Business News

Christmas can be a very expensive time of year and can often leave people struggling financially – that’s why Severn Trent is reminding customers about a special cash saving scheme that could be available to them. The Big Difference Scheme, which is a partnership between Severn Trent, the Severn Trent Trust Fund and Citizens Advice, offers discounts of between 10% and 90% off water bills. This year the scheme has joined forces with the Severn Trent choir to spread the message far and wide in a special festive video.

The West Midlands is bucking the national trend when it comes to both employment and unemployment, thanks to a booming local economy. Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics indicate another strong showing for the region on the jobs front between August and October. While employment decreased nationally by 0.1 per cent, it increased by 0.9 per cent in the West Midlands. And Unemployment in the region decreased by 0.9 per cent, despite the national figure remaining at the same level.

Council deputy leader Syeda Khatun gave the stamp of approval to a sprucing up of Sandwell Register Office which is getting a fresh coat of paint. Councillor Khatun joined staff at Grade II-listed Highfields House to see first-hand how the make-over is turning the building from pink to ivory. The building in West Bromwich High Street has been home to Sandwell’s registrars since 1991.

Birmingham Airport has seen another month of record breaking growth with November figures showing nearly 780,000 passengers travelled through the Midlands airport. In total 779,583 passengers were recorded giving an increase of 12.5% compared to the same month last year - equivalent to 86,550 more people. Both long haul and short haul saw similar levels of growth with long haul up by 13% and short haul up by 12.6% year-on-year.

Novelty pants, fluffy slippers and turkey fat are just a few of the things that Severn Trent could be clearing from the sewers this Christmas if previous experience is anything to go on! As everyone is gearing up for Christmas engineers from the company are preparing for call outs to all kinds of blockages over the festive period. James Jesic, operations manager for Severn Trent, explained: “Over the years we’ve seen almost everything turn up in our sewers, from a pair of muppets slippers to a big pile of pants and even part of a motorbike!

After the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Trade Policy Forum in November, which focused upon Brexit, the Chamber formally wrote to the Prime Minister and David Davis MP, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. Following this approach, the Chamber were delighted that Rt. Hon. David Jones MP, Minister of State for Exiting the European Union, took up the offer to come and meet with members.

In light of the many challenges faced in the South Asian region in regards to migrant workers, the European Union Delegation to Nepal hosted a regional seminar on “Making Labour Migration Easy and Safe in South Asia” in Kathmandu, on December 2, with the support of DAI Europe and Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS). The event brought together participants from government institutions, institutes, think-tanks, civil society, media, migration associations, private sector, international community, SAARC Secretariat and international participants including EU Delegations to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The continuing recovery and success of companies in the Greater Birmingham area are credited with being one of the reasons for record membership figures achieved by the region’s largest business support organisation. Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) returned a record month for membership in November, with over 80 new companies joining the organisation, which covers Birmingham, Solihull, Burton, Lichfield, Tamworth, Chase and Sutton Coldfield.

The way vehicles will access City of Wolverhampton Railway Station will change on Sunday, January 8 as part of the city’s £132 million Interchange improvements. This coincides with the switch to a new entrance for the multi-storey car park, which will open for the first time on the same day, after being extended and refurbished on schedule. The capacity will increase from 450 to more than 800 long stay parking spaces.

The last few days have seen freezing temperatures, frost and ice and we might yet see a white Christmas.  Yet many of us still don't have our water pipes protected against the cold weather. As the temperatures drop, Severn Trent is gearing up for what could be a very busy cold season. That’s because when the ground freezes and thaws in extreme temperatures we often see more leaks and burst water pipes.

Aston Manor, the UK’s largest independent cider maker based in Birmingham,is celebrating a record year for award wins, including the Drinks Business Green Awards’ Water Management category. In total the drinks producer, whose brands include Kingstone Press, Friels and Crumpton Oaks, has scooped 17 accolades and been shortlisted for a further five.

Ahead of noisy festive get-togethers national charity Action on Hearing Loss is calling on local people to speak out against background noise in restaurants, cafés and pubs by giving direct feedback to venues. This is part of the charity’s Speak Easy campaign for a quieter dining experience. The charity has launched a new downloadable campaign pack to make it easy for people to give feedback directly about the noise levels they experience when dining.

On 10 and 11 December, festive shoppers will be able to enjoy a gift boxing service to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust. For one weekend only, Grand Central is teaming up with professional gift-packaging suppliers BoxMart, who will be on hand opposite Kiehl’s and Cath Kidston, to pack your presents in a variety of stylish giftboxes. The service will not have a set price; but instead the team will be asking for donations for Teenage Cancer Trust.

City of Wolverhampton Council is getting behind the city’s small businesses ahead of Small Business Saturday on December 3. The importance of handing out small ‘seed’ funds to assist fledgling businesses to take their first steps has been recognised, with a small grant programme now in place. New businesses have the chance to get their hands on £250 grants if they meet the criteria following an appraisal by business advisors from Access 2 Business (A2B), who also assist with business plans.

Coventry fire-fighters were part of a great success for the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service at the latest meeting in London of the Asian Fire Service Association, which promotes diversity across all Fire and Rescue Services. Coventry stations were recognized as making a major contribution to reducing health inequalities, along with the Ekta-Unity Group and the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.  Deputy Chief Fire Officer Philip Hales received the award on behalf of Coventry colleagues.