Latest news with #SharonThompson
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Road cone hotline 'fuelling risk' of abuse
The government's war on road cones is "just fuel thrown on the fire" for road workers already suffering regular abuse, a Dunedin traffic management company boss says. Yesterday, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden launched a 12-month pilot of a road cone hotline to investigate "instances of over-compliance in temporary traffic management", as part of changes to government regulator WorkSafe. The owner of a Dunedin traffic management company, who the Otago Daily Times has agreed not to name, said the hotline was "pretty out of the gate". "I just think it's very much noise — a great one for the politicians to bang on about." Abuse towards road workers was "systemic" and in the most extreme cases, often further north, workers had been threatened with knives or guns. "The biggest thing we train on is de-escalating conflict," the owner said. "This has just trumped it ... ultimately, it's fuelling a risk that we've only just ever managed." Traffic management was needed when essential work such as water or power maintenance was being carried out — something people overlooked. "A new university building, a new hospital — it's just 'bloody road cones'. "If people don't know the bones of what [the hotline's] trying to achieve — and there are some good things of what it's trying to achieve — they don't look into that. "They just see, 'oh, these f ...... road cones'. "It's just fuel thrown on the fire." He wanted to know how the scheme's success would be measured and who was liable if, for example, a vehicle drove through a work site due to a lack of road cones. A traffic management plan signed off by key stakeholders was already required for work sites, which included details of the number and spacing of cones used, he said. If not adhered to, a company could be audited or shut down. The hotline could "balance" those who put out more cones than a traffic management plan required, but he thought it was uncommon, as operators wanted to make the best use of their resources. In a statement, WorkSafe chief executive Sharon Thompson said the pilot aimed to reduce unnecessary cones on the road. "While cones are primarily there to manage the speed and flow of traffic and help keep everyone safe, there can be times when usage is excessive. "We will engage with those involved with temporary traffic management and provide information to influence them to take a more risk-based approach to the use of cones on the road." Ms van Velden did not respond to questions before yesterday's deadline.
Otago Daily Times
7 hours ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Concern hotline will increase abuse
The government's war on road cones is "just fuel thrown on the fire" for road workers already suffering regular abuse, a Dunedin traffic management company boss says. Yesterday, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden launched a 12-month pilot of a road cone hotline to investigate "instances of over-compliance in temporary traffic management", as part of changes to government regulator WorkSafe. The owner of a Dunedin traffic management company, who the Otago Daily Times has agreed not to name, said the hotline was "pretty out of the gate". "I just think it's very much noise — a great one for the politicians to bang on about." Abuse towards road workers was "systemic" and in the most extreme cases, often further north, workers had been threatened with knives or guns. "The biggest thing we train on is de-escalating conflict," the owner said. "This has just trumped it ... ultimately, it's fuelling a risk that we've only just ever managed." Traffic management was needed when essential work such as water or power maintenance was being carried out — something people overlooked. "A new university building, a new hospital — it's just 'bloody road cones'. "If people don't know the bones of what [the hotline's] trying to achieve — and there are some good things of what it's trying to achieve — they don't look into that. "They just see, 'oh, these f ...... road cones'. "It's just fuel thrown on the fire." He wanted to know how the scheme's success would be measured and who was liable if, for example, a vehicle drove through a work site due to a lack of road cones. A traffic management plan signed off by key stakeholders was already required for work sites, which included details of the number and spacing of cones used, he said. If not adhered to, a company could be audited or shut down. The hotline could "balance" those who put out more cones than a traffic management plan required, but he thought it was uncommon, as operators wanted to make the best use of their resources. In a statement, WorkSafe chief executive Sharon Thompson said the pilot aimed to reduce unnecessary cones on the road. "While cones are primarily there to manage the speed and flow of traffic and help keep everyone safe, there can be times when usage is excessive. "We will engage with those involved with temporary traffic management and provide information to influence them to take a more risk-based approach to the use of cones on the road." Ms van Velden did not respond to questions before yesterday's deadline.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Funding for major West Midlands projects allocated and it will bring 'real change'
Two key West Midlands sites aimed at creating thousands of new jobs have had funding allocated to get them off the ground. The £16 million cash, part of the West Midlands Investment Zone, will help establish Birmingham Knowledge Quarter and Wolverhampton Green Innovation Corridor as employment hubs for advanced manufacturing, green industries, health-tech and digital technologies. As well as bringing in billions in investment, the projects will eventually create more than 23,000 jobs. READ MORE: Work to fix mould-infested social homes almost complete as mum tells of 'really bad' conditions Early-stage preparations will now begin as part of a long-term plan that will use the funding to clean up land and make significant improvements to infrastructure to help attract investors and businesses looking to relocate. This is the second major Investment Zone announcement following confirmation last month of £23 million to help deliver a battery manufacturing and technology hub at the Coventry and Warwick Gigapark, another Investment Zone site. Mayor Richard Parker said: "Our Investment Zone has the potential to deliver £5.5 billion of investment and create 30,000 jobs in the region. "It is essential that we develop these sites, attracting investors and growing industries, to reignite the economic growth this region has long been waiting for. "In less than a year I've secured £40 million to get these sites out of the starting blocks. "That's how I'm driving our economy to the next level and bringing real and lasting change for people living right across the West Midlands." The three Investment Zone sites will each benefit from a range of direct funding secured by the Mayor and in some cases tax incentives. In addition to the new jobs and investment, around £1.5 billion of business rates over the zone's 25-year lifespan will also be retained and reinvested in the region instead of going back into government coffers. Birmingham Knowledge Quarter runs northeast from the Birmingham City and Aston universities through Duddeston and Nechells to Aston. The Quarter will offer tax incentives, business rates retention and receive £9m investment for public realm works and active travel infrastructure to help attract investment. The Wolverhampton Green Innovation Corridor will create new green industries and skills through a partnership between the city council and university with £7m investment for land remediation and key infrastructure. The Coventry-Warwick Gigapark at Coventry Airport. Anchored by a new battery gigafactory and associated businesses and technologies, the site will get tax incentives, business rates retention and £23m investment for land remediation, infrastructure and connection to power grids. Councillor Sharon Thompson, deputy leader at Birmingham City Council, said: "The Knowledge Quarter will be a world-class, city-centre innovation cluster focused on science, technology and enterprise that will deliver an estimated 20,000 jobs and a 4,000 home 'eco-town' - with over a third of those homes being affordable. "This is great news for the city, and this part of Birmingham, providing much-needed investment, jobs, skills, homes and infrastructure." And Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills, said: "The Green Innovation Corridor will build on the city's strengths in high value manufacturing, green technologies, digital innovation, brownfield land regeneration and sustainable construction to create new, quality jobs and support businesses. "The West Midlands Investment Zone funding and status will help us deliver key sites in Wolverhampton and engage in region-wide business support, skills and recruitment programmes to ensure that local people benefit from the opportunities created."
BBC News
10-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cyber firm expands at University of Wolverhampton base
A global tech firm has expanded its manufacturing and testing site at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park after doubling its workforce to meet a rise in demand for its said its anti-hacking work has led to it work with Nato, the Ministry of Defence and other organisations responsible for "critical national infrastructure".The firm said it expected to increase its team to 32 employees by the end of 2025 and create 44 new jobs by 2027."We warmly welcome Goldilock's commitment to growing its pioneering cyber security business in the West Midlands," said Sharon Thompson, deputy mayor of the West Midlands. The firm said it had chosen to invest in the Wolverhampton site as it was "scaling up" from research and development (R&D) of its Firebreak programme to large-scale manufacturing. Firebreak is designed to ringfence networks away from the internet to make them inaccessible to hackers, the firm Kines, co-founder and chief operating officer of Goldilock said he was thrilled to be expanding."With sophisticated ransomware and AI-powered attacks on a continuous rise, paired with the increasing interconnectedness of systems, Goldilock's technology provides a critical, foundational layer of defence. "The West Midlands offers us an invaluable hub for innovation, providing access to a diverse pool of talented tech professionals and a supportive business environment from which we can continue to grow the business and get our critical product to where it's needed most, as quickly as possible."City of Wolverhampton Council leader, Stephen Simkins, said: "Goldilock's expansion is a testament to the city of Wolverhampton's growing appeal as a destination of choice for ambitious tech firms, with an extensive R&D network, deep pool of specialist talent and proximity to the region's end-to-end manufacturing supply chain." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
