HLAS

Prince Charles, standing in for the Queen, delivered her speech to both Houses of Parliament last week.  The speech highlighted some of the 38 laws that ministers intend to pass in the coming year. This number includes some bills carried over from the previous session of Parliament, which ended last month. Prince Charles outlined that it was the governments priority to grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families. Critics have argued the government is not doing enough to help struggling families as inflation soars. Some of the main business points include: The Brexit [...]

Do you agree?  Most of our other clients do.  In this economy cash is king and managing your cash flow is more important than ever. If you are concerned about the future of your business, then take some time to reflect on where you are and what could happen in the next few months. It is now vitally important for all businesses to plan ahead for a range of scenarios. Cash flow and business planning in these uncertain times may appear difficult but there are some practical steps you can take to minimise potential disruption to your business. Review your [...]

The Automotive Transformation Fund is delivered by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) and partners, Innovate UK, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for International Trade (DIT). It supports the industrialisation at scale of a high-value electrified automotive supply chain in the UK. APC is seeking proposals from single organisations or consortiums with R&D projects validating readiness for scale up through pilot production, with a maximum grant request of £2 million. These projects must produce physical production samples, of a quantity and quality which supports the case for the commercial viability of scale up in the [...]

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched The Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF), worth up to £240 million. The NZHF will provide capital and development expenditure to support the commercial deployment of new low carbon hydrogen production projects. The aim is to ensure the UK has a diverse and secure decarbonised energy system to meet the Government's ambitions of reaching net zero by 2050 and 10 gigawatts of low carbon hydrogen production by 2030. Strand 1 - Development Expenditure (DEVEX) This competition will support DEVEX costs for front end engineering design (FEED) and post-FEED studies, aiming [...]

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £7.6 million (inclusive of VAT) to develop demonstrators that enable lower emissions and a greener railway, innovations in rail freight, and cost efficiencies and performance priorities for a reliable railway. This competition aims to demonstrate innovations to stakeholders and railway customers in a representative railway environment. This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the Department for Transport (DfT). This competition is part of a wider ‘First of a Kind’ demonstrator initiative, on behalf of the DfT, to accelerate innovation in the UK rail sector and enable technologies to be [...]

Now in their fifth year, the awards have recognised and celebrated the innovative and outstanding achievements of small and medium size British businesses across all industries. The British Business Awards offers you and your colleagues the opportunity to gain the industry and country-wide recognition you deserve. These awards are open to any businesses in the UK which fall within the traditional definition of an SME – namely up to 250 employees. Ideally the business should have been trading at least since January 2020, but the judges will consider younger businesses formed after this date. The awards are also open to [...]

The remaining import controls on EU goods will no longer be introduced this year, instead, traders will continue to move their goods from the European Union to Great Britain as they do now. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the recent rise in global energy costs, have had a significant effect on supply chains that are still recovering from the pandemic. The government has concluded that it would be wrong to impose new administrative requirements on businesses who may pass-on the associated costs to consumers already facing pressures on their finances. There will now be a review how to implement the [...]

Then ask us about our comprehensive guide to the financial, tax and accounting considerations of starting a business, “The New Business Kit,” which we offer free to start ups or those who have recently made the jump into business ownership. The guide helps start-ups think about: Selecting a legal entity; Registering with the tax authorities; Accounting and bookkeeping; Value Added Tax; Payroll taxes and pensions; Income and corporation tax; Cash planning and forecasting; Insurance; Selecting professional advisers; and Digital accounting systems. In addition there is a section of useful names, addresses and telephone numbers. Just ask – it is free! [...]

It has been over one year since the off payroll working rules (IR35) changed in the private and voluntary sectors. Some organisations who engage contractors in those sectors who didn’t need to apply the rules for 2021-22 as they did not meet the size conditions — may now need to apply the rules. Ensure you check the Employment Status Manual for whether the rules apply to your business every year. This is particularly true if you have: become a newly formed business been bought by another organisation grown in size over the last few years If you are new to the rules, you should [...]

This is a question many of our clients want answering! The truth is it depends on a range of factors and any valuation is only useful as a guide for planning forward. The ultimate value of a business is the price a willing buyer is prepared to pay for it. The prevailing economic climate and state of the business’ sector can affect company valuation for better or worse, as can your reasons for selling. If you need a fast sale due to ill health, for instance, the value may be lower than if a sale was taking place under more [...]