Business News

Sandwell Council's budget for the coming financial year has been agreed which leaders say will protect frontline services and recognises the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the local community. Councillors have approved a council tax of 1.99% to fund local services, plus an extra 1% to help pay for adult social care services meaning a total increase of 2.99%.

Total council tax charges are different for each one of eight property valuation bands – and also include additional charges from police and fire services. Including the charges for police and fire services, most Sandwell residents will need to pay an extra 77p to 89p per week from April 1. This is the lowest council tax rise in the West Midlands.

Councillor Wasim Ali, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for core council services, said the budget - which was agreed at the Full Council meeting – acknowledged the impact of Covid-19 on the local community. He said: "The budget for the coming year again protects frontline services but also recognises the massive impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on our residents and businesses.

"In order to do this we are proposing an increase in council tax of 1.99% and an extra 1% for adult social care services. This is lower than the 4.99% allowed by government which has been adopted by neighbouring authorities, making the rise the lowest in the West Midlands and the minimum we believe is necessary to protect frontline services. We’re also one of very few councils nationally whose Council Tax Reduction Scheme provides 100% support to our lowest income residents.”

Cllr Ali said that the council's budget for 2021/22 had a £13.8 million shortfall and that the deficit would be met by using one-off balances and Covid-19 emergency funding, and that savings plans were now being considered to address the shortfall in coming years. He also gave a reassurance that the council’s free balance provision would remain stable at the end of 2021/22 and remain within the recommended limits.

He said: “This is the first time we have needed to use one-off balances to balance the budget but the pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges and it’s important to say that the council maintains a strong balance sheet and a comfortable level of reserves.”

Sandwell’s deputy council leader, Cllr Maria Crompton, added: “This has been a very difficult year for so many people, with our residents, businesses, community organisations, and the council, all facing financial challenges.

“We have approved a budget to protect frontline services for our communities while also keeping the council tax rise to the minimum we can in order to achieve this.” The budget also confirmed 2021/22 funding for the Sandwell Children’s Trust of £68.028 million and that the council’s fees and charges would be frozen for 2021/22.

The University of Wolverhampton has appointed a main build contractor for the ‘shovel ready’ National Brownfield Institute (NBI) at its £120m Springfield Campus. 

ISG has been awarded the contract to build the NBI on the construction super campus, with work starting later this month. 

The £17.5million research centre, designed by Birmingham-based Associated Architects, received planning approval in December 2020. The NBI will be a world-class institute that provides the facility to develop modern methods of building through innovation and partnership with the construction industry, focusing on the practical application of future brownfield regeneration through the work of research teams, leading policy development and commercial services. 

The scheme has benefited from £14.9million of funding from the Government’s Get Building Fund for the West Midlands. City of Wolverhampton Council worked closely with the Black Country LEP and West Midlands Combined Authority to secure the funding. A request for the remainder of the funding required forms part of the city’s bid to the Government’s Towns Fund. The NBI will secure the City of Wolverhampton's position as a leader internationally in sustainable construction, circular economy and brownfield development and will deliver new skills, jobs and opportunities for local people in the city, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. 

Professor Geoff Layer, Vice-Chancellor at the University, said: “We’re delighted to announce the appointment of ISG as contractor for the NBI meaning that we are a step closer to delivering the project and adding to the portfolio of construction and built environment expertise that now resides at the Springfield Campus. The NBI will be integral to the way we look at land remediation and regeneration across the Black Country and the UK and will play a pivotal part in unlocking industrial land to help tackle the housing shortage in our towns and cities.” 

Councillor Stephen Simkins, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “We have seen the University’s Springfield Campus blossom into the reality of a European-leading built environment education campus and we are delighted to have got to the point of delivering the National Brownfield Institute so quickly after securing vital funding. 

“It will make Wolverhampton a world leader in construction, regeneration and built environment, offering teaching and skills development, cutting edge research and innovation, and enterprise and business engagement through multi-sector partnerships.  

“It is yet another sign of the confidence being shown in Wolverhampton as a place to invest, as our regeneration plans change our city and help it recover and relight from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, providing new skills and jobs opportunities for people in the city.” 

Tom Westley DL, Chair of the Black Country LEP Board, said: “The Black Country LEP is delighted to support projects such as these which are making a real positive impact on the local economy, creating jobs and supporting skills development, as our region looks to recover from the impact of the pandemic.” 

The Mayor of the West Midlands and Chair of the WMCA, Andy Street, added: “This Institute will help the West Midlands become a global leader in the clean-up and regeneration of derelict sites. That’s important for several reasons not least because every brownfield site we develop saves a greenfield one. But it will also drive next generation thinking and the development of new techniques for transforming brownfield land into vibrant new communities offering affordable and energy efficient homes for local people and modern commercial premises for growing businesses. 

“The Institute will also equip our residents with the modern construction skills they will need to work on these brownfield projects, helping to get people into high-skilled, well-paid, work as we look to bounce back from the economic impact of the pandemic.” 

Wayne Flannery, ISG’s regional director, said: “Helping to deliver on the city’s vision for a dedicated centre of excellence for construction and built environment learning has been highly motivating for our team. It’s inspiring to work collaboratively with a customer so focused on creating the very best facilities for students and academics to excel in ground-breaking research that could potentially change the way we approach construction in the future.” 

Head of Capital Developments at the University, Steve Lamb, said: “The project team has worked incredibly hard to get the project moving with thanks to Associate Architects, CPW, Faithful & Gould, Delta Planning, Atkins and MACE for all of their efforts in getting the project to this point so quickly.” 

The 12-acre Springfield Campus is already home to the Thomas Telford University Technical College, Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills and the recently opened £45million School of Architecture and Built Environment. These facilities, combined with the NBI, will lay the foundation for the delivery of a National Centre for Sustainable Construction and Circular Economy, which will focus on sustainability and the climate change emergency. 

This is the fourth year of this annual two-week festival, which switched from May to October in 2020 due to Covid-19. Organisers, the Black Country Chamber of Commerce took the decision to keep the dates the same this year to allow more time for the possibility of in-person events to take place.

The autumn dates worked very well and the Festival still amassed 96 registered events and nearly 900 businesses were involved, despite some tiered restrictions being in place.

Corin Crane, chief executive of the Black Chamber of Commerce said, “We are thrilled to share the dates for this year’s Festival. It’s been a challenging time for everyone for a long while now. The Business Festival is an important part of our annual calendar and will give a real boost to our business community, as we hopefully edge out of this dip and re-mobilise again.

“This is historically an exciting two weeks for the Black Country with events of all descriptions taking place right across the region. We are looking to make some positive changes to the structure of the fortnight to make it accessible to all businesses and offer opportunities to develop lead and challenge.  We were overwhelmed by the response from businesses last year in the peak of the pandemic so this year is certainly going to be something to look forward to.

“Of course, the Business Festival relies on support from organisations to make it happen and we would now like to hear from any companies that may wish to get involved and learn about the benefits that can be gained from being part of this longstanding, far-reaching business event.”

There are many advantages to partnering with the Business Festival. Brand positioning is one such benefit with a marketing reach that topped 161 million last year, and an audience that stretched locally, regionally and even internationally. There are also multiple opportunities to increase business leads and contacts as another example.

Freedom comes to the West Midlands soon with the announcement of a lifting of lockdown restrictions starting next month. And working on a local plan for people in the area and visitors is Daniel Goodby the General Manager at Stratford Manor, who from tomorrow will be actioning an 80 day countdown to ‘Freeday’ May 17.

Boris Johnson’s announcement this week detailing the re-opening of golf courses from March 29, Spa and Leisure facilities from April 12th and a chance to leave home and stay in a hotel overnight from May 17 means that the hotel can finally put their plans in place.It is a task worthy of a major military operation:

To get ready for guests’ arrivals across the QHotels Group, housekeeping staff will be deployed to complete 88,170 minutes of cleaning bedrooms with 11,756 pillows to be fluffed.

The maintenance team will furiously busy themselves prepping leisure facilities with 58,422 yards of golf course lawn to mow and 298 meters of pool to clean until sparkling.

Meetings will be welcomed back with 250 meeting rooms to prep, and happy couples will be able to celebrate their postponed nuptials, with the group preparing for 212 summer wedding celebrations. There are 2,100 Moët & Chandon bottles waiting to be popped in celebration, and 45,800 new seasonal menus to be ordered for delicious afternoon teas and mealtimes.

QHotels Group are preparing right down to the last detail, with 21 check-in bells to polish – ready for the joyous arrival of the first overnight guests on 17 May.  “The demand is going to be huge,” said Daniel. “We are expecting the biggest number of guests, probably ever, as people breathe the sigh of relief after lockdown and plan a “going out”, pampering sessions, leisure breaks, overnights and weekends away like never before. So we need to be ready.”

The QHotels Group have been planning for this time for over six months so the scale of the re-opening operation doesn’t phase them. Even though hotels in the group have been open for essential stays for key workers throughout the pandemic, the task is still immense. “There are huge challenges in re-opening a hotel. Most don’t realise the enormity of the task, but thousands of staff across the group have been rehearsing for this moment for some time and we have already swung in to action,” he said.     

Already the phones are ringing at the 21 hotels that the group manage and bookings, especially in the West Midlands, are higher than anticipated and way above the normal for this time of year. “We have seen a huge surge in bookings already and a bigger take up than ever for that first week of “unlock,” said Daniel.  “Not only is this due to the freedom break but our special Great British Breakaway deals are also proving irresistible,” he said.

The QHotels Group promise also ensures that dates can be moved and refunds given in full if for some reason bookings can’t go ahead. So no reason not to take advantage of these “not to be repeated” early freedom offers.

Guests can be assured of their safety during their visit and stays as all hotels in the QHotels Group have been accredited by Shield Safety Group as part of the group’s Clean + Safe programme. This provides staff, customers and suppliers with the confidence that all hotels have been fully assessed for safety measures. The government have spoken and the Great British Public have absolutely responded – Freedom is here at last.

The furlough scheme will be extended until the end of September, the Chancellor is set announce in today's Budget.

Rishi Sunak said the scheme - which pays 80% of workers' wages for hours they cannot work - would help millions through the challenging months ahead. Some 600,000 more self-employed people will also be eligible for government help as access to grants is widened.

Labour said the support schemes should have been extended months ago. There are currently about four million people who are using the coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) - or furlough - the highest level since last summer.

The scheme has been credited for slowing the pace of job losses as tens of thousands of businesses remain shut, with nine million people furloughed at its peak. But business groups say the chancellor has taken too long to extend the scheme in the past, creating a cliff edge for employers.

Mr Sunak must also come up with a long-term plan to pay for the schemes, which have contributed to the government borrowing some £270bn since the pandemic began. The government said furloughed employees would continue to receive 80% of current salary, capped at £2,500 a month, until the scheme ends at the end of September.

Employers will be asked for a contribution of 10% from July and 20% in August and September towards the hours their staff do not work. The chancellor will also announce that a fourth self-employment support grant will be available to claim from next month. This will be worth 80% of three months' average trading profits, capped at £7,500.

To access the grants, claimants have had to show their 2018-19 tax returns - but this has meant hundreds of thousands of newly self-employed people have been excluded from help.

As tax data for 2019-20 is now available, the government says many more workers will now be eligible for support. Mr Sunak was also due to announce details of a fifth grant today.

Birmingham-based contractor, Willmott Dixon, has collaborated with Offsite Solutions, the UK’s leading bathroom pod manufacturer, to maximise the time, cost, quality and sustainability benefits of offsite manufacturing during the build of its two plots worth £78m, as part of the wider £500m Perry Barr Residential Scheme.

The development, commissioned by Lendlease on behalf of Birmingham City Council, will see Willmott Dixon create 430 apartments in the dual four to six-storey blocks, on the site of the former Birmingham City University campus. The two apartment blocks will make up a crucial part of the Perry Barr Regeneration Scheme’s plan to deliver 1,400 much-needed homes for north-west Birmingham - the apartments will be made available for rent and sale, with homes being occupied in 2023. 

Working in collaboration, the contractor and offsite manufacturer are completing two contracts totalling £3.5m, to supply 692 steel-framed bathroom and en-suite shower pods. The use of innovative offsite manufacturing not only provides programme certainty and increases quality due to factory conditions, but also increases time efficiency by 30%.

Dan Doyle, operations director at Willmott Dixon, said: “The recently launched Construction Playbook has put standardisation and the use of modern methods of construction at the heart of public sector building progarmes to enable us to build ‘better, greener and smarter’, and that’s exactly what we’ve done on this scheme. The benefits of using offsite manufacturing during a project of this scale are unmatched. In one day, we can install approximately 20 pods. Traditionally this would involve a number of trades across several weeks. For our customers, this means additional project certainty and added programme benefits, along with assured quality. The benefits don’t stop there. The use of the pods helps to reduce the project’s carbon footprint while also supporting the compliance of Covid-19 safety guidance on-site. 

“This project also features a lightweight steel frame and a unique brick-like Corium cladding – both of which further demonstrate our use of offsite manufacturing techniques to support with time and cost efficiencies for our customer, while also adapting to ensure our workforce remained safe on-site during the Covid-19 pandemic.” The bathroom pods feature contemporary grey floor and wall tiles, a wall-mounted D-shaped hand basin, heated towel rail and a bath with a hand-held shower on a sliding rail. The shower rooms are fitted out with a hand-held rain shower, a large shower tray and sliding glass door, with an accompanying single bar towel rail adjacent to the shower or bath.

Managing director of Offsite Solutions, James Stephens, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Willmott Dixon on a project that will provide much-needed homes for local people. The use of bathroom pods will improve the programme by maximising work offsite. By moving the fitout of bathrooms into a factory setting, we offer much greater certainty of completion on time, on budget and consistency of quality”.

These dual housing blocks, designed by Corstorphine & Wright, were designed to be part of wider residential development that will create new activity and vibrancy for the area whilst providing much-needed housing provision. The steel-framed bathroom pods in these blocks support the ambitions of the design, offering a premium aesthetic with traditional porcelain wall and floor tiling and a high-quality finish.

Anna Evans, project director at Lendlease, said: “We’re pleased to see the innovative use of bathroom pods at Perry Barr. This is another excellent example of the work taking place to ensure this development will be completed efficiently, safely and sustainably.” 

Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council said: “We have an urgent need for new and high-quality housing in this city.

“The Perry Barr Residential Scheme is making a significant contribution to meeting this demand – so it is really pleasing to see the innovative approach being used to equip the homes on these plots with excellent facilities.

“The completion of the bathrooms for these homes represents another significant milestone for the wider regeneration of Perry Barr.” As part of Willmott Dixon’s commitment to leaving a legacy in the local community, working in collaboration with Lendlease and other contractors on the Scheme, the business will be contributing towards delivering a wide range of community and economic activities that will benefit local people both during the development and in the future.

These benefits include supporting community projects and engaging with local schools as well as the creation of 400 new jobs - 50 of which will be apprenticeships. Contractors operating on the Perry Barr Residential Scheme will be working in collaboration to support 1,000 pre-employment training places and contributing towards hosting 10,500 work experience hours during the development.

The contractors' support of the local community will also see them working in collaboration with Birmingham City Council’s employment access team to promote jobs and training opportunities through a variety of initiatives including the Construction Skills Hub and the Women in Construction programme.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he is preparing a Budget that provides support for people as Covid lockdown rules are eased. As the earliest restrictions in England are set to be fully lifted by 21 June he said he would provide help during that period but added that he wanted to level with people about the shock to the economy caused by Covid.

Mr Sunak dismissed claims he told Tory MPs he wanted to raise taxes now so he could cut them ahead of the next election. This comes as the government announced £5bn to help high street businesses. Meanwhile Labour's shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, accused the chancellor of being focused on politics over protecting the economy.

Mr Sunak said the government had gone "big and early" when providing support to those hit by Covid at the beginning of the pandemic - and added that there's more to come. The furlough scheme - which supports around 4.7 million people - is due to finish at the end of April along with the £20 weekly increase in Universal Credit.

He said he was focused on preparing a budget that provides support for people and businesses and families through the remaining stages of this crisis and in line with the easing of restrictions as set out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. However he also said he wanted to "be honest" with the public about the pandemic's impact on the economy and "clear about what our plan to address that is".

He warned high levels of borrowing had meant Britain was "more sensitive to interest rate changes" and that debt could "rise indefinitely" if borrowing continued after the recovery. He also added that making public finances sustainable isn't going to happen overnight but would not confirm newspaper reports he was planning to freeze income tax thresholds or raise corporation tax in a bid to lower debt.

Freezing thresholds would mean more people paying more tax as wages rose.

Nigeria is fast becoming world leaders the world with more cryptocurrency trading going on there than anywhere else with one of the more prominent investors being Lagos resident, Tola Fadugbagbe.

After undertaking a series of odd jobs earning the minimum wage to survive, in 2016 the 34-year-old saw a Bitcoin advert after which his cryptocurrency journey began.

"I was spending hours every day watching videos on YouTube and reading articles about Bitcoin,” he recalled, “and I didn't have much money so I started with $100 to $200." It was a decision that transformed his life forever.

Now Mr Fadugbagbe is trading full time and teaches budding investors. He since said, at an early stage, that he had cryptocurrency worth more than $200,000 (£140,000) in his possession. And, furthermore, he has not looked back since.

"I'll soon be moving into my own house, which I'm building,” he said. “Now I have a very big farm - courtesy of cryptocurrency," he said. "No Nigerian comes to cryptocurrency and wants to look back. It's a big opportunity."

Tola’s story is just one of millions of Nigerians who have been attracted to digital currencies such as Bitcoin, with 2020 survey by data platform Statista revealing that 32% of the country is using cryptocurrencies - the highest proportion of any country in the world as it makes alternative sources of income and alternative currencies attractive.

Estimates show that of the top 10 countries for trading volumes, Nigeria ranked third place after the US and Russia in 2020, generating more than $400m worth of transactions. The Central Bank of Nigeria devalued the currency, the naira, by 24% last year, with fears of a further fall in value by as much as 10% this year.

Many Nigerians, however, have been reporting that their bank accounts have been frozen due to cryptocurrency-related activity, but Mr Fadugbagbe's bank manager managed to  call him and advise him that his account would be closed, giving him a day to transfer his funds – which he managed to do, leaving him ,and many other investors, say that they will continue to trade using their overseas bank accounts.

At the heart of the rise of Bitcoin in Nigeria is a distrust of centralised financial systems and top-down economic control, investors say. Many express their frustrations with government policy and the decline of the Nigerian economy.

None more so than Mr Fadugbagbe, who spent years struggling to scrape by as what he describes as a "minimum-wage slave".

"I don't do shares and government bonds", he says. "Those are scams. I trust cryptocurrency more."

VisitBritain has today announced that tourism businesses in the UK registered to the ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard scheme can now be automatically issued with the international ‘Safe Travels’ stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The We’re Good To Go scheme, launched last year by VisitEngland in partnership with the tourism boards of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, has been recognised by the WTTC as meeting its international global standardised health and hygiene protocols and for its role in supporting the recovery of the UK tourism sector.

The WTTC stamp enables travellers to recognise destinations around the world which have adopted global standardised protocols - so they can experience ‘Safe Travels.’ VisitBritain is coordinating the Safe Travels stamp issue in the UK, on behalf of the WTTC, for businesses registered to the We’re Good To Go scheme, with those who welcome international visitors particularly encouraged to apply.

VisitBritain CEO Sally Balcombe said: “We are delighted that businesses certified to We’re Good To Go can also automatically register for the WTTC’s global Safe Travels stamp, recognising the standard of protocols and processes we have in place in the UK. This is also testament to the hard work and commitment of tens of thousands of businesses right across the country who have adapted and innovated to safely meet new ways of working and are already ‘good to go’.

“This international stamp sitting alongside our We’re Good To Go mark also serves to reinforce that ‘ring of confidence’ for visitors that UK tourism businesses, attractions and destinations have clear processes in place to welcome them back safely as travel restrictions can be lifted. Our priority is to support the industry through crisis to recovery and beyond and this is a timely boost for businesses as well as for future inbound visitors, reassuring them that they can plan their trips to the UK with confidence, once we can travel again, and have a great experience when they get here.”

WTTC President & CEO Gloria Guevara said: “We are pleased to see VisitBritain, the tourism agency for one of the world’s most popular destinations, implementing enhanced health and safety measures that are in line with our global protocols, to ensure safe travel, and we are delighted to recognise its efforts through the WTTC Safe Travels stamp. The globally recognised stamp enables both business and leisure travellers to distinguish destinations around the world which have adopted health and hygiene global standardised protocols – so they can experience ‘Safe Travels’ and VisitBritain’s adoption will help to restore consumer confidence.”

From Friday February 26, We’re Good To Go registered businesses in the UK can log into their online account to download the Safe Travels stamp. Any business not already part of We’re Good To Go can apply to the scheme through the usual process and indicate within that application their wish to use the additional global WTTC stamp. More than 44,000 businesses across the UK are registered on to the ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard demonstrating they are adhering to the latest Government and public health guidance, have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment and have the required processes in place to aid social distancing and cleanliness, reassuring customers, staff and local residents.

The protocols for the WTTC’s global Safe Travels stamp were designed with the World Health Organisation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines’ and developed alongside leading industry associations and international organisations

The perfect night’s sleep is the ultimate quest for many - but is our growing love of Instagram-friendly mattresses with generous returns policies doing more harm than good?

In recent years, a glut of social media-savvy businesses have sparked a revolution of mattresses fit for the social media age. Bright, modern designs and lofty promises of space-age technology designed to provide a restful slumber have charmed thousands of buyers, especially thanks to their consumer-friendly returns policies.

“They turn up in a box, with next day delivery, and you can send it back if you hate it - and there are always voucher codes online so you never pay full price,” says Lara, 29, who purchased one such mattress this year. Other buyers agree that the appeal of these mattresses is in the ease of purchase and the generous returns policy, with 26-year-old Matt commenting: “If you’ve got to sleep on it every night, it has to be perfect. I wouldn’t spend hundreds of pounds on something for it just to give me backache and then not be able to return it.”

Many of these modern mattress firms offer long ‘no quibble’ return guarantees, giving consumers upwards of three months, some even 365 days to try out their sleep-giving properties before either keeping or returning the mattress. Divert.co.uk, a rubbish removal expert, say these policies are causing an unacceptable rise in landfill waste - and should be banned.

A spokesperson for Divert.co.uk, Mark Hall, said: “These returns policies might seem like a no-brainer for buyers - and some companies promise returns are refurbished and re-sold, appealing to the eco minded consumer. But the more sinister reality is that hundreds of these mattresses are returned each day and, in order to cope with demand, brands use cheap local waste removal firms who are taking them straight to the tip - destined for landfill.

“Firms should be required by law to limit their returns policies to a period which means most returned mattresses can be refurbished, cleaned, and resold - or face hefty fines for unnecessary pollution.

"We've been offered various contracts to collect these perfectly good mattresses and turned them down as we refuse to take them to landfill, which is what is demanded from the client"

Pollution is even more of a key issue with modern mattresses, Divert.co.uk warns, due to the rise in demand for memory foam mattresses.”

While comfortable and supportive to sleep on, memory foam is made from polyurethane, a type of plastic. While recyclable in some forms, once the material has been made into a foam, it can’t be returned to another form - diminishing its re-use potential. Additionally, many mattresses - while they do contain other, more easily recycled materials such as metal springs or fabric coverings - tend to be sent to landfill whole. This further worsens their environmental impact: a high price to pay, even for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Hall continued: “Even something as small as mandating that mattresses should be stripped to their constituent parts and recycled before disposal could have an enormously beneficial effect. The impact that this boom in mattress sales could have must be caught before it is too late - and it requires bold moves and truly environmentally-friendly thinking by legislators. Shortening return times and requiring any reusable material to be stripped is the very least we can do to avoid sending thousands of tonnes of useless plastic to landfill after just months of use.”

A British entrepreneur has launched a social impact company The HUG Agency in partnership with His Highness Sheikh Saqer Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi private office in Dubai.

"We are launching recruitment agencies globally which gift 100% net agency fees back to the worker and society" says their founder, Ian Seddon. "We can help countries strengthen their economy, reduce social tension and reduce inequality by giving families free financial assets.

“The more we can give to society, the more our impact investors are rewarded, so everyone benefits". The recruitment industry market exceeds $400 billion annually but rather than giving cash, HUG will give workers free financial assets (Tesla shares, Amazon shares, Bitcoin...whatever they choose).

The assets, worth on average $3,000 per job placement, are released gradually over 24 months, so the recipient builds wealth and security whilst receiving free financial education via a digital wallet. But it's not just workers who will benefit. Businesses won't pay higher fees and they will get happy staff incentivised to stay for at least two years (while their free assets accumulate). If the worker does leave, the hiring business gets a 50% refund of the remaining balance.

Businesses can promote their ESG credentials, proving they support society and in future HUG will help smaller firms administer staff incentive schemes. It's a great way for businesses to gain customers and to retain them, especially as we inject more free wealth into the next generations.

HUG never risks the investments they allocate to workers and have modelled how they can still produce a great, long-dated return for impact investors or philanthropists. "Basically, we're really a fintech which is taking stewardship of the recruitment market because they have failed to innovate for decades." says Ian.

"We're introducing better technology so users can control their own data and for every 250,000 jobs we place, we forecast $1 billion assets under management which will give $600 million to families and $400 million to society".

HUG are planning to launch in the UK, USA, Europe and Australia this year and their Sovereign partners in Dubai give excellent opportunities for growth in MENA. Businesses, families, governments, investors and the global economy... everyone benefits when we recapitalise society.

City of Wolverhampton micro and small businesses have started receiving specialist support as part of the first cohort of the Council’s new Relight Business Programme.

Applications are now also being invited for the second cohort, with a deadline of Wednesday, March 31. The programme went live last month, and the Council’s Business Development team is already working with 30 city businesses in sectors such as hair and beauty, health and wellbeing, photography, manufacturing, painting and decorating, retail and hospitality.

The programme provides financial management advice and digital guidance and is being run in conjunction with the Black Country Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Small Businesses. Each business will receive at least £750 worth of professional support in the form of financial health checks, analysis of funding and cashflow, reviews of products and services, and ways to improve market awareness, with the aim to rapidly build their capacity to survive and grow in the Covid-19 hit economy.

Membership of the Federation of Small Business or the Black Country Chamber of Commerce is also included as part of the programme. One company that is being supported is photography, graphic design and print company, Image Squad Ltd.

Its Creative Director/Owner, Lee 'Bear' Guest, said: “It has been a breath of fresh air to be involved in something positive during this testing time. I’m finding that as a small business who is cut off from both clients and freelance staff that being part of this scheme is a positive beacon. 

“Too many people are struggling to see a way out of this pandemic, myself included.  However, I refuse to accept that today will be the same as tomorrow. I can start to make changes to ready my business for reopening, whenever that may be.

“The support I have had so far has been helpful and, as someone who is in their 50s, I am embracing both the education and advice available. I am a realist and I also know what I have built so far has a long way to go and grow.”

Councillor Stephen Simkins, Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “These are incredibly difficult times for our small businesses, and we are constantly looking at new ways we can support them and help them bounce back from the current crisis.

“Through our work in administering thousands of vital business grants during the Covid-19 pandemic we have identified where some small businesses need more than just financial support.

“The Relight Business Programme provides more tailored support from business professionals that will help some of our smallest, but most ambitious businesses, survive and grow.”

The programme is aiming to support up to 200 micro and small city businesses in total. Applications must show ambition and passion about the business and programme.

Virgin Media is today unveiling a comprehensive five year plan which sets out how the company will support and connect communities across the UK, reduce its impact on the environment and continue to become a more inclusive employer.

The ‘Meaningful Connections Plan’ is a bold and far-reaching strategy with ambitious five year goals spread across three key areas: people, planet and communities. As part of the strategy, Virgin Media will use its connectivity and presence in towns and cities nationwide to support projects which address loneliness and create greater community belonging. In addition, it will take steps to employ more people from underrepresented groups, and is committing to achieve net zero carbon operations (Scopes 1 and 2) and zero waste operations by the end of 2025. 

Virgin Media is also joining forces with the charity, Carers UK, for a five year strategic partnership which will use technology and innovation to address the loneliness experienced by eight out of ten unpaid carers, and will work together to connect more carers to each other and to their communities.

Lutz Schüler, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Media, said: “With the country beginning to look towards recovering and rebuilding, we believe it’s vital to use this moment to bounce back in a better way. As a major UK employer and investor with a presence in communities across the country, we know that we can make a positive impact.

“Our Meaningful Connections Plan will use our purpose, people and products to create lasting change in the towns and cities we serve, drive greater diversity and inclusion into our business and see direct action taken to help tackle climate change. This plan spans across our whole business and is backed by bold and ambitious goals which set a benchmark and provide focus for what we want to achieve over the next five years, starting right now.”

The Meaningful Connections Plan

Virgin Media’s ‘Meaningful Connections Plan’ has been created following extensive research and insight from its customers, employees and experts around the role the company should play in society over the next five years. 

This highlighted that Virgin Media should use its purpose, people and products to bring communities together to address the issue of loneliness and the erosion of community belonging. This has been backed by further independent research of 5,000 people where more than two fifths of people said that the wellbeing of their community is more important to them following the pandemic. Almost two thirds say they feel lonely when they do not have time to connect with friends or family in person, while two fifths say they feel lonely when they do not have time to connect with their communities in person.

Virgin Media’s research has also found that more than one in five of its 5.6 million cable customers in the UK is an unpaid carer – the equivalent of around 1.2 million customers - with 58% saying they have felt lonely or isolated. An unpaid carer is someone who looks after a loved one, friend or neighbour who is older, disabled or seriously ill, offering practical, emotional support or hands-on care.

Virgin Media found that the issues of loneliness and isolation are exacerbated for the 6.5 million unpaid carers across the country – as they are seven times more likely to be lonely compared to non-carers. According to Carers UK, the pandemic has compounded these issues as carers now have little or no time for themselves or the opportunity to connect up with loved ones or their communities.

Communities: 1.5 million people more meaningfully connected

Virgin Media will use its people, brand and connectivity to help end the loneliness experienced by carers, and to bring communities closer together: its goal is to connect 1.5 million people to their communities and each other. Virgin Media will use digital technology, innovation and the power of its people to support carers and communities. This includes helping one million carers to access more digital services and platforms to build support networks and friendships; collaborating with community groups to provide skills, training or funding; and using Virgin Media’s network of local workers to support projects which create a greater sense of community belonging.

To ensure this goal is shared across the business, Virgin Media is boldly increasing the number of annual paid volunteering days for its people to five – the equivalent of around 450,000 hours per year across its 12,000 workforce. Employees will be encouraged to take time regularly to support projects – either in-person or digitally - which build meaningful connections in their own community, including micro-volunteering opportunities that have a more sustained impact on their local communities. 

Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said: “Carers UK’s new five year partnership with Virgin Media is exciting and transformative, enabling us to connect with many more unpaid carers and critically raise awareness of the issue.

“We know now more than ever millions of people are looking after someone and through this partnership we aim to reach them sooner and create better connections so that they are supported, leading to a reduction in loneliness and isolation. As Carers UK also embark on our new five-year strategy this partnership really underpins our ambitious plans to make life better for carers – we can’t wait to get started!”

Lutz Schüler continued: “We’re supporting communities with a long-term plan to tackle loneliness and isolation. We know that our connectivity, combined with the power of our people, can have a lasting impact and bring people together. 

“With our new partnership with Carers UK at the heart of our plan, we will use digital technology and innovation to make life better for one million unpaid carers, creating meaningful connections to each other and their communities.”

Planet: reducing impact

Virgin Media is stepping up action to tackle climate change – with a goal to achieve net zero carbon operations (Scopes 1 and 2) and zero waste operations by the end of 2025.

Virgin Media will continue to reduce its impact on the planet by becoming more energy efficient, cutting emissions, sourcing renewable power supply and reducing waste by increasing reuse of materials across its products and operations. By the end of 2025, Virgin Media aims to achieve:

Net zero carbon operations

·         Reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 25%, sourcing 100% renewable electricity and investing in carbon removal offsetting schemes for remaining emissions from 2025 onwards

·         Transition fleet to electric vehicles with full completion by 2030

Zero waste operations

·         Ensure 95% of all operational waste is reused or recycled and that customer products, such as set-top boxes or routers, contain at least 75% recycled plastic content or be a refurbished product, which is expected to save more than 5,000 tonnes of materials

·         Reuse or recycle 100% of all returned customer equipment and mobile handsets

·         Use 100% recyclable customer packaging with no single-use plastic

TV content

·         Virgin Media has signed up to the Media Climate Pact, an industry-wide initiative where it will use its TV platform to promote programming which highlights the effect of climate change to help educate and inform viewers

People: creating a culture of belonging

Virgin Media is continuing to take steps to become a more inclusive employer so that the company represents the communities it serves and creates a culture of belonging where all of its people – no matter their background – can be themselves at work and achieve their potential.

This includes creating hundreds more employment opportunities for people from underrepresented groups, and ensuring projects and products are equitable and are developed with all of its people and customers in mind. This builds on the existing measures Virgin Media has introduced to become a more inclusive employer, such as launching five employee networks representing underrepresented ethnicities, gender equality, disability, neurodiversity, and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as rolling out specialist equity training across the business.

Lutz Schüler concluded: “A diverse business is a better business. It’s critical to our growth that we have a culture where no-one is left behind and all of our people feel valued, heard and can be themselves. We’ve already taken action to create greater representation across Virgin Media, and will use this momentum to drive further positive change to become a more inclusive company.”

With the introduction of the Bentley Mulliner Visualiser, it is now easier for customers to work with their retailer remotely to fulfil their personal commissioning requirements.

The Bentley Mulliner Visualiser is a digital application that allows customers to view images of bespoke hide, veneer and stitching options tailored by them – and ultimately to envision their own bespoke Bentley. Working with the retailer or Bentley’s own Mulliner designers, customers are able to configure up to three different colours to create their own interior design.

The digital application guides the customer, via their retailer, through the process and produces images of the final design in real time, providing feedback and confidence that their personalised design matches their vision and is part of the same on-screen experience.

The Mulliner Visualiser also allows customers to create or match a bespoke main hide colour and provides a reference code that can be sent directly to the craftspeople of Bentley Mulliner.

Bespoke choices do not finish on the inside of the car. Beyond the standard palette of Bentley paints, Mulliner has carefully curated their own exquisite range of paint colours; giving customers an additional 26 colours to choose from.

The additional palette contains a mixture of fifteen solid and metallic options, four satin finishes, and seven complex pearlescent three-layer paints. Hand spraying expertise, complemented by the latest robotic technology, delivers the best possible finish on each vehicle. Combining the art of colour with the science of paint, Bentley offers one of the largest ‘stock’ colour palettes of any luxury automotive manufacturer.

For the ultimate in exclusivity, the craftspeople at Bentley’s personal commissioning division can colour-match virtually any sample provided, using innovative colour recognition software to analyse the composition of the sample provided and reproducing it to perfection. The only limit is the customer’s imagination.

In addition, for those customers wanting to bring their exterior colour choice into the cabin of their grand tourer, Bentley now offers the luxury of choice through painted veneers – with the fascias and waistrails painted to the same piano-finish standard as the exterior, in any one of the scores of colours on offer.

Via the Bentley configurator, customers can visualise the new choices the extended palette offers. By selecting the different paints, the information panel will display the story and history behind the chosen colour.

Boris Johnson hoped to raise spirits with his roadmap out of lockdown yesterday, but small business owners weren’t riding the PM’s wave of optimism about the future. A new survey of small business owners around the UK suggests that, as the economy reopens in earnest, the Government’s handling of the pandemic has crushed our entrepreneurial spirit.

More than half (53%) of the 1,012 small business owners surveyed by the free small business PR platform, Newspage (formerly The Great British Bounce Back), said the treatment of small businesses, especially small limited company directors, would “discourage people from setting up their own businesses” in the future, and result in a decline in entrepreneurialism.

Just 31% of the respondents said the Government’s handling of the pandemic over the past year would “encourage people to set up their own businesses”, while 9% said it would likely have no impact on the number of people setting up their own businesses. 7% were unsure.

Asked how they feel as a small business owner nearly one year on from the start of the pandemic, many of those who responded expressed feelings of despair and anger. A selection of those responses are provided below.

Sarah Gatford, director of Derby-based Sarah Gatford Limited: “No doubt the Government roadmap will rely on small businesses, the backbone of this country, to drive the economy forward. And yet so many of us have been sidelined by an incompetent and arrogant Government that couldn't care less about small business, and which has crushed our entrepreneurial spirit. My resilience has been stretched to its limits just to keep my head above water and taking on debt in the form of a Bounce Back Loan is not support.”

Beverley Wakefield, co-founder of Derby-based Vibrant Accountancy: “It’s great the Government has announced a roadmap out of the pandemic, but I fear the Treasury may have burnt its bridges with a huge number of small businesses that it will rely on to reignite the economy. While the pandemic will force more businesses to start, for the simple reason that fewer people are in jobs, I’m concerned about the Budget update and whether small business owners will be penalised in new tax measures. After all, the Government has made it crystal clear it does not like how small business owners remunerate themselves. Let’s hope this isn’t the case given that small business owners are the lifeblood of our country.”

Trudy Simmons, founder of London-based The Daisy Chain Group: “The road out of lockdown will be strewn with the wreckage of many small businesses that have received zero support from the Government. And while many people could enter self-employment due to the uncertain jobs market, the lack of support for small company limited directors over the past year could discourage people from setting up companies. Clearly, this could have ramifications for the economy as companies are able to scale up in a way sole traders cannot."

Maddy Alexander-Grout, founder of the Southampton-based small business national discount scheme, MyVIPCard: "The UK has always been an entrepreneurial country but the lack of support for so many small businesses over the past twelve months could become a headache for the Prime Minister in the short-term because so many would-be entrepreneurs have become disincentivised. Government support has been very sporadic for small businesses and those trading less than one year have not received anything. As a result, I think a lot of people will be scared to take the plunge into self-employment in the months ahead, and certainly until the market is a bit more stable."

Denise Yeats, director of London-based Denise Yeats Creative Event Production: "The Government roadmap should take into account the mass disillusionment of so many small businesses. To say I feel hugely let down by this Government would be an understatement. I feel continually stressed, anxious and fearful of the future, and can only see my hard earned business disappear.”

Lynsey Pollard, founder of London-based kids’ books provider, Little Box of Books: “In economic terms, I’m optimistic about our planned exit from the pandemic as so many newly launched companies have just been through the most intense business boot camp ever. To run a business in any circumstance, for any length of time, you need resilience, courage and creativity — and emergency schooling, pivoting, stock problems, delivery problems and social distancing have tested all of these to the limit. If we can repeatedly think of solutions during a global pandemic, we can take on the world, at least after some sleep and a few weekends of childcare.”

Keisha Shah, founder of the Milton Keynes-based educational resources provider, Teddo Play: “Although the road out of the pandemic is likely to be bumpy, I feel positive about the future because of the way e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Amazon, Etsy and others have helped companies to thrive, enabling customers and businesses to interact with each other pandemic or no pandemic, lockdown or no lockdown. The wheels of the economy have continued to spin thanks to the internet, e-commerce, fintech and the cloud.”

Peter Marples, founder of the Leicestershire-based consulting business, Aquifer Solutions: “With the roadmap out of lockdown, opportunity dawns. For many, the risk of setting up a business reduces as individuals are in less secure employment, which creates opportunities for change.”

Vicki Lovegrove, founder of Staffordshire-based Seventy Three Design: “Roadmap or not, I feel completely abandoned. I’ve had my micro business for seventeen years, have always paid my tax on time and kept my accounts up to date. Yet as a company director I have been lumped in a group and essentially deemed a fraud risk by the Treasury and therefore only been given a loan. I am disgusted by our treatment.”

A Birmingham social enterprise that has made 2.5million macaroons for global brands, royalty and a host of celebrities is celebrating ten years in business this week. Miss Macaroon has grown from a desire to use macaroons to help people back into work into one of the City’s leading employability programmes and a destination food venue for local people and visitors.

Formed by pastry chef Rosie Ginday MBE, the business has received a perfect birthday present, with news that it has secured a £150,000 grant from the John Lewis Partnership’s Community Investment Fund. The financial boost will be used to pay the wages of the recent MacsMAD (Macaroons that make a Difference) graduates and support a further 20 graduates as they continue to overcome barriers, including anxiety and learning disabilities, to access paid employment and mainstream jobs.

In the last decade, it means that 82 young people, from 18 to 35-years-old, will have been assisted by Miss Macaroon, developing cooking, administrative, sales and marketing skills and experience along the way. “A lot has happened since I set the business up with £500 and a bit of kitchen space donated by University College Birmingham,” pointed out Rosie.

“In the last ten years, we have made over 2.5million macaroons in 50 different flavours, opened our own macaroon and prosecco bar in Great Western Arcade and had our products enjoyed by celebrity chef James Martin, TV and radio presenter Jeremy Vine and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as part of their engagement tour. “We’ve even built a complete wall of macaroons for Instagram and had Glynn Purnell from Purnells and Saturday Kitchen, the Wilderness’ Alex Claridge and Bake Off’s Daryl Collins support our MacsMAD trainees through mentoring sessions and work experience placements.”

She continued: “Like many businesses, Covid-19 has caused us lots of issues and things have been very tough, but we have been able to keep the MacsMAD course going during the lockdowns. This latest funding boost from John Lewis means we can extend the level of support we can offer our most recent graduates and some of the 60 young people we expect to support over the next two years. They are the people we set the business up for and they remain our main priority. The shop and our sales just go into funding the programme and the assistance we can give them once they’re graduating. They’re the real heart of our social enterprise.”

Miss Macaroon’s MacsMAD programme is run over ten weeks, five spent training and five covering on-the-job experience, with individuals able to choose between catering and retail.

Every new starter receives wellbeing at work sessions and access to a psychotherapist, who will support them to overcome barriers that have prevented them from working in the past.

Corporate partners, including Hotel du Vin, Marriott Hotels, McDonald’s Restaurants and Resorts World provide ‘Welcome to Work’ tours and mentor talks to inspire trainees to reach for a career in hospitality. The idea is to give them transferrable skills, self-confidence and the chance to gain valuable experience that will hopefully lead to full-time employment with the business or other mainstream employers.

Rosie went on to add: “In addition to the MacsMAD programme, we’ve got a host of other ideas planned to help us celebrate our 10^th birthday in style. These range from the grand reopening of our newly refurbished bar and launching new vegan macaroons, to extending our social enterprise drink providers and hosting a major party - of course when we’re allowed to do so.

“There has been a 195% increase in online sales during Covid-19, so our macaroons have been going further than ever before and this is something we’ll look to build on going forward. Ten years is a great achievement, but we’re already looking forward to how we can make the next decade even more successful. Every penny we make in profit is invested in helping unemployed young people gain skills that will change their lives and this will always be at the heart of what we do and the macaroons we make.”