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August 2, 2016

Pump Industry Awards winners announced

Pump Industry Awards winners announced Published:  16 March, 2016 Launched 16 years ago, the Pump Industry Awards has always made its mission to recognise and reward those companies and individuals that ‘go the extra mile’ and to act as a motivator to encourage more companies to fulfil their potential. The

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RIBA welcomes Government review of housing space standards

Browser does not support script. Contact us The Government announced a review of the national space standard for housing yesterday (25 April 2016). During the debate on the Housing and Planning Bill, recognition was given to the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) long campaign on this issue. Speaking today

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Any Amount of Asbestos Exposure Can Now Result in Compensation

Sufferers of asbestosis may now be entitled to compensation from negligent employers, the Court of Appeal has ruled. Following last week’s landmark ruling, those who suffer from the condition which is caused by asbestos exposure, could now be entitled to proportional compensation from as low as 2.3%, although this is

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UK Rental Costs Increase, Except in Wales

The latest index has revealed that rents in the UK’s private rental sector went up by 2.4% in the year up to June 2016, with Wales the exception as rents in the country went down. In England, rents went up by 2.5% and in Scotland they rose by 0.1%, however

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Savills to Auction Nottingham Bar Site

Savills is set to sell 26-28 St James’s Street in Nottingham at the next Savills regional auction being held at Nottingham Race Course on 1st September 2016, in conjunction with Fisher Hargreaves Proctor. The guide price of the freehold lot is around £475,000 to £500,000 and is made up of

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Theresa May’s China Stance Could Cause Treasury Minister to Quit

Treasury Minister and former Goldman Sachs Chief Economist, Jim O’Neill, is considering quitting government because of Theresa May’s new approach to China. May’s China stance was revealed by the way she handled plans for a new Hinkley Point nuclear plant. Lord O’Neill was one of the major parts of the

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Latest Issue

BDC 319 : Aug 2024

August 2, 2016

Pump Industry Awards winners announced

Pump Industry Awards winners announced Published:  16 March, 2016 Launched 16 years ago, the Pump Industry Awards has always made its mission to recognise and reward those companies and individuals that ‘go the extra mile’ and to act as a motivator to encourage more companies to fulfil their potential. The 2016 awards focused on manufacture and supply, including innovation and achievement, energy saving, engineering excellence, customer care and employee motivation. On the night, six companies and two individuals won awards, as follows: Technical Innovation – Products Winner: Flowserve SIHI with the SIHIboost Technical Innovation – Projects Winner: Neptuno Pumps Environmental Contribution of the Year Winner: Bedford Pumps save stakeholders £3 million on fish-friendly scheme Distributor of the Year Winner: Tomlinson Hall & Co. Manufacturer of the Year Winner: KSB Supplier of the Year Winner: John Crane Engineer of the Year Winner: Ryan Pearson, Grundfos Pumps Lifetime Achievement Award Winner: Ken Hall, managing director of Calpeda Pumps Steve Schofield, director of the BPMA said: “Thank you to everyone who put forward an entry into this year’s awards programme. Our judging process is extremely rigorous, so many congratulations to all those who reached the final stage, and of course to the individual category winners. We feel this year’s complement of finalists truly encompasses the scope of success and innovation in the pump industry today.” This year’s Pump Industry Awards Gala Dinner was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Heythrop Park on 10 March and hosted by BBC presenter Mary Rhodes. To round off the proceedings, a charity raffle was held in support of the BPMA’s adopted charity, WaterAid. With prizes donated by companies throughout the industry, the event managed to raise £1,800, which after being doubled by the UK government will provide fresh drinking water for people in need around the world. Source link

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RIBA welcomes Government review of housing space standards

Browser does not support script. Contact us The Government announced a review of the national space standard for housing yesterday (25 April 2016). During the debate on the Housing and Planning Bill, recognition was given to the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) long campaign on this issue. Speaking today RIBA President Jane Duncan said: “We are very pleased that the Government will be reviewing how the national space standard, introduced last October, is operating in practice. As our December 2015 report ‘HomeWise: Space Standards for Homes’ stressed, the current standard is far too complicated and onerous for Local Authorities to implement.  This means that too many new homes are sub-standard and more than half of the new homes being built today are simply not big enough to meet the needs of the people who buy them. We believe it would be simpler and fairer to embed the national minimum space standard within Building Regulations, therefore welcome the proposal to include the Building Regulations Advisory Committee in the review.” Ends Notes to editors 1.       For further press information contact pressoffice@riba.org 020 7580 5533 2.       RIBA’s #HomeWise – Space Standards for Homes can be downloaded here: https://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Campaigns%20and%20issues/Assets/Files/HomewiseReport2015.pdf Posted on Tuesday 26th April 2016 Source link

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Any Amount of Asbestos Exposure Can Now Result in Compensation

Sufferers of asbestosis may now be entitled to compensation from negligent employers, the Court of Appeal has ruled. Following last week’s landmark ruling, those who suffer from the condition which is caused by asbestos exposure, could now be entitled to proportional compensation from as low as 2.3%, although this is dependent on how many years the claimant has worked at the company. The ruling states that even if the employer has not played a hugely significant role in the claimant contracting the condition, they may still owe them compensation. This ruling is liked to Albert Carder, a retired electrician who suffered asbestos exposure at the University of Exeter where he worked. His lawyers decided that although the exposure occurred earlier in his life, the university had been found to have contributed 2.3% toward the asbestosis. Insurers of the university argued that the exposure to asbestos at the university did not make a “discernible difference to his condition,” while the ruling of the High Court found that the damage and injury was actionable, and stated that even though the university only made a small contribution to the condition, there was still a case to be made against it. The Court of Appeal upheld the decision on appeal. Overall damages awarded to Mr Carder for his total asbestos exposure came to £67,500, of which the university contributed £1,713. John Hedley, Moore Blatch asbestos disease lawyer, represented Mr Carder in the asbestosis case and he commented: “This case has broader significance and could impact on a large number of other industrial disease and work related illness cases. “The Defendant is trying to appeal again following the Court of Appeal’s decision so we would assume that the insurers believe the issue is important enough to invest significant sums in legal costs in trying to win.”

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Independent Construction Commissioner Appointed to Deal with HS2 Complaints

An independent construction commissioner has been appointed to referee any complaints and disputes that may arise from the public during construction work of the HS2 project. Gareth Epps been appointed construction commissioner of the HS2 project on an interim basis and he will now investigate any matters that cannot be resolved by the complaints process of HS2 Ltd. The appointment of Epps is on an interim basis pending the passage of the enabling legislation and after royal assent, an independent body of project stakeholders will determine the full terms of reference and agree on a permanent appointment. Epps had previously worked in community relations on the Crossrail project for nine years and has also led the Liberal Democrat group on Reading Borough Council. The general election of 2015 saw him stand as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Keighley, in which he came fifth with 2.7% of the vote, while the 2001 general election saw him stand against David Cameron in Witney. In his role of HS2 construction commissioner, Epps’ main roles will be: to monitor complaints and providing reports marking trends and providing advice on how to reduce the instance of complaints where possible, to make sure that people affected by HS2 know he exists and what he does and to mediate in unresolved disputes between HS2 Ltd and individuals or bodies, including claims under the Small Claims Scheme. Simon Kirby, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd, commented: “We recognise that people will be affected by the construction of the line and are thoroughly committed to ensuring that those people are treated fairly and all practicable measures are taken to minimise disruption. “Improving our approach to affected communities is at the very top of our priority list. We are continuously striving to refine our complaints handling and improve community engagement. The appointment of a Construction Commissioner is a key part of that process.”

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UK Rental Costs Increase, Except in Wales

The latest index has revealed that rents in the UK’s private rental sector went up by 2.4% in the year up to June 2016, with Wales the exception as rents in the country went down. In England, rents went up by 2.5% and in Scotland they rose by 0.1%, however Wales saw a rental fall of 0.1%, according to the most recent findings of the Office of National Statistics (ONS). In all the English regions over the year to June 2016, rental prices went up, with the biggest increase in rental prices seen in the South East at 3.4%. However, when London is excluded from the data, rents went up by 2%. The index report shows that since January 2011, rental prices in England have gone up by more than those of Scotland and Wales. The yearly rate of change in rental prices in Wales has continued to be significantly below that of England and the UK as a whole. Meanwhile, Scotland has seen rental growth gradually slow down to 0.1% in the year to June 2016, from a 2.1% high at the same time last year. England’s rental prices indicate three distinct periods: they increased from January 2005 up to February 2009, then fell from July 2009 to February 2010 and increased again from May 2010 onwards. When London is taken out of the equation, England has shown a similar pattern but with slower increases in price from the end of 2010 and since the start of 2012 rental prices in England have increased annually between 1.4% and 3% year on year. The South East saw the biggest annual rental price rises with a 3.4% growth, which has not changed from May 2016, with the East of England next on the list with a 3.1% increase, although this is down form the 3.2% figure of May this year.

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Savills to Auction Nottingham Bar Site

Savills is set to sell 26-28 St James’s Street in Nottingham at the next Savills regional auction being held at Nottingham Race Course on 1st September 2016, in conjunction with Fisher Hargreaves Proctor. The guide price of the freehold lot is around £475,000 to £500,000 and is made up of two properties: 26 St James’s Street, which includes a ground floor bar and cellar totalling 1,241 sq ft (115 sq m) and 26-28 St James’s Street, a bar and nightclub, which totals 5,773 sq ft (534 sq m). The number 26 property trades as Bar Schnapps, while the other property is called Arriba Bar and between them they generate an annual rental income of more than £71,000. The premises are located near to an established leisure destination in Nottingham City Centre and benefits from the footfall generated by the nearby Old Market Square. Head of Office at Savills Nottingham, Victor Ktori, said: “This is a rare opportunity to acquire a high quality leisure venue in a top city centre location. “Providing good rental income and the possibility for future asset management, 26-28 St James’s Street is likely to be extremely popular in the room.” Meanwhile, a former boss at Savills has set up a new auction house at rival company Auction Estates. Paul Giles, former head of Savills’ commercial auction team in Nottingham, has joined the rival firm where he will lead a new sector of the business. Auction Estates is an auction house that forms part of city property investment at the ALB Group and he was approached for the role by former colleague Arran Bailey. They worked together at ALB, one of Savills’ biggest clients in the city and the two men lead a number of large scale acquisitions of residential and commercial investment stock across the UK.

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Bosch Professional Power Tools Used to Build Tough Mudder Course

Bosch Professional Power Tools have been used for the construction of the Tough Mudder course, which will see more than 120,000 men and women turn up at events They will climb, swing and crawl over and through each one of up to 25 obstacles together throughout the 2016 Tough Mudder UK season. The obstacle course challenge spans 10 to 12 miles and tests teamwork, mental grit and physical strength and the team has relied on Bosch Professional Power Tools to construct the durable and unforgettable course for its participants. Tough Mudder Senior Construction Manager, David Solan, and his eight course building team have been given the task of turning the greenfield event sites into the energy-sapping tests of courage, strength and teamwork a that are Tough Mudders The team’s tools of choice are Bosch Professional Power Tools, where 18 volt cordless screwdrivers will power through at least 2,000 screws each day and five articulated truckloads of wood, as the crew will have only four weeks to finish the building of the course. As well as the screwdrivers, the team will also use the complete Bosch 18 volt range of rotary hammers, circular saws, brush cutters, angle drills and angle grinders. Solan commented: “Having the same battery system across all of the tools we use and amongst our team really helps to maximise productivity out in the field. “We are often in the middle of nowhere when we begin construction for our events, and so the combination of cordless and super-long battery life is essential. “It means that our tools are always ready to go to build these best-in-class obstacles.” All of Bosch’s Professional 18 volt tools can run on the complete range of Bosch 18 volt batteries and are future-proofed for any new power packs that may be launched. Senior Product Manager of Bosch Professional Cordless Power Tools, Martin Sibley, said: “We’re delighted that the 18-Volt range has had a chance to really prove its credentials with the Tough Mudder construction crew. “I think if it stands up to their rigorous demands, it earns the right to be in anyone’s toolbox!”

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Theresa May’s China Stance Could Cause Treasury Minister to Quit

Treasury Minister and former Goldman Sachs Chief Economist, Jim O’Neill, is considering quitting government because of Theresa May’s new approach to China. May’s China stance was revealed by the way she handled plans for a new Hinkley Point nuclear plant. Lord O’Neill was one of the major parts of the Treasury introduced by George Osborne to help build the UK’s relations with China and work on new infrastructure plans. In 2001, he coined the phrase “Brics” to describe the leading emerging economies of the world – Brazil, Russia, India and China. With concerns mounting in Beijing that it may not be welcome to invest in British nuclear power plants anymore, along with tensions that remain in Mrs May’s new ministerial team, Lord O’Neill has reportedly said that he will quit the government in September unless the new Prime Minister can persuade him to stay on. One source close to O’Neill said that he could not understand the government’s change of heart on China: “He’s considering why he has been asked to stay,” they said. O’Neill says that May did not warn him about her intention to put the £18 billion project on hold as Beijing had planned to invest £6 billion in the scheme which it sees as a step toward building its own British nuclear power station. It has also been suggested that O’Neill came close to leaving the government last week but chose not to for the sake of persuading world leaders at a G20 summit early next month to act on his report on tackling drug resistant “superbugs.” Mr Osborne gave O’Neill free rein to court investment from China and last year said that Britain had to “get over one of its perpetual problems of being a fair weather friend.” O’Neill also led the development of Mr Osborne’s “Northern Powerhouse” project, including selling schemes in the north to Chinese investors.

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