HLAS

Last Monday, the government unveiled its AI Opportunities Action Plan, aimed at accelerating AI adoption across the UK. The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, emphasised that the plan outlines how the application of AI can be shaped within a modern social market economy. The plan highlights the government’s strategy to establish a solid foundation for AI growth through: Developing robust, secure, and sustainable AI infrastructure AI relies on immense computational power, which is provided by sophisticated, large-scale computers housed in data centres. Unlocking public and private sector data assets AI learns from data, and unlocking [...]

The latest figures show that UK inflation eased slightly in December, falling to 2.5% from 2.6% in November. Although the drop is marginal, it has sparked debate in the media about whether this easing of inflation could lead the Bank of England to consider cutting interest rates when it meets next month. At the same time, there is speculation that many businesses may raise prices in the coming months due to payroll cost increases scheduled for April. Here, we examine the key issues you need to be aware of. Could interest rate cuts provide relief for borrowers? The decline in [...]

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. The HSE was created by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and officially launched on 1 January 1975. In 1974, 651 employees were killed at work. HSE’s statistics for 2023/24 show 138 employees were killed at work and indicates the work that has been done to reduce workplace death and injury in England, Scotland and Wales over the last 50 years. Marking the occasion, Sarah Albon, chief executive of HSE, said: “Over the past half century, the Health and Safety Executive has led the [...]

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) have announced the suspension of two business rates agents. These are Rateable Value Experts and Re-Rates UK. The VOA have not specified the exact reasons for the suspension and have simply said that they are investigating a potentially serious breach of their agent standards. While the suspension is in force, the VOA won’t work with or accept any information from the two agents. This is likely to cause difficulties for any customers that they are representing, and so the VOA have written to customers that are affected. As part of the announcement, the VOA have [...]

The UK government has announced contracts worth over £289 million to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to 131,000 homes and businesses in some of the country’s most remote locations. This initiative is part of the government’s Project Gigabit programme, which aims to modernise broadband infrastructure nationwide. The contracts will focus on regions such as: The Dee Valley, Isle of Anglesey, and Shropshire Hills. Parts of North and Southwest Wales, Herefordshire, Devon, Somerset, Essex, North East England, and Worcestershire. Project Gigabit: An overview Project Gigabit is designed to bring high-speed internet to hard-to-reach areas where commercial providers have traditionally faced challenges. Currently, over [...]

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds co-chaired the first meeting of a new Steel Council last week. The Steel Council’s purpose is to help secure the long-term future of steelmaking in the UK. The new Council will feature regular meetings with trade union leaders, industry experts, devolved government representatives, trade associations and steel sector leaders such as CEOs from Tata Steel and British Steel. The government plans to launch their Steel Strategy in the Spring and the Council will help with this both before the launch and afterwards. Gareth Stace, Director-General of UK Steel said: “This [steel] strategy is a once-in-a-generation opportunity [...]

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to bring benefits across many industries, including healthcare diagnostics and consumer technology. However, as its applications expand, so too do concerns about its accuracy and potential for misuse. Two recent examples—the use of AI in detecting ovarian cancer and its controversial implementation in summarising news—highlight both the transformative potential and the risks of AI. AI in early cancer detection Ovarian cancer is notoriously difficult to detect in its early stages. Early intervention is critical for improving survival rates, yet current methods rarely identify the disease before it spreads. A breakthrough by Dr Daniel Heller and his [...]

Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) set out its initial plans for the new digital markets competition regime. The regime is designed to support the UK’s tech sector and is underpinned by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. This Act received royal assent in May 2024 and came into force on 1 January 2025. The purpose of the regime is to prevent very large, typically global, tech firms from using unfair advantages to shut out smaller businesses. Following an investigation, which can take up to a maximum of 9 months, the CMA has the authority to designate [...]

With the 31 January Self-Assessment tax return filing deadline fast approaching, HM Revenue and Customs issued a press release last week noting that 5.4 million taxpayers are yet to complete their return. Interestingly, more than 24,800 people filed their return on New Year’s Day, while a further 38,000 submitted theirs on 31 December. Meanwhile, 310 taxpayers filed their returns between 11 pm and midnight. Missing the 31 January deadline can result in an initial late filing penalty of £100. If you need assistance with your tax return or are unsure whether you need to complete one, please give us a [...]

Tax measures taking effect in April mean businesses face rising wage costs in 2025. As a result, many businesses are considering whether price increases could help them manage the financial impact without losing customers. High Street retailer Next recently announced a price increase of 1% on some clothing items to help offset an anticipated £73 million rise in staff wages and taxes. Their strategy and decisions provide some useful insights. Why wage costs will increase Wages are rising due to changes announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget, effective from April 2025, including: An increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions from [...]