News from the Regions

IMS - Eastern region

£50m to help councils with economic recover – £5.5m for East of England

An extra £50 million is being given to councils to help them make big strides toward economic recovery in their local area, announced Communities Secretary John Denham today. The funding is being allocated to all areas of the country from the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives (LABGI) scheme that rewards councils which successfully promote [...]...

Government announces funding for General Motors Europe

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson announced today (12 March) a €300 million (£270m) loan guarantee to GME Europe which will help secure the company's operations in Britain and the rest of Europe. Today's outline agreement follows detailed and highly complex talks between the Government and GM. The guarantee will be provided under the Government's Automotive Assistance Programme. [...]...

“Outstanding Service Carrier of the Year”

PD Ports, the operator of North East port, Teesport, has been crowned as the 'Most Outstanding Service Carrier of the Year' in 2009 by leading UK retailer, ASDA at its annual National Carrier of the Year awards ceremony. The award was won by PD Ports for its Logical Link service - a coastal [...]...

U.S. Productivity Rises in 2009, Despite the Recession

Jan. 20, 2010 U.S. productivity weathered the recession well, growing 2.5 percent (in per hour terms) in 2009, The Conference Board reported today. This blip in the prevailing downward trend in U.S. productivity was largely explained by dramatically reduced working hours that offset output decline (employment fell by 3.6 percent in 2009; hours worked [...]...

Toyota Plan Quality Management Review

Akio Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota's founder and the most powerful man in the car industry, defended the Japanese manufacturer's handling of a widespread fault with its accelerator pedals but admitted: "We are facing a crisis." More than 8m Toyota cars are being recalled worldwide, including 180,000 in the UK, with the company also under investigation [...]...