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Anger at GMCA over pension hypocrisy (Fossil Free Greater Manchester)

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Pensioners, Unison members and other GM residents are raising the alarm outside the GMCA’s monthly meeting.  They want the ten GM Council Leaders and GM Mayor Andy Burnham to call on the GM pension fund (GMPF) to take its money out of fossil fuel investments. Brandishing placards and banners, the protesters demand that public money stops funding global heating.
“Every GM Council has a carbon net zero target of 2038 at the latest but the GM pension fund still holds £1bn investments in fossil fuels. We are all painfully aware of the energy crisis and the devastation caused by climate breakdown but the pension fund is backing Shell, BP and other criminals” said Maggie Walker, a Manchester pensioner.

“Every GM Council Leader must call on Tameside Council, who manage the fund, to stop giving public money to the greedy oil and gas giants. The Council Leaders and the Mayor have huge political influence and should be working to bring an end to the Fund’s shameful investments.”

The GM pension fund has the highest investments in fossil fuel companies of any UK local government pension fund.  Elsewhere 150+ pension funds including New York, NEST and the Dutch Government Pension Fund ABP have committed to fossil fuel divestment. [1]

Joan Bennett said “As a GMPF pensioner, I’m dismayed that GMPF has actually increased fossil fuel investments, including in coal-mining companies in recent years. Our Council Leaders should call on GMPF to take responsibility for their role in the climate crisis.” [2]

Local group Fossil Free Greater Manchester said, “While people continue to demand climate action, the GM pension fund continues to ignore the climate crisis. Climate justice is not just the responsibility of global leaders — our local Council Leaders need to act fast to move our money out of fossil fuels and into renewables and other sustainable investments.”

How real is the ‘Great Return’ to the office?

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Trends data shows searches for furniture for home working are still significantly up since the pandemic, potentially indicating that a Great Return to the office as a result of the cost-of-living crisis may not be guaranteed.

Rising bills have pundits and business leaders alike anticipating an end to hybrid working, particularly as we enter the winter months.  On top of quiet spaces for focused working and easy collaboration, offices also offer opportunities to socialise which may become a higher priority as the nights grow longer.

But data, collated by Banner, suggests that employees may not be on the same page.  Searches for “home office furniture” and “desk for home” at the end of Q3 2022 remain around 100% higher than before the pandemic, when home working became the norm.

Not only are employees still looking to furnish their home offices, despite rising energy costs, they’re also more interested in comfort and health in their work environment too, with searches for ergonomic chairs and standing desks being around 200% and 150% higher respectively post-COVID.

Jason Thomas from Banner, says, “The data shows that interest in ergonomic furniture and furniture for the home office is still up in comparison to before the pandemic. This could be interpreted as a sign that speculation around a Great Return to the office is perhaps more wishful thinking. At the very least, workers are expecting some form of hybrid working to continue despite the cost-of-living crisis.

“The lesson for businesses that were hoping to see more employees in the office as a silver-lining to rising costs, is that they will still need to provide a workspace that’s just as, or more, inviting and comfortable than the one their staff have at home.

“The things people love about the office are the atmosphere, the ability to socialise, the purpose-built areas for concentration, collaboration and ideation, and it’s also much more likely that their workstations will be fit for purpose.  A smart workplace supplies partner can help you optimise your office in all of these areas to help make the office more of a destination as home working becomes more expensive.”

For a full breakdown of the trends data, click here.

Totalmobile acquire fully fitted workspace at 10 Chapel Walks, Manchester

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Totalmobile, a leading Field Service Management Software Company, have acquired 2,672 sq ft at 10 Chapel Walks for their new Manchester office. OBI brokered the deal on behalf of the landlord Artmax and JMS Property Consultants acted on behalf of Totalmobile.

10 Chapel Walks comprises 55,000 sq ft of Grade A refurbished workspace in Manchester’s central business district offering a vibrant and engaging business destination. OBI, Manchester real estate firm, have been recently appointed as leasing agents on 10 Chapel Walks alongside Cushman & Wakefield by landlord, Artmax.

Andrew Crabtree at OBI said: “It was great to achieve early success at 10 Chapel Walks with the letting to Totalmobile. The scheme is a prime city centre location offering Grade A space in the central core. It’s a hugely attractive space to occupiers and this shows through the letting to Totalmobile. The landlord speculatively delivering fully fitted and furnished workspace reflects Artmax’s hands on approach to meet the growing demand for occupier flexibility which suited Totalmobile.”

Gillian Mahon, Chief People and Places Officer at Totalmobile said: “In a world where flexibility and remote working is more common than ever before, bringing people together in person is still of strategic importance. However, it’s vital that when people do come together, they do so in an environment that is comfortable, modern and meets their needs. We’re delighted to open our new Northern Hub at 10 Chapel Walks, Manchester. It provides a fantastic office location where staff can get together to share ideas, learn from one another, or just catch up on everything that is going on. It also provides Totalmobile with a key northern location, as we continue to expand our presence across the UK and Ireland.”

Located on Cross Street facing St Ann’s Street with frontages to Cheapside and Chapel Walks, the building is surrounded by a host of amenities including a selection of retail and leisure destinations as well as boasting transport links across the city.

A selection of further Plug and Play Workspaces are currently in progress which will add a new dimension to 10 Chapel Walks.

OBI and Cushman and Wakefield are leasing agents on the building.

She Leads For Legacy Breaks The Glass Ceiling for Black Women in Business

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North West-based organisation, She Leads for Legacy, is hosting a one of a kind event to help advance the leadership opportunities for black women in business.

Headed up by mother and daughter duo, Sharon and Afiya Amesu, the initiative has already created a solid network of change-makers. Now, the founders are inviting black women, businesses, and allies to join them at their ‘Empowered to Lead’ conference, which is set to accelerate their ambitions for positive change.

Given the inequality black females face when reaching prominent leadership and board level roles, in comparison to their white counterparts, She Leads for Legacy aims to explore how individuals and organisations can better advance the equalities agenda and create more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Already, a range of high profile businesses have committed to sponsoring the conference, including EY, Lloyds Bank, Agent, Pro Manchester, and Northern Rail.

Taking place at Bruntwood’s impressive Bloc space in Manchester, the conference will see She Leads for Legacy use its platform to connect black females and allies in the business world for a day of masterclasses, inspirational guest speaker talks, networking and panel sessions, for the first time in-person.

The impressive line-up of guest speakers includes, Selina Flavius, Founder of Black Girl Finance, Prof. Dawn Edge, Professor of Mental Health and Inclusivity at University of Manchester, and Penny Haslam, award winning motivational speaker. All speakers will bring their own expertise and experiences to the event, offering insight into what women can do to use their voice and create a seat at the table, as well as what allies can do to create opportunity.

Sharon Amesu, Co-founder of She Leads for Legacy, said:

“She Leads for Legacy is a community for black female professionals and allies who are committed to the career progression and advancement of black women into senior leadership and board level positions.”

“She Leads for Legacy has three key pillars that we undertake in all of our work: connectivity, influence, and learning & development. This conference is the highlight in our calendar, providing us with the opportunity to experience all three of those elements.”

“The importance of allyship at the Empowered to Lead conference cannot be understated. Having allies present in the room, hearing the experiences of black female professionals is so important, so they can be reminded of just how powerful they are, how much influence they have, to leverage and be agents of change.”

Michelle Mullany, North West Client Executive at EY, and sponsor for the Empowered to Lead conference, said:

“I think all of us want to make a difference in the communities that we work in, and I take pride in utilising my connections to support black female professionals across the North.”

“There’s going to be an opportunity to learn, network, and come away really uplifted – I’d encourage anyone to attend.”

Selina Flavius, Founder of Black Girl Finance, and speaker at the Empowered to Lead conference, said:

“The Empowered to Lead Conference is a fantastic space for women to discuss the issues that impact them and most importantly to be inspired. My workshop will be focused on money and finance, which at this time of high inflation and whooping energy costs, in addition to the already well established and recognised financial inequalities that already exists for women, is so important to talk about.”

“I hope people will take away, firstly, why it is important to make their financial wellbeing a priority and secondly, how to do this.”

The Empowered to Lead Conference will take place on Saturday 8th October at Bruntwood’s Bloc venue. If you would like to join the community of change-makers, book your tickets for the day here.

For more information on She Leads for Legacy, please visit https://www.sheleadsforlegacy.com/.

Apadmi increases headcount by almost 10% in past quarter

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Leading technology consultancy Apadmi has announced the hire of 28 members of staff in the past quarter, including three apprenticeship placements, defying market instability in the current economic environment.

The 28 new starters add to the 62 hires that the technology firm has made in the past 12 months across its Engineering, People Team, Design, Business Development and Digital Product departments, as it continues in its expansion. 19 new starters in the past 12 months have been employed into its Manchester branch alone.

The news comes as Apadmi forecasts a 66 per cent growth for its current financial year, following a turnover of £11.8m for the 12 months to March 2022, attributed to the continued execution of its strategic expansion strategy, as well as a strong performance within its digital product offerings.

Former Google and Facebook lead, Stuart Lunn, who was appointed as UK Managing Director for Apadmi in June, commented,

“Over the past six months, we have identified substantial business needs across our team and the sheer amount of hires we have made is testament to our current and planned growth needs.”

“In Greater Manchester, we have a vested commitment to ongoing local recruitment and as one of the biggest digital employers in the region, we are very proud to be offering a range of roles and apprenticeships.”

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Manchester, Apadmi is the digital product partner for some of the world’s leading organisations including Domino’s, Co-op, NHS, BBC, Chelsea Football Club and Argos Financial Services.

Now employing over 200 staff across the Group, the company recently opened offices in Edinburgh and Utrecht, in addition to its Manchester and London facilities.

Lunn continued, “This level of employment in a very challenging economic period is one we’re very proud of and I am confident of our position as an integral part of the UK’s technology landscape.”

“Playing our part in establishing the North as one of the UK’s leading digital employment hubs is key for us, and we’re continually looking at methods and partnerships we can build on to support wider digital learning and employment chances, and to help offer those wanting a digital career a foot in the door.

“There is still much more to be done as a sector, but we are humbled to be hiring at this pace and to offer these opportunities to students and those switching careers.”

Apadmi anticipates an increase in headcount of approximately 75 hires over the next year, with further vacancies currently open across UX, UI, Front End Development and Client Services. Of these, four will open within its Edinburgh office.

It will open its graduate scheme in the next month, with a view to hiring over 20 graduates and undergraduates across engineering, product and testing departments.

Napthens’ business recovery team adds new director

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Leading North West law firm Napthens has added two new members to its business recovery team, with the appointments of Stuart Beatson as legal director and Dominique Moore as business recovery executive.

Stuart brings more than 13 years of business recovery experience to the firm. He has expertise in contentious and  non-contentious advice to insolvency practitioners and asset based lenders, as well as providing director advice to businesses under stress. He joins Napthens after spending the past eight years, latterly as partner, in the insolvency and business restructuring team at Taylors Solicitors, in Manchester.

Previously working as a corporate legal assistant at Napthens, Dominique has been promoted to business recovery executive and will work in a fee earning role in the team.

Napthens’ business recovery team offers expert advice predominantly to insolvency practitioner clients, which includes advising on insolvency appointments, the sale of distressed businesses, and antecedent transaction litigation.

Stuart and Dominique join partner and team leader Grahame Love and associate solicitor Laura Hartley-Williams, as part of the core business recovery team at Napthens.

The team’s growth is in line with an increasingly active insolvency and business recovery sector.

Grahame Love, business recovery partner at Napthens, said: “We work closely with a variety of insolvency practitioners as well as directly with businesses. We’re aware that both the numbers of businesses in distress and instances of formal insolvency are on the rise and that various stakeholders may benefit from the advice of decisive and experienced advisors. This is why we’re delighted to welcome Stuart and Dominique to the team. Their invaluable input will increase capacity and bolster our offering allowing us to provide greater support to our clients.”

Stuart Beatson, legal director at Napthens, said: “Napthens is a firm on a clear growth trajectory, that has been making waves in the regional market for a number of years. As we enter what is expected to be a difficult 12 to 18 months for the economy, businesses will be in need of our support as they navigate new challenges. Alongside Grahame, Laura and Dominique we’ll be focused on delivering specialist advice that makes a tangible impact on the success of our clients.”

Mortgage Life Insurance: The Missing Link In Mortgage Protection

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Buying a home is a stressful time in life. While it’s a great feeling to own your own space, the process of moving, selling your old home, and applying for a mortgage loan can take its toll. Even once you’ve moved into your new home, there is then the matter of protecting it.

Mortgage life insurance is often overlooked as a way to protect your mortgage payments from loss. But it’s more than just a legal document; it’s a must-have tool to protect your family’s financial future. 

It doesn’t just prevent your family from losing their house, it can also cover a wide range of finances. In this article, we’ll look at how mortgage life insurance works and why you should consider it…

What is mortgage life insurance?

Mortgage life insurance is a type of policy plan designed to pay off your mortgage if you die before it’s repaid. Like most types of life insurance, it pays out a lump sum to your loved ones. They can then use this money to pay off the remaining mortgage balance for their home.

But even if it’s already been paid off, the money can help your loved ones with household bills, funeral expenses and other costs. Many homeowners opt for this type of protection, as it provides peace of mind for their loved ones.

How it works

There are 3 steps to taking out a mortgage life insurance policy:

  1. Choose the amount of cover you need – In this case, the amount owed on your mortgage. You may also want to consider cover after your mortgage has been paid off.
  2. Choose the policy term – This is how long you want the policy to last. Term life policies only last for a set period of time (ideal for covering a mortgage). Whole life insurance protects you permanently (ideal for covering both a mortgage and future expenses).
  3. Choose how you pay your premiums – You can normally pay your premiums annually, quarterly, or monthly. This depends on how much money you want to pay upfront or spread out over the year.

3 main types of cover can be used to protect a mortgage:

  • Decreasing term life insurance – This type of policy is most associated with mortgage protection. The payout value of the policy decreases over time as you make repayments on the outstanding balance.
  • Level term life insurance – Pays out a cash lump sum if you die within the policy term. Both the payout value and premium cost remain fixed during the policy.
  • Whole life insurance – Your family receives a cash lump sum regardless of when you die. During the policy, both your premiums and payout value remain fixed. One downside is that this type of cover can be expensive.

Should I buy term or permanent coverage?

One of the key questions people face when buying life insurance is whether they should buy a term or a whole policy. The main considerations between the two are cost and the length of the policy term.

Whole life insurance provides permanent cover, so you won’t have to worry about the policy expiring, or your rates being increased. It provides peace of mind for your loved ones going into the future. Premiums for whole policies are typically more expensive than term life insurance, as the cover is permanent.

Term life policies only last for a certain amount of time, for example, 25 years. This makes it ideal for covering a mortgage, as you can select the policy term to match the length of your mortgage loan. 

As one of the cheapest types of life insurance, it’s great if you’re looking for cover on a budget. However, if you survive the policy term, you won’t be able to claim any money back on the premiums paid.

Ultimately, it depends on your circumstances. If you’re only looking to cover a mortgage, decreasing term cover may be the way forward. But if you want to cover all bases, you may be better suited to whole life insurance.

How much cover should you buy?

From one perspective, your cover amount should reflect the outstanding balance on your mortgage. However, life insurance can cover more than just a mortgage. When you die, the money paid to your family can help them cover finances, such as:

  • Living costs
  • Household bills
  • Loan repayments
  • Paying off outstanding debts
  • Your children’s school fees
  • Funeral expenses

If you’re purchasing cover, such as decreasing term life insurance, it is intended to cover your mortgage. So if you’re looking for cover after you’ve paid off your mortgage, term or whole life cover may be a better option.

Once you decide to buy mortgage life insurance, the next part is finding the right provider. There are thousands of comparison sites across the web that can help you get a quote in minutes. Or if you’re looking to save money, why not use a discount broker?

Does Your Nursery Need a Minibus?

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Nurseries provide parents with a safe environment for their children to learn and experience new things. As such, you might be looking for ways to improve your nursery’s services and make it more appealing to parents. 

Getting a minibus is a great way to start improving your nursery. If you want to know whether a minibus is the best choice for you, then let’s dive into the possible considerations and benefits that a minibus can bring to your nursery. 

Easy Access to Transportation

The main benefit of a minibus is a readily available vehicle that can transport children. This makes it easier to plan field trips to local parks or other educational facilities, since it removes the need to find a rental vehicle from the equation. 

Furthermore, a minibus can be used to pick up any needed supplies. No need to wait for the delivery day or to hire someone else to transport the supplies. This is especially useful if you’re planning to pick up many supplies that won’t fit in your car. 

Extra Benefits for Parents

Nurseries with minibuses can offer a pick-up and drop-off service for parents and their children. 

A lot of parents become frazzled with the tight morning schedule of dropping off their children at the nursery and going to work themselves. As such, offering this service can lighten up their morning routine. Busy parents may be more inclined to choose a nursery that has this service, since they no longer need to worry about their children safely making it to the nursery.

Selecting a Driver

The driver of your minibus needs to be someone trustworthy and responsible, since they’ll be in charge of transporting children. Hiring at least two drivers ensures that there will always be someone available to drive. 

It’s good to select a driver from your present staff since you already know their background, but make sure to check if your chosen driver has taken any driving safety courses or, if needed by your local government, the proper licences to drive a nursery minibus. 

Getting insurance

When looking for minibus insurance, it is a good idea to get quotes from different minibus insurance providers to ensure you get the best deal. You can get minibus insurance at multiquotetime.com

The type of cover you need will depend on what type of minibus you get. For smaller minibuses, you’ll need to get 9 seats + minibus insurance cover.

Car Seats for Younger Children

A seat belt alone can’t properly protect children from road accidents. That’s because a typical seat belt is not designed for the body structure of children. 

Car seats are the safest way to transport children. Car seat systems can drastically reduce the risk of injury to children. It also reduces the chance that children will become fussy during the trip since car areas are more comfortable to use. Furthermore, it keeps rowdier children from causing trouble during lengthy field trips.

Conclusion

A minibus can bring a lot of value to your nursery business. It gives the staff easy access to transportation for field trips or sudden supply runs. You can also personally oversee the safety of the children and staff before they embark on any trip. Furthermore, it gives parents additional incentives to choose your nursery since they’ll be able to relax knowing that their children will be in safe hands.

Health Assured: Improving employee mental health and preventing burnout isn’t a quick fix

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Improving employee mental health and preventing burnout isn’t a quick fix. There’s no one size fit’s all approach to supporting your employees—and research published by Dell Technology in their Breakthrough study shows just that.

Bertrand Stern-Gillet, CEO at Health Assured, says that preventing staff burnout involves a considered approach to work-life balance that puts employees first. And that means putting mental health on your organisation’s agenda.

What external pressures do home workers face?

Home and hybrid workers might save time on the morning commute. But they may be missing out on the social interactions vital to a healthy life. The routine of getting up, out of the house and making the journey to work can also be conducive to a productive workday, with the office atmosphere promoting engagement with tasks and increasing creativity among teams.

There may also be a tendency for workers to find that a home set-up blurs the lines between home and work life, increasing the risk of burnout. That said, every worker is unique; others may find that a hybrid or home-working set-up helps them manage their life responsibilities more effectively. However we know that having the autonomy to choose is something employees value in an organisation.

I think the main thing is that you provide employees with the tools they need at home to do the job effectively—and you keep in touch. Schedule regular meetings, keep up email contact, check in on employees and remember the factors that could impact their mental health.

How can you help prevent burnout?

Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that arises after long periods of stress. It’s hard to make a comeback from this position, so prevention is always better than cure.

To prevent burnout among workers, you must promote a healthy work-life balance. You can do this by putting employee mental health on the agenda.

Offer mental health support if you can afford to do so, and train your managers in stress management, resilience, and mental health topics like menopause.

Check-in with employees regularly and review workloads to ensure they are manageable. When you put employee wellbeing first in this way, the results speak for themselves.

Greater Manchester based insulation firms offered new sales opportunities via Green Economy

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Green Economy has today launched a campaign urging insulation firms to take advantage of a wealth of new sales opportunities. Green Economy, a membership organisation for providers and installers of green technologies and services, has unprecedented demand for insulation projects as businesses and consumers rush to find solutions to rising energy prices.

Amy House, Director of Green Economy said: “As autumn bites and energy prices are on the rise, consumers and businesses are desperate to make savings on their energy bills this winter.

“We work with energy providers, housing associations, construction firms and green technology installers, all of whom have projects requiring insulation partners. Insulators looking for new business opportunities should get in touch with Green Economy to ensure they can leverage these opportunities.” 

Properly insulated buildings are the gateway to unlocking other low carbon technologies. Government plans for green retrofitting, including the installation of 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028, a £450 million boiler upgrade scheme and a push for businesses and households to uptake renewables, have their limitations. Insulation grants, like the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant, are only available to those in receipt of specific benefits and living in a property with an EPC rating of E, F or G, if living in a Housing Association, or EPC rating A, B, C, D or E if living in a rented property.

Mark Light from Steve Duckworth Electrical, a member of Green Economy, said: “We install heat pumps along with other renewable energy solutions and we’ve never seen such demand for our service. However, we advise customers that they’ll only see the full benefit of their investment if they’re able to adequately insulate their building first. We’re working with Green Economy to develop a pipeline of insulation partners that we can recommend for projects.” 

If you install, distribute or supply insulation products and services, join Green Economy to promote your

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