So used to seeing stuff like this fail, it’s nice for the PCC to get long-term assurance!

Hochtief UK has completed a 3.4km tunnel beneath the Dwyryd Estuary in Wales, marking a major milestone in National Grid’s project to remove overhead power lines from Eryri National Park.

GE Aerospace is investing £30m to expand and modernise its Prestwick facility in Scotland, with the project expected to create around 150 jobs over the next five years.

The gift includes the historic collection and the building's freehold, valued at approximately £11 million. The restaurant will continue operating independently, with rental income contributing to conservation.

OC: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeX5NbhR4qi/

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK has completed the final concrete turbine foundation at the 308MW Sanquhar II wind farm in Scotland, marking the completion of all 44 turbine bases on time and on budget.

https://www.renews.biz/onshore-wind/jones-bros-completes-sanquhar-ii-foundations/

ETA link.

The adult social care workforce in England has grown for the fourth successive year, with vacancies falling to their lowest level in a decade, according to Skills for Care's latest annual report.

However, while the headline numbers suggest the workforce is relatively stable, growth is occurring at its slowest rate in four years. Filled posts rose by 1.4% in the year to March 2026, compared with a peak of 4.9% between 2022/23 and 2023/24.

There are also fewer British workers in the sector and international recruitment has fallen significantly.

The State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England report found retention improves sharply when employers combine competitive pay, guaranteed hours, training, qualifications and full-time opportunities. Care worker turnover falls from 34.3% to 15.3% under this approach.

Experienced leadership also matters: turnover drops from 28.3% to 20.6% as registered manager experience increases. Better workforce conditions were also linked to stronger CQC ratings.

Young people make up just 7% of the workforce, against 12% of the economically active population, and turnover among under-25s stands at 35.5%.

Just 37% of care workers hold a level 2 qualification or above, down from 48% in 2018/19.

For the first time, the report shows that non-nursing staff carry out delegated healthcare activities in 59% of responding CQC-regulated services.

Reaction

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King's Fund, said: 'Vacancies may be falling but they remain above the national average for other sectors, and it is due significantly to international recruitment plugging the gaps. With the closure of overseas recruitment for social care workers, there remains a serious challenge to social care if recruitment of British nationals does not rise to compensate for it.'

Chief executive of The NHS Alliance, Sir Ciarán Devane, said: ‘These findings show just how essential a stable, skilled and supported adult social care workforce is – both for the social care sector itself, and to help solve some of the most severe pressures on the health service.'

UNISON head of social care Gavin Edwards said: ‘Too many care workers are earning less than the Real Living Wage. A Fair Pay Agreement can't come soon enough in this crisis-hit sector.

 ‘Ministers must also ditch cruel plans to triple the wait time before migrant workers can settle in the UK. The steep drop-off in care staff from abroad will get worse unless the government backtracks.'

Lucinda Allen, senior policy fellow at The Health Foundation, said: ‘Social care pay remains stubbornly low, with a quarter of care and support workers paid around the Minimum Wage. Government plans for new Fair Pay Agreements in social care are an important part of tackling this issue.

The policy's success will rely on having the right incentives in place, including for providers to comply with new rules and staff to stay and progress in the sector.'

This is a new initiative that I thought would fit well here, but it doesn't fit any of the pre-existing flairs.

https://small-ideas.org/

U.K.-based venture capital firms raised $6.3 billion in the third quarter of 2026, a record single-quarter total, according to data from Dealroom and HSBC. Through September, the U.K. attracted $23.3 billion in VC fundraising year-to-date—approximately 35% of all venture capital funding across Europe.

London-based Index Ventures LLP accounted for half of VC capital raised during the quarter, attracting $3.5 billion, followed by a 1.1-billion-euro ($1.23 billion) fundraise from Highland Europe LLP. Overall, U.K. venture capital firms raised $6.9 billion across 31 new funds in July, August and September.

“These figures reflect the fact that the U.K. is home to some of the world’s most exciting early-stage businesses in strategically important sectors such as semiconductors, AI and defence technology,” said Daniel Turgel, a partner in and the co-head of law firm White & Case’s global technology industry group, in a statement. “With companies and investors racing to back the best and latest technologies to strengthen their capabilities, investment is pouring in and the most innovative firms are attracting significant funding.”

The record capital raise comes amidst government efforts to boost private capital investment in the country’s unlisted equities, infrastructure, property and private credit, subject to trustees’ fiduciary duties. In May 2025, the U.K. government launched the Mansion House Accord—a voluntary initiative under which defined contribution pension funds pledged to allocate at least 10% of assets to private market investments by 2030, including markets in the U.K.

“This also reinforces that the UK, with its deep pools of growth capital, is a leading European destination for firms looking to raise capital, invest and scale,” Turgel said in the statement. “Indeed, our recent research of U.K. defense technology start-ups showed that 92% believe the U.K. is the leading European destination for defense technology investment, while 99% are looking to raise significant external funding over the next 12 months to accelerate growth,” Turgel said. “The key now is to ensure these businesses can continue to secure the funding they need to scale and compete globally.”