THE COST OF GOING GREEN

The first parliamentary inquiry into "greening" existing offices, shops and warehouses is due to report back later this year.

The All-Party Urban Development Group is looking at how ministers, city leaders, property owners and occupiers can reduce the environmental impact of commercial property.

Commercial property contributes a fifth of the country's carbon emissions.

During the inquiry, concerns were raised about the lack of clear guidance over standards and information on costs and benefits of particular schemes.

SOLICITORS HAVE MERGED

Two north Essex solicitors firms have merged.

PTL and Ellisons will operate under the name, Ellisons Solicitors.

The new company now has 17 partners and 122 staff. In addition to its existing offices in Colchester, Frinton and Dovercourt, the company has opened a second office in Colchester and a new office in Clacton.

Ellisons Solicitors sponsored this year's Mayor's Ball.

FIRMS GIVEN SAFETY AWARD

A record 1,500 businesses and organisations have been honoured at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents occupational health and safety awards.

Most of the winners are UK-based and they have been recognised for high levels of performance and well-developed occupational health and safety management systems and culture.

TRAINING GETS RECOGNITION

Bosses and training pro-viders have launched a new standard to recognise and highlight excellence in training.

The Training Quality Standard was developed to give employers an easy benchmark for choosing training provision. Achieving the standard demonstrates provider's ability to offer high-quality training at a time and place to suit employers.

WORKING FROM HOME STUDIED

Nearly 80 per cent of people in Essex find they produce a better quality of work when working from home.

Research carried out for the East of England Development Agency Take It On IT adoption campaign, aims to "raise awareness amongst businesses of the benefits of working from home, dispel any misconceptions, and encourage businesses to use IT to enable mobile working", said a spokesman.

INSURER HAS EXPANDED

A Colchester insurance firm has expanded.

Hiscox, an international specialist insurer, has relocated its event insurance division to Colchester - which houses Hiscox's underwriting centre - from Tunbridge Wells.