The new office, located at Northspring, will be home to a team tasked with replicating Caddick Construction Group’s success in the North East, North West and Yorkshire. 

Taking a 5-year lease at the Temple Street office, the Group is set to target new projects in both the public and private sectors, building its portfolio of commercial, education, industrial, leisure, residential, care and retail projects.

The launch of the new office closely follows the appointment of Ray O’Sullivan as Regional Director for the Midlands, becoming the latest move in the Group’s ambitious growth strategy.

Paul Dodsworth, Construction Group Managing Director, commented: “Launching our Midlands office is an important milestone in our growth strategy; it’s a move that has been in the pipeline for some time and allows us to bring our business’ financial stability, expertise and quality to the regional market. Central to this is our appointment of Ray O’Sullivan to lead the team, and his expertise in the region sets us on a very strong footing as our business embarks on an exciting new chapter.”

Ray added: “There is a wealth of opportunity in the Midlands and Caddick’s established position in the industry places it as the perfect construction partner in the region. Launching our new office is just one piece of the puzzle, and myself and the team here in Birmingham will be spending the coming months building our project pipeline and working with the regional supply chain to support our growth.”

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The family-run homebuilder currently has three development projects under way, which include the Brewery Yard and Nine Corners in Kimberley, Notts as well as Swanwick Fields in Alfreton, Derbyshire.

To support school leavers and help ease the current skills shortage in the sector, Fairgrove invests in the next generation of construction industry workers through its apprenticeship programme that it runs each year, which provides recruits with industry standard qualifications and experience.

It isn’t just apprentices and school leavers who Fairgrove is recruiting. Fairgrove’s Trainee Site Manager, Will Brownett, is passionate about the sector and believes it is a rewarding industry to get involved in.

He currently focuses on running the homebuilder’s different sites and maintaining the company’s high standard of work, alongside ensuring that all trades are lined up and that his team have the materials required for upcoming projects.

Will said: “I started my career by working in the finance industry for five years, but then decided I wanted more, and was interested in trying something new, which is when I took a risk and became an Assistant Site Manager at Fairgrove.

“After working here for over a year and progressing in my role, I have found the pay rate to be a good one, and that the construction industry is a hugely rewarding area to work within. The process of seeing a house come together into a finished product is a great feeling, and I’m proud that I can drive past these properties in the future and tell my friends and family that I worked on them. It makes all those stressful moments on the job really mean something.”

According to new research from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), at least 225,000 additional workers are required by 2027 to meet demand, with the Government’s long held ambition of delivering 300,000 homes per year by the mid 2020’s seeming difficult without urgent action.

Construction workers were also recently added to the Government’s ‘Shortage Occupation list’, which makes it easier for builders from abroad to apply for a working visa to help ease the skills shortage.

According to Randstad, the construction industry is one of the highest paying sectors in the UK, with an average salary of £45,000, 33% higher than the national average.

Will continued: “My favourite part about working at Fairgrove is that every day is different; the job never becomes mundane, and it keeps you on your toes which is an important highlight. The amount of progression in the industry is also appealing as there is so much opportunity to grow, which gives you something to work towards. I hope to become a fully qualified site manager and then continue to progress higher throughout the ranks.

“With the skills shortages at the moment, there is so much work available and we are always open to taking on new recruits.”

Managing Director at Fairgrove, Steve Midgley, added: “Will has become a valued member of the team since he joined us and we would encourage more people to make that career change if they are interested in getting involved in the industry, especially with the challenges the housing sector is currently facing. We look forward to seeing how Will progresses and develops in his career at Fairgrove.”

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The global market for Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles is forecast to reach over $380 billion by 2034, driven primarily by demand for battery electric cars but with rapid growth to other sectors too, including electric vans, trucks, buses, 2-wheelers, and off-road vehicles. Electrification and emissions targets, improving battery performance, and an increasingly attractive total cost of ownership for some vehicle segments are driving this growth in demand for battery electric vehicles (EV). Nevertheless, improvements to battery performance and cost are sought after and while developments may become increasingly incremental there are various avenues for the continued improvement of Li-ion battery technology.

The new research report from IDTechEx, “Li-ion Batteries and Battery Management Systems for Electric Vehicles 2024-2034”, offers analysis of the technologies, designs and trends surrounding Li-ion cells, packs, and battery management systems (BMS), including Li-ion demand forecasts by EV application.

The new research report from IDTechEx, “Li-ion Batteries and Battery Management Systems for Electric Vehicles 2024-2034”, offers analysis of the technologies, designs and trends surrounding Li-ion cells, packs, and battery management systems (BMS), including Li-ion demand forecasts by EV application.

Cells

Over the short term, EV battery cells are likely to see a continuation of existing trends. For example, the average nickel content of NMC and NCA chemistries continues to increase as a means to increase energy density and reduce cobalt content. Possibly the largest trend is the general shift towards LFP, a cheaper and safer option than NMC and NCA (though not inherently safe). While the energy density of LFP can be 30-40% lower than NMC or NCA, the benefits of its lower cost have become unavoidable in recent years. As such, the share of LFP in electric cars has grown, though it needs to be noted that the vast majority of this has been driven by re-adoption in China. NMC and NCA are still favored in Europe and North America, though LFP has started to enter the market. NMC chemistries are also still favored in turnkey packs for other vehicle segments. Nevertheless, cost and material supply pressures, alongside technology improvements, mean LFP is forecast to grow its share of the EV market. More transformative developments are also on the horizon. Announcements of solid-state battery developments continue while early commercialization is already taking place, for example, via the likes of Blue Solutions’ polymer type solid-state batteries. The use of silicon anode material is expected to increase with the development of more advanced silicon anode solutions and commercially ready products, promising improvements to energy density and fast charging. New cathode chemistries continue to be explored too. For example, lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) offers an interesting alternative with the potential to offer many of the benefits of LFP while increasing energy density closer to that of NMC type batteries, though commercial deployment is still limited.

Pack design

In light of the increasing LFP adoption within EVs, cell-to-pack battery designs take on added importance. These designs offer improved packing efficiency, increasing energy density to help reduce one of the primary disadvantages of using LFP versus NMC or NCA type batteries. CATL and BYD have implemented CTP designs alongside Tesla, Stellantis, and various other manufacturers. To improve gravimetric energy density, lightweight polymer battery enclosures are being pushed as an alternative to the incumbent steel and aluminum enclosures.

Dual-chemistry designs are also being explored by the likes of CATL, NIO, and Our Next Energy. Our Next Energy presents the most extreme example with plans to couple a high energy density but low cycle life chemistry as effectively a range extender LFP. Ultimately, combinations of different Li-ion chemistries, or even combining Li-ion with Na-ion, could help to optimize the inevitable trade-offs between power, energy density, cycle life and low temperature performance.

Thermal management

Thermal management and fire protection have become critical considerations for EV batteries in light of safety concerns, high-profile fires, and battery recalls. While early electric vehicle models utilized passive air cooling, liquid cooling has become more prominent across various vehicle segments in recent years. According to IDTechEx data, active liquid-cooled designs made up 90% of the electric car market, compared to just over 50% in 2015. This trend applies not only to electric cars. Most turnkey batteries for commercial vehicle segments are offered with liquid cooling too. As developments in cell technology start to become increasingly incremental, developments in aspects such as thermal management become increasingly important to not only maintain safe operation but also maximize the available performance from Li-ion batteries.

Battery management systems

The battery management system (BMS) plays a critical role in the safe and reliable operation of any Li-ion battery. While the main functionality of a BMS is relatively well-defined, it also offers a route to expanding the performance envelope of Li-ion batteries. Improvements to safety, lifetime, fast charging, and even energy density are possible through developments to the BMS and, importantly, with minimal need to sacrifice one for another.

Critical to enabling the performance improvements is the development and implementation of more accurate battery and cell state estimation (e.g., state-of-charge, state-of-health, state-of-power), allowing the maximum performance to be safely extracted from a battery. Beyond developments to BMS software and algorithms, wireless BMS solutions are also being commercialized. By implementing wireless solutions, much of the wiring and cabling can be omitted, helping to reduce weight and eliminate potential failure modes. Though deployment is relatively slow, with GM’s initial announcement for their wireless BMS in 2020, BMS semiconductor manufacturers are now offering solutions for wireless BMS designs.

The new IDTechEx report, “Li-ion Batteries and Battery Management Systems for Electric Vehicles 2024-2034”, provides analysis on key innovations, advancements and trends in li-ion batteries and BMS in EVs, including discussion of performance data. The report provides an overview of some of the key drivers, challenges and battery technology choices for multiple electric vehicle segments. For more information, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/EVLithium. To see IDTechEx’s wider portfolio on the Li-ion and electric vehicle sectors, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Energy.

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Behfar will lead the UK team as it continues to champion the adoption of sustainable heating technologies, offer comfort solutions, and support customers in their drive to reduce carbon emissions.

With distinguished roles at large organisations such as EDF, SSE, and E.ON, Behfar has a proven-track record of navigating intricate regulatory environments. By establishing collaborations with industry stakeholders, regulatory agencies, and government departments Behfar has previously secured funding for energy efficiency initiatives, particularly those backed by government schemes.

His profound understanding of heat network technologies will fortify Taconova UK’s commitment to delivering sustainable, cost-effective metering and billing solutions.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Behfar to the Taconova UK team,” said Ralph Seewald, Managing Director of Taconova. “With over two decades of deep-rooted experience in energy efficiency, Behfar’s expertise is an invaluable addition to Taconova UK.”

Reflecting on his new role, Behfar remarked, “Being appointed as the General Manager for Taconova UK is a tremendous honour. The company, distinguished for its high-quality, resource-efficient products, caters to a diverse range of sectors – from residential properties to commercial edifices and public facilities. I am keenly looking forward to offering unparalleled service to our customers, harmonising sustainability with fiscal prudence.”

Under Behfar’s leadership, Taconova UK is well-positioned to continue its mission of offering reliable, low-maintenance, and highly efficient solutions that save customers time, effort, and money.

For more information about Taconova, its products and services, please visit http://www.taconova.com.

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Collaborating alongside long-standing director, Adrian Buttress, Duncan brings with him more than 30 years of experience in the roofing and building products industry, having held senior positions at the likes of Marley Building Materials, Icopal Limited and most recently as MD of Carlisle Construction Materials.  

Duncan said: “I’ve known of PermaGroup for many years and have always admired the business and Adrian’s vision for it. For me, now is the perfect time to take on this new challenge at a business that I really believe in. I just love roofing and have been passionate about it my entire career, but I’m equally excited to expand my knowledge to the other areas of the business including modular builds and fencing – I can see real opportunities to grow the group as a whole.”  

PermaGroup has plans to extend its products, services and training capabilities, with its successful PermaRoof Registered Installer Scheme potentially rolling out across other facets of the business.  

Duncan added: “With me being based in the south, I’ve got fantastic connections that can further expand PermaGroup’s presence down here and into London. Adrian and I already have ambitious plans that we can’t wait to action but for me, it starts internally.  

“Company culture is hugely important, and I’m eager to implement things that improve on what Adrian has already established across the group. Of course, no company growth can happen unless the employees and clients are brought on the journey too.” 

Duncan will take on much of the day-to-day activities working with Adrian on the strategic development plans.  

Adrian said: “Welcoming Duncan to the team is exactly the right move for us to take the next steps as a business. We both have the best interests of PermaGroup in mind, not just for the investors but for our team and clients too and we’re excited to unlock the business’ full potential. It’s fantastic to have Duncan’s expertise and a fresh pair of eyes on the PermaGroup, ready to drive it forward and I’m eager for us to start working together.” 

To find out more about PermaGroup, please visit: www.permagroup.co.uk/   

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GetAgent.co.uk analysed the current average house price in the local authority areas that serve as the settings or real life filming locations for eight massively popular TV programmes, before analysing how the prices have increased in the past year, and how much they’ve increased since the first episode of each programme aired. 

Game of Thrones top for affordability

Of the eight locations, the most affordable house prices are found near Castle Ward, County Down, which serves as the real-world location for the fictional setting of Winterfell in HBO’s Game of Thrones. The castle is located in Northern Ireland’s Newry Mourne & Down local authority area where the current average house price is £186,646. 

Inspector Morse most expensive

At the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive TV location is the city of Oxford where the late Inspector Morse lived and worked in the eponymous cosy police drama. The average house in this historic city currently costs £482,715.

Inspector Morse also tops the list when it comes to annual price increases with the average Oxford home now 4.4% more expensive than it was a year ago. 

This is followed by Hitchin, Hertfordshire, which serves as the fictional town of Parminster in Dr Foster, where prices have increased by 3.4%; and then it’s the city of Bath and its surrounds which are home to the bright young things of Bridgerton and where prices have increased by 2.8% on the year. 

House price growth since each show aired

Morse once again tops the list when it comes to house price increases since the first episode of each TV programme aired. 

The first episode of Inspector Morse aired in January 1987 when the average house price in Oxford was £51,118. Today, it is 844.3% more expensive. 

Port Isaac, Cornwall, serves as the town of Portwenn in Doc Martin, the first episode of which aired in September 2004. At that time, the average local home cost £180,749. Today, it is 70.6% more expensive at £308,267. 

Close behind is the local authority area around Highclere Castle, Hampshire, which serves as the setting for Downton Abbey and where today’s average house price of £358,977 is 70.3% higher than it was when the first episode aired in September 2010. 

County Down’s prices have increased by 48.3% since the first episode of Game of Thrones aired in April 2011; Hitching, Herefordshire has seen prices increase by 37.8% since Dr Foster first aired in September 2015; and Wye Valley, the seeing for Sex Education, has seen prices increase by 26.8% since the show first aired in January 2019. 

The real-life location of Bridgerton has seen price rises of 19.9% since the first episode landed on Netflix in December 2020; and finally, prices around Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, which serves as Marlborough House and Windsor Castle in The Crown, have increased by 13% since the show began in November 2016.

Co-founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, commented:

“We’ve all thought about upping sticks and moving to our favourite TV towns at some point and with so many top shows filmed right here in the UK, the idea isn’t as crazy as it might seem. 

However, It could cost you more than you might expect, with all but Game of Thrones coming in with a considerably higher average house price than the national average. 

That said, it’s interesting to see that these famous filming locations have all largely held their own in the last year when it comes to house price growth, despite the wider economic landscape. What’s more, they’ve also seen a considerable level of house price appreciation since their respective on screen portrayals first aired.”

Data table…

Data tables and sources can be viewed online, here.

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The Access Group’s Recruitment and Resourcing Index has revealed a significant gap between candidate experiences when applying for new jobs across the major sectors – which could be preventing them from completing the process. 

The index was compiled using different metrics – including user-experience of careers pages, the number of questions on an application form, and whether candidates can apply via LinkedIn or need to send a covering letter. The higher the score, the better the candidate experience. 

The findings come as the British Chambers of Commerce latest Quarterly Recruitment Outlook (QRO) found that 80% of UK businesses have reported difficulties in recruiting – down just 2% from the ‘highest level of recruitment difficulties on record’ last year.

The Access Group, a business management software specialist, analysed 20 industries including manufacturing, legal, healthcare and logistics to find out which ones offer the best candidate experiences, and where there is room for improvement. The lower the index score, the worse the experience. 

Building & construction firms were one of the most likely to struggle to recruit top talent according to the index.

Topping the index as the industry most likely to struggle to fill positions due to arduous recruitment processes was accounting and finance, followed by automotive and building and construction. 

The ten industries potentially missing out the most on industry talent

When it comes to the best candidate experiences, consumer-centric industries like retail and ecommerce, and homeware and interiors are leading the way, according to the index. Bookstore Waterstones had the best-performing website, while Hobby Craft, Mamas and Papas and Bargain Booze came out top with the best application processes. Overall, comic book and science fiction retailer Forbidden Planet scored the highest among the retailers with an average index score of 188.1.

Top ten industries for providing the most seamless candidate experience 

Commenting on the findings, Julia Harvie-Liddel, Head of Recruitment at The Access Group said:

“In today’s competitive jobs market, organisations cannot afford to risk losing candidates at the final stage because of poor experiences with their website and arduous application forms. 

“The good news is that with a few improvements, employers could see a vast improvement in the number of people who complete their application form. Make sure your careers pages or microsite is performing well from a technical perspective. Like customers, candidates will be put off by sites that are slow to load or don’t display properly on a mobile, so ask your digital team to check its Core Web Vitals (CWV). Just as important is updating your website with the latest roles and engaging content – everything from rewards and benefits to company life.”

She added that in-house recruitment software can also play a valuable role in achieving this.

“This technology enables firms to create a professional branded website that attracts candidates, engages them at every stage of the journey – keeping them updated on the status of their application and completing checks as efficiently as possible.”

To view the full Recruitment and Resourcing index, visit: https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/blog/the-industries-winning-the-recruitment-race/

Methodology

The Access Group used two key metrics to compile an average index score for each industry analysed, based on the UK’s top 100 brands by turnover by sector.

• Core Web Vitals (CWV)
  • We ran each company’s jobs/  career related page through the Core Web Vitals tester (Lighthouse) then took an average score as the result. This would include the careers page, job listing pages, job description pages.
• Ease of Application (EOA)
  • We have taken the number of form fields needed to fill out the job application on the website and took that as the EOA.

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Farrans Foundation is an award-winning, two year graduate programme which provides applicants with the necessary experience and knowledge to fast track their career in construction, quantity surveying and civil engineering. With a blend of classroom-based learning and on-site experience, this is the starting point on the journey to becoming the future leaders of Farrans.

This year, Farrans will be hosting a series of virtual career open days in September, October and November for those people who are interested in finding out more about what it is like to be a graduate or a placement in the company.

Farrans Construction, a CRH company, has over 80 years’ experience of delivering world-class projects across the UK and Ireland. The company which employs more than 600 people has offices in Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds and Belfast with further site offices connecting its regional network.

Dominic Lavery, Managing Director of Farrans, said: “We understand that the move from education to employment can be a big step and we want to make the experience as enjoyable as we can. Our graduate programme, which has recently been CPD Accredited by Engineers Ireland, will provide you with all of the necessary experience and knowledge you need at the start of your career. We will support you to begin your journey to become Chartered with your relevant professional body and, with over 60% of our professional employees Chartered, we are able to give you all the help, guidance and support required to attain your professional qualification.

“We receive a high volume of applications for our programme so I recommend that anyone who is interested should join a virtual open day to find out what we look for in our graduates and placements and to take your time to make your application the best it can be.”

Conor McCourt, senior engineer and Farrans Foundation Graduate, said: “Farrans Foundation is a graduate programme that provides you with an opportunity to learn about all aspects of the business so that you understand the ‘why’ of the work that you are doing. It certainly made me more commercially astute, taught me time management skills and opened my eyes to the many career paths I could take. University focuses on the theory while Farrans Foundation provides a framework to excel on the ground.

“One of the major benefits is that you are able to make connections with colleagues at many levels. The programme gave me a support network of experienced professionals to call on for help if I need it. Skills from Farrans Foundation can be easily transferred to working towards Chartership.”

For more information, to register for an virtual open day and to submit an application to Farrans’ Graduate and Placement Programme visit: www.farrans.com/graduates/ and www.farrans.com/placements/

Virtual open days will take place on 27^th September from 5-6pm, 18^th October from 1-2pm and on 23^rd November from 4-5pm. Register here.

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Platform Housing Group and Stonewater Ltd teamed up with Orphans Press to create a ‘happy to chat’ bench within the communal garden at Newman House in Leominster as well as tidying up the area to provide a better environment and peaceful retreat for the residents to enjoy. 

The initiative came about as part of a 150^th birthday celebration; Orphans Press – a print, publishing, design and web agency based in the town – was established in 1873 to support the Leominster Orphan Homes, founded in 1869 and located at Newman House until its closure in 1951.  The home housed 18 destitute children from industrialised parts of the country who had been orphaned.  Henry Stanley Newman – founder of the Leominster Orphan Homes and Orphans Press – was determined to make sure that the children felt at home there, providing access to education, training and religious teachings. 

The event also included the planting of a ceremonial apple tree. 

Helen Bowden, Director at Orphans Press explained: “We discovered that there used to be an orchard in the garden at Newman House where the children used to pick apples.  We decided to commemorate Henry Stanley Newman by planting an apple tree where the orchard used to be.” 

Newman House is run by Stonewater Ltd; since March 2022, Platform Housing Group has been undertaking repairs on Stonewater homes in the Herefordshire area. 

Matthew Stock, Grounds Maintenance Delivery Manager at Platform Housing Group said : “We were absolutely delighted to be approached by Orphans Press to undertake such a fabulous project on behalf of Stonewater.  The history behind the home is fascinating and being involved with it has really brought it all to life.  We hope the residents of Newman House will enjoy their new bench amidst the beautiful grounds.” 

Helen Holland, Connected Communities Peer Leader, Neighbourhoods, at Stonewater, said: “We’re so thrilled that Stonewater can be part of such a positive and essential initiative.  We understand how necessary it can be for people to be able to chat to others, especially given the difficulties we’ve all faced over the last few years.  We’re glad to be able to help strengthen the sense of community among new and future residents.” 

Helen Bowden concluded : “Newman House is such an important part of the history of both Orphans Press and Leominster.  We felt it was important to do something really special for our 150^th birthday and collaborating with Platform and Stonewater to transform the grounds at Newman House was the perfect way to commemorate Henry Newman and give back to the residents.” 

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The billionaire Issa brothers, Mohsin and Zuber, with the backing of TDR Capital, are said to be in negotiations with Australian firm Macquarie Asset Management regarding a sale.

The deal would see Macquarie purchase the ground rent leases of around 50 Asda stores, with a clause allowing the supermarket retailer to reassume control of the sites at the end of the 50-year term.

Asda would then be able to pay lower rents at these stores while raising higher amounts of equity.

The Issa brothers acquired the Asda estate from Walmart in 2021 in a deal worth £6.8bn, however some £2.75bn of debt was included in the transaction.

In March, it was reported that the billionaire brothers were eyeing the sale-and-leaseback of the entire Asda estate, worth £8.6bn.

The supermarket retailer then disposed of 25 stores to American investor Realty Income in a sale-and-leaseback deal worth £650m.

Asda recently reported an increase in sales during the second quarter, which the supermarket said reflected the “strength” of its customer proposition.

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