News
Region to benefit from Autumn budget
Long term solution offered to recruitment crisis
Businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire have been told that they can hire EU workers if they are struggling to recruit in the short-term but that the long-term answer is training and apprenticeships. Members of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce joined their counterparts in Northamptonshire for an online meeting with Dame Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire. The former Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said firms could make use of a Skilled Worker visa for EU citizens to plug the gap. She said: “Recruitment is a key issue as the economy recovers from the pandemic and I understand that there are many businesses out there in a range of sectors which can’t get the people they need to grow. “Many EU citizens returned home to be with their families when the pandemic hit and haven’t come back to the UK and that has left a shortage of skilled people in some sectors. “There is the opportunity to bring people into the UK from the EU on specialist visas to help companies grow but the long-term answer is training and development here in the UK. “We have many more people unemployed across the country than we did at the start of the pandemic and this is the ideal time to be bringing through our own through training and apprenticeships. “We want to see more of our young people getting into the world of work through apprenticeships and, also, through the Government’s Kickstart scheme, and it is important for businesses to have greater ties with their local schools.” The MP also told companies that the energy crisis was not one of security but one of cost, while a shortage of some products was a supply chain issue. Both, she said, would be short-term problems. When asked about a rise in National Insurance, Dame Leadsom said: “I am someone who is in favour of low tax and I completely understand that not all businesses agree with the NI rise but taxes have to be balanced with being fiscally sound. “One of the reasons we have been able to support the economy in such a big way over the past 18 months is because we have had such a strong fiscal policy over the past decade.” Sean Rose, head of policy at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We were extremely grateful to Dame Andrea Leadsom for addressing questions from businesses from across Coventry, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire in a direct and honest way. “Firms across the region got the chance to raise the issues that are holding back growth and, as a Chamber, we are proud to help give companies their voice into decision-makers in this way.”
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Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire want the region to benefit from a major announcement in the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget. The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce hosted a range of businesses at an event, sponsored by Prime Accountants Group, to watch Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget at the Telegraph Hotel. The budget was given a cautious welcome as the Chancellor announced he was using the statement to invest in future growth and also support firms still suffering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. That included a 50 per cent discount on business rates for those in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector; a freeze on fuel duty, £3.8bn investment in skills and further support for Research & Development. Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the region would look to benefit from a £1.4bn Global Britain Investment Fund which has money set aside for vehicle electrification. She said: “It was a very upbeat budget delivery considering the 18 months businesses and individuals have faced. “The devil is always in the detail with the budget statement because there are
always lots of big numbers mentioned but takes some time to understand exactly what it means for firms and the region. “The Global Britain Investment Fund is something we believe could be positive for Coventry and Warwickshire and our hopes for bringing a Gigafactory to the region. This area has the potential to be at the forefront of vehicle electrification.” Louise added: “There was a good acknowledgement of inflation but this was more with a focus on the role of the Bank of England, rather than any Government fiscal measures. There were predictions of four per cent inflation, but businesses in the room see this as potentially being higher. “We welcome scale-up visas if they help businesses attract and bring-in critical skills and talent that cannot, otherwise, be home grown. Recruitment issues remain a major headache and drag on growth. “Businesses hit hardest by Covid will welcome the 50 per cent discount on business rates and the business rates improvement relief will incentives businesses to make improvements to properties. “We welcome strong and further investment in skills and it is important that we see strong alignment between employer needs and skills supply.
Business leaders assemble at the Telegraph Hotel to respond to the Budget
“There was also positive news around the fuel duty rise being cancelled which is a boost for business and the self-employed at a time when costs are rising. “On that note, we support the principle of increasing the living wage and understand the need to increase the incomes of our lowest paid. However, business costs are rising across the board and will contribute further to rising inflation. “As UK City of Culture, welcome additional for the sector as we have seen what a difference it can make in our cities and towns. “On the whole, businesses will wait to see what details emerge as they look to recover from the most difficult period any of us have faced.” Claire Lea, of Prime Accountants Group, said: “There were numerous references to investment relief on green measures and also investment in infrastructure and innovation, all of which Coventry and Warwickshire is known for so we will be hoping our area can benefit when the follow-on detail emerges from Government.”
ARLI & University of Birmingham join the World in tackling Climate Change
In 2021, colleagues from across the University of Birmingham community were invited to write articles about topics relevant to the COP26 climate change summit. The University of Birmingham asked staff and students to contribute articles on issues relating to climate change. We are delighted to announce publication of this work. Entitled Addressing the climate challenge, the report is the work of nearly 100 contributors spread across five continents – all led by academics from the University of Birmingham. A 2020 report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimated that the building sector accounts for a staggering 38% of world-wide energy-related CO2 emissions and that the construction
industry is responsible for nearly 30% of this figure. The report also highlights the increasing levels of emissions from the sector with 2019 reaching an all-time high of almost 10 GigaTonnes of equivalent CO2. The construction industry is, under pressure from UK government to change practices and meet net zero by 2050.
Research being undertaken under the University of Birmingham’s ARLI programme (Alternative Raw materials with Low Impact) is already investigating how the sector can better use its waste streams. More interestingly, waste and by-product streams from the non-construction industries are also being evaluated.
Find out more https://blog.bham.ac.uk/publicaffairs/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2021/09/Addressing-the-climate-challenge-comp.pdf
Sustainable solution to Recycle Electric Vehicle Batteries
As part of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s #FixingTheFuture campaign, ARLI Technical Officer, Dr. Zubera Iqbal recognised for her work on recycling car batteries.
Fixing the future focuses on influential individuals solving global issues through chemistry, #MakingADifference. The work Dr. Iqual and other research fellows do have a series impact on the global issues affecting future generations such as climate change, pollution, energy crises and more. “Electric vehicles are part of the solution to cutting CO2. In 2035, all new vehicles in the UK will be electric. My work
helps towards supplying the materials needed to power electric vehicles. They contain lots of different precious raw materials which are in limited supply and are mined abroad which can sometimes be difficult to source – my research focuses on giving the UK a source of lithium from recycled materials. Right now, only about 5% of batteries are recycled. By investigating recycling and reuse of lithium-ion
batteries from electric cars, I hope to provide a sustainable process to power greener, low-carbon transport. Dr. Iqual has since joined the ARLI (Alternative Raw materials with Low Impact) Project where she uses her research and skills to help local SMEs with sustainable solutions. ARLI is an ERDF funded research and development business support programme ran by the University of Birmingham.
www.cw-chamber.co.uk
