Sportech and Betfred eye Tote bid

Ian Penrose, the chief executive of Liverpool football pools operator Sportech, has confirmed to Insider that the business is weighing up an offer for state-owned bookmaker the Tote. The government announced earlier this year that it would launch an open market process to invite proposals from interested parties. Betfred has also confirmed its interest.

LSTM secures Bill Gates grant

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) has received more than £31m from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue its research into malaria. The Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), a not-for-profit company based at LSTM, will use the cash to develop new insecticides.

MedicX Fund buys Wirral care centre

MedicX Fund, a specialist primary care infrastructure investor, has acquired a primary care centre in Wirral as part of a £14.5m deal. The investor has also bought a centre in Raynes Park, London.

Shanghai delegation lands in Liverpool

A high-level delegation of government officials from Shanghai are visiting Liverpool today to look at the multibillion regeneration plans to transform the city’s waterfront. The delegation, led by Yu Li, the president of the Shanghai Riverbanks Authority, will view the plans for Peel Holdings’ £10bn Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters.

Halliwells acquisitions paying off for Hill Dicks

Law firm Hill Dickinson is on target to become a £100m-turnover business by the end of the year, managing partner Peter Jackson has revealed. The Liverpool-headquartered firm also said the acquisitions of the Sheffield and Liverpool operations of collapsed rival Halliwells are “already paying dividends”.

Bid together for £1.4bn pot, says Heseltine

Lord Heseltine has urged small businesses seeking a slice of the government’s flagship Regional Growth Fund to submit joint bids to increase their chances of receiving some of the £1.4bn pool of investment cash. He told Insider: “We have no means of coping with very large numbers of very small bids."

Mogford to replace Green at UU

Steve Mogford is to replace Philip Green as the chief executive of Warrington-headquartered United Utilities (UU), the company has confirmed. Speculation had been mounting over the weekend that Green was set to depart after completing the sale of the group's non-core assets, a brief he was given when he joined.

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You can now purchase Insider’s Complete Set of Top 500 Companies 2010/2011 Databases at an exclusive promotional rate: A bundle of our accurate and comprehensive regional business marketing lists - featuring six UK regions. Special promotional offer expires 31 January 2011.

Council set to approve £8.8m school in Everton

Liverpool City Council’s cabinet has been asked to approve a new £8.8m primary school in Everton. If approved, work will start in January and the new school is expected to open to pupils in April 2012

Warner Estates celebrates lucky 13 in Birkenhead

Warner Estate Holdings has announced 13 new deals at the Grange and Pyramids shopping centres in Birkenhead. The space transacted equates to more than 30,000 sq ft.

Willetts confirms Daresbury joint venture

The government has given its backing to the decision to appoint property investment and development company Langtree as the joint venture partner to the public sector partnership promoting the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus.

Talking Point: Taxing issues

Dr Brian Sloan, head of business and economic policy at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, explains what the body is doing to cut the tax red tape burden on companies

Tague on Tour: Best of a badly hit bunch

Manchester and its leadership are looking forward to an exciting time for the city's property market, but do the figures add up? Neil Tague looks at the future prospects under David Cameron's government.

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