Businesses across the UK will benefit from a share of more than £12 million government funding to help energy-intensive industries cut their carbon emissions and energy costs.The funding for the 22 winning projects will help businesses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland clean up their industrial processes and improve their energy efficiency – benefiting industries including pharmaceuticals, steel, paper, and food and drink.This £12.4 million funding was awarded as part of the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF), which has awarded grants to British projects across the country to increase the energy efficiency of their industrial processes, from car manufacturing to...

13 February, 2023

West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet has set out proposed changes to next year’s budget to address people’s concerns on key local issues like parking and potholes.At their meeting tonight (Monday, 13 February), Cabinet members unveiled plans to invest an extra £1m in the year ahead towards repairing local roads, which have been hit hard by this winter’s particularly harsh temperatures. The new funding pot is in response to residents’ calls for action in the recent budget consultation and in addition to funding already earmarked for maintaining highways in 2023/24.Having also listened to feedback from residents and businesses around the budget proposals...

13 February, 2023

Residents, businesses, organisations, and visitor attractions are being urged to have their say and help shape the future of Northamptonshire’s visitor and tourism sector.A new survey, launched jointly by North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council, is inviting people to share their priorities and wish lists for the county’s visitor economy.This survey, which touches on all the elements that attract visitors to Northamptonshire as well as the infrastructure and services that support the county’s tourism sector, has been designed to encourage people to share their views on everything from Northamptonshire’s public transport and public right of ways to the county’s...

13 February, 2023

A Northamptonshire estate agent kicked off 2023 with a surge in home valuation requests.The beginning of January saw the number of people sending a request to Belvoir to value their home at its third largest on record.In total, the first week of 2023 was the busiest for home valuation requests since August 2022.Property asking prices are up by 6.3% year-on-year in Northamptonshire and although average asking prices are still ÂŁ8,720 lower than their peak in October, after two months of falls, they increased by 0.9% (+ÂŁ3,301) in January. This is the biggest increase at this time of year since 2020.While...

11 February, 2023

Northamptonshire Membership organisation, NNBN are delighted to announce an exciting new addition to their organisation thanks to The CPD Group.Members and attendees to NNBN events and workshops will be able to earn CPD credits towards their professional development to help grow, not only their businesses, but also their own knowledge and development. At the end of every event, a QR code will be provided to attendees who are interested in gaining CPD credits and each delegate or attendee will receive a certificate signed by our Director Simon Cox as confirmation that they attended NNBN events.NNBN Director Simon Cox said “We’re...

09 February, 2023

Parents who are anxious about the future employment prospects of their teenager and twenty-something children can join two special events at The Bedford College Group.During National Apprenticeship Week 2023 events will be staged from 5 - 8 pm at Tresham College, Kettering on Tuesday 7th February and again on Thursday 9th February at Bedford College, specially aimed at parents.Local and national employers and agencies involved in apprenticeships will be there to showcase the many opportunities, and there will advice and guidance on how exactly today’s apprenticeship schemes work. These can range from 16 -year-olds going straight from school into work,...

08 February, 2023

Holiday Inn Express Kettering are happy to announce that they have nominated Kettering Food Bank as their Charity Of The Year.Throughout 2023, the hotel will be a drop off point for any food items that wish to be donated. There will also be networking events planned throughout the year to help highlight the issues that the local Kettering Food Bank face within the current economy and hopefully donate and raise as much for them as possible.Sales Coordinator, Allen Tew, states “Back in 2019 for Christmas, we ran a food drive at the hotel and it was a huge success but...

08 February, 2023

NNBN Director Simon Cox has been named as a Volunteer Champion for the third consecutive year by the Federation of Small Businesses for his work in supporting businesses within Northamptonshire.The Federation of Small Businesses held their annual Volunteer Recognition 2023 event on Tuesday morning online which brought together a number of volunteers from across the UK and was opened by Kevin Hollinrake MP, Minister for Small Businesses who welcomed everyone to the conference closely followed by TV star Ben Fogle who offered words of wisdom to the attendees as he was interviewed by host Dave Sharpe.There was also an update for those present from Martin McTague, Chairman of the FSB, and Tina McKenzie, Chair of Policy and...

07 February, 2023

Grant Thornton UK LLP has unveiled new research for National Apprenticeship Week (6-12 February), which shows that employers in the East of England are increasingly looking to apprenticeships to attract diverse, talented young people to their business.     All but one of the business leaders in the East of England who responded to Grant Thornton’s latest Business Outlook Tracker* survey said that they currently hire young people who have completed their A-Levels (or equivalent exams) into apprenticeship roles.  Over three quarters (77%) of respondents said that they hire more school leavers in their business now than before the pandemic and 73% agree that hiring school leavers is as important to...

07 February, 2023

To ensure the whole of government is geared up to deliver for the British people, the Prime Minister, with the approval of His Majesty The King, has today created four new departments.The changes will ensure the right skills and teams are focussed on the Prime Minister’s five promises: to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats.A new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, has been tasked with securing our long-term energy supply, bringing down bills and halving inflation. The move recognises the significant impact rising prices have had on households across the...

07 February, 2023

The Bank of England will now take forward further research and development work and the public are being invited to give their views on the scheme to be taken forward.The consultation is being launched because both HM Treasury and the Bank want to ensure the public have access to safe money that is convenient to use as our everyday lives become more digital, while supporting private sector innovation, choice and efficiency in digital payments.Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt said: "While cash is here to stay, a digital pound issued and backed by the Bank of England could be a...

07 February, 2023