North West business briefs: PCS; Salford City Council; Preston MET; PHX Training; LCR Combined Authority
UK card manufacturer Plastic Card Services (PCS) has announced exciting changes ahead following the completion of a management buyout last month, for an undisclosed sum.
After initially starting PCS back in 1993, Tim Holt has become the sole owner of the business on completion of the buyout from original co-owner Rob Nicholls. Rob and Tim established the company after they were both made redundant from the DataCard Corporation because of the recession in the early 90s.
They saw an opportunity in the commercial card market and with them having more than 20 years’ combined expertise in the field, felt it was a good time to launch their own company – 28 years later PCS now boasts a 30,000 sq ft purpose-built Macclesfield facility with capacity to manufacture and process up to 160 million cards per annum and says it has an unrivalled reputation within the card market.
After almost three decades at the helm, Rob took the decision to move on from the business to focus on new projects away from the print and card manufacturing industry, while Tim remains providing stability for the company’s 34 employees and will continue to work with the senior management team to drive the business forward.
Tim Holt said: “PCS has been a huge part of my life for the last 28 years and whilst Rob is looking to new ventures, I believe we have a great team here at PCS and I am certainly looking forward to working with them as ever in developing the business. If we need any advice, I know Rob will be happy to offer his expertise as he always has done.”
Rob added “After much contemplation I have taken the difficult decision to move on from PCS. It has been my life for almost 30 years, but other things now beckon for me. It has been a journey of learning and development, working alongside the best colleagues one could ever hope for and I leave with the comfort of being able to see the business grow and maintain its envied position, not just as an expert in card technologies but also highly respected within the business community. I wish Tim and the team all the very best.”
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Tom Stannard
Salford’s drive to become the first Living Wage City in England has been given national recognition.
Salford City Council chief executive, Tom Stannard, has been appointed as a Commissioner on the Living Wage Commission which oversees the annual calculation of the real Living Wage rates for London and the UK. The rate is independently calculated to meet the true cost of living and is uprated every year to account for inflation. Commission members are drawn from across the private and public sector and leading Living Wage accredited employers.
Salford City Council was the first local authority in Greater Manchester to pay its employees the real Living Wage, uplifting 1,200 low paid workers. In 2019 the city was recognised for its ambition to become the first Living Wage City in England and in 2020 more than 3,000 care workers in Salford saw their hourly pay rise from £9 to £9.30 as part of a move towards paying them the full real Living Wage.
Mr Stannard, who was appointed chief executive earlier this year, said it was a great honour: “Salford is the fastest growing economy in Greater Manchester and has seen unprecedented private and public sector investment over the last 10 years but not everyone is benefiting from that.
“While our action group of private, public and third sector organisations has helped increase Living Wage employers from 38 in 2019 to 55 in February 2021 covering nearly 12,000 employees, nearly 40% of our city workforce (44,600 people) earn below the real Living Wage, compared to 30% nationally. We want to see an inclusive economy and everyone benefiting from Salford’s growth.”
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How The MET will look
Preston will have a striking new city centre event space in time for the summer under plans for the first of the city’s ‘Pop-Up’ projects.
The MET – which stands for Mobile Event Tent – will be installed in the city’s Harris Quarter and will play host to an array of events later this year, helping bring people back into the city centre and supporting businesses hit hard by the pandemic.
The project is being funded from £1m of initial funding the city secured from the Government’s Towns Fund for a series of ‘Pop-up’ regeneration projects in the Harris Quarter. The city received a total of £20.9m from the Towns Fund in March to support its wider Harris Quarter Investment Programme.
The contemporary structure, which has been designed and developed in Preston, will be made from specially adapted shipping containers, a state-of-the-art fabric cover, and other materials to create an inspiring 150 sq m space capable of accommodating up to 100 people. A planning application has been submitted and if successful it will initially be situated on the site of the proposed Animate cinema and leisure development next to Preston Market with the ability to move it to other city centre locations when needed.
John Chesworth, chair of the Preston Partnership, said: “The Pop-Ups programme is just the start of what will be a sustained programme of investment in the city centre using the Towns Fund money we’ve secured. We’re incredibly excited to unveil these plans for The MET which will provide a truly unique event space for arts, culture, and other events including theatre, live music, business conferences, exhibitions and community events. As the lockdown restrictions continue to be eased, it’s imperative we do all we can to encourage people to come back into the city centre and to get it bustling once again.”
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Briony Fawcett
A Kendal-based training specialist will provide support to even more workforces across Cumbria, thanks to successfully joining the EDGE in Cumbria, as a new delivery partner.
PHX Training, which has six centres across the North West, has joined the Edge which is led by Carlisle College. Established in 2013, the Edge is a partnership of colleges and training providers working together to support businesses in Cumbria through a European Social Fund (ESF) contract, to provide funded training to address skills gaps and facilitate economic growth.
PHX will deliver the Skills Support for the Workforce (SSWF) contract in the region, alongside other partners and with Carlisle College, the accountable body, to help employees gain new skills and qualifications. It will also support individuals through funding provided by the Adult Education Budget (AEB), again working in partnership with Carlisle College.
Commissioned by the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP), the contract has been tailored in response to identified local skills challenges.
Briony Fawcett, managing director at PHX Training, said: “Helping people to gain new skills and improve their prospects is what we do best, and so we are thrilled to have become a part of the EDGE partnership to join forces, share expertise and be able to reach even more people and businesses across Cumbria. Skills gaps create barriers, not only to employees and their individual progression at work, but to businesses seeking to unlock their true potential and achieve growth, so by addressing these issues we can help to make a real difference to workforces in the region.”
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Mayor Rotheram at Poco Bar and Cafe
As pubs, bars and restaurants welcome customers indoors for the first time since early January, Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram yesterday (May 17) visited several businesses that received crucial emergency funding from the combined authority to help them survive COVID restrictions.
The combined authority has made available a vital £44m lifeline to nearly 4,000 businesses hit hard by the pandemic, through a range of grants delivered to businesses by the city region’s six local authorities. Initially targeted at hard-hit hospitality and retail businesses, the grants have also been available to all businesses that have seen a 40% cut in their sales or revenue.
Mayor Rotheram said: “Throughout the last year, I’ve been working tirelessly to protect our region against COVID and put us in the strongest possible foundations to build on. We’ve spent tens of millions of pounds supporting the local economy, safeguarding thousands of local jobs and businesses. It’s fantastic to visit some of the businesses we’ve been able to help – some of whom might not still be here without our support – to see how they’re getting on and spend a few quid. It’d be fantastic if we could give our local businesses a bit of extra support over the next few weeks and months – and please be patient with their staff.”
The day started with a breakfast visit with Cllr Graham Morgan, leader of Knowsley Council, to Poco Bar and Cafe in Prescot. Poco has benefited from grants from the combined authority’s Hospitality and Leisure Fund worth £14,400. At lunch time Mayor Rotheram visited city centre restaurant Lunya Liverpool which benefited from emergency grants worth £96,000.
Rich Sutton, joint owner of Poco Bar and Café, said: “The last year has been hugely challenging and would have been for any business. The financial support we have received from the combined authority was a real lifeline and one of the main reasons we are still here today. It’s great to be able to welcome customers inside again and we can’t wait to really get back to normal over the summer.”
