Voting has now opened for The People’s Choice at this year’s Doncaster Business Awards, with over 50 finalists in the running. The category gives Doncaster residents a chance to decide who they think ought to be crowned as Doncaster’s best overall company for 2023. While the rest of the accolades at the Business Awards all undergo a rigorous judging process, The People’s Choice will be determined through a public ballot. The competition sees major corporations going up against SMEs, innovative green organisations, new start-ups, education providers, sole traders and even charities. This is because the shortlist here is comprised of the accumulated finalists from every single other category at the Business Awards and, as such, there is an extremely diverse line-up to choose from. Businesses have until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday the 15^th of October to cast their votes and can make an informed selection by looking at the nominees on the Doncaster Chamber website. Jade Dyer, Business Director at Doncaster Chamber, said: “The awards always prove to be a highlight in the local calendar, shining a spotlight on our city’s best and brightest. Yet we are always looking for new ways to grow and improve the ceremony. “Although we are very proud of the thoroughness and integrity of our existing judging process — and how it ensures that deserving winners are recognised year after year — we thought that it was only right that the business community itself gets to have a say in who takes home a trophy. That’s why we have decided to introduce The People’s Choice Award for 2023. “There are over 50 finalists in the running here and we are pleased that they epitomise the incredible diversity of our business community, with organisations of all different sizes and from across different sectors making up the shortlist. It’s important that we have a lot of votes coming in to ensure that the process is as democratic as possible, and that it truly represents what our local community thinks. I would therefore urge every business — regardless of whether they are in contention for any of the awards — to have a good look at the nominees and help us pick a winner.” As the headline sponsor for The Doncaster Business Awards as a whole, Yorkshire Wildlife Park will be presenting the People’s Trophy prize at the ceremony. CEO John Minio said: “This is a great initiative to involve the business community as part of the awards. I can’t wait to see who will be receiving the prize on the night as there as so many great businesses in Doncaster.”

The Government is to review the activities of all 90 regulatory bodies in the UK, which 40% of firms say are holding them back. A 12-week call for evidence will seek views of businesses, consumers and regulators to establish areas that are working well as well as where regulators could improve. It comes as part of the wider Smarter Regulation Programme, which aims to bring about more effective and less burdensome regulations across the economy. The review will identify the changes to the regulatory landscape that will really make a difference to economic growth, as well as improving the outcomes for consumers and our environment. Businesses have made clear that burdensome regulations have hampered growth, which is behind the action, says Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade. “I want us to use our Brexit freedoms to scrap unnecessary regulations that hold back firms and hamper growth. It’s clear that the regulators that enforce the rules can also sometimes be a blocker to businesses, so our review will seek to root out the bad practices with the aim of making companies’ lives easier and reducing costs for consumers.” The principal focus of this call for evidence is to understand what works well and what could be improved in how regulators operate to deliver for the sectors they serve. Many businesses, consumer groups and other industry leaders have expressed their concern over the operation and enforcement of regulation by independent regulators. Broadly, these criticisms fall into three categories:

• The regulatory landscape is a crowded space, with too many regulators having too many duties to trade-off against each other meaning consistency across regulators and a clear direction on what good looks like is essential.
• Regulator behaviour, risk appetite and overall performance is not as it should be. Businesses/industry groups argue that regulators are overly risk averse and focus too heavily on process, and that this is at the expense of delivering the best outcomes.
• Regulator powers and accountability have not moved in tandem, in part because of the increased decision-making power of some regulators now that decisions are taken at a UK- (not EU-) level.

This work is complementary to existing work in train, including the more specific review of Ofgem, Ofwat and Ofcom – which also forms part of the Smarter Regulation Programme.

Quickline Communications has won two major national awards for rescuing isolated communities with its rollout of fast and reliable broadband.

The East Yorkshire-based provider has now been honoured for the rollout of both its full fibre and 5G fixed wireless internet connectivity. At the Adtran UK Fibre Awards 2023, hosted by global internet and communications equipment giants Adtran in London, Quickline claimed the Best Rural Innovation Award. The awards are held to shine a light on the innovative work of alternative network providers across the country. The accolade recognises the company’s dedication to bringing isolated communities up to speed through its full fibre network and was awarded to Quickline for “the most innovative use and combination of full fibre products and services to solve business challenges”. Quickline was also highly commended in the Rural Fibre Service category in the same awards for the positive impact it is having on the communities it serves. One of the judges said: “This is awarded for the significant impact fibre rollout has had on the rural communities they serve. Quickline have sought to reach these communities which have, until then, been underserved with full fibre connectivity and so created a positive impact in the rural community they serve.” As well as the Adtran UK Fibre award, Quickline won the Wireless Innovation Award in the Connected Britain Awards. The winning entry focused on Quickline’s successful deployment of the UK’s first 5G standalone fixed wireless network, providing an end-to-end solution to connect even the most remote communities. The Connected Britain Awards formed part of the Connected Britain show held at Excel London, which brought together more than 5,000 leaders shaping the country’s digital future. CEO Sean Royce and Chief Technology Officer Ian Smith also delivered sessions at the flagship event, engaging with audiences on how Quickline is tackling digital inequality and connecting hard-to-reach communities. Mr Royce said: “We’re very proud to win these two industry awards in recognition of the significant strides we’ve made in bridging the digital divide and providing rural communities with rapid and reliable internet access. “It’s especially pleasing that these awards recognise the rollout of both our full fibre and 5G fixed wireless technology. “Our sessions at the Connected Britain show also provided an excellent platform to share our story with leading industry professionals and other key stakeholders, and discuss some of the most pressing issues facing our industry including the important matter of bridging the digital divide and connecting hard to reach communities. “These awards are further endorsements of the transformational difference we’re making to rural communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire that would otherwise be denied the digital connectivity that is absolutely essential for so many aspects of daily life.”