North West business briefs: RSK Group; Lund Bennett Family Law; LCRCA; West Chester Commercial BID; Stagecoach

RSK Group, the Cheshire-based international specialist in the delivery of sustainable solutions with more than 200 companies in 40 countries around the world, has launched a new initiative designed to supply experienced testifying experts and subject matter experts to a wide range of sectors, including the legal profession.

RSK Global Experts was launched at the International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference in Paris last week, an event that draws 5,000 legal professionals from around the world, but its services will not be restricted to the legal sector.

Alan Ryder, chief executive of Helsby-based RSK, said the introduction of RSK Global Experts was a significant development in the group’s 2030 growth strategy, which will nearly quadruple its turnover from this year’s £1.2bn to more than £5bn in 2030, doubling its family of environmental and engineering businesses from 200 and 400.

RSK Global Experts will initially have offices in both London and Sydney but will serve clients across
the world. Mr Ryder said: “RSK has always been focused on striving to offer a complete client service, from advisory support right through to engineering and implementation. This is something that influences our work across the world and is reflected in our business acquisition strategy. The launch of this initiative is a very natural development towards this goal. We believe that this endeavour has the potential to build the largest, most diverse panel of experts in the world.”

SJA Australia managing director, Steve Abbott, is MD of the new business. SJA Australia is an RSK Group company and Australia-based advisory and delivery services firm specialising in expert and advisory services, planning and programming, project management and quantity surveying. He said: “RSK’s experience supporting clients across a range of sectors on six continents has demonstrated a clear need for an experienced body of testifying and subject matter experts. The group boasts an enviable range of experienced professionals in environmental, engineering and technical business.”

Steve said RSK Global Experts would author reports and provide expert witness services for all forms of the dispute resolution process, including litigation – various jurisdictions; arbitrations; legal inquiries; position papers for mediations and expert determinations and preparation or defence of claims.

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Kirsten Bennett

The founder of Lund Bennett, solicitor Kirsten Bennett, has joined the board of Altrincham Business Investment District (BID).

Business funded and business led, Altrincham BID is responsible for a programme of footfall-driving events and seasonal campaigns to improve the trading environment in the town centre. Since the BID was launched, around £2.34m has been invested into Altrincham town centre improving the offerings for businesses and customers.

Kirsten, managing partner of Lund Bennett, based in Altrincham and Manchester, founded and established her business in the town centre in 2012. Recently named as a coronation champion for Altrincham due to her charitable efforts, Kirsten, was approached by Altrincham BID earlier this year to be appointed to their board and help shape the future for the organisation moving forwards.

Kirsten said: “Lund Bennett are proud to serve on the board for Altrincham BID and work with our local community. It is a vibrant and attractive place to visit, work and live in and we are vested in in the long term economic and cultural development in Altrincham.”

Mandy White, BID manager, said: “The board members we work with are specially chosen because they value the town and the community here in Altrincham. We are so pleased to have Kirsten of Lund Bennett join us on the BID board and look forward to a bright future ahead.”

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More than £10m is being committed to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points across the Liverpool City Region, Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced.

The funding, secured by the Mayor and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, will be used to improve and expand the region’s on-street charging network helping households without private driveways or off-street parking – including people living in apartments and terraced houses – to access charge points, helping to remove a potential barrier to using electric vehicles.

Funds could also be used to install charge points at key locations like railway station car parks and to support an increase in the city region’s number of fast charging hubs – which can charge electric cars in as little as 20 minutes. Currently there are around 600 publicly available charge points across the region, but the number will be set to markedly increase with this new funding boost.

The project is set to create a number of jobs and training opportunities in the region, with funding to employ an Electric Vehicle project team to work across all six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region (Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and the Wirral).

Steve Rotheram said: “We have a responsibility to cut our carbon emissions, rapidly decarbonise and, ultimately, to save our planet. I want the Liverpool City Region to be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution, leading the charge towards net zero, and taking advantage of the myriad of jobs, investment and opportunities that it will provide.”

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BID CCTV and ANPR cameras

West Chester Commercial Business Improvement District (BID) has invested in a new CCTV and ANPR system to enhance safety and security on the estate and help tackle climate change.

Comprising 54 CCTV cameras and three specialist ANPR cameras, the infrastructure has been installed at 14 different locations, and officially went live earlier this year. AI technology has been utilised throughout, with all the cameras featuring improved searching and monitoring capabilities, as well as audio and AI analytics. The system also enables the BID to gather a range of metrics that it will use to inform its future environmental strategies. This includes capturing the fuel types of vehicles using the estate and their European emissions ratings.

For some time, West Chester BID has been reviewing plans relating to net zero and emissions, with the new CCTV and ANPR system providing crucial data to help the organisation create a roadmap to a greener and cleaner BID area for members and their employees. Another benefit of the new system is that businesses can now access ultra-fast broadband using the same Wi-Fi and fibre networks that have been deployed, too.

The project was overseen by OneTek, a Business IT, Telecoms and CCTV Solutions provider, which is based in Winsford.

BID chair, Jordi J Morell, said: “I’m thrilled that the CCTV and ANPR project is now complete. It has been a long process with numerous challenges to overcome along the way, but we now truly have a pioneering system that will benefit both the BID and its businesses for many years to come.”

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Transport provider, Stagecoach is making major service improvements to coincide with the start of its winter timetable in Cumbria today (November 6).

Silloth, Cockermouth and Keswick get extra buses, there is a new service to Dalston and an upgrade to routes from Barrow to Windermere and Kendal. The 554 between Carlisle and Keswick gets an extra bus on weekdays – including an early journey for hospitality workers – and two extra buses on Sundays. All buses go via Dalston rather than Wigton Road. In Wigton, the service will operate along the main road between the town centre and Red Dial crossroads. Syke Road will no longer be served. There is an additional teatime journey on the 400 from Carlisle to Silloth, with a later last bus, although journeys no longer serve Skinburness.

Similarly, there’s an extra bus on the 600 from Carlisle to Cockermouth – two more on Saturdays – with a later last departure in both directions. The X4/X5 sees additional early morning journeys from Keswick and Cockermouth to Workington while evening journeys are retimed. There are more buses on the 6 between Barrow and Windermere with some journeys extending to Kendal, especially on Sundays when the 6 combines with the X6 via Grange to provide an hourly service between Barrow and Kendal.

The X6 no longer calls at Furness General Hospital, although the 6 does instead. On Sundays, the 6 and X6 operate via Croftlands Estate between Lindal and Ulverston while the X6 no longer serves High Newton evenings and Sundays. The 508 from Penrith to Patterdale gets an extra bus on Sundays and an additional weekday evening bus from Penrith to Pooley Bridge. Departures from Penrith are retimed to provide better connections with trains. The 555 sees an extra journey between Kendal and Keswick while evening services are retimed and a later evening journey from Keswick introduced.

In West Cumbria, there is an extra early morning bus on the 300 from Carlisle to Workington and an additional evening bus in the opposite direction, a new evening and Sunday timetable for the 30 and changes to evening journeys on the 29, which no longer extends to West Cumberland Hospital. In addition to all these, there are minor changes to the 78 from Keswick to Seatoller, the 755 from Heysham to Bowness, the 685 from Carlisle to Newcastle, the 3 and 5 Barrow town services and the 5, 18 and 51 in Lancaster.