Author: Rhys Gregory

CRUMLIN-BASED BBI Solutions, a leading manufacturer of biological reagents and finished test platforms for the in-vitro diagnostics market, notes the press release issued by the UK Rapid Test Consortium (“UK-RTC”), of which BBI Solutions is a partner, on the UK Government’s first order for one million COVID-19 lateral flow antibody tests (the “AbC-19™ Rapid test”). This first order is part of the UK Government’s plans to roll-out COVID-19 surveillance studies to help build a picture of how the virus has spread across the country. The AbC-19™ Rapid test uses a small drop of blood from a finger-prick, and shows results…

With the coronavirus pandemic resulting in millions of UK employees having to work from home, there has been much speculation about the future of the physical office space environment. However, space in Cardiff city centre’s Creative Quarter is continuing to prove attractive to small and growing companies, with four more businesses signing leases there within the past few months. When moving into a new space, you should make it your own by getting engraved desk signs from The Engraving People. Ongoing investment by asset managers LaSalle Investment Management has seen a steady influx of arrivals from companies looking for high quality character…

A boost to employee ownership in the wake of the coronavirus crisis is being predicted by some of the leading experts in the field as firms throughout Wales look to build back better and ensure greater resilience in the wake of the pandemic.  With the long-term repercussions of the Covid-19 crisis still playing out in our boardrooms, on our high streets and in our regional economies, it is clear that firms in Wales are bruised. However, the Employee Ownership Wales team at Social Business Wales, which has advised over 50 companies in Wales on ownership transition, says that Employee Ownership…

South East Wales’ largest independent accountancy firm is urging all business that have utilised the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to thoroughly check their claims for inaccuracies before the cut-off date, to avoid the risk of fines or even prosecution. Newport-based Kilsby Williams is issuing this warning following a growing number of businesses recently receiving a letter from HMRC, informing them of potential errors and reminding them that all claims must be wholly accurate. Common errors that employers have been making when submitting these claims include claiming for an employee that was not actually eligible for the scheme and…

A multi-million pound investment is on the way to boost digital connectivity across the Swansea Bay City Region. The £55 million Digital Infrastructure project is among those due to be part-funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal that will together help accelerate regional economic recovery from Covid-19. Led by Carmarthenshire County Council, the project is aimed at benefitting residents and businesses in all parts of the City Region, which also includes Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea. The Digital Infrastructure project – which is estimated to be worth £318 million to the regional economy in the next 15 years –…

Leading bike share firm nextbike is encouraging people to cycle around Cardiff on Clean Air Day by offering free rides to its customers.  Registered nextbike customers will be offered two hours of free cycling on Clean Air Day, (Thursday October 8), to remind people to do their bit to keep air pollution levels down. Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK. Led by Global Action Plan, Clean Air Day brings together communities, businesses, schools and the health sector to improve public understanding of air pollution, how it can affect us and what we can do to tackle the…

Transport for Wales is marking Clean Air Day by celebrating its achievements in reducing its carbon footprint as part of its Sustainable Development Plan. Rail contributes 1% of Wales’ transport carbon emissions, the majority of which comes from diesel-powered trains throughout the Wales and Borders network. However, during the 2019-20 financial year, TfW reduced its emissions by 6.27%. This was as a result of a reduction in train fuel as we added newer refurbished trains to our rolling stock and through the reduction in energy used for buildings as we rolled out smart metering across all our Wales and Borders…

As the coronavirus situation continues, the Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has taken the decision to further extend the cancellation period for all Authority-run events until at least the end of 2020.  In April, the Council announced that all events up until and including the month of September were to be cancelled due to the restrictions in place and the level of preparation and organisation required to hold such events. Given the Welsh Government’s introduction of local restrictions currently in place for the whole of Rhondda Cynon Taf and the forecasts that the winter months will likely see an increase in…

Construction of 16 new homes to boost the city’s supply of affordable housing is about to get underway. Cardiff Council has appointed Encon Construction to develop the site of the former  ATC cadet centre on Caldicot Road in Caerau. The site will consist of six one-bedroom flats, seven two-bedroom houses, two three-bedroom houses and one four-bedroom house. The scheme is part of the Council’s housing development programme, which aims to deliver more than 1,000 new council homes in the city by 2022, and a total of 2,000 new homes in the coming years. All 16 homes will be available for…

Cardiff Council is set to be one of the first local authorities in the UK to purchase an electric tractor, following a successful trial at Forest Farm Nature Reserve. The Farmtrac 25G electric tractor, which charges via a standard 3-pin plug, will replace a diesel run tractor currently used for meadow management, and is expected to half the emissions currently associated with this work. The council has already reduced emissions from its direct carbon footprint by 33.5% from 2015-2018. The new, lighter and smaller equipment will also allow the team to increase the collection of local provenance seeds from grasslands…