Pollution-busting plans for Coventry to become the UK’s first All Electric Bus City have been backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) leaders today.

Under the ground-breaking project, every bus in the city of Coventry will be electric powered by 2025, leading to improved air quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower running costs. Approval from the WMCA Board means that £50 million Department for Transport (DfT) funding will now be handed to the region to deliver the project.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the WMCA, will work with bus operators to replace buses and install charging infrastructure on the streets of Coventry. This includes pantograph, or overhead, charging points which will be available to all bus operators. Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, who chairs the WMCA, said: “It took a lot of lobbying and persuading, but I am delighted we won the Government’s national competition to turn Coventry’s bus fleet all electric.

“It was great to welcome the Prime Minister to Coventry this week to talk about our all-electric plans, and crucially today’s confirmation by the WMCA board now unlocks his Government’s £50 million investment, meaning we can get on with rolling out the clean, green, electric buses onto the city’s roads. Not only will the clean bus fleet improve the public transport offering in Coventry, but it is also another step towards tackling the climate emergency and helping to attract people to leave their cars at home in favour of taking the bus.

“This is a great time for bus users in Coventry, with our newly refurbished Pool Meadow bus station, the trial of West Midlands On Demand buses serving the University of Warwick campus, as well our wider investment in fare-capping and better value fares, bus priority measures, real-time travel information and on board facilities like wi-fi and USB charging. It is a bus revolution here in the West Midlands, and Coventry is right at the heart of it.”

Transport Minister, Baroness Vere, said:  “Our £50m investment will see Coventry’s entire fleet of buses replaced with new, all-electric vehicles. This will have a profoundly positive effect on air quality and emissions in the area and reduce noise pollution. This Government is committed to decarbonising the transport network across the UK, as we build back greener and strive to achieve net zero by 2050.”

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration at Coventry City Council, said: “We have finally got this over the line after we were able to convince the government that this city is the ideal location and this will make a major dent in addressing air pollution.

“We already have a range of schemes to improve air quality and this will help exceed our targets. We have great working relations with bus companies in the city and these are exciting times for all of us. The hard work starts now.” TfWM will lead the project in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and local bus operators – who are together paying 25% of the added costs of electric vehicles over diesel and charging infrastructure.

This is a major project for bus operators across Coventry, and attracts significant investment from them to replace every bus in their fleet within five years. Operators, including National Express Coventry, which launched 10 electric buses in service last summer, and Stagecoach, will also ensure the new buses offer customers the best in on-board comfort and technology, as well as being good for the environment. 

The clean air benefits will be felt beyond the city boundary, as many services which start or finish in Coventry serve Warwickshire, Solihull, Birmingham, Rugby and Leicester. This will support the #WM2041 target for the region to be net-zero carbon within two decades

Coventry was selected to be the UK’s first All Electric Bus City following a successful bid to the DfT. Applicants were required to demonstrate support from stakeholders in their local areas, outline existing plans to reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality, and show how the plan would tackle an existing air quality problem.

This year TfWM is already on target to for buses to be Euro-VI compliant low emission vehicles – but this plan sets the region well on the road towards a zero-emission bus fleet.

A Wolverhampton-born community interest company that is committed to eradicating homelessness for women has set out ambitious plans to offer over 2000 beds by the end of 2021. Lotus Sanctuary has moved from a start-up non-profit organisation in 2018 into one of the sector’s fastest instigators of change, offering up to 550-bed spaces for vulnerable women, who are dealing with complex issues or fleeing domestic violence.

The social enterprise has been able to leverage over £30m of private sector investment to lease a mixture of one, two and three-bed properties across the East and West Midlands, the North West, the North East, the South West and Yorkshire and Humber. Driven by a desire to give individuals more than bricks and mortar, the critical service has seen referrals for its wrap-around support surge during lockdown and now has plans in place to quadruple the number of people it can help over the next twelve months.

“There are over 300,000 people currently homeless or living in temporary accommodation, from the rough sleepers who have become a familiar sight in our cities to the hidden homeless, sofa surfers or those living in shelter,” explained Gurpaal Singh Judge, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus Sanctuary. “Combating houselessness is an issue in itself with a shortage of housing in the UK. However, homelessness is something we are only starting to realise is a deeper issue, an issue that sits deep within the hearts and minds of our residents. More than an issue of bricks and mortar, it’s an issue of trust and trauma. A house isn’t always a home.”

He continued: “A woman who has sought drugs as a way to escape the past or ongoing violence, only to find herself in a male dominated hostel or sleeping on the streets needs more than a house or a flat to solve her problems. As a sector we need to realise that it’s homelessness we need to solve by working with our residents to create that same sense of belonging that we all feel at home. That can only be done by a multi-pronged approach - a holistic, person-centred programme, tailored to fit the needs and requirements of the individual.”

Lotus Sanctuary typically provides properties for two years and, during that time, will work with the resident to understand their issues before creating a bespoke pathway to independence, including mental health and specialist support, access to training and a host of volunteering/employment opportunities. Over the last year, the CIC has grown from 24 units in the West Midlands to over 550 bed spaces in seven out of the nine English regions.

This is just the start, with strategic expansion plans targeting 2000 beds by 2022, with the biggest growth being in the Midlands and Greater London. Whilst the focus will still strongly be on supporting vulnerable women, the decision has been taken to create units for mothers with children and separate dedicated properties for men.

Lotus Sanctuary Business Development Manager, Stephanie Knight, added: “Volunteering is another fully fledged provision we are adding, giving volunteers the chance to get involved in supporting our residents. This carries a two-fold benefit of bolstering the amount of support we offer individuals and creating a pathway into employment for the volunteer…a win-win we like to think. Our mission is to eradicate homelessness and to do that we need to be bold and brave.

This means we are exploring financing options to start the purchase of freehold properties for Lotus Sanctuary itself (instead of us leasing) and are hoping to open coffee shops and second-hand furniture stores that can be staffed by our residents. Covid-19 and lockdowns are naturally presenting challenges for our plans, but we are determined as ever to take the Lotus ‘approach’ to as many people as we can.”

Following months of planning and a period of interviews, The Black Pounds Project is thrilled to announce the names of the first Black owned SME businesses in the West Midlands to benefit from the organisation’s free mentorship programme. The Black Pounds Project (BPP), founded by Birmingham playwright CJ Webley in 2020, aims to help Black businesses who have been severely hit and at risk because of COVID-19, continue to contribute to the regional economy.

Sue Bedward founder of Midlands Business Leadership Academy and member of the interview panel said: “In the current climate we are delighted to welcome onboard our first cohort of eight-businesses, who will receive mentoring, coaching, workshops, business support and advice services through the BPP. The high calibre and the diverse range of products and services they offer is exceptional and we look forward to helping them take their businesses to the next level in building capability, capacity and a stronger local economy for the West Midlands, #blackbusinessmatters.” Those announced were amongst thirty businesses to make it to the shortlist.

The West Midlands-based businesses confirmed are: Fiona Morrison, Fegus Designs offering a range of eye catching and vibrant merchandise and art for children, with a strong emphasis on diverse characters; Craig Markham, Bubble Bar a full service bar with a full range of local beers, ciders, wines, guest cocktails, gins and soft drinks served from a vintage caravan; Christianne Lee, Broke and Beautiful UK creating a brand for girls  who want a luxury handbag on a budget and on-trend for each season; Dave Daniels, Ms Tita Coffee a distinct, luxury and hearty coffee brand, born in the Jamaica Blue Mountain region; Ebony Hemmings, Breathe in Media helping businesses to maximise their digital platforms and engage with their audience through social media, video and content marketing; Kenya Mcfarlane, Natju  providing a range of freshly made natural juices, teas and a popular detox programme to suit all budgets; Ayisha Hamilton-Amos, Yeesh LTD a skincare and haircare beauty brand that specialises in naturally sourced products allowing men and women to take back control of what they allow on their skin and crown and Cleo Wright, Cleo’s Kitchen providing tasty healthy, vegan desserts and treats.

Founder CJ Webley said: “This Mentorship scheme will offer access to a pool of professional advisors who are dedicating their services for free to help kick start the businesses for when we come out of lockdown.  Topics covered will include professional development coaching and training in becoming legally and regulatory compliant across all areas and, where necessary, funding to help with digital and branding strategies, marketing materials, set up costs, graphic design and finance management.”

The BPP will support each business over a twelve-month period and, as the project develops, the team will compile a directory of high quality, professional Black owned businesses that everyone can benefit from.

The Black Pounds Project launched its fundraising page in June 2020. For the project to support as many Black businesses as possible during this time, further funding is desperately needed.

Leading investment professionals Rob Freer and David Newton have today announced the launch of NewHall Capital, an independent, owner managed private equity firm, with the aim of providing equity funding for companies in the Midlands to grow, create jobs and build value in their businesses.

Managing Director Rob Freer has over thirty years corporate finance and private equity experience, having previously held senior positions at NorthEdge Capital, Royal Bank Private Equity, Lloyds Banking Group, EY and Deloitte. He most recently set up and managed the Midlands office of NorthEdge Capital where he was responsible for originating and executing a number of successful investments. He was shortlisted twice for the Insider Dealmaker of the Year and secured the International Deal of the Year award in 2019. 

Rob is joined by David Newton who has previously worked as a corporate financier for EY, investment banks Williams de Broe, Seymour Pierce, XCAP Securities (where he was Head of Corporate Finance) and the Midlands based corporate finance boutique, Cattaneo. David has been the CEO of an AIM listed business and the FD of a number of SME companies.

NewHall Capital seeks to address the significant regional imbalances in the supply of SME equity finance that has historically favoured London and the North of England. They are looking to partner with local management teams committed to growing and developing their business.

NewHall Capital is now actively seeking investment opportunities with an enterprise value of up to £10 million and is predominantly focused on funding scenarios including Management Buyouts, Equity Release, Shareholder Recapitalisations and Development Capital transactions.

Unlike conventional private equity companies, NewHall Capital offers a highly flexible and tailored investment structure with no fixed term fund life. Most importantly, the team invest their own money into the deals they execute and manage, generating a strong alignment of interest with the management teams they are supporting.

The firm’s generalist sector approach and bespoke funding solutions, combined with the deep private equity, corporate finance and growth capital experience of its team, will ensure investee companies receive the right support they need to build value in their businesses.

Rob Freer, Managing Director of NewHall Capital stated: The SME sector in the Midlands has been underserved for too long. Despite the uncertainty caused by the government’s ongoing coronavirus lockdown, local businesses are keen for investment to grow their businesses, delivering on their existing plans or accelerating new opportunities. Therefore, I am delighted to say that we are firmly open for business and looking to secure as many quality opportunities as possible. We have been delighted to the response to our launch and are already reviewing a number of exciting opportunities.

Director at NewHall Capital, David Newton, added: “Everyone at NewHall Capital is passionate about supporting business in the Midlands and its neighbouring areas. We strongly believe that when it comes to investment, regional businesses want to work with a local partner they can build strong relationships with. Our supportive, straight forward approach, professional experience, and shared alignment provides the confidence that businesses need to invest and fulfil their financial, operational and strategic objectives.

“We look forward to working with like-minded passionate companies as we build value together.”

The government is to cut grants aimed at encouraging people to buy electric vehicles in a move that has been criticised by the motor industry.

The Department for Transport will reduce the grant from £3,000 to £2,500 and restrict it to cars under £35,000. But Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it is "the wrong move at the wrong time".

It said the decision goes against the government's zero emissions ambitions. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "This sends the wrong message to the consumer, especially private customers, and to an industry challenged to meet the government's ambition to be a world leader in the transition to zero emission mobility."

The government said that higher-priced vehicles are typically bought by drivers who can afford to switch to electric vehicles without a subsidy. It said the changes will allow funding for the grant to go further.

Transport minister Rachel Maclean said: "We want as many people as possible to be able to make the switch to electric vehicles."

"The increasing choice of new vehicles, growing demand from customers, and rapidly rising number of charge-points means that while the level of funding remains as high as ever, given soaring demand, we are re-focusing our vehicle grants on the more affordable zero emission vehicles."

The government will also alter how it calculates the plug-in van grant, and change the eligibility for grant to vehicles that are able to travel for 60 miles without any emissions. The plug-in car grant was introduced a decade ago, and was designed to reduce the price of electric cars, which generally cost more to make than petrol or diesel equivalents, to encourage more people to buy them.

Probation services must show greater consideration and confidence in their work with Black, Asian and minority ethnic service users and staff, according to a new report. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation found the probation service’s focus on racial equality has declined since Transforming Rehabilitation reforms were introduced in 2014.

Inspectors also found the service has no specific strategy for delivering activity to ethnic minority service users. More than 222,000 people are supervised by probation services across England and Wales. Around a fifth of people on probation are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “This has been a challenging year for probation staff and I pay tribute to the way they have pulled together to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the service faces other major challenges too – not least, ensuring that every service user, whatever their background, gets proper support and supervision.

“In this inspection, we found very little evidence of probation officers speaking to service users about their race, ethnicity or experiences of discrimination. Some officers – by their own admission – avoided talking about these issues altogether.

“Data about race, ethnicity and religion was missing in almost one in 10 inspected cases. Sometimes staff met with individuals who had experienced discrimination or trauma, but no issues were recorded on their file.

“These are disappointing findings. We have concerns about every stage of probation supervision from the quality of pre-sentencing reports – we found 40 per cent were insufficient in considering diversity factors – to the way that ethnic minority service users were involved in their assessment and sentence plans.

“Probation officers need to find out as much as possible about individuals to support their rehabilitation. How can you help someone if you don’t know what their life is like?”

Some individuals cited that it was difficult to engage with probation because of previous negative experiences with the police, prison staff or with white people in other positions of authority. Some service users reported their probation officers were kind and well-meaning but did not understand their heritage, culture or religion.

Links with local community organisations are poor and culturally-appropriate services are rarely commissioned. There are also few programmes to address racially-motivated offending.

The report also explored the experiences of ethnic minority probation staff. Key findings include:

·         inspectors heard distressing stories of inappropriate behaviour towards ethnic minority staff including instances of stereotyping, racist and sexualised language, and false allegations

·         ethnic minority staff were not always consulted or supported to work with individuals who had committed race-related offences

·         many surveyed staff did not feel it was safe to raise issues of racial discrimination at work and lacked faith that complaints would be handled appropriately. Inspectors heard serious complaints had been repeatedly downplayed, ignored or dismissed

·         of the 30 staff from our survey who had raised an issue of racial discrimination, only two felt the process and outcomes had been handled fairly

·         some ethnic minority staff felt recruitment and promotion practices were not open and fair.

The Inspectorate’s report includes 15 recommendations for HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the National Probation Service (NPS).

Mr Russell said: “In a little over 100 days, probation services will be unified in England and Wales. This is an important opportunity to reset and raise the standard of work with ethnic minority service users and staff.

“At a national level, we want to see a strategy that sets out how the unified service will work with ethnic minority service users. Data should be gathered and published to identify and address trends, for example if particular ethnic groups are breached or recalled to prison at a disproportionate rate.

“Training gaps across all grades need to be addressed. Training senior leaders and managers will lead to improved understanding and behaviour change. Training probation officers will ensure they understand the impact of racism and discrimination on service users’ lives and on their own practice.

“There is also an urgent job to do to rebuild trust with ethnic minority staff. It was painful to hear stories of discrimination and this was made worse by the fact that staff did not feel heard or believed and were considered ‘trouble-makers’.

“There is a critical need to review the complaints and grievance process and train managers to deal with discrimination confidentially and sensitively.”

In an unusual move, Mr Russell announced his intention to reinspect this work again in two years. He concluded: “HMPPS and the probation service are now paying attention to this issue but need to keep up the momentum. This work needs to be taken forward at pace, and real and rapid progress to further race equality in probation.”