When was the last time you carried out a full MOT on your pension? It is an area that can often get overlooked by savers as they focus on other areas including ensuring that they’ve taken full benefits of areas such as cash ISAs and that their tax situation is in good order. Pension experts […]
Networking is a valuable skill that helps you build relationships, make new connections, and can open doors to new opportunities. However, it can be difficult and many business people, no matter how experienced they are, can find it daunting. Here, courtesy of the King’s Trust, are some top tips and handy hints to help you […]
Inheritance Tax (IHT) receipts hit £5.8billion in the first eight months of the 2025/26 tax year. That figure, revealed by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)m is £84m higher than the same period 12 months earlier. And it continues a steady upward trend that has been witnessed for more than 20 years – a rise that […]
SMEs are missing opportunities to innovate, grow, increase productivity and contribute more to the wider economy by not making effective use of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new report. Research carried out among small business owners by Censuswide for Google revealed that 59 per cent of those questioned had paused “game changing” ideas, because […]
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is currently updating the values it holds for more than two million business and other non-domestic properties across England and Wales. These values are used to calculate business rates bills. The future values come into effect in April 2026, but there are actions you can take now to be prepared. […]
Just one in six landlords say they are fully prepared for the Renters’ Rights Bill, just months away from the legislation going live. More than a third have either not heard of it or don’t know what it means for them, according to a new survey of 1,000 property investors. Another 16 per cent have […]
Small business leaders are urging government action following the latest increase in unemployment. Official labour market figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), have shown the unemployment rate rising to 4.7 per cent. On top of that the number of people on payroll has dropped and wage growth has slowed. Policy chair of the […]
Lancashire businesses are being urged to take advantage of a fully funded service that helps them navigate, identify and access the most relevant business support available. The call comes from Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, after latest figures reveal that more than 2,000 businesses have received assistance through the service since September 2023. Between September […]
A new report has highlighted the staggering burden of tax compliance being placed on small businesses in the UK today. The cost of tax compliance to the small business community amounts to nearly £25billion per year, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Small business owners spend an average of 44 hours per year […]
A pioneering angel investor network has been launched in Lancashire to support early-stage business growth. The programme, called ‘fhunded angels’, has been launched by Lancashire County Council and is thought to be the first network of its kind in the UK to be led and managed by a local authority at such a scale. The […]
