Business News

MPs in the House of Commons voted in favour of phase one of the HS2 rail link project, which will run between London and Birmingham. The legislation will now go to the House of Lords. High Speed UK (HSUK) experts, Colin Elliff and Quentin Macdonald, founders said: “It is deeply worrying that only one option for a high speed rail line has ever been presented to Parliament. There is no evidence that HS2, either with or without HS3, has ever been designed as a national network and there has been no consideration as to how the line will operate.

The Black Country Chamber Manufacturing Links Group met to listen to experts in manufacturing and in sales. During the meeting the group received the results from the Black Country Business Indicator for Q1 2016 which shows a significant recovery from Q4 2015 on UK and export sales and orders. Manufacturers are taking on more employees but are still struggling to find people with the appropriate skills.

Incoming police and crime commissioners must commit to do everything in their power to tackle fraud, Financial Fraud Action UK says, as it asks all candidates in next month’s elections to commit to a series of pledges to combat the crime. Financial Fraud Action UK is asking every candidate running in next month’s police and crime commissioner elections to make tackling financial fraud and cybercrime a priority if they are elected.

Four Manchester City players have experienced the Dream Job Swap, becoming racing drivers for a day and being tutored by some of Nissan's best GT Academy drivers. David Silva, Bacary Sagna, Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala got behind the wheel of Nissan's Juke NISMO RS and took to the track with professional motorsport drivers Jann Mardenborough, Miguel Faisca, Ricardo Sanchez, Lucas Ordóñez for a car control session. 

The British Safety Council has published the names of organisations shortlisted for the Sector Awards of the International Safety Awards 2016. The winners in each of nine Sector Award categories will be announced by Lynda Armstrong OBE, Chair of Trustees, and Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, at the International Safety Awards Gala Dinner that will take place at the Grosvenor House in London on Friday 6 May 2016.

As the implementation of the pension freedoms reaches its first anniversary, new research from Prudential has found that many of this year’s retirees feel more positive about their retirement as a result of the changes. However some are adopting a wait-and-see approach before deciding whether to take advantage of the rule changes.

Tesco has announced that it will invest £6 million over two years to help support British agriculture. The retailer has created the new Tesco Cheese Group (TCG), which will guarantee dairy farmers an above market price for the milk they produce for Tesco's British own-label Mild, Medium, Mature, Extra Mature, Red Leicester and Double Gloucester cheese. The move will deliver a fair and consistent pricing model for UK farmers, and will provide them with the security and ability to plan ahead for the future.

PwC welcomed the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to its Birmingham office on Tuesday 5th April. He spoke on the UK's position within the EU and hosted a question and answer session with hundreds of PwC employees. During his opening remarks to PwC staff, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of the EU referendum for a whole generation and said that a vote to leave would create a great deal of uncertainty for UK business for an extended period of time.

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) has unveiled its biggest membership review for years – with exclusive new benefits to meet the needs of all its clients in the fast-changing business world. The region’s largest business support network hailed the introduction of the new look 21^st century membership packages as a major turning point in the long and distinguished history of an organisation whose roots date back to the Napoleonic Wars.

The award-winning Corinthia Hotel Budapest has opened its brand-new Royal Lounge, Hungary's first lounge dedicated to organisers of MICE events, further boosting the hotel's outstanding offering for corporate events and exhibitions. The Royal Lounge is the first MICE-dedicated lounge to be introduced among Hungary's grandest hotels. Its state-of-the-art spaces and facilities promise to greatly enhance the comfort and convenience of event organisers, as well as the efficiency of organisational work.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has launched Enterprise Car Club a year after it acquired one of Britain’s largest hourly car rental businesses, City Car Club. The launch, which follows a period of substantial investment to enhance the user experience, will see a new green Enterprise Car Club logo appear on all car club vehicles and bays by early summer.

West Bromwich Albion Director Adrian Wright has been named the President of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce. The Premier League Club’s Sales and Marketing Director steps into the role following the decision of Paycare Chief Executive Kevin Rogers to stand down because of work commitments.

A stream of new client wins, coupled with its recent merger with West Midlands accountants Clement Keys, has made it an exciting first quarter of 2016 for the pensions audit team at PKF Cooper Parry. After merging with the established Birmingham-based practice at the turn of the year, the team has doubled in size and now comprises of 16 experience sector specialists with a broad range skills and expertise.

Thousands of low-income households across England and Wales are being urged by the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) not to miss out on a raft of schemes which could stop water bills from draining their finances. Eighteen out of 21 water companies will have social tariffs in place from April 1, with the potential over time to significantly reduce water bills for almost half a million customers who are struggling to pay.

Manufacturers across the West Midlands have enjoyed a sales surge in the first three months of 2016 – with nearly half reporting turnover on the rise. Figures in the first quarterly business report for 2016 published today by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) show that 46 per cent of manufacturers saw sales jump in the first quarter compared with 31 per cent in the last three months of 2015.

The news that Tata Steel has confirmed it intends to sell its entire steel operations in the UK is another reminder of how the government’s ‘laissez-faire’ approach to manufacturing in the UK undermines our international competitiveness according to Black Country Chamber of Commerce CEO, Keith Bryan.