With over 40 years of expertise, SR Black has built a strong reputation as a leading provider of plumbing and heating solutions, specialising in design, installation, and maintenance for commercial and public sector clients. The acquisition marks an exciting opportunity for growth, enabling us to expand our geographic reach, enhance cross-selling opportunities, and continue delivering high quality building performance solutions across the UK. This partnership not only solidifies our market position but also paves the way for greater collaboration, innovation, and exceptional service delivery to our clients.

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These changes, aimed at streamlining decision making and cutting delays, include empowering local planning officers with enhanced authority, introducing a national scheme of delegation, and creating streamlined committees for strategic developments. Applications aligned with local development plans could bypass traditional planning committees altogether, reducing uncertainty and waste. Alongside these measures, the government plans to update the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to set mandatory housing targets and unlock 1.5 million homes over five years. This initiative complements increased spending on housing, such as a £500 million boost for the Affordable Homes Programme and investments in unlocking housing on brownfield sites.

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Introduced in 2021, current EPCs, which are based on Environmental Impact Ratings (EIR), have been criticised for relying too heavily on factors like grid decarbonisation, which can improve ratings without building upgrades. Proposed reforms include mandatory heating system inspections, improved compliance for air-conditioning inspections, and enhanced access to EPC data for property agents, whilst removing the option for building owners to hide their EPCs. To improve accuracy, the reforms also address energy assessor training and propose stricter accreditation standards. The consultation runs until 26 February 2025.

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Retail, manufacturing, and hospitality are particularly vulnerable, with major fire incidents causing average losses of well over half a million pounds, and posing an existential threat to smaller enterprises. Beyond immediate damage, fires erode public trust, harm brand reputation, and contribute to GDP losses and cost-push inflation, with preventable incidents like the Grenfell disaster highlighting the stakes. Electrical faults and inadequate fire safety measures remain the leading causes. Proactive steps, such as fire safety training, robust signage, and effective fire protection and sprinkler systems, are critical for reducing risks and safeguarding operations.

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From today, our customer newsletter will transition from a monthly schedule to every other month. This change will allow us to focus on delivering more comprehensive updates and in-depth features in each issue. By consolidating news and highlights, we aim to provide a more engaging and impactful newsletter that reflects the great work happening across our business along with the latest industry updates.