Business News
In Brief Thirteen councils in the West Midlands are to receive a share of the Government’s £5.7 million ‘Pothole Action Fund’ to fill in more than 108,000 potholes in the region’s creaking roads network. But none of the money will find its way to Birmingham as road maintenance in the city is carried out by Amey under a private finance initiative.
Birmingham-based LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group, has backed the £17 million management buyout of Panther Logistics, the UK’s largest independent two-man next day home delivery provider, which specialises in assisted delivery services for major brands and retailers. As part of the deal, LDC has
acquired a significant minority shareholding in the Northampton- headquartered firm enabling its founder, Wilson Barrett, to retire.
Three operators – London & West Midlands Railway Ltd, West Midlands Trains Ltd and Mitsui & Co and MTR Corporation (West Midlands) Ltd - have been shortlisted to run trains in the region from October 2017, with the franchise expected to be awarded in June of next year. Rail Minister Claire Perry said: "The West Midlands franchise serves both commuters and long distance passengers and we are confident these companies will create high quality bids that can deliver better journeys for all.
Seeing red over tape
Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) are teaming up with one of the region’s MEPs to tackle burdensome red tape. Daniel Dalton MEP and the GBCC are asking
businesses what rules and regulations hinder them particularly when it comes to exporting. Mr Dalton is promising to have every example of red
tape raised by local businesses reviewed in Brussels. He said: “Cutting red tape, especially for small
businesses, is absolutely vital for our competitiveness in the global economy. We have done much in the past year to remove unnecessary rules but we need to be more ambitious and I am delighted that the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce are as enthusiastic as I am.” Paul Faulkner, chief executive of the GBCC, said:
“We often hear concerns from members about burdensome regulation and red tape holding back their business, particularly when it comes to exporting and EU directives (or the ‘gold plating’ of EU regulation by UK institutions). Through delivering the Enterprise Europe Network Midlands we’ve worked hard to identify and escalate barriers to SMEs trading with the EU. “We need more people in Brussels standing up
for the needs of local businesses and are pleased with Daniel’s support for this agenda. This is a problem where we simply can’t afford to not keep up the pressure.” Mr Dalton added: “Like the Chamber I
often hear that tiresome regulations holds companies back and this is a
practical initiative to see where we can help." In the past year he has been part of the team that
that has repealed 120 pieces of EU legislation and simplified 800 more.
Any business which has been held back by a specific EU regulation is ask to contact the GBCC Policy team on policyteam@birmingham-
chamber.com
Daniel Dalton: Cutting red tape “absolutely vital”
10 CHAMBERLINK May 2016
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