Business News

Specially trained sniffer dogs are now being used to track down metal thieves who cause major delays to passengers and freight on the Chiltern main line and key West Midlands rail routes. Network Rail has enlisted the canine recruits, provided by Search Dogs UK, to crack down on criminals who steal vital cables and materials from the railway and catch those who illegally sell those items on.

WV Living has appointed a contractor to develop new homes at its newest site in the City of Wolverhampton.

GreenSquareAccord has been selected as a partner to build 178 homes, including 29 affordable rent and 16 shared ownership homes on the site of the former Northicote School, Northwood Park Road, Bushbury.

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment is pleased to announce the appointment of David Madgwick ACSI as President of CISI’s Essex branch.

David has 20 years of experience in financial services, starting as a business development manager in Lloyds Private Banking and pursuing an early career as a Financial Adviser for Santander Bank.

EML Payments powers CoinJar's new CoinJar Card with Mastercard. The fully-featured debit card allows customers to make purchases by instantly converting cryptocurrencies into fiat currency, everywhere Mastercard is accepted. CoinJar partnered with EML to provide customers with seamless and lightning-fast transactions, no matter where in the world CoinJar Card is used.

Unmarried couples do not share the same legal rights as those who are wedlocked – yet 2 in 3 people who are looking to buy a house aren’t aware of the rules, new research by Birmingham law firm Shakespeare Martineau has revealed. Nearly half (47%) of those surveyed incorrectly believe a common law spouse exists, with a further 20% unsure of the difference in rights – meaning 67% of homeowners are at risk of losing out on what is rightfully theirs through a lack of knowledge.

New research has revealed the UK local authorities that are increasing their construction funding at the fastest rate, with some councils upping their spend by more than 5,000% over five years. IronmongeryDirect issued Freedom of Information requests to each local authority and asked how much they spent on construction projects, including buildings, roads and railways, in the 2015/16 and 2020/21 financial years, to see how investment has changed over time. 

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is urging people to register their interest in the tens of thousands job opportunities that will become available between now and the Games.

The recruitment drive has been launched today to encourage people to register their interest in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of the biggest event ever to take place in the West Midlands.

National law firm Clarke Willmott LLP has been named as one of the best firms for work/life balance. The firm earned second place for best work/life balance in the RollonFriday ‘Best Law Firms To Work At’ 2022 survey with 81 percent of staff reporting that they were satisfied.  

Clarke Willmott came a very close second to DAC Beachcroft which took the top spot with 83 percent of staff reporting satisfaction. 

The pace of wage growth slowed in January, with the average rates of pay advertised in job vacancies rising by just 3.4% on an annual basis1 — lagging well behind consumer price inflation, according to a new analysis by the world’s largest job site Indeed.

Indeed’s study of advertised wages in January showed a marked slowdown compared to December, when annual pay growth had stood at 4.1%.

Rail passengers are being advised of changes to journeys over nine days this month while essential engineering work takes place at Water Orton in North Warwickshire and Duddeston in Birmingham.

Major alterations to track and lineside drainage will take place between 19 and 27 February as part of long-term improvements to the network, including preparations for HS2 – Britain’s new zero carbon, high-speed railway.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said that he will oppose the appointment of a new Metropolitan Police chief unless they have a robust plan to deal with the force's cultural problems. Dame Cressida Dick resigned from the role over Mr Khan's lack of confidence in her plans for reform.

Funding for infrastructure, land regeneration and job training schemes to help drive the region’s post Covid-19 economic recovery and fight climate change has been set out in this year’s West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) budget.

A package of major transport projects to tackle air pollution and better connect people to jobs, education and training opportunities are included in a 2022/23 WMCA budget totalling £879.2m.

While the cold of winter currently keeps us wrapped up indoors, many Brits stay warm with thoughts of summer barbecues, parties in the sunshine, and eating al fresco.

Yet, come springtime, we typically find that our gardens are in no shape to host any sort of fun in the sun. In these cases, should we turn to a professional for help or roll our sleeves up and get stuck in ourselves?

Up to 99 more affordable homes are being made available for first-time buyers at the Perry Barr Residential Scheme (PBRS).

The announcement follows a successful bid for funding by Birmingham City Council for a new Government-backed scheme delivered by Homes England.

Nominations have officially opened for the ninth Black British Business Awards (BBBAwards) ahead of its Awards Ceremony in September. For almost a decade, the BBBAwards have shone a light on the exceptional achievements of Black British business professionals and entrepreneurs who have made extraordinary contributions to the UK economy. This year’s Ceremony will be held in the city of London on the 29^th September.

Chris Oglesby, CEO of property giant Bruntwood shares his thoughts on the Levelling Up White Paper released by the government recently.

Also chair of Innovation Greater Manchester, he said: “One of the most eye-catching positives in today’s Levelling Up White Paper is the commitment to increase R&D spending outside of London and the South East. The current imbalance here mirrors the regional inequalities that are at the heart of Levelling Up.