SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

LightSpeed Networks has appointed Matthew Partridge as Managing Director, adding a telecoms executive with more than 30 years of sector experience to its leadership team.

He will lead the commercial and operational development of the infrastructure business as it targets mid-market and enterprise organisations, internet service providers, channel partners and wholesale buyers. He previously held senior roles at Colt Technology Services.

The appointment comes as network operators and service providers compete for business customers in a UK connectivity market shaped by heavy infrastructure spending and rising scrutiny of network reliability and accountability. As data demand grows, buyers are placing greater weight on operational ownership and service assurance.

LightSpeed Networks operates within the LightSpeed group and provides business connectivity, wholesale and network services. Its footprint covers the East of England and the East and West Midlands, where it sells Ethernet, dedicated internet access and wholesale connectivity.

The company says its network reaches 36 towns and passes more than 360,000 premises. It serves mid-market and enterprise customers, public sector bodies, ISPs and channel partners through direct, partner and wholesale routes.

Partridge said the market had moved beyond a basic debate about infrastructure availability and was now focused more squarely on who takes responsibility for service outcomes. His role will involve turning the company’s network assets and service model into offers aimed at a wider business customer base.

“The UK connectivity market has matured considerably. The infrastructure conversation has largely been won. What I see now is a market that needs a different kind of argument, one built around commercial accountability, clear operational ownership and the confidence that comes from working with a provider that is genuinely responsible for the outcome, not just the contract. LightSpeed Networks has the infrastructure foundation and the operational model to make that case credibly. I am here to build the commercial structure around it,” said Matthew Partridge, Managing Director, LightSpeed Networks.

His appointment follows the earlier arrival of Ashley Griffiths as Senior Sales Director. Griffiths joined to lead direct enterprise and partner sales channels, and the two executives now form a broader commercial leadership group spanning enterprise, wholesale and partner engagement.

Market focus

For network operators, competition for business and wholesale customers increasingly turns on service levels, fault handling and direct control over infrastructure, particularly in regional markets where fibre build-outs have expanded rapidly. LightSpeed Networks is positioning itself around that argument as it seeks to widen its presence among larger organisations and channel partners.

The company says its services are backed by service-level agreements and direct operational ownership. It argues that this approach addresses inconsistencies in how providers manage accountability and assurance across the wider market.

Liam Hickey, Chief Executive Officer of LightSpeed Group, linked the appointment to that commercial strategy.

“The businesses and partners we work with need a connectivity provider that takes genuine ownership of the outcome, not just the contract. What we are building at LightSpeed Networks is the infrastructure, the operational model and the commercial leadership to deliver exactly that. Matthew and Ashley further strengthen our commercial leadership, enabling us to take that proposition to market with even greater depth and clarity. That is what our customers and partners deserve,” said Liam Hickey, Chief Executive Officer of LightSpeed Group.

LightSpeed Group includes LightSpeed Networks as its infrastructure arm and LightSpeed Broadband as its retail business, which serves households and small businesses across the same fibre footprint. The latest leadership change signals a stronger push to develop the group’s business-facing and wholesale operations alongside its consumer activity.

Partridge takes up the role at a time when fibre network owners across the UK are under pressure to turn built infrastructure into long-term commercial relationships. For regional operators, that often means winning more enterprise, public sector and wholesale contracts in areas where network coverage is already in place.

LightSpeed Networks sees that opportunity across its existing footprint in the East of England and the Midlands, where it owns the underlying network and sells services directly and through partners. It intends to build its commercial structure around that owned infrastructure and service model.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Lucion has launched a legionella management module within its NexGen platform, intended to give organisations faster access to data from legionella risk assessments.

The module is aimed at estates, facilities and compliance teams managing water hygiene across complex property portfolios, including healthcare settings. These teams often wait for formal reports before acting on findings from site work, leaving a period when issues identified during assessments may go unaddressed.

That delay matters because duty holders must assess and manage legionella risk under UK health and safety rules. Guidance for organisations responsible for water systems is set out in the Approved Code of Practise L8, while the wider legal framework includes the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.

The module makes key information available as soon as site work is completed, even while the full report goes through internal quality control. Users can view site lists, download asset registers and access recommendations immediately after a legionella risk assessment is completed.

Clients can also monitor and sign off recommendations by building. Recommendations can be downloaded in CSV format, while related PDF reports remain accessible through the platform.

All information is stored indefinitely, according to Lucion, reducing reliance on printed reports and creating a more auditable compliance record. The platform also includes tools for tracking actions across multiple sites and recording routine tasks such as monitoring infrequently used outlets.

Reporting gap

The launch reflects a wider issue in environmental and facilities compliance: the speed of access to operational data can affect the pace of remedial action. In large estates, water hygiene assessments may generate recommendations that need to be reviewed, prioritised and allocated across several buildings and teams.

When information is held back until final reports are issued, facilities managers can face a lag between inspection and response. That can be especially relevant in settings with extensive water systems, older infrastructure or dispersed property portfolios.

Paul Hayball outlined Lucion’s view of the issue in a statement accompanying the launch. “The challenge for many organisations is not a lack of data, but the time it takes to access it. By making critical water hygiene information available immediately, we are helping our clients respond faster, reduce risk and take a more proactive approach to compliance,” said Paul Hayball, Software Engineering Director at Lucion.

Lucion’s NexGen platform is already used by organisations to oversee environmental risks across their estates. The addition of a legionella module suggests a push to apply the same model of central oversight to water hygiene compliance, where records, recommendations and asset information can be spread across separate files and reporting systems.

Compliance focus

For organisations with multiple sites, centralised action tracking can help show whether recommendations have been reviewed and closed out. It also creates a documented trail that may be relevant during internal audits or regulatory scrutiny.

The system is designed to let users prioritise risks and manage ongoing compliance activity through one interface. This is intended to improve visibility for both clients and Lucion’s own teams as actions move from assessment to completion.

Kieran Irving said earlier access to findings could help organisations respond before issues worsen. “The ability to access information immediately after an assessment is completed is a significant step forward. It allows organisations to act on risks sooner, rather than waiting for reports, which can ultimately help prevent issues from escalating,” said Irving.

The move comes as organisations face growing pressure to maintain oversight of health, safety and environmental obligations across increasingly complex estates. In that context, the timing of information delivery can be as important as the assessment itself, particularly when recommendations require swift operational decisions.

The module is intended to strengthen oversight of water hygiene management by bringing assessment data, asset records and action tracking together in one place.

New signs have now gone up at the former Bystander pub in Wootton, where contractors are converting the pub into a Hickory’s Smokehouse.

Earlier this year, the Southern-style BBQ restaurant chain announced The Bystander pub in Wootton, near Abingdon, run by Greene King, is to become the home of one of its new restaurants.

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The new business is expected to create 100 new jobs and vacancies are being advertised for chefs, with a salary of up to £40,000 for a senior sous chef, £36,000 for a sous chef, and £33,000 for a junior sous chef.

Construction work is now well under way, and it is understood the new restaurant could be ready to open in September.

The former Bystander pub in Wootton near Abingdon (Image: Andy Ffrench)

The pub shut in April for refurbishment but no precise opening date has yet been revealed.

However, contractors working on site in Besselsleigh Road said they expected the new venue to open early in September.

One worker said earlier: “The new smokehouse should be ready to open by the start of September.

“The pub building needs to have wooden cladding all around it – that’s the style for Hickory’s Smokehouse – all their buildings look like that.”

The chain has been recruiting staff and a recent advert for a senior sous chef said: “We’re looking for a senior sous chef to join our passionate brigade of BBQ enthusiasts.

“You will be responsible for running our bespoke kitchen in the head chef’s absence, and in doing so you will be working towards becoming a head chef yourself.

“You will be working with and leading the team to deliver authentic fresh food-based BBQ menu in one of the busiest restaurants in town.”

Staff at Hickory’s Smokehouse in Abingdon (Image: Hickory’s Smokehouse)

There are also branches of Hickory’s Smokehouse in Milton Keynes and Swindon.

A new smokehouse opened in Swindon last year, the first of its kind in Wiltshire, replacing a Hungry Horse restaurant.

Hickory’s managing director John Welsh said earlier: “We are so excited to be heading to Abingdon.

“It’s an area that’s been on our wish-list for a while now, and we’re over the moon to finally be planning our first smokehouse in the town and our first in the wonderful county of Oxfordshire.

“We’ll be spending plenty of time getting to know the area and our ambition is to create something really special. We can’t wait to become part of the local community for many years to come.

“Across all our restaurants we love working with schools, charities, grassroots sports teams and community groups – and Abingdon will be no different.”

Food is served at Hickory’s Smokehouse (Image: Hickorys Smokehouse)

The first Hickory’s Smokehouse opened in 2010 in Chester, and the chain’s restaurants are now open across the North West, Midlands, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, North Wales and in other locations.