Business News

Businesses in Greater Birmingham will feel “a huge sense of frustration” after the Chancellor’s Spring Statement failed to tackle deep-seated issues.

The measures announced by Rishi Sunak included a cut in fuel duty by 5p a litre until March, 2023; a reduction in the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 19p in the pound; and the point at which people start paying National Insurance will rise to £12,570 in July. But business leaders remained disappointed that the Chancellor did not go further.

On addressing needs of the poorest, Dr Aveek Bhattacharya, Chief Economist at the SMF, said: “The Spring Statement failed to measure up to the hardship in store for the poorest families, who face deep economic pain unless further action is taken. The hit to living standards is set to be on a similar scale to the worst recessions, but the Chancellor’s response was far from the adaptable ‘whatever it takes’ approach he took to the pandemic response.

Translation and international marketing agency ALM celebrates its 20th anniversary this month having recently achieved inclusion in the Slator Language Service Provider Index, a respected registry of the world’s largest translation, localization, interpreting, and language technology companies. 

Co-director Rachel Coleman has said: “From setting up ALM Translations (formerly Asset Language Management) in 2002 in a converted garage, Lisa and I have grown our business year-on-year thanks to our very different skillsets.

National law firm Clarke Willmott LLP has added a new partner to its family team in Birmingham.

Clarke Willmott continues to expand its national family law team with the addition of Adam Maguire as partner in the Birmingham Office.

A state-of-the-art self-driving shuttle will take to the roads around Birmingham Airport, transporting passengers, as part of ground-breaking trials getting underway in Solihull.

This is the latest phase in an exciting Council-led project which aims to test out how Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) might be integrated into the borough’s transport network in the future.

The City of Wolverhampton Council has been shortlisted for two awards at the LGC Awards 2022, which celebrate the achievements of local government organisations.

The council is a finalist in two categories – ‘Children’s Services’ and ‘Diversity and Inclusion’. In the ‘Children’s Services’ category, the council’s Transforming Children’s Services Programme has been shortlisted after work to transform the way the council supports the most vulnerable children and young people in the city over the last five years.

A major conference designed to help businesses boost productivity through improved leadership and people management is being hosted by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce this month. A line-up of high-profile of speakers - including Birmingham 2022 chief executive Ian Reid and the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Race Equality Taskforce chair Yetunde Dania – will address delegates at the Chamber’s Growth Through People conference at the Eastside Rooms, Birmingham on 30 March.

Due to popular demand, eco-friendly, electric boat company GoBoat has today announced the opening of a brand-new Birmingham location, their first site outside of the capital, with bookings now open to the public. 

The new site will open from April 8, where groups of up to eight guests can charter the electric boats and set sail, exploring Birmingham’s famed canal network.

Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce (GBCCC) has signed an agreement with an Australian trade body that will bring increased benefits to its members.

To coincide with the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay arriving in Australia this week, the Chamber has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Trade & Investment Queensland – the Queensland Government's dedicated global business agency that helps exporters do business in international markets.

The West Midlands MIPIM delegation addressed global investors at the UK Government Pavilion at the international property conference in Cannes earlier this week, unveiling transformational investment opportunities from right across the UK’s largest regional economy; with a particular focus on accelerating the regions ambitious net zero agenda.

According to domestic abuse campaigners, the strip search of a Black schoolgirl was "sexual assault". The CEO of charity Sistah Space, Ngozi Fulani, said: "Everybody involved" should face charges.

The 15-year-old was pulled out of an exam for the search, which has also been condemned by Hackney MP Diane Abbott, as racist.

A Haringey landlord has been fined £5000 by the council’s Private Sector Housing Team for letting an unlicensed HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) in Boreham Road, N22.

The fine was issued after the landlord ignored repeated warnings from the council to obtain a license to continue letting the property.

The Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) have announced several new appointments to their executive committee as they celebrate another year of growth across the 34-year-old network. They were made during the ABCC’s online annual meeting today at which it was also announced that Dr Jason Wouhra OBE, CEO of Lioncroft Wholesale Limited, would go on to his second year of presidency.

The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, has launched £15bn worth of housing, regeneration, commercial and infrastructure development opportunities to international investors at the MIPIM property conference in Cannes, South of France.

MIPIM is the world’s leading real estate event, bringing together over 20,000 property professionals from around the world, including over 4,000 investors, representing hundreds of billions of pounds in capital.

A new study of 1,000 UK adults, from digital financial coaching app Claro Money, has revealed that 28% of Brits are dipping into their ‘rainy day’ funds just to make ends meet when their outgoings rise above their income.

Rather than use their savings funds for goals like luxury holidays, remodelling the family home or a brand-new car, research has found that the rising cost of daily living including food shopping, childcare, petrol, and energy are starting to eat away at Brits’ future finance goals and plans.

Uponor renews its Group strategy and introduces new financial targets to drive profitable growth. Uponor’s new Group strategy is centred on maximizing the core and sustainable innovation.

Michael Rauterkus, president & CEO of Uponor, said: “Uponor is a leading partner and a pioneer in sustainable water systems and indoor climate. We are well positioned to benefit from the megatrends of net zero, productivity and clean water.