Duncan Parkes, head of compliance at West accountants and financial planners Old Mill, has been named Protection Planner of the Year by the Financial Times’ Money Management magazine. Duncan had to go through a rigorous judging process to win the title, including providing a solution to a real-life financial problem set by industry experts....
A West of England property expert is warning that Government plans to give communities a greater say over wind turbine proposals are deeply flawed and could scupper many small schemes. James Davis, pictured, who heads the regionally-based planning team at national property consultancy Sanderson Weatherall, fears the changes will make smaller renewable energy schemes...
Monday 9 December Interim: Anite Finals: Alternative Networks, Jelf Group, RWS Holdings, Treatt AGMs: Conroy Gold & Natural Resources, Karelian Diamond Resources Tuesday 10 December Interims: Ashtead, Carpetright, Iomart, Photo-Me International Finals: Tui Travel, Victrex, Zytronic Trading statement: Whitbread AGMs: Billing Services, Debenhams, Tristel, Utilitywise, Weatherly International Economics: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors house...
Efforts to get more South West firms to export are being stepped up after new figures showed the first fall in overseas sales from the region for more than a year. Exports by value dropped by 3.3% in the third quarter to £3.32bn, sparked by a fall-off in h a fall in trade within...
Outline planning permission has been granted for a major redevelopment scheme that could transform a large part of Chippenham. Central Chippenham Partnership (CCP) wants to redevelop much of Langley Park – the town’s original industrial centre – and refurbish Hathaway Retail Park. Its plans will regenerate the 54-acre site of existing retail and dilapidated...
Chancellor George Osborne heeded business’s call for a ‘steady-as-she-goes’ Autumn Statement last week rather than a grab bag of electoral giveaways, according to Business West, the organisation that runs Bath Chamber of Commerce. But managing director Phil Smith said he should have been bolder over business rate reform and added: “While Britain’s economy is...
The CBI welcomed much of today's Autumn Statement but said Chancellor George Osborne had missed the opportunity to tackle the impact of soaring energy prices on business. It also said the Mr Osborne could have done more to encourage housebuildng. CBI director-general John Cridland said: “We have always advocated the dual approach of tackling...
The property industry expressed concern over plans to charge capital gains tax on foreign residential investors from April 2015, but has welcomed the Chancellor’s decision to at least consult on the proposals before their introduction. The British Property Federation (BPF) had warned the Treasury that the tax hike would raise little money and risked...
The Chancellor confirmed in his Autumn Statement that the State pension age will rise to 68 in the mid-2030s and 69 in the late 2040s. Mark Packham, head of pensions for accountants PwC in the West of England, said: “Linking the State pension age to life expectancy means we could easily see people having...
Chancellor George Osborne extended small business rate relief in his Autumn Statement today and capped next April's rate rise at 2%. He also introduced a re-occupation relief for vacant town centre shops and a £1,000 rates discount for small shops, pubs and restaurants. “We are backing British businesses all the way,” he said. The...
