On her first anniversary in the role Emma Jones reflects on 12 months championing the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses. This landmark comes as momentum builds to introduce the G7’s toughest payment regime, including new enforcement and fining powers for the Commissioner. The Commissioner's work combined with the new legislation aims to eliminate the £11 billion annual drag caused by late payments.

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) has opened applications for eight paid apprenticeships in countryside management to help young people enter the environmental sector. The 18-month programme combines practical training with academic study.

A Yorkshire-based manufacturer of water-saving valves has joined a delegation of small British businesses in London to pitch directly to international buyers and attend a reception at 11 Downing Street. SealStop, based in Pocklington, was among 40 small firms selected for the Great British Pitch India initiative.

Portakabin has been awarded a major multi-million pound contract to design and deliver a new headquarters for The Workdry Group in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire. The new project will see the delivery of a flagship, three-storey office building at The Workdry Group’s Headquarters site, constructed using sixty-six bespoke modules.

With under a week to go until this year’s Crypt Factor, 16 budding performers are now preparing to swap their day jobs at companies in the property and construction sectors, to sing on stage at Elland Road in Leeds in front of almost 1,000 of their industry peers.