In Brief: Murphy; Keepmoat; Velofest; Platform Expo

A CABLING company with regional bases in Bradford, Sheffield, Manchester, Stanlow and Penrith has been placed into administration.

Some 293 jobs at Murphy, which is has its head office in London, and lays underground cables for utility companies, have been cut nationally. Among tose affected are 24 staff at Murphy (Manchester) in Audenshaw.

Deloitte is handling the insolvency. Joint administrator Nick Edwards said: “The company has suffered a prolonged period of difficult trading which has resulted in it being unable to meet its financial obligations.

“Regrettably, owing to the nature of the services provided by the business and the investment required to continue to trade, there is no other option but to announce these redundancies at this time. We have sought to retain a number of employees for the present time to assist the administrators with an orderly wind down and sale of Murphy’s business and assets.”

Deloitte said the wider group including Clear Route Utility Services, Northern Reliable Industrial Services and Reliable Construction are not in administration and continue to trade as normal.

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REGENERATION specialist Keepmoat has been named as Britain’s top contractor in September after winning £431m of work.

According to the latest figures from construction business intelligence unit, Glenigan, the top 50 contractors shared more than £2bn of work in total, with Doncaster-based Keepmoat accounting for almost a fifth of that amount.

Second placed Laing O’Rouke won £180m of work in the same period.

Keepmoat’s place at the top of the league table was secured after signing a £430m PFI housing regeneration contract for the Pendleton Together scheme in Salford.

The Pendleton contract is Keepmoat’s second big PFI win of the summer after the firm won a £198m contract to refurbish 1,245 properties and create 388 new homes in Leeds in July.

Nick Ash, regeneration managing director for Keepmoat, said: “As a business we were delighted to be named the top contractor for September after securing Keepmoat’s second major PFI win of the summer.

“The Pendleton contract is a landmark project for Keepmoat in the North West and is testament to the great reputation we have built up in the area over a long period of time.”

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A FESTIVAL has been announced for Yorkshire to celebrate the Tour de France arrival next summer.

Hundreds of thousands of cycling fans are expected to descend on the region for the Tour De France “Grand Depart” cycle route between July 3 and July 6 and four-day festival Velofest has been given the green light, hosting visitors in a 60 acre purpose-built setting.

Organised by Harrogate catering and hospitality specialist Tom Hawkins, Velofest is set to appeal to cycling die-hards, fair weather fans and families who want to soak up some of the atmosphere that will be Tour De Yorkshire.

Velofest will be positioned along Stage 1 of the Tour de France route at Kilnsey Park Estate.

Hawkins said: “This is one of the most exciting events to come to Yorkshire in decades and we know there is a huge demand out there for those who want to be in the heart of the action.

“We have been looking around for months to find the perfect location and we believe we have found it. The setting is stunning but it will also afford unbeatable access to the Stage 1 Race, coupled with the very best camping and entertainment facilities in the area.

“We want to make this more than just about the race; we want to give everyone – cyclists, fans, families – an experience they won’t forget. The atmosphere here will be just electric no matter who claims the Yellow Jersey for this stage of the race.”

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HULL is carving out its place as a centre for creative industries as it gets set to host a major video gaming expo to showcase its potential.

Some of the biggest names in gaming will bring stands, demos, merchandise and speakers to the Platform Expo event next month.

It is the annual showcase of a year-round strategy to create a significant hub of independent developers within the industry in Hull.

The Platform model has been designed by Lindsay West of Garthwest Creative Agency. As part of that, he created Platform Studios to give game and content creators professional workspaces to start-up businesses from.

He said: “We have exceptional talent here and we need to support that and ensure jobs are available so that we are retaining the skills and knowledge in Hull and putting the breaks on the brain drain.”

This year Platform Expo organisers are working hard to bring gaming to the masses to show exactly how it can create jobs and futures in the city.
They are hoping to attract around 20,000 visitors to the event and have secured support from Hull City Council to allow it to take place across venues in the city centre.