Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Tata Steel sponsors innovation forum Bessemer Society

Tata Steel sponsors innovation forum Bessemer Society

TATA STEEL'S UK arm has joined hands with the Bessemer Society as the sole metals industry sponsor of the technology and innovation forum.

Britain's largest steelmaker said the tie-up is a “win-win” for the company as the new technologies which the “Society brings to the fore” could help it become a carbon-neutral manufacturer.

The Society, which counts Rolls-Royce as its national sponsor, acts as a platform to bring together entrepreneurs, academics, British Government funding bodies and investors and encourage “hard-tech” innovation.

It is named after the 19th-century inventor and entrepreneur Sir Henry Bessemer whose innovation in 1856 enabled a cost-efficient process for making steel.

Tata Steel says its basic oxygen steelmaking plant is a “direct descendant” of his pioneering work.

“We are proud to step forward to sponsor the Bessemer Society and its activity programme,” Tata Steel UK’s R&D director Sumitesh Das said in a statement.

“This is very much a 'win-win' for us as the novel, emerging technologies which the society brings to the fore include many innovations which could play a vital role in our journey to net-zero steelmaking in the UK.”

According to the Society’s founder and convener Alex Stewart, the company will be a “key player” in Britain’s efforts to decarbonise industries.

“I am delighted to welcome Tata Steel into our ranks and I look forward to a very vibrant engagement as the UK transitions to its decarbonised and sustainable future industrial base, in which Tata Steel will be a key player.”

More For You

homelessness

2.7 per cent of private rented properties in England are affordable for people receiving housing benefit.

Getty Images

Nearly 300,000 families face worst forms of homelessness in England, research shows

Highlights

  • 299,100 households experienced acute homelessness in 2024, up 21 per cent since 2022.
  • Rough sleeping and unsuitable temporary accommodation cases increased by 150 per cent since 2020.
  • Councils spent £732 m on unsuitable emergency accommodation in 2023/24.


Almost 300,000 families and individuals across England are now experiencing the worst forms of homelessness, including rough sleeping, unsuitable temporary accommodation and living in tents, according to new research from Crisis.

The landmark study, led by Heriot-Watt University, shows that 299,100 households in England experienced acute homelessness in 2024. This represents a 21 per cent increase since 2022, when there were 246,900 households, and a 45 per cent increase since 2012.

More than 15,000 people slept rough last year, while the number of households in unsuitable temporary accommodation rose from 19,200 in 2020 to 46,700 in 2024. An additional 18,600 households are living in unconventional accommodation such as cars, sheds and tents.

A national survey found 70 per cent of councils have seen increased numbers approaching them for homelessness assistance in the last year. Local authorities in London and Northern England reported the biggest increase.

Keep ReadingShow less