Kirklees Business News 31/05/11

CLARE TOLLICK Recipe for tackling debt

MARK DALTON Asbestos woes persist Full stor y - Page 4

Full inter view - Page 3

An EXAMINER publication

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS The business NEWSpaper for Kirklees

Firms charmed by country location

A PROJECT to transform an historic Mirfield mill into high-quality offices has made big strides.

Wheatley Park, formerly known as Hopton Mills, has been turned into a rural office park. The latest phase has seen the restoration of the 1812 Building at the four-acre complex.

An attractive 18th century watermill alongside the 1812 Building has also been refurbished as part of the scheme spearheaded by Leeds-based developer St James Securities.

The developer has already secured four lettings in the three-storey 5,800 sq ft building while half of the 25,000sq ft office space available in total has been let.

Oliver Quarmby, of St James Securities, said: “Wheatley Park lies in a beautiful wooded valley and is an oasis of calm only minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the Calder Valley and M62 corridor. It is a unique environment for a modern business park and a hidden gem.”

He said: “We are especially pleased by the success of Wheatley Park because we took the unusual step of building speculatively in the middle of

the deepest recession since the Second World War. We have secured five lets already with a great mix of tenants.

“We have obtained planning permission for the conversion of a further two buildings to offices and they will be built out on a sequential basis.

We are now on course to create a thriving, highly-regarded business environment at Wheatley Park.”

Waste recycling business Sunersol has signed a deal to take 1,065 sq ft in the 1812 Building, joining interior architecture company Normal TM, marketing consultancy Purebrand Creative Communications and a science company on the site.

Some 2,400 sq ft of quality office space, divided into three suites, is still available to lease in the 1812 Building.

Craig Thompson, of Sunersol, said: “We chose the site at Wheatley Park to house our office operations because of the outstanding setting, excellent location and top quality facilities.

“The development stood out head and shoulders from anything else in the area.”

The failure rate among firms employing three to five employees fell by 17.04% while the rate for those with 26 to 50 staff was down by 24.59%.

H o w e v e r, f a i l u r e s a m o n g medium-sized companies with 101 to 500 employees increased by 4.44% while large company insolvencies –

Talented textiles HUDDERSFIELD University has teamed up with a leading textile firm as part of its Working with Industry initiative. Students are set to benefit from the link-up with James H Heal & Co Ltd, which is recognised as a leading designer and manufacturer of high precision fabric and colour fastness testing equipment.

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■ MILL WORK: Wheatley Park is proving a popular rural office retreat

Meanwhile 12,100 sq ft of office s p a c e i s ava i l abl e at t h e l ovingly-restored Watermill, where textile firm Camira Fabrics has taken 13,000 sq ft. This space can be divided into a maximum seven suites, each with its own front door. The building over-

looks a mill pond and bridge access with panoramic views across the rolling countryside.

Agents for Wheatley Park are Hanson Chartered Surveyors, of Huddersfield, and Michael Steel & Co, of Leeds.

Small firms report biggest fall in failure rates BUSINESS failures among small firms fell noticeably during April, according to a report.

Figures from business information group Experian showed that 1,808 UK companies went bust last month – 0.55% down on the figure of 1,818 for the same month in 2010.

INSIDE

firms with more than 500 workers – rose by 9.09 %.

Regional figures showed there were 143 company failures across Yorkshire – down by 4.03% on April, 2010.

The biggest improvement was in the East Midlands, where insolvencies fell by 36.21% year-on-year. Eastern Eng-

land, the South East and the North East saw failures increase by 26.16%, 14.68% and 13.73% respectively year-on-year.

The survey showed that the worst-hit sector was property, which saw a massive 70.37% year-on-year increase in failures.

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3 1 , M ay, 2 0 1 1

A FORMER Kirklees planning chief has “switched sides”. Andy Rushby, a former assistant head of planning at Kirklees Council, has set up a new planning consultancy.

● Full story - Page 6

Solicitors for business inYorkshire www.chadwicklawrence.co.uk Huddersfield | Wakefield | Halifax | Leeds

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

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University teams up with textile firm HUDDERSFIELD University has joined forces with a leading textile firm as part of its Working with Industry initiative.

James H Heal & Co Ltd is recognised as the world’s premier designer and manufacturer of high precision fabric and colour fastness testing equipment.

Huddersfield tutors approached the Halifax firm through one of the university’s former textile technology students, Lisa Earnshaw, who is business development manager at the firm.

The university is keen to ensure that its textile design and fashion and textile buying, management and retailing students receive as many real-life working experiences as possible through partnerships with local businesses.

Lisa and Heal’s technical manager Peter Goodwin organised a series of workshops to provide product demonstrations to 36 second-year textile design and fashion and textile buying, management and retailing students on the university’s main campus.

The three one-hour sessions showing different processes and machines had

the aim of enabling the students to put their lecture theory into practice.

Said Lisa: “We are very pleased to be offering our services to the university.

The students seemed to really enjoy the sessions, which was evident from their questions.

“We would like to continue our partnership in the future, so that the students can experience the range of testing instruments we produce and how they are used.”

And the next phase is already underway – with six second-year students working with Heal’s as part of their fabric performance assignment.

They visited the company to prepare a report on the company’s customers, products, processes, quality procedures and future developments.

Textile design tutor Dougie Bland said: “The experience of working directly with industry professionals is invaluable for the student’s development and future employability, whether that is through experiencing a placement year or even working on a live brief provided by companies like James H Heal.”

■ WORK EXPERIENCE: Students Beka Benney (left) and Roxy Brewis (right) with Lisa Earnshaw, business development manager at James H Heal, pictured with a machine used for abrasion and pilling testing

Banks provide hub for business support

■ ADVICE: Gary Lumby

YORKSHIRE Bank and its sister business Clydesdale Bank have launched an online support hub for small firms.

The service has been set up with the Forum of Private Business, the leading not-for-profit business support organisation.

The hub provides owners and managers of small business with specialist advice, help and resources covering key aspects of running a small business.

The service provides help for people in seven key areas – finance, law, development, purchasing, human resources, health and safety and communications.

It covers issues such as tax returns and debt recovery, credit control, monthly management accounts, regulations and legislation, networking, PR, recruitment

and discipline and grievance procedures.

The new hub offers a one-stop business support service aimed at saving small businesses money through expert advice and guidance.

Small businesses can choose the individual elements to help their business grow and different levels of support depending on their size and needs.

Details of the new hub can be found at http://www.cbonline.co.uk Gary Lumby, director of small business banking at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, said: “We are delighted to launch this new business support hub with the Forum of Private Business. Their knowledge and experience is a fantastic resource for small businesses.

“This new service supplements our exist-

ing proposition well and underlines our belief that for small businesses banking is about so much more than money – it is about knowledge, advice and contacts.”

Phil Orford, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business, said: “Whether they are start-ups or more established firms, research shows that businesses whose owners seek support are much better able to survive and grow than those struggling along on their own.

“In the modern world, it is simply not relevant to prescribe what support we think a business should require. That’s why we are delighted to be working with Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks to help provide customers with a range of business support services built around a firm’s specific needs.”

Still time to be an Olympic champion!

OLYMPIC Games contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds are still up for grabs.

Now Kirklees firms have been urged to find out how they could be among the winners of London 2012 by attending a series of free information events.

Business Link Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Gold Business Club are running the events, which include an evening networking session on Tuesday, June 7, at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

Business Link adviser John Coulter

will be on hand to discuss the opportunities presented by the Games.

Sheffield City Council’s 2012 delivery manager, Ben Brailsford, will also talk about the city’s plans in the run-up to the Games.

He said: “Sheffield's had numerous benefits from London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

We've seen four British Olympic teams and one Paralympic team relocate their high performance training centres here.

“We've attracted USA diving, Brazil judo and the Serbian Olympic Com-

mittee to Sheffield for their pre-Games training camps.

“We’ve hosted numerous international sports events and international training camps linked to the games over the last four years.

“All this boosts Sheffield's economy and employment opportunities. With the announcement of Sheffield as one of the evening celebration sites for the Olympic Torch relay, there's even more for the city to look forward to.”

Further events include CompeteFor workshops in Harrogate on June 30 and Bradford on July 7.

CompeteFor is the website which offers businesses unique access to London 2012 opportunities.

The workshop guides delegates through the registration and publication process and provides tips on making their business profiles stand out.

Business Link Yorkshire adviser Don Cartlidge said: “The idea is to show customers how simple the process can be – when some may be under the impression that it is very difficult and time-consuming.”

Go to www.ygbc.co.uk or call 0114 2866297.

Page 2 Online success A CREATIVE agency in Huddersfield has designed a new website for the UK’s biggest commercial vehicle hire company.

The site put together

by Manifest Communications provides an online “hub” for customers of Northgate Vehicle Hire following a successful re-brand of the company.

Manifest, based at New North Road, worked with Northgate’s web team to bring together a network of websites and create one unified online presence.

The new site specifically caters for fleet managers, businesses, the public sector and those looking for van hire for domestic use. It features a quote calculator, online booking system, vehicle customisation section and a fact finder covering CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

Carly Gould, head of marketing at Northgate Vehicle Hire, said: “Having one website for Northgate Vehicle Hire will help us to continue to enhance our brand awareness.

“After the success of the re-brand it is more important than ever to build on our impressive market share and keep communicating with customers as one strong and unified brand.”

Fortunes improve LEGAL firms in Yorkshire have reported improved fortunes, says a survey by the Law Society.

Figures from its law management section’s annual profitability survey reported an average increase of 0.2% in practice fee income in 2010 following a fall of 6.5% in the previous year.

The survey, sponsored

by Lloyds TSB Commercial, showed that 200 of firms polled spent more than £2.14m to recruit 1,022 people. The average spend on non-salary overheads per fee earner dropped to £35,551 from £41,959 in 2009.

The poll showed that median fee income per equity partner totalled £455,650 for 2010 against £469,666 in 2009. Median equity partner capital rose by 7% to £135,191. The median cost of a fee earner was £40,240

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

profile

Bad debts and blogs

LATE payment is a perennial problem for businesses large and small.

Firms and individuals failing to pay their bills promptly can create serious problems for their suppliers.

In the worst cases, companies can go bust as non-payment plays havoc with their own cash flow.

It is a scenario Clare Tollick knows all too well – and a situation she is resolved to tackle on behalf of her clients at Huddersfield law firm Armitage Sykes.

Clare is debt recovery manager at the firm. She was recruited to set up and lead the department following a decision to take a more pro-active role in tackling tardy payers.

And she is in no doubt that companies must get tough when they are owed money for their products and services.

“We still find it is something a lot of businesses don’t like to talk about,” says Clare.

“They don’t like to deal with it because it involves confrontation They push it to one side and let the matter slide.

“In such cases, it is better to instruct someone to deal with it for you. you are dealing with quite possible of recovering the “But late payment tense situations and I like debt.” should never be ignored. It the pace of it.

Sheffield-born Clare is extremely important. It is grew up in Pontefract, but “You can be dealing with the reason people go into anything – a property she returned to the Steel business – to get paid.” dispute or a breach of City where she gained a Debtors often come up contract. degree in English at with excuses for not paying Sheffield Hallam University.

“You have to have a good promptly. How often have general knowledge of every She worked for British creditors been told “the area of law.

Coal Insurers dealing with cheque’s in the post” or “You are also working compensation claims from “the financial director’s on miners before joining Wake closely with commercial holiday and nobody else is clients and you need to Smith, a firm of solicitors in authorised to sign understand their business the city, where she worked cheques”? needs. for seven-and-a-half years Says Clare: “I have a “Every business is and qualified as a legal good deal of experience in different and every case is executive. these matters and I know different.”

Clare spent how debtors think. I know Clare joined Armitage four-and-a-half years all the tricks in the book.

Sykes earlier this year when specialising in commercial “But debtors should the firm was looking to set litigation, working with understand that they up a debt recovery businesses ranging from cannot mess around when department. sole traders, SMEs and it comes to paying up.

“I had managed a blue chip companies and They should respect their department before and I dealing with issues relating creditors.” had the experience and the to property and insolvency She adds: “It is amazing knowledge,” she says.

– and debt recovery. what a solicitor’s letter can “The department has “I enjoy working in do! The debtor soon been up and running for a litigation,” says Clare. “It is knows we mean business.” always interesting because month and we are already But she acknowledges: “There is a lot of bad debt about at the moment.

Creditors have to be as pro-active as possible.

“I do whatever the client wants me to do. If they want to take a ‘soft’ approach we can enter into negotiating settlement terms. if they want to take a more bullish approach, that’s fine.

“I will advise how best to deal with the debtor.

Whatever the approach, it has to be effective because firms don’t want to throw good money after bad.

“I would even advise on liquidating a company – but that would be a last resort for most clients because the chances of recovering a debt are much reduced.

■ SOUND ADVICE: Good businesses are struggling due to “I aim to ensure the client has the best chance late payment, says Clare Tollick, of Armitage Sykes

Page 3 Clare Tollick Role: Debt recovery manager Age: 31 Family: Married to Gavin Holidays: European city breaks. My favourite is Rome for the food!

Car: Toyota Aygo First job: Waitress in a hotel at Christmas Best thing about job: Meeting new people and developing good working relations with clients and colleagues Worst thing about job: Having to tell a client that a debtor has gone into bankruptcy or liquidation Business tip: Always have a goal and never lose sight of it

Armitage Sykes making headway.

“There are a lot of good businesses struggling because they are not getting paid.

“The advice we give them is based on a substantial amount of experience.

“We have developed two fee packages – a fixed fee package and a no-win-no-fee package which are competitive with what’s on offer elsewhere.”

Clare is happy in her new role. “Armitage Sykes is a great firm to be working at.

“It is a bit smaller than Wake Smith, but that’s nice because you get to know people really quickly and the partners are really friendly.”

Clare admits that she always wanted to be a writer – an ambitious she has realised through her passion for food!

She writes two “foodie” blogs – one of her own and another for a Sheffield-based listings magazine called Exposed, which is aimed for twenty and thirtysomethings.

Her weekly blogs include restaurant reviews and articles on topics such as the problems facing the pig and dairy industries.

“Food is a passion,” says Clare. “I base quite a lot of my life around food – even holidays! I love Rome and Barcelona because I love the food.

“I do my research on restaurants and if the food is bad where we are going on holiday I’m not keen on going at all!

“Food reflects the

Italy and Spain, they make time for family meals. We don’t seem to do that here – probably because we are all too busy.

“I like cooking, but I wouldn’t want to work as a chef. I would quickly start to hate cooking – especially if I was working for Gordon Ramsay. It would be a chore rather than a pleasure!

“But cooking for friends is something I really enjoy. I love having people round and being the hostess.”

Clare still lives in Sheffield and commutes by car to her job in Huddersfield.

She lives in a city centre apartment. “It is a new building slap bang in the city centre,” she says.

“It’s certainly good for restaurants. I can’t remember the last time I had to take a taxi home!

“But I’m getting around the restaurants in Huddersfield to see what they’re like. I’ve heard about the Huddersfield Food Festival and I’m looking forward to that. It will all find its way onto my blog.”

Clare’s also discovered Yummy Yorkshire ice cream. The dairy at Denby Dale is on her route home, so its difficult to resist calling in. “I highly recommend their Chilli Jam Man ice cream,” says Clare. “It’s cool, but it has a bit of a kick.”

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Work: Legal services Site: Huddersfield and Brighouse Employees: 65 Phone: 01484 538121 Web: www.armitage sykes.co.uk E-mail: clare.tollick@ armitagesykes.co.uk

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KIRKLEES BUSIN

Firm seals Brazil deal A BRIGHOUSE engineering firm has sealed a five-year deal with a Brazilian company.

KOSO Kent Introl, which supplies control valves for a range of industries, has signed the five-year agency agreement with RTS Valvulas in a move which will help KKI to increase its presence in Brazil by opening up new distribution channels for its specialist valve products.

David Limb, sales director of KKI, said: “This agreement with Sao Paolo-based RTS Valvulas is a significant milestone for the company.

“We are increasing our valve distribution channels across the world and this includes building a local presence in Brazil where we will develop service and support channels.

“There are major offshore project opportunities that we will continue to explore across Brazil and South America, particularly for our topside and subsea choke valves.”

Mark Harris, KKI area business manager, will manage the contract and work closely

■ SIGNED UP: KOSO Kent Introl managing director Denis Westcott, left, and area business manager Mark Harris, second left, with RTS president Pedro Lucio, second right, and commercial director Wagner Montanari

with RTS Valvulas to develop new business opportunities in Brazil, primarily in the oil and gas production sector.

Based at Armytage Road, KKI is owned by Nihon KOSO Co Ltd. of Japan, a global leader in the controls and process automation systems market.

Formed in 1967 as Introl Ltd, the company specialises in the supply of standard service control valves, severe service control valves, high-technology s u r f a c e c h o ke va l ve s a n d high-performance rotary valves for the oil and gas, petrochemical and power industries.

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Can your business afford to ignore Health & Safety?

With Competent Health and Safety advice from just £25 a month you don’t need to Wilby Risk Management offer a range of services including: Competent Advice Risk Assessments Assistance with CHAS applications contact us today on 01422 358525 or email healthandsafety@wilbyltd.co.uk

COMPANIES struggling to get access to finance have been urged to find out more about a new £1.5m loan fund.

West Yorkshire Enterprise Agency, a subsidiary of the Lockwood-based Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, is operating the fund to help start-up and established businesses which have been unable to get funding through the usual channels.

Steven Leigh, head of policy and research at the chamber, said: “There have been widespread reports from businesses up and down the country that difficulties continue to be experienced with raising finance.”

Mr Leigh said some companies had faced problems maintaining levels of debt finance as banks sought to reduce levels of debt exposure or refused to increase overdraft facilities.

Firms complained of rising costs of set-up fees for renegotiated facilities or were under pressure to change the balance of finance away from

■ FINANCIAL ADVICE: Steven Leigh, left, and Andrew Choi overdrafts towards “the more expensive mechanism” of invoice finance.

Mr Leigh said: “The new £1m fund will seek to address some of these difficulties in our local communities.”

Chamber director Andrew Choi said companies across Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield may be able to access the new fund, which has

Graduates get some advice GRADUATES are being urged to consider self-employment.

Officials from Business Link will offer advice at a series of seminars in Leeds and Halifax.

The first, Starting a Business – Is it for me? takes place on Wednesday, June 15, at Hillside, Leeds.

Go to www.businesslink yorkshire.co.uk

been provided through WYEA’s own reserves, the European Regional Development Fund and other finance initiatives in the region.

He also appealed for companies to spread the word about the fund to their customers.

“As publicly-funded business support winds down, we are keen to make sure local businesses are still able to access the support they need quickly and easily,” said Mr Choi.

Information sessions on the loan fund will be held at 8am on Wednesday, June 8, at the Cedar Court Hotel, Wakefield; and at 5.30pm on Thursday, June 9, at the Cedar Court Hotel, Ainley Top, Huddersfield.

Safeguarding the succession FAMILY businesses in Kirklees have been urged to safeguard their future with “positive and meaningful” succession planning.

The call comes from Stephen Baxter (pictured), senior partner at Huddersfield law firm Baxter Caulfield, who said: “In this economic environment, succession planning is more important than ever. Business owners must take the best available course of action to safeguard their business, their bottom line, cash flow, assets and workforce.

“It is a case of making the right choices for the future of the business and all involved, based upon solid, logical reasoning and professional advice – often being dispassionate and putting sentiment aside.”

Mr Newman said the first part of the process was to identify the desired outcome. Then, a business owner should look at a plan for anything up to five years, broken down into stages, each with its own timescale.

“You need to establish if the people you would like to take the business forward have the right skill sets and abilities, then find out if the potential successors are willing to assume the role you have identified for them,” said Mr Newman.

“Once you know the direction you want to move in, enlist expert advisers to make sure that your plans are watertight legally, are tax efficient and minimise the potential for challenge by or conflict among the existing management and the shareholders.

“Succession planning is not something to go into lightly, nor is it something that can be ignored.”

Explore exports KIRKLEES firms can travel the world in one day – and explore international trade opportunities.

Companies across the district have been invited to Explore Export, an event organised by the Government’s export support arm UK Trade & Investment, which will provide access to expert advisers for a series of pre-booked one-to-one appointments.

The event takes place from 9am to 4.30pm on June 30 at the Pavilions of Harrogate conference centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate.

Delegates can register for up to four one-to-one meetings on the day to discuss any sector or market of potential interest.

Pre-booking is essential.Visit harrogate.ukti-exploretour.com to register or find out more.

NESS NEWS

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Page 5

Patience – that’s a key commodity n the oil industry, one controIbeen versy has arisen and another settled.

In January, BP announced a deal to help Rosneft, the Russian oil company, explore the Russian Arctic for oil and gas.

This has angered the local partners in TNK-BP, their existing joint venture in the Russia and discussion between the partners has become extremely acrimonious – including the issue of an injunction holding up the deal.

On the other hand Tullow Oil has just reached a settlement with the Ugandan government to finalise the purchase of assets from Heritage Oil agreed about 12 months ago and held up by a demand for capital gains tax to be paid by Heritage.

The eventual settlement involved Tullow underwriting the disputed balance of the tax bill, potentially adding to the cost of acquisition.

The point of relating these stories is to illustrate the increasing difficulty of finding resources which lie in remote geographies or potentially hostile environments physically, politically or socially.

CITY TALK Simon Kaye

This applies both to the oil industry and also to mining companies.

Rio Tinto recently bought a majority stake in Oyu Tolgoi (apparently pronounced “Oi-you Tall-goy”) – a large copper project in Mongolia in an area with no infrastructure, run by a government with no experience in dealing with resource projects and where they will have to mine far underground (rather than the cheaper “open cast” method).

This has meant that commodity exploration costs are rising with no end in sight, whilst at the same time the certainty of benefiting fully from

any resulting profit stream is falling.

Industry analysts estimate that the exploration and development cost of a new oil field have risen by about six times over the last 15 years or so.

There is a risk that governments may change the rules on how those profits are split, even once the investment is made and profitable production is achieved, with Venezuela being a particularly egregious example.

This could be perceived as “bad” for commodity shares.

However, as long as demand outstrips supply, these extra costs

Simon Kaye is divisional director at Investec Wealth & Investment

Heed the asbestos alert T

HERE have been three cases reported recently that show – despite the efforts of the Health and Safety Executive and well-established legislation – companies and property owners are still failing to adequately control the risks from asbestos.

A contracting firm was fined a total of £10,000 and ordered to pay £3,064 in costs after workers at a major renovation were exposed to material containing asbestos.

The contractor was working on the refurbishment of three student blocks at the College of St Mark and St John in Plymouth and had agreed with a specialist asbestos removal company that they would work simultaneously in parts of the building already cleared by the asbestos removal workers.

However the builders began work in an area of the building which had not been cleared of asbestos.

Four employees were exposed to fibres and had to go through a specialist decontamination process.

A property developer put his workers at risk by failing to identify the presence of asbestos before allowing them to start work on a nightclub in Wrexham.

He instructed contractors to

RISKY BUSINESS Mark Dalton

remove sprayed coating containing amosite (brown asbestos) from steel beams while refurbishing the nightclub.

The workers were exposed to the deadly substance over a period of 13 days. As the asbestos was spread in and around the property and disposed of in an illegal manner, the property developer was also prosecuted under environmental legislation.

A plant hire company and a construction services firm put workers and the public at risk by failing to properly manage the presence of asbestos during the refurbishment of a residential block of flats.

Asbestos insulation board was d i s t u r b e d a n d re m ove d by unlicensed contractor potentially releasing the deadly substance into the air.

A previous survey, identifying the

presence of asbestos insulation board in a number of the properties, had been provided but had not been acted upon or passed to their sub-contractors. Both companies were fined £50,000.

Asbestos-related diseases are responsible for around 4,000 deaths every year. Further information on working with asbestos can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos If you are responsible for maintenance of a property, your business is involved in the construction or refurbishment of buildings, or your employees may encounter asbestos in buildings as part of their trade, Wilby Risk Management strongly advises that companies have adequate training in asbestos awareness and management. Suitable procedures must be in place to prevent workers, residents, other contractors and the general public from being exposed to asbestos.

Mark Dalton is associate director at Wilby Ltd

will be passed on to the ultimate consumer by the resources companies.

This is currently still the situation, but the end of commodity cycles is often written in the actions of the companies.

Up until 2007, the resource companies were unusually disciplined in their spending on new projects, early tendencies to increase capital investment were stifled by the credit crunch. As a consequence, new supply has been limited.

However, now that confidence in the medium term outlook has returned, product prices have risen and cash is flowing through the door they have decided to spend again.

Resource shares look statistically cheap against their history but this maybe an illusion as cost base is rising and the risks are slowly increasing.

The party may not be over yet and may not be for the next two or three years, but it may be prudent to watch for the band playing its encores and stay a little closer to the exit door.

Footballers on target TEN teams took part in a charity five-a-side football tournament organised by a firm of solicitors with offices in Huddersfield.

Chadwick Lawrence held its competition at Wakefield Football Centre. The eventual winners were Leeds-based Clark Business Recovery, who defeated a committed Yorkshire Bank team who had earlier emerged victorious from their group.

The group stages saw some exciting football with teams from KPMG, Bibbys, Walker Singleton, Oval, Eddisons, RSM Tenon and Booth & Co all competing in the name of charity.

Before the semi-finals, Tom Maher from Yorkshire Bank emerged as the winner of a Crossbar Challenge to hit the bar.

The final prize of the evening went to Adam Mortimer, of Clark Business Recovery, who kept his head to win a penalty shoot-out to land – and an Xbox Kinect.

The teams donated a total of £500 to the chosen charity, Wakefield Hospice, while further sums were raised during the evening through a hospice stand manned by two of its representatives.

Seminars’ healthy option TWO West Yorkshire-based firms have joined together to offer seminars on managing mental health in the workplace.

Elaine Douglas (pictured), lead psychologist with The Kade Consultancy in Greetland, said: “With one in three people suffering

from mental ill-health at some point in their lifetime, being able to recognise issues and provide support

to employees is critical.”

Kade has joined forces with Organic HR to stage the events, which take place during June at the Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre in Halifax.

Find out more at www.organichr.co.uk or contact Kade on 01422 372222 or Organic HR on 01422 399535.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

property

Page 6

Andy unveils business plan

■ WELCOME: The new-look reception area at NU House, Market Street, Huddersfield

Town centre offices benefit from refurbishment work A MAJOR refurbishment has been completed on prominent offices in Huddersfield town centre.

RO Regional Properties carried out the refit of the second floor of NU House, formerly Norwich Union House – and the property is now available to let.

Jorge Frutuoso, of RO Regional Properties, said: “Refurbishment is part of our strategy to provide competitively priced quality office space in a market where new build is often out of the question.

“We are offering flexible terms and attractive incentives on suites from 1,720sq ft to 8,300 sq ft.”

The refurbished offices include new suspended ceilings, lighting with energy efficient controls, comfort cooling, new carpeting, new slimline perimeter trunking, thermostatically controlled radiators, solar-reflective window blinds and new disabled toilet facilities.

The manned reception area has also been refurbished with new automatic entrance doors, new flooring and décor and a welcoming, open layout.

Jonathan O’Connor, of the agents Eddisons, said “This refurbishment now offers what I believe is some of the best space available in Huddersfield.”

Care home sale completed PROPERTY agent Christie + Co, has completed the sale of a West Yorkshire care home.

Elm Lodge in Wakefield is registered for 17 elderly residents. It has been acquired

by Alhambra Care Ltd. Director Hasim Ravat said: “We are very excited at having purchased an established and

well-run residential care home such as Elm Lodge.”

Jonathan Wickens, director at Christie + Co, said: “This confirms that care homes continue to sell. It is a specialist area of the market and essential that correct professional advice is sought by both parties at the outset.”

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • AGENTS • CONSULTANT • ADVISOR

TRAFALGAR MILLS • LEEDS ROAD • HUDDERSFIELD • HD2 1YY

Queens Mill, Queens Mill Road, Huddersfield Industrial Unit close to town centre.

The unit is a recent build and is fitted out accordingly.

Size 4,899 square feet.

Fieldhouse Park, Leeds Road, Huddersfield Ideally situated just off the main Huddersfield traffic network.

Unit is available for immediate occupation. Incentives available on application, size 13,706 square feet.

Contact: Paul Andrew Walker Singleton 01484 477600 Christine Eccleston MB Services 01484 557102

A FORMER Kirklees planning chief has set up a new business – and says the timing could not be better.

Andy Rushby, previously assistant head of planning at Kirklees Council, has established Assent Planning Consultancy Ltd, a business aimed at guiding clients through the often difficult and complex world of the planning system.

“While the construction and development industry are still battling the effects of the recession, I can see that there are some green shoots of recovery emerging”, said Mr Rushby.

“Some sites that were mothballed months ago are now going again, w h i c h i s g o o d n e w s fo r a l l concerned.

“As the recovery continues, I hope that I can assist clients by working with them at all stages of the planning process – from their initial concepts to the realisation of their ideas – in order to minimise delays and costs in achieving success.”

Mr Rushby said companies needed help more than ever at a time when the Coalition Government was taking a fresh look at the planning process.

“One of the things to get across to clients is that local authority planning departments will not have the resources they previously had. Gone are the days when you could work with the case officer to make amendments to plans several times over. You need to get it right first time when you put in an application.

“And it saves a lot of time, stress and expense if you have someone to help who is familiar with the system and how it works.”

Mr Rushby said many companies

■ SITE MEETING: Andy Rushby, of Asset Planning Consultancy Ltd, aims to help clients find their way through the planning application process

could not raise the cash needed to move to purpose-built premises, and were aiming to make the most of what space they had.

M r Ru s h b y, w h o l i v e s a t Linthwaite, worked in local authority planning for more than 20 years, but said he knew the time was right to make a move into the private sector.

He said: “I had become increasingly frustrated with planning in the public sector as it struggles with increasing bureaucracy to a point where the process has become more important than the outcome.”

Mr Rushby said his view was that good planning should be about ensuring high-quality, sustainable development in the right place at the

right time in a way that balances and protects the needs of people and places alike.

Wakefield-based Assent Planning Consultancy Ltd is part of the Assent Group, which also includes Assent Building Control Ltd, a well-established national approved inspector offering building control, fire safety and energy consultancy services to the development industry.

Richard Batte, director of Assent Building Control Ltd, said: “Assent is all about solving problems and getting development consent. We’re delighted to have someone of Andy’s skill and experience on board to help clients old and new achieve their objectives.”

Conveyancing success for team LAW firm Ridley & Hall has become one of the first in the country to gain accreditation for the Law Society’s Conveyancing Scheme.

Alison Mason, head of property said: “Our team underwent rigorous assessment by the Law Society in order to secure CQS status, which marks us out as meeting the highest possible standards in the residential conveyancing process.

In order to qualify and become members of the scheme, Ridley & Hall had to demonstrate excellence in the four areas of integrity, reliability, quality of service and service delivery.

CQS accreditation aims to provide reassurance for clients that their transaction will be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Accreditation comes at a time when Ridley & Hall’s property team (pictured right) is expanding ready for the upturn in the property market.

Recent arrivals are solicitors Adam Fletcher and Kevin Ludgate, who together with Alison Mason and Julie

Devenport bring more than 60 years of conveyancing experience to the firm’s clients.

The CQS scheme has the support

of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Building Societies Association, the Association of British Insurers and the Land Registry.

Commercial

Industrial

Industrial Former Walter Green Garage, Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth 539m2 (5,808 sq ft) plus former filling station Garage premises with filling station, convenience store and income (from tenanted houses and car sales).

Fieldhead Lane, Off A650 Drighlington bypass, Drighlington 3,676m2 (39,564 sq ft)

Park Mill Way, Off Wakefield Road, Clayton West, Huddersfield 896m2 (9,641 sq ft)

Strategically located high quality factory and offices on secure site less than 1 mile from Junction 27 of the M62/M621.

Modern industrial unit incorporating substantial 2 storey internally built offices. Good onsite parking and conveniently located for J38 and J39 M1.

FoR SALe

To LeT

To LeT

Commercial

Industrial

Industrial

Huddersfield Road, Mirfield 231m2 (2,489sq ft) Gross Highly prominent 2 storey showroom premises superbly located adjacent main A644 Huddersfield Road. Potentially suitable for alternative uses (STP)

To LeT

www.michaelsteel.co.uk

For SaLe/To LeT

Rawfolds Way, Spen Valley Industrial Park, Cleckheaton 3,979m2 (42,828 sq ft)

Unit B5 Gledholt Business Park, Paddock, Huddersfield 155 m2 (1,670 sq ft)

Modern factory/warehouse with offices on a self-contained site being easily assessable to Junction 26 of the M62.

High quality modern industrial/ warehouse unit with excellent on site loading & car parking being situated on a well maintained secure site.

To LeT

Incentives available for new set-ups

For more information contact Alec Michael on 07717 870 320 or email alec@michaelsteel.co.uk

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Tracey Muniz-Ryan

Barclays Corporate BARCLAYS Corporate has appointed Tracey Muniz-Ryan as relationship director providing specialist support to local authorities in Yorkshire.

Ms Muniz-Ryan (pictured), who already has responsibility for Barclays Corporate's relationships with the professional sector, will join a nationwide team of 34 specialists providing increased local-level support to authorities.

The move is a response to the publication of the Government’s Decentralisation and Localism Bill, which lays out proposals designed to free councils from central shackles by shifting power back to them and the communities they serve.

Ms Muniz-Ryan said: “Working with local authorities in Yorkshire and understanding the regional aspect of the issues they face will give me a real advantage and help them achieve their localism goals.”

One of the first issues relationship directors will be helping local authorities tackle is self-financing and the abolition of the Housing Revenue Account subsidy system – a proposed legislative change which will be brought in under the Decentralisation and Localism Bill. It means local authority landlords will no longer receive subsidies from a central Government pot, but will be required to support local authority housing stock from their own rental incomes.

Jonathan Riley & Garry Meakin

Grant Thornton ACCOUNTANCY and business services firm Grant Thornton is strengthening its position in Yorkshire with a shake-up that merges its Leeds and Sheffield offices.

The merger sees Leeds become Grant Thornton’s Yorkshire headquarters and ensures its Yorkshire practice is the largest outside the Big Four – with more than 300 staff and turnover totalling £27m.

Jonathan Riley (top), managing partner of Grant Thornton’s Leeds office, steps up to senior practice partner for the Yorkshire-wide business with Garry Meakin (above), current managing partner at Grant Thornton's Sheffield office, as managing partner role of the merged practice.

Movers and shakers

Page 8

Trade show gets them all talking!

■ READY TO HELP: Event organiser Rick Robbins with Jill Lang at the Federation of Small Businesses event

KIRKLEES companies were out to get noticed when the Federation of Small Businesses held a mini trade show.

About 50 exhibitors took stands at the event, which was organised by the Kirklees branch of the FSB at the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield.

The aim was to spotlight the diversity of small businesses in the area and encourage people to buy locally wherever possible.

The show was open to the public and featured stands representing private and public sector organisations.

The trade show follows a similar event last year when 40 local companies exhibited.

Each firm was given a small space or table to provide information about their products or services.

Business sectors represented ranged from accountancy and IT to complementary healthcare and funeral services.

Other attractions at the event included a Support for Wellbeing area providing free preventative health checks – including diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol – offered by nurses as part of the NHS

Law firm’s Famous Five

cardiovascular health checks programme.

The event provided an opportunity for visitors to collect up to 50 special offers – all for local products and services – as well as the chance to network with potential customers or suppliers in one convenient location.

The Kirklees branch of the FSB meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month, except in August and December.

Meetings are held at 7.30pm for 8pm at the Briar Court Hotel, Birchencliffe. The next meeting is on Tuesday, June 28.

Community Awards

2011

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Celebrate

the stars of your community

Monday 6th June The Galpharm Stadium ■ HIGH FIVES: Ramsdens Solicitors has appointed five new associates, from left, Rachael Sykes, Laura Smith, Jan Walters, Veronica Mullins and Heather Nuttall A LAW firm in Huddersfield has promoted five of its lawyers to associate level.

Paul Joyce, managing partner at Ramsdens Solicitors, said: “The appointments will further strengthen the team we have here and illustrate the depth of talent we have within the practice. It comes at a time of continuing growth for the firm.”

Laura Smith has been made associate in the commercial team based at the head office in Edgerton.

Veronica Mullins, who works at the Halifax and Mirfield offices; Rachael Sykes, based at Slaithwaite; and Heather Nuttall, based at Elland, are raised to associates in the private client team. Jan

Walters, working at Slaithwaite, is promoted in the residential conveyancing team.

Veronica, Rachael and Heather deal with all aspects of private client work including, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Wills and Probate.

Heather and Rachael are also members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Jan specialises in residential conveyancing and Laura has become the youngest solicitor to be made associate in the commercial team in Ramsdens’ history, having only been qualified a lawyer for four years. She has already gained recognition as a specialist in commercial property.

3 Course Dinner, Awards, Entertainment

Tickets on sale now only £25 Call 01484 437702 Email awards@examiner.co.uk Visit www.examiner.co.uk/ communityawards