Business News

Business leaders in Birmingham have called on the Government to provide a clear policy programme for businesses following the Bank of England’s decision to leave interest rates at a record low of 0.25 per cent. The last change was a rate cut in August, in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union. The Bank warned that household budgets could be squeezed because of slower wage growth and higher inflation.  It still expects inflation to rise above the two per cent target, but not as quickly and by not as much as predicted last month. 

The Black Country Chamber of Commerce are calling for investment in infrastructure to support the announcements relating to making the UK as 5G ready as soon as possible. This follows the report from the National Infrastructure Commission that has been published on mobile connectivity. The UK is currently 54th in the world for 4G availability and in rural areas 3% of the population do not have any coverage outside their homes (complete not-spots), whilst 25% do not have coverage offered by all the main mobile networks (partial not-spots).

‘Brits’ no longer need to fear the dreaded Christmas jumper present from Grandma this year as latest research reveals that British seniors have a world of choice at their fingertips. They are now among the most tech-savvy consumers in the world, with 78 per cent of internet users over 65 currently shopping online.

Midlands businesses will have the chance to explore opportunities in the export market by taking part in trade visits to the United Arab Emirates and Mexico. A Midlands Engine group is travelling to Dubai on 29 January for a market visit to Arab Health. Led by experienced trade advisers, companies taking part in the visit will be able to pre-arrange meetings with commercial advisers and buyers, as well as taking part in other activities such as a networking reception and optional site visits.

Residents are already beginning to feel the benefits of City of Wolverhampton Council regeneration under the Heath Town estate Masterplan. It will bring new housing, refurbished homes, and improved leisure space. As part of this, the ground and lower ground floors of Ling House have been refurbished to provide new office and community space for the Hope Centre.  The charity, whose roots on the estate go back more than 30 years, has been relocated from its dated Chervil Rise premises, which are due to be demolished as part of the wider transformation.

A Newman University graduate has become the inaugural recipient of a national counselling award. Beverley Spalding received the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body’s (CPCAB) Counselling Research Award for her exploration of black and Asian counsellors’ experiences of working with white clients. Some black and Asian participants who made up Ms Spalding’s research group reported reactions of shock and surprise from white clients meeting them for the first time.

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.