HLAS

According to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics, UK inflation eased to 3% in January, down from 3.4% in December. Lower food, fuel and airfare prices appear to have been the biggest contributors to the reduction. It’s important to remember this doesn’t mean prices are falling; they are just rising more slowly. Businesses still dealing with higher wages, energy and supplier costs will know that firsthand. The combination of softer inflation and a slowdown in wage growth has increased expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates again when its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) [...]

A new website has been launched by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), providing practical guidance and support on the changes introduced by the Employment Rights Act and what organisations can do now to prepare. The website outlines a range of forthcoming measures, including several that will come into force from April 2026. These include: Statutory Sick Pay – The removal of the earnings threshold and the three-day waiting period means more employees will now qualify. Day-one family leave – Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave will become a right from the first day of employment. Bereaved Partner’s Paternity [...]

The BBC has published an in-depth piece on “996 culture” – the practice of working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. Although many of the case studies focus on US technology companies, there are clear takeaways for UK business owners. Below are some of the key themes that stood out. The Attraction of 996 The article explores AI start-ups in the US that openly promote 70-hour working weeks, often drawing in young, ambitious employees who regard long hours as a badge of honour. Some firms even set out these expectations in their recruitment material. 996 culture is [...]

The government has now published its Review into the 2025 Autumn Budget leak, explaining how the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) was accessible online an hour before the Chancellor was due to speak. The Review outlines the steps that will be taken to ensure a similar incident does not happen again. What Actually Happened? The Review incorporates findings from the National Cyber Security Centre, which concluded that the leak resulted from repeated attempts to access the webpage hosting the EFO, rather than from a hostile cyber-attack. The issue stemmed from a misconfiguration in the way the [...]

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a package of proposed commitments from Apple Inc. and Google LLC that could make it easier for UK businesses relying on app stores to connect with their customers. The CMA is inviting feedback on these commitments until 3 March 2026, with the intention that they will come into force from 1 April 2026. What’s Happening? The CMA has been engaging with Apple and Google since both companies were designated with “strategic market status” (SMS) in late 2025. Almost all mobile devices in the UK operate on either Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android [...]

HM Revenue & Customs has begun introducing GOV.UK One Login for taxpayers registering for its digital services for the first time. This means that if you do not already have a Government Gateway account, you will now sign up using an email-and-password login, rather than needing to obtain a 10–12 digit Government Gateway ID. At present, this change only affects new HMRC users. Existing Government Gateway account holders are not required to switch at this stage. Even if you already use a GOV.UK One Login for another government service, you will still need to access HMRC’s online services through your [...]

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has launched a new weekly podcast series, ‘DBS discussions: Safeguarding in Focus,’ aimed at employers, HR teams and anyone working in safeguarding. Each episode of the podcast features a DBS specialist explaining how key DBS processes work in practice. Topics will include: How DBS checks fit into recruitment. Common questions from employers. Clarity on eligibility and regulated activity. How barring decisions are made. The role DBS plays in wider safeguarding. The first episode was released on 9 February 2026, and introduced the function of DBS and the impact of checks in recruitment. New episodes [...]

HMRC has estimated that around a million people failed to meet the 31 January 2026 Self Assessment tax return filing deadline. It reported that 11.48 million taxpayers submitted their returns on time, with the majority filing online. As expected, there was a surge in submissions on the deadline day itself, with nearly half a million returns filed on 31 January. This included more than 27,000 submissions made in the final hour before midnight. The busiest period was between 5 pm and 6 pm, when almost 33,000 tax returns were filed. Despite this last-minute rush, HMRC believes that around a million [...]

With costs continuing to rise, many employers and employees are searching for sensible ways to reduce outgoings without scaling back benefits. Salary sacrifice can be a highly effective solution, yet it is still overlooked by many businesses. Put simply, salary sacrifice allows an employee to exchange part of their gross salary for a non-cash benefit, such as a pension contribution, an electric car or a bicycle. As this arrangement is made before tax and National Insurance (NI) are applied, it can result in savings for both employers and employees, while also enhancing the overall benefits package. Following the Autumn Budget [...]

Businesses that pay business rates are being advised to review their current property valuation and ensure that the information held by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is accurate. If you think your valuation is incorrect, you have until 31 March 2026 to request any amendments to your current valuation. After this date, a new rating list will come into effect on 1 April 2026, and requests to change your new 2026 valuation can only be submitted from that point onwards. To submit a request, you must have a business rates valuation account. If you have not accessed your account recently, [...]