Rotherham United bosses have provided an update on the regeneration of the former Guest & Chrimes factory that remains vacant alongside the club's £20m AESSEAL New York Stadium.
On the edge of the town centre, the area is seen as a key development site in the latest Rotherham town centre masterplan and whilst the community stadium opened in 2012, plans to demolish the foundry to make way for new schemes stalled after English Heritage (now Historic England) strongly objected to the idea.
The Grade II listed buildings sit between the stadium and the council's offices on Main Street and have been empty since 1999. Consultants for the club, Gleeds, estimated that it would take an investment of £8.8m just to bring the current property up to a marketable condition and said that there had been little interest from developers in doing so.
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At a recent fan's forum, Tony Stewart, chairman of Rotherham United, gave the latest on the situation after the masterplan outlined the aim to create a focus for recreation and sporting activity in the town.
Stewart said: "We have a leisure company who want to invest their time and resources into the Guest & Chrimes building. The potential investors are a trampoline centre which would be the largest in the UK. I think it would be good for town.
"We have got a good relationship with English Heritage. It is a Grade 2 building, we have had many positive meetings."
A further announcement is expected around Christmas.
Opened in 1857, the history of the works is of national and international significance due to the role of the Guest & Chrimes business in pioneering the design and manufacture of brass valves and screw-down taps across the world.
Rothbiz understands that Heritage England are keen to retain as much of the buildings as is possible but they can accept significant change provided the conservation and interpretation of the site and its history through redevelopment conveys the significance of the previous use of the riverside area.
The masterplan, which was recently adopted by the Council, said: "Although the buildings are not in themselves unique or architecturally "stunning" their arrangement and functionality provide a clear visual language for how a founder and brass works from this period were composed.
"The building's significance is described by Historic England and these features should be reflected in the proposed scheme for the site, presently being progressed by Rotherham United.
"Historic England has been involved fully with the development of the masterplan. Their approach is positive and flexible and their key requirement is that the proposals "conserve and enhance" the significance of the buildings and its unique social history through a strong and robust conservation.
"The story of Guest & Chrimes needs to be told to the people of Rotherham. Historic England have stated that with the "right" conservation approach they will be quite flexible in terms of redevelopment."
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A cgi was produced by masterplan consultants, WYG to show how the Guest & Chrimes site might looked when developed (top).
The site was purchased by Rotherham Council for £2.6m from developers, Evans in 2010 and is now controlled by the football club which has a very long lease from the Council.
The masterplan adds: "The works are affected by flooding constraints with the original buildings set 2m below the stadium and Riverside House which are designed to reflect the area being within flood zone 2. Redevelopment proposals must address this constraint through creative design and conservation."
Andrew Clarke, a project director at WYG who worked on the masterplan and originates from Rotherham, believes that the water tower that displays the Guest & Chrimes name is the most significant element of the building and serves as a landmark from the town centre.
Clarke said: "The water tower should be retained and enhanced. Proposed development should also reflect the rhythm of the existing building, along with the scale. The detail along the front range is important, including the gateway entrance which creates a distinctive waterside frontage. The three internal ranges are of merit and the central of these with its "rounded" gable is noteworthy.
"As many of these features as possible should be retained or incorporated, but it is recognised by all that change and some demolition will be necessary to deliver a viable and deliverable scheme."
Rotherham-based Crawshaw Group PLC, the fresh meat and food to go retailer, has given an update on its transitional plans.
The AIM-listed Hellaby firm announced growth plans in 2015 that included £200m of investment, opening 200 stores and creating 2,500 jobs. It secured new investment in April this year that was expected to enable the restart of its accelerated new store opening programme, with an initial focus on factory shop locations.
In its results for the 26 weeks ended July 30 2017, the board said that progress had been made against the strategy to position Crawshaws as Britain's leading value butcher.
The strategy is focused on accelerating the rollout of its factory shop format. These destination sites are seen as particularly attractive as they allow the retailer to offer even greater value to customers through larger pack sizes and value progression. Factory shops are a simpler model to implement and operate, have lower rents and require significantly lower set up costs.
Crawshaws now has eight standalone factory shop units and has reduced set up costs by 25% to aid future openings. The target rate is ten new shops a year, with factory shops expected to account for well over half of group revenue in 2020.
New stores in Liverpool and York are the latest openings.
Revenue for the group was up 2.3% to £22.1m but a loss before tax of £1.2m was reported. Losses had widened from the loss of £0.4m reported in the same period last year. Like for like sales were down 4.2%.
Crawshaw said it had re-established its customer base but margins were being affected by a weakness in sterling.
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In April, heads of terms were agreed on a deal for 2 Sisters Food Group founder and chief executive, Ranjit Boparan (and connected party), to invest approximately £5.1m for a 29.9% stake in Crawshaw, with warrants to acquire a further 20.1% of the Group.
The deal, which saw Boparan become an advisor to the Crawshaw Board, also includes an initial three-year supply agreement for Crawshaw to acquire fresh meat and other products from 2 Sisters, one of Europe's largest meat and food producers.
Noel Collett, CEO at Crawshaws plc, said: "These results demonstrate progress in ensuring we have high quality products at the lowest possible prices. The improvements to the breadth, depth and price of our ranges are driving the significantly improving trend in customer numbers, which is a key metric of loyalty and success in preparation for the important winter and festive season ahead.
"As part of our focus on achieving unbeatable value, we are prioritising and accelerating the rollout of our proven factory shop format. The economics of these sites are hugely attractive, and they allow us to offer a wider range of fresh meat and associated products at a price not possible in our high street shops.
"We remain excited by our 2Sisters supply agreement and believe this partnership will be transformational for the long-term growth of the Group. Market conditions remain challenging, but we are confident that our focus on value leaves us well placed for the long-term."
Jim McCarthy, chairman of Crawshaw plc, added: "Since joining Crawshaws earlier this year, I have been impressed by the progress that Noel and the team are making. The accelerated roll out of the successful factory shop format is strengthening the business's reputation for delivering amazing value, which is underpinned by the transformational supply agreement with 2Sisters.
"Crawshaws is one of the most exciting businesses in the value sector and the Board is confident that all the work done this year means the business is well set to create value for investors."
Local construction businesses Keepmoat Regeneration and Keepmoat Homes have teamed up with the Titans Community Foundation to offer children healthy eating advice and sports and fitness coaching.
Earlier this year, ENGIE, a leading energy and services provider, completed the acquisition of Keepmoat's Regeneration division which includes a significant operation in Rotherham.
Working with the charitable arm of Rotherham Titans Rugby, the companies recently launched the programme at Denaby Main Primary Academy in Doncaster where staff from both organisations spoke to the children about the importance of eating healthily and regular exercise and gave out free fruit for them to enjoy.
The Titans Community Foundation also held rugby taster sessions to teach the youngsters how to work as part of a team while keeping active.
The programme will last a year and will include regular visits from the Titans Community Foundation, Keepmoat Regeneration and Keepmoat Homes to carry out exercise activities, construction-related workshops and reading sessions. The children will also get the chance to visit live construction sites and learn about job roles in the industry.
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Neil Baxter, new business director at Keepmoat Regeneration, said: "As a local business, it's important for us to invest in the communities in which we work.
"We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Titans Community Foundation and hope this programme will have a very positive impact on the schoolchildren."
Victoria Gorton, principal at Denaby Main Primary Academy, said: "Here at Denaby Main our strategic plan was to build in more opportunities for outdoor learning options for the children, so we were thrilled when the Titans Community Foundation, Keepmoat Regeneration and Keepmoat Homes approached us to take part in this project.
"Not only will the children have access to top level athletes who are role models when it comes to perseverance, hard work, dedication and commitment, but we will also benefit from a strong partnership with Keepmoat Regeneration and Keepmoat Homes to give the children opportunities to learn about the construction industry."
John Lewis, chief executive at the Titans Community Foundation, said: "The Titans Community Foundation has been delivering "education through rugby" since 2004. The players will engage with children, staff and parents and support the school's values of "safe, respect, and ready."
"It is a privilege to work with Keepmoat Regeneration, Keepmoat Homes, Denaby Main Academy and the Astrea Trust in helping the school improve the fitness, attainment and well-being of everyone at Denaby Main."
Manufacturing specialist, MTL Advanced is creating 30 new jobs in Rotherham having secured a "significant order" in the rail sector earlier in the year.
Rothbiz reported in February that MTL, part of the Darwen-based WEC Group, won a significant order to supply complex safety critical fabrications to a leading rail industry OEM.
The manufacturer has not been named but the multi-million pound contract will ultimately be used for the Crossrail project bringing a new railway line to central London.
Now MTL Advanced says that over 30 new welding/fabrication, CNC machining, press braking and painting jobs are being created following a 100% increase in staff numbers over the past 24 months.
Since being taking over by the WEC Group, the firm has gone from strength to strength - winning orders and taking on staff backed by over £8m of investment from the new owners.
The contract will run over a number of years at the company's 13 hectare facility on Grange Lane, Brinsworth and is a major boost for the business.
MTL Advanced recently achieved BS EN 3834-2 accreditation for passenger rail and freight wagons and supplies Category 1 safety critical parts such as cab & bogie structures, body shell components, bolsters and fuel tanks. The firm is approved by Bombardier Transportation through its "SEAP" process used to evaluate and approve suppliers. Bombardier in Derby is producing the trains for Crossrail.
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Karl Stewart, commercial director at MTL Advanced, said: "We won this contract based on our manufacturing capabilities and our commitment to quality and delivery.
"The business is expanding and we have increased staff numbers from 130 to over 250 since 2015, which is expected to reach 300 by 2018. This is an exciting time for us, the UK's manufacturing industry and the surrounding area as we continue to boost local job creation."
The growth at MTL is supported by a number of long term contract wins in prolific industries such as defence, recycling and construction. The company has also recently taken on eight engineering apprentices and is looking to increase this to 20, as part of a five year program which is designed to provide individuals in the area with the skills and qualifications required to carve out a successful career in engineering.
Stewart added: "We have identified key areas as part of our ambitious growth strategy, and rail is a sector where we can make great progress as we are ideally located in Yorkshire's booming manufacturing hub."
As a one-stop-shop, MTL has extensive and large scale capabilities with on-site access to all of the latest fabrication, laser and machining technology. The rail project involves using a range of processes including laser cutting, bending, machining and welding/fabrication which are subject to the most stringent quality requirements from the client.
A dedicated 2,600 sq ft clean area is used for the welding of the aluminium structures, and a new surface treatment facility has been developed specifically for shot peening aluminium.
Free digital training for start-ups will be on offer at a unique location tomorrow as the Google Digital Garage bus tour visits Rotherham town centre.
As part of its Google's Digital Garage initiative, the bus is stopping at over 30 locations to offer free workshops and face-to-face coaching on anything from websites to online marketing and beyond.
The mobile exhibition centre will be based in Effingham Square on Friday from 10am to 5pm, providing an opportunity for new and recently launched businesses to meet with Google staff and find out about the Google Garage based in Sheffield, plus other valuable support services.
Google's Digital Garage is temporarily based in the former Early Learning Centre building in Pinstone Street in Sheffield city centre. The tech giant's first high street store is the venue for a range of digital skills courses. Attendees can learn the vital skills needed to succeed in the digital age, from how to develop their web presence, grow their business or charities online, improve their career prospects or just build their confidence by using online tools for the first time.
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Alina Dimofte, digital skills policy lead at Google, said: "Following our ongoing success in getting people engaged and learning via our high street Digital Garages in Sheffield and Birmingham, we wanted to make our training even more accessible, so have started the bus tour to take training right to people's doorsteps."
In last year's Tech City report, Sheffield and Rotherham were identified as one of 27 digital tech clusters in the UK, and used as a case study evidencing growth in the UKs digital tech economy. In the report, there were 14,313 digital tech jobs in Rotherham and Sheffield pumping £273m Gross Value Added (GVA) into the local economy.
On Saturday, RiDO, the regeneration arm of Rotherham Council, will be offering free start-up advice at Parkgate Shopping from 10am to 4pm through its business support project - "Mighty."
RiDO is a partner in the Launchpad business support programme that forms part of the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, it provides free help and support to budding entrepreneurs who are thinking of starting their own business, or have started trading within the last two years.
A new pilot project has been launched as part of efforts to ensure that thousands more new houses are built to support the continued economic growth of the Sheffield city region (SCR).
With work underway on a new Inclusive Industrial Strategy, the Local Enterprise Partnership highlights the importance of increasing not only the number of new homes, but ensuring they are high quality, with good transport connections. It also stresses the important role that new housing and improved education have in shaping more vibrant and successful cities and towns.
An £8m pilot Housing Fund has been launched this week that will complement current national housing investment programmes, help to unlock development opportunities, and deliver much-needed new homes across the city region.
Shaped and allocated based on locally set criteria and available over a longer timeframe, the Housing Fund offers a flexible approach to the allocation of monies, with various funding solutions available to meet the requirements of individual schemes across the region.
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The prospectus states: "SCR needs to build more homes, and we have set a target of 70,000 new homes by 2024. We have built 10,720 new homes over three years against a target of over 19,000. At the current rate we would reach 39,000 new homes in the ten-year period. The good news is that we are building houses faster than any point in the last five years, and have managed to increase the rate of completion every year since 2012. But we still need to do more to meet
our ambitious housing target.
"In 2015/16, 3,400 new homes were built in Sheffield City Region. The Growth Plan estimates that 7,000 new homes are needed each year to support economic growth. SCR therefore needs to double or treble its efforts to achieve this target."
Funding is available to a wide range of public and private sector partners across the housing sector and expressions of interest are being invited from providers and delivery organisations.
The project is described as a "fund of last resort," that will support schemes that otherwise would not happen. Money can be used on capital aspects such as site acquisition, remediation, infrastructure and the direct delivery of new homes.
At the same time, the SCR is continuing to develop a second project, its new "More New Homes" partnership approach to tackle the need to build more social homes in the region. By bringing together the region's key housing bodies, the approach could deliver at least 1,360 new affordable homes and 200 market price homes each year. A bid is being submitted to the Government's Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme for around £23m annually.
A new footbridge is being planned to improve pedestrian access at Rotherham central station as work continues to improve a key gateway into the town centre.
Work has been carried out around the revamped station recently in preparation for innovative tram train vehicles that will connect Rotherham and Parkgate with Meadowhall and the centre of Sheffield.
Network Rail needed to demolish and install a new bridge on College Road over the tracks as the previous one did not have enough room for the overhead lines which will power the innovative vehicles.
Now plans have been submitted by Rotherham Council for a new footbridge alongside Masbrough Bridge which spans the Rotherham Cut of the canal which surrounds Forge Island.
Previously the Rotherham Forge & Rolling Mills, the 1.57 hectare site has recently been fully cleared following the relocation of Tesco across town in 2014. Owned by the Council, a developer is being sought for a joint venture to realise a proposed £43m catalyst regeneration project anchored by a cinema and hotel.
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Close to Rotherham Old Bridge, which is a scheduled ancient monument, and the Chapel on the Bridge, which is a Grade I listed building, the proposals for the new footbridge are for it to be "sympathetic to its surroundings and acknowledge Rotherham's industrial heritage with the proposed use of Corten weathering steel, and Rotherham's historic heritage with the proposed use of natural stone on the bridge approaches."
Weathering steel is popularly used in outdoor sculptures, notably the Angel of the North in Gateshead.
The application states that the bridge will provide improved pedestrian access over the canal, avoiding the use of the existing canal bridge.
The area around the canal was upgraded by the Council when the station underwent a £10.4m redevelopment and re-opened in 2012.
An existing funding commitment has been secured by Rotherham Council for a highway and public realm improvement scheme between the bus interchange along Chantry Bridge and Bridge Street. This is set to significantly improve the pedestrian environment and linkages between the bus and rail stations.
Department of Transport funding, obtained through Sheffield City Region, will enable a number of improvements to take place with work taking place in the Corporation Street, Bridge Street and Frederick Street area.
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The 24-space "Scala" car park at the bottom of Corporation Street will be closed until late January to enable works to help improve access for cyclists and pedestrians to be carried out in the area.
Paul Woodcock, assistant director for planning, regeneration and transportation at Rotherham Council, said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused while the Scala car park is out of use, however the additional parking at Forge Island is very close by and also free of charge at weekends.
"These improvements are just part of our overall plans to improve this area of the town and we look forward to seeing a much-improved environment for visitors to enjoy."
Xeros continues to spend big on R&D and commercialising its patented polymer technology as it develops "IP-rich, capital-light models" in cleaning, tanneries and textiles.
Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), Xeros is a Leeds University spin-out that has developed a patented system using a unique method of special polymer beads rather than the usual large amounts of fresh water to clean clothes. It is also working to deploy the beads in large scale tanneries and develop the technology for the use in the production of textiles.
In its results for the six months to June 30 2017, the AIM-listed firm discussed progress made in each target sector. In cleaning, the firm reported on its Symphony Project which is spearheading a move away from the company manufacturing its own machines. Instead, a simple retrofit pedestal can integrate the polymer bead cleaning system into conventional machinery, enabling its water-saving revolution in laundry to be brought to market by leading manufacturers.
The company said that it is "making allies of former competitors."
Xeros successfully demonstrated a working prototype at the Clean Show in early June and recently signed a development agreement with a leading manufacturer of commercial washing machines.
Exemplifying the move away from the capital rich model of providing machines to laundries, Xeros has partnered with Hitachi Capital to provide a range of lease financing packages to customers.
The total installed estate of commercial machines has increased by 36% to 378 machines with new markets opening up in countries with water scarcity issues such as Australia and Dubai. The focus for Xeros is raising revenue through the beads themselves. Service income from the installed machines has increased significantly during the six months, showing growth of 82.6%.
Group revenue for the six months was £1.1m, up from the £0.8m in the same period last year. Revenue is not recognised from a machine sale until a number of stages are completed. A further 55 machines are currently going through the stages with 82 moving towards binding agreements.
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Mark Nichols, chief executive of Xeros, said: "We have continued to make sound progress on the implementation of our strategy to establish our unique polymer technology in three world-scale industries: cleaning, tanning and textiles.
"We are developing IP-rich, capital-light business models to licence our technology to world-leading market incumbents that will provide Xeros with stable income streams with long term visibility.
"In cleaning, we are beginning to make allies of former competitors through our Symphony Project and have developed what we believe to be a breakthrough in the design of domestic washing machines incorporating Xeros technology."
All eyes will be on Xeros at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January where the company is expected to demonstrate the domestic machine design. Researchers have been working on a prototype which targets simple changes for the incorporation of Xeros' technology within any domestic washing machine.
During the six months, Xeros spent £2.8m on R&D including staff and patent costs. Overall staff numbers have increased from 108 to 134. In line with the board's expectations, the group posted an adjusted EBITDA (earnings before taxes) loss of £13.2m, an increase on the £7.4m loss posted last year.
Much of the spend has been on the development of the textiles applications and further polymer development activity. Xeros' intellectual property portfolio now has a further seven patent family applications, taking the total to 48. The third generation of polymer beads have given early indications that the technology can reduce the chemistry, water consumption and effluent in textile manufacturing.
Further along in development is the use of the beads in leather processing. A 10-year contract was signed in July with Wollsdorf Leder in Austria to progressively convert re-tanning processes to Xeros' technology. Four European tanneries have completed R&D trials and three European tanneries are expected to start trials before the end of the year.
Having raised a further £40m in a share issue at the end of 2015, the firm has some £16m in reserves to continue its commercialisation. The update concluded that the board believes that Xeros remains "well positioned to deliver further progress on commercialisation across all targeted applications in the current year and into 2018."
A South Yorkshire gang, whose criminal tax evasion enterprise was based at a warehouse in Rotherham, have been jailed for a total of 19 years.
The four men, who came from Doncaster and Rotherham, used duplicated paperwork to bring truckloads of beer into the country from France, Belgium and Germany in a scam known as diversion fraud.
An investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) found the gang sold the illegally imported goods for cash on a "no VAT, no invoice" basis to small off licences and other retailers across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, predominantly in Doncaster, Hull and Scunthorpe.
Ringleader Huseyin Zerze, of Lonsdale Avenue, Doncaster,used a sandwich shop as a front to hide his criminal scheme transforming it from making £30,000-a-year to spending around £1.5m on alcohol in five months.
The goods were purchased by the gang before being imported into the UK via a bonded warehouse in Germany, where alcohol can be stored without paying duty. Large volumes of household branded beer, including Budweiser, Carlsberg and Stella, were illegally imported and sold in the UK.
According to the import paperwork, the truckloads of duty-suspended beer were destined for UK bonded warehouses based in Haydock, Doncaster and London. However the beer was illegally diverted to the gang's premises and then sold without duty being paid.
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The gang initially used Expo Cash & Carry Ltd, owned by Zerze, to run the fraud from premises in Doncaster, Liverpool and Roydon. The business closed down in June 2013 after HMRC started looking into the company.
Zerze and his right hand man, Ozgur Kaplan, of Pringle Road, Rotherham, continued the fraud using the company details and accounts of a former £30,000 a year sandwich shop in York called The Pita (UK) Ltd.
The gang leader also employed his uncles, Ibrahim and Huseyin Mayil, to set up a new business called Rotherham Cash & Carry Ltd at Hellaby, to take deliveries and sell the illegal goods once they arrived in the UK.
HMRC officers raided Rotherham Cash & Carry, in November 2013. At the same time, German authorities closed down the bonded warehouse after the company was found to be operating illegally.
They seized more than 425,000 litres of smuggled beer, worth £575,706 in duty, and £68,000 cash from various businesses premises.
Kaplan was arrested in November 2013 and £43,000 cash as well as receipts for the purchase of more than £215,000 of alcohol were seized from his vehicle. A further £5,000 was seized from his former home address in Wood Green, London.
When Huseyin Mayil was arrested, officers seized £20,000 from him. His brother was arrested in January 2015.
The four men were sentenced for conspiring to cheat the public revenue at Leeds Crown Court last week. Proceedings are underway to recover any profit made from these crimes.
Stuart Taylor, assistant director, fraud investigation Service at HMRC, said: "This was a sophisticated and shameful attack on the UK's alcohol trade that undoubtedly harmed legitimate and hardworking businesses. Zerze and his criminal gang stole millions of pounds which should have been used to fund our public services and now they are paying the price behind bars."
An international footballer turned entrepreneur will be in the region next month to kick off a free event highlighting the importance of mentoring in business.
In his fourteen year career, Danny Mills won the League Cup with Middlesbrough, earned 19 caps for his country and played for four Premier League clubs including Leeds United and Manchester City.
Outside of football, the former right back has built and maintained a commercial and residential property portfolio and following his retirement from the game, Danny has continued to develop his business interests, successfully turning around the West Cornwall Pasty Co and sold Deeside print from Excelsior Technologies for £33m earlier this year.
Mills will speak at a special event hosted by Launchpad Mentoring; a Sheffield city region wide programme which matches new entrepreneurs with experienced business owners. The event is designed to encourage business owners to pledge their support and sign up to become a Launchpad mentor, to pass their skills and knowledge to new entrepreneurs to help them achieve their full potential.
Now an investor and member of the advisory board at Enact, a turnaround business fund which is part of Endless LLP in Leeds, Danny will share the story of his dramatic change of direction from football to business as well as providing tips and tools to promote business growth and explaining how the role of mentors has helped to shape his own business journey.
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The Launchpad programme is a £4m, three year, part-ERDF funded programme and the event on October 25 forms part of Launchpad Mentoring Month and is just one of a series of workshops and activities.
Irshad Akbar, business mentoring manager at Launchpad, said: "Many individuals who start a business need support from someone who has been there and done it and working with a mentor can offer insight and experience along the way. The Launchpad Mentoring programme was established to connect new entrepreneurs with existing business owners who are keen to see others in the Sheffield City Region succeed.
"We are looking forward to welcoming Danny Mills as our guest of honour. Although he is perhaps best known for his exploits and success on the pitch, since retiring from the beautiful game Danny has established himself as a highly successful business owner and during the event he will be sharing anecdotes from his playing days, as well as offering tips on how to succeed in business.
"This special event, which forms part of a month dedicated to mentoring, highlights and celebrates the work undertaken as a result of mentoring whilst encouraging new entrepreneurs and business owners to take advantage of the free support available through the Launchpad programme."
Danny Mills, investor at Enact (pictured), added: "I have always had an interest in business and alongside my football career I created a successful commercial and residential property portfolio. After retiring from professional football I wanted to put my business skills and knowledge to further use and joined forces with the partners at private equity turnaround specialist Endless LLP to form Enact, creating an investment fund aimed at helping distressed SME businesses get back to success.
"I am honoured to be speaking at the Launchpad Mentoring event, which I hope will help aspiring and existing business owners within the Sheffield city region to find out more about the help and support which is readily available on their doorstep."
The event, at The Hide in Sheffield, is free for entrepreneurs and business owners within the city region who will need to register here.
Rotherham-based retailer, Fishing Republic, expects to move back into profit this year as the high level of investment in expansion begins to pay off in the second half of the year.
One of the largest fishing tackle retailers in the UK, the Eastwood company floated on the AIM stock exchange in 2015, raising millions to help carry out its expansion plans. A new share placing during 2016 landed a further £3.75m.
Fishing Republic is acting as a consolidator and expansion plans involve new larger format stores and snapping up smaller, often family-owned fishing retail businesses.
Seven stores have opened this calendar year, with the network growing to 19. New store openings replicate the "destination" store format, catering for all types of fishing disciplines with an extensive product range, and are located in light-industrial estates with convenient access and good car parking facilities. New locations for stores are being reviewed, as are potential acquisitions.
Reporting its interim financial results for the six months ended June 30 2017, the Eastwood firm said that revenues were up 64% to £4.09m from the £2.5m in 2016, with like-for-like sales up by 22%. The investment in expansion meant that overall a loss before tax was posted of £0.12m. The same period last year saw a profit before tax of £0.16m.
Fishing Republic continues to execute its multi-channel growth model, focusing on transitioning the majority of online sales to its own websites, where margins are higher and direct relationships can be created with customers. Website sales accelerated in the first half of 2017, with sales up by 140% year-on-year. Total online sales, including revenues through third party platforms, rose by 23% to £929,400.
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James Newman, chairman of Fishing Republic, said: "Fishing Republic continues to deliver on its ambitions to materially expand its presence, both physically and online, in the fishing tackle marketplace. This is evident in the strong revenue growth achieved in the first half of the year, as store sales rose by 83% and sales via the company's own website grew by 140% in the period.
"The opportunity for Fishing Republic to establish a dominant position in its highly fragmented sector is exciting and the group remains very well-positioned for ongoing growth, both in store and online."
Steve Gross, CEO at Fishing Republic, added: "I am delighted with the progress we have made so far this year. We have continued with the expansion of our "destination" store network, opening five new stores in the period with a further two opened in August. Our estate now stands at 19 stores and covers new geographic regions, including South East Midlands and East Anglia, which will also help to support our online strategy.
"Online sales are also a key focus and we continue to transition away from third party platforms to our own websites, particularly www.fishingrepublic.net. Sales via our own sites grew by 140% and we are supporting them with significant new investment in our site functionality and services. The average customer basket value on our own site was £70.59, compared to £14.54 average basket generated by third party marketplaces.
"We remain excited about the opportunity for consolidation, given the fragmented nature of the sector, and continue to consider complementary acquisitions, as well as organic growth opportunities.
"We look forward to a second half of continuing strong progress."
A new strategy has been drafted for ensuring that the continued economic growth across the Sheffield city region benefits the whole of the population.
Outlined recently by the SCR Local Enterprise Partnership, the main focus of the Inclusive Industrial Strategy is generating wealth and jobs. It has the aim of creating a 21st Century Making City Region.
Whilst the number of jobs has increased along with the GVA (the increase in the value of the economy due to the production of goods and services), inequality has remained high and significant parts of the population have not benefited from economic growth.
The LEP reported that 16,000 new jobs had been brought to the economy in the last three years and the SCR's private sector added some £1.34 billion in GVA between 2013 and 2015. However, it was estimated that the city region's GVA has to increase by £3 billion just to reach the national average (excluding London) and GVA per head in SCR is only £16,786, suggesting low productivity.
The draft strategy outlines that: "Our objective will be to accelerate growth whilst ensuring this creates more and better jobs, providing opportunities for people from communities throughout the City Region where intergenerational unemployment and deprivation remain pressing challenges. However, for growth to be inclusive we first need to generate wealth and jobs. As such the focus of industrial policy should be to tackle the issues making places less productive and build on their underlying capabilities.
"Inclusive growth is integral to our Industrial Strategy approach as social and spatial disparities can act as a drag on productivity and future growth prospects and create wider social costs. So, by making growth inclusive we can release latent potential in the labour market to generate wealth but also help improve life chances and reduce the demand on public services and spending. However, there is also growing evidence that productivity gaps in the economy have contributed to widening wage disparities over the past two or three decades. So, inclusive growth and productivity are two sides of the same coin."
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The strategy looks at businesses support and new technologies, building upon existing assets such as the Rotherham and Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District. It also sets out a plan to identify companies with significant growth potential and offer them further support. There will also be an additional drive to improve the city region's international brand and reputation.
Creating places where people want to live, work and play is also a key priority. The strategy sets out a vision for achieving this by developing plans that focus upon the city region’s urban areas, as well as the seven “growth” areas. Using Government finance to support housebuilding will be key to delivering on this.
The priority for skills will be to close the city region's skills deficit, in order to drive higher growth and productivity. This would be done by means such as study programmes, apprenticeships or work placements.
The final priority outlined in the report is transport. From moving around the city region itself, through a fully-integrated public transport system, to improving links across the North, the UK and internationally through Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Sir Nigel Knowles, chairman of the LEP, said: "Supporting people and businesses across the Sheffield City Region to thrive has consistently been at the core of our thinking and action.
"But we want to go further, unlocking the potential to grow faster. That's why this Inclusive Industrial Strategy has been written, in order to enable us to invest and deliver in a new way, looking at how we can best help those marginalised groups and places.
"The strategy is about crucial elements for economic growth such as job creation, building new homes and enabling businesses to thrive.
"While we are incredibly proud of what we're doing already – indeed, we've seen the first private sector growth in a generation – we want to go beyond this and ensure that all our diverse communities across the city region benefit from economic growth."
The Inclusive Industrial Strategy will go out to consultation before a final version is formally considered by the LEP before the end of the year.
A planning inspector will rule whether a 6-pitch traveller site can be created on Green Belt land adjacent to the site of a proposed £37m leisure development at Rother Valley.
Plans have been refused twice by Rotherham Council and now the applicant has appealed the latest decision.
In March last year plans were submitted by a Mr Smith for a 12-pitch traveller site and screening mound with planting on a reclaimed site of vacant grassland at Swallownest between the A57 and railway line, to the north of the development site known as Pit House West.
Rotherham Council refused the application and concluded that the site is considered to be in an unsustainable location and the proposals would have an adverse impact on the openness of the Green Belt.
At the end of 2016, new plans were submitted for a change of use of the land for the siting of caravans for residential purposes for six gypsy pitches together with the installation of hardstanding.
Again, Rotherham Council refused the plans based on the inappropriateness of the development and the adverse impact on the openness of the Green Belt in this location.
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Applicants need to demonstrate very special circumstances to justify development in the Green Belt and the applicant's appeal is based on the development constituting "sustainable development and would provide much needed accommodation for gypsy and travellers within the Rotherham MBC [area]."
Planning consultants for the applicant said in an appeal statement that material considerations should be given weight as the Council has yet to sign off its Local Plan and are unable to demonstrate a five year supply of gypsy and traveller pitches.
With a need identified for more pitches, the borough's local plan included a proposal to use land at a former council depot at Dog Kennels Lane, Kiveton Park for a gypsy and traveller site. It is big enough to hold six to eight pitches.
An appeal hearing, where the inspector will hear representations on the application, has been scheduled for November 14.
Planning permission was granted earlier this year for the £37m Gulliver's Valley family theme park on the Pit House West site where the family-owned business is purchasing around 250 acres of the restored former colliery and opencast site from Rotherham Council. The applicants demonstrated very special circumstances, not least the 400 jobs that are expected to be created and the total annual operating net economic impact on the local economy of £11.6m.
The scheme is expected to be built over 12 - 15 years in a number of phases. Phase one includes the main Gulliver's theme park with three themed areas, the entrance hub and castle, and is set to open in 2020.
The community being created at the Waverley development in Rotherham is set to become a trailblazing hub of physical activity as a result of an innovative partnership between Sheffield Hallam University and Harworth Group plc.
Approved in 2010, the largest, most complex, planning application ever considered by Rotherham Council gave outline approval for South Yorkshire's largest ever brownfield development, creating a new 3,890 home community across 741 acres of the former Orgreave coking works site. It also includes the world-renowned Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).
Land-owners and developers, Harworth, has secured a funding boost of £30,000 from Innovate UK and will work a team of experts from across the University to incorporate physical activity opportunities into the daily lives of those living and working at Waverley.
Academics with backgrounds in sport and health will work with the Harworth's developers to design an "active environment" at Waverley. The project, which has been part-funded by Harworth and the University, will take ideas put forward during workshops with residents and employees exploring how space and facilities around the site can be utilised to create opportunities for people to become more active.
These workshops will allow designers to develop an active environment prototype which, once implemented, will form a benchmark for similar development sites across the country.
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The work follows from staff at the AMP taking part in in-depth consultation around the University's Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) on the site of the former Don Valley stadium.
Professor Steve Haake, director of Sheffield Hallam's AWRC, said "The property development market currently lacks innovation or focus on physical activity which makes this a really exciting opportunity. In partnership with Harworth, the project will make Waverley an exemplar for how development can be undertaken to enhance wider social and economic benefits.
"If we get this right, then the quality of life of the residents and workers on the site will improve, as will the development of the site itself. Developers across the country could look to this in years to come as the first site where physical activity has been integrated into a development like this."
Duncan Armstrong-Payne, associate director of major projects at Harworth Group, added: "A key part of Waverley's ongoing development is creating quality open spaces and leisure facilities to meet the increasing needs of those living there or working at the AMP. This is a really exciting partnership and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can deliver."
Sheffield and Rotherham Councils will need to come up with local plans next year for reducing air pollution or risk the Government imposing schemes to charge users of congested roads like the Parkway.
Rothbiz reported in July on the national UK Air Quality Plan for tackling nitrogen dioxide which includes measures to invest in road improvements to ease congestion, accelerate the uptake low-emission vehicles, retrofit technology to vehicles, promote cycling and walking and invest in bus services.
Rotherham (alongside Sheffield and Doncaster) is one of 38 English local authorities with one or more roads forecast persistently to exceed NO2 legal limits based on initial modelling. Councils have now been charged with putting together feasibility studies as to whether a "Clean Air Zone" (CAZ) is needed in their area.
The zones fall into two categories, non-charging and charging. In non-charging CAZs, a range of local actions on any source of air pollution could be instigated, such as car sharing, cycling schemes, or park and ride schemes.
In addition to the actions above, charging CAZs place additional access restrictions on vehicles that do not meet the set standards of the zone by requiring them to pay a charge to enter. Charges are not a required part of CAZ proposals and would only be expected where equally effective alternatives are not identified.
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Cllr. Emma Hoddinott, cabinet member for community safety at Rotherham Council, said: "I've been really disappointed with the recent Government air quality plan which suggested that the solution for us was to include road charging and to charge for road users to use the Parkway and Centenary Way. We vehemently opposed that - it would not be a solution, it would put a lot of the traffic on to residential roads and that would make it worse for our residents.
"The Government have listened in part to us on that and have removed the proposals for the charging on Centenary Way. However, they still want us to consider, or implement, charging on the Parkway.
"I have real concerns about that and how it may affect our residents but also key strategic sites like the Advanced Manufacturing Park. The Government is asking us to undertake a feasibility study that we've got to do by March next year but I'm very clear that road charging is not the solution to this and we need more Government action."
The member added that the Council had made recent bids to the Government to increase the electric car infrastructure in the borough, but they had been rejected.
With initial local plans due by the end of March 2018, final plans on what measures can be introduced so that air quality limits are achieved within the shortest possible time are due by December 2018. Sheffield Council said that it would be working with Rotherham Council, Highways England and other stakeholders having secured £100,000 from the Government's Joint Air Quality Unit.
Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce attracted record numbers for its annual Chamber Means Business event, which was this year held at Rotherham United's AESSEAL New York Stadium.
The annual business expo is designed to provide local companies with an opportunity to connect, collaborate and engage with others based within the region, whilst showcasing the diverse range of businesses operating within South Yorkshire. More than 300 businesses took part this year.
During the one day event, delegates were given the chance to take part in a range of seminars designed to share best practice, including an introduction to Marxist Capitalism delivered by Barnsley Entrepreneur Simon Biltcliffe, overcoming gender equality issues in the workplace, hosted by the Chamber's Women in Business group, whilst business owners were also given the chance to find out more about the tough new EU data protection laws which come into effect next May.
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Supported with a sell-out exhibition which featured over 50 businesses from across the region, the event recorded its highest ever number of participants and brought together senior business figures alongside new entrepreneurs, showcasing some of the innovative work currently being undertaken across the Sheffield City Region.
Lisa Pogson, president of Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber said: "When local business owners come together at events like Chamber Means Business it creates opportunities to find new suppliers, or even collaborate on larger projects, which in turn can help to strengthen the local economy.
"This year's event saw our largest attendance and I was pleasantly surprised by how much business was done on the day. On behalf of everyone who contributed to the Chamber Means Business, and to our sponsors, Burrows Fleet and Business Centre, Osborne Technologies and Russell Richardson, I'd like to thank you for making this year's event a resounding success."
Regional funding body, Finance Yorkshire has fully repaid its debt finance meaning that future returns from investments will now be used to create a legacy fund for future investment into the region.
The Finance Yorkshire fund achieved full investment of £113m last year. It was originally developed as a European JEREMIE initiative, capitalised by grants from the UK Government, European Regional Development Fund and debt finance from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The successful investment fund was extended as the Sheffield city region waited on the £400m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).
New figures reveal that investments by Finance Yorkshire have created or safeguarded more than 16,000 jobs in the region. Since its launch seven years ago, the SME funder has invested in more than 500 SMEs across Yorkshire and the Humber.
The figures show that Finance Yorkshire's investments have enabled those companies to increase their turnover by a total of £474m and attract a further £362m from other private sector sources.
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James Newman, chairman of Finance Yorkshire, said: "These figures demonstrate that Finance Yorkshire has more than delivered on its original brief to support SMEs and create jobs and economic growth.
"I am immensely proud of our team that has made this happen over the past seven years. Through their hard work and diligence, we have made hundreds of investments that have led to more employment and boosted the economic future of the region."
Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, added: "These economic output figures demonstrate the success of the Fund and its performance in surpassing all expectations when we launched it in 2010.
"At that time, we started with a £90m fund and over the course of our investment period, because of our success, we were able to secure an additional 30% funding to invest for the benefit of the region's SMEs."
Earlier this year, Rotherham-based Specialised Laser Products (SLP) secured a £75,000 business loan from Finance Yorkshire as part of a funding package which has enabled the company to purchase the premises it had been leasing. Buying its premises on edge of the town centre has helped to secure the future of the business which is aiming to boost turnover.
Finance Yorkshire is now exploring future investment opportunities to utilise its legacy fund. McWhirter added: "There is still considerable unmet demand from SMEs for investment support to enable their businesses to grow and prosper. We are keen to look at what investment opportunities there are available to continue to facilitate the success of companies across Yorkshire and the Humber."
New artworks that celebrate Rotherham and Sheffield's shared industrial heritage are being proposed for the area close to where the iconic Tinsley cooling towers once stood.
Proposals from commissioned artist, Alex Chinneck include a family of four sculptural, red brick chimneys that border, bridge and illuminate the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal, each stretching up to 30 metres tall.
Onwards & Upwards is a sculptural trail linking Sheffield and Rotherham that can be enjoyed by foot, bike or boat. It is set to be created close to E.ON's biomass power plant at Blackburn Meadows where linkages between the city and town are being improved through the £20m Tinsley Link Road and the £100m tram train scheme.
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Artist Alex Chinneck said: "Through a process of architectural re-introduction, sculptural re-imagination and modern manufacturing, we have attempted to create a regionally relevant and nationally significant cultural attraction."
Partners on the three-year project include Sheffield Council, Rotherham Council, Tinsley Forum and Arts Council England, together with sponsors E.ON, who awarded the commission to replace the towers that were demolished in 2008.
Major sponsors are British Land, the co-owner of neighbouring Meadowhall, landowners Yorkshire Water and the Canal and River Trust, and Sheffield Cultural Consortium and Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust. Together, they are working towards the project's completion in summer 2019.
Following on from initial investment in the project by E.ON, further money has been pledged from the private sector (British Land and IKEA) to support the delivery of this once-in-a-generation cultural project.
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Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, said: "We are very proud to be supporting this important initiative. Awe-inspiring and thought provoking in equal measure, Alex's work will bring a great deal to the community. This is a very exciting installation in a very important and prominent location."
Cllr. Taiba Yasseen, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and cultural services at Rotherham Council, said: "These astonishing new artworks celebrate Rotherham and Sheffield's shared industrial heritage and connects this to our contemporary engineering and manufacturing industries.
"This imaginative project will encourage residents and visitors alike to enjoy the canal-side walk between Rotherham's town centre and Meadowhall. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to have work by artist Alex Chinneck, with his outstanding reputation for innovation and excellence, right here on our doorstep."
Plans are still progressing for The Yorkshire Man of Steel which includes an ambitious 32 metre stainless steel sculpture and an innovative Information Hub and Observation Tower to be built on a former landfill site in Rotherham.
Iceland Foods have been fined £2.5m having been found guilty of breaching health and safety laws when a fatal accident occurred at its store in Rotherham.
Iceland had previously been found guilty of breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 following a three-week trial held at Sheffield Crown Court in July 2017.
The charges were brought by Rotherham Council following a fatal accident at the Eastwood store on October 28 2013. A contractor had visited the store to replace filters within an air conditioning unit which was located on a plant platform above a suspended ceiling in the store's warehouse.
The contract worker fell almost three metres from the platform and through the suspended ceiling, sustaining fatal injuries.
An investigation by Adrian Monkhouse, principal environmental health officer at the Council, revealed that there were no barriers in place to prevent falls from the platform, the area of the platform immediately in front of the access ladder was restricted (just 45cm in width) and there were several tripping hazards in this area, including cabling and the fixing points for the ladder itself.
Iceland Foods Limited was instructed to take this area out of use until suitable protective measures had been installed on the plant platform. Once this work was carried out to the satisfaction of the investigating officer, the plant platform was put back into use in March 2014.
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Further investigations revealed that Iceland Foods Limited had not carried out a risk assessment to consider access to the plant platform either by contractors or their own employees. Iceland argued that they had intended for a guardrail to be installed around the plant platform and had in fact paid for one during refurbishment of the store.
In court Iceland contended that they were entitled to rely on the specialist contractors who carried out work on the plant platform to identify the missing handrail. These claims were rejected by the prosecution and the court.
At a sentencing hearing at Grimsby Crown Court this week, the company was fined £1.25m for each offence and ordered to pay the full costs of £65,019.64 to Rotherham Council.
Karen Hanson, assistant director for Community Safety and Street Scene at Rotherham Council, said that the case highlighted the importance of companies considering not only their own employees but the work of contractors as part of their health and safety arrangements.
She said: "All businesses should be aware of the importance of health and safety – particularly for high-risk activities such as working from heights."
One of the world's leading oil and gas exporters is working closely with the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to establish its own version of the world-leading centre in a bid to diversify its economy and attract major foreign investment.
With significant state of the art facilities on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the AMRC is a partner in the HVM Catapult (the government's strategic initiative that aims to revitalise the manufacturing industry). It focuses on advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors. It is a partnership between industry and academia, which has become a model for research centres worldwide.
The centre attracts paid industry members at different tiers, keen to make use of the world-class machines and facilities at the AMRC. The model also enables the centre to secure European and Government funding for a diverse range of cutting edge technologies, from shaped metal deposition in the aerospace industry to the use of bio-composites in the automotive industry.
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AMRC Oman, known in-country as Intaj-Suhar, will be the first of its kind in the Gulf. Over the last two years, senior figures in Sohar University, Oman's first private university, have been working closely with their counterparts at the AMRC in the UK to develop the "clustering of university research with industrial design and production."
The project will be developed in two phases. The first phase will focus on "advanced manufacturing" to support industrial innovations and "manufacturing tools" to support small and medium-sized enterprises and introducing new products. While the second phase is expected to be developed by private sector investments and will represent an added industrial hub to the region.
The AMRC model has already been replicated in Denmark, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and India.
The centre's links to industry have been instrumental in the Sheffield and Rotherham area securing inward investment for manufacturing facilities for high profile names including Rolls-Royce, McLaren and Boeing.
John Baragwanath, executive director at the AMRC (pictured, second left), paid tribute to the Omani government and the team at Sohar University for having the vision and drive to create a world-class centre focused on high-value added manufacturing. He said: "It has been a privilege to work with Oman in this remarkable venture.
"As the originators of the AMRC model, we have been able to show them how world class research can help manufacturers of any size add value to their business by introducing advanced techniques, technologies and processes. What we are doing chimes perfectly with their vision of helping Oman become "a knowledge nation.""
Outline plans have been revealed for a new motorway service area (MSA) in Rotherham that would create 300 jobs.
Rothbiz revealed first that landowners and developers believe that their site at Junction 33 of the M1 at Catcliffe in Rotherham is preferable to the site at Junction 35 at Smithy Wood in Sheffield where a long-running planning battle continues.
Applegreen plc, a major petrol forecourt retailer in the Republic of Ireland with a significant and growing presence in the UK, has now submitted plans to Rotherham Council having undertaken public consultations earlier this year.
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Currently scrub land on either side of the motorway, the plans, produced by Hadfield Cawkwell Davidson, are for HGV parking and amenities to the north of the M1 with customer parking and amenities for other motorway users to the south of the M1, via an underpass. The site is zoned for mixed use and previous plans for a hotel and pub were approved but never implemented.
Access to the site is set to be via a new entrance on the Rotherham side of the roundabout passing through an area of Greenbelt. The exit is via a proposed connecting slip road to the south of the site, which leads back to the Sheffield side of the roundabout. A second option for access from slip lanes on the M1 is also included.
A detailed transport assessment has been submitted with the plans which concludes that, with the new lanes and junction improvements, there would not be an exacerbation of current traffic conditions at Junction 33.
The Parkway from Rotherham to Sheffield is one of the most congested routes in the UK. £1.4m was secured from the Department for Transport (DfT) to develop plans for the area. Work has taken place to widen exit slip roads and roundabouts at Junction 33 and Rotherham's capital strategy includes a £45m plan to widen the Parkway to three lanes between the M1 and Catcliffe.
Buildings would be one and two storey and include filling stations and amenity buildings. Parking for 454 cars and 67 HGVs is included. In light of controversies seen at the Smithy Wood site, where ancient woodland would be lost, the Applegreen plans also include proposals to enhance eight hectares of woodland to the north of the site.
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The plans show that, when operational, "the MSA would employ circa 300 staff and represent a circa £40m investment." At peak time during the nine month construction phase, some 200 construction related workers could be on-site.
An assessment of the economic impact of the scheme by Axis consultants states that it would add an estimated £4.75m to the economy of the local area each year and concludes that: "The effects of the Proposed Development would be major, beneficial and significant and would make an important contribution towards overarching policy targets to increase employment levels."
A comparative assessment has been carried out between the Extra development at junction 35 and the Rotherham MSA development at junction 33. It concludes that the Applegreen proposal is "materially preferable in terms of all of the key planning, environmental and technical evaluation criteria."
The assessment shows that the Junction 35 site is less appropriate as it is all in the Green Belt. It adds that the Applegreen plans undermine the Extra plans, which have been undetermined for over three years, by offering a deliverable alternative site.
A lack of consensus from the leaders of South Yorkshire's four councils has denied the Sheffield city region (SCR) the chance to conclude a devolution deal with the Government that promised £900m and extra powers.
The leaders met this week and were recommended to approve work to continue to see through the devolution deal with the Government, but based on South Yorkshire only.
However, this option could only be taken forward with the approval of all South Yorkshire councils, and when Barnsley and Doncaster confirmed that they don't wish to proceed, it left the prospect of an election for a city region mayor that would have relatively few new powers.
Barnsley and Doncaster Council leaders said in a joint statement that a lot had changed since 2015 and that the Sheffield City Region deal without all the original nine local authorities was too small. The leaders said they would instead work on a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal, something that the Government has not yet committed too.
A statement yesterday from the Sheffield city region said: "At a meeting of the Sheffield City Region (SCR) Combined Authority this morning, the leaders of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield councils could not reach agreement on the recommendation put before the meeting, which was to initiate public consultation on mayoral powers relating to devolution.
"However, as things stand, a mayoral election is still set to go ahead in May 2018, to elect a mayor for the SCR Combined Authority.
"This mayor will chair the Combined Authority, have equivalent voting rights to existing local authorities at its meetings, and also have some powers relating to bus franchising."
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The deal, signed in 2015, included control over adult skills budgets and £30m a year for 30 years. The city region warned at the start of the year that it would need to scale back activity due to the delays.
The Government made it clear that in return for the powers, a directly elected mayor would be needed and the order for the election, which was delayed by legal action, has already gone through Parliament. A mayor would chair the combined authority and have a vote equal to the local authority leaders.
Following the meeting, Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council, said: "Today's failure to reach agreement to progress with consultation on devolution to Sheffield city region is just the latest failure of councils across our region to grasp the funding and opportunities that already enjoyed by other parts of the country. Two years after signing the agreement in good faith, our inability to make progress will almost inevitably mean fewer resources to bring more jobs to our economy.
"However, we should also be clear what today's decision does not mean. It does not mean that there will be no mayoral election in South Yorkshire next year. unless the government chooses to change course, the order for that election is already laid. The election itself is expected to cost £1m to run. It simply means that wen the million pound mayor is elected they will have no formal powers and no budget.
"Neither does it mean that Sheffield city region ceases to exist. For now we will continue as we have been doing for the last few years, with the same responsibilities.
"It is especially disappointing that the failure comes just days after the start of two major projects in our area that are directly linked to funding secured through the city region: building the new Boeing factory off the Parkway, and the University Centre Rotherham in the town centre. For all the imperfections of our current arrangements, we have been making them work for the benefit of Rotherham residents.
"For now we remain committed to trying to break this latest impasse in order to secure the funding and opportunities that Rotherham residents deserve."
