Even George Osborne recognises that the Tories’ chronic underinvestment in transport is holding the North back – Andy McDonald

“Even George Osborne recognises that the Tories’ chronic
underinvestment in transport is holding the North back. 

“It takes longer to travel by train from Liverpool to Hull
than from London to Paris, yet the government spend £1500 more per head in
London than the North. 

“Rather than addressing these disparities, the Conservatives have
abandoned the North, having just pulled the plug on
the full electrification of the TransPennine route.

“Investing in transport is essential to rebalancing the economy
and boosting growth across the country. That’s why Labour has pledged to
upgrade the rail network throughout Britain, including a £10bn commitment for
Crossrail for the North.”

Ken Skates keen to see further A55 improvements as resilience study under way

With the Welsh  Government’s A55  resilience study well underway, Mr Skates re-iterated his commitment to look afresh at all potential options to improve journey times, reliability and resilience on the A55 and A494.

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said:

“The A55/ A494 corridor which was built decades ago was never designed to cope with over 70,000 vehicles. In its current state, is far from the ideal modern gateway to supporting the people and economy of North Wales.

“Recent years and months have seen the Welsh Government investing millions of pounds in bringing various aspects of the road up to modern standards. From improvement work to tunnels and road surfacing, to flood alleviation projects and maintenance, I’ve made ensuring the A55 performs to the best of its ability an absolute priority. 

“New sections of road to compliment the existing network will of course form part of future improvements, and we hope to see the planned £200m Deeside Corridor, for example, play a significant role in  an improved infrastructure. Alongside this I have been clear that further improvements can and should be made wherever possible so we can maximise the performance of this vital road.

“It’s for this reason that I commissioned a comprehensive resilience study in April to explore what more could be done to improve journey times, reliability and resilience. That study is now reaching completion and is on schedule to be finalised in the Autumn.

“Following my receipt of the study, I will act quickly to put in place a comprehensive programme of work to further help deliver a road that better serves the thousands of road users that travel on it daily, whilst seeking to keep disruption to a minimum.

“An improved A55 is absolutely vital to the wider economy of North Wales and is something we must continue to work to deliver as quickly as we can.” 

News story: Help the Charity Commission develop digital services

We are looking for people to help us test our digital services to make them easier to use.

We are developing a number of digital services to make it easier for you to complete tasks online. As part of this development we are testing services with the charity sector, and using the feedback to improve them.

Testing services with real users helps us to understand needs, and create the best possible experience online.

By taking part in user research and testing sessions, you’ll also have the opportunity to positively influence our services.

We will be hosting several sessions across the country over the coming months. If you think you can help complete the online form and submit.

News story: Public sector can save £35 million on estates through new CCS framework

The Estates Professional Services framework (RM3816) could save public sector bodies like local councils, NHS trusts, schools, the emergency services and housing associations £35 million over the next 4 years.

The new framework enables organisations to buy advice, guidance and associated services to help them to manage their estates and assets, reduce property costs, release unwanted property assets, and identify savings and opportunities to generate income from land and buildings.

It is expected that £430 million will be spent through the framework over the next 4 years. More than a third of the businesses supplying the new agreement are SMEs (35%), with regional expertise maximised through an innovative lotting structure.

Stakeholders from across central government, devolved administrations and the wider public sector have been engaged since the procurement began in order to build a commercial framework that suits diverse customer requirements.

More than 120 suppliers contacted CCS about the agreement and were kept engaged throughout the process.

How it will work

The agreement will complement other CCS property frameworks including Project Management and Full Design Team Services, Facilities Management, and Construction, enabling CCS to provide a comprehensive offering for property management solutions.

The framework will be structured into 4 lots, with regional panels included on lot 2.

  • Lot 1 – National
  • Lot 2A – East Anglia
  • Lot 2B – East & West Midlands
  • Lot 2C – London & South East England
  • Lot 2D – North East England
  • Lot 2E – North West England & North Wales
  • Lot 2F – Northern Ireland
  • Lot 2G – Scotland
  • Lot 2H – South Wales & South West England
  • Lot 3 – Vertical Real Estate
  • Lot 4 – Facilities Management and Property Services (Procurement Managed Service)

What’s different about this framework?

The framework offers a wider range of services and provides access to vertical real estate suppliers for the first time, as well as a managed procurement offering.

More SMEs have won places to supply estates services to the public sector than ever before, with a new focus on regional expertise.

It also offers a more flexible pricing model than before, with various options available to customers such as incentivised, gainshare, hourly/daily rates and lump sum, enabling customers to tailor their contracts to meet their needs.

To find out more, visit the Estates Professional Services web pages.

Read how Montagu Evans grew their business thanks to winning a place on Estates Professional Services.