An Aberdeenshire painting and decorating firm has celebrated 132 years of combined service from seven of its employees who have shown commitment and enthusiasm over the years.   R Davidson Painters & Decorators, based in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, has awarded the long service staff, who have each worked for the company for at least 15 years, for their dedication and loyalty to the business.   Robert Bain, one of the long service awardees, has trumped the service time, having been with the company for 28 years. During this time, Mr Bain has witnessed various changes and successes within the business, including its move to larger premises to support staff growth, as well as its sizeable intake of apprentices over the years and how they have grown with the business.   Mr Bain said: “The past 28 years has flown in for me as I love my job and thoroughly enjoy working with everyone at the firm. R Davidson has gone from strength to strength throughout the years and I have been lucky enough to have not experienced any downturns or struggles in the company. I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given and I’m sure there are still a good few years left in me.”   Painter & decorator Austin Crawford shortly follows Robert Bain with 20 years under his belt. Barrie Gammack, Graham Burnett and Phil Clark have 17 years, and Ian Anderson and Stewart Morrison both have 15 years. Each dedicated worker was presented with a gift at the firm’s ceremony at the end of last year.   Managing director and owner of R Davidson Painters & Decorators, Trevor Mutch, said: “It really is an honour to have so many long service employees within the firm. This highlights not only their loyalty and dedication, but also the firm’s devotion to its staff. We have always had low staff turnover here and I believe this has helped substantially with the continued growth of the company. We have a strong secure management structure in place combined with highly skilled tradesmen, which enables us to carry out all our projects to the best of our ability and with a happy client at the end. I can’t thank these seven men enough for their help and hard work over the years.”   With a current headcount of 100, the decorating firm, which specialises in delivering bespoke painting, decorating and ames taping services for the private domestic and commercial markets, has a range of major commercial clients in the North-east and has worked on some of Aberdeen’s most prestigious developments, including the renovation of the city’s Marischal College.   For more information about R Davidson Painters & Decorators, please visit www.rdbanchory.co.uk, or call 01330 824877.

GUS Robinson Developments Ltd is celebrating its 40th birthday with some early contract wins for 2016. Deals worth in excess of £13m have already been secured for 2016/17, and Managing Director Steve Bell says the firm is well positioned going into the final quarter of this current financial year. Now into its fifth decade, Gus Robinson Developments Ltd has been boosted by a streamlining of the business which has seen a strong focus on housebuilding over the last two years. Mr Bell added: “We have concentrated a great deal on housebuilding, and that is the key reason behind the positivity in the most recent set of results. “We are currently working on the new Centre for Independent Living in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council, as well as major refurbishment work within Middleton Grange Shopping Centre and a number of good quality housing projects across the North East. “They underline our capabilities working with local authorities and other public sector clients, as we strive to expand our order book by developing new relationships with both public and private partners. “The backbone of our strong contracts in housebuilding has enabled us to broaden our horizons and be more profitable, and by shifting the focus we have strengthened the business across the board. The aim is to capitalise on our broad experience within all sectors.” Ongoing projects currently being worked on throughout the region by Gus Robinson Developments Ltd with Prince Bishop Homes, ISOS Housing Development, North Star Housing and Thirteen Group have seen continued growth over the last two years and leave the business well positioned going into the next financial year. He continued: “We have guaranteed contracts in the order book which suggest that by the end of March 2017 we could be approaching a turnover in excess of £20m. “The latest figures are slightly up on what we anticipated, everything is extremely positive and the mood is buoyant.” The success of the business over the last calendar year was reflected in the fact it was shortlisted for the fourth consecutive year by ‘Construction Excellence in the North East’ in their SME of the Year category, and reaccredited with a Big Tick in the ‘Business In The Community’ Responsible Business Awards. It also won the national Business in the Community Award 2015 at the British Chamber of Commerce Awards held in London; additionally Chairman Daniel Robinson was named as the Institute of Directors’ UK SME Director of the Year.

The ‘Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981’ require businesses to provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and people to ensure employees can be given immediate assistance if they are injured or taken ill while at work. What is ‘adequate and appropriate’ will depend on the circumstances in your workplace and businesses must assess what their first aid needs are. The minimum first aid provision for any work site is: A suitably stocked first aid kit. An appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements. It is important to remember that accidents and illness can happen at any time. Provision for first aid needs should be available at all times. Some small workplaces with low-level hazards may need only the minimum provision for first aid, but there are circumstances and factors that will mean you need greater provision. You, as an employer, are well placed to decide the provision you need. The checklist in Table 1 on the HSE Information Leaflet (available here) covers the points you should consider. To find out more about Safety Services Direct’s range of first aid provisions please visit the Company’s website.

Transport for London and Sports Relief 2016 have teamed up to encourage London to raise money by being more active. The partnership is encouraging staff, customers, schools and businesses to get involved in a range of fun activities to help raise money for people who are living in the UK in the world’s poorest communities. From 1 – 20 of March, Transport for London will pledge to “make their journey more active for Sport Relief”, sharing their activities on social media where daily spot prizes will be given for the best pledges. The activities can range from cycling once a day, to taking the stairs instead of the lift. Everyone is encouraged to get involved, whatever age or ability. TfL are also hosting a guided walk around the original Circle Tube line on Sunday 13 of March, with participants listening to a podcast of well-known Londoners talking about their favourite places on the Circle Line. There will also be free food and drink for those participating in the 14 mile walk. The following weekend, Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and at locations across the Capital will host three events which will give people the chance to walk, swim or cycle themselves proud. The events include Sport Relief Mile, Swimathon at the Aquatics Centre or cycle ride at Lee Valley VeloPark. TfL’s “Time to Cycle” hub will be at the park, giving anyone the opportunity to speak to TfL staff about bike security, cycle training, route planning, new infrastructure and more. They will also host games and quizzes. Leon Daniels, Managing Director for Surface Transport at TfL, said: “We are really excited to be partnering with Sport Relief. This is a great opportunity to get active whilst raising money for disadvantaged people both at home and abroad. Whether it’s pledging to walk or cycle one journey a day, or enjoying what London has to offer on a walk around the Circle line – we have lots of fun activities available for all ages and abilities.” Boris Johnson MP, Mayor of London, said: “TfL’s link up with Sport Relief is a fantastic way to raise funds to help people in the UK and around the world, as well as being a spur to get more active. It also offers some unique experiences along the way and I hope Londoners will be inspired to take part and help raise money for this good cause.”

The government faced calls to tackle the British steel industry crisis after Tata Steel announced plans to axe 1,050 jobs. Tata Steel has confirmed its plans to cut 1,050 jobs in the UK, including 750 at Port Talbot, south Wales, as it warned that cheap imports from China were endangering the European steel industry. Trade unions and industry officials urged the government to give the UK steel industry help. The falling prices of global steel and a flood of cheap imports were what Tata said was responsible for the cuts, urging the UK and EU to act more urgently to deal with the crisis and take stronger action against “unfair” steel imports. Karl Koehler, Chief Executive of Tata Steel’s European operations, said: “I know this news will be unsettling for all those affected, but these tough actions are critical in the face of extremely difficult market conditions which are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. “The government must take urgent action to increase the competitiveness of the UK for its vital steel sector. This includes lowering business rates and supporting energy efficiency and anti-dumping cases so we can compete fairly.” David Cameron said the government was acting to cut energy prices for steel companies, give more government contracts to UK firms and engage with the European Union on cheap Chinese steel exports. He said: “But we’ll continue to work with them and I want to have a strong British steel industry at the heart of our important manufacturing base”. The price of a tonne of European domestic hot rolled coil – a type of steel – has more than halved from €642 (£490) per tonne in 2011 to €320. China’s annual steel exports to the EU have surged from 4.6 million tonnes to 7.7 million tonnes, which has highlighted allegations that Chinese companies are dumping steel in the EU that they can’t sell domestically. Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary of the Community trade union has accused ministers of being more interested in strengthening business links with China than addressing the impact of cheap Chinese steel on the UK’s industry. “The dumping of cheap Chinese steel is one of the biggest causes of this crisis, yet the UK government remains a cheerleader for China. You can’t wring your hands over steel job losses and then shake hands with the Chinese government over cosy trade deals.” Staff at Port Talbot have been told there will be a 45-day consultancy over the proposed cuts. Anna Soubry, the Business Minister said the government will work with the Welsh assembly to support workers and find them new jobs.

CPBigwood, the Birmingham-based property and auctions business, has been acquired by one of the UK’s fastest growing independent property groups, for an undisclosed sum. Shepherd Direct Limited (SDL), the national property services group with interests in surveying, valuations, lettings, mortgages and estate agency, has made the acquisition to further enhance the group’s financial strength and to help CPBigwood build nationally. CPBigwood is an established top ten UK auction house and the largest in the UK north of London. The firm’s residential service charge property management operation is also in the top ten in the UK. Estates Gazette’s Top Agents League Table ranks CPBigwood as 27th largest agent in the country. CPBigwood Senior partner Rory Daly, who will remain with the business as CPBigwood chief executive officer, said: “This marks the next step in the evolution of CPBigwood and will further enhance our position as a major player in the auctions and residential service charge management sectors. “The acquisition will boost not only auctions and property management but also our commercial agency, professional services and building surveying work. “Being part of SDL will provide a significant boost to the CPBigwood business and allow us to accelerate our growth plans.” CPBigwood formed when Bigwood merged with Curry & Partners in 2011 to set about building a national property services group, has origins dating back to 1854 and today delivers £80 million of property auction sales per annum and has more than 25,000 properties under management. The combined group will now generate over £60 million turnover per annum with 400 staff across offices in Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Loughborough, Southampton, Stratford-upon-Avon and the group headquarters in Nottingham. Group CEO Paul Gratton said: “SDL is a fast-paced, successful growing property services group which has quadrupled its turnover in the last five years and remains extremely ambitious.” Launched in 1989, SDL now boasts a client list including most major mortgage lenders including a 26 year relationship with HSBC, and currently manages over 140,000 mortgage valuations a year, through 150 panel firms and its team of 70 employed surveyors. SDL also includes the 50 branch estate agency Century 21 UK, with franchised branches from Liverpool to Southampton, including 20 offices in and around London and offers a residential lettings and management service to both institutional landlords and on an outsourced basis to independent estate agents, with current mandates to manage in excess of 5,000 properties. As part of its ambitious growth strategy, in 2015 SDL also acquired a significant stake in the national mortgage broker network Stonebridge to facilitate its growth, which now has more than 400 mortgage advisers and arranges in excess of £4 billion of mortgage lending annually. Rory Daly said: “The operations of both groups overlap without competing and by working together we will be able to secure additional benefits and operating efficiencies.” “The financial strength, entrepreneurial prowess and logistical support provided by SDL will enable us to develop further our already market leading proposition as well as to continue the significant growth we have achieved in recent years.” Paul Gratton added: “Rory Daly and his team have done a hugely impressive job of building a mature and successful business at CPBigwood.” “We are really looking forward to working with them to help support their ambitious growth plans both organically and through selective mergers and acquisitions as well as using the combined group’s reach in terms of winning new corporate partnerships and building deeper relationships with current business partners.”

GTS Maintenance know that it’s not just big businesses and large-scale industries who can benefit from anaerobic digestion systems as a waste management solution as well as a way to produce energy. Recently, they’ve been working closely with Wombridge School, in Telford, on the design, supply and installation of a Genereater Micro-AD Plant to solve this problem – cost effective organic waste disposal and energy production.

Landlords and property agents gathered in London to discuss energy in the service charge at a recent forum hosted by consultants Carbon2018. Tenant recharging has long been a challenge for commercial landlords and property agents of multi-let buildings. Some buildings, particularly those with older leases, will apportion utility costs on a floor area or fixed percentage basis. With advances in metering, widespread installation and a greater drive for energy efficiency and corporate social responsibility measures, tenants will expect to be charged for actual usage leading to potential disputes. Peter Forrester, the lead author of the RICS Code of Practice for service charges in commercial property, who spoke during the forum, commented: “Best practice is for a service charge to reflect a fair and reasonable proportion to ensure that individual occupiers bear an appropriate amount of the total service charge expenditure that reflects availability, benefit and use of services. In the case of common parts, many landlords will simply divide the bill equally between those tenants who use them. The Code states that landlords should not profit from the use of services.” The RICS Code of Practice is a set of guidelines outlining what is deemed to be best practice, but it cannot override the contractual terms of the lease.  Having said that, the Code has been known to be used in a court of law in cases of negligence. Landlords and tenants alike will always adopt a position that is most beneficial to them. If you had a building with four tenants, each occupying the same amount of floor space and paying 25% of the energy costs, and sub meters installed reveal one tenant is using 60% of the energy, each party will argue the situation that best suits them. The more energy conscious tenant may quote the Code arguing they should pay a fair and reasonable amount, whereas the high energy user may quote the terms of the lease which states they are to pay 25%. A court of law will always stipulate the contract they have entered into will apply, but is that fair? As tenants are only liable to pay as far as the lease provides, it is good practice for every lease to have a clause stating that it is subject to legislative changes. There has been a definite shift in the wording of older versus modern leases to incorporate this. During the forum Forrester commented, “Many energy regulations have been brought in with the best intentions but with little consultation with the industry as to how in practice they will be managed. Take CRC, a tax on organisations, in the case of multi-let buildings the landlord will get taxed and not the tenant using the energy. It is reasonable for the landlord to pass on that cost as it should be the polluter that pays. However the way the whole thing has been put in place creates difficulties in recovering these costs.” Landlords recharging for energy face huge risks from a credibility perspective as they enter into a financial agreement with the tenants and if they get that wrong what else are they getting wrong? It is therefore vital they ensure all meters are legally compliant with a sound strategy in place. Leighton Burgess from the National Measurement & Regulation Office (NRMO) joined the forum to discuss the Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) – an EU directive introduced on 30 October 2006. Since this date all new meters must be approved in line with the MID. Meters approved before then can be used until October 2016. Interestingly, there is no certification life for MID approved gas or electricity meters. However electricity meters approved before the directive was implemented do have a defined certification life after which the meters must be replaced. MID approved meters can be easily identified by their specific markings comprising of the letter ‘M’ and then the year of manufacture. However if a meter is DIN rail mounted the details may be hidden behind a panel. If a landlord is unsure they must check with the manufacturer or distributer. As Burgess stated, “Either party can request for an approved meter to be independently tested for accuracy, which the NMRO will outsource with no direct charge for testing to any party. However if the meter is proven to be inaccurate there is a cost to the party at fault. The meter will need to be replaced during the testing period.” However just because a meter is MID approved it does not necessarily mean there is an accurate billing mechanism in place. As Arthur Beattie, Director at Carbon2018, pointed out: “In our experience MID approved meters are not always installed correctly, which is why an independent meter verification survey is vital to the credibility of any apportionment mechanism.  Equally as important is their ongoing maintenance and commissioning. Meter systems when operated through a Building Management System can be manipulated or reprogrammed very easily without knowledge rendering the data useless for apportionment purposes. Regular checks will pick up on this ensuring a reliable billing system is maintained resulting in an accurate service charge and better landlord tenant relationship.”

After the dust settled on this year’s unexpected General Election result, I wrote about what kind of energy-efficiency landscape we might see under a majority Government unfettered and unrestrained by a coalition. Although the Conservative manifesto was noticeably thin on firm energy efficiency commitments, industry leaders took comfort from the fact that Amber Rudd wasn’t a climate sceptic, and I put my money on:   Support of some kind for fracking and North Sea oil and gas. The removal of some green taxes and reduced support for on-shore wind. A dilution of the zero-carbon standard for new homes. A review of the ailing Green Deal. Some rolling back of previous energy efficiency legislation.   However, how many of us could have predicted what actually happened? Under the Government’s much-repeated mantra of “keeping bills as low as possible for both hardworking families and businesses”, its approach has been described by some as “hasty”, “slash and burn” and bypassing the usual parliamentary process, resulting in a systematic dismantling of previously-established green policies in favour of nuclear, fracking and a new “dash for gas”.   This reverse gear strategy has also been criticised for creating uncertainty in the market and denting investor confidence. Constant change and the flipflopping of policies makes for an insecure, uncertain and overly complex landscape, with damaging consequences to what is a strategically important sector. It also risks jeopardising the UK’s progress to a low-carbon economy:   Discontinuing support for the Green Deal Finance Company. Killing off the Green Deal and the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund. Abolishing feed-in tariff pre-accreditation. Scrapping the Code for Sustainable Homes. Removing tax relief on community energy schemes. Abolishing the zero-carbon standard for new homes. Scrapping the zero- carbon non-domestic buildings standard. Cancelling the competition for carbon capture and storage technology. Ending the Allowable Solutions carbon-offsetting scheme. Closing the climate change levy exemption for zero-carbon energy. Cutting £700 million from the Renewable Heat Incentive budget. Increasing VAT on energy-saving measures. Reduction of the feed-in tariff by up to 65% but pulling back from a proposed 87% reduction following industry pressure. Ending new public subsidies for onshore wind. Closing the Renewable Obligation early. Reducing the guaranteed level of renewable obligation subsidy given to fossil-fuelled power stations converting to biomass. Introducing a second reverse capacity market auction creating an unexpected boost to the diesel generator market.   In addition, the axe is currently hovering over: Green Investment Bank, which is to be sold into the private sector and will, as a result, lose its ‘green mandate’. Display Energy Certificates, which are the public sector’s main tool for measuring and tracking its energy efficiency.   The only crumbs of comfort are the promises of replacements for ECO and the Green Deal, both of which will be more “cost-effective” than their predecessors and unambitious by comparison.   On a more positive note, it’s encouraging to see a focus on improving building performance and refurbishments that actually deliver what they predict, together with industry analyses of important issues in the form of the Bonfield review of consumer advice, protection, standards and enforcement for UK home energy efficiency and renewable energy measures and the Hansford review of solid wall insulation. In the refurbishment sector, the withdrawal of some government interventions could potentially provide greater long-term stability, and enable industry to develop stronger offerings and sales pipelines, rather than being swished about by transient subsidies and incentives.   Early in December, the UN climate change talks in Paris agreed to limit global warming to below 2°C. The UK played an important role in getting the deal agreed but many are now asking how the Government is going to meet this target after having rolled back on so many green and energy efficiency policies.   New ECO and Green Deal schemes; a move to gas; the development of shale gas as a transition fuel (especially without carbon capture and storage); and the closure of our coal-fired power stations won’t go far enough to meet our Paris commitments.   My New Year’s wish is that this doesn’t lead the government to respond with short-term actions that upset the market and create further instability, and that any further interventions are outcome-focussed, support the growth and development of refurbishment and construction businesses that deliver high-quality performing buildings and, above all, help those in fuel poverty to have better insulated, healthier homes they can afford to heat.   Season’s greetings and I’m sure we can expect interesting times ahead!

Earlier this month the North of England, in particular areas of Cumbria, were devastated by some of the heaviest rainfall and worst flooding Britain has seen for some time. Thousands of homes were left without power and damaged by flooding, emergency services were overwhelmed and there were, unfortunately, even fatalities. But this isn’t the first time that we’ve been ravaged by floods which have had an enormous and devastating impact on local communities – so how has this happened, and what can we learn from events like these that are becoming a regular part of UK weather? ESS, a UK-based environmental waste treatment and recycling firm, take a look at the flood’s impact and what’s happening for the future. What’s Happened? It’s something we’re all aware of; it’s been covered extensively in the last two or so weeks, and it’s still affecting homes, business and local communities. In essence, Storm Desmond has been battering the UK with rough weather and, in particular, ravaging the north of England with high winds and heavy rain – resulting in widespread flooding in a number of local areas. Severe weather warning for rain has been issued. Stay #WeatherAware at https://t.co/LohpJi9n9A pic.twitter.com/I6ZpcVAmy1 — Met Office (@metoffice) December 6, 2015 For example, a record breaking 341.4mm of rain fell at Honister in the Lake District, 3,500 homes have been flooded and transport links (including trains and road routes) have been cut and are still affected at time of writing.  What Was The Impact & Fallout? Tens of thousands of people left without power and thousands with flooded homes, not to mention local businesses, are just part of the storm’s impact in the north. Police forces, other emergency services and British army have all been helping, while local communities were also urged to pull together to support each other. Currently, the cost of this recent bout of flooding is unknown, but last week George Osborne announced a £50m flood fund to cover costs as a result of the damage left in Storm Desmond’s wake.  A report put to parliament last year put the average annual cost of damage as a result of flooding across the UK at £1.1bn; while there hasn’t been any indication yet on wider costs of the flooding this December it seems like the impact, damage and widespread effects aren’t getting any better, so it’s reasonable to say that this figure will (at least) be consistent for this year’s flooding. At the time of writing towns, villages and local communities are all still dealing with the impact in their own way. There are still some areas without power, and residents’ homes may still not be fit to live in, but these are short-term issues – for the time being.  What Can We Learn & What Are The Next Steps? “If the government is serious about infrastructure, then flood defences should be a greater priority than HS2 or another airport runway” – The Guardian (07/12) It goes without saying that current strategies, plans and defences need to be improved; these events aren’t one-off and unexpected. The same report previously mentioned states how increasing spend on flood defences won’t be wasted, and can help to offset the cost of damages by reducing the impact of flooding. The two big statements coming out of the impact of the flooding are an increase in funding for flood defence costs and a continued approach on tackling climate change; although the Met Office have stated that the most recent flooding can’t be verified to being linked to this. Tom Burke, chairman of environmental group E3G, suggests that the current spend alone isn’t enough. On his own website, Mr Burke said: “Each time millions of pounds were spent improving flood defences in the region. Each time the defences were overwhelmed by the next ‘unprecedented’ event.” He added: “The question the government really needs to answer is why have we had so many unprecedented events in so short a space of time. How many times does it take to set a precedent?” It seems that these plans are already being suggest to government, with MP Elizabeth Truss addressing the House of Commons last week on plans for further investment in flood defences. In her statement she said: “Since 2009 we have invested £45million in new defences in Cumbria. But we will need to learn lessons and reflect on what we can learn from this extreme weather event.  “We are investing £2.3bn in 1500 schemes throughout the country that will better protect 300,000 homes and the Spending Review has also confirmed that we’re protecting flood maintenance spending throughout this Parliament as well as capital spending.” So will this be enough? Last year’s report to Parliament seems to suggest that the cost of flooding as a result of damage cause is only likely to increase enormously in the long term; the report suggest a rise to as much as £27bn per year by 2080 if action isn’t taken. One thing is clear, though, and it’s that what is currently in place needs improvement – more investment from local government and more funding from central government will allow this to happen. While the short-term cost will need to see a significant increase, the long-term effects will ensure not only lower costs of damages but less risk to homes, businesses and local communities.