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British engineering group bids to create £5bn group capable of offering services across the oil and gas chain . Amec, the UK engineer and project management group, has struck a “transformational” £1.9bn deal to buy US-listed rival Foster Wheeler in a move designed to capitalise on new opportunities in the oil and gas markets. The acquisition, as yet only “provisionally agreed”, marks the denouement of a two-year dalliance with Foster, which is domiciled for tax reasons in Zug, Switzerland, and employs 13,000 people. Samir Brikho, Amec chief executive, said: “In oil and gas, it will add their midstream and downstream capabilities to our existing upstream ones, bringing with it new customers. This is a transformational combination.” Amec, which has expanded rapidly in recent years …

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everreach, a new phone service to help busy small business owners take full control of their business calls, today announces the results of its Running Your Small Business Better Survey. Small Business Challenges The research, conducted on behalf of everreach by polling company Censuswide, surveyed over 250 small business owners and senior employees across various trades – including builders, plumbers, electricians and gardeners. The idea was to explore the challenges small businesses in general, and tradesmen in particular, face when trying to manage their business calls. The survey looked at the most important issues these small businesses face, such as what missed calls cost in terms of lost revenue, as well as more personal elements, for example to what extent out of hours work calls might impact on …

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Labour leader attacks ‘stick-in-the-mud councils’ and accuses property developers of hoarding land to push up its value Profiteering property developers that hoard land and councils that block developments will be swept aside in a “non-stop drive” to more than double the number of homes being built each year in England, Ed Miliband will promise on Monday. Attacking “stick-in-the-mud councils”, the Labour leader will say he would order a national planning inspectorate to give priority to local authorities that want to expand if they are being blocked by neighbouring councils refusing to release land. Under the Labour plans, councils would be empowered to compulsorily purchase land or charge fees if developers fail to build on land for which they have planning permission. Michael …

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Construction PMI for December came in above expectations, boosted by new commercial building projects A range of new commercial building projects helped the construction industry expand again last month and companies are increasingly confident about the year ahead. A survey of the sector suggested it was continuing to claw back ground lost during the downturn and finished 2013 with its eighth straight month of growth. The Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI came in slightly ahead of expectations with a headline activity reading of 62.1 for December. That was well above the 50-mark which separates growth from contraction but was down from 62.6 in November, which is the highest reading since mid-2007. Construction companies said greater confidence in the economic outlook meant clients were spending more. The survey indicated the biggest growth in …

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UK construction companies remained in growth mode at the end of 2013, with output, new orders and jobs all on the increase, the latest monthly survey of purchasing managers shows. Further growth is also widely anticipated for 2014. The seasonally adjusted Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) showed a score of 62.1 for December, down only marginally on November’s 62.6 score – a 75-month high – and continuing well above the 50.0 no-change level. The December reading marked eight months of continuous output growth in the UK construction sector. Higher levels of business activity reflected strong rates of expansion in all three broad categories of construction output monitored by the survey: house-building, commercial construction and civil engineering. Residential activity remained the fastest growing area of construction, but it …

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Eric Pickles has launched a billion pound package of tax rules that will benefit high street businesses. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has set out an allowance of up to £1,000 in 2014/15 for retail premises with a rateable value of up to £50,000 – including shops, pubs, cafes, and restaurants. Other measures introduced include capping the increase in bills to 2% in 2014-15 – businesses were expecting a 3.2 % rise; and extending the doubling of the Small Business Rates Relief to April 2015. Elsewhere the plans will see a reoccupation relief for 18 months with a 50% discount for new occupants of retail premises empty for a year or more; businesses will also be allowed to pay their bills over 12 months (rather than 10), which will …

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The University of St Andrews in Fife has revealed new intentions to build a brand new ‘green’ centre in order to slash the establishment’s yearly energy bills. At a cost of £25 million, the scheme would be a long-term solution to the problems associated with rising energy bills. The money saved on paying high premiums for gas and electricity costs could be put back into investment in teaching a research. The University said a £10 million grant has been offered by the Scottish Funding Council to bring the plans to reality. Work would see a new a biomass facility constructed in the Guardbridge area, with hot water pumps running for four miles to the campus to provide heating and cooling for labs and residences. …

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to All  our readers and contributors. We hope to see you all again in 2014

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Westminster City Council says health and safety checks on the Apollo Theatre, part of whose ceiling collapsed last night injuring 76 people, were up to date. In a statement, the council’s cabinet member for community protection Councillor Nickie Aiken said that “we have no reason to believe this is other than an isolated incident”. However she added, that, as a precaution, the Society of London Theatres has agreed to run further safety checks at all of the West End’s historic theatres today. She added: “Our teams have been on site at the Apollo Theatre last night and again this morning and will remain on site until all checks are complete. As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further on specifics.” The Apollo’s owner, …

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A researcher at the University of Missouri has finished an app to prevent heavy equipment accidents and is now looking for an industry partner to distribute it. Each year more than 400 people die from heavy equipment and agricultural tractor rollover accidents, according to the Bureau of Labour statistics. The new VRPETERS (Vehicle Rollover Prevention Education Training Emergency Reporting System) is designed to summons site assistance immediately to help prevent death. The app, designed by A. Bulent Koc, assistant professor of Agricultural Systems Management at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and research assistant Bo Liu, is downloaded to a Smartphone or tablet. The app then uses the sensors and GPS capability built into these mobile devices to detect a rollover, and sends an automatic emergency …

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