As from the 4th of December 2014, the stamp duty for the majority of homebuyers has been given a fair and significant cut.
The old rules attracted wide criticism as being outdated and simply unfair. Until today, stamp duty in the UK would have been charged based purely on the total purchase price of the property. The rules meant that the total price would be placed into a stamp duty tax band and any increase in the price, even a fluctuation as small as a £1 rise, could cross the threshold and cause the stamp duty to automatically jump up significantly, incurring potentially thousands of pounds more in charges because of that £1 rise.
The changes today have made the system more comparable to the familiar income tax structure in that you will now only pay the higher rate of tax on the part of the price that has gone into the next tax band. For example if you were buying a property for £185,000 you won’t have to pay any tax on the first £125,000 and 2% on the remaining £60,000 – a saving of £650. A further example is that someone buying a home as from today for £275,000 would pay £3,750 in stamp duty, rather than £8,250 under the old rules – that’s a saving of £4,500!
Please see the HM Treasury statement which includes a useful link to a reliable online calculator. The statement clearly and simply sets out the new rules and we suggest that you may wish to use the same as a point of reference. Clearly the new rates will give a significant boost to the property market and benefit the majority of people preparing to purchase their homes. If you need any further details please do not hesitate to contact us on 01603 610911.
Leathes Prior’s David Clarke – Partner and Head of The Conveyancing Team comments:
‘The profession has, for many years, been asking for changes to the stamp duty levels to reflect substantial increases in property prices since the previous levels were imposed. The changes are very welcome to make a fairer system, whereby previously the rate was paid at a single rate on the entire property price, now it is paid only on the part of the property price within each tax band – very much like income tax. By way of example, when purchasing a property at just over £250,000, under the previous rules duty rose from 1% to 3% of the whole price leading to stamp duty on a property at say £260,000 of £7,800. Under the new system, duty would now be payable in the sum of £3,000.’
Please note: The content of this article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Specific legal advice should be taken in any specific circumstance.
South Cambridgeshire District Council has announced that planning permission has been approved for LSI’s new Arthur Rank Hospice. The hospice will replace the existing hospice on the Brookfield site, Mill Road, Cambridge and will have 24 beds, double the number of beds currently available with 16 single rooms plus en-suite facilities and two, four bedded bays. Plans include a commercial kitchen which will be able to provide freshly cooked food for patients, staff and visitors – this will be a significant improvement on the current cook/chill facilities and super new educational facilities to enable the hospice to train other healthcare professionals in good end of life care.
The setting at Shelford Bottom is green, leafy and tranquil and the building has been designed to fit sympathetically into the landscape. Dr Lynn Morgan, CEO of the charity said “the new hospice is light, airy and modern. We were hoping to get a hospice which would raise people’s spirits and I believe LSI has definitely achieved this. The lead architect, Louise Knights, has worked closely with all of our staff to ensure that the hospice really meets our needs and will function very well”.
Louise Knights, Associate at LSI, said “Receiving planning permission is a significant milestone towards providing Arthur Rank Hospice with the building that their fantastic hard work deserves. The new Hospice will provide every patient and visitor with a direct connection to the outside, with the external space being treated as equally as important as the internal environment.”
The hospice is designed to cater for the increasing population of Cambridge and the surrounding area and also the rise in the number of people who will live longer but at the end of their life have multiple medical conditions which will make their care more complex.
The building work will begin in January 2015 and will be completed in summer 2016. The build will cost in the region of £10 million, £5.5 million has already been raised.
The charity stressed that they are very keen for people to donate to this very worthy cause and hope that when people see the new hospice going up they will be encouraged to contribute. Cambridgeshire County Council has agreed an interim loan to enable the charity to start building. More detail of what the hospice will look like can be seen on https://www.arhc.org.uk .
Global-leading energy services company Proserv has secured a major contract win worth in excess of $20 million, underpinning the company’s fast-evolving international footprint and market-leading status in the subsea arena.
This latest award by Hess Corporation is for the provision of a 12-well subsea control system along with associated topside and subsea interface equipment for the deepwater Stampede development, situated in the Gulf of Mexico.
Work for the project will be carried out in various Proserv subsea service centres and technology hubs around the world, reinforcing the company’s strong inter-regional capability. The design and manufacture of the subsea electronics modules (SEMs) and subsea control modules (SCMs) will be carried out by Proserv’s team of subsea experts in Great Yarmouth, UK, with Proserv’s Trondheim facility in Norway providing technical support. Final testing, servicing and the integration of equipment will be carried out at Proserv’s new dedicated controls facility in Houston, USA.
The systems will be delivered to the client in a phased approach throughout 2015 and 2016 in line with key project milestones.
Proserv, which is headquartered in Westhill, has a long-standing relationship with Hess Corporation and over the past three years has secured work with the operator which, including this latest award, is estimated to be worth around $35 million. These activities included providing subsea controls equipment and services for Hess Corporation’s Tubular Bells field, a fast-track project that has just announced first production, and Hess GoM brownfield projects.
David Lamont, Proserv CEO, said: “This is a significant win for the company that highlights the strength of our technical and engineering expertise as well as our market-leading status in the subsea controls and communications field.
“Proserv has already worked with Hess Corporation on several projects and the award of this contract is testament to the strength of our relationship and their trust in our ability to deliver robust technology solutions and services on time and to the highest standards. We look forward to working with Hess Corporation in the successful delivery of this project and would also like to congratulate them on the expeditious production of first oil from the Tubular Bells development.”
Proserv, which operates worldwide across several regions, has a 40-year track record in delivering bespoke solutions for the energy industry, particularly in the drilling, production, subsea and marine market sectors.
The latest contract award builds on Proserv’s high-profile portfolio of clients and projects, and mirrors the company’s global success through contracts with major operators in other international provinces.
It also comes just weeks after Proserv was acquired by Riverstone Holdings LLC, a major US private equity investor with an impressive track record of backing independent operators and energy service companies.
We are new to the Norfolk Chamber and I just wanted to introduce ourselves to members and let people know who we are and what we can do for you…
…We are a business video production comapny. We have real world business experience having worked in various businesses and industries over 25 years including the NHS, The Pharmaceutical Industry and Corporate Training.
We specialise in online video marketing and business video production.
This short video gives an insight into the benefits of video marketing for business today!
Metalfrog Studios Limited has built up a solid reputation over the past 8 years, for excellence in web development, as part of its overall digital marketing activity. We have an expanding client base, and an expanding workload. Our clients range from start up companies requiring a first step on the Internet ladder, through small to medium sized companies, and on to corporates and blue chips. All require attention to detail, all expect perfection – in both design and development.
Could you fill a developer role? Would you like to work in a bustling, ever-changing environment, on multiple projects?
What do we need technically?
Someone with the ability to set up, build, test and modify websites according to design briefs using well documented, clean, efficient code that fully adheres to the latest web standards.
Someone with the ability to communicate with clients and manage multiple projects at one time.
Pay is exemplary for the area, working conditions are excellent – we have fun as well as work hard, and we socialise a lot too! , and the benefits are numerous.
We look forward to hearing from you, and potentially welcoming you to our team at The Pad.
A Norfolk based Insurance Brokers has been voted ‘General Supplier of the Year’ in the prestigious Landlord & Letting Awards for the second year running.
The awards, which were introduced in 2009 with the aim of recognising and rewarding excellence and contribute to raising standards in the private rented sector, were held in Coventry and hosted by TV favourite Tommy Walsh. Alan Boswell Group, whose head office is in Norwich, beat off stiff competition to win the award at the ceremony.
The ‘General Supplier of the Year’ category is a fiercely fought contest with finalists from across the country in the running for the award which recognises the ‘best of the best’ when it comes to providing services to the sector.
Steve Cox, Account Executive at the Group, was in attendance when the award was made and commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have kept hold of this coveted Award. We work very hard to ensure that we provide outstanding customer service and to be recognised for this effort makes it all worthwhile.
“We have over 17,000 landlord clients throughout the UK and they all rely on us when it comes to their property insurance. It’s vital that those clients receive the very best service whether it is when they purchase their policy or if the worse happens and they need to make a claim.
“Every landlord receives either a dedicated account executive or telephone access to our specialist landlord’s team meaning there is someone at the end of a phone they can talk to. It is an important factor in delivering a level of personal attention that can be sorely lacking with some providers.”
Jo Ensby, marketing manager for AEP Media who organise the Awards, commented: “The Landlord & Letting Awards are the premier private rented sector awards in the UK; it’s great to be able to recognise and reward the best in the industry. The standard of entries gets more phenomenal year on year, so Alan Boswell Group has done phenomenally well to win their category.”
Alan Boswell Group is a top 20 UK Independent Insurance Broker* and Financial Planners with six offices across the Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and London.
For more details about Alan Boswell Group click here
East Anglian grant programme, Supply Chain innovation for Offshore Renewable Energy (SCORE), has awarded funding to Norwich based Norcom Technology. The SCORE programme offers East Anglian SMEs an exciting opportunity to access funds to drive forward innovative products and processes that benefit the region’s offshore renewable sector’s supply chain.
The £20,000 grant is to enable Norcom, which develops software and hardware for navigation and hydrographic survey systems, to develop a desktop and web based application which maps the seabed around the east coast of England. Their eChart Service will be created using data derived from material supplied by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and will be the most advanced seabed map ever created for the North Sea.
The service will show the precise location of all the current wind farms and proposed future developments, as well as including data pinpointing the staggering 20,000 wrecks on the region’s seabed.
This innovative application will be the equivalent of Google maps for the seabed. Users will even be able to do ‘passage planning’ where it will allow them to enter a destination and will provide them with a route and timings.
Norcom has previously created similar PC based software but this new service marks a real step change for the sector. This also offers companies the opportunity to upload it and overlay additional data to create a bespoke map of the seabed to meet their precise requirements.
Norcom will receive chart and hydrographic data from France, Norway, Germany, Denmark and other European countries to overlay onto the map. Norcom’s eChart service is due to be completed by September and the data will then be updated on a three monthly basis.
Norcom is planning to further develop the program to be a responsive web based system and in the long term, develop a mobile app version.
Phil Harris, Managing Director of Norcom Technology says: “Receiving funding from the SCORE grant programme was fundamental in bringing this project to fruition. It has enabled us to employ a dedicated member of staff to work on the data and web design elements, both of which are critical if we are to complete the service in the timeframe we have set ourselves.
“The funding application process was very straightforward and the monthly approval meeting ensured a quick response, which was really beneficial in enabling us to progress our plans.”
The SCORE programme delivers a £2.5 million funding investment through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). SCORE grants range from £2,500 up to a maximum of 30% of the project’s eligible costs, or £50,000, whichever is the lower.
Richard Salmon, project manager and business adviser for SCORE says: “It is great to see so much innovation taking place literally on our doorstep. Norcom’s service really demonstrates how SCORE funding can make projects happen, whilst at the same time further highlights the region’s reputation as the leading UK force within the offshore renewable sector.
“We know many SMEs and start-ups can be deterred from applying for funding because of the perception that grant applications are complex and time-consuming. That’s not the case with SCORE. Our team of industry specialists are on hand to support companies and start-ups through the process by finding out more about their innovative ideas, evaluating funding viability and then assisting with the development of a funding business case.
“We hope as we announce further recipients of SCORE funding other potential recipients will be encouraged to contact us. Our region’s offshore renewable energy sector provides East Anglian businesses with a unique landscape on which to develop innovative ideas, processes and services and recipients of SCORE funding will all help strengthen the area’s capability for innovation.”
To contact SCORE’s business advisers, please call 01502 563368 or email [email protected]
SCORE is based out of specialist offshore renewables innovation and incubation centre, OrbisEnergy, owned by Suffolk County Council and managed by NWES.
New for 2015 leading specialist tour operator, Omega Holidays is providing a fully escorted 8 day holiday to Germany’s Black Forest from Norwich International on 2nd August 2015. This unique opportunity is a first for Norwich International and is expected to sell fast. The Black Forest region is full of thickly wooded valleys, sparkling lakes, waterfalls and quaint lakeside villages with decoratively painted houses and of course you will find the eponymous cuckoo clocks.
The holiday includes return flights, good quality 3 or 4 star half board hotel accommodation and fully escorted excursions including visits to historic cities like Strasbourg and Freiburg the unofficial capital of the Black Forest, and river cruises.
Andrew Bell, Chief Executive of Norwich International Airport, said, “Our objective is to provide an ever increasing range of top quality holiday destinations and product to the holidaymakers in our region. We are delighted that for the first time we are now able to offer a holiday to Germanys Black Forest region, this is a great news for local holidaymakers giving them further choice from their local airport”
Dino Toouli, Head of Trade Sales at Omega Holidays commented “We are delighted to be able to offer holidays to the Black Forest region of Germany along with options to Austria this summer from Norwich International. We are certain these established destinations will prove popular within the region.”
Employment law is one of those legal disciplines that just will not relent. Change is constantly on the horizon and as such, it can be hard for organisations to keep abreast of what’s new. The issue is that employment law policy changes make headlines as they directly affect the tens of millions of people currently in work in the UK. With an election around the corner next spring, policies relating to employment law are likely to come thick and fast.
In January’s HR Forum, Cozens-Hardy LLP will cover the areas of employment law that have been and are making headline news. Some of the topics we will be exploring are set out below. Don’t forget that this time we have kept a slot open for delegates to suggest their own burning topic they would like us to expand upon.
Zero-hour contracts
There is currently no statutory definition of a ‘zero-hour contract’ in employment law. It is generally understood to be an employment contract between an employer and a worker, which means the employer is not obliged to provide the worker with any minimum working hours, and the worker is not obliged to accept any of the hours offered. It is accepted that someone on a zero-hour contract will have ‘worker’ status, which does not bring as many rights under English & Welsh employment law as the gold-star ’employee’ status. However, the way in which the employment relationship develops may result in the worker gaining ’employee’ status, regardless of what is written on paper and may persuade an Employment Tribunal that the worker in fact has many more rights available to them. The zero-hour contract is typically seen in industries such as retail and catering, and is typically used to fill gaps in rapidly fluctuating workforces. Zero-hour contracts are a hot issue politically and we can expect the major parties to use this as a powerful tool in the run-up to spring’s election campaign.
Sharing parental leave and pay
From December 2014, new regulations will come into force whereby parents can choose a more flexible approach to parental leave following the birth of their child or the placement of an adoptive child. A mother will be able to opt to end statutory maternity leave earlier, in order for her partner or the child’s father to start Shared Parental Leave, this scheme bringing an end to Additional Paternity Leave. There are certain eligibility requirements for the Shared Parental Leave scheme, namely a continuity of employment test and an employment and earnings test. This scheme will also only be applicable to babies born or adoptive children placed on or after 05 April 2015, meaning that many HR departments will likely receive notifications of intention to partake in the scheme from employees in as early as December 2014. There will also be a new pay scheme for those on Shared Parental Leave.
Holiday pay to include overtime
The recent decision by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in the conjoined cases of Bear Scotland Ltd v Fulton & another; Hertel (UK) Ltd v Wood & others; and Amec Group Ltd v Law & others was widely publicised in the press in November 2014. The effect of the EAT’s decision in this case is that commission and overtime should now be taken into account when an employer calculates holiday pay for its workers. There are certain issues surrounding the decision, including whether or not it applies only to holiday pay provided for by the EU Working Time Regulations 1998 or whether it also applies to bank holidays provided for by UK legislation, meaning that the case is likely to be appealed for clarity’s sake. There is also uncertainty about the evidence that employees may have to provide to employers to show that overtime is essential to their job. Business Secretary Vince Cable is establishing a taskforce to assess the effect of this decision upon businesses and policy may be implemented as a result of this.
Social media and employment law
Increased social media presence inevitably comes with increased personal technology presence in the workplace such as smart phones, laptops and tablets. There are challenges in dealing with social media in the workplace and these will vary in different kinds of organisation. It can affect communications among managers, employees and job applicants, how organisations promote and control their reputation, and how colleagues treat one another. It can also distort what boundaries there are between home and work. There have been increasing reports of disciplinary action and sometimes even dismissals as a result of employee behaviours on social media even when away from the workplace. How is it best to approach these issues and how should misuse of social media or workplace internet be dealt with?
ACAS early conciliation
Since May 2014, it has been mandatory for individuals wishing to bring a claim to the Employment Tribunal to first inform ACAS and start the process called ‘early conciliation’. This process replaces the previous ‘Pre-Claim Conciliation’ procedure and is a free service that stops the clock on employment claims that are time-limited, such as claims for unfair dismissal, workplace discrimination and unpaid holiday pay. An ACAS conciliator is assigned to the case with the purpose of looking to settle the matter between the parties and away from the Tribunal in a timely and non-costly manner. If settlement cannot be achieved in the early conciliation period, an early conciliation certificate is issued and the case can move forward to Tribunal.
Extended right to request flexible working
From June 2014, every employee who fulfills a minimum period of service has the right to request flexible working. Employers must consider and decide upon requests within three months of receiving the request and must have a sound business reason for rejecting the request. For some organisations, the duties to meet with the employee, consider their request and the impact that changes may make to existing employees and their organisation may seem unduly onerous. However, it is vital to be aware that if an employer fails to deal with a flexible working request in a reasonable manner, the employee is legally entitled to make a claim to the Employment Tribunal.
We will also have an open-floor session where delegates will be invited to ask about topics of employment law that are pertinent to their own organisations.
To keep you and your organisation up-to-date with the latest employment law developments so as to stay informed and prepared, come along to the next HR Forum presented by Cozens-Hardy LLP on Wednesday 28th January 2015 at Dunston Hall.
Global-leading energy services firm Proserv is celebrating after winning two prestigious awards in recognition of the firm’s outstanding business success and engineering and manufacturing capabilities.
Proserv scooped Business of the Year and Great Engineering & Manufacturing Company of the Year at Friday’s (21st November) Spirit of Enterprise Awards 2014, a high-profile awards ceremony celebrating excellence in business and enterprise in Great Yarmouth.
David Lamont, Proserv CEO, said: “We are very pleased to receive the two awards from Great Yarmouth Borough Council, a great testament to the talent, expertise and hard work of the entire Proserv global team, and especially the team based in Great Yarmouth which is a leading centre for the development, design and manufacture of some our key industry leading high technology products and services.
“We have much to look forward to as a team and through continued investment in our people, facilities and technologies, 2015 looks set to be an even greater year for Proserv.”
The awards recognise the outstanding year Proserv has enjoyed. During 2014 the company won multi-million pound contracts for work in both the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil with all manufacturing work for both deals being carried out at Proserv’s Great Yarmouth facilities.
In June, Proserv announced plans to recruit a further 40 people by the end of the year in Great Yarmouth. This will see the firm employing more than 330 people across its four sites at Gapton Hall Industrial Estate.
In addition to large scale contracts and increasing its workforce, the company’s base in Great Yarmouth has a continual focus on developing new technology. Earlier this year, the team completed and released game-changing technology for subsea control and monitoring communications (Artemis 2G), reinforcing Proserv’s rapidly-expanding subsea capabilities and world-class engineering expertise. A roadshow targeting key conferences worldwide to promote Artemis 2G was also organised and led by senior engineers from Great Yarmouth.
The Spirit of Enterprise Awards, which were held in Great Yarmouth Town Hall, recognises entrepreneurial success in the town focusing on and rewarding the achievements through innovation, entrepreneurial thinking and sheer determination of businesses of all sizes and from every sector.
This award wins come just weeks after one of Proserv’s promising young employees, Marnie Toal, won the Oil & Gas UK Award for Apprentice of the Year.
Proserv, which has a global talent pool of more than 2,200 people and operates through 31 operating centres based in 11 countries, has a 40-year track record in delivering life-of-field solutions.
The firm recently announced it had signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by major US private equity investor Riverstone Holdings LLC. Proserv will continue to operate as an independent company under the terms of the deal.
‘Abandonment’ and ‘fly-grazing of horses’ are growing problems for landowners in the UK and have both recently been the subject of extensive debate across the country. This article outlines just some of what you need to know about the subject as a landowner.
‘Abandonment’ is when a horse is left somewhere permanently or for a sufficient amount of time to allow it to end up suffering unnecessarily. ‘Fly-grazing’ is the unlawful grazing of horses on public or private land without the permission of the landowner or occupier. The horses may or may not have been abandoned by their owner; they could have been brought onto the land for free pasture or simply left there following the expiry of a rental agreement.
Fly-grazing is a serious problem for landowners, not only does it pose welfare problems for the horses and interfere with the enjoyment of the land, it can also have serious legal implications for the landowner.
If you find a horse on your land, it is important that you obtain legal advice as soon as possible. As a landowner there are a number of issues you will need to consider including your potential criminal liability arising from any welfare issues, your statutory duty of care towards any person entering your land and the strict liability imposed should a horse escape. An understanding of the law is needed to ensure the correct steps are taken to remove the horse, including The Animal Welfare Act 2006, The Occupiers Liability Acts of 1957 and 1984 and The Animals Act 1971.
Currently, there is no specific legislation in place designed to tackle the removal of abandoned or fly-grazing horses but legislative change may be on the horizon given that a private member’s bill (the Control of Horses Bill) recently passed its second reading and will soon be examined by a panel of MPs.
In the meantime, landowners have two options for removing the horses: obtaining a Court Order for their removal or exercising the right to detain straying animals. The right to detain involves attaching an Abandonment Notice to the land in question demanding that the horses are removed within 7 or 14 days failing which the landowner will do so himself. However, caution must be taken before a landowner exercises this right as it is only available when the animals are clearly not ‘under the control of any person’. The Property Litigation Team at Leathes Prior will be able to advise you on which option is more appropriate in your circumstances, what the process entails and assist you to effect the lawful removal of the horses.
As a landowner, there are some practical steps you may wish to take to minimise the risk of finding a fly-grazing horse (or other livestock) on your land:
1. Secure the land by means of adequate fencing and locked gates; 2. Put barricades in place to prevent unlawful access; 3. Dig out fenced-off ditches to prevent access; 4. Plough up empty pockets of land or use it in some other way rather than leaving large grassed areas; 5. If you are renting the land make sure you have a written agreement in place; and 6. Consider obtaining insurance that covers fly-grazing.
If you find a horse (or other livestock) grazing on your land without permission there are some important things you need to bear in mind:
1. Be careful and do not approach the animal unless necessary; 2. To avoid any criminal liability as a result of welfare issues, you should carry out an immediate visual inspection of the animal’s wellbeing; 3. If there appears to be any health issues you should contact Trading Standards, the RSPCA and/or World Horse Welfare and request their assistance to remove the horse – please note these organisations will only help where there are welfare issues; 4. Report the incident to the police (and ask them to provide you with an incident number) and your local authority to see whether they can provide any useful information or assistance; and 5. You should obtain legal advice immediately.
If you have any questions regarding fly-grazing or if you find a horse on your land, please do not hesitate to contact Darren Bowen or Sabina Haag in the Property Litigation Team on 01603 610911.
Kinnerton Confectionery Limited is expanding its Fakenham factory to meet growing demand for its chocolate products. As a result, its satellite site at South Creake in north-west Norfolk is surplus to requirements. Roche Chartered Surveyors and Pearson Commercial have been appointed as joint agents to handle the sale.
The property extends to approximately 40,900 sq ft on 4 acres which includes production and storage space, along with ancillary offices. The overall site includes two houses and there is further land of approximately 22 acres that is potentially available. Kinnerton plan to vacate the site in early 2015.
“The availability of Kinnerton’s premises at South Creake provides a relatively rare opportunity to purchase extensive food-grade premises that have been comprehensively refurbished in recent years and which comply with the stringent requirements of a number of the UK’s largest food retailers”, commented James Allen of Roche Chartered Surveyors who is dealing with the sale of the property.
James Allen Tel : 01603 756332 (DD) Fax : 01603 665096 e-mail : [email protected]