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Mandelson pledges cash to help Vauxhall survive

BUSINESS Secretary Lord Mandelson has pledged Government support in underwriting a deal to buy struggling car company Vauxhall. Read

How a once-great national institution hit the rocks

THIS week’s Royal Show celebrates 170 years of quintessential “Englishness”. The national show, which runs from Tuesday to Friday (July 7-10) has been an intrinsic part of rural life since the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) first hosted the event in 1839. Read

Darling warns risk-taking bankers

CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer Alistair Darling promised tighter regulation of the financial system, and warned that bankers who take excessive risks will be “brought back to earth“. Read

Find out about livestock judging and have a go for yourself

MEMBERS of the public are being invited to have a go at stock judging at a Northumberland farm in what is believed to be the only event of its kind being held in the county. Read

Award win was an inspiration to Donna

THE boss of a County Durham logistics company says she has been driven to tackle new challenges after winning the region’s biggest award for female entrepreneurs. Read

More than 300 call centre jobs threatened

MORE than 200 jobs are at risk at a North East call centre after communications giant Orange decided to move its business. Read

Shareholders reject union motion

TESCO shareholders have voted against a motion to end the alleged exploitation of workers in firms supplying meat to the supermarket chain. Read

Rogue oil trader pushes up prices

AN alleged rogue trader is under investigation after he cost his company £6m and pushed oil prices to an eight-month high. Read

Your money queries are answered by Peter Rutherford, senior director of Rutherford Wilkinson Ltd, independent financial advisers.

Q I am now retired and a non-taxpayer. However, I have some stocks & shares ISAs and have noticed in a recent statement that there has been some tax charged on interest received. Can I claim this back? Read

Help for families beyond the grave

In the first few days after Michael Jackson’s death, there was much speculation over his will, which must have caused great stress and upset for his family at an already traumatic time, before the documents were found. Experts at Newcastle solicitors Sintons remind us of what we should consider when getting our affairs in order to help our loved ones after our death. Read

A fine time to give your finances a rethink

The Credit Crunch. The Recession. Falling interest rates. Falling pension annuity rates. Rising repossessions. Just a few of the topics that we all too often hear about in the media. In the last 18 months, we are seeing economies face challenges not seen for 100 years or more, writes Simon Patterson of Newcastle law firm Dickinson Dees. Read

Tees jobs hit by a double threat

TEESSIDE was hit with a double whammy of potential job losses today as one of the region’s biggest employers announced restructuring plans and oil workers at the Petroplus refinery entered talks with Swiss bosses who previously said they were looking sell or convert the plant for storage. Read

UK service sector contracts in June

Hopes that the economy slowdown is bottoming out have been dampened by new research showing recent progress in the services sector stalled during June. Read

John Lewis back in negative territory

John Lewis sales returned to negative territory today after hot weather and sporting events overshadowed the start of its summer clearance. Read

Balfour Beatty holds steady

Construction giant Balfour Beatty today said its building division had outstripped last year despite a tougher battle to land contracts. Read

Court rules farmer is liable over cow attack

A FARMER has been held liable in court after a woman was seriously injured by cattle when she walked along a public footpath which went through his land. Read

Engineers thrive on work at universities

A NATIONWIDE engineering consultancy has landed a raft of contracts in the North East which it said would help to maintain its £11.5m turnover and 157-strong workforce in the region. Read

Campbell closes in on contracts

FIFTEEN staff from North East civil engineering group Henderson Campbell have headed off to Gloucestershire to help build a new accommodation block at a female closed prison as the firm closes in on a raft of new contracts. Read

Group riding oil boom expects turnover to soar

A COMPANY that makes giant hoses for the offshore oil and gas industry expects to see its turnover more than double from £28m to about £60m by 2016 with the help of a booming market and a leaner business model. Read

Oil refinery jobs at risk as global market falls

TEESSIDE was hit with a double whammy of potential job losses today as one of the region’s biggest employers announced restructuring plans and oil workers at the Petroplus refinery entered talks with Swiss bosses. Read

Celebrity chef uses own money to save business

PROFITS at Gordon Ramsay’s UK restaurants plunged nearly 90% in a “turbulent” year in which the celebrity chef was forced to pump his own money into the business. Read

Security firm sees results slip into the red

ANTI-counterfeiting group OpSec Security has plunged into the red as the effects of the recession begin to bite into its brand protection business. Read

Young given chance for work

A SMALL, family owned fabrication firm is flying the flag for Teesside apprentices as agencies report a worrying decline in the number of companies taking on trainees. Read

Bank boss defers pay deal

ROYAL Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester’s move to defer part of his £9.6m pay package for an extra two years has been welcomed. Read

College funding hangs in the balance

THE latest statement from the Learning and Skills Council on funding for further education college building projects spells good and bad news for the North East. Read

Game’s profits tumble

RETAIL group Game has said half-year profits will be as much as 64% lower after figures last year were boosted by blockbuster releases. Read

Engineers thrive on work at universities

ANATIONWIDE engineering consultancy has landed a raft of contracts in the North East which it said would help to maintain its £11.5m turnover and 157-strong workforce in the region. Read

Second big departure at the Pru

PRUDENTIAL has announced a new boss for its UK operation in the second major change at the helm of the insurance giant in the space of a year. Read

Final farewell to popular show

AROUND 100,000 visitors are expected to attend next week’s final Royal Show. Read

Consultancy boss takes on big patch

CAL Group, the Teesside staffing and dispute resolution consultancy, has appointed Andy Temple as business development manager. He will be responsible for developing its client base in the North of England and Scotland. Read

Border, Week ending June 26

Border Livestock Exchange Ltd sold 226 store, prime and breeding cattle. There were also 1,284 sheep including 1,026 lambs and 258 ewes forward. Read

Paul steps up to new challenge

HOUSEBUILDER Yuill Homes has appointed a new head of construction. Read

Rural specialist joins agency

AN independent estate agency in the North East and North Yorkshire has appointed Stephen McOwan as head of property sales and acquisitions. Read

Fraud costs shoot up by 1,900%

THE VALUE of fraud in the North East has shot up by a massive 1,900% compared to the same period last year, according to figures from accountants BDO Stoy Hayward. Read

ACOMPANY that makes giant hoses for the offshore oil and gas industry expects to see its turnover more than double from £28m to about £60m by 2016 with the help of a booming market and a leaner business model.

Ashington’s ContiTech Beattie believes it is on track to achieve what it has termed its Olympic target, as it has seen its sales rocket from £16m to £28m since the business was taken over in 2004. Read

Why change a winning formula?

Only a month or two ago, the agencies set up to develop and regenerate the region were facing the possibility of big changes themselves. Read

Breaking Tees Valley business news

A SMALL, family owned fabrication firm is flying the flag for Teesside apprentices as agencies report a worrying drop in the number of companies taking on trainees. Read

Another giant step for Able yard

ANOTHER giant of the seas has floated down the Tees to undergo work at Able UK’s Seaton Port. Read

Brown hailsgreen North

GORDON Brown praised the North-east as the potential home for tomorrow’s energy sources, claiming the region was “showing the world” the way forward on renewable energy. Read

Bank funds backing for firms

SMALL and medium-sized companies in Tees Valley struggling with cash flow are being given access a new £100m fund as part of a UK-wide lending offer by Yorkshire Bank. Read

Fresh threats to jobs

TEESSIDE was hit with a double whammy of potential job losses today. Read

Fresh threats to jobs

TEESSIDE was hit with a double whammy of potential job losses today. Read

Widening web video access

THE man who wrote subtitles for James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer has launched the first company in the world to specialise in subtitles and captions for web video. Read

£1.4bn cash crisis after rail franchise hits buffers

BRITAIN faces a transport cash crisis after the £1.4bn East Coast rail franchise collapsed. Read

Morrisons launches research project to boost farm efficiency

SUPERMARKET Morrisons is launching a research-focused farming programme in a bid to boost the efficiency and sustainability of British agriculture. Read

Science City sets up crack team to source innovators

A CRACK team of innovation specialists will be employed to source new science-driven businesses in the region. Read

Shake-up at firm puts 170 jobs at risk

ONE of a Northumberland market town's biggest employers has been put up for sale, sparking fears over the future of more than 150 jobs. Read

Tweet dreams of new custom

POKES, tweets and status updates are no longer reserved for young socialites with hundreds of friends and time to kill. Read

Northern Rock attractive to potential purchasers

SPECULATION that Northern Rock will prove attractive to potential purchasers has been further fuelled after Tesco became the latest name to be linked with a bid for its “good” assets. Read

Coca-Cola signs up Zytronic

COCA-Cola has signed up Tyneside touchscreen specialist Zytronic to provide the technical know-how for its new generation drinks dispenser. Read

Lessons from game reserve and agitated Habitat

HE has spent two decades leading social media projects and was BBC head of blogging. Read

Young entrepreneurs score highly

HUNDREDS of budding entrepreneurs from the North East came together to showcase their achievements in a project to transform classroom ideas into working businesses. Read

IT specialist will keep Metro group in touch

THE wheels are in motion for a technology specialist which has secured a contract to support one of the region’s main public transport providers. Read

Guide to computer mysteries

IT provider Perfect Image has launched a website to help businesses in the region get the most out of their IT applications, potentially saving staff hours every day. Read

Show gets record entries

A RECORD-breaking number of entries has been received for this year’s Great Yorkshire Show, which takes place later this month. Read

Rural estate agents form strategic alliance

ONE of the region's largest residential property agencies, George F White, has forged a strategic alliance with a County Durham business. Read

Experts trade in a world of good ideas

EXECUTIVES and economists from 37 countries are about to arrive in Middlesbrough for an event aiming to help the North East's heavy industries through the recession. Read

M&S sales figures ease pressure

MARKS & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose eased pressure on the high street retailer by announcing a smaller than expected fall in sales. Read

Chief sought to champion castle's global ambition

ALNWICK Castle and Garden is to appoint its first joint chief executive to run the two organisations and put them on the global tourist map. Read

Now we're a nation of Tweeters

SELLING online has never been easier. Free software and simple payment systems mean you can set up a transactional website in no time. Read

Independence is a must

GOVERNORS of the Bank of England and the North East have a somewhat estranged relationship, particularly given the comments made a decade or so ago when it was claimed that loss of jobs in this region were ‘a price worth paying’ to ensure the success of the national economy. Read

Phones, the web and teamwork

IT HAS recently come to my attention that the size of mobile phones is directly proportional to the proliferation of ‘The A Team’ in popular culture. Read

Carlisle, June 29

Primestock: A good show of 250 prime cattle, bulls and cows were forward with an increased number of buyers. Read

Retail group Game warns on results

Retail group Game today said half-year profits will be as much as 64% lower after figures last year were boosted by blockbuster releases. Read

Sunshine lifts Greene King

Pubs and brewing group Greene King today said sunnier weather and its shift towards food had paid dividends in strong recent trading. Read

Dazzling design and care from experts to help young

THE Great North Children’s Hospital (GNCH) is due to open its doors later this year. The GNCH will herald a new era in healthcare for children, young people and their families from over the North of England. Read

Experts trade in a world of good ideas

Executives and economists from 37 countries are about to arrive in Middlesbrough for an event aiming to help the North East’s heavy industries through the recession. Christopher Knox spoke to the organisers. Read

Undefined Headline

STEEL Read

McLean joins Weir Insurance Brokers

LEADING Blyth-based insurance broker, Weir Insurance Brokers Ltd has appointed Iain McLean as associate director. Read

NEW HOPE IN CORUS BATTLE

THE three-month stalemate between steelmaker Corus and the consortium of international buyers who walked out on the Redcar plant, putting 2,000 jobs at risk, looked to have ended today as both sides agreed to return to talks. Read

Tonic on the wards

A REDCAR company is transforming the way hospital staff work. Read

Re-trainingcash willbestrained

THE GOVERNMENT’S promise to make £5m available to retrain Corus workers who have lost their jobs in the latest round of cuts will put extra strain on an already overstretched regional budget. Read

It’s time for some flexibility

ONLINE search specialist Infoserve is offering a flexible working incentive to attract 20 part-time staff to its Darlington office. Read

Bank axe to miss Tees

TEESSIDE is likely to emerge unscathed from Lloyds Banking Group’s decision to cut 2,100 jobs. Read

Give us an airlink

FORMER Teesside MP Michael Bates yesterday urged the Government to support efforts to reinstate the region’s vital air link to Heathrow. Read

Northern Rock needs greater reserves

THE Northern Rock has been given the go-ahead to continue without the necessary level of capital reserves until its bid to split itself into a "good bank" and a "bad bank" has been decided upon by the European Commission. Read

Northern Rock's capital reserves fall below required levels

THE Northern Rock has been given the go-ahead to continue without the necessary level of capital reserves until its restructuring request has been decided upon by the European Commission.In 2008 the nationalised lender revealed it had made pre-tax losses of £1.36bn after repossessing 63% more homes than the previous year and reducing its Government loan from £26.9bn to £8.9bn.And with the Rock expected to make a further loss in 2009 the levels of capital it should hold in reserve have now declined below the levels the regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), require. But the FSA today confirmed it will make an exception for the Northern Rock and waiver the capital reserve requirements until a decison has been made on its restructuring request by the EC.A spokesman for the Rock said: “Northern Rock's capital base has now reduced to a level below its minimum regulatory capital requirement.  “Northern Rock proposes to address this situation through a legal and capital restructuring of the company.“The Government is also committed to providing a further £3bn to the company when, as is expected, the restructuring is approved by the EC.”The Rock expects to get permission from the EC to split itself into two separate entities commonly referred to as the “good bank” and the “bad bank” prior to being sold off.The good bank will include all of the retail deposits, the branch network and some higher quality mortgages. The bad bank will mostly include the “toxic” mortgages and include those loans it made in 2006 and 2007 which were 125% of the value of a property.Part of the EC deal will see the Government give the Rock a further £3bn which will help improve its capital position.The Rock today declined on speculation that Tesco has made an approach to the buy the good bank. Read

Government to run East Coast Mainline

THE Government is to take over the running of the East Coast Main Line after cash-strapped operator National Express defaulted on its franchise. Read

'Carbon-friendly cattle' can help in climate change battle

BEEF producers are fighting back against claims by "misguided" campaigners that cattle are bad for the environment and therefore the public should eat less beef. Read

PM refuses to rule out budget cuts

FEARS of spending cuts in regional transport budgets were last night ratcheted up after Gordon Brown refused to guarantee their future. Read

Balfour Beatty lease West One in 10-year deal

  • 08:07, Jul 01 2009
  • News

THE developer of a new 10-storey Quayside office building completed last year has secured its first letting and says there will be more deals to follow. Read

How you can use water efficiently

FARMERS in north Northumberland and the Borders have been picking up tips on using their water effectively to guard against potential supply problems that are expected in the future. Read

New commercial developments to follow buying spree

A MIDDLESBROUGH logistics company has unveiled plans to create a new portfolio commercial premises after making a series of property and land purchases in its home town. Read

Iran unrest hampers 1,000-job contract for North East firm

POLITICAL unrest in Iran has delayed the arrival in the North East of an oil rig construction contract which is hoped to create 1,000 jobs. Read

Fashion designer Heidi is one of a kind

A FASHIONABLE graduate who has styled for top designer Nicole Farhi is bringing her own creations to the North East. Read

Consolation prize eases misfortune

THE Terrace Hill Group has responded to the disappointment of losing a pre-let at a prestigious Tyneside site by signing an agreement for 38,500sq ft on Teesside. Read

Brothers get first refusal on bars

THE struggling group behind the Living Room bar and restaurant chain has confirmed it has made a deal with Newcastle Racecourse owner Reuben Brothers which could lead to its sale. Read

Blackswan soars with cargo of training ideas

A GLOBAL management consulting business in Newcastle is linking up with a bestselling author and eyeing up other joint ventures or acquisitions before the end of the year. Read

Corporate hospitality fit for an oligarch

A KEEN sailor who set up a yacht rental business after quitting his job as a printer is now making a splash in the corporate entertainment market. Read

Brake on rail travel to hit Arriva

TRANSPORT group Arriva has warned that slackening growth at its CrossCountry rail franchise will affect first-half results. Read

Algae can be the source of eco-friendly energy

SCIENTISTS and industrialists are working together to create an environmentally friendly energy source out of the kind of green algae found on the beach at the seaside. Read

Why final salary schemes could soon be pensioned off

THERE are around 100 companies in the North East still providing final salary pension schemes, but for how long will that situation last? Peter McCusker reports. Read

Junk mail busters box clever

HOUSEHOLDERS fed up with junk mail have a new ally in the form of North East business UK Letterbox Choice. Read

Stay on side of angels

BUSINESSES are being encouraged to attend an event later this year which will help them navigate the potential minefield of staff relations. Read

Newcastle firm Inpress takes on publishing giants

A BUSINESS which helps independent publishers compete against the industry giants is aiming to recruit more members after relocating to the North East. Read

Bingo operator to close five clubs

THE UK’s biggest bingo operator Gala Coral says it plans to close five clubs and shed backroom staff, putting around 300 jobs at risk. Read

North East to escape Lloyds job cuts

THE North East look set to escape the latest round of job losses announced by the Lloyds Banking Group. Read

Earnings update puts pressure on Yell's share price

YELLOW Pages firm Yell has warned that next quarter earnings were likely to be 30% lower as it continues to feel the pain of the economic slump. Read

Output falls at its fastest rate for 51 years

THE UK economy recorded its sharpest decline in more than 50 years during the first quarter of 2009. And revisions to figures revealed the current recession began earlier than first thought, with a 0.1% decline seen between April and June last year compared with previous estimates of zero growth. Read

Change to regulations on trees

TREE troubles affect many developers and landowners. A new addendum to the government’s Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) guidance was issued in May 2009 to reflect recent legislation. Read

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