Plans to electrify mainline rail services through Bath have been revived following a move to lower the price of the scheme, which was scrapped on cost grounds eight years ago. The project, which would have cut journey times to London by up to 20 minutes, hit the buffers in 2016 when the government pulled...
The South West’s small firms are the least confident in the UK about their prospects for this year as they continue to struggle against the state of the economy, high labour costs and the lack of available staff. Worryingly, one in five say they may have to cut their workforce to stay in business...
The South West office of growth finance group invested nearly £70m in small and mid-sized businesses in 2023, taking its total for the past three years to £190m. The long-term investor, which makes initial investments of between £1m to £20m for a minority equity stake, said it backed businesses across a wide range of...
Monday January 29 Interim: Games Workshop Group Tuesday January 30 Final: SThree Interims: Diageo, Oxford Cannabinoid Tech Holdings, Kromek Group, Scancell Holdings, Accrol Group Holdings Q4 result: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading announcements: Luceco, Pets At Home Group, Diaceutics Economic announcements: Nationwide house price index, Mortgage approvals, M4 money supply Wednesday January 31 Finals: Glaxosmithkline, abrdn Private Equity Opportunities Trust, Banco...
Fast-growing Bath-based alternative finance provider Time Finance has increased its lending capacity after securing a new finance worth £15m. The block discounting facility was announced shortly after Time Finance revealed a 35% increase in half-year pre-tax profits to £2.7m on revenue up 19% at £15.7m. The interim results also showed own-book lending origination rose...
Each week Bath accountancy firm Pearson May teams up with Bath Business News to bring you the top national finance stories. Mandatory payrolling of benefits-in-kind announced by HMRC Rules will apply from April 2026. Click here for more information HMRC still awaiting 3.8m self-assessments It urges tax returns for the 2022/23 tax year. Find out more here
Bath architectural practices Grant Associates and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios are working with conservation and education charity Bristol Zoological Society to create a new home for some of the world’s most critically endangered species. Construction of the new central African forest habitat, pictured, on the Zoological Society’s Bristol Zoo Project site will begin this...
The Bath area’s disused coal mines, which have been sealed up for more than 50 years, could be repurposed to supply clean energy to around 100,000 homes across the region. A major study will look at bringing many of the area’s 100-plus collieries back to life by harnessing their potential as sites for heat...
A major Swedish business has acquired a significant minority stake in Bath-headquartered financial advice business Fidelius Group, saying the move will trigger a new phase of growth for the firm. Söderberg & Partners, one of the Nordic region’s leading financial advisers and brokers of insurance and financial services, acquired the holding in Fidelius for an undisclosed...
A large, camouflaged parrot living under threat of extinction in New Zealand has inspired a Bath firm to develop game-changing technology that tracks and monitors animals in the wild. The team at technology innovation consultancy Icoteq drew inspiration from the story of the kakapo and efforts to conserve it as they worked on the...
