Business News

Business leaders welcomed the £47 million award of Local Growth Fund money to projects across the West Midlands – creating 32,000 jobs and paving the way for 10,000 new homes. Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Chief Executive Paul Faulkner (pictured) hailed the announcement by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership as a ‘tremendous vote of confidence in the regional economy.’

POP, the new low-cost, long-haul airline set to fly the only current non-stop flights between the UK and two of India’s key secondary cities, is also breaking new ground in terms of corporate social responsibility. Established on a ‘caring capitalism’ business model, POP (an acronym for People Over Profit) will donate a minimum of 51% of its profits to fund social projects in both the UK and India.

A host of residential developers are queuing up to build homes on the Bilston Urban Village site. City of Wolverhampton Council has now completed its extensive advanced works programme – and has received more than ten expressions of interest. It hopes to make a final decision in the autumn on who will develop the 27 acres of land available.

Black Country Chamber of Commerce held a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) event to highlight the work businesses can do to engage with charities, sponsored by E R Grove. They have a blend of qualified accountants and business advisers with years of professional experience. For charities, in addition to the audit, accounts, tax and VAT requirements, there is a need to understand the latest developments in governance and trustee responsibilities.

In honour of Heathrow's 70th anniversary, Qantas is offering 70 people the chance to win 'The Ultimate Trip': a five-night stay in Sydney, Australia, travelling from Heathrow on the award-winning Qantas A380. Qantas is celebrating a long-standing partnership with the airport that has played host to several memorable moments, such as the world's longest non-stop non-commercial flight for which Qantas set the record in 1989.

The building of a new multi-million pound Wolverhampton railway station came a step closer today. The Interchange partnership has submitted plans to demolish the existing station and replace it with a new one. Work is due to begin on the new railway station next year following the extension and refurbishment of the railway station multi-storey car park, which is expected to be completed by Christmas 2016.

Retired homeowners have seen their property wealth grow by £9.24 billion since the start of the year as house prices continue to climb earning the average pensioner more than £500 a month, new analysis* from leading over-55s financial specialist KeyRetirement.com shows. Pensioners who own their homes outright have earned an average of £2,096 tax-free each from their houses since the end of January taking their property wealth to a new record high.

Responding to the suggestion in a Department for Transport consultation -  on the replacement of the West Coast Main Line franchise - to cut the number of inter-city trains at stations like Wolverhampton, Birmingham International, Sandwell and Dudley and Coventry, Colin Leighfield, Chair of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Transport Group said: “We agree with our colleagues at the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority: the Department for Transport does not understand how important these services are in linking the key economic areas of the region together."

People heading out in their car to enjoy a picnic at a local beauty spot during National Picnic Week (which runs from 11th – 19th June) should make sure they lock valuable items away and out of sight of opportunist thieves warns insurer NFU Mutual. After a spate of thefts from cars parked at beauty spots across the UK, many regional police forces have issued warnings to motorists and NFU Mutual has revealed that its own claims data showed that thefts from cars rose by 16% between 2014 and 2015.

A new way of bringing businesses together is to be launched in the Black Country. Pathway2Grow is launching a new approach to networking in the Black Country and is looking for partners to work on the project that has already been successfully run in Birmingham, London and Worcestershire. It combines regular meetings with online social media including Facebook, whatsapp and LinkedIn.

Council chiefs have welcomed the launch of a new film designed to help prevent young people from being seduced by extremism and radicalisation. Created by Tettenhall-based Dialogue Media thanks to funding from the Home Office and the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership, Turning Point seeks to tackle racism and promote tolerance. It depicts a 16-year-old who starts speaking to members of a right wing organisation online. He then plans to attend a meeting of like-minded individuals.

The Business Growth Foundation (BGF) has published the results of its recently commissioned YouGov research, which surveyed more than 1,000 UK SMEs and their views on international trade. The findings reveal profound concerns amongst SMEs about the potential impacts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

With the final deadline to apply for the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) less than a fortnight away, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is urging farmers to apply as soon as possible before midnight on 10 June. Farmers still to apply for BPS this year incur a 1% penalty for every working day it is received after the initial 16 May deadline. For those looking to apply for new entitlements from the national reserve, the penalty rate is 3%.

Premier Inn is searching for five straight-talking youngsters to take on the role of Junior Hotel Inspector this summer. Known for asking endless questions and voicing refreshingly honest opinions, children across the country are being encouraged to apply for the title of Junior Hotel Inspector and join the Premier Inn review team.

A new survey of 2,765 members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers has found 56% support the UK staying in the European Union (EU), compared with 27% who say they want the UK to leave and 17% who are undecided. This compares with results from a similar survey in 2015 which found that 72% supported the UK staying in the EU, while 24% who said they wanted the UK to leave.

With a Government decision on airport expansion imminent, CEO of Birmingham Airport Paul Kehoe has today declared support for Gatwick Airport’s expansion plan. In a major intervention in the debate, Mr Kehoe said that a new Gatwick runway, when compared to the alternative Heathrow option, would lead to “greater competition and choice across the UK’s long-haul airports, allowing Birmingham Airport to continue to grow and fire the Midlands Engine.”