The Government’s eagerness to lean heavily on the private sector throughout the pandemic shows no sign of abating. 

Westminster has already dished out more than £18billion in Covid-related contracts, and the plan to create a network of mass vaccination centres bodes well for Britain’s outsourcing businesses. 

The project involves kitting out football stadiums, town halls and leisure centres, among others, so that they are ready to host jabs for the public from next month. 

High hopes: Balfour worked on Glasgow's Nightingale hospital, one of the temporary hospitals also mooted as immunisation sites

High hopes: Balfour worked on Glasgow's Nightingale hospital, one of the temporary hospitals also mooted as immunisation sites

High hopes: Balfour worked on Glasgow’s Nightingale hospital, one of the temporary hospitals also mooted as immunisation sites

I hear that FTSE 250 building specialist Balfour Beatty has been hired to retrofit a number of sites, including warehouses. 

Balfour worked on Glasgow’s Nightingale hospital, one of the temporary hospitals also mooted as immunisation sites. 

It could be busy, as there are high hopes the programme could kick off next month.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Longstanding investors in Vodafone could be forgiven for hanging up on the network this year – with consumers stuck at home, the need for data on the go has diminished. 

Shares are trading at lows not seen since 2002 and tomorrow’s half-year results are likely to show adjusted profits to be flat at best. 

The behemoth will hope to paint a brighter picture on Tuesday, when it details plans for the multi-billion pound flotation of its phone masts division to the City. 

Vantage Towers’ listing in Frankfurt, due early next year, could be Europe’s biggest listing in 2021, and may provide an option to buy into the sought-after market for reliable mobile and internet connections.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

An impressive show of faith from newish Shell director – and Mastercard’s former chief financial officer – Martina Hund-Mejean, who last week spent $230,000 (£175,000) on a chunk of shares in the energy giant. 

The stock has been in the doldrums since early this year, with a slump in demand for fuel making the shares tempting only for the bold. 

The only snag for Hund-Mejean: she went shopping a couple of days after Pfizer’s vaccine news sent Shell’s share price soaring. Unlucky.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Military history buff Chris Grigg will leave the City’s trenches this week after nearly 12 years in charge at British Land. He hands over to numbers man Simon Carter. 

Grigg took over in the teeth of the financial crisis and exits at a time when the property company once again finds itself in a tight spot. 

The former Goldman Sachs banker’s strategy has been to shift British Land gradually towards owning more offices and fewer retail assets. 

Needless to say, the stock has been sensitive to signs that commuters may shun returning to their offices. 

However, bosses have promised that British Land will resume paying dividends when it reveals its half-year results this week. 

#fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle#mobile {display:none} #fiveDealsWidget {display:block; float:left; clear:both; max-width:636px; margin:0; padding:0; line-height:120%; font-size:12px} #fiveDealsWidget div, #fiveDealsWidget a {margin:0; padding:0; line-height:120%; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica ,sans-serif} #fiveDealsWidget .widgetTitleBox {display:block; float:left; width:100%; background-color:#af1e1e; } #fiveDealsWidget .widgetTitle {color:#fff; text-transform: uppercase; font-size:18px; font-weight:bold; margin:6px 10px 4px 10px; } #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {float:left; display:block; width:124px; margin-right:4px; margin-top:5px; background-color: #e3e3e3; min-height:200px;} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {margin-right:0} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle {display:block; margin:10px 5px; color:#000; font-weight:bold} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage img {float:left; display:block; margin:0; padding:0} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {border:1px solid #ccc} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage img {width:100%; height:auto} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemdesc {float:left; display:block; color:#004db3; font-weight:bold; margin:5px;} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemRate {float:left; display:block; color:#000; margin:5px} #fiveDealsWidget .footerText a:hover{text-decoration: underline;} #fiveDealsWidget .footerSmall{font-size:10px; padding-top:10px;} @media (max-width: 635px) { #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {width:19%; margin-right:1%} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {width:20%} } @media (max-width: 560px) { #fiveDealsWidget #desktop {display:none;} #fiveDealsWidget #mobile {display:block!important} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {background-color: #fff; height:auto; min-height:auto} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {border-bottom:1px solid #ececec; margin-bottom:5px; padding-bottom:10px} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {border-bottom:0px solid #ececec; margin-bottom:5px; padding-bottom:0px} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem, #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {width:100%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {float:left; display:inline-block} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {width:35%; margin-right:1%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent {width:63%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle {margin: 0px 5px 5px; font-size:16px} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent .dealItemdesc, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent .dealItemRate {clear:both} }

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk

You May Also Like

Bank of England raises UK interest rates to 4%

More pressure on mortgage payers and businesses after hike of 0.5 points…

Inside the tiny one-bed home in London that looks like a SHED but is on sale for £430,000

A TINY one-bedroom home on the market in London has caught the…

Warning over heating ‘hack’ using Poundland item that claims to save you thousands of pounds – but you’ll be in danger

MONEY-savers have been warned against following a heating “hack” using a Poundland…

Asda’s new £5 deal includes two pizzas, a drink and Sky Movies voucher – saving you up to £8.59

IF you’re planning a movie night, head to Asda where you can…