Business News

New Government action to tackle litter on cities' high streets was set out August 6, with Birmingham being one of the first cities to receive funding from Defra's Chewing Gum Taskforce

It is one of 40 UK cities - including Swansea, Glasgow and Belfast - which will receive grants of up to £70,000 to remove chewing gum stains as part of the Government’s new Chewing Gum Task Force, helping to reinvigorate our country’s towns and cities by funding efforts to clean up streets.

West Midlands Cycle Hire’s (WMCH) free offer to encourage cycle hire during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has seen over double the amount of bike and ebikes being used during the first week of the scheme compared to an average week.

Designed to help manage traffic congestion during the Games and offer more people a chance to get to sporting venues through active travel, the offer has seen over 13,000 cycles hired during the first seven days, which is over 6,500 more than was hired the prior week.

Birmingham Airport (BHX) published its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions report for 2021/22. The report reveals emissions rose 12% on the previous year, 2020/21, when operations were severely reduced by Covid.

Publishing a full GHG emissions inventory covering Scope 1, 2 and 3* emissions is a first for BHX.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer responded to the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Report August 2022.

Nadhim Zahawi said: “Along with many other countries the UK is facing global economic challenges and I know that these forecasts will be concerning for many people.

The government must act decisively to offer fiscal support to businesses following today’s announcement by the Bank of England that interest rates are to rise to 1.75 per cent, their highest level for a quarter of a century. Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) said businesses were already struggling to hire and grapple with soaring energy prices and huge costs pressures.

Sports fans heading to the Commonwealth Games can access revolutionary tech to plan their visit around Birmingham this summer, thanks to a bespoke journey planning platform from Network Rail and award-winning transport tech innovator, Whoosh. Spectators can scan in-station QR codes at Birmingham New Street to access a wealth of network information tailored specifically to the Commonwealth Games, simplifying the customer journey experience. 

It was recently announced that the mortgage borrowing rules have been eased after the Bank of England scrapped an affordability test. If you're covering the news, please see a comment from a personal finance expert (Brean Horn from NerdWallet) below. I hope this is useful, but please let me know if you need any more informaion. 

City of Wolverhampton Council tenants and leaseholders are being invited to have their say on a new strategy to support their needs. 

The Council owns 22,000 properties within the city, managed by Bushbury Hill EMB, Dovecotes TMO, New Park Village TMC and Wolverhampton Homes.

New research by Plenty reveals the traditional saying “there’s no place like home” rings true for 73% of Britons and that 70% prefer a home which is relaxed and messy over a place which is super clean and tidy. 48% of Brits are sick and tired of seeing images of pristine, “insta-perfect” houses with no mess. 

Rail passengers are advised not to travel unless their journey is essential on a number of routes this Saturday (30 July) due to the impact of industrial action.

Transport for Wales (TfW) is not involved in Saturday’s industrial action by members of the train driver’s union ASLEF, but some of its services are likely to be extremely busy as a result of the severely-reduced timetable put in place by other operators.

In the latest step to reduce emissions from road traffic to combat climate change and help people live healthier lives, Birmingham City Council has begun trials of its first all-electric bin lorry.

The Dennis Eagle eCollect will operate in the city’s Clean Air Zone for three weeks until August 12 collecting waste and recycling material from the city centre.

Following a competitive tender process, Iventis has been selected as the official technology supplier to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games held between 28th July and 8th August.

Iventis' geospatial event planning tool will be used by everyone involved in planning the event. They will use it to bring together maps, CAD plans and other datasets so they can easily create and share their plans with key stakeholders, facilitating better, faster communication and expediting decision making.

Leading full-service communications agency Cartwright Communications has expanded its Midlands operations with a new office and team in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham.  

The new Birmingham base is Cartwright’s second location, which will be led by account director Amelia Walker.

Businesses are being warned to ensure their human resources processes are watertight or face expensive consequences. This follows a recent explosion in the number of people taking their employers to employment tribunals.

Hannah-Jane (H-J) Dobbie, Head of HR Consultancy at UK Top 10 accountancy firm Azets, says this includes claims for failing to follow a proper redundancy process, wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, discrimination, and additional claims for injury to feelings.

West Midlands businesses accounted for just 5% of administrations in the first six months of the year – the joint fourth lowest region in the UK – according to analysis by full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau.

More than 620 businesses, 29 of which came from the West Midlands, filed for administration between 1 January and 30 June 2022, marking a 60% increase compared to 2021.

UK Athletics have announced a new partnership with award-winning and globally-acclaimed data management, technology solutions and insights company, Two Circles.

Two Circles, whose client base includes UEFA, Wimbledon, The Premier League and The Hundred amongst 150 globally, will use their unrivalled understanding of sports fan behaviour to help UKA develop and execute marketing strategies that drive commercial revenue growth across core areas of the business.