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EY continues to strengthen its Private Equity Tax Team

Appointments

Sam Whitear

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25/06/2020

EY continues to strengthen its Private Equity Tax Team

EY’s Transaction Tax team in Manchester continues to grow and attract the best talent from within the region, with the most recent appointment of private equity (PE) specialist, Jo Taylor.

Jo joins the team from KPMG as a Director, bringing with her a huge amount of experience and local knowledge, advising businesses across the North West on their transactions for almost 20 years.

In her new role, Jo will specialise in supporting PE houses and their portfolio companies on transactional tax implications.

This is the most recent in a string of new appointments into the PE transaction tax team in Manchester, led by Stephen Woodhouse, and demonstrates EY’s continued ambition to strengthen its position as one of the strongest private equity tax teams outside of London. Earlier in the financial year Dan Haslam also joined the team from KPMG.

Noam Handler, North Head of Tax, said: “Jo is a fantastic addition to the team and her appointment illustrates the commitment of the firm to establish a market-leading Private Equity Tax team here in the North West.

“Our Manchester team, continues to go from strength to strength and as we look to the future, I can see very exciting times ahead.”

Bob Ward, Managing Partner for EY in the North West, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Jo to EY. It’s great to have her onboard and I’m sure the team will benefit greatly from her considerable expertise and experience of working with businesses across the region.

“It’s encouraging to see that, even in these uncertain times, we are looking to further expand our offering within the region and build on our strong private equity credentials. This will allow us to continue to support PE businesses, giving them the best advice throughout the transaction cycle.”

Just Eat Takeaway.com Plans New B2B Marketplace

Hospitality

Sam Whitear

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25/06/2020

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Just Eat Takeaway.com Plans New B2B Marketplace

Just Eat Takeaway.com, the leading online food delivery marketplace, selected digital agency Dept to build and accelerate their new e-commerce platform for the partner services (B2B) department. The project involves migrating, building and designing the digital restaurant marketplace for their most important partners: the restaurateurs.

The restaurant marketplace is a B2B solution in which data is used to support the business activities of restaurateurs and foster partnerships. Dick Franken, Director Partner Services of Just Eat Takeaway.com, said: “The new e-commerce platform for our partner services allows us to fulfil our ambition to serve restaurateurs better with a scalable platform. This way, Just Eat Takeaway.com will become a genuine partner of restaurateurs, not only for selling but also for product purchasing. Dept is the perfect partner for this step and our ambition.”

Just Eat Takeaway.com didn’t exist up earlier this year, after Amsterdam-based Takeaway.com bought London-headquartered Just Eat for £6.2 billion. The takeaway enterprise has become one of the biggest players in Europe’s food delivery market. As maintaining a solid relationship with restaurateurs is crucial, the meal delivery platform chose Dept as their digital partner to lead the venture; from concept to building, design and migration to Commercetools. Dept has extensive experience in commerce for clients such as Bugaboo, Holland & Barrett, and Canyon.

Sarah Wubben, Operations Director at Dept: “We can’t wait to start this collaboration. Just Eat Takeaway.com and Dept fit together perfectly, as we share a limitless ambition, have a similar manner of working and an extensive digital knowledge. By serving restaurateurs as well as clients, there is an enormous amount of data and potential. We see many opportunities on the horizon to grow the meal service delivery ecosystem together, but for now, the primary focus lays on the successful migration.”

“We’re very proud to have this collaboration. Just Eat Takeaway.com and Dept fit together perfectly, as we share a limitless ambition, have a similar manner of working and possess a lot of digital knowledge”, says Sarah Wubben, Operations Director at Dept.

Dept is an international digital agency of 1500 experienced thinkers & makers. One agency uniting creativity, technology and data. Helping reinvent & accelerate your digital reality by creating experiences that people want and businesses need.

Mental Health & Wellbeing Venue to Launch in Manchester’s Hilton House

Property

Sam Whitear

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25/06/2020

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Mental Health & Wellbeing Venue to Launch in Manchester’s Hilton House

CERT Property today announced it has signed its second tenancy agreement in a week, as Feel Good Club is set to move into the recently restored Hilton House in the Northern Quarter.

The first of its kind, mental health & wellbeing venue, will open this summer within an ambitious 2,800ft space on the first floor, thanks to investment from the property company’s founder, Howard Lord.

The new coffee house is currently in the design phase, and will house a dedicated events space, pop-up galleries featuring local artists, and break out spaces for the Feel Good community to connect.

As well as serving the tenants of Hilton House, the new coffee house will be open to the public, with resources for local corporates, including the ability to privately hire the new events space, and book bespoke employee engagement workshops with the Feel Good team.

There will be regular events within the new coffee house, including yoga, wellbeing talks, cinema nights, plus a series of workshops. All staff will be mental health first aid trained, with the practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues, and the knowledge to offer support.

Every Friday, the venue will host Freelance Fridays, where self employed people from all sectors are invited to join the team to use the space for free, and to network with other freelancers creating a community and a sense of team for those who don’t have their own.

Howard Lord, Managing Director of CERT Property said “Our vision for this property has always been to build a community, and to bring like minded people together. It was clear from the outset that our values aligned with those of Feel Good Club, and we are delighted to announce that they will be our second tenant at Hilton House.”

“We have already built a beautiful relationship with Aimie & Kiera, and our aim together now is to build a community, one building at a time”

Kiera said “Our dream has always been to bring our online community, offline and create a space where people can be themselves and talk about their feelings and mental health openly. The first ever Feel Good Club encompasses music, events, and community, and is a club where you can be yourself, alone or with company. ”

“When we met with Howard and the team at CERT Property and we realised they shared our vision, our dream started to look like a reality. It is incredible that even at this turbulent time, we have managed to secure investment and are able to make this happen.”

Aimie added “It was clear to us when we started the Feel Good Club online, that our community was shouting out for a place they could call their own. We want to create a space where our guests feel like they are at home. It will be our house, your house and a coffee house. ”

“We are thrilled to be working with CERT Property and we can’t wait to see where this relationship takes us next”

Designed by renowned 1960s architect Richard Seifert, brutalist building Hilton House has been a hidden gem at the end of Hilton Street for decades and developer and owner CERT recently completed an extensive refurbishment project to bring the building back to life. 

The refurbishment works, carried out by Ancoats-based contractor Armitage Construction, included extending and completely upgrading the envelope of the building, replacing existing windows with floor to ceiling windows and internally uncovering and celebrating the building’s original features, including parquet floors discovered under old carpet and terracotta ceilings hidden under plasterboard.

Four digital healthcare projects supporting the COVID-19 response awarded a share of £200,000 through Health Innovation Manchester Momentum Fund

Tech

Sam Whitear

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25/06/2020

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Four digital healthcare projects supporting the COVID-19 response awarded a share of £200,000 through Health Innovation Manchester Momentum Fund

The Health Innovation Manchester Momentum Fund was established to support the introduction and adoption of needs-led, evidence-based innovations into the healthcare system within Greater Manchester.
Projects applied for up to £75,000 to support the development of their healthcare innovations within Greater Manchester and East Cheshire
Four solutions addressing priority areas for the COVID-19 pandemic response have received funding to accelerate their innovation

ARTIFICIAL Intelligence to support patients to manage their diabetes, a Clinical Decision Platform to help with earlier discharges from the Emergency Department and an online system to match clinician availability to patient needs in real-time were among four winners set to receive a share of £200,000 to improve health and care in Greater Manchester.

The Momentum Fund was established to support the introduction and adoption of needs-led, evidence-based innovations into the healthcare system within Greater Manchester.

This year, the fund sought innovations focussed on two themes – Urgent and Emergency Care and Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, nutrition or obesity (Cardiometabolic needs). Projects applied for up to £75,000 to help accelerate their innovations.

The four projects to receive funding will all support the response to COVID-19 by supporting people with long-term conditions, matching clinicians to patient need, reducing readmissions to hospital or optimising patient pathways and improving efficiency in emergency care.

Health Innovation Manchester, the organisation responsible for accelerating proven innovation into Greater Manchester’s health and social care services, selected the winners of the Momentum Fund with the help of a panel of representatives from patients and partners.

Through the fund, Health Innovation Manchester aims to improve the health of our citizens and promote economic development and wealth creation through the growth of local businesses and jobs.

Richard Deed, Associate Director for Industry at Health Innovation Manchester, said: “This year we received more high-quality applications than ever before for our Momentum funding call.

“We began the process before the current COVID-19 pandemic began, but we have been impressed by how these innovative digital tools will be able to support the response to the crisis by keeping people healthy at home to reduce hospital admissions or improving care pathways within emergency care.

“We look forward to working with them during this challenging period to support the system, improve the health and wellbeing of our citizens and boost the local economy.”

Dr Paula Bennett, Associate Director of Clinical Development and Utilisation Management (UM) Unit, was part of the team assessing the Momentum fund applications.

Dr Bennett said: “Supporting urgent and emergency care and the wider health and care system has never been more important than the during the current pandemic. These projects and innovations can undoubtedly support urgent and emergency care by ensuring people can get the right care at the right time and in the right place, including delivering care in the home or as close to home as possible.”

Winners

Cambio CDS T-MACS awarded £50,000
Chest pain is one of the most common reasons for hospital admission for patients presenting at the Emergency Department, but many of these admissions could be safely avoided with improved diagnostic technology to rapidly rule out acute coronary syndromes (ACS) such as heart attack. Several clinical studies and real-world evaluations show that the Troponin-only Manchester Acute Coronary Syndrome (T-MACS) decision aid accurately identifies those at low risk of heart attack, allowing for more patients to be discharged early. The funding will be used in collaboration with e-healthcare company Cambio CDS and their Open-Standards Clinical Decision Support platform. The project will develop and pilot an online app platform for T-MACS within the workflow to allow clinicians to calculate the risk, review recommended a course of action and save data for future T-MACS related research.

Professor Richard Body, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Honorary Lecturer in Cardiovascular Medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This collaboration with Cambio CDS is crucial to ensure that our current endeavours remain fully compliant with changing regulations and to make the project scalable. The platform provided by Cambio CDS would enable hospitals across the world to rapidly adopt efficient clinical pathways to care for patients with chest pain, optimising patient care and reducing unnecessary use of precious healthcare resources.”

Dr Rong Chen, Cambio CDS CEO, said: “As Cambio CDS we are very pleased to have this opportunity to continue working with the NHS. Professor Body’s T-MACS solution is a wonderful application that has real impact for patient care and reducing unnecessary hospital admissions. We look forward to continue working with Professor Body and his team to ensure that T-MACS is seamlessly embedded in the Hospital System workflow with our EHR independent Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Solution.”

Doc Abode awarded £50,000
Doc Abode is a workforce deployment solution that enables healthcare providers to expand additional workforce capacity, improve operational resilience and efficiency by allocating work to healthcare professionals (HCPs) at an individual patient level, in real-time, based on HCP’s availability, proximity and expertise. The platform can support employed, bank staff, locums and the self-employed. Doc Abode can be used to deploy any other workforce such as social prescribers, phlebotomists, healthcare assistants etc. The platform enables cross-organisational working by sharing a geographically dispersed clinical workforce centred around the real-time needs and requirements of NHS patients.
Doc Abode provides healthcare professionals with a secure app installed on their phones. Healthcare providers can ‘push’ home visit and telephone/video triage requests to them directly. They are informed of the travel time to the patient (if applicable), whether the patient is their own registered patient and whether it is a language or specialism match. If the job request is accepted, HCP are securely provided with further information about the patient so they can view and record the consultation in the electronic patient record (EPR). The funding will be used to demonstrate the impact at scale across a wider Greater Manchester footprint.

Dr Taz Aldawoud, Doc Abode CEO said: “We’re delighted to be a beneficiary of The Momentum Fund. From our early-stage roll outs, we have witnessed first-hand that this transformational way of working motivates clinicians to work flexibly and in addition to their usual shifts. We have demonstrated the impact that this is already having on providers’ home visiting services and more recently with secure telephony and video consultations, and the potential it has to deliver system-wide benefits.  This funding enables us to further develop our data-driven approach, building on our evidence-based model in support of roll out to other NHS providers.”

Gendius diabetes AI development awarded £50,000
Gendius have developed the Intellin app, which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to calculate an individual’s risk of developing complications from their diabetes based on their clinical history. The platform then provides clinically validated hints and tips to empower and educate the individual on how to manage these risks and reduce their risk of developing diabetes-related complications. The funding will be used to analyse consented patient data across 250 GPs/1000+ patients to help improve the app’s existing algorithms.

Rory Cameron, CEO Gendius, said: “Winning this Momentum grant from Health Innovation Manchester will enable us to better understand how metabolic markers change over a ten-year period in people with diabetes. With these data we will develop improved algorithms in our Intellin platform that will enable better understanding of how resources can be allocated to support the complications of diabetes. This is a game changer and a whole new way of looking at diabetes.”

Howz for Health awarded £50,000
Howz for Health have developed a smart home system kit designed for older people which can detect changes in daily routines, signalling a change in an individual’s health. Family and staff can view the information and receive alerts of differences and deviations from the established routine and can intervene at an earlier stage. The funding will be used to evaluate the kit with 50 patients who have two or more conditions, live independently and have recently been discharged from hospital or identified as at high risk of admission. The system aims to reduce re-admissions and relieve pressures on the Urgent Care systems.

Two further successful projects in this year’s Momentum fund have been temporarily paused during COVID-19 and the projects will be revisited at a later date.

Digital Secretary backs UK Tech Cluster Group call for grassroots-led tech recovery

Business support

Sam Whitear

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25/06/2020

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Digital Secretary backs UK Tech Cluster Group call for grassroots-led tech recovery

Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has revealed that the government will be publishing a new digital strategy in Autumn, in an announcement made at the UK Tech Cluster Group (UKTCG) Roadmap to Recovery Summit yesterday (June 23).

The Digital Secretary, who closed the virtual conference with a keynote speech, highlighted how Coronavirus has delivered a ‘sucker punch’ to the economy and explained the leading role tech must play in helping the UK get back on its feet.

Mr Dowden acknowledged that we are ‘living in a different world’ following COVID-19’s outbreak and impact on both the economy at large and everyday working practices. Reiterating that ‘tech must play an important part in our recovery’, the Digital Secretary revealed that the upcoming Digital Strategy will seek to build a highly skilled digital workforce, help citizens adopt digital more widely and support businesses in being further enabled and transformed by tech.

Commending the UKTCG’s work on helping tech communities across the country bounce back for from COVID and harnessing tech more broadly to help regional economies recover from the pandemic, Mr Dowden outlined government’s commitment to engage with regional grassroots tech communities to ‘power growth and productivity across the whole of our United Kingdom’.

The UKTCG is a self-assembled group of individuals and organisations which support geographical clusters of technology and digital businesses across the UK. Forming two years ago, the Group exists to connect, share and grow the communities it serves. Through understanding ecosystem needs at grassroots level, the group has real time access to tech companies and communities and shares its expertise across the UK to help regional tech ecosystems grow.
David Dunn, UKTCG Chair and CEO of Sunderland Software City, said: “This event was designed to arm attendees with the understanding, rationale, stories, connections and evidence needed to help attendees act positively in their local areas.

“This event truly was a first of its kind; we had people from all over the UK connecting and sharing knowledge about tech sector growth and supporting digital adoption across wider sectors in their communities.”

Building on the event, the UKTCG will soon release a report complete with research insights and recommendations, as it looks to work closely with government to ensure grassroots tech companies and communities are being heard in the upcoming Digital Strategy and levelling up agenda.

Mr Dunn added: “We’re tremendously proud of what we’ve achieved with this summit. The breadth of topics we’ve covered and the amount of people who have connected and taken valuable intel back to their regions is fantastic. We’re very excited by what’s to come next.

“I’d like to thank the entire Tech Cluster Group for making it possible and to the Digital Secretary for providing such an inspiring keynote, acknowledging the key role grassroots insights and communities must play in the upcoming Digital Strategy.”

The Roadmap to Recovery event, organised in the last three weeks and attended by over 400+ people, was put together to explore and develop ideas on how to both help the tech sector grow as part of the UK’s economic recovery and to better understand how digital can accelerate the recovery of other sectors too.

Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: “One of the best things about the Cluster Group is that its members truly reflect the full length and breadth of the United Kingdom’s sprawling tech sector.

“It’s not all about London, so it’s great to see all of our regions represented here today. You’re doing some great work to help tech communities across the country bounce back from COVID, and to use tech more broadly to help your own regional economies recover from the pandemic.

“The grassroots tech communities in all of our regions power growth and productivity across the whole of our United Kingdom. I know that when a lot of people speak about driving growth in tech, they’re thinking only of London and the South-East. I’m determined to change that.
“When it’s published, our new digital strategy will form one of the building blocks of our recovery. A recovery that will be tech-led but will benefit all.”

Speakers on the day included cluster leaders from UK tech hotspots, Cabinet Secretaries, Mayors, policy leaders, leading CEOs and international investors.

The event explored themes ranging from the impact of COVID-19 to insights into how tech clusters can power the reboot of the economy across UK towns and cities. Morning sessions covered an array of hot tech topics including enabling a digital workforce, connectivity, the investment landscape, digital for young people, the future of space and digital adoption.

In the afternoon, sessions explored building effective communities, tech supporting leisure and tourism, tech advancing health and social care, cross-cluster collaboration, tech supporting the food and drink industry, tech to get us to net-zero, incubators, smart manufacturing, connecting corporates and SMEs, tech and the high street and utilising universities for economic growth

INQUESTA HIRES MARKETING MANAGER AS COVID-19 CREATES IMPETUS FOR FURTHER GROWTH

Appointments

Sam Whitear

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24/06/2020

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INQUESTA HIRES MARKETING MANAGER AS COVID-19 CREATES IMPETUS FOR FURTHER GROWTH

Forensic accounting and insolvency practice Inquesta has recruited a marketing manager as it gears up for its next phase of growth.
Matthew Titcomb has relocated from London to Manchester to join Inquesta in a new role for the business.
He was previously a marketing executive at Hanson Wade, a conference organiser and provider of data products and services based in the capital.

Matthew has a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing and marketing management from the University of Exeter and a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Bath.
Inquesta director Rob Miller said marketing is key to the growth plans of the firm, which has its headquarters in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, and a presence in Leeds and London.
He said Inquesta is gearing up for an influx of corporate insolvency cases due to the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis.

The firm is also anticipating a surge in demand for its forensic accounting expertise as cases of alleged fraud concerning furlough claims and Bounce Back loans emerge from the Covid-19 crisis.

Matthew will work alongside Rob, co-director Steven Wiseglass and the rest of the Inquesta team to develop and implement a marketing strategy aimed at helping the firm to grow market share in its specialist fields.

Rob said: “With a spike in corporate insolvencies on the horizon, and a greater need for advising distressed businesses and helping them to restructure and navigate through the choppy economic waters ahead, as well as alleged fraud cases arising from the current crisis, this is a vital time to have Matthew on board.

“Marketing forms a key part of our growth strategy, and Matthew’s skillset and proactive and focused approach make him ideally suited for the role.
“His appointment is a major step forward in the evolution of the business. Our brand is already well-known, and our strategy will enable us to attract bigger, better quality work and to attract the best people to accompany us on our journey as we expand.”

Matthew said: “I’ve been impressed by the compassionate and pragmatic approach Inquesta takes towards insolvency cases and I’m excited by the prospect of helping the firm to gain wider recognition and expand its market presence.

“The opportunities created by the current disruption offer interesting challenges and enable the team to explore new and exciting directions.
“Despite the exceptional circumstances, the team have been fantastic and made me feel right at home with the warmest of socially-distanced welcomes.”

HIRING HUB UPGRADES SPACE AT FOURWAYS

Property

Sam Whitear

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24/06/2020

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International real estate advisor Savills, on behalf of Helical, has agreed a new lease to recruitment agency management platform, Hiring Hub, at Fourways in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Already subletting space within the building, the firm has agreed a new 5-year lease for an additional 2,378 sq ft (221 sq m) of workspace at £26.00 per sq ft within the scheme.

Located on Hilton Street in the sought after Northern Quarter area of Manchester city centre, Fourways is a converted grade II listed brick building constructed in 1906. The property now provides characterful office accommodation over ground and five upper floors totalling 59,000 sq ft and is nearing completion of a substantial refurbishment of the atrium and communal space.

Simon Swan, CEO of Hiring Hub, comments: “We’ve long been happy with the location at Fourways but required additional space to accommodate a growing team. We’re fortunate this coincided with a stunning refurbishment of the building, which I believe makes it one of the most architecturally-interesting offices not only in Manchester, but in the country – it’s a place that Hiring Hub is proud to call home.”

Daniel Barnes, associate director in the office agency team at Savills, comments: “With the refurbishment nearly complete, Fourways has made its mark as a standout office building in the heart of the Northern Quarter. This letting to Hiring Hub follows the upsizing of existing occupier RSK earlier in the lockdown, showing that Fourways continues to be in high demand in spite of the current situation.”

William Parry, senior property executive at Helical comments: ‘We’re delighted that Hiring Hub has made the decision to commit further to Fourways and we look forward to welcoming them to their new suite within the building. This is the fourth lease Helical has completed in Manchester since lockdown, demonstrating the resilience of the Manchester office market and its continued appeal to a range of occupiers.”

ACCOUNTANTS AND BUSINESS ADVISORS BEEVER AND STRUTHERS APPOINTED BY SPECIALIST LABORATORY AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER LTE SCIENTIFIC THANKS TO EXPERTISE IN MANUFACTURING SECTOR

Manufacturing

Sam Whitear

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24/06/2020

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ACCOUNTANTS AND BUSINESS ADVISORS BEEVER AND STRUTHERS APPOINTED BY SPECIALIST LABORATORY AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER LTE SCIENTIFIC THANKS TO EXPERTISE IN MANUFACTURING SECTOR

Specialist laboratory and medical equipment manufacturer LTE Scientific has appointed accountants and business advisors Beever and Struthers to provide tailored tax and audit services.
Established in 1947 and based in Greenfield, Oldham, Greater Manchester, LTE Scientific has produced a wide range of laboratory and medical equipment for over 70 years, with products shipped throughout the UK and internationally to clients in sectors including healthcare, education, research, pharmaceutical, biotech, food/beverage and chemicals.
The 70 staff at LTE Scientific manufacture sterilizers for the NHS, laboratory and medical markets, endoscope drying, storage cabinets and laboratory thermal equipment including ovens, incubators, freeze-dryers and environmental chambers/rooms for a wide range of applications in the private and public sectors.
As all of the Company’s products are maintained, serviced and tested by a fully qualified nationwide team of engineers who carry work out to both NHS and UKAS Standards, the privately-owned business has established an outstanding reputation with clients at home and abroad.
As a provider of both product and services to the NHS and the Public Health labs, LTE is proud to have played an important role throughout the Covid pandemic
LTE Scientific appointed the Manchester head office of Beever and Struthers to provide tax and audit services because of the firm’s long-established strength and reputation in the provision of tailored accountancy and financial advice to the manufacturing sector.
And Beever and Struthers’ membership of HLB International, a global network of about 700 well-established accountancy firms with some 25,000 staff in 150 countries, with most practices ranking among the top 12 nationally, also appealed to LTE because of its international client base.
Kim Cooper, finance and service director at LTE Scientific, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Iain and his team at Beever and Struthers, the transition from our previous auditors has gone extremely well”.
Iain Round, audit partner at Beever and Struthers and a key member of the firm’s manufacturing and engineering team, is delivering tax and audit advice for LTE Scientific and said: ”We have provided proactive business advice for many years to a wide range of manufacturing and engineering businesses, both large and small, producing a whole range of different products and LTE Scientific is a valued and prestige addition to our client roster.”

£1.25m boost for town centres

Finance

Sam Whitear

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24/06/2020

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A £1.25m package of measures to support businesses across the borough has been unveiled, including free weekday parking in Bolton town centre.

All district town centres and Bolton town centre will benefit from the fund, as Bolton Council backs businesses re-opening following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Shoppers visiting Bolton town centre could soon park for up to two hours free of charge, on weekdays, if the report is approved.

The offer would be available on-street in pay and display bays, at Bolton Market’s Ashburner Street car park, and Octagon, Topp Way and Deane Road NCP multi storey car parks. Parking is already free in district centres.

Proposals which will benefit all town centre include new social distancing highways signage and installing contactless hand sanitising stations in Bolton town centre and Farnworth, Horwich, Little Lever and Westhoughton high streets.

Town Centre Information Officers have already started work in Bolton town centre and the district centres to help local businesses and their customers, and a marketing campaign to back Bolton businesses to reopen safely is also being drawn up.

The council was awarded £253K from the government’s Reopening High Streets Safely Fund and is also looking to divert £1m from a budget which was set aside for grants for new businesses expanding to Bolton.

The authority also plans to review relaxing conditions to allow outdoor seating in areas outside bars, restaurants and cafes, and is looking at how to make streets and roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists to help with social distancing.

The council has already widened footpaths on Newport Street, and Knowsley Street and work on Blackhorse Street is also set to take place.

The announcement comes after extensive conversations with local businesses.

Bolton Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Martyn Cox, said: “We have been in regular contact with local businesses throughout lockdown and we have listened carefully.

“These initiatives are a direct response to what these business owners have told us they need.

“Our shops, our high streets, our independents all need your support more than ever right now – so please support them.

“Coronavirus has had a huge impact on our high streets and we want to do everything we can to support local enterprise at this challenging time.”

Subject to approval at the Deputy Leader’s portfolio meeting on June 29, the free parking offer will be in place in NCP multi-storey car parks within a week.

It will be implemented in a few weeks’ time at Ashburner Street and on street, once pay and display machines have been reconfigured.

It is anticipated that the free parking offer on weekdays will be in place until November.

The all-day offer of free parking at all town centre multi-storey car parks at weekends and Bank Holidays will also remain in place.

Bolton Council Leader, Cllr David Greenhalgh, added: “We will be with our partners in the local business community every step of the way offering all the help we can.

“No-one is pretending this economic recovery will be easy, but as a council we need to be introducing proactive measures as well as words of support, and this considerable package of free car parking will, we believe, be one in a number of initiatives that we hope will help.

“Of course, the reopening of the retail sector must be done safely, and work has already gone into making Bolton town centre safe with social distancing and other appropriate safety precautions in place. We want to replicate this in our district centres.

“I urge residents, if you are able to do so, to come out, stay safe and support our local Bolton businesses. Back our shops, back your community, back local business, back your local high street, and back our borough.”

Ahead of shops reopening, Bolton Council has also sent out more than 2,000 information packs to businesses.

The authority has processed thousands of claims from local businesses seeking government support grants during the pandemic – more than 5,000 businesses have been helped and £58m has been awarded.

Council staff were redeployed from other departments to ensure claims were processed quickly, helping local businesses receive tens of millions of pounds in financial assistance.

The council has also applied the government’s 100% business rates relief schemes for leisure, retail, hospitality and childcare in the 2020/21 financial year.

Business Bolton is the council’s business support service and has been offering advice to local firms since the start of the coronavirus crisis.

Over 600 residents from underrepresented groups in Greater Manchester and Lancashire set to benefit from digital workforce funding

Digital
Tech

Sam Whitear

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24/06/2020

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Over 600 residents from underrepresented groups in Greater Manchester and Lancashire set to benefit from digital workforce funding

14 projects from across Greater Manchester and Lancashire have been announced as the successful applicants of the Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund.

The Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund, which was developed to address locally identified digital skills gaps, is a joint venture between the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership (LDSP).

The £3million fund, which is the first of its kind in the UK, was set up to support both Greater Manchester and Lancashire residents with accessible routes into digital employment, specifically targeting disadvantaged groups and those under-represented to help them get into digital roles.

The 14 successful projects are additional to the six programmes which received funding in round one to support over 200 Greater Manchester residents. Tech Returners were one of these projects, securing round one funding for their‘Your Journey into Tech’ programme to support people wanting to return or enter the technology industry after a career break.

This latest round of funding will enable the successful consortia to deliver a range of digital skills training programmes, creating inclusive opportunities for groups of people that don’t currently have access to these digital opportunities and currently under-represented in digital roles including BAME communities, under-employed individuals, women and ex-armed forces.

Successful applicants from round two of the initiative include Burnley College’s programme to help experienced manual workers transition into digital programming roles within the manufacturing sector. Manchester’s Tech Equity aims to upskill unemployed women from black and ethnic minority backgrounds and provide a pathway for them to move into junior network engineer roles.

Digital Minister Caroline Dinenage said: “We are investing heavily to boost people’s digital skills that are more important than ever in these times. We want everyone to be able to seize the opportunities our world-class digital sectors bring. It is fantastic to see this new funding targeting innovative schemes that will make a real difference to people’s lives in Greater Manchester and Lancashire.”

Greater Manchester and Lancashire have a high demand for specialist digital roles due to their growing digital industry. The Fast Track Fund was designed to help support the local economy by building on the key digital skills requirements identified by local employers.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “In the current climate this fund is more important than ever, this pandemic has highlighted the real importance of digital skills and technology and digital will be a vital element in how we ‘build back better’.

“In Greater Manchester our ambition is to be recognised as a world-leading digital city region. This fund helps bridge the digital skills gaps across our city-region and build a diverse talent pool in Greater Manchester, to ensure local businesses have access to the highly skilled workers they need.

“We have been overwhelmed with the fantastic applications received, which are testament to the range of organisations who are actively working to diversify talent and offer opportunities to under-represented groups in the sector, ensuring digital skills are never a barrier to social mobility.”

Steve Fogg, Chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership said: “I am delighted Lancashire residents will be able to benefit from further funding for digital skills through the Fast Track Fund. The work of the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership has already provided invaluable support to people looking to improve their digital skills.

“Lancashire has a vibrant and growing digital sector, boosting productivity and high value jobs, with a thirst for new talent and we need to ensure everyone is able to benefit from emerging opportunities. However digital skills will also have an important role to play across all of our key sectors including our cutting-edge manufacturers, of which there are many in Lancashire. This is evident in the current covid-19 situation in which businesses have quickly adapted and diversified to manufacture ventilators and PPE.

“We are delighted to see so many applications from business and provider collaborations that aim to accelerate the diversity of the digital workforce in Lancashire through innovative approaches to quickly building the digital skills that are in demand from local employers.”

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