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‘He Can Start His Life Over Now’ - Housebuilder Supports Prison Reduce Reoffending Via Bricklaying Academy
A former inmate at a Yorkshire Category C prison has secured employment in bricklaying following lifechanging support received as a result of a prison reform programme from top 10 housebuilder, Keepmoat. The individual, who has been referred to as Prisoner X to protect their identity, had struggled with integrating back into society after serving time at HMP Moorland - a prison near Doncaster.
Keepmoat & HMP Moorlands
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Would An Annual Wealth Tax Really Raise £460m A Week?
As the Prime Minister faces potential rebellions over planned cuts to welfare, various MPs and campaign groups are urging the Chancellor to consider introducing an annual wealth tax instead. Chris Etherington, Private Client Partner in the Leeds office at audit, tax and consulting firm RSMUK, examines the claim being made that £460m a week could be raised by such a measure and whether it stacks up.
1:00 AM 22nd March 2025
UK Firms Take 40 Days To Fill Vacancies, Study Finds
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Analysis of over 8.8 million online job applications in the United Kingdom indicates that the median time to fill a vacancy is 40 days, with each role attracting 72 applications. Research by SmartRecruiters, an AI recruitment company, also reveals that despite the high volume of applications, only 4.3% of candidates are invited to interview, and 1.1% receive job offers.
1:00 AM 22nd March 2025
Northern Talent Tracker: This Week's Key Appointments
Helen Kitchen
Deputy Business Editor
BPI Appoints Commercial Strategy Director BPI, a leading asset disposal and auction specialist, has appointed Helen Carling as its new Commercial Strategy and Marketing Director. With extensive experience in strategic business development, marketing, and customer engagement, Helen has led major projects, including acquisitions and business mergers.
1:02 AM 21st March 2025
Construction Industry Urged To Embrace Hybrid Working To Attract Digital Talent
The construction sector must adopt hybrid working and strengthen its employer brand to bridge the growing digital skills gap, according to SPG Resourcing. A global survey by PlanRadar found that over 70% of construction companies struggle to implement new technologies, highlighting a significant slowdown in digitalisation within the industry.
1:02 AM 21st March 2025
South Yorkshire SMEs Gain Access To £40m In New Funds
The Partnership team at the launch event at Cutler's Hall
The South Yorkshire Pension Authority has launched two £20 million funds aimed at supporting small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region, addressing identified funding gaps that have been impeding growth. FW Capital and Foresight Group have been appointed to manage the funds.
1:00 AM 21st March 2025
Holiday Phone Use: 98% Of Brits Struggle To Disconnect
Despite the desire for relaxation, 98% of Britons struggle to disconnect from their mobile phones while on holiday, according to research by InsureandGo. This highlights a growing challenge for holidaymakers who, while seeking to unwind, find it difficult to switch off.
1:00 AM 21st March 2025
No Surprises From The Bank As A Majority Vote To Hold Rates At 4.5%
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to hold interest rates at 4.5%. The MPC voted 8 to 1 in favour of the hold, with one dissenting member preferring to cut rates by 0.25% to 4.25%. The market was expecting rates to be held at 4.5% prior to the announcement.
3:14 PM 20th March 2025
Leeds To Outpace UK Economic Growth, Says EY Report
Image by Dave Noonan from Pixabay
Leeds is forecast to outpace the UK’s economic growth rate between 2025 and 2028, according to EY’s latest Regional Economic Forecast. Measured by Gross Value Added (GVA), Leeds’ economy is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 1.7% over this period, compared to the UK’s 1.6%.
1:21 AM 20th March 2025
Local Firms Join Huddersfield Regeneration Project
Credit: Counter Context
BAM, the lead contractor for Kirklees Council’s Our Cultural Heart regeneration scheme in Huddersfield, has appointed two regional firms to support the project. Phase One, which involves transforming the former Queensgate Market into a library hub and food hall, is underway.
1:00 AM 21st March 2025
Businesses Face ‘Wake Up’ Call About International Indirect Tax Obligations
Naveen Sahney,
VAT specialists at Yorkshire accountancy and advisory firm Azets have warned that international VAT and Customs Duty rules are like an iceberg ready to strike unsuspecting businesses. They state that although importers and exporters may have a general awareness, many do not fully understand the extent and complexity lurking ‘under the surface’.
1:00 AM 21st March 2025
Thurston Group Gains Prestigious Testing Approval
Yorkshire-based Thurston Group has become a Bureau Veritas-approved test facility, positioning itself as a leader in the offshore manufacturing sector. The approval allows Thurston Group to conduct prototype testing of its specialised offshore containers at its Catfoss site in East Yorkshire, under the supervision of a Bureau Veritas inspector. Only one other UK company holds this approval.
1:00 AM 21st March 2025
Two-Thirds Of Business Owners Want Family Succession
Only 1 in 3 (34%) family business owners have developed a formal succession plan. Over a quarter (27%) don’t have clear or qualified successors within their family. 92% of all family business owners would like to keep their business in the family. Family conflict – Over a third (36%) are worried about family tensions or disharmony caused by the business. Over a third (36%) have never sought professional advice regarding succession planning.
1:14 AM 20th March 2025
New Sustainable Recycling Facility Planned In Huddersfield
Indaver, a European waste management company with several waste-to-energy installations in the UK and abroad, has announced plans to establish a solvent recycling facility on Syngenta UK’s manufacturing campus in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. If all goes according to plan, construction of the plant would start in 2026 to be operational in 2028.
1:01 AM 20th March 2025
Employers Concerned About Impact Of Pay Rises From April
Specialist employment law and HR advice service LCF Works has revealed that since the start of the year nearly all calls to its advice lines have been about April’s new wage rates and National Insurance (NI) increases.
1:00 AM 20th March 2025
Smart Repairs Expands Into Ireland
Dan Besau and Phil Newstead
Smart Repairs.co.uk, the UK’s largest independent cosmetic vehicle repairer, has announced an increase in turnover of 10 per cent during the past 12 months. The Leeds-based company has also smashed its target of creating over 120 new and sustainable jobs. Overall turnover, which was £11m during 2024, is set to rise to more than £12m by the end of this year.
1:00 AM 20th March 2025
Asia Travel Specialist Secures Funding To Improve
Image by Olga Ozik from Pixabay
Asia Travel Specialist (ATS), a Stockport-based travel company known for its deep expertise in South East Asia, has secured £50k from NPIF II – GC Business Finance & River Capital Smaller Loans, which is managed by the consortium as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II).
1:00 AM 20th March 2025
Call To Secure UK Energy Supply Chain Amid Overseas Competition
Image by Vilius Kukanauskas from Pixabay
Offshore Energies UK’s (OEUK) 2025 Supply Chain Report highlights the need to build on the UK’s industrial strengths in energy production to drive economic growth and secure the future of the North Sea. With over 50 years of expertise in North Sea oil and gas, the offshore energy supply chain is crucial to the UK’s ambitions for secure, sustainable, and cleaner energy.
6:42 AM 19th March 2025
New Aircraft Painting Programme To Boost Tees Valley Aviation Industry
A new training programme is set to strengthen Tees Valley’s growing aviation sector by equipping local people with specialist aircraft painting skills. The initiative, a collaboration between Hartlepool College of Further Education and Teesside Airport-based Airbourne Colours, is supported by the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
1:03 AM 19th March 2025
Opinion
Grey Belt’s Golden Opportunities
The Government’s plan to make it easier to build on Green Belt is likely to have limited impact on North East house building in the short term.
1:01 AM 19th March 2025
Hull Engineers Win Award For Menai Bridge Restoration
Yorkshire-based Spencer Bridge Engineering has won the Bridges Award for New Life for its refurbishment of the historic Menai Suspension Bridge. The award, presented at the 2025 Bridges Awards in Coventry, recognises outstanding rehabilitation projects.
1:00 AM 19th March 2025
Founder Hub: New Platform To Support Northern Start-Ups
An industry-first online platform designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs in the North of England access scaling skills and navigate the start-up ecosystem has launched during UK Tech Week.
1:00 AM 19th March 2025
RSMR Brings Investment Conference To Leeds
Investment research and fund ratings provider RSMR has announced that its Leeds Investment Conference 2025 will take place on 14th May at the Queens Hotel. The event reinforces Leeds’ growing status as a key UK financial centre. The sector employs 128,000 people nationwide and contributes over £10 billion to the economy annually.
1:00 AM 19th March 2025
UK Growth Concerns Rise As SME Survey Highlights Challenges
Image by Alex Freeman from Pixabay
More than half of small and medium-sized engineering and manufacturing businesses expect to reduce their workforce due to rising costs and taxes, according to new data from charity Enginuity. A similar proportion anticipate cuts in recruitment and training budgets, coinciding with the latest GDP figures showing economic contraction in January.
1:01 AM 18th March 2025
Social Enterprise Funder Celebrates 25 Years And £64 Million Of Investment
A social enterprise which provides critical funding to organisations and businesses with a social mission – ones that have been turned down by mainstream banks and building societies - is celebrating 25 years of transformational lending.
1:01 AM 18th March 2025
RWE Reaches Key Milestones At Sofia Offshore Wind Farm
New turbine installation vessel arrives, first turbine load-out completed, and first recyclable blades produced in Hull. First turbine installation set to begin soon, with first power expected later this year. The 1.4 GW project will power 1.2 million homes and support the UK’s Clean Power 2030 targets.
1:00 AM 18th March 2025
York City Legend Scores With New Venture At Malton Enterprise Park
(L-R) Max McMillan with his father, York City legend, Andy. Photos by Visualmediauk
A café, specialising in street food, has opened at the award-winning Malton Enterprise Park in North Yorkshire. The Blu fig is run by the York City footballing legend Andy McMillan and his family. It is serving the 300-plus occupiers at the thriving business park, next to the A64 York-Scarborough Road, as well as the town of Malton.
1:00 AM 18th March 2025
Property & construction
Vivly Gets Green Light For Huddersfield Housing Development
Residential development company Vivly Living has received planning permission for a housing development at Grange Moor, an old quarrying and mining site near Huddersfield. Kirklees Council has given the green light for 12 two to four-bed homes at Denby Lane, Grange Moor, comprising seven bungalows, three family houses and two affordable homes. Prices will be released later this year.
1:00 AM 18th March 2025
BEP Surface Technologies Welcomes UK Government's Chrome-Plating Approval
Electroplating expert among 23 companies securing regulatory certainty amid EU Chrome 6 restrictions
1:00 AM 18th March 2025
Panthera Biopartners Secures £20m In New Clinical Trials
Panthera, the UK’s largest Site Management Organisation (SMO) with a clinical research site in York, has signed two clinical trial contracts worth over £10 million each. These trials, for international pharmaceutical companies, involve recruiting patients and conducting research at Panthera's sites across the UK.
1:00 AM 18th March 2025
Calls For Harrogate’s Tech Community To Collaborate
Harrogate is emerging as a key player in the UK’s technology sector, with strong growth in digital innovation. Now, businesses in the town are being urged to come together to accelerate this momentum and further establish Harrogate as a thriving tech hub.
1:12 PM 17th March 2025
North Of England Small Businesses Push For Growth Amid Uncertainty
Helen Kitchen
Deputy Business Editor
Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay
Small businesses across the North of England are showing resilience in the face of economic uncertainty, with nearly three-quarters actively pursuing growth projects, according to new research from Novuna Business Finance. The latest Business Barometer tracking study reveals that 71% of UK small businesses are working on initiatives to drive expansion in the coming months.
1:02 AM 17th March 2025
Property & construction
Yorkshire & Humber Construction Market Poised for Growth
Image by Tom from Pixabay
The latest Construction Market Intelligence (CMI Q1 2025) report from Yorkshire & Humber-based construction and property management consultant, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB UK) forecasts a positive outlook for the region’s construction sector, with private housing emerging as the fastest-growing sector.
1:01 AM 17th March 2025
Aon Hosts Work Insights Programme For Leeds Students
Professional services firm Aon plc welcomed 28 Year 12 and 13 students from Leeds and the surrounding area to its city centre office as part of its Work Insights Programme. The programme aims to improve access to careers in financial and professional services for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
1:01 AM 17th March 2025
Ideal Heating Supports Vulnerable Hull Residents Through Council Partnership
(L-R) Joe Yeardley and Mel Hudson of Ideal Heating, Thomas Eastwood of Hull City Council, and Reverend Rich Phillips and Development Minister Dan Broom of St Aidan’s Church.
Ideal Heating has reinforced its commitment to supporting residents in its home city through its partnership with Hull City Council. Ideal has provided a significant sum of money to the Council’s Money Matters and Affordable Warmth schemes, directly benefiting local charities, organisations and community groups.
1:01 AM 17th March 2025
New Research Centre to Drive Just Transition to Net Zero
This week, the People’s History Museum hosted the launch of the ESRC-funded Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) Centre. Led by The University of Manchester, the centre unites key Northern universities and The Institute for Community Studies at The Young Foundation to explore equitable strategies for achieving net zero.
1:00 AM 17th March 2025
Tunley Environmental To Deliver Green Marketing Masterclass
Businesses are under increasing pressure to communicate their environmental initiatives accurately as sustainability becomes a fundamental component of corporate strategy in 2025. The Green Claims Code has been developed by the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) who are the principal competition regulator in the United Kingdom.
1:00 AM 17th March 2025
Northern Musicians To Go Global
Northern musicians are to get vital new support to reach international audiences under a new programme to amplify their talent worldwide. Tees Valley Combined Authority, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the North East Combined Authority have agreed a proposal to create a Northern Music Export Office.
1:00 AM 17th March 2025
How To Make Your Paralegal Staff Feel Appreciated
Paralegals work in a variety of sectors from probate research to the fashion industry, from the defence sector to premiership football clubs, as well as within solicitors’ practices. Paralegals are an integral part of any law firm or large business, but if you fail to recognise your paralegal employees’ full potential, you are unlikely to enjoy the benefits of their skills for very long.
1:02 AM 15th March 2025
Team Building Tops The List Of Most-Disliked Workplace Social Activities
Image by Joseph Mucira from Pixabay
Almost one-third (31%) of employees dislike work team-building activities, according to a new survey by workplace expert Acas. Acas asked employees which work-related social activities or engagements they favoured least. One fifth (20%) said they disliked after-hours drinks, with 19% disliking any social activity with colleagues.
1:00 AM 15th March 2025
Is it always the boss?
Ian Garner
Business Writer
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
There’s a popular meme on social media that says, “People don't leave bad jobs; they leave bad bosses.” It attracts plenty of ‘likes,’ and people give their experiences, but of course we never get the other side of the story. It's a widely held belief, yet it's completely unfounded. People leave for a multitude of reasons, and one person's 'bad’ job is another person’s great job.
1:00 AM 15th March 2025
Growth Suffers As Firms Face Choppy Waters Ahead
Cautious consumers and global headwinds hinder growth in January as UK GDP fell 0.1% month-on-month in January, following 0.4% in December. That reflects growth across all three key sectors Services output grew 0.1% month-on-month Construction output fell 0.2% month-on-month Production fell 0.9% month-on-month GDP had been expected to rise 0.1% month-on-month (Trading Economics) .
8:25 AM 14th March 2025
Leeds Job Fair Supports Women Into Work
Photo by Jack Peters
More than 250 unemployed women from across West Yorkshire attended the Women Into Work Jobs Fair in Leeds, where top employers, including Yorkshire Building Society, Leeds City Council, the NHS, and the Civil Service, showcased job opportunities.
1:02 AM 14th March 2025
Young Graduates Benefit From £1.5m Social Value Programme
Thirteen young people have completed the Forging Futures Campus Employment and Skills Employability Level 1 course, a 17-week programme run by Kirkstall Forge developer CEG and Icon Group. The initiative helps 16- to 18-year-olds who are not in education, employment, or training gain new skills, build confidence, and explore career opportunities.
1:01 AM 14th March 2025
Northern Talent Tracker: This Week's Key Appointments
Thurston Group Expands Team with Key Appointments and Promotions Yorkshire-based modular construction specialist Thurston Group has strengthened its workforce with six new hires and five internal promotions across its Catfoss, Horbury, and Hull sites.
1:00 AM 14th March 2025
Manchester Law Firm Launches Reputation Management Service
Manchester-headquartered law firm Pannone Corporate has launched a crisis and reputation management service in partnership with sector specialist, Cheryl Chung.
1:00 AM 14th March 2025
Blacks Solicitors Advises On Purston Park’s Move To Employee Ownership
Yorkshire-based Blacks Solicitors has advised the founders of Purston Park Limited on the sale of a majority stake to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). The deal sees 59% of the Leeds-based trading group transferred to its 69 employees, marking the start of a new chapter for the business.
1:00 AM 14th March 2025
‘Outstanding’ Inspection Reveals Transformative Impact Of Apprenticeships
An Ofsted inspection has rated Teesside University’s professional apprenticeships as ’Outstanding’ in every category and praised the transformative impact of the qualifications.
1:00 AM 14th March 2025
Aardman Animation Highlights Groundwater Flooding In New Film
Aardman, the animation studio behind Wallace and Gromit, has released a new film to raise awareness of groundwater flooding. The film is part of Project Groundwater, a national initiative researching groundwater flooding and promoting preparedness. It was previewed at Gateshead Council’s Civic Centre due to ongoing local research efforts.
2:00 PM 13th March 2025
Remuneration Strategy Planning Is Key To £25 Billion Employers’ Tax Hit
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
Businesses concerned about the new 15% employers’ national insurance contributions (NIC) rate only have four working weeks left in which to reduce the impact of the higher rate. They can do that by embracing non-salary alternatives that reduce costs whilst continuing to provide employees with attractive remuneration packages, a leading employment tax specialist has said.
1:10 AM 13th March 2025
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