News and Events

The latest version of the  VAT Notice 700 The VAT Guide has now been published. Notice 700 is the main guide to VAT rules and procedures, helping businesses with specific problems and contains references to more specialised publications.

This notice cancels and replaces the previous version in February 2011. Details of any changes to the previous version can be found in paragraph 1.2. Read More »

Our International Trade Club sponsors, Taylor Patterson Corporate Insurance, have produced an article to explain Buyers and Sellers Interests within an insurance policy.

This is an important area especially when importing from overseas countries as we have received advice of many problems with China. Read More »

>20% of firms say poor transport connections are a barrier to exporting
>41% of businesses are put off by the cost of international transport connections 

A survey of more than 8,000 businesses released today by the British Chambers of Commerce, shows that while exporting by UK firms is on the rise, poor transport connections prevent them from exporting more. The survey showed that the number of companies exporting goods and services from the UK has significantly increased. Last year a fifth (22%) of firms surveyed were exporting, compared to almost a third (32%) this year.

Despite encouraging signs of more firms exporting, the findings also highlight a number of barriers that prevent companies from selling overseas. One in five businesses (20%) say poor transport connections are a barrier to trading internationally. Exporting plays a vital part in rebalancing the economy and ensuring a lasting recovery, so we would urge the government to boost transport connections to help businesses take their products and services to new international markets.

Transport connections support supply chains and are essential for moving goods to market. According to the BCC’s survey, businesses in the UK believe that the cost and quality of these connections are vital to trade. Time is money, and if firms can’t access markets quickly enough, they end up holding more stock, which hits their bottom line. Read More »

A master chocolatier has all the ingredients for success after being crowned the winner of The Mall Blackburn’s Retail Factor competition.

Mother of three, Sabiha Patel owns and runs Simply Chocolicious which sells chocolate treats such as edible roses, chocolate engagement rings and three-foot long chocolate cars.

She captivated the judges with her enthusiasm and dedication after working through the night to produce daily supplies for a two-week trading trial at The Mall Blackburn.

Sabiha beat fellow finalists Islamic Art specialists Baitul Fhunoon and bespoke embroidery company Inkthreadable.

Her prize is two month’s rent-free space at the Mall and £500 towards stock.  She will also be entered in a national final to be in with a chance of winning a place on a retail business course.

Sabiha said: “I’m absolutely over the moon and am really looking forward to seeing what the future holds for my business”.

Lorraine Jones, general manager The Mall Blackburn said “She is extremely knowledgeable about her products and very responsive to the needs of customers. We think she will make an excellent addition to The Mall Blackburn and wish her every success for the future”.

Source: Lancashire Telegraph

As part of the Government’s commitment to reducing the burden of health & safety regulations on business, from 6th April 2012 the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) changed.

The over three day injury reporting requirement increased from over three days to over seven days incapacitation. The day the accident occurred does not count towards making up the seven days but weekends and rest days will count.  The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has estimated that the change to RIDDOR regulations will lead to a fall in the number of incidents that must be reported of around 30%, an average of around 30,000 fewer reports per year. 

The RIDDOR regulations require employers and anyone else with responsibility for health and safety within a workplace, to report and keep records of:

• Work related deaths
• Serious injuries
• Cases of diagnosed industrial disease, and
• Certain Near Misses (Dangerous Occurrences)

Further definitions of reportable dangerous occurrences are available here.

In addition, the deadline by which the over-seven-day injury must be reported has increased to fifteen days from the day of the accident.

Employers and others with responsibilities under RIDDOR are still required to keep a record of all over-three day-injuries. This does not mean that you can ignore incidents that result in less than seven days incapacity. You must still maintain comprehensive records and investigate all incidents.  Qdos advise that these should be recorded in the BI510 accident book.

What do I need to do now?
Ensure your policies and procedures are up-to-date with the latest regulation changes – a current accident investigation policy is available to download.

Appointed persons and those within the organisation responsible or involved with maintaining accident records and/or the reporting of accidents should familiarise themselves with the latest online reporting procedure, further advice is available with Chamber HR