HLAS

A new business council has been appointed by the UK Prime Minister to report from the business frontlines and to encourage stability and growth in the UK economy. Fourteen business leaders, from a range of sectors across the UK economy, join the Prime Minister’s new Business Council. Chief Executives from AstraZeneca, NatWest Group and BAE Systems are among the fourteen business leaders joining the council, alongside SSE, Google Deepmind, Sainsbury’s and Vodafone. Other companies represented on the council include GSK, Aviva, Shell, Sage, Taylor Wimpey, Diageo and Barclays. These leaders are recognised as trusted experts in their respective fields and [...]

Farming is the largest employer in the world but millions of people who live and work on smallholder farms don’t earn enough to provide for either themselves or their families. It’s often these communities who are most affected by climate change despite having done the least to contribute to it. Fair Trade is a global movement that puts people and the planet before profit. When producers receive a fair price for their goods it leads to an improved working environment and a better quality of life for them and their families. Fair Trade takes a holistic approach by connecting producers [...]

The Find a Grant service offers a free central place on GOV.UK for business, individuals, and organisations to find and apply for UK government grants. The Find a Grant service is an initiative being delivered by the Government Grants Management Function, in Cabinet Office. It is an innovative pilot that seeks to make it simpler, faster and fairer for civil society organisations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK to find and apply for funding. Their goal for this service is to modernise grant-making. You can use this service to: access UK government grant funding; search and filter [...]

Working capital finance solutions can offer businesses the opportunity to improve cash flow. The world of commercial finance and asset based lending (ABL) is complex and expansive with products, terminology and contractual interpretation varying from lender-to-lender. The Benefits of arranging Working Capital are: Up to 90% of outstanding invoice value can be advanced relatively quickly; Flexible lending – funding increases in line with your growth (UK and Export); Confidentiality – lenders can offer a completely confidential service – your customers need not know you have a facility in place; Lenders allow you to manage your funding at all times; Sector-specific [...]

Last week the Office for National Statistics (ONS) stated that the UK's rate of inflation dropped to 7.9% in the year to June, which means the rate of price rises in the UK has slowed more than expected, down from 8.7% in May - although it still remains high. Falling fuel prices contributed to the drop, while food prices rose less quickly than in June last year. Experts are predicting that the Bank of England will increase interest rates by a minimum of a quarter per cent in August as they continue with their plan to get inflation down to [...]

Nurseries are set to receive £204 million as part of the Government’s promise to deliver the largest ever investment in childcare. The plans, which were announced in the Spring Budget, are designed to remove barriers to support parents to return to work and help to grow the economy by making childcare more accessible. Every area across the country is getting a share of the government funding which childcare providers can use to ease cost pressures such as staffing costs, training, and bills. Funding rates per child paid from September will increase from an average of £5.29 to £5.62 for three [...]

During the COVID pandemic the government relaxed the conditions to enable those working from home to be paid £6 a week tax free by their employer, or, where that was not paid by the employer, they could claim relief for £6 a week against their employment income for a tax refund from HMRC. Those relaxed rules applied for 2020/21 and 2021/22. Many employers and employees may not be aware that from 6 April 2022 the rules reverted to the strict statutory position. Employees can claim tax relief if they have to work from home under a homeworking agreement, for example [...]

The Royal Mail have added barcodes to their regular stamps. After 31 July 2023, regular stamps without a barcode will no longer be valid. You can either use up these stamps before this deadline or swap them for the new barcoded ones. The stamps that are changing are the stamps that will be very familiar to you. They feature the profile of Her Late Majesty The Queen on a plain coloured background. Your non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for the new barcoded version through the Stamp Swap Out scheme. See: Know where your old stamps are? | Royal Mail Group [...]

With all of the changes to personal pensions in the Spring Budget, maximising the State Pension entitlement should not be overlooked. The full rate of new State Pension increased to £203.85 per week (£10,600 pa) from 6 April 2023; a 10.1% increase over the 2022/23 rate, as a result of the “triple lock” being restored. At least 10 qualifying years are required to get a UK State Pension, with full State Pension entitlement at 35 qualifying years. Individuals should log into their Government Gateway account to check their contribution record as they may be entitled to credit for missing years, [...]

A new online Midlife MOT has been launched to help older workers with financial planning, health guidance, and to assess what their skills mean for their careers and futures. The free Midlife MOT website encourages people to review their skills and help to break down barriers to the labour market. It brings together trusted services, help such as a jobseeker toolkit, and charity resources. It will allow people to identify job opportunities across the UK as well as better preparing them for later life and their retirement. The website signposts to key organisations and charities, including the NHS, Mind, MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice, [...]