A not-for-profit organisation that has recycled and redistributed thousands of laptops and other devices to the community free of charge is set to make an even bigger impact following the appointment of a new CEO. Wiltshire Digital Drive was set up during the 2020 lockdown to help combat the negative effect of school closures...
The Western Gateway, the pan-regional partnership that stretches from Swindon to Swansea via Bath, has appointed a new chair as it focuses its efforts on net zero and creating jobs and economic growth. Sarah Williams-Gardener, former CEO of FinTech Wales, takes over from Bristol-based Katherine Bennett CBE, who was the partnership’s first chair, having...
Industrial giant Siemens has said its new £100m rail equipment manufacturing plant announced this week will be the most sophisticated of its kind in the world. The Chippenham factory, which will employ around 800 skilled workers, will replace one on the same site which has produced signalling and control systems for much of the...
Logistics group Wincanton, which is poised to be taken over by US group GXO, hit the acquisition trail itself today by snapping up a specialist warehousing software firm. Chippenham-headquartered Wincanton, which has 20,300 employees and 8,500 vehicles in more than 170 sites across the UK, said buying Invar represented a key milestone in its...
Rob Chedzoy, tax partner at South West accountancy firm Milsted Langdon, cautioned that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt had targeted individuals with tax cuts at the expense of small businesses. He said the Chancellor had placed a heavy emphasis on relieving the financial burden on families and working individuals following a period of high living costs...
Phil Smith, managing director of Business West, the organisation behind Bath Chamber of Commerce, said while the Budget offered a number of initiatives that were likely to benefit the region’s businesses it lacked any measure that would tackle big issues such as transport, housing and infrastructure. “The creative and hospitality industries, which are significant contributors...
West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris, pictured, said “hard-pressed” West of England residents and businesses were still struggling with 70-year high levels of tax under the Conservatives, “despite today’s desperate attempts from the Chancellor to pretend otherwise”. The Labour leader of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), which covers Bath, added: “Instead of...
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has delivered his Spring Budget. The main points were: The Chancellor said growth had been higher in the UK since 2010 than every other European economy. But future growth would not come from mass immigration. He promised a Budget for future growth. Inflation had been halved to 4%. It was 11% when...
Growing UK transport technology specialist TEG has opened an office in Chippenham in a move that boosts the town’s reputation as a centre for the hi-tech sector. TEG, which has its headquarters in London, is occupying a floor of office block Bewley House, pictured, where it is alongside German industrial giant Siemens and two...
An awards scheme that champions the West of England’s best bee-friendly businesses is back – with some of the region’s biggest firms promising to create some extra buzz around it. The first Bee Bold Awards were held last year to champion the region’s pollinator champions. Among the winners were Bath digital technology agency Storm, city-based...
