plc, our independent financial planning arm, full of news and helpful information on personal financial planning.
Back in the room: Fiona Duncan-Steer, founder of RSViP Business Networking Agency
Fiona Duncan-Steer, founder of RSViP Business Networking Agency, reflects on her business’s return to live events.
I felt it apt to this month write about my experiences since the events and hospitality industry have reopened their doors and having been fully immersed in this industry for the best part of fifteen years, I can safely say that now I have seen it all.
No one could have foreseen the pandemic and the effects it has had on us all as both individuals and as businesses, and whilst we have all had to navigate our way through it in different ways, the events industry is one that has sadly been most effected.
Yes, live events from March 2020 were put on hold indefinitely with no real indication of when they would return and many of us were left with no choice but to adapt our event models to fit through the screen, creating new formats, taking on new roles and adjusting to tech we had never had to encounter before. I was no different in that I donned a new hat as an interviewer, relaunched my events as ‘virtual’ and completely turned the format I had consistently rolled out for the last ten plus years on its head. Thankfully my creative decision paid off and, if anything, those who participated in the digital events were grateful for the platform of connection and I too learnt a lot, however come July 2021 it was time to get back to it – time to get back in the room.
Even though events are my forte, I won’t pretend it wasn’t daunting re-adjusting our events back from virtual to live again. Re-igniting new conversations, reconnecting with those who had gone quiet during lockdown and generally rebecoming an event’s organiser. It felt good to be liaising with venues again and having real and raw conversations with the staff about how challenging this period had been for them. My favourite element of my job is the people, learning about their businesses, what their aims and objectives are and looking at creative ways of how I can help them to achieve their vision, and collaboration has and always will be one of the strongest ways to achieve this.
Bringing back my first live event in September was both a nerve wracking and exciting experience. It was time. Thankfully we had a full house with almost one hundred and fifty business professionals in attendance, all eager to see one another again, with slightly apprehensive smiles on their faces as they approached the entrance. We operated a traffic light system for our name badges which gave our guests the option to select one of three colours to wear as a name sticker dependent upon how comfortable they were with physical human contact – green being ‘happy to handshake’ and red being ‘please keep at a distance’. Interestingly, ninety five percent of attendees opted for a green badge, no one selected red and the remaining five percent selected amber to represent elbow bumps!
This for us was a very useful social experiment to gauge how people are currently feeling about the situation overall, and whilst it’s not completely accurate to a specially conducted survey, given that those who attended were there because they are to some extent happy to be in a room with other humans again, it’s worth taking into account the many others who no doubt chose to stay silent in their continuing anxiety about leaving their homes to network. Despite this, it was still a positive reaction to what we see as the world slowly re-awakening.
My prediction for events going forward is that gradually, month by month, people will gain more confidence to interact in the room again and as more events and opportunities arise, so will the attendance numbers. To summarise, my experience has been one of positivity so far and thank goodness, we have to get back to business at some point, right?
For more details of Fiona’s RSViP events, see her website – www.rsvipnetwork.co.uk
Fiona Duncan-Steer, RSViP
www.fionaduncansteer.com
Council plans cost-saving office move that boosts green ambitions
Oadby & Wigston Borough Council (OWBC) has revealed plans to leave its council offices in a move that is expected to make significant savings in coming years.
Bushloe House, the borough council’s current home, is going on the market with the proceeds from the sale to be invested into renovating the visitor centre at Brocks Hill Country Park to include office use.
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a re-assessment of the council’s office accommodation and its new agile working policies mean far less space is needed for its day to day operations.
It is expected that the move from the dated, expensive to heat, costly to maintain Bushloe House to the far more modern, eco-friendly Brocks Hill will allow savings to be made every year long into the future. Brocks Hill will be fit for purpose for up to 30 years and its use as its main offices will also significantly reduce the council’s carbon footprint.
The work for the Brocks Hill renovation is due to go out to tender in the coming weeks with the Bushloe House site going up for sale imminently. The Brocks Hill site is already owned by the borough council.
Councillor John Boyce, Leader of OWBC, said: “The pandemic has shown that our staff can deliver high quality services while working in an agile way, allowing us to re-assess our accommodation needs.
“It’s no secret the borough council is looking to make savings and generate income at the moment and downsizing our office space by adapting a more modern, fit for purpose building that we already own is an innovative and exciting plan.
“In the long term it will save large amounts of money year on year that can be better spent on our council services along with the added bonus of reducing our carbon footprint.
“It’s also great news for our staff who will get to work in a space that is fit for the future, allows for agility in ways of working, encourages collaboration among teams and has the added benefit of green space and a leisure centre right on the doorstep.”
Brocks Hill Country Park will continue to be available to the public as usual during and after the renovation. There are no plans to remove the public café and toilets on site, although they will not be available while the renovation work takes place.
No dates are yet set for the renovation work to start, but the council aims to have completed the move by the end of 2022.
Glossop health centre snapped up for £5m
Primary Health Properties PLC, one of the UK’s leading investors in modern primary healthcare facilities, has acquired the entire issued share capital of Peak Health Solutions Limited, whose sole asset is the Lambgates Health Centre, Glossop for a total consideration of £5 million.
The property is a modern, purpose-built primary care facility which is fully let to a GP practice providing 100% government backed income. The lease has an unexpired term of over 20 years.
The medical centre supports 6,500 patients and is a key facility in the local health economy, being one of the only purpose-built buildings in the area.
PHP’s portfolio now comprises a total of 518 assets, of which 20 are in Ireland, with a contracted rent roll of over £139 million.
Harry Hyman, CEO of Primary Health Properties, said: “We are delighted to have acquired this modern primary care centre built in 2012 to BREEAM excellent standards with photo-voltaic panels on its roof. This is in line with our strategy of ensuring our property portfolio reflects our focus on sustainability.
“We have a strong pipeline of opportunities in the UK and Ireland and are well positioned to continue to grow our portfolio as we support the healthcare systems in these markets through the provision of modern, primary care infrastructure.”
IFM Select embarks on a new journey as Partners&
Nottingham-based insurance broker, IFM Insurance Brokers (Midlands) Ltd, trading as IFM Select, is embarking on a new stage of its journey as it fully integrates into the Partners& family.
IFM Select was founded in 1991 and has worked with a wide range of business sectors across the East Midlands, gaining a reputation for the quality of advice and service they provide.
Partners& is a leading insurance and employee benefits advisory business, with 390 people and 17 offices across the UK, controlling approximately £125m GWP (Gross Written Premium).
It aims to become the best insurance advisory business in the UK, delivering an advice-based service focused on 21st century issues, such as cybercrime, data security, people, and professional risks.
Its proposition is based on providing high quality insurance, risk management, business protection and employee benefits advice, supported by a culture of partnership between its people, its clients and its ecosystem.
Owner Phil Cowell said: “It’s been a fast paced and exciting period since joining Partners& in March 2021. In that time, we’ve discovered all that Partners& can offer our clients and it’s been great to be working with some of the best people in the industry.
“The Partners& team has real expertise and a passion to do the right thing for its clients, something we feel strongly about at IFM Select. With our Partners& rebrand now complete, we’re looking forward to growing the Nottingham business, and making it the ‘go to’ insurance broker in the East Midlands.
“It’s a great opportunity for the team here to work with businesses and private clients who value the combination of outstanding service and the quality advice.”
What to look for when choosing branding design services
Being a business owner comes with its fair share of responsibilities and job roles. Day-in, day-out, the success of the company lies on your shoulders, and there are various things to think about to contribute to the overall success of your business.
Marketing and advertising, for example, is a critical component of your business model and is the make or break when it comes to the sale of your products or services. As a result, we would feel right in saying that the decisions you make relating to this part of your business are crucial.
That being said, navigating this part of the business world can often be confusing, especially if you do not know where best to start. Many companies often choose to collaborate with others to solve this problem, enlisting the help of another to help with the branding and design of their business.
We do not doubt that as a business owner, you have the best interests of your company at heart at all times. How do you go about hiring the best of the best, and how do you know if the design services you are hiring are worth the time, money, and effort?
Detailed below, you will find a list of what you should look for when choosing branding design services, both in the coming weeks and beyond. Regardless of what products or services you are providing to the wider public, read on for more.
Reputation and Examples of Previous Work
It goes without saying, but you have to put the work in to find the best of the best. While it can be easy to simply choose the services of the first branding service that you come across, this is something that should be avoided wherever possible.
Conducting a high level of research prior to hiring a branding design service will go a long way and give you a better idea of what companies are out there and what services they are providing. Once you have found some design agencies you would be tempted to work with, you can begin to narrow the list down even further.
Asking your colleagues and other businesses for recommendations of companies they have worked with will also go a long way; you will be able to work with a business that has built itself a worthwhile reputation among your industry.
Furthermore, you could also contact the agencies themselves, asking for examples of previous work and portfolios of examples for you to have a look through. From here, you will be able to establish whether they are the right fit for you; this is generally the case if they have worked with other businesses like yours.
A Multitude of Personable Services
Much like when doing your initial research to find the right fit for your company, you should also make an effort to establish what services the branding design agency has to offer. The last thing you want is to find a business that you wish to work with, only to discover they do not offer the services that you require.
Once you better understand what the design agencies offer, nothing stops you from opening up a channel of communication with the branding service of your choice. Whether you are looking to completely overhaul the branding of your business or are simply looking to redesign your company’s logo, agencies can help bring your vision to life.
Negotiating with the agency is also something worth considering too. While you might gel well with an agency, you could find they do not offer the services that you need but could have something similar available. Communicating with them and seeing if you are able to make changes and adaptations is the best way to go about this process. After all, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by asking!
Individuality and Personalisation
While this might not be the first thing that people think about when finding a branding design service to work with, it is a critical element that should be at the top of your priority list. Once you have developed a rapport with the agency of your choice, nothing stands in your way from working together to create a plan that suits the demands and needs of your business.
At the same time, it is worth understanding that you should not settle for an agency that is not willing to personalise the plan to you. When it comes to marketing and branding, there is no one-size-fits-all method, and the branding of a business and its products or services will vary from one to the next.
Ensuring this is upheld throughout the process and that the branding which is developed is totally unique to your business will go a long way in ensuring that you are able to stand out from the crowd amid a saturated market. Having a bold branding for your business will catch the attention of existing and prospective customers and encourage them to purchase your goods over that of a competitor.
Opportunities to Develop Future Brand Strategies
Working with an agency to change the branding of your business in the immediate future is naturally going to be worthwhile. You will be able to grasp the attention of your customers with a new, bold look, but what about your future efforts?
It can be easy to let something like this fall through the cracks and might not be at the top of your agenda when changing the branding of your company. While we recognise this might be the case, you should ensure that the working relationship you have with the agency is one that can also be taken further into the future to adapt your branding then too.
While it could seem possible to work with different branding agencies in the future, you are playing into the risk that you will not get the same standard of work, nor will there be a level of consistency throughout. Working with the same agency on your projects both now and in the future is always recommended.
What’s more, when you build a rapport with an agency, they will not only get to know you as a person but your brand as a whole. When it comes to creating new and innovative strategies, you can rest assured the person you are working with will be able to come up with a whole host of creative ideas.
Reviews and word of mouth recommendations undoubtedly prove useful in the hunt for a branding design agency; there is no doubt about it. While that might be the case, it is also worth understanding that you must complete a certain level of research to find the right fit for you. The last thing you want is to sign on the dotted line and pay for services that are not up to scratch. Taking the necessary precautions beforehand and completing an adequate level of research will ensure you find the best of the best in no time.
£9m sustainable development gets underway at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park
Work has just begun to create a 2,000 sq m four-storey fourth pavilion to expand SportPark, the award-winning development for the UK’s sports sector, on Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park.
Scheduled for completion in Winter 2022, the £9m project will be built to Passivhaus Classic Accreditation to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
The first Passivhaus development on the University campus, SportPark Pavilion 4 presents sports organisations with the unique opportunity to secure environmentally future-proof accommodation, tailored to their needs.
It will enable occupants to reduce their carbon footprint and operating costs thanks to highly efficient heat pumps, opening triple-glazed windows for natural ventilation, solar shading to avoid summer overheating and continuous and well-insulated building fabric to minimise heat loss.
Loughborough University says it is fully committed to decarbonising its estate to meet the Government’s zero carbon target by 2050, with significant progress by 2040. SportPark Pavilion 4 will project the University’s forward looking, environmentally conscious values, delivering significant benefits to its occupants.
The project will increase by 25% the floorspace of the five-storey building which currently houses the UK’s highest concentration of sports governing bodies and national sports organisations. SportPark Pavilion 4 will directly support 165 jobs with an additional 157 induced jobs in the wider economy, stimulating further demand to bring sports related organisations and businesses to the region.
The development is one of four key infrastructure projects to be delivered by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) as part of the Getting Building Fund. Projects were chosen based on their impact on the region’s economic growth, both in the short and long-term, and their strategic fit to current economic priorities.
Professor Mike Caine, Loughborough University Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Sport, said: “SportPark is a tremendous asset to the University and wider region – housing, as it does, complementary organisations, working in collaboration with the University, and harnessing the power of sport to benefit communities, locally, nationally, and around the world.
“SportPark Pavilion 4 will provide the capacity to welcome yet more mission-driven organisations to the University, and to further anchor the region as an internationally important Sports Innovation Hub.
“The SportPark expansion coincides with a growing number of innovation and technology-led sports businesses launching at, or relocating to, LUSEP, attracted to the collaborative environment and access to the University’s world-leading expertise in sports science, engineering, health and well-being, high-performance athlete base, and sports infrastructure.
“LUSEP is already one of the most accessible science parks in the UK, located one mile from Junction 23 of the M1. The recently completed £25M road improvements will ultimately create a further access point, even closer to the M1. This is particularly welcome news as LUSEP’s expansion continues, as part of the Loughborough and Leicester Science and Innovation Enterprise Zone.”
Kevin Harris, Chair of the LLEP Board of Directors, said: “We are delighted to see the construction of Pavilion 4 at SportPark commence. Our £6M Getting Building Fund investment will create a state-of-the-art facility, attracting more sport-related businesses to Leicestershire and generating further jobs in this expanding sector.
“Our sector research shows the sports sector has the potential to deliver £100M of growth by 2030. The low carbon Passivhaus design of the building will make a valuable contribution to reducing CO2 emissions for Leicestershire, too.”
Contractor Henry Brothers Midlands has been appointed to build SportPark Pavilion 4. Managing Director, Ian Taylor, said: “We are excited to continue our successful on-going relationship with Loughborough University – helping to upgrade campus facilities and deliver new projects.
“As a Passivhaus development, SportPark Pavilion 4 builds on Henry Brothers’ growing portfolio of environmentally sound schemes and will be a fantastic addition to LUSEP.”
