HLAS

With the economic chaos just now, this may seem a strange time to be thinking about financial stability but if we want to provide those we love with security then we should always be thinking long term. The pandemic, spiralling inflation and the current economic downturn show all too clearly good health, and even life itself cannot be taken for granted. When both partner’s income and assets are vital for the household’s financial security, it will inevitably mean financial difficulty for the survivor should either of them die. With the right financial planning you can minimise the problems for your loved [...]

The reality for many small businesses and households has taken a turn for the worse recently as prices continue to surge, particularly energy. So, what’s on offer from the new Prime Minister? The first announcement of the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, was a plan to freeze energy prices for two years at £2500 for the average home and with the £400 rebate previously announced, takes this to £2100. There will be equivalent help for Northern Ireland. The amount saved by each family will depend on how much energy they use, and households have been urged to reduce their overall usage [...]

HMRC have published detailed maps setting out the precise location of all 8 Freeport tax and customs sites in England with the latest update at the end of August. The original 8 locations were announced in the Spring 2021 Budget: East (Felixstowe and Harwich) East Midlands Airport Humber Liverpool City Plymouth and South Devon Solent Teeside Thames More maps of Freeports customs sites and Freeport tax sites will be added after they are designated. Businesses in these designated areas will be able to benefit from generous tax and customs duty reliefs including: An enhanced 10% rate of structures and buildings [...]

Museums and galleries are being urged to apply for VAT refunds to support opening free of charge as part of plans to boost visitor numbers and give more people access to arts and culture. Any museum and gallery open to the public free of charge for 30 hours a week can apply. It will help organisations boost their finances and open up their collections more regularly. The VAT Refund Scheme, which has been running since 2001, was last open to new applicants in 2018/19 and is estimated to have refunded up to £1 billion to museums and galleries so far. [...]

With the constant news surrounding the energy crisis (and waiting for a new Prime Minister to see what the government will do about it), soaring interest rates and rising inflation, it's difficult not to worry and lose sight of what’s really important – the health and welfare of you and your loved ones. The crisis we all face is a potent mix of inflation, recession, high debts, and the core reason for it all, a wartime energy shock. It is worth remembering that this is the point. It is not the market driving the crisis, it is geopolitics, diplomacy and [...]

High electricity using businesses, like steel and paper mills, could see further relief under new proposals to help subsidise their electricity costs. The UK government is consulting on the option to increase the level of exemption from 85% of costs up to 100% for certain environmental and policy costs. The consultation closes on 16 September 2022. This reflects higher UK industrial electricity prices than those of other countries, including in Europe. This could hamper investment, competition and commercial viability for hundreds of businesses in industries including steel, paper, glass, ceramics, and cement, and risk them relocating from the UK. See: Government to consider [...]

Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) are offering manufacturing businesses an opportunity to register for individual one-to-one meetings to explore the uses of artificial intelligence (AI) within their operations and learn how to access Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funding to address their challenges. The AI team at Innovate UK KTN, in collaboration with the KTP programme and the Manufacturing Made Smarter Innovation Network, will virtually support manufacturing businesses from all sectors to explore the uses of artificial intelligence within their operations. During these sessions, they will help identify projects that can be funded through the KTP programme – an open [...]

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of: Innovation International trade Sustainable development Promoting opportunity through social mobility Winners have reported benefiting from worldwide recognition, increased commercial value, greater press coverage and a boost to staff morale. The closing date for applications is 6 September 2022. See: The Queen's Awards for Enterprise: About the awards - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Organised by Innovate UK and Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), the event will offer new insights about what materials research and innovations are currently happening. The event will offer targeted seminars on a range of cutting-edge areas, such as materials for net zero, including materials for: The production, transportation and storage of hydrogen. The use of hydrogen in low carbon production of materials. The scale-up of graphene and metamaterials for industrial applications. Organisers will also hold sessions on technology transfer from UK’s research base, focusing on high performance, net zero materials, the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge and Foundation [...]

There is a new two-day extended reality (XR) conference on 28 and 29 September 2022 in Sheffield. 'Immerse Technology Conference: Understanding & Application in Industry' is an XR workshop and demonstration event that will focus on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies for enterprise. Organised by Made Smarter Innovation, Immerse UK and AREA (Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance), in collaboration with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the conference will give you a chance to: Meet like-minded professionals. Learn more about the challenges, benefits and possibilities of enterprise XR. Discover use cases. Speak to organisations implementing and developing the [...]