West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris, pictured, said “hard-pressed” West of England residents and businesses were still struggling with 70-year high levels of tax under the Conservatives, “despite today’s desperate attempts from the Chancellor to pretend otherwise”. The Labour leader of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), which covers Bath, added: “Instead of...
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has delivered his Spring Budget. The main points were: The Chancellor said growth had been higher in the UK since 2010 than every other European economy. But future growth would not come from mass immigration. He promised a Budget for future growth. Inflation had been halved to 4%. It was 11% when...
Growing UK transport technology specialist TEG has opened an office in Chippenham in a move that boosts the town’s reputation as a centre for the hi-tech sector. TEG, which has its headquarters in London, is occupying a floor of office block Bewley House, pictured, where it is alongside German industrial giant Siemens and two...
An awards scheme that champions the West of England’s best bee-friendly businesses is back – with some of the region’s biggest firms promising to create some extra buzz around it. The first Bee Bold Awards were held last year to champion the region’s pollinator champions. Among the winners were Bath digital technology agency Storm, city-based...
The University of Bath is to introduce the UK’s first master’s degree course focused on applying skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to engineering and design. The MSc in Artificial Intelligence for Engineering and Design at the university, pictured, will equip students with skills in applying AI tools responsibly and ethically, combining engineering and design knowledge...
The West of England’s first green hydrogen production and storage plant has been officially opened, underpining the region’s status as a leader in research into what is widely regarded as the fuel of the future. The plant, at the state-of-the-art Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) on the Bristol and Bath Science Park,...
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...
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...
Private equity and investment firm Maven Capital Partners has strengthened its presence in the region to support its delivery of the £200m South West Investment Fund (SWIF). Launched last July by the British Business Bank, WIF aims to boost the supply of finance to small and medium-sized businesses across the South West. Maven manages...
Nine in 10 mid-sized firms based in the South West shrugged off the national economic gloom last year to achieve their forecasted growth, according to a new survey. Now nearly a third plan to launch new products or services to continue to expand this year, despite challenges linked to the ongoing cost of living...
