#Drain Survey Manchester

[rautilitysolutions]

Drain CCTV Survey Manchester Unmasking the Unseen

Drain CCTV Survey Manchester trained professional engineers will arrive at your property with no callout charges.We are ranked as the UK’s No.1 drainage company according to Trustpilot. You will always know the cost of our services before we attend your property. Click the padlock to view our prices.

[merseyrod]

Restoring Drain Flow: Effective Drain Unblockers for Every Situation

Mersey Rod are a drainage company that operates across the North West, including Liverpool, Manchester, The Wirral and Cheshire. Our services include drain unblocking, drain repairs/construction and drain surveying. We are your local, family-run drainage company and are always happy to help solve any of your drainage needs. As a drainage company we take pride in the work we do, this is reflected in our warranty and seen in our reviews. Contact us now for more information on how we can solve your drainage problems.

[blockeddrainsmanchester]

Blocked Drains in Greater Manchester: Everything You Need to Know

Blocked drains can be a nightmare for any property owner in Greater Manchester. The unpleasant odor, the overflowing water, and the potential damage to the property are all reasons why you should not ignore a blocked drain. If you are experiencing any of these issues, it is time to call in the experts - MK1 Drains LTD.

MK1 Drains LTD is a professional and reliable drainage company based in Greater Manchester. With years of experience in the industry, they have become the go-to experts for all drainage problems in the area, including blocked drains.

Blocked drains are a common problem in Greater Manchester due to the city's age and the prevalence of older properties. The older the property, the more likely it is that the drainage system has not been updated or maintained properly, leading to blockages. Other factors that can contribute to blocked drains include the accumulation of grease, fat, and oil, foreign objects such as hair and debris, and tree roots growing into the pipes.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of a blocked drain, such as slow-draining water, unpleasant odors, or gurgling sounds, it is important to act fast. Ignoring the problem can lead to serious consequences, including flooding, structural damage, and even health hazards.

MK1 Drains LTD offers a range of services to address blocked drains in Greater Manchester, including drain unblocking, drain cleaning, CCTV drain surveys, and drain repairs. Their team of experienced and qualified engineers uses the latest technology and equipment to diagnose and resolve problems quickly and efficiently.

Their drain unblocking service is designed to clear any blockages in your drainage system quickly and effectively. They use high-pressure water jets to break down and flush away any debris or buildup, leaving your pipes clear and free-flowing once again. This service is available 24/7, so you can rest assured that help is always at hand when you need it most.

MK1 Drains LTD also offers drain cleaning services to help prevent blockages from occurring in the first place. Regular drain cleaning can help to remove any buildup of grease, fat, and other debris, keeping your drainage system in top condition and reducing the risk of blockages.

For more complex issues, such as drain damage or tree root invasion, MK1 Drains LTD can conduct CCTV drain surveys to identify the problem and recommend the best course of action. They use state-of-the-art cameras to inspect the inside of your drainage system, allowing them to pinpoint the location and extent of the problem without the need for excavation.

Finally, their drain repair service can address any damage or deterioration in your drainage system, including collapsed pipes and leaks. They use a range of techniques, including excavation, relining, and patching, to repair your drainage system and ensure it is functioning properly.

In conclusion, blocked drains can be a major headache for property owners in Greater Manchester, but with the help of MK1 Drains LTD, you can get your drainage system back on track in no time. Their range of services, including drain unblocking, drain cleaning, CCTV drain surveys, and drain repairs, means they have the expertise and equipment to deal with any drainage problem quickly and efficiently. Don't wait until it's too late - if you are experiencing any issues with your drains, call in the experts at MK1 Drains LTD today.

[rautilitysolutions]

Drain Survey Manchester Exploring Underground Network

Drain Survey Manchester experienced engineers use the latest technology to inspect and diagnose any issues within your drainage system. We provide CCTV drain survey Manchester services 24/7 to ensure your drainage problems are solved quickly and efficiently.

[manchesterdrainageuk]

Jetflow Drain Services

Our knowledge and experience, combined with the latest drain jetting and CCTV equipment, allows us to tackle any drainage service you require, whether it’s unblocking a problem drain, carrying out a drain inspection or repairs and relining. Most of our business is via recommendations, so please read our reviews on Yell and Checkatrade.com.

With our fixed-rate system of a set fee to clear your blocked drain, we will make sure your drain is clear, dye-tested for full-flow and camera surveyed to make sure your blockage doesn’t reoccur.

Get in touch today for a service that can’t be matched anywhere else!

Website: https://www.manchesterdrainageservices.co.uk/

Address : 21 Woodhouses Avenue, Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, M34 5YS

Phone Number: 07887 842 129

Business Hours: Mon - Sat: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM

[rautilitysolutions]

Drain Survey Manchester Exploring Underground Network

Drain Survey Manchester experienced engineers use the latest technology to inspect and diagnose any issues within your drainage system. We provide CCTV drain survey Manchester services 24/7 to ensure your drainage problems are solved quickly and efficiently.

[merseyrod]

                                   Mersey Rod Limited Company

We are a drainage company that operates across the North West, including Liverpool, Manchester, The Wirral and Cheshire. Our services include drain unblocking, drain vacuuming, drain repairs/construction and drain surveying.

[kidsofcolourhq]

Mea (20): The Reality of School-Based Police Officers and the Mental Well-Being of People of Colour.

On the 25th of August 2020, Kids of Colour and Northern Police Monitoring Project will release a report on police in schools in Greater Manchester. Ahead of its public release, Mea, a project officer at Kids of Colour, reflects on the report’s content.

Over the past few months, at Kids of Colour we have been working to establish the true consequences that deploying police officers into schools is having on students. As a person of colour myself, I have my own personal fears and anxieties towards police presence. I was lucky enough to never have an active police presence whilst I was at school, however, the extensive data that has been collected as part of our report has confirmed all of my fears about what having a police presence will do to the state of mind of young people of colour, solidifying the need for our no police in schools campaign.

As we already know, the over-policing of people of colour is already a very serious issue. With black people being nine and a half times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police and being over-represented in the prison population, there is a clear unbalance in the justice system. It is inevitable that the same imbalances will transfer into schools, especially seeing as there is already a high exclusion rate for black students in comparison to their white peers. 

From the survey results that we have received as part of gathering community insight into police in schools, it is clear that many students of colour are being unfairly pulled up and stereotyped by police officers in schools. In one instance, a student detailed how a police officer in school told them that they ‘would end up nowhere in life’ and proceeded by asking what ‘gang’ they were affiliated to. This is clear racialised stereotyping and the aggressive nature of this language will inevitably lead to a lack of self-esteem and anxiety for students of colour who are having to deal with SBPOs addressing them in this way. That lack of self-esteem is likely to interfere with student learning; if they are being continually told that they will never succeed, it will become increasingly difficult for them to fight against these expectations.

With the clear recurring theme in the coming report of students feeling ‘threatened’, ‘intimidated’ and ‘fear[ful]’ around police in schools, I cannot help but dread the effect that this constant feeling of threat is having on their state of mind. Schools are supposed to be a safe space for young people, not a place for them to feel as if they are being treated as criminals; being encouraged to feel on edge, as if they have to constantly be watching over their shoulder. It was heartbreaking to read the harmful rhetoric these kids are facing on a regular basis, especially since the verbal abuse they are enduring is coming from people who are supposed to be protecting and empowering them. As people of colour, we are constantly having to battle the misconceptions that people have of us, which is something that is extremely mentally draining. We are told we are too loud, angry, aggressive and that we won’t amount to anything. These messages become very tiring and the distress that they cause undoubtedly affects our well-being. Being in the education system and constantly being worried about failure is enough to push anyone into a state of anxiety, but having to deal with racist and harmful verbal abuse by people who are ‘gatekeepers’ to your success adds a whole other level to the stress-inducing experience of being at school. There are multiple pieces of research detailing the ways in which dealing with daily racism can then lead to serious mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and PTSD. We cannot ignore the role that schools, specifically those with SBPOs in, will play in the deterioration of young people of colours’ mental health.

On top of this, people of colour are not given the support or space to recover from such trauma. There is so much stigma around people of colour showing emotions or seeking support for their mental health and often there aren’t adequate resources to be able to support us. White tears and emotions are seen to have so much more value than those of people of colour, meaning that when we do reach out for help we can be belittled or rejected. Currently in the UK ‘Black British people are four times more likely to be sectioned than white people and more likely to be given psychoactive medication instead of a talking therapy’. Not only is racism a strain on our mental health, but these statistics show the clear disparity in the treatment of mental health issues in people of colour, particularly black people, in comparison to white people. Why is it assumed that we will not benefit from talking therapy, and why is it that we are so highly institutionalised? It all stems from stereotypes. Stereotypes about our cultural differences, stereotypes about expressing our emotions and stereotypes that enforce the idea that professionals will not be able to understand us and our struggles. Then, not only does our mental health suffer as our struggles aren’t taken seriously, but things are made worse by exacerbating the oppression in our current systems, for example, by putting police into schools.

Time and time again I am reminded of the lack of support given to people of colour from the government and the police, I think it is time to accept that the only way to make a change is to limit the amount that police exist in the spaces we do. There are so many other ways to empower students to pursue a positive future and I do not believe that the police play a part in this. Instead of investing money in more school-based police officers, why not invest in youth workers to run workshops, counsellors or experts to come in and educate young people about the variety of careers they have the ability to pursue? The government should invest more in mental health support and equip people with racial literacy so that they have the ability to approach and solve the issues that young people of colour are having to conquer on a daily basis. Currently, they are failing us as people of colour. 

We will no longer accept that we should just get used to feeling afraid at the hands of the police. Let our concerns be heard and get rid of the police from our schools.

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Monday 29th January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  With the inevitability of the Julian calendar, Monday has rolled around once more and we prepare ourselves for another working week…For me, my life is no different than when I worked  for my company, but the sign on the door says, “Retired” which translates to past it, and effectively means, that no company will consider you for employment, so you are supposed to get up late, have a lazy day… because you earned it … I think that is the way to an early grave, I remain active, both physical and mentally, walking Bella, writing The Thistle and The Tulip and many other articles, it all keeps the body and the mind active,

APPEAL AFTER HIGH-VALUE PAINTINGS STOLEN IN MIDLOTHIAN…. Two high-value paintings have been stolen from a house in Midlothian. The works by Scottish artists were taken from a home in the Eskbank area of Dalkeith between Tuesday 17 October and Thursday 19 October last year, but details have just been released. Police said the thieves gained access to the property and took the paintings which hold sentimental value to the owner. Both paintings are original pieces and are forensically marked. The first is a picture of fish entitled "The Maverick" by artist Gordon Mitchell and the second is "The Lady with the Skate" by John Bellany. Officers are asking anyone with information to come forward. PC Emily Dalgetty from Musselburgh Police Station said: "These pieces of art have huge sentimental value to the owner and we are keen to trace those responsible for their theft. "I would ask anyone who has seen, or been offered these paintings, to contact us as soon as possible."

GLASGOW CITY CENTRE IS ONE OF UK'S POOREST AREAS…. Glasgow is among the UK's poorest constituencies, according to a new report. The End Child Poverty Coalition, made up of charities, faith groups and trade unions, said that 45% of children in the city centre were living in poverty. Glasgow Central appears 12th on a list of 20 constituencies, which is otherwise dominated by communities in London, Birmingham and Manchester. West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine had the fewest children in poverty at 9.2%. The Coalition calculated the number of children in poverty using a combination of HMRC data and a Labour Force Survey. A child was classed as poor if their family had less than £248 a week to spend after housing costs. That amount is less than 60% of median household income in the UK. Across Scottish constituencies, the organisation found that just under a third of children in North Ayrshire (29%) and Dundee (28%) were living in poverty. Other areas, such as North Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire and Clackmannanshire had a quarter of children in poverty.

MOBILE CINEMA OPERATOR SECURES KEY FUNDING…. The operator of the UK's only full-time, self-contained mobile cinema has secured the funding it needs to run its programme for the next three years. Regional Screen Scotland (RSS) said Creative Scotland intends to provide it with a total grant of £620,350 for April 2018 to March 2021. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will also give a total of £75,000 over the same period. RSS operates the mobile cinema the Screen Machine. The service was originally started in 1998. The current vehicle, which has been in use since 2005, was fully refurbished last year. The cinema tours the Highlands, Inner and Outer Hebrides and Northern Isles. RSS said: "We're delighted that the continuing success of the Screen Machine, which visited 51 different locations in the last year, has been so firmly endorsed by our two key funders."

TRAIN COULD BE MOVED AFTER LANDSLIP ON WEST HIGHLAND LINE…. NetworkRail Scotland said it could soon be possible to move a train that was caught up in a landslip on the West Highland Line on Monday. Five passengers were on board when the train came off the track early on Monday morning. No-one was injured. The line is blocked at Loch Eilt between Arisaig and Glenfinnan and the ScotRail Alliance has said Fort William-Mallaig services will be suspended until further notice. Engineers from NetworkRail Scotland are clearing tonnes of material to free the train and clear the line. A spokesman for the company said: "Works on site are progressing well. "Yesterday the team drained standing water from around the derailed vehicle and began to dig out the mud surrounding it. "Today we will complete the removal of the landslip material from around the train and then re-rail it. If possible we may move the train today, but that may not happen until tomorrow." He added: "In the days after that, we'll repair damage to the track and carry out further works to secure the slope."

UNTAXED CAR CATCHES OUT CANNABIS COURIERS…. Two men were caught with almost £30,000 worth of cannabis after using an untaxed car to transport the drug, a court heard. Kieran Teasdale and Jacob Simpson were pulled over by police after a routine computer check showed that their vehicle had not been taxed. Officers noticed a "strong smell of cannabis" coming from the car when its window was wound down. Both men were jailed for 19 months at Perth Sheriff Court. Depute fiscal Michael Sweeney told the court that the total weight of the cannabis was almost 2kg and it had a potential street value of £29,000. The court was told that the chance discovery was made because Simpson had "stupidly" decided to use an untaxed car to drive the cannabis from Bradford to Aberdeen. Simpson, 27, and Teasdale, 24, both from Bradford, had earlier admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis on the M90 on the outskirts of Perth in April 2016.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is by.. Morris Macleod … There's been some tricky driving conditions across Scotland this week. Even Morris Macleod encountered a road block on the Pentland Road in Lewis.

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Monday 29th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[qubemagazine]

New Post has been published on Business Manager News

New Post has been published on https://www.business-manager.news/bmnews/drainage-teams-work-to-restore-spa-towns-global-fame/

Drainage teams work to restore spa town's global fame

NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES

Drainage teams from Lanes Group plc are helping a main contractor realise a plan that aims to restore Buxton in Derbyshire as the UK’s leading spa town.

It is delivering drain survey and cleaning services as part of a multi-million-pound plan to redevelop and restore The Crescent, a Grade 1 Listed Georgian building in the town.

The aim of the investment is to put Buxton back on the national and international tourist map by promoting its heritage as a world-famous spa town.

VINCI Construction UK has commissioned Lanes, the UK’s largest independent drainage specialist, to provide drainage services for the scheme.

Ian Clapham, Area Development for the Lanes Manchester depot, said: “We are very pleased to be able to support such an important project for both Buxton and the region’s tourist economy.

“This is a highly complex project, which involves our teams being called on to work flexibly efficiently alongside VINCI and their many other contractors.

“Thankfully we have the capacity and know-how to do this, as well as the expertise needed to work on drainage systems associated with important historical buildings.”

When complete, in 2019, The Crescent will have an 80-bedroom five-star spa hotel, which will incorporate the magnificent Assembly Rooms and a thermal natural mineral water spa in the Natural Baths. There will also be six new shops.

The project is creating 350 construction jobs, plus more than 140 permanent jobs directly, and many more indirectly, resulting in a predicted £4.5million boost to the local economy.

The Lanes drainage teams need to know their way around drains and sewers installed, repaired, adapted, and added to over more than 200 years, in most cases without leaving any useful records.

A jet vac tanker has been deployed to clean drainage lines while a CCTV camera team has been carrying out drainage surveys and mapping the underground pipe systems.

Ian Clapham said: “It’s important that civil and structural engineers know the location, type, and condition of pipes so they can draw up the best plans and guide construction teams.

“As new drainage lines are installed, where they are needed, we can also clean and survey those, so both VINCI and its client can be confident they are connected properly and fit for purpose.”

The Crescent was the centrepiece of the Fifth Duke of Devonshire’s plans to establish a fashionable Georgian spa town in Buxton. It was designed by architect John Carr and built between 1780 and 1789.

The building was inspired by the Royal Crescent in Bath but has been described by The Royal Institute of British Architects as being more richly decorated and more complex.

The Crescent and Thermal Spa Experience, plus the development of the nearby Pump Room, which Lanes Group also worked on, will also provide new indoor attractions for residents, visitors, groups and schools.

Buxton Crescent & Thermal Spa Co Ltd is the largest investor in the development, with the rest of the funds provided by the public sector, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, the D2N2 Local Enterprise, Historic England, High Peak Borough Council, and Derbyshire County Council.

Lanes Group: www.lanesfordrains.co.uk

  Drainage teams work to restore spa town’s global fame

NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES

[holytheoristtastemaker]

As the coronavirus pandemic has forced firms to work more flexibly, threatening traditional large office spaces in London, will tech talent make a long-term shift away from the capital?

Barclays boss Jes Staley sent shockwaves through the banking industry at the end of April, when he said that big, expensive city offices “may be a thing of the past”.

The Covid-19 lockdown situation was leading to a “long-term adjustment” of the bank’s “location strategy”, he explained, as it re-evaluated just how much office space was actually required when 70,000 of its staff around the world were able to work from home.

Jonathan Ratcliffe, lead broker at serviced office provider Offices.co.uk, then added fuel to the fire by declaring that “we’re witnessing the biggest shift of a generation”, as huge, centralised HQ buildings start to be replaced with a “new culture of flexible working and regionalisation of office space”.

Such findings were also backed up, expressly in a tech context, by the findings of a recent CW Jobs report, UK Tech Hubs: Redefining the nation’s tech innovation map, based on a survey of 1,000 tech workers and 500 IT decision-makers. It revealed that better digital and physical infrastructure, which includes faster broadband, was already leading to the creation of tech hubs outside of London – a trend that will undoubtedly be accelerated following lockdown and its wholesale shift to remote working.

Even so, while 46% of tech workers declared the capital as the top location in which to work, a huge three quarters of those based in the Greater London area – and who were questioned even before the pandemic struck – indicated they were likely to relocate over the next three years due to the capital’s high cost of living (52%), difficulties in getting onto the property ladder (32%) and too much travel (30%).

Top of the list of places to relocate to among both IT decision-makers (27%) and IT workers (20%), particularly if the aim was to launch a new business, was Manchester. Other favourites included Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds.

So does all of this imply that a mass exodus out of London is now imminent and if so, what is such a shift likely to mean?

Mass exodus or trickle?

Shamus Rae, founder and chief executive of Engine B, which provides information modelling software to the professional and legal services industries, believes that between 40-50% of tech workers will depart the capital over the next two years now that the stigma of working from home has largely disappeared.

“The crisis has accelerated trends that were happening already and unblocked barriers to where jobs can be done,” he says. “The lack of trust issue has now gone as employers have had to trust people to work remotely during lockdown, so they’ve been forced into accepting it.”

Although the company itself is retaining an office in London as most of its customers are still based in the capital, Rae says its requirements have changed markedly since lockdown. As a result, it is now seeking a smaller property that is “more of a drop-in place to meet clients” than a “big, corporate, grown-up office”. “We’d rather people worked from home as a default and used the office as a place to create social bonds,” he says.

But the firm is also continuing with plans to set up another site in Glasgow, a spot it opted for over other possibilities, Belfast and Cardiff, due to the high availability of data science and graphics skills there.

“When deciding where to set up, you start with people, people, people,” he says. “It’s about the availability of skills and talent that can understand the values and purpose the company’s trying to create, but having access to the necessary digital infrastructure and bandwidth is important too.”

Bev White, chief executive at recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash, on the other hand, is not so sure that tech workers are going to start migrating from London in droves any time soon. While she does expect some to up sticks, she believes it will be in “ripples that are consistent and will gain momentum as confidence grows” rather than a big wave all at once.

But even then, she says: “By no means everyone will go. Many people love city life and will never move out. And even if they live in places that are commutable like Reading or Guildford, they’ll still come into offices that are located in London.”

London as the epicentre

As a result, White does not predict the capital will suffer a huge brain drain. Instead she forecasts that any migration will be “slow and steady” and take place with the blessing of employers who no longer see the need for staff to be in the office for a full five days per week but are happy for them to work partly from home.

White also believes that a new focus on finding the best rather than the closest talent, which is already leading to a widening out of hiring search zones, will benefit employers by providing them with “more choice and access” to skills around the country. In other words, any such migration will not damage London’s tech sector per se but will instead benefit the UK tech industry and economy as a whole.

Andrew Roughan, managing director of Plexal, a co-working space and start-up accelerator in East London, agrees. While he acknowledges the capital has problems with a lack of affordable housing, he does not expect tech workers to start relocating in their droves as a result. After all, he says, London is still the UK’s biggest and most dynamic of the country’s tech hubs and is “the epicentre around which people coalesce”, not least because of the “availability of talent and the cultural experience of living there”.

Moreover, US internet giants, such as Amazon and Google, that have made their home there and are huge employers, have either purchased large properties or entered into long-term leaseholds. This means that, even if they wanted to, they are unlikely to abandon the capital any time soon. At the opposite end of the spectrum, start-ups often base themselves in London to be near to customers and funders, which includes angels and venture capitalists.

“So London will retain its magnetic force as a result, and all the ecosystems in and around the capital will keep it in a healthy state going forward,” says Roughan.

As an aside, the CW Jobs report does indicate that the capital tends to be most favoured by younger people (16 to 24-year-olds) at the start of their careers, who describe it as the number one place to work (54%). But enthusiasm appears to wane somewhat as workers gain in years and experience, and presumably their priorities shift – while around 49% of 25 to 44-year-olds are similarly keen on London, the figure drops to only just over a third among the over 55s, a situation that could over time lead to more marked demographic splits than currently exist already.

As to what a new, more devolved tech talent landscape might look like, meanwhile, Harvey Nash’s White believes it could well be more nuanced than it is today as the “working from anywhere idea” takes more hold.

The importance of regional hubs

Although hubs will continue to grow in already popular, large urban areas, such London and Manchester, other smaller ones are also likely to develop in areas with good broadband and transport infrastructure, such as Sheffield and Derby. Local “micro-hubs”, in which remote workers from different organisations share workspaces, will likewise add another increasingly important layer to the mix. Indeed, believes Plexal’s Roughan, the progressive emergence and scale of provincial tech hubs, which includes co-working facilities, is likely to prove vital in future if the UK is to succeed in positioning itself as a tech leader on the global stage.

The Tech City movement has already supported the emergence of new hubs in locations such as Newcastle and Belfast, he points out, while local universities in places like Cambridge and Edinburgh have led to clusters of start-up companies specialising in particular fields.

But macro-economic initiatives are also helping too. For example, the creation of the Northern Powerhouse has become a “magnet for startups to coalesce around” as investment has poured into the region along with the development of supporting infrastructure, says Roughan.

Rather than viewing such moves as a threat to London’s supremacy, he views them more of a complement to its existing strengths. For example, one of the specialisms of his own accelerator, which focuses on supporting start-ups that sell their wares into the private sector, is cyber security. But Plexal has also begun collaborating with CyNam, or Cyber Cheltenham, a growing cybersecurity hub located in the home of GCHQ, where young companies target the government marketplace.

“We believe that working together and creating twin ecosystems like this is a sound model going forward,” says Roughan. “It’s about looking at the magic dust locally and fulfilling that potential to scale.”

Such activity does not pose a threat to London though as the capital is so diverse and has such a wide talent pool that “you don’t need to find compelling reasons to go there as they’re self-evident”, he says.

“What the Covid-19 crisis has proven is that economic growth will probably need to be the priority of the next decade, so the focus has to be on how to align the national effort around national growth,” says Roughan. “This means it’s important that tech talent is not randomly scattered around the country but that the whole economy is able to benefit from regional specialisms sitting alongside London.”

[rautilitysolutions]

CCTV Drain Survey Manchester Monitoring Subsurface Channels

CCTV Drain Survey Manchester specialise in providing top-quality CCTV drain surveys, drain unblocking, drain repairing, and other related services to both residential and commercial customers. If you’re experiencing drainage problems in Manchester, our CCTV drain survey service is here to help.

[slavinhomeimprovements]

Why It’s Imperative to Have a Winter Roof Damage Inspection and Service This New Year

You've done every precaution possible before you left your property when winter arrived. Your reliable South Windsor CT professional roofers have de-winterized your roof. In addition, local plumbers ensured your pipes and other utility lines won't suffer from long-term damages that below-zero temperatures will always cause. Now that the holidays are over, it's time to perform a winter roof damage inspection and service for your roof as soon as you can.

Winter snow is beautiful, but it is brutal and can cause huge damage across your roof if left unattended. Some of the damages it can cause HeatTrak lists below to help you learn more about them.

1. Ice Dam Formation

When warm air rises from your heated living spaces, it warms the shingles of your roof and the snow that covers it. This leads to snow melting and dripping down to the colder edges of the roof where it refreezes as ice. Once the ice grows thick enough, it backs up further snow-melt behind it, causing water to seep under the shingles, and eventually into your home through leakage points. Leaks are made the more likely when backed up water freezes and thaws, working its way into nooks and crannies and expanding them. The number one way to prevent an ice dam is by insulating and ventilating your attic, but you can also lower the risk by cleaning out gutters and downspouts in late fall and using a roof rake to remove snow from the roof's edges. You can also install heat trace cables in the gutters to keep melting snow flowing, thus preventing backups.

2. Icicle Formation

Icicles often result from the same kinds of conditions that cause ice damming. While they may seem harmless, they can actually damage shingles and gutters as well as break and fall on those walking below. Eliminating roof-top air leaks and better insulation will reduce icicles as much as ice dams, but you can also carefully dislodge them with your long-handled roof rake or by climbing up near them with a ladder. Be sure the ladder is securely footed, not on ice, and never walk on an icy roof. (Continued)

If it's just maintenance and not exactly a major roofing issue, will I still need to call reliable South Windsor CT roofers for help? The truth is, it's best that you do. However, if you have time to spare during weekend and you've got reliable equipment on hand to help you, then you can perform these 10 winter roof maintenance tips as per H2H Organizing has listed below.

1. Trim the trees surrounding the house

Ensure you do a survey of your surroundings about the trees. It is quite risky to have trees with long branches dangling over your home. This is because they may quickly accumulate snow and break off onto your roof, thus creating damage. Therefore, get rid of such branches by trimming them. Also, trimming any dead tree limbs is effective in eliminating any pests such as raccoons, which may find their way to access your attic for warmth. Lastly, cut down any trees that may be growing leaning towards your house as they may ruin the shingles or the windows following the strong winds.

2. Remove roof debris

The main debris that accumulates on the roof is dead leaves and twigs. These can block scuppers and drains, thus creating ponds and putting unnecessary weight on the rooftop. You can hire a professional contractor to help clear the debris to avoid clogging your roof with leaves and snow during winter.

3. Clean your gutters

Check your roof’s open gutters to ensure there are no fallen leaves, pine needles, twigs, and debris as they can block the gutter’s path. Gutters are essential for draining rainwater and also for the melting snow. Clogging of the downspouts by the rain or melted snow is dangerous. This is because the overflow may lead to roof damage and damage to the interior walls of your house. (Continued)

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[wineanddinosaur]

Raising a Glass to Fish and Chips, a Beer-Battered British Icon

No dish sings “Rule, Britannia!” quite as proudly as a plate of fish and chips. As British as rain delays at Wimbledon and double-decker London buses, the combination of golden, crispy, battered fish, and chunky chips (like French fries, only better), is enjoyed in every corner of the United Kingdom.

Traditionally served in fish and chip shops, called “chippies,” the dish also finds a home in village pubs, chain restaurants, and fancy gastropubs. When this writer worked as an apprentice chef at a five-star London hotel, the most popular dish on the bar menu (by far) was the fish and chips.

According to Professor John K. Walton, historian and author of “Fish and Chips and the British Working Class,” Londoners first cooked battered fish at around the same time Queen Victoria took the throne, in 1837. Fried “chipped” potatoes were invented some 40 years later in Lancashire, a county in the northwest of England. It’s not known who first combined the two ingredients, but the dish’s origins are believed to date to some time in the 1870s.

The secret to the dish lies within perfecting the batter. The ideal preparation sees a fillet of meaty white fish, such as cod, haddock, or pollock, served in a batter that’s light but crispy, fried but not greasy, and as golden as a pint of British ale.

Indeed, beer is a key ingredient in well-made fish and chips. Adding beer to a batter made from flour and water boosts flavor and provides a “lighter, crispier” coating, Gordon Ramsay explains in a 2005 episode of “The F Word.”

“Different beers produce slightly different results regarding the coloration of the final batter mix, and also the flavor,” says Andy Gray, the trade marketing manager of Seafish, a public body that supports the U.K. seafood industry. A blonde-style beer produces a “slightly sweeter batter mix,” Gray explains, while darker beers produce a “bitter-beer style flavor.”

The batter also protects the fish during cooking. As the mixture crisps, it forms a shell around the fish, locking in moisture and steam-cooking the fillet. “The quick frying methods used today and the high-quality oils used by fish and chip shops, mean that very little oil, if any, gets into the actual fish,” Gray says.

Heston Blumenthal, the chef and owner of three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (two Michelin stars), says the key to a crispy batter is carbonation. Blumenthal adds beer at the last minute, and advises against mixing too much so that bubbles aren’t lost. (A lumpy batter also provides an interesting texture, Blumenthal says.)

He adds his batter to a syphon and injects with carbon dioxide cartridges before chilling it. Carbon dioxide is much more soluble in chilled liquid, he explains, and cooling provides “more gas, more bubbles, and a crisper, lighter batter.”

Blumenthal also pioneered a method for cooking the “fluffiest, crispiest chips imaginable.” His triple-cooked chips see potatoes washed of starch, simmered in lightly salted water until almost cooked, confited at 250 degrees Fahrenheit, then crisped to a satisfying crunch in hot oil (around 365 degrees Fahrenheit).

At “chippies” and fine-dining establishments, chefs take certain liberties with the dish. Some fish and chip shops opt to fry their chips in beef dripping instead of oil. Many serve it with tartar sauce or mushy peas — a mint- and vinegar-spiked pea puree. No matter where you are in the country, chips are almost always seasoned with salt and malt vinegar.

Glaswegians enjoy their fish and chips with a side of pickled onions, while Manchester locals sauce with a splash of gravy. Birmingham residents enjoy with a curry-flavored dipping sauce and Londoners opt for mayonnaise.

Brits honor the dish on the first Friday of every June, when they celebrate National Fish and Chips Day. According to a 2014 survey, over a third of U.K. residents eat fish and chips more than once a month.

Traditional Beer-Battered Fish and Triple-Cooked Chips

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

24 ounces potatoes (Maris Piper, Fontaine, or Maris Bard)

Vegetable oil for frying

14 ounces plain flour and 1 ounce rice flour, kept in the freezer

18 fluid ounces very cold golden ale, such as Bombardier British Hopped Golden Ale

Salt and pepper to taste

4 pieces of cod or haddock (around 7 ounces each, skin off)

Directions:

Peel potatoes and cut into 2 x 1/2 inch batons. Place in a bowl and rinse under cold water until it runs clear, at which point you’ll have released most of the starch content.

Cook in a gently simmering pan of lightly salted water until potatoes are soft to the touch but not cooked all the way through, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Carefully remove the potatoes, place on a rack to drain, and cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep-bottomed pan to 265 degrees Fahrenheit. (Cooking in a pan rather than using a deep fat fryer allows for better temperature control.)

Fry the chips in your pan in batches for around 7 minutes each. You want a light crust to form, but the chips should gain no color. Carefully remove, place on a rack, and cool in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Heat the oil to 365 degrees Fahrenheit, making sure there are no leftover pieces of potato — these will burn and alter the flavor of the oil. Heat a separate pan with oil for the fish, also to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the chips are cool and both pans of oil have reached 365 degrees, it’s time to make the batter. Remove the flour from the freezer and lightly whisk in the cold beer. Don’t mix too vigorously, and don’t worry about any small lumps.

Pat the fish fillets with a paper kitchen towel, dust with flour, and season with salt and pepper.

Dip the fish into the batter and then carefully lower it into the fresh hot oil. Using a spatula, hold the fish in place for a few seconds so the batter starts to crisp, then let go. This stops the fish from sinking and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook no more than two pieces at a time, as the fryer will become overcrowded and the temperature of the oil might drop. Cook for around 5 minutes, until the fillets are golden brown.

Fry the potatoes in the chip pan, also in batches and also for around 5 minutes until crisp and golden.

Remove fish fillets and chips using a slotted spoon, holding above the frier for a moment to allow excess oil to drip off. Serve immediately with a lemon wedge and your preferred garnish.

The article Raising a Glass to Fish and Chips, a Beer-Battered British Icon appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/best-fish-and-chips-recipe/

[enetproperty-blog]

Section 21 No Fault Notices and Evictions to be Banned

Section 21 no fault notices and evictions could be banned under Conservative plans for the private rented sector says David Lawrenson of www.LettingFocus.com. But the losers will be the more vulnerable and “risky” tenants who will find they are increasingly shut out of private renting. Section 21 No Fault Notices and Evictions to be Banned Oh crikey! What’s this? The Conservatives are going to get rid of Section 21 (so called “no fault evictions”), thus aping a Labour policy and copying what they already have been doing for a year or two in Jolly Scotland. And here is next PM hopeful (or one of them), James Brokenshire on the TV and radio to explain it all. He’ll be very pleased with himself as the story has got first or second billing on the main news. And why not, as it was all planned before the weekend. Journalists, including me had been briefed (or leaked to by other journalists) and most held their water (as instructed by the government) until Monday. So all were ready with the story. Suddenly the Tories are the private rented sector tenants’ friends, just in time for their votes at the next general election, which gets closer every day with every wrong turn on Brexit. Read the headline and it sure sounds like its more bad news for the private landlord, even though it is just a “consultation”. My brother is soon emailing to say, “Who needs Corbyn and the Marxists when the Tories will clobber private landlords (again) first!” But is it really that bad? On one of the TV channels, the presenter asks Mr. Brokenshire what will happen to people who are going away for a year, to work say. Surely, they will now just not let their property out, draining the sector of yet more stock – and leaving their homes empty. After all, would you risk it is the tenants had every right to stay until they fall off the perch? Section 21 No Fault Notices – Possible Exemptions But Mr. B is ready for this one. As well as some vague talk about possibly speeding up the processes via some sort of special housing court, he also implies there would be exemptions for situations like the expat one. So I got to wondering who would police such “get out clauses”. Mmm. Not the local authorities – they have more laws to use against landlords than you can shake a stick at, but usually don’t use them due to lack of resource. Even those town halls who have big cash coming in from selective licensing schemes don’t seem to do much with it, (with the exception of Newham), other than employ a bunch of people to collect the dough coming in from all the good landlords who have dutifully joined and paid their license fee (while the bad ones hide in the darkness safe in the knowledge that their tenants may have their own reasons for not grassing them up). (Think illegal immigrants / folks who lack confidence / the mentally ill… the list of trembling tenant types is very long!) So what will landlords response to this be? Well, some will see the taking away of Section 21 (no fault notices) as just one more piece of regulation – and another reason to get out of the sector, leading to a shortage of private rental accommodation. “Hooray”, say GenRent, “We can then buy the properties that the landlord sell – and the flood of stock will mean they will be cheaper too”. But that pre-supposes folks want to stay in one place (owning a home is not as flexible as renting) and if they do, that they can get a mortgage anyway. (“Help to Buy” or “Help to Make Persimmon Execs Rich” as I call it, won’t be there forever – and certainly not under the Corbynistas). Other landlords, will stay in the game – and likely find work arounds. Maybe they will all become expats (or pretend to) and seek that exemption. Section 21 No Fault Notices and Evictions – Vulnerable and More Risky Tenants Will be Left Out in the Cold But one thing is for sure, the more “risky” tenant may become less attractive to the average landlord. What do I mean by risky? I’m going to introduce an example, which is actually not that unusual, but it illustrates the point well. Imagine you are a private landlord. You don’t have a portfolio of properties, maybe you have just one or two, even three say. But you are not doing this full time. You are like the majority of landlords in the UK. Now imagine you have a choice of letting to two tenant types – and Section 21 has been abolished. Oh, and this is not a “Conservative Section 21” abolition with “get outs” with the opportunity to say you are going away for a year to work on an oil rig, so you can come back, dust off your overalls and hard hat and get your home back. No, Sir. This is a Corbyn one. This is Section 21 No Fault Notices with no “get out” clauses. In this version, the tenant gets to stay in your property for life, and life really means life, unless they don’t pay the rent for two months, which takes 5 to 6 months to go through the courts before you finally get your home back.  The tenants can be as horrible as they like, annoy the neighbours, mess up the property, but as long as they just about pay the rent, they can stay in your property for life, even until after you are dead possibly! Now imagine two tenants turn up. One is an aspiring graduate couple. The other is a couple who have come from a council recovery programme from the Hostel Drug-New Life Restart programme. Of course, you’d like to help the couple on the recovery programme. Of course you would. If there still was a Section 21 No fault Notice option, you could always say, “Well, I gave it a try, but the annoyed neighbours ringing me up every night was just too much, so I gave them notice in the end”. But with no Section 21 No Fault Notice option, would you be as likely to take the risk? The tenants could be there for life, unless they are dumb enough to do something like not pay the rent for 2 months or run a cannabis farm at the property – and get caught. So, vulnerable people and other potentially risky tenants will certainly find it harder to get private rented accommodation. Maybe Polly Neate, the boss at Shelter has thought this through and has an answer. But I doubt it. Section 21 No Fault Notices and Evictions – Joe Halewood View Joe Halewood, who could no way be described as a private landlord lover, but is someone who does understand the private rented sector and housing generally, has written a great piece on this. If he can see that one of the key flaws in removing Section 21 is that, then why not the zealots at Shelter and Generation Rent? He wrote at his blog at wordpressSpeyjoe2, as follows: This doesn’t just affect general needs rented tenants but everyone who is in a homeless hostel or in a domestic violence refuge as the exit from these is mostly to the private rented sector. If hostels and refuges can’t move people on then they can’t move people into homeless hostels or domestic violence and abuse refuges! Yet today we see Polly Neate the chief executive of Shelter and previously chief executive of Women’s Aid lauding the proposed removal of the no fault eviction on mainstream TV, radio and across social media when the policy will see more homeless on the streets and more women having to suffer domestic violence and abuse because there is nowhere they can flee to that is available! Today we also see the rump of the social rented sector lauding this proposal too as good news. Let’s hope every housing association stops using ‘starter tenancies’ with immediate effect as these too can be ended by a no-fault eviction as they are the same AST tenure as used across the private rented sector and last year official figures show 83% of new housing association tenancies were these no-fault eviction starter tenancies. Joe Halewood Section 21 No Fault Notices and Evictions Ban – Data Shows it is Not Needed Government data shows that on average tenants live in their rental properties for over four years and that in 90 per cent of cases tenancies are ended by the tenant rather than the landlord. Their data also shows that it takes over five months from a private landlord applying to the courts for a property to be repossessed to it actually happening. Research by Manchester Metropolitan University for the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has found that in a large majority of cases where tenants are asked to leave their properties under Section 21 notices, there is a clear reason. Half of the notices are used where tenants have rent arrears, are committing anti-social behaviour or damage to the property. Other common reasons include the landlord needing to take back possession of a property for sale or refurbishment. The report’s authors argue that this “raises questions” about whether the use of Section 21 notices can properly be described as ‘no fault’ evictions, as some have called them. Sources: (Thanks to the Residential Landlords Association for these) The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Residential Market Survey for March 2019 can be accessed at: https://www.rics.org/globalassets/rics-website/media/knowledge/research/market-surveys/uk-residential-market-survey-march-2019-rics.pdf. It warns that: “In the lettings market, tenant demand continued to rise for a third successive month (non-seasonally adjusted data) while landlord instructions slipped further. On the back of this, contributors are pencilling in rental growth of approximately 2% over the coming twelve months. At the five year horizon, the imbalance between supply and demand is expected to lead to an acceleration in rental growth, which is seen averaging around 3%, per annum, through to 2024.”  In Q4 2018 the mean average time it took for a private landlord to make a claim to the courts for a property to be repossessed as it actually happening was 22.8 weeks. See table 6a at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778386/Mortgage_and_Landlord_Possession_Statistics_Oct-Dec_18_Annex.pdf.  Manchester Metropolitan University’s report, Homelessness and the Private Rented Sector, can be accessed at: https://research.rla.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/MMU-Homelessness-and-the-private-rented-sector.pdf. Page 28 notes: “our research raises questions around whether S.21 terminations can be described as ‘no fault’ evictions.”  The English Housing Survey Headline Report for 2017-18 can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774820/2017-18_EHS_Headline_Report.pdf. Page 18 notes that in 2017/18, private sector tenants had been living in their current properties for 4.1 years. The English Housing Survey 2016-017 report for the private rented sector found that 10.1% of tenants left a private rented property over the previous three years because their landlord asked them to leave/gave notice. See annex able 3.3 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/723885/Private_Rented_Sector_Chapter_3_Figures_and_Annex_tables.xlsx ABOUT LETTINGFOCUS Services for Private Landlords We help landlords and property investors by showing them how to make money in the private rented sector using ways which are fair to tenants and which involve minimal risk. Our advice is completely independent. We take don’t commission payments or fees from anyone, ever. Services to Businesses and the Public Sector We advise a range of organisations too to help them develop and improve their services and products for private landlords. David Lawrenson, founder of LettingFocus, also writes for property portals, speaks at property events and is regularly quoted by the media. HOME PAGE OF THIS BLOG: Blog THE HOME PAGE OF THE MAIN SITE: http://www.LettingFocus.com For general information on our CONSULTING SERVICES: Consultancy and Seminars For ONE TO ONE PRIVATE CONSULTANCY FOR PRIVATE LANDLORDS: Property Advice CLIENT TESTIMONIALS – from both organisations and private landlords: Testimonials IN THE MEDIA: Recent Press Coverage BOOKS: “SUCCESSFUL PROPERTY LETTING”: Our book is the highest selling personal finance and property book in the UK. Click here to Find Out More and Buy it. And if you are from an organisation and would like to bulk buy, please ask us for special rates. “BUY TO LET LANDLORDS GUIDE TO FINDING GREAT TENANTS”: Also, get this great new guide here, which covers everything you’ll ever need to know to avoid either you or your letting agent getting anyone other than the perfect tenant. Click Here to Buy It. BOOK FOR TENANTS: Kids going off and renting for the first time? My Book for Tenants is also Available TO JOIN OUR FREE NEWSLETTER MAILER which goes to over 3,990 people (as at Jan 2019) just send an email to david@LettingFocus.com We do not send spam or sell our mailing list to advertisers, though we occasionally mail landlords about good products from third parties. Please put us on your “white list” to ensure you receive our emails. OFFERS ON PRODUCTS FOR LANDLORDS and TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCTS to LANDLORDS: Landlords Resources PERUSE LAST TEN BLOGS BY GETTING THE RSS FEED: Click Here NEXT ANNUAL SEMINAR EVENT FOR LANDLORDS: Landlord and Property Letting Seminar TWITTER PAGE My thoughts on property, personal finance, plus a lot of other random things: Twitter  Copyright of Blog: David Lawrenson 2019. Please link to us here or quote us. We actively pursue copyright infringements.The post Section 21 No Fault Notices and Evictions to be Banned appeared first on Letting Focus.

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