Business News

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. 

On the eve of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, trade unions and the Commonwealth Games organisers have come together to sign a landmark pledge to ensure that all artists and creatives who work during the Games are paid fairly, that the Games works to support the long term health of the creative sector in the region and actively promotes diversity.

Two West Midlands firms have teamed up to pool their skills in a ground-breaking deal that could save millions of pounds for businesses hit by cyberattacks.

A company from the ORLEN Group has signed a reservation contract with Cadeler of Denmark for the transport and installation of some 70 turbines for the Baltic Power offshore wind farm – a joint project of PKN ORLEN and Northland Power Inc. In the next steps, the company will select contractors to supply the turbines, foundations, internal and export cables, to construct offshore and onshore substations, and to provide farm maintenance services. 

Last week Ama Agbeze MBE, joined young people in Birmingham, for the launch of The Prince’s Trust and Commonwealth Games Federation, Youth Voice Plan. It includes recommendations to ensure the legacy of each Commonwealth Games, benefits young people in each host country.

A construction and housebuilding expert has warned that the construction industry must adapt recommendations from critical research into overheating in homes as the climate warms and heatwaves become more frequent,

Mike Leonard, Visiting Professor at Birmingham City University and CEO of the Building Alliance, spoke as the first ever red ‘extreme heat’ warming is in place in the UK as temperatures soar.

Two new residential children's homes are being created to support some of Wolverhampton's most vulnerable young people.

They will each provide specialist support for up to two children and young people who have experienced a significant amount of trauma. Members of the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet (Resources) Panel approved the plans which will see the council use one of its existing assets for one of the homes, and purchase a nearby private property for the second.

More than 50 city businesses have benefitted from Towns Fund support through the Wolverhampton 5G Accelerator 5PRING. The hub was established at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park, as part of the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) test-bed to enable start-up businesses and SMEs to learn about and engage with 5G technologies, and to grow and develop new products/services using technologies such as extended reality, robotics, computer vision, and the Internet of Things.

Rail passengers using the West Coast main line between London Euston and Scotland are being advised to plan ahead with heatwave conditions expected to impact journeys next week. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for extreme heat from Sunday (17 July), with temperatures forecast to reach 37°C in London on Monday and Tuesday.