Olympic boroughs continue to outperform other areas According Property Partner, a residential property crowdfunding platform, the six Olympic boroughs for London 2012 have outperformed most other local authority areas in the host city in terms of house price growth. Major financial investment has helped boost property prices by an average
EDF’s decision on whether or not to procced with Hinkley Point C will be a ‘litmus test’ for investment in big infrastructure project post-Brexit, unions in Britain have said. Unite, Ucatt, Prospect and the GMB union have reiterated their support for the project in anticipation of the
Stopcocks Women Plumbers to take on male members Published: 20 October, 2016 Stopcocks Women Plumbers is calling on men and women to join its new franchise scheme, to be launched in January 2017. The female-led plumbing firm, based in West Yorkshire, is opening up the franchise to skilled and competent
A new partnership made up of representatives of house builders, warranty providers and training and trade bodies aimed at attracting new people to the construction industry in the UK has met for the first time. The Board of the Home Building Skills Partnership (HBP) has started work in earnest on
Business is booming for UK tradesmen due to Britain’s do-it-yourself attitude, according to a new survey. Commissioned by Swinton Commercial, a business insurance broker, the snap-shot study took a sample of 100 tradesmen and women from across the UK, and found that out of all trades, it was plumbers who
Olympic boroughs continue to outperform other areas According Property Partner, a residential property crowdfunding platform, the six Olympic boroughs for London 2012 have outperformed most other local authority areas in the host city in terms of house price growth. Major financial investment has helped boost property prices by an average 64% over the last four years in the ‘Olympic Boroughs’ of Hackney, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. Meanwhile during the same period, the average property price rose by a healthy 52.8% across the capital’s 32 boroughs. The research comes as athletes arrive for Rio 2016. Property Partner analysed the UK House Price Index, using data since the 2012 Games in London. Waltham Forest delivered a peak performance, winning gold for the strongest growth (76%) in average property price rises in London. The average cost of a house today in the East London borough is £418,146 – up from £236,796 in 2012. Other notable risers include the boroughs of Hackney (66.9%) and Newham (62.6%), taking third and fourth position in the rankings respectively. Non-Olympic borough Lewisham squeezed into second place, with average house prices accelerating by 67.9% in the four years partly due to interest from homebuyers in Blackheath, Brockley and New Cross. Former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, identified the host boroughs as areas that would benefit from investment around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London. Dan Gandesha, CEO of property crowdfunding platform Property Partner, comments: “London 2012 was the catalyst for a flood of investment into the capital, much of which was injected into regenerating some of the capital’s most disadvantaged boroughs. The economic legacy of the Games – supporting new jobs and skills, encouraging trade, inward investment, tourism and improved transport links – has meant a corresponding rise in house prices in the six host boroughs. The economic, social and environmental gap between these boroughs and the rest of London is closing. Over the next few years, the capital will further benefit from significant infrastructure projects – particularly Crossrail where areas that were relatively inaccessible will suddenly be on London’s doorstep. In turn, like the Olympic effect, house prices around Crossrail’s 40 stations are continuing to see an upward trend despite post-Brexit uncertainty. The reality is, no one can say for sure what will happen just now. But the fundamentals of the capital’s housing market are self-evident – demand far outstrips supply, which is further exacerbated by population growth and low borrowing costs. Moreover, the Bank of England is likely to reduce base rates even further in the very near future.” Source link
EDF’s decision on whether or not to procced with Hinkley Point C will be a ‘litmus test’ for investment in big infrastructure project post-Brexit, unions in Britain have said. Unite, Ucatt, Prospect and the GMB union have reiterated their support for the project in anticipation of the conclusion of a consultation between EDF and the French unions represented on its board. “The UK trade unions are 100 per cent in support of Hinkley Point C and believe that it is vital to make a final investment decision in a timely fashion soon after the consultation process is completed,” they said in a letter to EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz. They continued: “It would be a tragedy, in both France and the UK, if all this work and the extraordinary opportunities it provides were to be lost. “The moment to make the decision is upon us and we have a genuine fear that any further delay will lead to the unravelling of all that we have fought so hard to achieve.” Unite national officer for energy Kevin Coyne said: “The final investment decision by EDF Energy on Hinkley Point will be the first litmus test following the Brexit vote that much-needed investment in large infrastructure projects is still coming on stream.” Acting general secretary of Ucatt Brian Rye said: “This is a vitally needed and ground breaking project. The decision on the final go-ahead on Hinkley will demonstrate whether foreign-owned companies are still prepared to invest in the UK. The government needs to ensure that they get this deal over the line.” De Rivaz has previously said the vote to leave the European Union will not affect the need for Hinkley. EDF has been holding a consultation with workers via the company’s central works council which represents its employees. The consultation began on 9 May and is due to last 60 days, concluding on 4 July. The process was launched after the council reportedly threatened to take legal action against EDF’s board of directors if they didn’t consult with workers. Shortly afterwards EDF delayed its final investment decision to allow the consultation to take place. The views of British unions contrasts sharply with those of their French counterparts. In May the secretary general of the central works council said they are unlikely to give their blessings to the project. The following month it was reported the council had taken legal action to get the consultation extended. Although the central works council is an official body within EDF the company is not legally obliged to abide by the council’s decision on whether or not to support the project. EDF has previously declined to comment on what the company’s legal obligations are regarding the council, and whether it is required to allow the consultation to conclude before making a final investment decision. Source link
Stopcocks Women Plumbers to take on male members Published: 20 October, 2016 Stopcocks Women Plumbers is calling on men and women to join its new franchise scheme, to be launched in January 2017. The female-led plumbing firm, based in West Yorkshire, is opening up the franchise to skilled and competent male and female plumbers, in keeping with its commitment to make the industry landscape a level one regardless of gender. “After 26 years in the business I have realised that men CAN make good plumbers after all,” joked founder Hattie Hasan. When Stopcocks was founded in 1990, its vision was of an industry where both women and men were able to train, gain skills and competence, qualify and work as plumbers and where customers had access to skilled tradespeople they could rely on. While much is made of the number of girls joining the construction industry, they are still very much in the minority. “The fact is there still aren’t enough women plumbers,” said Ms Hasan, “and their businesses are mostly too new or too small to take on new plumbers and mentor them.” However, it’s not only women who contact the company to say they’re sick of being patronised and ripped off, she explained. “We know there are a few good men providing excellent customer service and this is a fantastic way for them to differentiate themselves from the negative reputation plumbers sometimes have,” said Ms Hasan. “By joining us as franchisees, these male plumbers will be joining a brand that stands for high levels of technical excellence and exquisite customer service.” Anyone interested in becoming a Stopcocks plumber is encouraged to email mica@stopcocks.uk or call 0800 8620010. Source link
A new partnership made up of representatives of house builders, warranty providers and training and trade bodies aimed at attracting new people to the construction industry in the UK has met for the first time. The Board of the Home Building Skills Partnership (HBP) has started work in earnest on plans to attract and train tens of thousands of new workers, led by Redrow Homes chief executive officer John Tutte with a strong group of leaders from across the home building sector. The HBP aims to develop, grow and sustain a programme to provide the workforce the industry requires to deliver the further increases in housing supply the country desperately needs. It will focus on attracting new entrants into the industry, and on providing focussed training to develop the qualified workforce needed to construct today’s high quality new homes. The Board will guide and direct the Partnership and define its operational parameters and priorities. It will also oversee the recruitment of a dedicated team that, in collaboration with the wider supply chain, will drive forward the initiatives on a day to day basis. Over its first four years it is hoped that HSP programmes will engage with over 3,500 companies, more than 40,000 workers and some 180 Colleges and Training Providers. ‘The house building industry is totally committed to increasing output and meeting the housing needs of the country. The Partnership will help us attract and train the people we need to deliver more, high quality homes in the coming years,’ said Tutte. ‘The broad experience of the Board we have recruited will help us put in place the building blocks we need to succeed. Over the coming years the Partnership will help secure tens of thousands of skilled employees for house builders and the wider industry who will help us solve the housing crisis we now face. More quality people will enable us to deliver more quality homes,’ he added. The HBP aims to develop an improved public identity for home building, influence the development of a more professional, fully trained workforce and increase productivity and the value added per employee. It also aims to improve the quality and relevance of industry training, co-ordinate the tackling of common workforce challenges and influence and leverage investment in skills to the benefit of the home building industry. Source link
Business is booming for UK tradesmen due to Britain’s do-it-yourself attitude, according to a new survey. Commissioned by Swinton Commercial, a business insurance broker, the snap-shot study took a sample of 100 tradesmen and women from across the UK, and found that out of all trades, it was plumbers who reported having to fix the highest number of DIY disasters in the home and workplace, with 20% saying that fixing dodgy DIY attempts often accounted for as much as 84% of their workloads. The study showed that 100% of those surveyed felt that most amateur DIY attempts resulted from people believing it would be cheaper to do the jobs themselves rather than hiring a professional, thinking skilled plumbing jobs were easy (42.9%), or because they worried they would get ripped-off by rogue traders (42%). Over 25% of plumbers said they were regularly called out to fix DIY mishaps at businesses, while 100% said that over ambitious DIY-ers were guilty of putting themselves and others at risk. 50% of UK plumbers said they thought it was a growing trend. Botched DIY jobs reported by UK plumbers, included: • A waitress in a cafe attempted to repair a commercial boiler using a bread knife and scissors. The unit was still live at the time. • An unsecured bath where overflows were running into the ceiling void. Lead pipes had been left and fudged into the copper pipes, with boxing made from MDF absorbing water • A basin tap fitted without a sealing washer, causing a large water leak, which ran through the ceiling in the hallway. Alastair Denness, national business development manager at Swinton Commercial, said: “The results of the study are troubling showing that UK plumbers are seeing a growing trend in people undertaking technically demanding and potentially dangerous DIY jobs in order to cut costs. “Although these jobs might be good news for UK plumbers, businesses need to be aware that cutting costs by attempting to do the job of a professional is a false economy, often costing a lot more than it would to pay a professional to do the job in the first place. “Business owners also need to remember that failed DIY attempts can put you and employees at serious risk, and result in insurance claims when disaster strikes, leading to increased business insurance premiums. We, therefore, advise supporting your local tradesmen to provide a professional service which could save you and your business a lot more money in the long run.” Read more at http://www.hpmmag.com/news/botched-diy-jobs-account-80-business
