Coventry & Warwickshire in business
News
Leamington development wins building excellence award
The Station Approach Development in Leamington
A Warwick property development company is toasting its success in the regional round of a nationwide building excellence awards scheme. Tachbrook Parkheadquartered AC Lloyd is the winner of the Best Social or Affordable New Housing Development in the West Midlands region of the Local
Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards 2020 for its work in phases one, two and three at Station Approach Development in Leamington. The £22 million project involved AC Lloyd collaborating with Warwick District Council and Platform Housing Group to create twoand-three-bedroom homes
and apartments on a site which dates back nearly 400 years near Leamington Spa Station. Alistair Clark, managing director of AC Lloyd Homes, said: “Thousands of extra visitors will be travelling to Leamington Spa Station when the town hosts the lawn bowls and para bowls during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and next year when Coventry is UK City of Culture. The brief was to deliver a landmark development as it’s one of the first buildings people will see when arriving in the town. “The complexity of the site from day one meant this couldn’t have been achieved without regular dialogue and co-operation from Warwick District Council’s building control team; it was a true partnership.”
Phil Rook, head of consortium at Warwick Building Control, said: “I’ve worked with AC Lloyd for almost 30 years on numerous developments and they always build with quality as their main driver. “As a local developer, they’ve always accommodated and worked with us to provide developments that comply with legislation and fit into the local environment. This award is greatly deserved.” Hazel Doolan, area development manager at Platform Housing Group, added: “This has been the first major project I’ve been involved in with AC Lloyd. I’ve been impressed by the quality of the development and the extra care they’ve taken in the little details.”
launched in September, is a network of universities, corporates and public organisations that are keen to explore the key issues facing society due to COVID-19, and to help drive solutions for change and recovery. Steve Chapman, Ingenuity director, said: “Ingenuity provides a unique opportunity to motivate and develop a generation of dynamic new leaders, ready to do their bit to help drive the recovery from the COVID crisis and build back a more inclusive economy, society and environment.
“We have been lucky enough to be joined by some of the most innovative universities in the UK, leading charities, and forward-thinking corporate partners who see the opportunity to create something new in the place of what has been lost. Ingenuity is now in its fifth year and Shakespeare Martineau has been on that journey with us from the start.” Ben Buckton, chief people and marketing officer at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “This programme is a perfect fit for us. Our purpose is to unlock potential wherever we see it and being able to
support ideas and innovations that will truly make a difference is fantastic. “We’re also specialists in the education sector and have a deep expertise in supporting entrepreneurs at all stages of their business lifecycle.” For more information visit www.ingenuityimpact.org
Triple shortlist success for college in national HR awards North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) has been shortlisted in three categories of the national 2020 Personnel Today Awards. Shortlisted in the Excellence in Public Service, Health and Wellbeing, and HR Director of the Year categories, the college has been recognised for its focus on employee health and wellbeing, as well as for the way it has responded to the coronavirus crisis. NWSLC developed its first health and wellbeing strategy three years ago to provide support for its workforce designed to boost their physical and mental health and keep them fit for work.
www.cw-chamber.co.uk
A key aspect of the strategy included raising awareness of mental health issues with the introduction of an expectation that all staff work towards a mental health qualification, currently completed by around 20% of colleagues. The HR team put in place a formal communications plan to raise awareness of the health benefits offered by the college and to encourage staff to access the support available. Initiatives have included a diabetic and health assessment clinic, meditation classes for stress management and anxiety, and a “Get Active” campaign to promote the health benefits of activity. As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded, the college worked hard to avoid losing ground on the advances it had made
Furlough Scheme extended The Chancellor announced on 5 November that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) which ended 31 October, is being extended to 31 March 2021. This is in effect a restart rather than an extension as such, as the scheme is open to new entrants (both employers who have not previously claimed, and employees who have not previously been claimed for). In addition, the government is again funding 80% of usual wages for hours not worked. The limit is £2,500 per month, reduced pro rata where employees are flexibly furloughed such that they continue to work some hours.
Law firm supports Ingenuity for fifth year running Law firm Shakespeare Martineau has committed to partnering the Ingenuity Programme for the fifth year running, having supported the programme since its inception in 2016. The firm will provide legal, business development and investment information, as well as business coaching, to help the creation and implementation of the next generation of business startups, as well as innovations from within organisations that will deliver sustainable social impact across the UK. The Ingenuity Programme, which
Sponsored Column
in the arena of health and wellbeing. The team was aware that heightened anxiety coupled with remote working during lockdown might have an adverse effect on health and wellbeing, so it worked with staff to recognise individual circumstances and adapt its support to meet lockdown requirements. Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, principal and chief executive of NWSLC, said: “We are proud that the college workforce consistently displays care and compassion in all that they do. We are committed to ensuring wellbeing is at the core of their work experience by encouraging and supporting them to look after their health and wellbeing.” For more information visit www.nwslc.ac.uk
Employers can claim for furloughed employees who were on their payroll on 30 October 2020. They can also claim for employees who were on the payroll on 23 September 2020 and were subsequently made redundant or stopped working, if they re-employ and then furlough them. Claims can be made from Wednesday 11 November with further guidance due to be published on 10 November. As a result of this, the £1,000 CJRS bonus where employees who were furloughed remain employed until 31 January 2021 has been scrapped. If you require support in relation to the CJRS please contact Paul Spencer or David Thomas-Walls on 02476 257481 or ps@sgduk.com/ dtw@sgduk.com respectively. For more information, please visit our website, www.sgduk.com
7