HLAS

Greenwashing is the practice by which companies claim they are doing more for the environment than they actually are. Greenwashing has increased as: companies’ climate commitments are on the rise; consumers increasingly seek to buy more sustainable products; companies are incentivised to make products more attractive to consumers; and employees are attracted to work for companies with strong sustainability credentials. Making false environmental claims hampers decarbonisation progress and impact. If greenwashing is not addressed, it will undermine the efforts of genuine leaders, creating confusion, cynicism, and a failure to deliver urgent climate action. It is a collective problem which requires [...]

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has launched a new service for UK organisations looking to use personal data in new and innovative ways As part of their commitment to helping organisations innovate and grow, the ICO is trialling a new Innovation Advice Service, designed to answer specific data protection questions. The service is aimed at organisations planning to use the personal data of people living in the UK, to drive a new or innovative product, service, or business model that is not currently live. The service is open to organisations of any size and in any sector. You can ask [...]

From April 2023, new eligibility rules for business rates will apply to self-catering properties in England and Wales. If you don’t meet these rules, your property will become eligible for paying Council Tax. The rules will be used in assessments from 1 April 2023. Information about lettings during the 2022/23 operating year will be used to determine whether a property is eligible. The new eligibility rules are different depending on whether your property is in England or Wales. If your property is in England: To continue to be eligible for business rates, from 1 April 2023 your property must be: [...]

Three cutting-edge projects will receive a share of £9.13 million in government funding to carry out research and development on proposals to boost agricultural productivity, sustainability, and climate resilience. The funding will support projects developing robotic crop harvesting for horticulture, an autonomous system to change cows’ bedding to improve their health, welfare and productivity, and a more environmentally friendly approach to potato cultivation. The three projects are being supported through the Large R&D Partnership competition, which is part of the government’s £270 million Farming Innovation Programme, and a second round of the competition is currently open for applications. This is all [...]

Pre-paid probate plans are unregulated in the UK. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) strongly advise that you consider carefully whether these products meet your needs and offer value before buying as there are no regulatory protections in place for you. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, probate is the legal right to deal with someone’s property, money and possessions (their ‘estate’) when they die. It is usually required when the person who died owned property or significant assets in their own name. The equivalent in Scotland is called Confirmation. The FCA have seen increased marketing of pre-paid probate plans in [...]

The non-domestic rating list and official statistics have been published for the 2023 revaluation. The rating list sets out all rateable values for non-domestic properties in England and Wales. It is used by local authorities to help determine business rates. Note that your rateable value isn’t the same as your business rates bill. The official statistics for Revaluation 2023 have been updated. They show the changes in rateable values of all non-domestic properties since the last revaluation in 2017. The publication of the 2023 non-domestic rating list means that the 2017 list has now closed. There are only limited circumstances in which [...]

The UK Government has announced an additional bank holiday for 2023 in honour of the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. The bank holiday will fall on Monday 8 May following the coronation on Saturday 6 May. See: Coronation of His Majesty The King & Her Majesty The Queen Consort

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee announced on 23 March 2023 to increase the Bank of England base rate to 4.25% from 4%. HMRC interest rates are set in legislation and are linked to the Bank of England base rate. As a consequence of the change in the base rate, HMRC interest rates for late payment and repayment will increase. These changes will come into effect on: 3 April 2023 for quarterly instalment payments, and 13 April 2023 for non-quarterly instalments payments. Late payment interest is set at base rate plus 2.5%. Repayment interest is set at base rate minus 1%, with [...]

Agriculture has the worst rate of deaths and injuries (per 100,000 workers) of all sectors in Great Britain. Incidents involving vehicles are the number one cause of deaths on British farms, killing 48 people in the past 5 years. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched the ‘Work Right Agriculture. Your farm. Your future’ campaign. It highlights simple vehicle safety advice to help keep everyone on the farm safe. HSE want to make 2023 a safer year on farms by working together. When you start your daily routine today, follow the 'safe farm, safe driver, safe vehicle' advice to [...]

Industry chiefs from firms including the Co-op, Greggs, Iceland, and Oliver Bonas have now been appointed as Employment Advisory Board chairs in all 92 resettlement prisons, which help prepare prisoners nearing the end of their sentence for release into the community. The Boards link prisons to leading business figures who can offer their expertise on the skills, qualifications and training needed to help prisoners re-enter the workforce. Using these insights, prisons can tailor their training and workshops to match local labour market demands so ex-offenders are job-ready when they walk out the prison gate. The initiative was originally launched in [...]