Business News

Eight locally-led projects designed to offer people new skills and new opportunities have been awarded more than £5m funding as part of the Government’s plans to level up communities.

These include skills training for those impacted by the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and projects to close gaps in support for key groups such as the over 50s and those with a history of offending.

Two-thirds of the British public recognise the railway as a greener mode of transport - and yet 73% of this group still primarily use cars to get around.

That was the key finding of a national survey carried out by Network Rail as part of the industry-wide ‘We Mean Green’ campaign to encourage travellers to make greener travel choices.

The UK’s first housing provider to commit to a digital-only telecare system has had its innovation recognised with an accolade at this year’s Health Investor Senior Awards.

Housing 21, a leading not-for-profit provider of Retirement and Extra Care Living for people over the age of 55, and Appello, a Technology Enabled Care (TEC) provider, jointly won the Best Use of Technology in Senior’s Housing Award.

A new survey from rental platform LettingaProperty.com has revealed how hugely important green issues have become to the UK’s renters. A staggering 98% of respondents said that they would prefer a property that was optimised to increase energy efficiency, reduce energy costs and minimise environmental impact.

Not only that, but tenants are prepared to pay more to rent in line with their principles. Over half of those surveyed (53%) were prepared to pay more for a greener property.

The £5.7 billion promised in the Budget is not alone enough to level up urban transport says Centre for Cities in new research finding that just four in 10 people in the UK’s largest cities* outside London can reach their city centre by public transport in under 30 minutes.

This is significantly worse than in big European cities where almost seven in 10 people can travel to their city centre in less than 30 minutes.

Two of Manchester’s leading tech companies are leading the race to innovate the global education metaverse with their own science and tech campus, Credersi World, using a mixed reality platform that includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).  

While Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has outlined his vision of what a global metaverse might look like, tech and science educators Credersi and 3D tech innovators PixelMax are at the forefront of developing and shaping what the education metaverse will actually be.

Southgate Global, one of Europe’s leading packaging suppliers, which has its main distribution hub in Prologis Park in Minworth, West Midlands, is working on an ambitious plan to replace all its packaging products with an eco-friendly alternative.

As part of its mission to be a leader in the field of sustainable packaging, Southgate Global invested in a specialist team focusing on new product development so that it is well-placed to lead the industry in the development of sustainable packaging products.

Two thirds of consumers (64%) are concerned about climate change, with 4 in 10 (38%) believing that agriculture is a major cause of the problem a new survey reveals. In fact, 1 in 4 (24%) would go as far as to say that farmers have more responsibility to cut emissions than food companies or supermarkets. This is despite the fact that UK farming is actually leading the way in tackling climate change with a self-imposed target of becoming net zero by 2040.

As the clocks go back tonight (Saturday) to mark the beginning of winter, the TUC is calling for better pay and conditions for night-workers – including the 264,000 workers who regularly work night shifts in the West Midlands. Analysis published by the union body reveals that 1 in 3 (33%) night-workers earn less than £10 an hour. This is despite the heightened health risks that come with night work and the disruption it causes to workers’ lives. 

The founder of a Birmingham-based charity that has helped hundreds of people to recover from alcohol and drug addiction has been named as Barclay’s 2021 National Social Entrepreneur of the Year.

Steve Dixon, who started Changes UK in Digbeth in 2009, beat off competition from all over the UK to claim the prestigious prize, with judges praising his pioneering approach to recovery that has seen 85% of the people it engages with complete rehabilitation and move on to independent living.

With less than 60 days to Christmas Day, Selfridges unveils its Christmas of Dreams theme through iconic window displays and a new campaign. 

Christmas of Dreams launches across Selfridges stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester, and on selfridges.com, with a digital campaign starring actress Jane Horrocks.

A Lichfield business is delighted to have achieved its ‘net zero’ goal ahead of target - and is now helping its clients do the same. Cocoonfxmedia is now officially carbon neutral, having undertaken a range of activities such as carbon offsetting, for example through the planting of more than 1,000 trees, giving up company cars, switching to permanent home working, going paperless – and much more.

Rishi Sunak's Spending Review and Budget announcement signals the Chancellor's leadership ambitions, Birmingham City University Associate Professor Steven McCabe has suggested.

"Chancellors delivering budgets have a tricky line to tread in trying to keep everyone happy,” he said. “The budget was, as many suspected, intended to serve multiple audiences. 

According to a newly released major economic report, Birmingham is said to be on the precipice of exciting opportunities for economic growth - despite the impacts of Covid-19 and Brexit.

The Birmingham Economic Review, published by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) and the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI, reveals promising signs for recovery across the city-region even though well-documented challenges such as talent shortages and inequality remain.

In his Budget speech, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that the UK's spending watchdog expects the economy will return to its pre-Covid level at the turn of the year. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has lifted its prediction for economic growth in 2021 to 6.5%, up from its previous forecast of 4%. It has also reduced its estimate of the long-term effect of Covid-19 on the economy from 3% to 2%.

A storyline on BBC soap The Archers has highlighted the importance of succession planning for owners of family businesses, particularly farming businesses.

The storyline centres around Brian Aldridge who is fretting about the future of Home Farm as there is currently no one in a position to take over.