Business News

A plan to re-ignite the West Midlands economy and recapture its pre-pandemic success has been set out as the true scale of the impact of Covid was made clear.

The West Midlands economy shrank by 11% in 2020 due, in part, to its large automotive sector and high number of exporting companies.

One of the UK’s leading metals service centres is targeting further growth after it secured one of the automotive sector’s most demanding quality accreditations. William King Ltd, which specialises in high-tensile steel, aluminium, light gauge processing, electrical steels and niche metal coatings, received the Jaguar Land Rover JLRQ Award earlier this month in front of 150 staff at its Atlas Centre facility in West Bromwich.

Organisations are being invited to submit applications for a number of voluntary sector contracts which are being offered by the City of Wolverhampton Council.

There are eight Lots, valued at between £30,000 and £265,000 per annum. They are: Welfare, Debt, Housing and Benefits Advice; Co-ordinated City Skills System; Infrastructure Representation, Growth and Partnership Working; Infrastructure Co-design and Co-production; Infrastructure Organisational Support, Capacity Building and Training; Citywide Structured and Supported Volunteering; Volunteering Strategy and Digital Platform; and Self Employment and Entrepreneurs.

The English Premier League (EPL) has become one of the world's most popular and lucrative soccer leagues. According to Safebettingsites data analysis, EPL clubs generated £5.45 billion in revenue during the 2021/22 season, a 149% increase compared to the 2025/16 season.

Edith Reads Safebettingsites’ financial lead has shared her thoughts on the information.

New data from flatshare site SpareRoom shows average room rents in London passed £800 for the first time. Rents in the capital reached £815 in Q2 2022, up 15% from £708 in Q2 2021. It’s not just the capital where rents have skyrocketed; Northern Ireland was up 17%, followed by the North East and Wales (both up 13% YOY). 

Deborah Cadman, Birmingham City Council’s current interim chief executive, has been appointed to the role on a permanent basis following a formal recruitment process.

Raised and educated in Birmingham, Ms Cadman worked at the city council for seven years during her early career and has been interim chief executive for just over a year.

The pandemic has drawn families away from UK cities, pushing rural house prices up and pricing first-time buyers out, according to a report released by the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Increased interest in large family homes in rural areas suggests that families were looking for more space during the pandemic.

It was a night of wins for Birmingham City Council at the RTPI West Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence 2022. Honours were awarded to the council as follows:

Buyers looking for a slice of luxury in the beautiful hamlet of Coombe Hill are being given a unique chance to purchase a stunning four-bed show home - with all the furniture included.

Stourbridge-based Kendrick Homes has enjoyed massive interest in its Villard Grove development from young professionals, families and downsizers and, in a gesture of goodwill, has agreed to list its beautiful show home as seen.

The Sol Group announced that it has completed acquisition of the Jamaica operations of GB Energy. The acquisition gives it control over the GB Energy (GB)-operated Texaco brand in Jamaica —including its retail, aviation, LPG/autogas, commercial and lubricants activities.

Ensuring the West Midlands have the infrastructure in place to make the most of the opportunities of the coming decades was on the agenda as the government’s official advisers on infrastructure policy visited the region.

Maximising the benefits of HS2 through investment in local public transport, helping businesses expand their services and markets with 5G technologies, and ensuring that infrastructure helps reduce carbon emissions were all discussed during a series of meetings between the National Infrastructure Commission and Cllr Bob Sleigh, Deputy Mayor for the West Midlands and officials from West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

The trending ‘Coastal Grandmother Aesthetic’ transports people back to classic Nancy Meyes films, with a nod to nostalgic cooking and coastal vibe interiors. No matter where you live, you can create an interior where you can almost feel the ocean breeze.

Originating from a viral TikTok video, the trend is inspired by flowing coastal atmosphere, handwritten recipes, delicious cooking, and snug linen and rattan interiors.

People who pay council tax by direct debit, which is a safe, simple and quick way to pay will see the cash go directly into their bank accounts from April. Those who do not pay by direct debit will be contacted by their council and invited to make a claim.

Around 20 million households in council tax bands A to D - including 95% of rented properties - are set to benefit from the £3 billion council tax rebate, which does not have to be repaid.

A new study from Retirement Villages Group (“RVG”) today reveals that the total value of unpaid services provided by retirees in the West Midlands annually is £3bn and a staggering £48bn across the UK every year 1 - the equivalent of 2% of 2021 UK GDP.  The findings highlight the critical but often overlooked role people aged over 65 have in our society and economy.   

Birmingham and West Midlands businesses are set for a welcome boost in tourism and trade ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games this summer.

With more than one million tickets already sold for Birmingham 2022, spectators from across the region, country and beyond will be heading to the West Midlands, which will be a hive of activity.

Christian Fox, a barrister at Becket Chambers: "The criminal justice system is like a defibrillator in an old phone box: no one really cares about it until your life depends on it, then suddenly it is the most important thing on earth and you hope to heck it works. The problem is, the criminal justice system doesn't work, in fact access to justice in this country no longer works full stop.