The government has revived the landmark Pensions Commission to confront what it has labelled a ‘retirement crisis’. It says that without action tomorrow’s retirees are on track to be poorer than today’s. Almost half of working-age adults are still saving nothing with low earners, some ethnic minorities and the self-employed least likely to be pension […]
Rosebud, part of Lancashire County Council’s Business Growth Service, has announced a £1.5million funding pot available to lend to ambitious businesses in the 2025/26 financial year. Administered by Lancashire County Developments Limited (LCDL), the fund is designed to support high-potential businesses based in the county looking to scale, innovate and create high-quality jobs. Rosebud has […]
WNJ provided corporate finance and tax advice to a Lancashire based animal feed products business during its successful sale process. Family run McGuinness Feeds, based in Penwortham, which will celebrate 50 years in business next year, has been acquired by SugaRich, Europe’s leading provider of sustainable surplus food solutions for the food and feed sector. […]
WNJ has announced two senior promotions as we continue on our development journey. Matthew Johnson, formally an Associate Partner, has been made an Equity Partner in the practice whilst Stuart Mercer has been appointed Associate Partner. Matthew joined WNJ in September 2008 as an Accounts and Audit Trainee. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in […]
The government has confirmed its commitment to reforming the current business rates system though for many it is not moving forward quickly enough. The chancellor’s spring statement announced that an interim report on the future of the system will be published in the summer. However, no details of the proposed changes are set to be […]
BETTER access to mortgages, banning “harsh” personal guarantees, and ensuring entrepreneurs can have a comfortable retirement will encourage more people to launch small businesses. Those were just some of the findings of new research carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). It found that a quarter of entrepreneurs say that being self-employed has […]
Business owners and entrepreneurs in Lancashire are being urged to make the most of a service giving them access to a team of finance experts to help them become investment-ready, source and secure growth finance. Access to Finance; which is part of Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, offers fully funded, one-to-one support to ambitious companies. […]
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a series of changes to the Inheritance Tax (IHT) rules which she said will add £2billion a year to government coffers. Among those changes is the inclusion of inherited pensions for IHT purposes from April 2027. There will also be new rules on combined business and agricultural assets, such as farms, […]
Businesses are being urged to be on guard against scam letters, emails and telephone calls claiming to be from Companies House. The government has issued guidance on what companies should do if they think they’ve spotted a scam or believe an approach to be suspicious. The guidance includes examples of the wide range of scams […]
Small business confidence fell back into negative territory in the second quarter of this year as firms looked with trepidation at the government’s employment rights shake-up. The FSB’s Small Business Index (SBI) lost all the ground made up by the first quarter’s welcome return to positive sentiment among small firms. Construction was the least optimistic […]
