Posted: 20th January, 2014
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly able to secure bank loans supported by a government-backed scheme, as lending under the scheme reached its highest level since 2010. Recently published Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme lending figures, show banks offered loans worth £111m to SMEs in the third quarter of 2013, the most since 2010.... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
Major industry leaders joined Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Deighton and Business and Energy Minister, Michael Fallon in signing a joint initiative to reduce carbon in infrastructure which could save as much as 24 million tonnes of carbon and £1.46bn a year by 2050. Government Opportunities The initiative to save valuable resources by using... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
HS2 will take a major step forward with publication of the Bill for phase one of the country’s new railway between London and Birmingham. Government Opportunities. The hybrid Bill, effectively the planning application for the scheme, will give the government the powers to construct and operate the railway. It will also give those affected by... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is investing £35m to sustain the RAF’s stockpile of Brimstone missiles. A contract with British defence firm MBDA will guarantee the supply of the weapons for the next 5 years and will be manufactured and assembled by MBDA in the UK, securing 20 specialist jobs at their facilities in Henlow,... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
NI Water is scheduled to commence work on a £3.1m programme of improvement work to upgrade the sewerage infrastructure and key pumping stations in the Bangor area. The scheme is expected to get underway towards the end of November and will be completed before summer 2014. Subject to funding, the next phases of this programme... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
Carillion has been selected by Nomura, the pre-eminent Asian based investment bank, for a new 5-year contract to provide Engineering Services to its operations in the UK. This builds upon the existing 8-year relationship between the organisations. The new contract will evolve the engineering services at Nomura through the adoption of the principles of ISO55000,... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
EnQuest PLC, the largest UK independent oil company in the UK North Sea, has given its go-ahead for a £4bn in investment in the140 million barrel oil field Kraken development. The Kraken is set to generate billions of revenue for taxpayers and to support an estimated 20,000 jobs during the project’s construction period and an... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
WRAP has outlined how the European economy could be transformed by 2020, through wide-scale adoption of a resource efficient circular economy. Speaking to UK and European business leaders at WRAP’s Annual Conference in London, Dr Liz Goodwin outlined the considerable benefits to the economy, job creation and the environment, identified by WRAP’s EU 2020 Vision.... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
At the start of National Living Wage Week the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced the annual increase in the London Living Wage taking the hourly rate from £8.55 to £8.80 per hour. The Mayor has worked with the Living Wage Foundation, part of London Citizens, over the past year to encourage even more employers... Read More
Posted: 20th January, 2014
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit 2013 will be held in London on 31 October and 1 November. Government Opportunities More than 1,000 delegates from 73 countries including the 61 current OGP)partners will attend to share their experiences, discuss progress and show how openness and transparency are making a difference to their citizens. Each government... Read More
