Latest news with #PaulDrakeDavis
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Hull businesses encouraged to apply for grant funding
Businesses are being encouraged to tap into city centre grant funding made available to refurbish vacant properties and create City Council has relaunched the scheme after it said part of the original £7.5m allocated for city regeneration remained authority said 31 businesses have made use of the funding, including ResQ, which received £750,000 towards its £3m refurbishment of the former Hammonds of Hull Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for economic renewal, housing and organisation development, said: "This grant scheme has helped to realise the fantastic potential of our city centre." The £7.5m came from a £19.5m pot of government funding, awarded in November 2021 to "level up" the city now occupies four floors and has welcomed hundreds of new employees as a council said the grant scheme had helped to bring 19 buildings back into use and restored 14 heritage buildings, as well as occupying 18,399sq m (47,653sq km) of previously unused floor space and supporting close to 900 new jobs across the said it had also helped to bring almost £13m of private investment to the applications for the scheme will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will need to be supported by a credible and deliverable business plan. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Energy grants for low-income households in Hull
Low-income households in Hull can apply for funding to make their homes warmer and cheaper to City Council said it had secured £3.4m from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to help reduce fuel poverty and enable eligible residents to make energy-saving home money will be allocated over a three-year period, officials scheme covers things like wall, loft and underfloor insulation, air-source heat pumps and solar panels. Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for housing, said: "Even though we're currently experiencing warm, summer weather, it's really not that long until things turn colder, so we want to let residents know that there is help available ahead of the autumn and winter."Because there is limited funding available, we need to make sure it's used wisely to help us support those who need it most," he be eligible certain criteria must be met and people can find out more and apply via the government website or by contacting the council's warm homes team. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Amazon stages Hull jobs fair ahead of new warehouse opening
An event has been held to recruit up to 2,000 workers for Amazon's new warehouse near retailer teamed up with Hull and East Riding councils to stage the event at the city's Central Library in Albion facility at Melton West Business Park is expected to open later this year as part of Amazon's £40bn UK expansion Paul Drake-Davis, Hull City Council's portfolio holder for economic renewal, said: "Amazon's investment demonstrates the confidence that global companies have in the region's economy." Information was provided about warehouse operative Dawson, who attended the event, said: "I thought this would be a great opportunity for me because I keep getting rejected from jobs. I hope I'll be able to get a job and start as soon as possible." She said it was "really hard" to find employment and welcomed the opportunity to meet with Amazon representatives."I've always thought somewhere like Amazon would be a great opportunity," she said. Another jobseeker, Hussain, who did not want to give his surname, added: "I'm looking for a job and I heard about it through the employment hub. I'd like an administrative job but at the end of the day any kind of job because I really badly need a job." Amazon spokesman Neil Williams said: "There's a range of jobs and a wide variety of roles ranging from IT through to robotics engineers and HR professionals. There's a huge range of skills we will be looking for in recruitment and we're looking for people who want to develop a career." Drake-Davis said the decision by Amazon to invest is "a real shot in the arm for the area's employment opportunities".Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
15-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Empty Hull building to become homes for people with disabilities
An empty east Hull building is to be transformed into housing for people with learning former sheltered housing scheme Charles Brady Court will offer 36 self-contained flats, including respite new facility is being designed with input from users and their families, Hull City Council Linda Chambers, said it would "allow us to provide more opportunities to people with learning disabilities to live independently". "It will also allow for families and carers to be better supported, as they will benefit from a modern, purpose-designed environment," she said."We set out our ambition in our Community Plan for a healthier and fairer Hull, and this scheme can help us to ensure that all communities in our city have equal opportunities to achieve their full health potential."The city council said that once residents moved into the scheme their existing supported housing could be repurposed as family Paul Drake-Davis said Charles Brady Court had been empty for a long time and had attracted anti-social behaviour. "It really is a win-win where we're able to increase the amount of high-qulaity housing in our city."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Click here, to download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and here, to download the BBC News app from Google Play for Android devices.
BBC News
16-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Warning Hull HMOs 'tear social fabric of society'
A senior councillor warned houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) risk "tearing up the social fabric of streets and communities" in Hull. Paul Drake-Davis, cabinet member with responsibility for housing at Hull City Council, said, in some parts of the city, up to half of homes are HMOs with people who are not related sharing called for better regulation of landlords and said the HMOs were causing "too many horror stories". However, letting agent and developer Jason Kay said there was a demand for more HMOs and the standard of affordable housing would improve if more developments were allowed. Sylvia Rawson, who lives just off Hull's Beverley Road, said a family used to live in the property next door, but it has since become an HMO. "There's lots of fights and screaming of a night," she told BBC Look North. "The police have been next door four times. And they come in twos as well. That's how bad it's got." Mattresses dumped outside terraced houses, long lines of bins and fly-tipping are not hard to find in parts of the city near where Ms Rawson lives. Fellow resident Virgina Dobre said: "There's a big mess inside the houses, and a big mess everywhere. The people don't care." Charlotte Marwood and her boyfriend live in an HMO in Hull and said they benefit from the low rental price which also includes bills."You get your bills included. Everything's all in. It keeps the cost down, and it's worth the price," Ms Marwood said. According to Hull City Council, there are approximately 2,000 properties which could be defined as houses of mulitple occupancy in Hull. One thousand of those are occupied by five or more people and are subject to mandatory licensing, and another 1,000 are occupied by three or four people. In addition, there are 1,550 buildings which have been converted into self-contained flats. These contain two or more flats and are potentially occupied by three or more people, which means they also meet the definition of an HMO under legislation. Like other authorities, Hull City Council regulates areas where planning permission is required before an HMO can be approved. However, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has warned over-regulation, high interest rates, inconsistent licensing regulations and unfavourable tax policies are affecting the rental legislation introduced in 2018 means all HMOs housing five or more people from two or more separate households must be licensed by the local are required to agree to a series of conditions, as well as having their properties inspected and certified. "We're living in a society where people need this level of housing," Mr Kay said. "We've still got all the lower standard [housing] stock because people can't build new HMOs. They are restricted by the council."Mr Kay said he had recently completed developing a 24-bed property on Anlaby Road, and would soon start another 32 bed development on Beverley to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
