In last week’s Cabinet Office meeting with the Paymaster-General Michael Ellis on consumer goods for UK-EU trade, The Chamber raised issues including:
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the situation from 1 January 2022 when easements on proof of origin certification expire;
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cross-border VAT, and
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the future of CE marked goods, parts and components in the GB market.
The latest version of the Border Operating Model (with details on inbound GB controls) is due for release in a fortnight. Mr Ellis has asked business to send case studies of the current situation they face on EU trade
The UK and US have resolved their differences on digital services taxes (DSTs) in an agreement also involving Italy, Spain, France and Austria. This means that the risk of tariffs, of up to 25%, being applied to UK goods exported to the US has been lifted for at least two years, while more progress is made implementing a global deal on DSTs. See our response on this issue which we raised with the Department for International Trade (DIT).
G7 Trade Ministers adopted principles on digital trade at their meeting late last week. The proposals on data flows are business- and trade-friendly, but Ministers committed to accelerate the progress towards digitalisation of trade documentation
Further progress is being made on implementing the deal on domestic regulation in trade in services by more than 60 countries at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ahead of the Ministerial Conference at the end of November. States have begun to make the changes to their services schedules in Geneva, giving effect to the deal which cuts red tape on services exports
This week, James and Mark discuss a recent UK survey which revealed that 50% of workers, from management to shop floor level are secretly hoping for a ‘fire-break’ lockdown over Christmas, as they are facing burn out.
For many, 2021 feels like it’s been a longer, more stressful year than 2020, as there appears to be more work out there for businesses than expected. They are facing the perfect storm of high demand and a recruitment crisis, so it’s no wonder teams are feeling the pressure. It’s important for business leaders to understand that many people will be facing personal challenges alongside work pressure, and it’s key for continuing success that individual stress curves are not breached for too long. James and Mark come up with their top 3 tips that can help you to prioritise your team’s health without damaging profits.
We would love to hear what you think about the podcast, maybe you think you would be a great expert special guest, or there are topics you think we should cover – get in touch on [email protected]
Summary
Top tip 1: 03:30
Is the demand really there, or are your prices too low? Don’t cash in, but consider a review.
Top tip 2: 08:30
Pareto Principle 80:20 rule. Can you afford to cut your client base to protect your teams?
Top tip 3: 23:50
Be aware of your team members individual stress curves – have people been doing too much for too long?
In this special episode of Impromptu Business Chat, Mark and James pick the brains of marketeer extraordinaire, Damian Horner.
They draw out some amazing advice, tips and insights from Damian that are relevant to SME Business owners on the use of marketing and marketing strategies in the digital age. Damian has used the skills he acquired when building a career in a London marketing agency to not only advise global brands on marketing but also starts, grows and sells his own businesses. His current venture is that of founder and Chief Creative Officer for Real Vision, a global platform aimed at helping investors easily understand the complex world of finance.
Along the journey Damian has worked with the likes of JK Rowling, Damien Hirst and Stephen King.
The 18 teams joining Credo Asset Finance for the Canaryball Rally later this year got together on Wednesday for an inspirational night of fun and fundraising ideas.
The Rally which will take place on 9th -13th October, will recreate the journey across Europe that Norwich City Football Club undertook in their famous 1993/1994 UEFA Cup run.
The teams will start at the Nest in Norwich, before driving to Arnhem in Holland, Munich in Germany and finally Milan in Italy all in the aid of their chosen charity Community Sports Foundation and their #BuildTheNest campaign.
Two of the rally teams shared their own inspirational stories – Jacob Bowles, Norwich City’s current Fan of the Season, who along with his family announced on the evening they had already raised over their £5,000 target for the #BuildTheNest campaign trading from his ‘On the stall city’ market activities; and the aptly-named ‘Team U Pukki’ shared how their wide range of fundraising activities had already pledged nearly £4000.
Credo Managing Director Simon Gray said: “I was delighted to see such a good turnout and for our teams to network and share fundraising stories and ideas. Our thanks go to the Virgin Money Lounge for hosting the event and helping our teams set up their own fundraising pages.”
CSF Senior Fundraising & Events Manager Emma Fletcher said “It was wonderful to hear how rally participants are already doing such amazing things to raise money for the build the nest campaign. I can’t wait to see what else happens over the next couple of months, it’s an exciting time!”
There are a range of commercial sponsorship opportunities for businesses interested in supporting the Canaryball Rally – for details of how you could get involved please contact Fran Brown at [email protected]. Follow the Canaryball Rally on Twitter! @canaryballrally
A new book that captures people’s reflections on life during Covid-19 has been published to raise funds for NHS charities.
When The World Paused Again began life as a blog in March 2020, launched to capture people’s thoughts as the first lockdown began. A total of 75 people took part and the posts were subsequently published as a book in October 2020, raising around £600 for NHS charities.
Michelle Gant, Director of The Engaging People Company, set up the blog and the book: “Writing has always been cathartic for me, and it’s something that I have been able to turn to during difficult times, and journaling particularly has helped me to process thoughts and emotions.
“Which is why I thought an online journal – a blog – would be a fantastic way to help make sense of what was happening way back in spring 2020.
“I decided to open the blog up to others who might find it helpful too – and I was overwhelmed with the response. By the end of it, we had enough content for a book that we could publish to raise funds for our NHS heroes.”
That book was the first instalment of When the World Paused and Michelle thought that would be the end of the project. But when lockdown was announced again this year, she decided to reopen the blog.
“For many people it seemed that this winter lockdown was more challenging than the previous one and once again, I thought that writing could be a useful tool to help people process what was happening.
“This time, I wanted to look ahead more, and the focus was on what a pandemic taught us about living, helping people to find positivity in an uncertain and hugely challenging period of our lives.
“I invited last year’s contributors to take part again and many of them were keen to do so, capturing their reflections one year on from the last time they had written.
“But, it was also fantastic to see so many other people who hadn’t previously been involved want to contribute. When I closed the blog in June, 84 of us had taken part and shared our thoughts and feelings.”
This included contributors from Norfolk as well as from across the UK, from places such as London, Manchester, and Tyne and Wear. There were also writers from as far afield as Holland and Abu Dhabi.
And, the youngest contributor was Michelle’s daughter Thea who was aged five when she recorded her latest reflections in May this year.
“When I started the blog, I was conscious that I was also capturing a moment in time for my daughter. She will only have vague recollections of the last year and I wanted to record memories for her. But I also thought she would have something to say on this time of her life.
“And so I interviewed her – both this year and last – and I wrote down verbatim what she said. Her reflections, like so many in the book, moved me but made me laugh too.
“I am enormously grateful to all of the contributors who have taken part and shared their thoughts quite so openly. Reading their reflections was certainly a highlight of an uncertain time.”
Always ready to take up a sporting challenge, and on the lookout for ways to raise money for Monthind’s chosen charity, Little Havens Hospice, Monthind Partner, Simon Biggs, is busy preparing for his next venture.
On Thursday 26th September 2019, Simon will be setting off from Little Havens Hospice in Benfleet on a 55-mile cycle ride to Harwich. He can have a rest on the ferry before cycling 60 miles from Hoek of Holland to Breda on the Friday and then covering the final 92 miles to Bruges on Saturday.
We caught up with Simon after one of his gruelling training rides in the less than glorious British weather: “This is going to be a physically challenging adventure for me, stretching over three days, so my training has begun in earnest. My fundraising target is £1500, which will help Little Havens to continue to deliver the amazing care they offer children and young people from Essex and the surrounding London Boroughs, who have life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses. Little Havens provides a holistic service by looking after the whole family which may include emotional or educational support for the child’s siblings, parents, grandparents and carers or assistance with social issues.
“Indubitably an amazing charity, providing a sadly necessary service in the most difficult circumstances, I feel privileged to be able to raise funds to enable the Hospice to carry on doing its incredible work, and it is only fitting that I have to push myself hard to make that money!”
If you would like to sponsor Simon, or find out more about the cycle ride, visit the JustGiving page.
Bonus Book-keeping Services, based in Great Yarmouth offer a customised bookkeeping, payroll and/or accounting service to all size and types of business, along with self-assement tax return preparation and submission.
Following on from our recent move, we are now looking to recruit a part-time Senior Accounts & Payroll Assistant to join our small but dedicated team.
Job Description
Experienced accounts and payroll assistant able to undertake all payroll duties for multiple and varied clients and complete accounts from incomplete records. Prepare and submit MTD VAT returns and self-assessment tax returns. Previous accountancy practice/bookkeeping and payroll bureau experience preferred.
Salary dependent on experience
Part-time hours: 15 – 18 per week
In our latest blog we explore the Pantone Color of the Year and share our top home furniture picks to refresh your home office in 2021.
Whether you’re working from home or your office, it never hurts to refresh your surroundings every once in a while. And, with so many great new trends around this season, there’s never been a better time to do it.
Pantone’s Color of the Year is undoubtedly the biggest trend for this year. Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute has named a Color (or Colors) of the Year to reflect the current zeitgeist. From Cerulean (blue) to Tangerine Tango (red-orange), the Pantone Color Institute picks a shade that reflects a sense of calm or vibrancy, wellbeing or joy in line with what we feel or what we need.
Searles Leisure Resort are delighted to announce that we have been nominated for the Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year in the Norfolk & Suffolk Tourism Awards 2020.
As the award is nominated by the general public, we are extremely honoured to have made the final four. Managing Director of Searles Leisure Resort, Paul Searle, had this to say on our latest award nomination:
“To be nominated by our customers for such a prestigious award is very humbling. Thank you to all our wonderful guests for their support and to our brilliant staff for all their hard work to help make this possible”.
The nomination feels particularly special for everyone here at Searles as we were lucky enough to win the Best Holiday Park category at inaugural Norfolk and Suffolk Tourism Awards in 2018.
At the 2018 awards ceremony, Searles Leisure Resort was cited as a holiday park which
“Creates happiness for all ages, and offers a wide range of facilities to meet the needs of all its customers. The park performs well in all areas and keeps reinvesting to better the experience for its guests both throughout the summer season and with special events and themed breaks during the winter.”
The award has been updated in 2020 to include Camping and Glamping, both of which we’re proud to offer as part of the Searles Leisure Resort experience.
SITRANS TH320/420 is designed to support all common resistance thermometers and thermocouples. It also evaluates resistance and millivolt signals. Setup is quick and easy with the SIMATIC PDM or the Handheld Communicator.
Both temperature transmitters SITRANS TH320 and TH420 combine perfect measurement and intelligence for every temperature and condition.
The true reliability of the SITRANS TH420 is exemplified by the dual sensor input with 4-wire sensor connection and hot backup function. In case of a sensor failure, the transmitter seamlessly switches to the second sensor, so that the data is recorded continuously and without any loss.
The sensor trim realized following the Callendar-Van-Dusen-Method as well as the additional function of the sensor drift detection (SITARNS TH420 only) allows a high accuracy, accelerated calibration time and optimized calibration planning.
The SIL2/3 certificates in combination with a broad range of ex and marine approvals are the perfect solution for your safety-critical applications, also under harsh conditions up to -50°C.
User-friendly details give SITRANS TH320/420 its uniqueness: Without opening the 4-20mA loop, the output current can be read out directly with a multimeter. A red/green LED shows the technician the status at a glance.
Benefits
High availability during measurement
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Best cost-benefit ratio for facility management
Cost reduction through anticipatory maintenance
High sensor accuracy
Extended temperature range up to -50°C + SIL2/3 approvals
Enquire on our website https://www.pisales.co.uk/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1179
This Budget Summary from MHA Larking Gowen covers the key tax changes announced in the Chancellor’s speech, including measures to mitigate the impact of coronavirus, and explains how these changes affect businesses and individuals.
This summary covers the key tax changes announced in the Chancellor’s speech and includes tables of the main rates and allowances. At the back of the summary you will find a calendar of the tax year with important deadline dates shown. We recommend that you review your financial plans regularly as some aspects of the Budget will not be implemented until later dates.
The Chancellor had a difficult task in this Budget: to indicate how he might balance the Government’s books in the future, while still having to pay out huge sums to support the economy. He said that he would continue to provide ‘whatever it takes’ to protect businesses and jobs during the present crisis, while being honest about the need to ‘fix the public finances’ and setting out his plans to build the future economy…..to continue reading this article, and view the full analysis and tax year details, click here.
A special commemorative whisky bottle has been launched to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The country’s oldest registered whisky distillery, The English Distillery, has teamed up with Norfolk charity Walking with the Wounded for this initiative.
The single malt whisky, aged in a mix of ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, is limited to just 3,000 bottles.
Each decanter is hand-bottled at the Norfolk distillery, based at Roudham near East Harling.
The collaboration aims to raise funds for the charity, which supports the UK’s veterans struggling to adapt to civilian life.
From each bottle sold, £2 will be donated to the charity.
Kate Tabain, director of fundraising and communications at Walking with the Wounded, said: “We are thrilled to once again be partnering with The English Distillery to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
“Not only will the bottle acknowledge the sacrifices of so many to ensure peace in Europe, but all donations raised will be used to support veterans, whose service has maintained that peace.”
Katy Nelstrop, from The English Distillery, said: “We’re honoured to collaborate with Walking with the Wounded on this special bottle release.”