Swindon urgently needs speculative commercial property development to meet spiralling demand from office and industrial occupiers, according to agents Alder King’s latest Market Monitor Update report. The supply of offices, factories and warehouses in the town is now down to its lowest for more than 10 years, the report says – the combination of...
The UK motor industry has slammed the Chancellor’s Budget move to bring in a new car tax system, warning that it risks damaging the UK’s burgeoning motor manufacturing sector and hitting its ability to meet carbon reduction targets. A new vehicle excise duty (VED) banding system is to be introduced for cars registered on...
Wincanton, the Chippenham-based logistics group, has appointed Tim Lawlor as group finance director and an executive director. He takes up the role on September 28, replacing Adrian Colman who will become chief executive on August 1. Current chief executive Eric Born steps down from that role on July 31 to take up a new...
Chippenham-based specialty pharmaceutical firm Alliance Parma has appointed Andrew Franklin as finance director. Andrew, pictured, joins the company in September 28 from Panasonic Europe, where he was general manager, European tax and accounting. From 2010 to 2012 he was finance director and company secretary of Genzyme Therapeutics, the UK & Ireland subsidiary of Genzyme...
Chris Timms, an engineer with more than 40 years’ experience, has joined Chippenham heating and plumbing firm John Williams Heating Services. Chris, pictured, who’s 63, has worked in engineering since leaving school at the age of 15. He became an apprentice and started his career in Oxford. He then moved to Wiltshire and spent...
Lloyds Bank’s commercial real estate team has appointed David Willock as relationship director for the South West and Wales. He joins from RBS, where he was a senior director in its Bristol real estate team. During his 10 years with RBS he was responsible for loan origination and client management for real estate clients...
Before the Budget Business West – the organisation that runs the Swindon and Wiltshire Initiative – called for a focus on infrastructure, exports and the skills gap. Managing director Phil Smith said: “Our nation’s roads and apprentices got a cordial mention , international trade was almost utterly absent. “Also missing was a...
The CBI described the Budget as double-edged for business and branded the Chancellor’s flagship introduction of a National Living Wage of £7.20 next April as “a big gamble”. It also called the apprentice levy “a blunt tool” to force more businesses to take on trainees. Director-general John Cridland said: “Firms will welcome measures to...
Many of the measures in Chancellor George Osborne’s Summer Budget received a warm welcome from Swindon experts – but there was concern over the impact of his flagship National Living Wage. Dominic Bourquin, corporate tax partner at Swindon accountancy firm Monahans, said the Budget had been good for business and had taken away some...
Key points from the Budget: New National Living Wage of £7.20 for all workers aged over 25 to be introduced next April and to reach £9 an hour by 2020 Cuts in National Insurance for small firms to help them pay for living wage More devolution to Northern cities and to Midlands as well...
