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Mayor of Greater Manchester asks Transport Secretary to require immediate increase in Avanti West Coast services – or remove the contract

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Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has written to the Transport Secretary urging her to require Avanti West Coast to increase timetabled services between Manchester and London to at least two per hour by the end of the month – or remove the contract.

In a letter to Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, the Mayor said that the company’s plans to return to an increased timetable on 11 December would cause too much disruption to passengers and damage to the Greater Manchester economy. As a minimum, he has called for a consistent service of at least two trains per hour between Manchester and London by the end of October as a staging post to a return of three trains by December.

If the company are unable to make this commitment, the Mayor believes the company’s contract should be terminated when it is considered for renewal next week.

It is now more than six weeks since Avanti West Coast reduced services between London and Manchester to just one per hour.

The company promised the move would bring “stability and certainty” for passengers – but an average of 10 per cent of Avanti West Coast services between Manchester and London over the last three weeks were either cancelled or significantly late. Over the same three-week period, over a quarter of services (27 per cent) have failed to arrive on time.

The Mayor has also highlighted that urgent action needs to be taken to improve the experience of passengers, with tickets still being released only a few days in advance and seats regularly double-booked.

A letter from Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to Transport Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP on Avanti West Coast rail

It was a pleasure to meet you and your team on 21 September. Thank you for your positive reception to our transformation of Greater Manchester’s transport into the integrated Bee Network. We are very grateful for your department’s support, and I look forward to building on our partnership over the coming period.

I welcome the more constructive approach you have taken to resolving the crisis on Avanti West Coast services. As you will recall, in our meeting, I spoke about the profoundly negative impact this having on the regional and national economy, and on thousands of passengers and businesses every day. I do now need to return to this issue on the eve of your decision on Avanti’s contract. 

Late last month, Avanti published a plan to restore three trains per hour between Manchester and London from the next timetable change on 11 December. This would mean two more months of chaos on the West Coast Mainline in the interim, with resulting damage to our city-region’s economy. 

If 11 December is to be acceptable, Avanti must also commit to providing a consistent two trains per hour service between Manchester and London by end of this month, as a staging post to full restoration of the timetable. Unless this happens and is clearly communicated, train travel between our most important economic regions will continue to be chaotic, forcing people into their cars or into abandoning plans to travel entirely. 

Without this commitment, I will be unable to support a new contract for Avanti.

At present, Avanti customers continue to report very poor levels of reliability. Even on the current, massively reduced timetable, trains are still regularly delayed or cancelled at a time when we are told by Avanti that they have more drivers available than ever. I urge your officials to study Avanti’s performance metrics which demonstrate this. 

Passengers face other challenges too. Tickets are still only being released a few days in advance, making planning for individuals and businesses impossible. Seat double bookings remain a significant issue, leading to arguments between passengers and people having to stand for long journeys. Poor maintenance is resulting in broken toilets, air cooling and onboard café equipment. These dreadful conditions would be unacceptable at any time but are particularly so now given the wholesale collapse of the timetable, something no other train company is experiencing at anything like this scale.  

I am grateful for any support you can offer in finding a way through these issues as quickly as possible to deliver the rail service that people using the West Coast Mainline deserve. I stand ready to help you in any way I can. 

More than 100 nominees announced for TalkTalk North West Women in Tech Awards

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More than 100 people and teams across the North West have been nominated for this year’s TalkTalk Women in Tech Awards. The event, back bigger and better this November for its second year, celebrates the achievements of women working in the technology sector across the region.

The TalkTalk North West Women in Tech awards will take place at First Street Bar and Kitchen on Wednesday 2 November. The evening is by invitation only. It will be hosted by Tristia Harrison, CEO of TalkTalk, and awards will be handed out by entrepreneur Gary Neville.

Nominations were invited from the public this summer across six award categories: Rising Star, Innovation / Innovator, Tech for Good, Mentor of the year, Team of the year, Outstanding Achievement

A winner in each category will be announced on the awards night itself, however the range and breadth of people put forward shows the depth of female tech talent across our region. Everyone who was nominated is listed below.

RISING STAR

Alison Chiwara, Charlene Chigumira, Farhana Fatima Khan, Flóra Harai, Hannah Atherton, Hannah Hammonds, Hannah Venning, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Jade Oakley, Jen Openshaw, Jigyasa Grover, Juliana Ferreira, Katie Din, Kay Vose, Kimberley Dearlove, Kira O’Donoghue, Lauren Edmondson,

Lauren Williams, Manisha Varu, Niomie Haynes, Omotosho Mary Pelumi, Rachel Inskip, Ruby Melling, Sally Davis, Sameenah Patel, Sarah Pates, Simone Heilman, Sophia Ben-Yousef, Victoria Hanley, Yas Soto, Yasmin Sidat, Yun Chen

INNOVATION

Beckie Taylor, Camilla Ellerton, Claire Bailey, Danielle Summers, Karen Snape

TECH FOR GOOD

Cheryl Stevens MBE, Claire Rawlinson, Emma-Louise Fusari, Georgia Wheedon, Hannah Drake,

InnovateHer, Judy Leung, Kelly Widdicks, Laura Pomfret and Holly Holland, Maram Yehiah, Marie Dandy, Melissa Church, Neha Garg, Rebecca Mahoney, Roxy Lawton, Sara Wilcock, Tech Returners

MENTOR

Alexandra Brown, Amanda Newman, Amber Keats, August Aldred, Beckie Taylor, Cath Trotter, Debbie Street, Emily Winter, Emma Price, Georgiana Baragan, Jo Sheerin, Julie King, Kelly Widdicks,

Laura Derbyshire, Lisa Armstrong, Lucy Bushby, Lucy Yiasoumi, Mand Cashin, Ronah Solon, Samantha Mitcham, Varuna Venkatesh

TEAM

ACE Team at Pets at Home, Manchester Tech Festival, KPMG, Tech Returners, Digital Everyone, Manufacturing Alliance, InnovateHer, Manchester Metropolitan University, BAE Systems, JJ Smith Woodworking and Machinery, Skills City team

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Alice Spreckley, Beckie Taylor, Bijal Majithia, Elena Gifford, Gill Parry, Hannah Lewis, Jen Henson-Fisher, Jennifer Openshaw, Joeli Brearley, Kimberley Jackson-Diskin, Lalita D’Cruze, Laura Herbert,

Mhairi Davidson, Philippa Glover, Rachel Gregory, Rebecca Stephenson, Sarah Swallow, Seónaid Lafferty, Tiffany Thorn

The judges tasked with choosing this year’s winners are: 

  • Debbie Brown, Strategic Director of Service Reform – Salford Council
  • Maja Borota-Nedic, Director of Engineering – Booking.com
  • Lou Cordwell OBE, Chief Creative Officer – Magnetic; Director – ID Manchester and Chair – GM LEP
  • Professor Helen Marshall, Vice Chancellor – The University of Salford
  • Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor – The Times
  • Vikas Shah MBE, entrepreneur, philanthropist, University of Manchester Honorary Professor and CEO Swiscot Group
  • Naomi Timperley, co-founder – Tech North Advocates, Manchester Tech Festival and in Computer Weekly’s top 50 Most Influential Women in UK IT
  • Rebecca Wearn– Senior Broadcast journalist – BBC

Lloyds Bank appoints new head for the North West

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Lloyds Bank Corporate & Institutional Banking has appointed a new head of its North West team supporting large corporate and institutional businesses in the region.

Chris Yau, based in Lloyds Bank’s Manchester office, will lead the North West-based team as it continues to increase its support of businesses across the region with revenues of £100m and above.

He will be responsible for leading Lloyds Bank’s key activities and initiatives across the North West, as well as recruitment of talent aligned to the bank’s ambitions for the region. In his new role Chris will serve as Regional Head of the North West for the Bank’s Corporate and Institutional Banking division and as Director of Origination and Sustainability for its housing team.

Chris joined Lloyds Bank in 2018 from RBS, where he had spent 11 years as a relationship director for businesses ranging from mid-market businesses through to large corporates.

In his current role as director for origination and sustainability for housing, Chris is helping the sector in its transition to a low carbon economy through the delivery of ESG and sustainability finance, as part of the bank’s ambition of shaping finance as a force for good. He has recently advised on financing support for L&G, Platform Housing and Alliance Homes.

Chris said: “The North West has shown itself to be one of the most resilient, thriving, and exciting places to do business in recent years.

“It is incumbent on organisations like Lloyds Bank to ensure that both larger businesses already based in the region and those considering it as a home have the support needed to grow. The presence and success of these business across the North West doesn’t just benefit the area with employment but also to those smaller businesses that support them and their supply chains, which is why I am committed to ensuring our team are focused on providing the assistance and help they need.”

Mark Burton, UK Head of Regions at Lloyds Bank, said: “We are proud of the role we play supporting businesses in sectors like manufacturing, tech and life sciences that will fuel the economic growth and innovations of tomorrow. That is why the North West is a key region for us.

“Chris brings extensive experience and expertise of corporate banking needed in this new role to bolster the support we’re providing businesses across the North West.”

First Direct to launch innovative screening in Manchester this weekend

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WHERE: Exchange Square, Manchester

DATE: 7th and 8th October, 2022

TIME: 11am – 7pm

first direct is giving up and coming bands, The Royston Club, Dead Pony and L’objectifan opportunity to share their latest tracks with the people of Manchester, the music capital of the UK.

As long-standing partners of the first direct Arena in Leeds, the digital bank is committed to levelling the playing field within the music industry. The bands were invited to the venue last month, where each performed three of their most recent songs with full production on the stage which has seen the likes of Stormzy and Dua Lipa play to thousands of fans.

Films from the show will be shared with music lovers, who can relax and enjoy tracks from the three bands at an experience in the centre of Manchester on 7th and 8th October.

As well as enjoying the music, visitors will have the opportunity to win a variety of prizes including VIP tickets to the first direct Arena and band merchandise.

Chris Pitt, CEO, at first direct said: “We’re passionate about helping bands break into the music industry, so we’re really excited to give these artists this very special platform. We know Manchester, which is famed for its thriving music scene, is the perfect place to showcase their talents and we look forward to celebrating these up and coming artists with the city’s many music lovers.”

Saul Kane from L’objectif said: “It was a great experience to get a taste of a stage that big. We just had a lot of fun playing as we usually do but it’s not often you get to do it on a stage that size. Hopefully it won’t be the last time.”

Anna Shileds from Dead Pony said: “Taking part in first direct bank’s ‘direct to stage’ was absolutely nuts. It felt surreal to play a stage that large and imagine that we were playing to 10s of thousands of people, which is the goal for the band”

Tom Faithfull from The Royston Club said: “Walking into the arena for the first time was a pretty surreal experience and we all just felt very lucky to be playing our music there, and to be part of first direct bank’s direct to stage campaign.”

Getting to grips with ransom strips

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Developers need to be alive to the risks of issues arising from third-party land ownership, warns legal property specialist Caroline Mortimer. 

Failure to do so says Caroline, a partner at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, could lead to expensive and time-consuming delays on a development. 

To construct and sell units as efficiently as possible, she says it is important to ensure there is a level of joined up thinking between everyone involved. 

“One of the major concerns when it comes to third party land is a ransom strip that could prevent access into the site or the ability to lay services,” said Caroline, who is a partner in the commercial property team at Clarke Willmott with extensive experience in acting for housebuilders in all aspects of residential development. 

“This is typically a few feet of land owned by someone else that separates a private property from a public road or from another part of the property. 

“To minimise the risk, always arrange for an overlay between the highways search plan and the registered title plan to show any gaps between the site and the adopted highway.” 

When it comes to looking at a service solution for a site, Caroline Mortimer says developers should ensure they are able to implement this and to ask themselves: 

·        If you are connecting into an existing system and there are rights to use, are these rights sufficient to allow any increase in flow or are there capacity limits?

·        If there are rights to lay services through third party land, does this extend to obligations on the landowner to enter into any infrastructure agreements? 

·        If you are constructing an outfall, are there rights to drain into the watercourse?

Another point to consider is whether the service strategy for a site would require additional works. 

“For example, an outfall for surface water drainage into a watercourse may mean carrying out protective works to the channel to prevent erosion or flooding.  

“If you are required to install such protection on third party land, you must be sure that you have the appropriate rights to do this.” 

Meanwhile, where a site requires cranes, Caroline says developers should also consider if it is practicable to construct the site without any part of the crane oversailing onto third party land.  

“On more constrained sites, it may be possible to, for example, construct a basement or install any pilings while remaining entirely within the boundaries of your own site,” she says. 

“This could require temporary construction access, perhaps necessitating the need to negotiate a construction compound or contractor parking on the third-party land.” 

Clarke Willmott is a national law firm with offices in Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham, Bristol, London, Southampton, and Taunton.   

For more information visit www.clarkewillmott.com 

Manchester’s Slater Heelis recognised as top UK law firm in prestigious Legal 500

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With 16 of its solicitors listed in the Legal 500 rankings for 2023, SLATER HEELIS has once again received recognition from the legal community as one of the leading law firms in the North West.

The Legal 500 is the most comprehensive legal directory in the UK. It lists and ranks solicitors and law firms across the nation based on both their skills and reviews from peers, clients, and other contacts who have been involved in projects.

For the first time, Slater Heelis was named as a Firm to Watch for the work of its Crime team, in acknowledgement of the team’s recent achievements on a number of high-profile cases. This comes at a perfect time after the Crime team’s victory at the Manchester Legal Awards in June.

Simon Wallwork, Head of Corporate and Commercial, and Mark Heptinstall, Head of Family, both celebrate their fifth consecutive year as Leading Individuals, with Ken Salmon, Consultant Solicitor in Construction and Engineering, achieving his fourth consecutive Leading Individual recognition. Also receiving special recognition for a fourth consecutive year is Patricia Robinson, who has been named Next Generation Partner in recognition of her outstanding work as a Partner in the Family team.

John Gorner, Consultant Solicitor for Dispute Resolution, and Vicki McLynn, Partner for Family, have been ranked in the Legal 500 2023 for Slater Heelis, having both joined the firm in 2021 with many years of experience. Their achievements highlight the firm’s success in its recent staff acquisitions.

Singular commendations across numerous practice areas also demonstrated the firm’s broad range of expertise.

The Dispute Resolution team was praised for having three members recognised on the list, with Lauren Adams being nominated for the first time.

Chris Bishop, Managing Partner of Slater Heelis, says:

“We are extremely proud of each person who has been acknowledged in the Legal 500, as well as of our entire team, which works tirelessly every day to support the fantastic work we do for our clients, one another, and the community. These awards demonstrate the abundance of legal talent in our firm – of which I am very proud.”

NEW IMAGES SHOW STUNNING REFURBISHMENT OF HISTORIC CARRIAGE WORKS

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Manchester-based developer Property Alliance Group (Alliance) has today released new images of its proposals for a spectacular renovation of a historic nineteenth-century carriage works, as it submits its planning application for the redevelopment of the site on the corner of King Street West and St Mary’s Parsonage in Manchester city centre.

Alliance is looking to create a unique and inspiring new commercial destination in this increasingly vibrant part of the city, located a stone’s throw from the bustling areas of Deansgate and Spinningfields.

The proposals include a meticulous heritage-led renovation of a historic carriage works and inner courtyard, which will celebrate and breathe new life into one of the city’s most interesting industrial buildings and create a truly one-of-a-kind workspace.

Alongside the renovated carriage works would sit a striking new 13-storey building fronting King Street West and Motor Square, with its landmark design and sustainable credentials helping to deliver the aspirations of the St Mary’s Parsonage Strategic Regeneration Framework to create a thriving commercial-led neighbourhood.

Overall, the development would create 64,122 sq ft of best-in-class office space, alongside a colonnaded ground floor with new retail units which would enhance and activate Motor Square as a key focal area of public space. Further improvements to the surrounding side streets would greatly enhance the setting of the buildings and invite people back into this historic yet currently underused corner of the city centre.

Jon Matthews, of Jon Matthews Architects, commented:

“It’s been a real privilege to design a scheme for such an interesting and complex listed site within the city centre, working to understand the heritage significance of the different buildings.

“During our recent public consultation, we talked to people in detail about our design approach, which includes the sensitive renovation of the carriage works and inner courtyard – as the most historically important parts of the site – alongside the proposed replacement of the existing Reedham House building which fronts King Street West. Despite appearances, Reedham House was almost completely rebuilt in 1926 and then again following bomb damage in WW2, meaning that it has very little heritage value.

“It entirely makes sense to protect and enhance the most significant heritage asset, which is made possible through the redevelopment of the less historically important buildings on site, and replacement with a striking, new-build sustainable office building which we are confident will make a positive addition to the area.”

Alex Russell, Managing Director at Alliance, commented:

“We are delighted to unveil these images to give people a better sense of the sensitive approach and elegant detailing we’re planning to take to breathe new life into the historic carriage works, alongside our sustainable, striking new building which will complement the new developments coming forward in this burgeoning part of the city centre. We’re confident this development will provide the type of unique and characterful workspaces we know that occupiers desire.”

£1M goal reached to fund new apprenticeships

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Skipton Building Society has swooped in at the last minute to make a donation of £100k in unspent levy funding, to help a leading apprenticeship provider smash their target of raising £1M of funds to support 200 apprenticeships across the UK.

Total People, which provides apprenticeships in more than 20 different industries across the UK, launched the campaign back in February this year, with a goal to achieve £500K of ‘levy gifting’ from large organisations who can gift 25% of their levy funding. The target was quickly met after a few weeks, and a new target to reach £1M and 200 apprenticeships by the 20th August was set. This new goal was achieved thanks to many UK organisations gifting their funds, to secure apprenticeships in sectors that are crying out for support, including hospitality, catering, health & social care, childcare, engineering and automotive.

Government figures revealed that more than £250 million of funding earmarked to create new apprenticeships was returned to the Treasury unspent last year. The funding could have created around 30,000 apprenticeship placements, according to Total People.

Major national companies including G4S, Elior, Smyths Toys, Evrie, BP, SPIE UK and Skipton Building Society, generously gifted their funding to secure placements in a variety of industries, smashing the target and opening doors to new careers for over 200 learners.

Apprenticeships can be made available to new and existing employees of all ages, and can be used to bridge skills gaps, increase a workforce or train on new technologies.

Melanie Nicholson, Total People Managing Director, said: “This is a fantastic response that really shows the value of working together to achieve momentum, and change lives. The apprenticeship levy is a cost that most medium and large businesses pay, and it is a case that if they don’t use that money, they lose it.

“By securing the funds, we have managed to support over two hundred young people onto an apprenticeship, which not only gives them a career path but supports businesses who are struggling to retain staff in this volatile market. The apprentices who are placed are able to train on and off the job, achieving skillsets they can use throughout their lives whist enabling them to progress and master their skills in their chosen career.

“Using our apprenticeships expertise, each pound of gifted funding is helping to create real opportunities for individuals and businesses, while at the same time bridging skills gaps in key sectors and towns and cities.”

Levy paying employers are businesses with a wage bill of over £3 million, with 0.5 per cent of their payroll paid towards the levy. Businesses can gift that money internally to fund apprenticeship programmes, or alternatively they can ‘gift’ up to 25 per cent to other organisations to fund apprenticeships.

For more details on apprenticeship levies and donating funding to SMEs, visit www.totalpeople.co.uk/gift-your-levy or call 0333 444 555.

Irlam’s Kingsland Drinks Group boosts insights team

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Kingsland Drinks Group has made two appointments to strengthen its insights team – Michelle Wilkinson joins as Category Manager and Fiona McClure takes on the role of Consumer and Insights Executive. Both hires will form part of the company’s wider strategy to work with customers to unlock category growth and ensure that insights play a key role in developing Kingsland Drinks Group’s product portfolio.  

Michelle will be responsible for overseeing instore and online category management and will play a pivotal role in developing the company’s growth strategy. Utilising insights, she will identify opportunities for Kingsland Drinks’ brands, partner producers and customers. She will also work collaboratively with key customers on strategic category initiatives and identify opportunities for them to grow sales with the goal of driving their business forward.   

With over 20 years’ experience, she has held senior category management roles across range of sectors, including food, pharmaceuticals, health, and homewares.   

Alongside the insights team, she will spur growth within multiple and independent retail and lead specific initiatives in online retail – a channel expected to grow significantly over the next decade as e-commerce and fast grocery delivery become more mainstream and command a bigger share of the category.   

Fiona will support Michelle and the wider team on market, category and shopper insight projects, while leading consumer insights initiatives as Kingsland Drinks expands its branded portfolio. She joins from Hallmark Cards where she held multiple roles across product, commercial and marketing over a 24-year period. She brings a wealth of commercial experience and a fresh approach to the insights team.  

Michelle says: “I’m excited to be taking on this role and to be a part of such a talented and passionate team of people with great strengths and skills, and with such a strong range of products. The insights team is expanding and it’s a real honour to be part of this growth – and to be working on the innovative and creative projects coming soon. I love the company values, the team spirit, the focus on sustainability, the ambitious plans and of course, the brilliant wines and spirits in the portfolio.”   

Both will report into Charles Overin, Head of Marketing, Brand and Insights, who joined Kingsland Drinks in July 2021, and will work alongside Jenna Burbidge, Insights Manager.   

Charles says, “Michelle and Fiona join the company during a period of significant expansion and investment, and our strong insights team plays a key role in the immediate and future growth of the business.  

“It’s brilliant to have people with their capabilities and experience joining the team at this prosperous time. They will be a great asset to us as we continue to strengthen our established product range and bolster our position in the marketplace as an own label and branded supplier.  

“The drinks category is changing, consumer preferences are evolving, and we need to ensure we move with the times and that our business decisions, category and brand development, and NPD are grounded in insights. We believe that our focus in this area will deliver successful results and to keep us ahead of the game. 

“It’s a competitive marketplace and we’re all facing a range of challenges – but we’re confident in our position and ready to take the business to the next level.” 

Headquartered at Irlam Locks, Salford, the leading importer and supplier of wines and spirits has over 100 global brands in its portfolio, including The Hidden Sea, Baron de Ley, Corte Molino and Campaneo. It services UK multiples, independent and convenience retailers and drinks stores, hospitality, wholesalers and cash and carries.  

With a workforce of over 500 people, Kingsland Drinks switched to employee ownership in 2021 and invested heavily in its infrastructure, production capacities and sustainability policies. It has increased its capacity for bag in box wines, canning, installed a high-speed bottling line, and continues to invest in NPD and insights-driven product development. It has also launched its Thirsty Earth sustainability programme focusing on society, the economy and the environment.  

To find out more about Kingsland Drinks’ portfolio and complete category solutions contact [email protected]   

Phil Young takes Non-executive Director role at Pareto Financial Planning

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Phil Young has been appointed as a Non-executive Director at Manchester based Pareto Financial Planning.

Young joins award-winning Pareto Financial Planning following senior positions held most recently as chair of Sense Network until its acquisition by Adviser Services Holding in 2020. He was also chair of Ludlow Wealth Management until its acquisition by AIM listed Mattioli Woods 2021.

Paul Stones, Managing Director, Pareto Financial Planning, said: “We are delighted to welcome Phil to the Pareto team. He brings a wealth of experience in operational and client excellence, which will help us capitalise on the momentum and growth we have, and continue to experience.”

Phil Young, Non-executive Director Pareto Financial Planning, said: “Pareto has a great reputation for its focus on people first – whether that be clients or its staff – and I hope that I can play a part in this next stage of the businesses’ development. I’ve always been interested in the use of technology, and both organic and inorganic growth, all of which are key ingredients to Pareto’s business plan going forward.

Pareto Financial Planning recently announced that it had reported strong growth increasing turnover by 22% and exceeding £1 billion of assets under its management for the year ending 21/22.

Pareto Financial Planning’s head count also increased by 20% in 20/21 bringing the total number of employees to over 70. Pareto Financial Planning has a number of open positions as it looks to further expand its team.

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