HLAS

A publication aiming to kickstart a conversation with businesses about how to reform the UK’s capital allowances regime was published earlier this month. The publication sets out how firms can work with the government on capital allowances to help foster a new culture of enterprise and growth in the UK, with responses requested by 1 July 2022. The UK has a long-standing issue with productivity and one of the key underlying causes is a lack of capital investment. According to OECD data, companies invest just 10% of GDP each year, compared with 14% in our competitor countries – our tax [...]

Hauliers serving music concerts, sports and cultural events will be able to move their vehicles freely between Great Britain and the EU thanks to new measures for the haulage sector announced earlier this month. Designed in consultation with the live music, performing arts and sports sectors, the new dual registration measure is expected to come into force from late summer 2022. It will apply to specialist hauliers that transport equipment for cultural events, such as concert tours or sports events. Dual registration will mean drivers with an established base in Great Britain and in another country outside of the UK will be able to [...]

Eurostars is the largest international funding programme for small and medium-sized businesses wishing to collaborate on research and development (R&D) projects that create innovative products, processes or services for commercialisation. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) in partnership with the Eureka National Project Coordinators (NPC) in Ireland, UK & Northern Ireland, Spain, Iceland, Denmark and Netherlands invite you to participate in an international online partnering event on Eurostars on Wednesday 8th June @ 09:00 Dublin Ireland time (10:00 CET time). Businesses are offered an opportunity to register their interest in attending this free, two-hour long virtual event to: discover what Eurostars is about hear about [...]

High energy usage businesses, such as steel and paper manufacturers, are set to receive further support for electricity costs as the UK government has confirmed details of the Energy Intensive Industries (EII) compensation scheme. The scheme will be extended for a further 3 years and its budget will be more than doubled. The scheme provides businesses with relief for the costs of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and Carbon Price Support mechanism in their electricity bills, recognising that UK industrial electricity prices are higher than those of other countries. The scheme will now also provide support for companies that [...]

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 [...]