Business News

A graffiti hit squad which will target tags and vandalism on the railway has been launched in the West Midlands. Network Rail and West Midlands Rail Executive are investing over £700k to clean-up lines, bridges and all things railway-related to improve the look and feel of tracksides for passengers and communities.

Graffiti can give the impression of an uncared-for environment as well as making people feel unsafe. The new hit squad's aim is to make the railway and surrounding areas more appealing.

Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (BSol ICS) have announce the appointment of Dr Patrick Vernon OBE as its new Non-Executive Director for Inequalities.

Dr Vernon is a prominent equality campaigner with more than two decades of experience in the voluntary and public sectors. With expertise in developing and managing health and social care services, public health, grant programmes, regeneration and employment projects, he was awarded an OBE in 2012 and an honorary doctorate from Wolverhampton in 2018.

With less than one month until Logistics UK’s Fleet Engineer – the essential one-day conference for anyone responsible for maintaining commercial vehicles – the business group is urging fleet engineers to book their places now to ensure they are up to date with the latest developments in technology and enforcement.

Taking place at the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire on 7 September 2021, keynote speaker Kevin Rooney, the Traffic Commissioner for the West of England, will be explaining to attendees the consequences of failing to keep pace with vehicle technology, in addition to sharing some of the new practices that operators need to have put in place to improve their maintenance regimes.

The automation division of a multi-disciplinary engineering firm has been chosen among a select few to partner with technology giant Siemens. And the venture coincides with the launch of the engineering firm’s new 5000 sq.ft. facility, as it increases its operational footprint in the UK, now having in excess of 9,000 sq.ft. of manufacturing in total. 

Awarded a Siemens Solution Partner Certificate, adi Automation, based in Birmingham, has been chosen alongside seven other firms in the UK & Ireland for its expertise in automation and drives, after being selected as Siemens Food & Beverage Expert Solution Partners, sitting alongside just one other engineering firm in England.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding parents and carers they have until 31 August 2021 to confirm whether their teenagers are staying in full-time education or training beyond 16.

Last week, teenagers across the UK received their GSCE or Scottish National Certificate results and many are now considering their future. If they decide to continue their full-time education or training, parents or carers will be eligible to continue receiving Child Benefit payments for their child.

Budding business brains have successfully shared their talents with shoppers across Wolverhampton this summer – with two of the entrepreneurs making their way through to the national finals of a young traders' competition. 

Special young trader markets were held last month at Bilston Indoor and Outdoor Market, City Centre Market and Wednesfield Market to offer young people aged between 16 and 30 the opportunity to kickstart or grow their own business. 

The on-going regeneration of Perry Barr ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has taken another step forward with the approval of plans for a new bus interchange. The scheme is part of the overall £30.9m transport interchange development which includes the neighbouring Perry Barr railway station.

This is also undergoing a major redevelopment and will be the principal station for Alexander Stadium – the focal point of next summer’s games. Plans for the new bus interchange, which have been drawn up by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) with support from Birmingham City Council will see an overhaul of how services pick up and drop off passengers.

New research from Utilita - the UK’s only energy company created to help households use less energy - has today revealed that if consumers have their way, energy companies - or the regulator itself - will be made to backpay green premiums of up to £144 per year to customers as a result of misleading ‘100% renewable energy’ claims.

Almost three in five ‘green’ energy tariff customers - of which there are nine million in the UK - say they would claim back the premiums they have paid over time (58%), and even more said they would take action against their energy supplier if they had been misled about the energy they have received. (61%) The research was conducted by Utilita, the energy company that has taken a stance by not offering a ‘green’ tariff and focusing on innovating state-of-the-art technology that helps homes to reduce energy waste by up to 20 percent, instead. 

The Christmas Day and New Year's Day Trading (Scotland) Act 2007 gives the Scottish Government the power to make an order by statutory instrument to close large shops on New Year's Day. Usdaw has called on the Scottish Government to apply the relevant section of the Act for the last 14 years and welcomed the decision of the Government to consult on this matter.

New Year's Day in Scotland is a special day, but this is not reflected in the experience of many retail workers, who are often required to work on this day. Usdaw surveyed 1,473 of its Scottish members on their experiences of working over New Year 2018/19, and the results were clear:

The region’s entrepreneurs of the future are being encouraged to apply for a place on a programme to take their fledgling business to the next level.

Called E4F New Start (entrepreneurs of the future), the scheme is aimed at supporting young people leaving education, those not in education, training or employment, and people who have lost their job due to the pandemic. The organisers are looking to support those who need help starting up a business that has an element of technology involved, such as ecommerce.

The North West has more fixed speed cameras than any other region of the UK, according to research by car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco. Data on speed camera locations¹ reveals there are 657 roadside fixed speed cameras across the North West - this compares with 137 cameras, a fifth of that number, across the North East.

South East England, with 639 fixed cameras, is the only other region with more than 600 devices. There are just 78 speed cameras across the West Midlands. At a county level, Lancashire (261) has the highest number of fixed speed cameras, 50% more than Greater Manchester (174), which is ranked second for cameras.

New Office for National Statistics (ONS) statistics released this morning show the number of UK workers on payrolls rose by 182,000 between June and July, but UK universities and business warn that the battle is not yet won.

Rosalind Lowe, Head of Policy and Engagement at NCUB said: “Whilst it is positive that the numbers of UK workers on payrolls has risen, now is no time for complacency.

A predicted increase in UK rail fares will send out ‘the wrong signal’ at a time of impending crisis due to climate change, an economist said today.

Steve McCabe, Associate Professor at Birmingham City University, suggested price hikes in train travel “may mean some are tempted to use cars” and that the UK Government should ensure “everyone, especially the poorest, have access to equally good and affordable train travel”.   

Major businesses and corporations are being offered the opportunity to become the official sponsor of the region’s popular new cycle hire scheme. Initially launched in March, West Midlands Cycle Hire is already set to be the UK's biggest outside London once the roll out of its 1,500 bikes is completed later this year, but has the potential to grow even further with the backing of a corporate sponsor 

Around 1,000 bikes are currently available for hire and there have already been nearly 100,000 journeys made by people across the region. Following a competitive tender process Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), has appointed PHAR Partnerships as its exclusive agency with a brief to secure a sponsor.  

A group of fashion students at Birmingham City University are hoping to instil positive wellbeing in visitors to Birmingham’s flagship Selfridges’ store this month through a special installation.

Fashion Business and Promotion students have created a 'Transcendence' installation as part of their visual communication module, which challenges students to consider how physical retail experiences might evolve into immersive experiences.

Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT) is heralding its latest independently verified success story of generating and delivering £16.5 million of social value back to the borough.

In the last full operational year prior to the impact of Covid-19, the Black Country-based charity (which runs nine leisure facilities for Sandwell Council across the borough) achieved 16.1% local resident attendance figures – the national average is 15.9% - but with seven of its centres sitting in the third or fourth (the highest) quartiles it places them all well above standard for the industry.