Business Time in Essex Winter 2024

BUILDING ~ AWESOME ~ FUTURES

with wood and disney : The Advisors to Ambitious Entrepreneurs

Wood and Disney are a tech savvy firm of chartered accountants who bridge the gap between numbers and dreams by using our skills with numbers and multiplying this with our experience in business to make a real difference to our clients’ lives with jargon-free, pragmatic and best practice business advice.

The most successful people focus first on accumulating business assets before they can reap the benefits of that success personally. Those business assets may be intellectual property, tangible assets, the best team, the best systems or perhaps the most important thing for long term survival, CASH. Recessions occur regularly every decade or so, but the survival rate of small businesses is staggeringly poor with less than 28% still being in business after ten years.

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Lodge Park, Lodge Lane, Langham, Colchester, CO4 5NE

01206 233170

www.woodanddisney.co.uk

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Nice and quiet at the moment!

SINCE our autumn issue, it’s been a bit quiet – just the publishing of the Government’s Employment Rights Bill, a monumental (*insert word of your choosing here) Budget, a new leader of the Conservative Party (and an Essex MP to boot) – oh, and a new President of the good old USA. Never a dull moment, eh!

As if all this action wasn’t enough, I’ve been busying myself producing a record-breaking winter issue – 104 pages including our very first Skills Essex supplement. Wonder if that makes me a working person?

Anyway, putting politics to one side, I really hope you enjoy this winter issue which, I think I am correct in saying, doesn’t mention the c-word once – that’s Christmas by the way, in case any of you thought I was drifting back to politics again.

There’s so much to read in this issue, it’s difficult knowing where to start – maybe just turn the page and see where it takes you! But, just as a taster, we take a more reflective view of the implications of the Budget and the Employment Rights Bill, we get

in store for the Essex business community, we cover the very important issue of cyber security and, in our Skills Essex supplement, we take an in-depth look at how the skills challenge is being tackled in the county.

Whilst I am responsible for bringing this all together, it is the passion and incredible knowledge of our many contributors who really make it all possible, so may I offer a huge and sincere thankyou to all those who contribute so much to make BusinessTime in Essex the UK’s leading regional business magazine.

As we are on the cusp of the festive season, it would be most remiss of me not to wish you all an incredibly happy Christmas (drat, I’ve gone and mentioned it!) and a healthy, prosperous and peaceful New Year. We’ll be back with our spring issue on March 1, maybe reflecting on a quieter few months – though I wouldn’t bank on it!

Editor

Richardson 01206 843225 or 07778 067614 peter@pjrcomms.co.uk

Vivienne Richardson 01206 843225

340 3915

DS Group 01255 221322 To advertise or feature in the next issue of BusinessTime in Essex, contact Peter or Vivienne as detailed above.

The Employment Rights Bill: implications for HR

ONE of the bill’s key changes is a requirement for businesses to provide guaranteed working hours to qualifying workers on zero-hour or low-hour contracts.

The Office for National Statistics reports more than one million workers in the UK were on zero-hour contracts in 2024. These contracts allow employers flexibility to adjust staffing based on demand, but the Government believes this flexibility often benefits employers more, leaving workers vulnerable to unpredictable hours and earnings.

The bill proposes employers must offer guaranteed hours that reflect actual hours worked if a worker consistently works more hours than stated in their contract during a reference period (likely 12 weeks). While workers can decline, employers are still required to make the offer, which introduces a new demand for HR teams to monitor hours accurately and ensure timely offers. This is expected to challenge smaller businesses lacking dedicated HR resources. While Angela Rayner acknowledges the strain this may place on micro-businesses, she emphasises the importance of avoiding a two-tier workforce, although some exceptions apply.

For instance, the bill allows limited-term contracts, also known as fixed-term contracts, in specific scenarios. Employers can use these contracts if they reasonably determine the following:

1. the worker is only needed for a specific task, with the contract ending upon completion

2. the worker is needed until a specific event occurs (or doesn’t), as specified in the contract

3. the need for work is

temporary, with the contract ending once the need is fulfilled, as reasonably judged by the employer. For example, this could include covering for another worker temporarily.

HR professionals will need to tailor contract language closely to these needs and avoid generic templates to minimise business risks.

The bill also introduces new protections around shift scheduling. Workers on zero-hour or low-hours contracts would be entitled to reasonable notice of shift patterns, with compensation provided for shifts cancelled at short notice. Though reasonable notice is not yet defined, tribunal guidance will help employers assess this on a case-by-case basis.

This change will affect sectors with fluctuating demand, such as hospitality, retai, and logistics, where businesses often rely on last-minute scheduling flexibility. For HR teams, this may mean developing procedures for scheduling and adjusting shifts within defined notice periods. Record-keeping will be essential to ensure compliance and manage risk.

Last-minute adjustments may now involve compensation for cancelled shifts, adding complexity to workforce planning and budgeting. To manage this, HR departments might need to invest in scheduling software or allocate additional resources to oversee shift planning.

Another major change is the introduction of unfair dismissal rights from the first day of employment. Currently, most employees need two years of service before they can pursue unfair dismissal claims. To support businesses in handling this change, the bill proposes a statutory probation period, expected to last nine months. During this period, employers can more easily dismiss employees

for reasons such as poor performance or misconduct, though not for redundancy.

For employers, this increase in employee rights may lead to a more cautious recruitment approach. The statutory probation period will add complexity to managing underperforming employees in the early stages of employment, requiring structured performance monitoring early on. Clear, documented performance assessments will be critical to prevent potential claims.

Managers involved in hiring and performance evaluation will likely need additional training to ensure fair and consistent practices.

The Employment Rights Bill, touted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as the biggest overhaul of workers’ rights in generations, brings extensive reforms to employment law, with 28 significant changes intended to balance growth with worker protections. The Government has positioned the bill as pro-growth, probusiness, and pro-worker, meaning HR departments will need to navigate several new requirements. Starting on this page and continuing on pages 7, 9 and 11, BusinessTime in Essex takes an in depth look at its possible implications. Here Karen Morovic, Senior Associate Solicitor in the HR and employment team at Birkett Long, looks at the wider HR implications of the bill.

With these new rights expected to take effect in 2026, businesses should use this time to review and revise HR policies and employment contracts. Employers will need to ensure recruitment decisions are based on a careful analysis of needs. Clear language regarding guaranteed hours, shift notice requirements, and probation periods will eventually need to be included in contracts and policies. Making these changes early allows time for these practices to become part of everyday business operations.

Proactively updating employee handbooks, onboarding materials and training managers can help mitigate the risks associated with these reforms by aligning business requirements with worker rights. Tracking systems to document hours worked and performance issues during probation periods will also be useful.

The Employment Rights Bill represents a substantial shift in employment law, aiming to create a fairer balance between employers and workers. While the bill offers greater protections for employees, it introduces challenges for businesses, particularly in HR management. From tracking hours for zerohour employees to meeting new notice requirements and adjusting probation practices, HR departments will need new systems and strategies to remain compliant.

For businesses, staying proactive will be essential. Investing in updated processes, implementing administrative tools, and training managers to navigate this new landscape will help minimise disruptions. As the bill moves forward, companies will need to stay informed of its final provisions and be prepared to adapt swiftly to the transformed employment landscape.

Time to take a flexible approach to hybrid working

BusinessTime in Essex Editor, Peter Richrdson, is a huge advocate of hybrid working. As the debate continues to rage around whether employees should be returning to the office and pre-Covid working practices, or should be retaining the greater freedom offered by post-Covid hybrid working, Peter suggests the vexed issue of productivity is as much about poor management as it is flexible working.

LYNDA Gratton, Professor at London Business School, in her book, Redesigning Work – How to Transform Your Organisation and Make Hybrid Work for Everyone, makes a most telling observation: to get the most from hybrid work, leaders should

prepare for trade-offs, make expectations clear and think harder about how productivity is measured.

It’s a wonderfully succinct observation which cuts to the very core of the whole hybrid working debate – namely, for hybrid working to really work, senior management has to grasp that previously accepted

working practices and thinking have to adapt to the changing, flexible working environment.

To introduce flexible working whilst retaining inflexible old-school thinking is a bit like putting a nice new engine in your classic car but not bothering adding the oil. Don’t be surprised if things don’t work too smoothly!

Productivity, or rather falling levels of it, seems to be increasingly cited as a leading reason for bosses to call their workers back into the office. A Google search of surveys into hybrid working and productivity levels throws up a tsunami of results, some of which can perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt as surveys

To page 9

From page 7

often support the pre-determined stance of the organisation compiling the survey (excuse my cynicism). On balance though, the majority of respondents (employer and employee) suggest productivity levels are the same and, in many cases, improved with hybrid working.

Handled sensibly, I can see no reason why productivity levels should drop as a result of people working flexibly. If people are less productive working from home, I suspect it is as much a result of poor management as it is the flexible nature of the working. I’m sure we could all cite examples of businesses we know where management’s grasp and control of productivity levels is less than it should be even when working in the office.

Every employee should have some sort of productivity measure attached to them – if not, how do you know if they are doing the job they are paid to do? If someone who has opted to work flexibly isn’t meeting their productivity

levels, it’s down to management to have a word in their ear and politely explain if they don’t meet their productivity levels, it’s back to office working for them. This surely is a much better and fairer solution than taking the easy option and declaring flexible working isn’t on the table because one or two people are unable to adapt or are just being abusive of the flexible working opportunity offered them.

Handled properly, hybrid working is a win-win for employer and employee. It should go without saying that it’s not for everyone – but it doesn’t have to be for everyone. Some roles just can’t be carried out other than if you are in your place of work. Some people, for a multitude of reasons, prefer to work in a traditional work-based setting, and this option should always be open to them. But that still leaves huge numbers of people who could – and would love to – work at least part of the week from home, with all the benefits that flexibility brings. Logic says a happier employee should be a more productive employee – as

long as the appropriate support structure is in place and the employee knows exactly what is expected of them.

The employer benefits from smaller overheads (less office space required) and, in theory, less staff churn (with all the associated costs) because it has a happy workforce.

With the Government’s recently published Employment Rights Bill – with flexible working becoming the ‘default’ for all workers – being published hot on the heels of one of the world’s leading employers, Amazon, ordering all its staff to return to the office fives days a week from January, it will be interesting to see how this particular circle is squared in the months and years ahead.

It would be a huge shame if the opportunity presented by Covid – albeit in far from ideal circumstances – to at last reshape Victorian-era work practices is wasted. Flexible working can and does work. Finland passed its flexible work act in 1996 and has beneficially updated it in the

intervening years. Perhaps it’s more than coincidence that in the United Nations’ World Happiness Report, Finland has ranked first for six years running.

Change is often challenging. Maintaining the status quo may often seem the easier option. But as all astute businesspeople will testify, the easier option is rarely the better option. Change requires greater thought because you are not working on remote control, always doing what you’ve always done because, well, it makes for a quieter, less stressful life. Instead, change throws up fresh challenges, making us think outside the box. If our business leaders are not capable of rising to such a challenge, maybe they’re not in the right role.

With a new year rapidly looming on the horizon, maybe it’s time for a rethink and consider not so much whether we should make hybrid working work, but how we make it work. Let’s face it, it looks very likely in the coming year flexible working will become a legal requirement – so you might as well get ahead of the curve.

the power of digittal skillls boosting productivity and margins for Essex business

How flexible and hybrid working are impacting productivity in ColchesterCouncilCity

SINCE the pandemic, the shift to flexible and hybrid working has transformed the landscape of productivity and employee engagement in many workplaces.

As more companies experiment with work-fromhome options, the impact on productivity has been significant—and nuanced. Companies are now weighing the benefits of remote work, such as reduced sickness, higher retention and saved commuting time, against concerns over the effects on learning, collaboration, and social connection.

At the council, one of the standout advantages of flexible work is its effect on productivity. According to a recent staff survey, employees report feeling more productive when working from home. The reasons are clear: fewer interruptions, reduced commuting time and the ability to control one’s work environment. Without the need to travel, employees can dedicate more time to focused tasks, potentially extending their work hours, but also allowing for a healthier work-life balance.

Moreover, remote work has positively influenced well-being. Many employees now work from home when mildly unwell, something they wouldn’t consider in a traditional office setting. This flexibility has led to fewer sick days taken, enhancing productivity and reducing costs related to absenteeism.

Retention is another key benefit. Many council employees, having experienced the autonomy and convenience of hybrid work, express a strong preference for it. In fact, staff surveys reveal that while employees value time in the office, they would resist mandates

requiring specific days onsite. This flexibility is now an expectation, with many employees viewing it as essential to their job satisfaction. By offering a hybrid model, the council can recruit from a wider geographical area and retain top talent in a competitive job market.

However, this new model poses challenges, particularly for younger employees entering the workforce for the first time. The ‘apprenticeship’ of learning by sitting alongside experienced colleagues is diminished. Informal knowledge transfer—picking up tips from a neighbour or witnessing how more experienced team members handle situations—is harder to replicate over Teams. As a result, the council is acknowledging the need to focus on supporting younger employees by offering mentoring to apprentices and encouraging in-office time for younger staff to ensure they receive the guidance they need.

For all employees, the social aspects of work have inevitably been impacted. Conversations that once happened over desks or when bumping into colleagues in corridors are now less frequent, and some staff report feelings of isolation. Even as hybrid work offers flexibility, it has led to a ‘bubble effect’, where people work independently, interact mostly over email, and have fewer spontaneous interactions. Staff

increasingly book structured Teams meetings rather than having quick in-person conversations, which can make workflows feel more formal and impersonal.

Colchester City Council was one of the first organisations in Essex to actively promote flexible working so is better placed than most to recognises the pros and the cons. Here, Jessica Douglas, Head of People, Corporate Services at the council, suggests that, when handled intelligently, flexible working can be a winwin for employee and employer.

Staff have also reported issues with remote work blurring the boundaries between work and home, which can lead to extended hours. Without the transition of a commute, employees are more likely to work longer days, which has potential implications for their mental and physical health. Over time, extended work hours can lead to burnout, underscoring the importance of setting boundaries and ensuring employees take necessary breaks. Absence due to mental ill health is something the council is well aware of and is focused on tackling with trained mental first aiders and a programme of wellbeing activities.

To counteract the isolating aspects of hybrid work, the council works hard to encourage engagement and connection. There are monthly webinars, showcasing of work by different services, a staff forum and the Chief Executive has introduced a Listen, Learn, Lead initiative where anyone in the council can book time in her diary to talk about working for the council.

Social events outside of work are also emerging as a valuable solution to encourage informal connections. By organising activities that give employees a chance to interact face-to-face, companies help alleviate feelings of isolation and strengthen a sense of belonging. This year the council launched an Olympics challenge to celebrate the 2024 Olympics and the 50-year anniversary of the council. This includes a programme of diverse fun challenges including quiz nights, a bake-off, an out-of-hours badminton competition and a steps challenge.

Ultimately, the council understands the relationship between success and staff engagement and listening to feedback. Staff surveys have shown employees appreciate the hybrid model, reporting increased productivity and job satisfaction. With most meetings held over Teams, many see limited value in going to the office for interactions that could happen remotely. Flexibility, therefore, is key. Rather than mandating in-office days, the council has tried to find a balance by offering a hybrid approach that allows employees to choose when and how often they come and at the same time encouraging teams to come to the office regularly to meet and collaborate. This balance not only supports productivity but also respects employees’ preferences and promotes a positive, inclusive work culture.

Anew government’s first Budget is an opportunity to put its stamp on the economy. Labour’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, did exactly that.

New taxes, new spending plans. There is plenty of commentary on the consequences of these moves elsewhere in Business Time in Essex; RDA’s focus is on the R&D Tax Credits Scheme.

And in that, it is reasonable to say that the government has upheld what it described on its website as a “pledge to leaders of some of the UK’s pioneering industries to build growth on strong and secure foundations built on stability, investment and reform, and forged through a new partnership with the private sector.”

In their recent co-authored research paper Foundations: Why Britain has Stagnated, Ben Southwood, Samuel Hughes and Sam Bowman demonstrated that in the 2010s, UK GDP per hour worked grew only 5.8 percent. That is versus 8 percent in the US and 9.6 percent in France.

Plainly, Britain needs to play catch-up. The government recognises this, making growth the key feature of its pre-election manifesto. In Foundations, the authors place great store on infrastructure investment aimed both at driving down housing and energy costs and at extending transport links.

Essex businesses would no doubt benefit from those developments. But another boost to productivity can be derived from the innovative new products and processes companies devise.

GROWTH THE DARKNESS

And this is no doubt why Ms Reeves has chosen to retain the increase in R&D-focused tax relief that was announced by the Conservative government in its last term, with Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor. In 2023-24 there were claims amounting to £9.44bn in R&D Tax Credits, with a 52 percent to 48 percent split between large-company RDEC scheme claimants and SMEs.

As the Foundations authors make clear: “Improving the UK’s investment rate would bring great benefits – about half the shortfall in productivity growth since the financial crisis can be attributed to underinvestment in (tangible) capital, while much of the rest is likely to be due to the shortfall in intangible investments like R&D.”

The government’s renewed commitment is undoubtedly welcome news, since firms who are budgeting for tax relief on their R&D projects would face uncertainty without it. But the relief needs to be targeted towards legitimate projects, and even with the extension of HMRC’s R&D Tax Credits Scheme, there are never any guarantees that the tax relief will be secured when the claim goes in.

As David Rose, a Chartered Tax Advisor who works as a consultant to RDA, puts it in his taxingthoughts.co.uk blog: “HMRC say they are checking about 17 percent of all R&D claims

GROWTH OUT OF DARKNESS budget can help solve productivity problem

submitted. It takes an average of 246 days to conclude an R&D enquiry and 77 percent of all enquiries require adjustments to be made.”

This broadly means that more than one in eight of all claims submitted (roughly three-quarters of roughly one sixth) will be rejected or reduced

by HMRC. With the government looking to fill what it has described as a £22 billion “black hole” in the public finances, while also increasing its expenditure, this trend towards close inspection of claims is unlikely to change.

Indeed, for careless or corrupt claimants, there

are signs the scrutiny could even deepen into prior-year submissions. Mr Rose added: “It looks to me like R&D checks will continue to be an important part of HMRC’s enquiry strategy.

“They seem to suggest they will now consider whether they should make discovery assessments (i.e., assess tax for earlier years) where they discover inaccuracies in the course of an enquiry. I haven’t seen them do this so far, so it is a departure from their current practice but not entirely surprising to me.”

What this means is that it is crucial to get it right first time when making a claim for R&D tax relief. If HMRC either identifies error or if it suspects fraud in the claim, then the risk becomes that the company will enter an eightmonth enquiry process for the current year’s claim alone – and prior-year investigations would only extend that further.

HMRC: Putting its stamp on R&D

There have been several reports in the past year or two of bogus tax agents delivering claims that defraud the exchequer. Many of these have been from high-risk sectors such as care homes and bars that immediately raise red flags for HMRC.

So it is essential both for the new and repeat claimants who engage tax agents to do effective due diligence of their R&D-claims processes and expertise. And it is important also to have honest conversations about the nature of the R&D produced.

If your representatives are not challenging you about how your company conducted its R&D, then they are highly unlikely to be able to defend you in the event of HMRC raising an inquiry. Preparation of an effective R&D claim can be a detailed process, but it is effort worth putting in.

Because not only will an effective R&D claim stave off the risk of a future enquiry, it will also deliver the financial rewards of tax relief. And all the while it will even help relieve the UK’s enduring productivity problem.

Shining a Spotlight on your corporate events at Hylands Estate

THROUGHOUT the years, we have seen our beautiful venue hired out for a range of events and private functions – our most popular hire being weddings, of course!

The versatility of our buildings, the luxurious settings, and our unique location are all reasons that loved-up couples choose us as their backdrop to celebrate such a special day.

It’s the same reason why we love to tell businesses and organisations about how our venue can make a memorable, corporate event –from conferences and meetings, to showcases and team away days – standing out from the usual city centre location.

This year, we are delighted to announce a special partnership with local company Spotlight Sound, which has been Essex’s

leading event production and AV installation company since 2009. This partnership will elevate the offer we can provide for your corporate events, enhancing the customer experience for you and your delegates.

If you’re looking for some inspiration to get you started with booking a corporate event using this partnership, we have some ideas.

Scale it up: our Grand Pavilion can hold up to 300 delegates – which is a lot of attention to hold in one room! Consider multiple ways that they can view your information, and not just one large screen and a fight to the front row.

Work the room: think ‘theatre’ and create a space that lights up the imagination. With uplighters, mics and PA systems, you can capture your delegates’ attention offline and in the room – without the fear of staying on mute.

Stay on brand: don’t fear the ‘out of office’ mentality and bring

your team into a space that reminds them of why they work for you. With branding opportunities on lecterns, screens and even coloured uplighters, you can get everyone focused on the job at hand.

Build in accessibility: we know sometimes it’s not possible for everyone to make it to your event, and Spotlight Sound can make this easier with clever live streaming arrangements in any room of the house and in the Grand Pavilion. You could even increase your capacity that way.

Leave it to the professionals: with all the will in the world, we aren’t all tech experts. When that switch isn’t the right way round, or a signal drops out, panic can set in! Our partnership with Spotlight Sound takes that anxiety away by

Thomas Woodards, Events and Business Development Manager at Hylands Estate, offers some tips to help ensure your corporate event is memorable and reflects the image you want your company to portray.

allowing a team of experts to help make sure your event runs without a hitch (within their control, of course!).

Another reason to partner with Spotlight Sound is just how helpful and passionate its people are about their trade, which matches our values perfectly. Get in contact with us today to explore how your event could be brought to life with their help.

Discover the unparalleled charm of Hylands House and the contemporary elegance of the Grand Pavilion, set amidst breathtaking parkland. If you’re in search of a truly remarkable venue for your business events, look no further.

• Company Away Days

• Go Ape Team Building

• Exhibitions & Trade Fairs

• Filming & Photography

• Hybrid Meetings

• Awards Ceremonies & Dinners

Managing the increased employer national insurance

BUSINESSES are understandably concerned about the increase to employer national insurance contributions (NICs) announced in the recent Budget.

From April 2025, the employer NIC rate will increase from 13.8% to 15%, while the earnings threshold, after which contributions start, is dropping from £9,100 to £5,000. These changes mean businesses will face higher costs for each employee. When the two measures are taken together, it is estimated that there will be an additional £926 in employer NIC exposure for an employee earning £35,000 a year.

Here are our top five tips to help navigate this change.

Review your workforce needs: for many businesses, payroll costs are a substantial portion of their budget. Take the opportunity to review your employment arrangements to determine if any changes and savings could be made. For instance:

• consider working arrangements: For roles that do not require full-time employees, part-time or flexible staffing could help control the overall payroll burden while maintaining productivity

• outsource non-core functions: outsourcing functions, such as accounting, IT and HR can be a cost-effective way to manage increased

NICs. This also allows you to focus on your core business activities while leveraging the expertise of external specialists.

Make the most of the employment allowance: it’s important you understand eligibility for, and where relevant claim, the employment allowance because it translates into money off your tax bill. From April 2025, the employment allowance, which is an amount set against an employer’s total NIC bill, has been increased from £5,000 to £10,500. The eligibility threshold has also been removed, making more businesses eligible for the allowance. Previously, only employers with a total NIC liability below £100,000, in the prior year, could claim the allowance,

Salary sacrifice schemes: salary sacrifice schemes can reduce the NIC exposure for both the employee and employer. Under such a scheme, an employee gives up part of their salary in exchange for certain benefits, such as pension contributions or provision of a low emission/ electric car. While these schemes are often used for higher-paid employees, correctly structured salary sacrifice schemes can be beneficial for both the employer and employees across the workforce.

Non-cash benefits and incentives: the increase to employer NICs will make employing people more expensive and awarding pay increases more challenging. Non-cash benefits, such as additional paid time off, flexible working hours and wellbeing programmes can boost morale

UNLOCKING YOUR POTENTIAL

Moore Kingston Smith LLP is one of the top 20 accountancy and audit firms in the UK with a focus on owner managed businesses.

Highly invested in the local business community, our Romford team are members of the Essex Chamber of Commerce and work with local companies to stimulate sustainable prosperity for Essex.

Our Romford team offers:

• Dynamic tax planning and advisory services

• Strategic business advisory

• Business outsourced solutions

• Audit, accounting and tax compliance services

Michelle Denny-West, Tax Partner with leading accountancy firm Moore Kingston Smith, suggests ways of minimising the impact of increased NICs.

and improve productivity. This will help retain employees without increasing the employer NIC burden.

Review your business structure: review your structure to ensure tax efficiency and suitability for your needs. For example, if multiple family members are involved in the business, distributing profits among those individuals could help manage tax liabilities, potentially offering some relief from the future increased employer NIC costs. This may involve restructuring ownership but, with the right guidance, it can help retain more wealth within the family.

IAs 2024 draws to a close, BusinessTime in Essex Editor, Peter Richardson, invites business leaders from around the county to join him in gazing into the crystal ball to see what 2025 might hold in store for us all.

F the business world really does, as they say, love stability and hate uncertainty, few will shed a tear at the passing of 2024.

Far too much has happened to dwell on it all again here (we only have a double-page spread!), so let’s focus on what lies ahead rather than what lingers behind us, shall we?

With at least a degree of permanency (we hope) concerning governments in the UK and USA, maybe the surrounding noise might be toned down a little. That said, I think the economic choices adopted by the current Labour Government, given its first six months in office, will continue to reverberate for businesses throughout 2025 and beyond.

The one encouraging thought is that hard-pressed business leaders have had lots of practice these past eight years working in challenging and uncertain climes. We should be well used to it by now!

Aside from the bigger economic picture, it will be interesting to see if AI makes the huge strides into everyday business life many are predicting. Not my area of expertise this one but I’m intrigued to see whether AI continues its evolutionary journey without too many of us even noticing or whether we will wake up one morning and find HAL 9000 sitting with its feet up at the top of the boardroom table (one for the oldies there!)

Hybrid working is an area I’ll be watching closely. Will the possible High Noon showdown between Amazon and the British Government (see page 7) be a significant watershed? Will we finally break free from Victorian era working practices or will we sleepwalk back to insanity whereby tens of thousands of people needlessly clog up our roads every day with trips to the office to carry out a job they could do just as well from home? Guess where I stand on this one!

Anyway, enough of my musings. Let’s hear some more profound thinking from some of the county’s

leading business luminaries.

Peter Disney of Colchester-based accountancy firm, Wood and Disney, said: “2025 promises much probably shaped by technological advancements, evolving working practices, as well as economic uncertainties. Business owners should be both concerned and optimistic about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

“Continuing economic uncertainty caused by the lingering effects of the pandemic, coupled with geopolitical tensions and tax changes from a new government could create economic instability.

“Talent shortages are likely to continue. The skills gap, exacerbated by demographic changes and Brexit, could limit businesses' ability to innovate and grow.

“Hybrid work challenges will continue. Balancing the benefits of remote and in-person work will remain complex, requiring careful management of productivity, collaboration, and company culture.

“Offshoring and outsourcing may drive UK wages down although offshore quality issues may limit its impact. There may even start to be reduced availability of offshore labour as global brands suck up the available talent pool.

“On a more optimistic note, technological innovation such as AI, automation and other emerging technologies will drive efficiency, productivity and new business models.

“Skills development should be a priority for both government and businesses. Investment in upskilling and reskilling can help address talent shortages and prepare employees for the future of work.

“Hybrid work, when implemented effectively, can improve work-life balance, attract top talent, and reduce costs. However, care needs to be taken and consideration given to its impact on customers and clients.

2025: the calm after We can but

“Sustainable growth needs to be at the forefront of business owners’ agendas in 2025. Increased focus on sustainability can lead to new opportunities, enhance brand reputation, and contribute to a more resilient economy.”

Becky Ames, Business Team Partner at leading Essex accountancy firm, Larking Gowen, said: “Essex is at the heart of the tech revolution, being home to more than 4,500 telecom and DigiTech businesses, employing over 20,000 people.

“Key trends and opportunities for businesses in 2025 include:

• improved digital connectivity: Digital Essex, set up by Essex County Council, will continue to work with key partners across the county to enable people to build the digital skills they need to future-proof the economy, with a focus on medical and green technologies

• collaboration with the Knowledge Gateway at University of Essex: the research and technology park on Colchester Campus is a hive of activity for knowledge-based science, technology and digital creative companies. The Innovation Centre is an official University Enterprise Zone

after the storm? but hope

designated by the Government as a centre for nurturing and supporting new digital and creative businesses.

• retention of talent: competition for talent to remain in Essex remains high. The Essex Business Community Pledge is a call to action for employers to commit to attracting and retaining talented staff. Once signed up to the pledge, businesses can access ongoing support around training, wellbeing and retention.

“The need to innovate and embrace opportunities will both be key to the ongoing success of the thriving Essex business community in 2025 and beyond.”

Scrutton Bland Partner, Simon Pinion, said: “With small businesses in the UK accounting for around half of GDP, the changes announced in the Budget will have a significant impact on local business across East Anglia as we head into 2025.

“Employers' National Insurance contributions increasing to 15% from April and the lower threshold of when this kicks in are not great news. Coupled with increases in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the alignment of rates across

age bands - the increased cost pressures are likely to mean budget adjustments in 2025.

“For those businesses within the leisure and hospitality sectors this is particularly true. With many relying on under-20s in their workforce, the NMW increase of 16.3% for 18–20-year-olds from April, is of further concern.

“In other sectors, we expect to see a continued push for digitisation with small businesses adopting more digital tools and platforms. And, given the pressure on employment costs, the use of AI, automation, and data analytics may be particularly necessary to help with efficiencies.

“As we head into 2025 businesses can also expect ever-increasing regulatory compliance, including changes to employment rights and the push to net zero, with even more emphasis on businesses to highlight and improve their ‘green creations’ to attract new business, employees, and finance.”

Darren Hyde, Director at VIP Security, said: “In 2025, businesses will be shaped by technological advancements, shifting economic dynamics and evolving societal expectations. I feel, rightly or wrongly, the following trends are likely to define the business landscape.

Artificial intelligence and automation will be more deeply integrated into business operations. From supply chain optimisation to personalised customer experiences, AI will continue to enhance efficiency and decisionmaking, driving both innovation and cost savings, not to do away with humans, as inefficient as they can be at times.

"With the constant push for environmental, social and governance of the Net zero madness, companies will face growing pressure from consumers, investors and regulators to adopt sustainable practices, whether we like it or not."

“The post-pandemic era will see a permanent shift toward remote and hybrid work models, with companies adopting more flexible workplace strategies. This will influence everything from office designs to talent recruitment, which will benefit some but not all.

“The disruption of global supply chains, accelerated by geopolitical tensions and pandemics, will lead to diversification and local sourcing strategies. Businesses will prioritise resilience and agility in their operations.

“The continued rise of blockchain technology will redefine how businesses interact with customers, manage data and ensure security, placing yet

further burden and responsibility on the business owner.

“In summary, 2025 will be a year of adaptability, with increased financial strains placed on businesses navigating a rapidly changing global environment.”

Will Quince, solicitor in the commercial property team at Colchester-based legal firm, Thompson Smith and Puxon, said: “As we approach the New Year, business leaders, developers, farmers and landowners will be contemplating what 2025 has in store and making plans accordingly. A new government, a difficult economic forecast, proposed changes to planning rules, changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, changes to business rates, the impact of hybrid working and artificial intelligence on office space requirements, the growth of renewable energy schemes and the changing face of town and city centres means that there will be lots of things to consider when it comes to commercial property.

“Alongside the experienced commercial property team at TSP, I look forward to using my legal and commercial skills, in depth knowledge of our local area and regional economy, along with my experience of parliament and government to help clients navigate the challenges and opportunities they face in 2025.“

Simone Robinson, Director at First Ascent Group, said: “The use of AI in the world of work will continue at pace. Routine administrative tasks will be automated. This will result in opportunities and challenges involving the management of change. Jobs will be changing, not necessarily decreasing. Investment in reskilling should be at the top of employer agendas. Workplace changes will continue. The future of the office and the potential adoption of a four-day working week will require consistent clear two-way communication between leaders and staff. The crucial role of manager training will become clearer as the pace of change increases. Organisations who have yet to invest in training for managers and team leaders will be looking for people development partners who focus on ‘sticky’ learning. The success of diversity and inclusion strategies will depend on their significance, quantifiability and sustainability. Ticking boxes with EDI activities will be a practice of the past. Change will be constant, will be happening quickly and the ability for people managers to create successful change journeys for their teams will be paramount throughout 2025 and beyond.”

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Anyone else just want to cut the c**p and talk business?

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I’M fortunate to have travelled fairly extensively over the years and love talking with the locals. Invariably the subject of what you do for a living comes up and talk turns to business.

When it does, it’s amazing how often I am asked by the locals, why are you Brits so coy when it comes to talking business? They don’t understand, particularly Americans, why we are so reluctant to talk about how successful our business might be and they certainly don’t understand some of our pussyfooting around (my words but their sentiments!) when it comes to business talk.

God forbid, then, they take a look at UK LinkedIn of late. I may be in a minority of one here (and I’m sure I’ll soon be told if so) but it really is becoming a load of old tosh of late. If it weren’t for the fact I’m not on Facebook, I might be mistaken most days for thinking I’ve clicked on there by mistake!

LinkedIn seems full of people posting about their private lives, seeking empathy, sympathy or praise (often all three) for things which are really of little or no interest to anyone else. My private life is my private concern, which I’ll choose to share with family and friends. I fail to see why anyone else might be interested in me gaining my 50-metre swimming badge or the painful after-effects of my ingrowing toenail operation (both fictional by the way in case you were thinking of sending me a congratulations card or a get-well bunch of grapes). I don’t know why people post such stuff on Facebook, let alone a supposed business forum such as LinkedIn.

And before you all shout – yes, but people want to know about the private person behind the businessperson, who says so? I think too many people are falling victim to a myth which has spiralled out of control. I’m

all for having a chat with business colleagues about non-business matters (and frequently do!) once I’ve struck up a relationship and know them better – but I can’t for the life of me see the point of proactively sharing one’s private life with total strangers on a public platform.

I go on LinkedIn to talk business - which can be a dangerous and unfashionable strategy nowadays it seems. On three occasions this year, people who I am connected with have pulled me up and asked me to stop sending them ‘sales’ messages. This ‘sales’ message is me informing them the latest issue of BusinessTime is now available to read for free online, telling them I’m now working on the next issue and if they’d like to be part of it, to get in touch. Sometimes I may add details of a special deal for firsttime advertisers. This would be a maximum of four times a year (pretty inactive when some people post four times a day!) Nothing too offensive about my post you might say, but clearly for three people at least, it was just too much. How dare I go on a business platform and talk in such a straightforward manner about business. I was tempted to message back asking them exactly what they expected to hear from a connection on a business forum – perhaps a note telling them, in some detail, I’d been through quite a challenging operation which had ‘changed’ my life but that I was now a much more rounded businessperson because of it. Instead, I just disconnected from them. Interestingly, all three had initially asked me to connect with them – and then proceeded to send me no messages at all. Very weird! I am now very selective in accepting connections. I first check them out and if they post pictures

Looking at business life with Editor, Peter Richardson

of their holiday or wear funny hats thinking it makes them stand out from the business crowd, it’s a no thanks from me.

Business, when you pare it right back to basics, should be a pretty simple, painless process. It’s about someone offering a service or product that someone else wants. You tell them the benefits your service/product offers them and they either say, yeah that’s just what I want, or they say, thanks for the info but that’s not for me right now. All this endless dancing around handbags at networking meetings and meaningless chitchat on LinkedIn is just all so much unnecessary foreplay. It wouldn’t happen in America!

So, I am planning a new business social media platform. In fact, make that an antisocial media platform, because there’ll be no idle chitchat about holidays, illnesses or mind-blowing networking events and expos – just people who want to transact business. I know it will probably never catch on and members may be few and far between, but remember the old adage about quality and quantity….

Thompson Smith and Puxon welcome

Commercial Property Team Clarity

LEADING regional law firm, Thompson Smith and Puxon (TSP) has announced the return of Will Quince to its Commercial Property team, led by Legal 500 ‘Leading Partner’ Stephen Firmin.

Will, who was previously with the firm in 2015 before pursuing a career in public office, re-joins TSP to bring his legal and commercial expertise to the team.

TSP’s Property practice supports a wide range of clients, including developers, farmers, and landowners, in areas such as

real estate, finance, agriculture and renewable energy, as well as the residential sector. Will’s return, alongside newly appointed Director Joanne Kelly, reflects the firm’s commitment to expanding services for its clients in these key areas. Will’s legal and commercial skills will add strength to the property and real estate offerings, benefitting clients and the wider community.

Will Quince has been a wellknown figure in the region, having served as the MP for Colchester until May 2024. His political career featured key positions, including Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care and the

Department for Education.

Stephen Firmin, Head of Commercial Property, said: “Will’s return to TSP is a testament to his long-standing commitment to the region and the firm. His knowledge and experience will add value to our team and contribute to our ongoing efforts to expand the commercial property and real estate side of the business.”

Commenting on his return, Will Quince said: “Returning to Thompson Smith and Puxon feels like coming home. I’m excited to engage with the local business community and share my knowledge with TSP’s

How will the changes in the Budget affect businesses?

� 01206 574431 � enquiries@tsplegal.com globe tsplegal.com

THE tax changes announced in the Budget will have a significant effect on both our business and individual clients. Let’s look at some of the key points.

Increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs). Although there has been no increase in NICs for employees, NICs for employers will increase from 13.8% to 15% from April 24 2025 alongside a reduction in the threshold at which employers begin paying NICs from £9,100 per annum to £5,000.

To shield smaller employers from these costs, the employment allowance will increase from £5,000 to £10,500 per year; since the £100,000 threshold will be removed, it will now apply to all businesses. The Chancellor believes small businesses will pay either the same or less NICs. The Office of Budget Responsibility anticipates a significant amount of these tax costs will be passed on to employees through lower wages and to consumers by higher prices.

These NICs costs implications for businesses will be coupled with an increase in both the minimum wage (which will rise to £12.21 per hour in April 2025) and business

rates. Furthermore, businesses need to evaluate the effect the Employment Rights Bill introduced on October 10 2024 will have for them since the changes envisaged pave the way for the most radical changes to employment law since the 1970s.

Capital Gains Tax (CGT). CGT is to rise from 10% to 18% for non and basic rate taxpayers and from 20% to 24% for higher and additional rate taxpayers. The £1m Business Asset Relief and Investor’s Relief are to be retained but will increase to 14% from April 2025. CGT on residential properties are to remain unchanged. There was widespread speculation that CGT rates were to be significantly increased and/or existing reliefs greatly reduced. Whilst businesses may breathe a sigh of relief that these predictions did not come to fruition, and instead the changes to the CGT regime have been more modest, it is still advisable for individuals thinking of exiting their business to start planning and take tax advice since certain of the changes take effect immediately whilst others are to be phased in over time.

Inheritance Tax (IHT). From April 6 2026, the existing 100% rates for Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) will only continue for the first

Property team.

I look forward to applying my experience in parliament and government in a legal and commercial context to support clients and the firm’s growth.”

CEO of Thompson Smith and Puxon, Sean Stuttaford, added: “Will’s return is an exciting step for the firm. His prior legal knowledge, combined with his commercial acumen, strengthens our team. Will’s strong regional and national connections will help us continue delivering excellent added value legal services to our clients, and we are delighted to have him back as part of our future growth strategy.”

Joanne Kelly, Director at Thompson Smith and Puxon, and a specialist in commercial property matters, looks at some of the key issues raised by the Budget.

£1m of combined agricultural and business property. Property in excess of this limit will benefit from 50% relief meaning an effective 20% IHT charge. To ensure allowances are maximised, a review of estate planning and wills is advisable in the next 18 months especially due to the lack of transferability of allowances between spouses/civil partners. These changes have major tax implications for family businesses, estates and trusts and it is essential to start succession planning as soon as possible and to review gifts of APR or BPR assets which may have already been made under a will.

The Budget that keeps on giving mostly grief to businesses,

THE dust may have settled on the Chancellor’s October 30 Budget, but the ramifications will continue to reverberate for some time to come.

A multitude of words have already been written on it and the general consensus would appear to be it’s not great news for the business community. Only time will tell whether the largely pessimistic forecasts are born out, and why the Chancellor declined to heed the wellworn advice of ages, don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg – Gertie, in this instance, being the hard-pressed small businessman and businesswoman.

BusinessTime in Essex has sought the thoughts of some of the leading local busines brains to see what our businesses can all expect as a result of the offering from the little red box – or perhaps that should be Pandora’s box.

James Pinchbeck, Marketing Partner, Streets Chartered Accountants which has offices in Colchester and West Mersea, said: “The day before Halloween, the Budget certainly seemed to come with its own tricks and treats, but perhaps not the ones you might expect. It was a Budget with a £40bn price tag - the milliondollar question is who is going to pay for all this?

“Sticking to their electoral pledge it is not ‘working people’ through changes to income tax, VAT nor employee’s national insurance. No, the biggest contributor looks likely to be businesses, with the proposed increase in employers’ national insurance contributions by 1.2% to 15% and with the earnings threshold reduced from £9,100 to £5,000 from next April, set to raise £25bn a year by the end of this parliament. The Employment Allowance, which allows those with NICs bills of £100,000 or less to deduct £5,000 from their employer NIC bill, will be increased to £10,000.

“More modest in the tax it will generate, with only £2.5bn forecast to be raised, is the announced increases in Capital Gains Tax (CGT), with the lower rate rising from 10% to 18% and the higher rate from 20% to 24%. It was also announced that the rate of CGT on assets qualifying for Business Asset Disposal Relief and

Investors’ Relief will rise gradually to 14% from 6th April 2025 and to 18% from 6th April 2026.

“This Budget raises challenges and potential issues for those looking at inter-generational wealth planning and the handing of assets from one generation to the next, both from a business and personal perspective, but especially for farmers.

“The other key area is around absorbing or managing increased staffing costs through the increase in national insurance and the national living wage. It certainly seems more and more challenging to pass on increased costs without affecting revenue, therefore profitability could be at risk.”

Ann Scott, Development Manager at the Federation of Small Businesses in Essex, said: “I was with a group of business owners watching the Budget in Grays. They walked in feeling incredibly vulnerable and fearing they would be taxed beyond what they could cope with. To the point, that one pub owner was in tears. Let’s not forget that for many small business owners, it’s their life savings and often houses on the line.

“They left feeling it was balanced and, although businesses are bearing the brunt of the changes, it could have been far worse. Business owners appreciate the Chancellor had a challenge sorting out the public finances while also getting growth. But there is no endless pot of money, so she has chosen to target support at small businesses, rather than big corporates. And that is welcome from FSB.

“However, although smaller businesses feel somewhat shielded from the very worst, they may still have increased costs to consider. Small businesses on the larger size and mediumsized businesses will most likely struggle with the rises on employer national insurance, the increase in minimum wage/national living wage and costs from the Government’s employment law plans.

“This is against the backdrop of recent challenges that include rising operational costs, inflation, and high energy bills. Additionally, labour costs, availability of skilled workers, and late payments, especially in sectors like retail and hospitality”.

“Question now is whether businesses will be able to thrive or simply just survive. Small businesses contribute approximately 53% of all business turnover and account for three-fifths of employment, so small businesses are not only key to economic recovery and growth, but the very fabric of our society”.

Craig Baston, Operations Director, Let’s Do Business Group, said: “Economic inactivity initiatives may help increase the supply of labour, particularly for part-time roles, but more detail is needed to understand exactly how these plans will be implemented to understand how effective they will be.

“Increases to the minimum wage are likely to have short term impact on individuals but businesses are likely to respond by increasing prices. Therefore, improvements to individuals’ economic wellbeing may be reduced over time. Increased wage bills will compound with the increase to employers’ national insurance rate and lowering of the NI threshold from £9,100 to £5,000. This will be a challenge for many small to medium businesses to absorb, particularly in the short term. The increase to the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500 may mitigate the net impact of the aforementioned wage and NI increases, primarily for micro businesses

Peter Disney of Colchester-based accountants, Wood and Disney, argues Christa Humphreys, Tax Manager at leading Essex accountancy firm, Rickard Luckin, examines

giving

businesses, that is!

“An increase in HMRC compliance officers was mentioned. This may aid in addressing the closure of the tax gap (the gap between expected tax revenue versus the tax collected). Small businesses accounted for around 60% of this gap in 2022/23. Tax compliance is an essential component of running a business. Increased resource at HMRC will mean businesses that have not been operating within the rules may be even more likely to find themselves in trouble.”

CEO of Essex Chambers of Commerce, Denise Rossiter, said:“There are welcome investments in health, education and infrastructure announced in the Budget although we await detail on many of them. But the costs will largely be borne by business so this is a tough Budget for employers.”

financial landscape for business owners will remain challenging.”

Graham Doubtfire, Private Client Tax Partner working out of the Colchester office of accountancy firm, Scrutton Bland, said: “Much has already been written about the changes to Inheritance Tax Reliefs, namely Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief that will apply from April 2026.

“The key message is that the changes will not apply until April 5 2026, so the existing 100% relief applies until then and therefore there’s time to plan.

(0-9 employees). It will be important for SMEs to engage with professional financial advice to understand how these changes will affect them moving forward.

“The rumours about business asset disposal relief (sometimes referred to as “entrepreneur’s relief”) being abolished have not come to fruition. This is a positive thing for businesses, although many SMEs are not aware of this relief and therefore changes here may have been unlikely to affect broader entrepreneurial activity.

“Remarks were made referring to “an end to short-termism”. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in practical economic development policy. For example, will decisions related to business support programmes which tend to be year-to-year become more focused on multi-year delivery? This would be a positive move as more innovative and impactful support could be offered as a result.

“The establishment of Skills England was mentioned. It will be interesting to see more on how this is implemented alongside the variety of skills focused initiatives already in situ.

Michelle Denny-West, Partner, Moore Kingston Smith, said: “Before the Budget, the Government declared it was time for the UK to ‘embrace the harsh light of fiscal reality’, while assuring working people they would not face higher taxes on their payslips.

“The increase in employer NICs has alarmed many, especially businesses already operating with narrow profit margins and/or substantial payroll costs. While the increase in the employment allowance may offer some relief, the employer NIC rise and reduction in the earnings threshold is expected to place added strain on those with limited financial flexibility, potentially affecting jobs and growth.

“Higher CGT rates also impact many business owners, in particular those who had planned to use business asset disposal relief (BADR, previously entrepreneurs' relief) to reduce CGT exposure on exiting their business. While BADR is still available, the increased CGT rates erode some of its advantages, making exits more costly and potentially hindering succession planning and reinvestment.

“Additionally, reduced IHT relief for business owners has sparked concerns about significant tax bills for families after death. While the Budget offers some certainty in the short-to-medium term, it’s clear that the

“A simple example shows the effect of these changes. A business that is worth say £12 million and currently passes intact to the next generation to continue to manage without any Inheritance Tax liability arising, could now face a liability of £2 million on the second death (£12 million - £1 million x 2 x 20%).

“The question you and many other families now have is how that £2m would be funded, whilst limiting the impact on the business’s employees, suppliers, customers and the ongoing taxes generated for the benefit of the treasury, there is simply not that level of capital available.

“Despite this, careful thought and analysis is needed before you make any changes to the ownership of assets in response to these changes. There is a risk that without fully considering the tax consequences of a gift of assets, an unexpected Capital Gains Tax liability could be created, or the gift may be ineffective for Inheritance Tax purposes and therefore still remain in the Inheritance Tax net.

“For many families who have not needed to consider Inheritance Tax on the Family-Owned Business since the mid-1990s these changes will likely come as a shock and cause you immense concern. There are a generation of family business owners who have structured their affairs to manage the value created by their life’s work that will now need to act to ensure that robust plans are in place to mitigate the impact of these changes.”

argues businesses shouldn’t take this Budget lying down – see page 45. examines whether this is the end of the road for BPR and APR – see pages 36 and 37

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Find out more and apply to grow your business in 2025!

The productivity power of digital skills

FOR Essex businesses grappling with rising costs and rising employment taxes, there’s an obvious challenge of how to find solutions that minimise or negate the need to rise prices, impact salaries or dent the bottom line.

Enhancing productivity stands out as a key strategy to remain competitive and profitable. Investing in digital upskilling for employees can deliver immediate productivity gains, streamline processes, and reduce costs, helping SMEs thrive despite financial pressures.

Our digital skills coaching team at Pitman Training have identified a series of high-impact quick wins for local businesses. When considering digital skills training, organisations should focus on skills that offer the fastest returns in productivity and efficiency. Some of the most impactful digital skills include: Essential software proficiency: training employees in foundational tools like Microsoft Office 365 or Google Workspace helps streamline

daily tasks. For instance, Excel training can reduce the time spent on data entry and reporting, while advanced Outlook skills can improve email management, saving hours each week.

Automation and productivity tools: low-code automation platforms, such as Microsoft Power Automate and Zapier, allow users to automate repetitive tasks such as data entry, email follow-ups, and report generation. Automating these processes can free up hours for employees to focus on more strategic work, reducing reliance on additional staff.

Data analysis and visualisation: basic skills in data analysis and visualisation tools, such as Excel and Power BI, empower employees to make data-driven decisions quickly, improving the quality of decisionmaking across the business. These tools help employees identify trends and areas for improvement, leading to smarter and faster responses to market conditions.

Cloud collaboration skills: cloudbased tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack support effective remote and hybrid work by enabling real-

time collaboration and communication. These tools reduce the need for lengthy meetings, cut down on email clutter, and streamline project management, ultimately boosting productivity. Digital skills training doesn’t have to be costly or time-intensive. Here are some quick-start strategies for rolling out digital skills development:

Implementing and mastering digital skills can be key to increased productivity, as Chris Hodson, Programme Director at Pitman Training in Essex explains.

Micro-learning sessions: short, focused training sessions of 15–30 minutes allow employees to develop specific skills without taking too much time away from their core tasks.

Mentorship and peer support: establishing a digital mentorship programme pairs tech-savvy employees with colleagues who may need support, fostering collaboration and peer learning.

Leveraging free resources: online platforms such as LinkedIn Learning and Coursera offer low-cost courses on digital skills. Encouraging self-directed learning using these

resources is a cost-effective way to upskill teams.

To ensure a return on investment, track productivity gains through key performance indicators such as time saved, error reduction and employee satisfaction. Regular feedback from employees also helps refine the training approach, ensuring it remains relevant and effective.

Digital skills aren’t just an operational asset—they’re a competitive advantage that can power productivity and drive business impact.

Why every business leader needs the shield of D&O insurance

IN the fast-paced, high-stakes battle of today’s business world, every decision carries potential risks and, from small startups to global corporations, the strain on directors and officers (D&O) has never been greater.

Whether you're in command of a familyowned business or a FTSE 100 company, one thing is clear: D&O insurance is not optional - it’s an essential shield against any arrow of litigation.

So, if you’re a director or officer of a company, you need to protect yourself from the growing deployment of legal threats that may come with the job. Let’s break down why D&O insurance provides a bullet-proof defence for leaders at every level.

D&O insurance is a specialised type of liability insurance that covers personal losses for corporate leaders in case they’re sued for decisions made while managing a company. In short, it’s a safety guard, ensuring your personal assets aren’t at risk if legal assaults result from your professional actions.

This coverage extends to allegations of mismanagement, breach of fiduciary duty, employment practices violations and more. It also helps pay for legal fees, settlements and other associated costs, protecting not just individuals but the company itself.

The days when only large corporations needed to be concerned about lawsuits are long gone. Small businesses, non-profits and start-ups are just as vulnerable to legal claims from angry investors, customers, employees or even competitors, and all can launch legal missiles against an individual director or officer.

For example, an executive decision to cut costs could lead to layoffs, sparking wrongful termination claims. Or a new marketing initiative could prompt allegations of misleading claims. Without D&O insurance, business leaders may have to cover legal fees and settlements out of their own pockets.

Your personal risk is real! You might think your personal assets are safe behind the corporate drawbridge, but that’s not always true. Directors and officers can be held personally liable for a range of claims, including regulatory investigations, employment disputes and breach of duties. Imagine being sued for a decision you made in the company’s best interest? Without D&O coverage, your home, savings and personal wealth could be in the line of fire.

Reputation is everything in today’s business world. If your company is embroiled in a high-profile legal case, even a false allegation can lead to reputational damage that’s hard to regain footing from. D&O insurance provides resources for legal defence, the linchpin to protecting both your personal and professional reputation.

Increased scrutiny in the regulatory landscape means businesses are under surveillance more closely than ever. From environmental regulations to data privacy laws, the list of compliance requirements is growing, and directors and officers are often among the first to be targeted, should a regulatory investigation occur.

Having D&O insurance means you have a dedicated defence to handle regulatory inquiries, investigations and legal actions that could otherwise lay siege to your company’s operations.

The most qualified leaders won’t enlist in your company if they feel exposed to personal risk. When executives consider new roles, they want to know their personal assets will be fully guarded if a legal challenge results from their business decisions.

Offering robust D&O coverage makes

Matthew Collins, Director at Chelmsford-based Ascend Broking Group, explains why D&O (directors and officers) insurance is key for leaders at every level.

your company more of a high-value target to top-tier talent who know the importance of protecting themselves in today’s volatile legal landscape.

There’s a common misconception that D&O insurance is expensive and only necessary for big corporations, but the reality is D&O insurance can be surprisingly affordable and scalable, making it an astute tactic for businesses of any size.

Paying premiums for D&O coverage is far less expensive than wrangling with even one significant legal claim, which can cost millions in legal fees and settlements.

Choosing to sidestep D&O insurance is a gamble that’s not worth the risk. In today’s litigious business environment, companies of all sizes face growing challenges - from cybersecurity breaches and data loss claims to employment lawsuits and shareholder disputes. Directors and officers are often named in lawsuits even when they haven’t put a foot wrong.

Without D&O insurance, you’re exposing yourself and your business to potential financial ruin. Legal claims can quickly spiral out of control, with defence costs and settlements a major attack on your business’s finances.

As a director or officer, you’re making big decisions every day. But even the smartest choices come with a level of risk. D&O insurance is your armour, shielding you from personal liability and giving you peace of mind so you can lead with confidence.

No matter the size of your business, protecting yourself and your company with D&O insurance is a smart, proactive move. In an increasingly uncertain business world, it’s the cast-iron shield you can’t afford to go without.

If you’re a leader in your business, D&O insurance is a musthave. Don’t wait until you’re caught off guard by a lawsuit - arm yourself and your company today!

The Essex MBA: planning carefully, communicating clearly, deciding confidently

BUSINESSES today suffer from three gluts: too many problems, too many solutions, too much forgetfulness. Never have so many people been so busy to generate so few results.

At the heart of this is the revolution in the distribution of information enabled by the transformation in IT capabilities from the 1990s onwards coupled with an explosion in regulation.

There are problems in any organisation, because you do not have to look too hard to find room for improvements. To make matters more complex, businesses have usually already passed through multiple change programmes. These initiatives often fail or are abandoned whilst incomplete, generating a new crop of problems. This is compounded by organisations rapidly expanding their stakeholders, creating differing and contradictory expectations: profit, employment, delivering services, innovation, and consideration of local communities for example. Selfevidently, there will always be a stakeholder who is dissatisfied because one person’s benefits are another person’s costs.

All these problems will generate several rival solutions each. One source of these solutions will be from within the business. Every organisation has its own ‘babies’ - unique, homegrown ideas and personal projects that individuals have been nurturing with care over time. Another source will be from outside. Consultancies constantly generate new solutions which can keep organisations busy for years.

Neither of these things would be such a challenge if organisations were not also so forgetful. Most businesses have extensive experience in their field of activity. There is widespread corporate knowledge of how difficult meaningful change can be to implement, but rapid turnover means this knowledge is swiftly lost. Moreover, new leaders are often under severe pressure to justify their positions by transforming an organisation quickly and profoundly. It all adds up to an intensely demanding environment for senior managers to operate in.

Our Essex MBA programme is designed to assist you in making sense of, and giving strategic direction to, the profusion of queries, demands and advice assailing every organisation daily. We believe straightforward, coherent thinking communicated clearly and persuasively wins out. This is easier said than done, but we think managerial and leadership behaviours are the key to it.

We think the behaviours of senior leaders are by far the most significant factor in the long-term performance of any organisation, setting expectations and influencing decisions not only at crucial junctures, but also in a myriad of small, daily ways that are cumulatively powerful.

We’ve also focussed the programme this way because experienced MBAs already bring most of the knowledge and skills. We want to respect that. We treat all MBAs as proven professionals who have chosen to spend a sabbatical with us. Our cohorts have included professionals from data analysts to senior bank managers and business directors, bringing a wealth of experience that enriches every aspect of the programme.

As well as a series of standard modules covering strategy, accounting, finance, operations, marketing and leadership, we offer a wide selection of realtime events. The first of these are exercises in consultancy and business planning where MBAs collaborate in teams with industry professionals to develop and run consultancy bids or business mergers.

Our goal is to give MBAs a meaningful experience that enhances their self-presentation and leadership impact. We also host directors’ workshops, where industry experts engage MBAs in tackling sector-specific challenges. The programme concludes with the MBA project, where students either develop a business plan with support from our Innovation Centre or collaborate on a real-world project. Part-time MBAs often use

James Fowler, MBA (Master of Business) Director at Essex Business School, University of Essex, extols the many benefits of the Essex MBA programme.

this to focus on a key area within their own organisations.

Throughout our MBA programme, we run a series of Essex MBA alumni events. With more than 300 alumni from various sectors, we provide plenty of opportunities to meet new people and grow your network.

What sets Essex Business School apart is our commitment to excellence, reflected in our AMBA and AACSB accreditations. These distinctions place us among the top 2% of business schools globally (by AMBA) and in the elite 6% of schools worldwide offering AACSBaccredited business degrees. Such prestigious recognition underscores our dedication to providing a world-class education. For our graduates, this translates into an MBA respected and valued across industries, enhancing career opportunities and affirming their credentials as they step confidently into leadership roles. To further support the most talented MBA candidates, we offer the Essex MBA Dean's Award, which provides fee discounts to outstanding applicants.

If you are thinking about a course of study, I encourage you to consider the Essex MBA which is offered in both full-time and part-time options. We want our MBAs to leave us with the courage to change what they can, the resilience to adapt to what they can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference.

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Lifelong Learning –a route to success

AS I write this, we have just come to the end of Lifelong Learning Week 2024.

We’ve been sharing inspirational stories of learners who have changed the direction of their lives by learning something new, whether for self or their career. With the focus heavily on individuals, I turned my thoughts to how lifelong learning can benefit businesses. In short, it’s crucial for driving innovation, boosting productivity and keeping companies competitive.

Lifelong learning isn't just a trendy phrase, it's essential for businesses aiming for success. It’s also something I’m really passionate about. As a lifelong learner myself, I’ve achieved most of my qualifications as an adult and continue to engage in learning opportunities - every day’s a school day!

So how do businesses make lifelong learning effective? It’s about building a culture that values and prioritises learning, starting with leadership. When leaders commit to learning, it sets a precedent for the rest of the organisation. I’m a huge advocate of apprenticeships, having been one myself at

the age of 48, and always encourage my teams to consider them as a learning opportunity. I’m proud so many do! Investing in staff development has really helped improve performance and boost both team and overall organisational capability.

Encouraging my team to share their expertise with each other has fostered a dynamic and collaborative environment. Peer-to-peer learning sessions, workshops and discussion groups can break down silos and help create a thriving workplace community, spreading knowledge and empowering each other along the way.

Cross-training is also powerful (and not just the one in the gym…my nemesis!) By exposing individuals to different roles, you can create a more versatile and adaptable workforce. This approach helps staff develop broader skills, understand the organisation better and prepares them for promotions or leadership roles. Versatility and adaptability is invaluable, especially during times of change or uncertainty.

For me, coaching and mentoring should be a key part of any lifelong learning strategy. We’ve recently embarked on reverse mentoring with some of our apprentices mentoring senior staff members – it’s been really interesting and a great way to gain alternative perspectives. Coaching can also really help individuals identify their strengths and growth areas. This is something I’m currently undertaking through my ILM membership. It’s been fascinating and is really supporting me to develop as a senior leader. I’m learning so much about myself whilst building both my confidence and professional brand.

Amanda Rawlings, Vice Principal Commercial and Employer Led Learning at ACL (Adult Community Learning) Essex, extols the benefits of the old adage – you’re never too old to learn!

Working within the education sector for nearly 25 years, I've witnessed first-hand how continuous education can transform organisations and drive growth. By fostering a learning culture, investing in mentorship, encouraging knowledge sharing and leveraging technology, companies can equip teams with the skills and mindset needed to thrive. Embracing lifelong learning is not just a strategy, it's a pathway to lasting success.

Find out more about our training programmes and apprenticeships at ACL, and how we can help your business grow –www.aclessex.com/employers

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AI: All-In or Absolutely Indifferent?

TODAY, many employees are dealing with continuous changes in their work environments, driven by megatrends such as disruptive technology, economic volatility and climate change.

Generative AI (GenAI) in particular, is reshaping how work is done and the skills companies seek.

PwC’s 2024 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey, which gathered input from 56,000+ workers across 50 countries, reveals employees are generally optimistic about change, but feel overwhelmed by its pace. Concerns around job security and adapting to new technologies are common.

It isn’t only leaders in large corporations who are facing this challenge. For many SMEs, the changes are larger and closer than one might think. Whether you lead a large enterprise, or Essex’s smallest business, sooner or later all leaders need to navigate this landscape.

‘Absolutely Indifferent’ isn’t a winning strategy.

To navigate well, it can help to focus on three key activities:

Embrace transparency: workers need a clear understanding of the forces driving workplace change. Many leaders still underestimate the impact of new technologies like GenAI on their workforce.

Fewer employees than executives cite technology as a key driver of change, so leaders must do a better job of communicating how these innovations affect the business and the roles within it. Transparency also involves explaining how GenAI is being used, where the data comes from, and what challenges and opportunities it presents.

Foster effective communication: to help employees understand and accept change, leaders must engage in free and frequent communication. This involves consistent messaging across multiple channels, as well as opportunities for employees to give feedback and see their input is valued. Honest, empathetic communication that addresses both intellectual and emotional concerns can encourage loyalty, creativity and

productivity. It usually leads to better outcomes.

Empower through skills development: employees need the right skills to drive change and they must feel empowered to use those skills. Today’s workforce values skills development, workplace flexibility and fair pay. Upskilling is key, and companies are increasingly adopting skills-based strategies that allow employees to move across roles and contribute in new ways. For example, one organisation found 40% of the skills required for a shortage in analysts already existed within its workforce.

Lis McCormick, director at Essexbased McCormick Consultants Ltd, urges business leaders to embrace, not ignore, AI.

After all, humans are consistent in embracing the changes they help create.

Empowering workers with new tools and processes and encouraging experimentation with them, even if some experiments are ultimately unsuccessful, can lead to greater engagement and better results.

In summary, prioritising the employee experience is essential for navigating fast-paced change. Gaining buy-in allows engaged employees to become the drivers of transformation rather than obstacles.

Note: This article was written using Gen AI which I asked to ‘summarise the following text’, https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/ c-suite-insights/the-leadershipagenda/workforce-change-iseverywhere.html

I did some further minor editing and hope you now have something interesting to read which took me less than 15 minutes to create. I’m in my 60s - not a ‘digital native’. Point made?

• Government funding can cover up to 67% of the total cost

• Access to a world-class knowledge base, resources and graduate

• Gain access to new markets, increased productivity and better processes

• Build expertise, generate knowledge, and develop innovation.

If you have a strategic, innovative idea for your business, get in touch today.

Tel: 01223 695878

Email: business@aru.ac.uk

Things to consider when buying or selling a business

BUYING or selling a business can be a long and tricky process but having advisors such as solicitors and accountants on board from the start will ensure the transaction will run smoothly and efficiently.

Buying a business that operates as a limited company will mean you will buy the shares in the company and will become a shareholder. Another route to take is to buy only the assets of a business. This is known as an asset purchase and this is usually carried out with businesses that do not operate as a limited company. Assets only from a limited company can be purchased and the asset sale route is used.

The first document usually produced is called the heads of terms. This document sets out how the transaction will be structured, for example the purchase price and

any other particular aspects of the transaction. The heads of terms are there as a guide and the terms will not be legally binding unless it is stated as such in the document.

The due diligence process is the information gathering exercise carried out by the buyer to find out as much as possible about the business early in the transaction. The buyer's solicitors will request information from the seller and the sellers will provide documentation and information to the buyer about the business.

The main document in the process is called the share/ asset purchase agreement. The agreement sets out the terms of the transaction, including details of the company being acquired and the respective parties' rights and obligations in connection with the transaction. Warranties are given by the seller about the state of the business or assets being sold. If these are found out not to be true,

then the buyer will be able to claim for damages. This is a key aspect of the agreement and the seller needs to understand what warranties they are providing and need to ensure they are true.

If a seller is unable to meet any of the warranties, they can disclose them in another key document in the process called a disclosure letter. The disclosure letter will inform the buyers of any warranties the sellers are unable to give.

Craig Kelly, Corporate & Commercial Solicitor at Aquabridge Law, which has offices in Essex and Suffolk, explains the all-important legal steps involved in buying and selling a business.

Ancillary documents to the main agreement are also produced, for example board minutes of the company approving the sale and also board minutes produced by the buyer if the buyer is a company.

When the transaction has been completed, there will be

post completion matters to deal with. For example, if buying a limited company, the details of the company will need to be updated at Companies House. This can be carried out by your solicitor or accountant. There may also be stamp duty to pay on the purchase of the shares. Your accountant or solicitor will advise you about the additional payments needed.

Leveraging specialist skills for business success

IN the fast-paced world of business, the pressure to know everything can be overwhelming.

When running a business, you’re often expected to be a jack-of-all-trades, navigating every challenge that comes your way. However, the truth is, you can't always know everything. Embracing this reality and understanding where your strengths lie can be a game-changer for your business.

Running a successful business requires a diverse skill set, but no one person can be an expert in every field. This is where the power of specialists comes into play. Recognising when to bring in experts can save time, reduce stress and significantly enhance your business operations.

My role within the Business Team is to support our clients with business advisory services, including assistance with real-time and future-facing decisions, analysis and growth. With the latest tech developments, and the vast array of specialists in the accounting team around me, who are the experts, I am in a great position to help beyond the numbers. Accounting isn’t just about historical accounts anymore!

With clients of all sizes and industries across our business, our insight into both financial and non-financial data of what’s going well (or otherwise) across a plethora of businesses gives us second-hand experience of hundreds of business decisions every day. As an accountant, I believe numbers drive a business. But in an age where you can make a statistic say anything, having a specialist to interpret and digest the right number is key.

Within our business, we prioritise recognising where we can bring in others from across the firm with different specialist skills. This approach allows us to maintain a high standard of service and remain competitive. Incorporating specialists into our team doesn't just benefit our operations; it also enhances our client service. When every element of our team is performing at its best, we can maximise the value we offer to our clients.

Recognising you can't always know everything is a strength, not a weakness. Leveraging specialist skills can propel your business forward, making sure every aspect operates at its peak. To maximise your business potential, it's essential to acknowledge your limits and seek out specialists who can fill those gaps. Embracing this collaborative approach not only strengthens your business but also sets you apart from competitors. By focusing on what you do best and allowing experts to handle the rest, you create a robust, efficient, and dynamic business model.

Life cycle of a business podcast launched

IN a new mini-podcast series, Larking Gowen’s Megan Howard and Alanah Thompson are joined by a panel of guest experts to explore the various stages of entrepreneurship— from launching your business to eventually stepping away.

Whether you're just starting out or planning your exit, there's valuable advice for everyone.

First up, Glenn Matthews, an expert in helping small and medium businesses get off the ground, discusses the importance of conducting independent research, building a network, and staying compliant as you begin your entrepreneurial journey.

Ready to grow your business? Will Gibbs shares his insights on how to assess where your business stands today, how to set realistic goals, and what limiting factors you may face as you scale.

For those considering succession, Martin Bugg delves into key strategies such as

Will Gibbs, Senior Manager with leading accountancy firm, Larking Gowen, urges business owners to embrace the role of the specialist.

family transitions and management buyouts. He'll explain how to identify the right people and tools to ensure a smooth transition while maintaining stakeholder confidence. Tax expert Emma Walker will guide you through the potential personal tax implications of succession and the relief options available.

Finally, Becky Ames closes out the series with invaluable advice for those looking to fully exit their business. She'll break down different exit strategies and offer guidance on managing the emotional challenges of leaving your hard work behind.

You can listen wherever you get your podcasts, or through www.larking-gowen.co.uk/lgi

KEY changes were made to BPR and APR in the Budget.

Until October 30, anyone holding an asset on death, or who had given one away in the seven years before death, or to a trust, would not suffer an inheritance tax liability (‘IHT’) if the asset fully qualified for 100% BPR or 100% APR (assuming the clawback rules did not apply in respect of gifted assets).

100% relief applies to most agricultural assets and to most business interests, including shares held for at least two years in a private company that was wholly or mainly a trading company/group. There was no cap on the amount of relief that could be claimed.

However, from April 6 2026, a new £1 million combined APR and BPR allowance will be introduced whereby 100% relief will only be available for the first £1 million of qualifying assets. Any qualifying assets in excess of this allowance will be taxed at an effective rate of 20% (being half the normal 40% IHT rate). The tax can be paid in instalments over 10 years, but we expect it’s likely that interest will be charged if the instalment payment is late.

The £1 million allowance applies per person, so a married couple could potentially have a combined allowance of £2 million. Added to

Is this the end of BPR and

this, both spouses will have their ordinary ‘nil rate bands’ of £325K each and, potentially, a further ‘residence nil rate band’ of £175K each (provided that the conditions are met) giving them total combined allowances of up to £3 million to set against their IHT estate (albeit for estates above £2 million there is a reduction in the residence nil rate band that can be claimed).

So, do the ‘current rules’ still apply between now and April 5 2026? In theory yes, but there is a sting in the tail.

For any gifts made between 30.10.24 and 5.4.26, the current rules will apply at the time the gift is made. So, if a gift is made to a trust (a ‘chargeable lifetime transfer’) in this period then no IHT will arise at that point if the assets

fully qualify. But if the donor dies within seven years of the gift and after 5.4.26, the ‘new rules’ will apply to that gift and to any assets held on death.

However, if the donor dies by 5.4.26, the current rules will continue to apply to both the gift and to assets held on death.

Do the new rules affect gifts made before the Budget? No. The changes were not retrospective. The ‘clawback rules’ still need to be considered though, so for example if the transferor dies within seven years and at that time the transferee no longer owns the asset, then BPR/APR may not be available.

So, what tax planning can be carried out?

of the road for and APR?

Holding on to qualifying assets worth around £1 million until death could enable them to be passed on in a tax efficient way. This is because assets held on death are ‘rebased’ to market value which effectively wipes out the capital gain on the asset. So, if a business is worth around £1 million, the beneficiary would inherit it IHT free and could potentially sell it soon afterwards without suffering capital gains tax (‘CGT’) either.

Any qualifying assets retained in the estate above the £1 million allowance would be charged to IHT at 20%, and the beneficiary would inherit at market value. With the top CGT rate being 24%, if the beneficiary is planning to sell and, if original acquisition costs were very low, it may be tax effective to pass on those assets at death rather than by means of a lifetime gift.

As the allowance isn’t expected to be transferable between spouses, wills would need to be revisited to ensure that this is not lost on first death (and, potentially, to prioritise the spousal exemption on the first death, even for business and agricultural property, where appropriate). There may also be a need to rebalance the assets between spouses to ensure both are able to fully use their £1 million allowance.

For those with qualifying assets over the £1 million allowance, gifting may seem like an attractive option. But when making a gift, both CGT (on the uplift in value of the asset since acquisition) and IHT charges could potentially apply.

For gifts of ‘trading’ assets to individuals, a ‘S165 holdover’ election can potentially be made so that no CGT arises at the time of the gift. However, it is not possible to holdover investment gains and so, for example, if shares are given away in a company which is ‘mainly trading’ but also has investment assets, a CGT charge is likely to arise on the proportion relating to the investment.

For IHT purposes, no IHT will arise if the donor dies more than seven years after the gift. But, if they die within seven years and the gift exceeds their allowances, IHT will become due (with the IHT rate decreasing gradually each year once they have survived three years by virtue of “taper relief”).

For gifts to trusts, a different type of CGT holdover election can be made (‘S260’) which enables both investment and trading assets to be gifted without a CGT charge. But if the asset given to the trust does not fully qualify for an IHT relief, IHT will be payable (at 20%, with a further 20% payable if they die within seven years).

As gifts between now and April 2026 should still get 100% APR/ BPR at the point of transfer, considering gifts into trusts is imperative during this window because this can still potentially be done without suffering either IHT or CGT. Provided the donor survives seven years (or dies before 6.4.26) no IHT will become due on the gift and no CGT will be payable either.

The Balfour case established that assets which would not qualify for BPR in their own

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Budget was the extent of the restrictions imposed on two valuable inheritance tax reliefs, being Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR). Christa Humphreys, Tax Manager at leading Essex accountancy firm, Rickard Luckin, examines whether this is the end of the road for BPR and APR?

right, could potentially qualify if they form part of a business which is ‘mainly trading.’ This remains a tax effective way of shielding investment assets from IHT, even where the £1 million allowance is exceeded, albeit that post April 2026 this would give a 50% IHT saving rather than a full one.

Using a corporate structure to hold the assets can be a clean way of achieving this, particularly if the shares are then given into trust before April 2026 to ‘bank’ 100% BPR whilst it is still available. In such cases, an existing dormant company could prove useful for this purpose, to ensure the two-year ownership test is met.

Having a company in place also potentially enables minority interest discounts to be applied when looking at share values and may prove helpful when looking at values for the new £1 million allowance.

As the CGT increases announced in the Budget were not as bad as envisaged and, bearing in mind the new BPR/ APR restrictions and the phasing out of the 10% ’BADR’ CGT rate for trading assets from April 2025, this will undoubtedly persuade some family businesses to consider selling sooner than perhaps originally planned.

Whilst claiming 100% BPR/ APR relief will undoubtedly be more challenging in the future, there are still actions that can be taken to maximise the allowances available and mitigate IHT liabilities, and particularly so in the period between now and April 2026.

Please note that at the time of writing we are awaiting the legislation to be issued. If you have any questions about the above, or would like more information specific to your circumstances, please get in touch.

Legal firm celebrates leadership and continued excellence

FISHER Jones Greenwood LLP (FJG) continues to gain recognition for its commitment to expert legal advice and exceptional client service, strengthening its position as a leading law firm in East Anglia.

With seven offices strategically located across Essex, Suffolk, and London, FJG’s status as a trusted legal partner for individuals and businesses alike is reflected in the accomplishments of its team members and consistent rankings in respected legal directories.

At the recent 2024 National Business Women’s Awards, FJG’s CEO, Paula Fowler, garnered notable accolades, winning both the Gold Award for Business Woman of the Year in the £10m - £25m turnover category and the prestigious Gold Lifetime Achievement Award.

Paula said: “I’m humbled to be acknowledged alongside so many talented individuals. My goal has always been to inspire and support emerging entrepreneurs, particularly women from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

Paula's journey from office junior to CEO is a testament to her exceptional leadership. Since joining FJG in 2010, she has played a pivotal role in transforming the firm, increasing its annual turnover from £2m to £10m.

Her emphasis on wellbeing and inclusivity has fostered a workplace culture recognised for its commitment to supporting staff, earning FJG acclaim as one of The Sunday Times' ‘Best Places to Work’ and the 'Best Health and Wellbeing Initiative (under 750)' award from People in Law.

FJG's excellence is further highlighted by its sustained recognition in prestigious legal directories.

The firm has retained its rankings in several key practice

UK Guide 2025. Notably, FJG maintained its Band 1 ranking in Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions: SME/Owner-Managed Businesses for East Anglia, with Tony Fisher and Partner and Head of Department, Ashton Carter both achieving Band 1 individual rankings.

Additionally, FJG’s Family/ Matrimonial Law department received a Band 2 ranking, with Charlotte Knappett earning her first individual ranking in this category. Joe Sandercock was also recognised as an 'Associate to Watch' in Litigation, highlighting FJG's commitment to nurturing emerging talent within the firm.

In the 2025 Legal 500 rankings, FJG reinforced its status as one of the eastern region's top law firms (see page 62).

Commenting on the firm’s recent achievements, Paula said: “We are thrilled with our rankings, which not only validate our hard work but also motivate us to continue pushing boundaries. I am incredibly proud of our team's resilience and unwavering dedication to delivering

Paula Fowler receiving her Business Woman of the Year Award.

Essex Chambers of Commerce amplifying the voices of our business community

AS the county’s leading business support organisation, our sole goal is helping our local business community to thrive.

The Essex Chambers of Commerce is here to serve as a conduit for our members and to amplify their concerns and needs.

Currently, the biggest concern for business is the recent Budget satement from the Chancellor. The increase in employer National Insurance contributions, a 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage, and the impact of the Employment Rights Bill will add significant cost to business. The reaction from our network has ranged from concern to alarm as they are required to shoulder the burden. However, the burden will be eased by some encouraging announcements on investment.

This is a high-risk Budget which I hope will pay off in time, even if there is short-term pain. We expect many Essex SMEs will struggle and we will be here to support them in whatever way we can, echoing their concerns to

accountability to the electorate rather than to a particular political party. I believe Essex would benefit greatly from this deal, creating a more harmonious and effective working relationship between governing bodies and bringing significant new government funding to the region. Along with our members, we are publicly supporting the deal and have written an open letter to Essex MPs and local authority leaders asking for their support.

I was extremely disappointed by the announcement on October 7 to postpone the decision on the development consent order for the Lower Thames Crossing until at least May 2025. There has been overwhelming support from our member community for this project. Many are frustrated by the congestion, delays and disruption caused by the Dartford Crossing and the constraint this puts on their growth. The new crossing would significantly reduce these problems and help to open the economy of the South East. It is an investment we cannot afford not to make, especially considering the time and £850m it has taken to get to this point. We are hopeful this delay is just to examine the cost and financing and not an indication that the project will be abandoned.

Myself and my team have been hard at work nurturing relationships between politicians and local businesses. Recently, I facilitated an engaging and productive discussion with local businesses and Bayo Alaba, MP for Southend East and Rochford. It was a unique opportunity for businesses to share their perspectives and explore collaborative solutions for Southend’s economic growth. I was incredibly grateful to AJ Chambers for hosting this important event and to Bayo for leading such an insightful discussion. It was encouraging to hear Bayo’s commitment to the future of Southend and we look forward to continued collaboration with him.

In October we partnered with The Port of Tilbury to welcome serval

Denise Rossiter, CEO of the Essex Chambers of Commerce, reflects on the company’s recent endeavours to ensure the voices of Essex businesses are heard at every level.

construction businesses for a tour around its facilities as part of the London Construction Hub. During the tour, members, including Balfour Beatty and Indurent, were given an indepth look at the hub’s cutting-edge services. Aboard a boat, we saw the impressive scale of its streamlined supply chain operations, vast storage capabilities and 24/7 resilient transport links. As a vital logistics hub on London’s doorstep, the port demonstrated how it reduces material miles and carbon emissions with expertise in cargo handling and marine services. All whilst providing tailored solutions to meet the growing demands of construction projects across the region.

As we approach 2025, there are many exciting developments at the Chambers, including a new home for our Southend team, as we relocate to the Launchpad in Rochford. This is an exciting move for my team as we join an established community of businesses in the bustling Airport Business Park.

Also taking place next year, on May 15, I will be taking to the skies and braving a skydive to raise money for our nominated charity, Mid & North East Essex Mind. Accompanied by our Operations Director, Lisa Collins, we will take the plunge and show our unwavering support to this vitally important charity. You don’t walk alone in business with Essex Chambers by your side, and you don’t need to walk alone with poor mental health with MNE Mind by your side. The skydive may feel daunting but I am ready to embrace this exhilarating challenge head-on. I would really appreciate your support so please give as generously as you can.

Donations can be made via our Just Giving Page – https:// www.justgiving.com/page/lisacollins-1717593444365.

Duty to prevent sexual harassment is here and now

Times are going to get even tougher for SMEs (Small to Medium Size Enterprises), with the myriad of changes in employment law announced recently in the Employment Rights Bill, the increase in minimum wage and the hike in employers national insurance declared in the budget. Under the new Government, there’s a lot going on for small to medium business owners to consider when it comes to people and money, with so much in the pipeline. But the new duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace is already here and came into law on October 26 2024. Here we discuss this new obligation and what employers need to be doing.

ON October 26 2024, the law changed to introduce a positive duty for all employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

To meet this new preventative duty, employers will need to be able to show they have taken reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including harassment by third parties, such as customers.

All employers will need to have a sexual harassment policy and will need to update any associated policies. But, having a policy on its own will not be enough for employers to comply with the preventative duty. Employers will need to do a lot more to protect themselves.

To start with, any policy must be communicated to staff and must be made available without them having to ask. So, you can no longer hide your policies in a draw or make them available only when asked!

Steps you can take

As well as a policy, employers must consider other reasonable steps including:

• providing training for managers and staff around sexual harassment, so workers know what harassment is and what behaviour is and is not acceptable, and managers know how to uphold the company’s policy and deal with complaints. Managers can no longer ignore banter or unacceptable behaviour without putting the organisation at significant risk.

Training cannot just be a one-time event but will need to be regular and ideally tailored to the industry and business

• Carrying out a risk assessment. The Equality and Human Rights Commissioner (EHRC) has stated: “An employer is unlikely to be able to comply with the preventative duty unless they carry out a risk assessment”

• providing a number of alternative and easy ways of reporting harassment. This might include confidential and/or anonymous reporting

• dealing with concerns or complaints quickly and effectively and monitor any concerns

• considering harassment from 3rd parties (e.g. customers or suppliers).

The best defence is to promote a culture free from harassment and this will include implementing items above and having more engagement with staff. This may involve things like more regular one-to-ones, staff surveys and clear and ongoing communication regarding policies.

What is also essential is there is commitment from business leaders (e.g. owners, director and senior management) to having a workplace free from sexual (and other forms of) harassment.

Added benefits

Phew… there is a lot to do. However, getting this right will provide for better

working environments, where everyone is treated with respect. Ultimately this is all part of wellbeing and providing a safe place of work.

And there will be benefits for businesses, including reduced absence, improved productivity and loyalty - as well as reducing the risk of claims that can not only be time consuming but very costly.

Denise Rossiter, CEO Essex Chambers of Commerce, said: “It’s right that employers should take steps to protect their staff from sexual harassment. While sexual harassment can happen to both men and women, it predominantly happens to women. According to the TUC, more than 58% of women have experienced some sort of harassment or sexual harassment in the workplace, but only 30% reported it.

“It’s essential business leaders encourage and promote a culture where harassment is not acceptable. We are providing our members with information about the new requirements and developing tools to help them meet the reasonable steps requirement”.

Essex Chambers of Commerce is making a number of resources available to members via our HR resource, YourHR.guide. Resources include template policies and risk assessments, checklists and reporting forms.

Our HR resource also includes guidance and templates covering all areas of dayto-day HR and provides updates on any changes. It will therefore be a great source of information when it comes to the 28 reforms to employment rights announced by the Government.

Look out for our webinars that will discuss the changes, that will be arranged and advertised as implementation dates for changes are announced and further details provide.

Visit the Essex Chambers HR resource for businesses here: https://ecc.yourhr.guide/

Logistics done differently

PLACING goods closer to your core and growing markets, improves your ability to respond to fluctuating demand while creating a more sustainable supply chain.

PLACING goods closer to your core and growing markets, improves your ability to respond to fluctuating demand while creating a more sustainable supply chain.

At DP World, we are at the forefront of global trade, providing end-to-end logistics solutions that drive efficiency and sustainability. Our innovative approach creates high-performing and resilient supply chains that unlock new commercial gains for our customers while future-proofing their business.

Our team of logistics experts located across the UK are specialists in the design and implementation of a unique UK port-centric logistics model. This approach offers the optimal logistics solution for organisations needing quick access to the UK market and multiple markets across mainland Europe, ensuring faster, more cost-effective and reliable delivery.

DP World customers that adopt a port-centric logistics model create lasting benefits. Improved resilience and efficiencies are achieved through a unique asset-owned infrastructure. Within the UK, customers can access a logistics eco-system across two of Britain’s largest deep-sea ports, London Gateway and Southampton, and leverage a UK Freeport Zone via Thames Freeport. These government-

designated special economic zones offer significant tariff benefits, including duty referral while the goods remain on site, and duty inversion if the finished goods exiting the Freeport attract a lower tariff than their component parts. This strategic approach not only streamlines operations but also maximises cost savings and operational flexibility.

Utilising extensive expertise, our UK team manages clearance of all inbound and outbound distribution as well as accessing onsite warehousing facilities at the London Gateway Logistics Park. Benefiting from inbound warehousing and outbound services underpinned by leading technology, our customers have greater control and visibility of their cargo.

Mark Viner, UK Commercial Manager explains; “By storing goods close to customers, producers can quickly respond to market demand. We know some industries, such as food and beverages, are often driven by seasonal trends, and that peak times offer opportunities to maximise sales. We are essentially helping our customers manage stock and distribution to create a more responsive and efficient supply chain.

“Interestingly we are seeing a growing trend within the hospitality sector where global brands are leveraging the Freeport customs benefits, which works especially well when meeting the requirements of cruise ships.”

Sustainable logistics solutions every time

OUR unwavering commitment to steering global trade towards a resilient, efficient and sustainable future

is at the heart of everything we do. The global DP World sustainability strategy, ‘Our World, Our Future’ helps to drive our internal business as well as inform our customers’ operations. Our customers benefit from our extensive knowledge of embedding sustainable thinking across supply chains, while also taking advantage of our broad range of logistics services.

With an international presence served by a single distribution hub based in Central America, our customer struggled with longer transit times with increased shipping distances and higher freight costs to move their brand across the globe due to the reliance on multiple suppliers. This inefficiency not only slowed their supply chain but also hindered their ability to respond quickly to local market fluctuations, risking potential sales losses.

Our customer required a complementary distribution centre in Europe to improve lead times and a partner who could offer a one-stop-shop to provide smoother, simpler and more efficient supply chain and warehousing solutions.

By partnering with us, they streamlined their logistics operations, reducing transit times and shipping costs while enhancing their ability to quickly adapt to market demands. Our comprehensive, end-to-end supply chain solutions ensured faster, more efficient delivery,

Let’s think differently together

Our expert team is on hand to explore new ways to move and store your goods through a unique and proven approach. For more information about our supply chain consultation service contact DoneDifferently@ dpworld.com and quote ref. TSB2024.

ultimately boosting their market responsiveness and sales. By designing and implementing a tailored solution utilising our impressive UK infrastructure, the below annual savings will be recognised by our customer:

• 2,998,100 KM’s goods travelled

• 4,200 voyage days

• 617,000 KG’s CO2

Logistics Vice President said:

“We are confident that with the trajectory and logistical capacity of DP World, we are in better, more professional hands to achieve our objectives.”

Focus shifts to priority skills

GROWTH is the number one mission of this Government. Its new industrial strategy is central to that growth mission.

In its drive for growth, the industrial strategy will take advantage of the UK’s unique strengths and untapped potential, enabling world-leading services and manufacturing sectors to adapt and grow, and seizing opportunities to lead in new and emerging sectors.

The industrial strategy will focus on the sectors which offer the highest growth opportunity for the economy and business. Eight growth-driving sectors have been identified:

• advanced manufacturing

• clean energy industries

• creative industries

• defence

• digital and technologies

• financial services

• life sciences

• professional and business services.

Ambitious and targeted sector plans will be designed in partnership with business, devolved governments, regions, experts, and other stakeholders, through bespoke arrangements tailored to each sector.

The Government’s new approach includes a focus on developing skills in critical sectors identified by the newly formed Skills England. This should ensure the industrial strategy and decision to support growth are aligned clearly and coherently against the backdrop of a strong skill policy that is funded appropriately by the Skills and Growth Levy.

Skills

and Growth Levy

The new growth and skills levy, which replaces the existing

apprenticeships levy, will enable employers to access a broader range of high-quality training offers. Skills England will play a crucial role in determining which training will be eligible for the expanded levy, in line with its assessment of skills needs and future demand, and through extensive engagement with its partners in the skills system. Full report Invest 2035: the UK's modern industrial strategyGOV.UK

What does that mean for the skills system?

We are currently experiencing a period of uncertainty brought about by change: we know the destination of Skills England, but we don’t know the detail yet. Therefore, it is unlikely we will see changes to the Levy in the coming 6-9 months. So, maximise on your funds now! Use your funds to recruit to your workforce or upskill/reskill your current workforce.

The rich provision we have in the county will enable you to unlock the skills you need for your workforce and potential opportunities for growth.

Be sure to have a good read of our Skills Essex supplement available with the winter issue of BusinessTime in Essex to discover more about what providers across the county are offering.

Skills unlock talent by providing individuals with the tools and abilities needed to perform tasks effectively and efficiently.

Here are a few key reasons why skills are crucial in unlocking talent:

• enhanced performance: skills improve an individual’s ability to perform specific tasks, leading to better performance and productivity

• increased confidence: acquiring new skills boosts confidence, enabling individuals to take on new challenges and responsibilities

• adaptability: skilled individuals can adapt to new situations and technologies more easily, making them valuable assets in a rapidly changing job market

• innovation and creativity: with the right skills, individuals can think creatively and innovate, contributing to the growth and success of their organisations.

By focusing on skills development, both individuals and organisations can unlock hidden potential and achieve greater success.

As London-based companies ramp up their efforts to attract young talent from Essex, we are encouraging more local businesses to step up to stay competitive in the recruitment market. If you want to secure the brightest young minds in Essex, early engagement is essential. By partnering with the Essex Apprenticeship Hub, you can access a growing pool of motivated school leavers and establish a connection with future apprentices before businesses outside of Essex do.

Early intervention in apprenticeship recruitment is proving essential for attracting top talent and building a robust workforce pipeline. More than 350 summer 2025 school leavers are already registered with the Essex County Council Apprenticeship Hub and actively seeking apprenticeship opportunities—a number that’s expected to exceed 700 by February.

By engaging with these young people early, your business can:

• build a reliable talent pipeline well before your main recruitment drive

Joanne Giles, Essex Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) Project Director, looks at how the national skills picture is influencing and linking in with the local Essex picture.

• bridge the gap between education and employment, bringing fresh, skilled talent into your team

• strengthen your brand’s presence and commitment to the Essex community.

Many young people are exploring opportunities early, even with interest from summer 2026 leavers and their families. At present, however, most apprenticeship vacancies we promote through our Hub are London-based. Now is the time to show Essex’s young people that local businesses are eager to invest in them.

Get involved today! Learn how the Essex Apprenticeship Hub and incentives can support your early recruitment strategy and help your business shine.

Please contact Fiona Marriage at fiona.marriage@essex.gov.uk.

The Local Skills Improvement Plan is bringing about change and improvements to the skills provision you can access. Your voice and your needs are fundamental to the economy of Essex.

Your continued engagement with us is critical. Get in touch to help us bring about the changes you need.

Will increases in employment taxes lead to poorer customer service and the demise of small business?

QUITE rightly, there was a lot of complaining about the increase in Employers NICs after the recent budget.

Some businesses may see a reduction in their NICs, but the majority will see increases, hence the potential £20 billion plus it is expected to raise. As business owners, we know the Government will not look after us, so we have to look after ourselves. Control what we can control and forget about the rest. Unfortunately, I now have a serious concern about how this change will affect small businesses and their current competitive advantage which we like to call customer service.

Customer service has always been a vital component of small business success. However, the delivery of customer service has been evolving, driven mainly by a shrinking world, by which I mean using staff from overseas and of course by technological advancements.

Some of these changes have been driven by economic pressures or labour shortages but, in reality, these changes have been driven by the biggest companies seeking more profit to keep their investors happy. This transformation has significantly impacted on both the quality of customer service and the overall economic health of the UK but, perhaps, has also helped small business compete on service delivery.

Small businesses excel in providing exceptional customer service. They have

a more personal approach, with motivated team members invested in their company's success. This personal touch fosters much stronger customer relationships, as team members are encouraged to resolve issues. Small businesses also tend to have a more intimate understanding of their customers' needs, plus local knowledge allowing them to individually tailor their services.

Large corporations, on the other hand, struggle to maintain the same level of personalised service. As they grow, they adopt standardised processes and procedures to improve efficiency and, while this may streamline operations, it can also lead to a more impersonal customer experience. Many larger businesses have turned to overseas staff to increase profits. While this strategy can lower operational expenses, it can have detrimental consequences for customer service. Language barriers, cultural differences and time zone disparities inevitably cause communication issues. Moreover, overseas staff may lack the local knowledge and understanding of UK culture, which can lead to misunderstandings.

Recently, AI chatbots have emerged as a popular solution for customer service, particularly for routine enquiries. Whilst they can be efficient and costeffective, they often fall short in providing personalised attention and not actually answering the questions being asked. Complex issues still require human intervention, again most likely

Peter Disney, of Colchesterbased accountancy firm, Wood and Disney, argues the case (forcefully!) for fighting to reverse the Chancellor’s NIC change.

from someone from overseas, increasing frustration and dissatisfaction.

I have always been positive that small businesses with a team based in the UK can very effectively compete with bigger businesses when it comes to customer service and therefore be profitable and successful. However, there is already an Economic Ripple Effect, and this is likely to have been made worse by increasing the tax on employing human beings in the UK.

The increasing reliance on AI and overseas staff has already had significant economic implications. By outsourcing and automating tasks, large businesses can reduce labour costs leading to job losses in the UK. We have already seen skills previously held by UK employees fade away as we become more and more reliant on overseas. The use of AI will continue this trend, with jobs previously performed by humans disappearing. “Don’t worry about AI”, say those who are selling us AI-related services and products, “AI will just make you more efficient, remove mundane work etc”.

That may be true but, as we pay more and more for AIrelated products and services, there is an increased likelihood this money is not staying in the UK. As more money flows overseas, it weakens the UK's economy and reduces the tax take which also reduces our ability to invest in vital services and infrastructure.

It is this broader impact on the economy that is most worrying and therefore our Government should be looking for ways to encourage businesses to employ, train and support more UK employees. Unfortunately, in the latest Budget, the very opposite seems to have happened. The increase in Employers NIC may have a short-term benefit in increasing income for the Government but, in the long term, will be detrimental for the whole of the UK economy.

It will definitely be a disincentive to hire. It will reduce budgets to train and improve employee skills. It will speed up the switch to offshore teams driving down wages locally. It will speed up the use of AI.

So, coming full circle back to customer service, if small businesses cannot afford to employ more people then service levels will drop and the benefit of using a small local business compared to a global company will narrow. Consumers will eventually come to accept the lower service standards of bigger companies and/or the AI will become so good that it is indiscernible from a human. The tax take from employment taxes will go down with nothing to replace them as the global companies won’t pay their taxes here.

This is not one of those taxes we should just accept and we should continue to complain to our MPs until it is changed.

Four steps to better cyber security defence

BRITISH business owners don’t have to live in fear of a cyber security attack.

Yes, cybercrime is growing. 50% of businesses suffered a cyber breach or attack in the past year, according to The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024. The financial impact can be severe — the average total cost of a breach stands at £10,830 for medium and large businesses.

But a successful attack is not inevitable. By taking a proactive approach and following the steps below, you can significantly reduce your odds of becoming a victim of a cyber attack.

Step one: acceptance. Any business can be the victim of a cyber attack - even yours!

Malicious actors don’t care about your company’s size, sector or clients. They’re just looking to cause as much damage as possible in the hope you’ll cave to their ransom request.

Fortunately, these attacks are relatively unsophisticated, and you can protect your business with a series of accessible cyber hygiene initiatives.

Step two: take the initiative. Governmentbacked cyber security schemes like Cyber

Essentials and Cyber Assurance are a fantastic place to start. The technical controls you implement as part of these standards establish strong data protection measures and prevent the most common threats.

These certifications help you meet the demands of regulators, insurers, partners and customers, all of whom want your business to demonstrate it has the proper protocols to protect sensitive data.

Other benefits include free cyber insurance and the ability to bid on an increasing number of private and government contracts that require one or more of these credentials.

Step three: involve your employees. Cyber security must become part of your company culture. You can prevent a surprising number of incidents by educating employees on the threats your business faces and the importance of good cyber security practices.

Phishing, for example, is the most common cyber attack. But it’s one you can nullify by training staff to recognise the social engineering techniques criminals use and supporting them with a strong firewall and managed email screening.

Matt Sullivan, Managing Director of Southend-based Method IT, outlines how a proactive approach to cyber security can protect your business from most cyber security attacks.

Step four: enlist the help of an expert. There’s only so much business owners can do on their own. An IT support company can implement all of the above strategies and many more, like ransomware protection and business continuity plans.

As one of the county’s leading IT support companies and a Cyber Essentials and Cyber Assurance certification body, Method IT is wellplaced to offer tailored advice and services to protect your company. We can help you obtain cyber security certifications, run employee training sessions and provide ongoing support to keep your business secure in an everevolving threat landscape.

against cyber attacks

ASK yourself a question – have you ever been sent a phishing e-mail or a dodgy text where someone was trying to get you to pay money or submit your details? Chances are you have, and so has everybody you know.

Now ask yourself a question as a business owner or manager: what are you going to do when you come into work Monday morning, fire up your laptop only to find nothing works – you can’t access your email and all your files have disappeared? This happens to thousands of businesses every

“ALL

day. If you don’t know the answer, you need to do something today, not tomorrow.

Cyber-attacks against businesses are on the rise and there seems little sign this will change anytime soon. This year, for the first time, more than half of all reported crime will be online. This is a staggering increase from just a few years ago and is against a backdrop of huge underreporting. As well as the billions of pounds in stolen money, a cyber-attack can affect your company’s reputation, disrupt your service delivery and even have negative legal and regulatory consequences.

So, as the owner of a business

Cyber-attacks pose one of the biggest threats to your business. Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre Director and former Detective Superintendent, Paul Lopez, explains what you should be doing to minimise the risk.

or manager of a charity, with little spare money and even less spare time, what can you actually do? Fortunately, the Government and police have come together to set up a network of Cyber Resilience Centres (CRCs) across England and Wales. Funded by the Home Office and run by the police, they help local businesses, charities and the third sector to become more aware of the different cyber threats out there and to show organisations like yours how to reduce their risks online.

In spite of daily news stories in the media, and the evidence of their own lived experiences, the vast majority of the region’s

businesses are not prepared to deal with the growing impact associated with cybercrime. However, it is not all bad news – the centres offer business a wide range of free and affordable solutions to help them avoid becoming victims in the future.

Organisations joining the centre are immediately signed up to the free newsletter which keeps members up to date as to what is happening in the world of cyber and what they need to do to respond to it. A free online programme called Little Steps is offered to all members. It introduces you to the world

Businesses should have Cyber Insurance”!

Cyber now needs to be a PRIORITY for UK businesses of all sizes, robust security measures including Cyber Essentials accreditation are a great foundation but it just doesn’t account for human error - the highest percentage of cyber incidents!

A-Pro Associates have been cyber Insurance experts for over 10-years and are Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre Community Ambassadors!

Every quotation includes a non-intrusive FREE RISK ASSESSMENT of your network and domain as well as ACTIVE INSURANCE monitoring and the reassurance of 24/7/365 support for your protection!

We provide no-obligation quotes with great cover at affordable prices!

Cyber security a critical business priority

From page 47

of cyber in bite-sized chunks in a practical way that you can use to effect real positive change in your own business or charity. The centres also work with cyber security undergraduates and commercial cyber companies who can provide a range of other cyber services.

So, what key steps should you take today to help reduce your exposure to cybercrime and, importantly, reduce the impact on your business when you eventually become a victim?

1. Join the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre today and sign up to our free newsletter.

2. As part of the sign-up process, take advantage of a free chat with one of our officers or staff. We can

give you crucial information about what to do to protect your business. We may be able to provide you with free staff training (depending on your size and turnover).

3. Use strong passwords and enable multi-factor authentication on key accounts such as email and business-related social media.

4. Back up your data and make sure the back-up is offline, so if you lose all of your data due to a cyber-attack you will be better able to recover.

5. Make cyber a priority area in your business. Train your staff so they know what to look out for –employees remain the source of almost every cyber attack.

6. Look at you company insurance policy: does it cover cyber and does it expect minimum standards to be in place. All businesses should have some form of cyber cover.

7. Talk to your IT company, if you have one. Do you know what they cover and protect you from.

CYBER INSURANCE

8. Keep up to date with cyber threats. Membership of a CRC will help with this.

9. Have an incident response plan in place. What are you going to do in the event of an attack, for example, call your insurance company or IT support.

The risks associated with cybercrime are high and rising, making it crucial organisations adopt proactive measures to protect themselves. This will mean you can better safeguard your assets, maintain customer trust and ensure your business’s survival in an increasingly digital marketplace. In the end, cyber security is not just a technical issue: it is a critical business priority demanding attention at all levels of your company.

of businesses experienced a successful cyber-attack in 2023

of UK organisations ended up paying a ransom

First-party

Third-party Insurance Your Liability

Cyber-attacks

emails were exposed in 2023, affecting 1 in 5 internet users is the average time it takes to identify a cyber-attack

Understanding is the first step to protecting

AS a community ambassador for the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre, we understand the risks around cyber security and the fears businesses may have in terms of protecting themselves. This is why we are committed to educating and supporting local businesses.

We know cyber security can be a scary subject, and that is in no small part down to how disruptive IT security incidents are. After all, cyber risks represent the highest risk factor to a business.

But - and this is important - you can mitigate against incidents with proactive cyber risk management. What can you do? Here are some steps you can take to help you to prepare in the event of a breach, or to help protect you from breaches:

Identify weaknesses: conduct an audit to identify any vulnerabilities

in your company’s systems and processes. Understand where potential risks lie and then take action to reduce these risks, analyse potential threats, and the impacts these have on digital assets, including information technology infrastructure, networks, and data.

Assess risks: evaluate the likelihood and potential impact of each threat and prioritise these risks based on these findings.

Sensitive data: determine which data is most critical to your business. Protecting this information should be a priority.

Mitigate: implement security measures to protect information systems from cyberattacks, employee negligence and other digital and physical threats. These include email filtering, firewalls, antivirus and anti-malware software and effective back-up solutions.

Crisis management plan: develop a crisis management plan specifically for cyber incidents. This plan should outline roles, responsibilities, and limits for handling such events.

Incident response: prepare for incidents by having a clear process

in place. This includes identifying what’s happening, resolving the incident, reporting it to stakeholders, and learning from it.

In our view, there’s only one approach to advanced threat management that works, and that’s proactive security. As cyber threats evolve, it’s important your business evolves too. Remember, cyber risk management is an ongoing, iterative process, which allows companies to adapt to new developments in the threat landscape and within their own IT systems. Ensuring your business is protected is critical, so if your IT security isn’t up to scratch, act now before it’s too late.

Nick Baines, Managing Director of Colchester-based Agile Technical Solutions, stresses the importance of not burying your head in the sand when it comes to understanding cyber risks.

cyber security and communication challenges and propose costeffective solutions.

We also have our own local data centre in Colchester, where we can replicate your servers at a fraction of the cost of traditional IT disaster recovery solutions and DR systems.

At Agile, we help organisations achieve success, security and transformation through their IT. By working collaboratively with our clients, Agile Technical Solutions helps them to understand their IT,

If you need help with implementing any of the above or would like to know more about how we can help to protect you, and your business then please get in touch.

Supply chain risk is very real

SUPPLY chains have become one of the leading sources of security breaches for organisations worldwide.

Digitalisation means organisations of any size can now connect easily with suppliers, partners, or clients anywhere in the world. However, being digitally connected to so many third parties – and by extension all of their suppliers and partners – exponentially increases the cybersecurity risks to your business. It’s no longer enough simply to take care of your own cybersecurity. The safety and integrity of your data and systems now relies on the security postures of every organisation in your supply chain.

That means supply chain risk management is more important than ever – and more complex. Third-party risk management involves assessing the security processes and systems of your suppliers. But given the scope and complexity of modern supply chain networks – particularly for large organisations with hundreds or even thousands of third-party suppliers – CISOs need a way to identify the suppliers or vendors that are most critical to their business.

Triaging your supply chain can help you to focus your riskmanagement efforts on those suppliers or vendors that pose the greatest risk to your data, systems

and business operations.

There are three key factors to consider when classifying your suppliers.

How critical is the supplier to the every-day operation of your business? Can your business function without them? What is the supplier’s responsibility to you? How would the unavailability of their products or services impact your business? There have been many incidents in recent years when an attack on a critical supplier has caused significant financial and operational damage to its clients.

In 2023, for example, financial software provider ION was targeted by a ransomware attack, in which criminals locked the company’s data and demanded payment to release it. The attack affected the ION cleared derivative platform, used by many banks, hedge funds and brokers, which impacted trading operations in the EU and US.

Consider which suppliers have access to your, or your customer and client, data. What type of data can they access? Is it confidential or sensitive? Does it include protected health information or personally identifiable information (PII), such as addresses and dates of birth?

Classifying your data according to sensitivity enables you to identify which suppliers pose the most risk, due to their access to that data.

If data is lost or stolen through a cybersecurity breach, it can have devastating impacts. One such high-profile data breach was the exploitation of the MOVEit file-transfer software, used by thousands of organisations worldwide. This precipitated a

wave of cyberattacks and data breaches that impacted more than 2,500 organisations and more than 60 million people.

Think about which suppliers or vendors have direct access to your IT systems. How embedded are they in your business? Any cyberattack on these suppliers could give criminals a way into your systems through onward attacks. That means they could exfiltrate data, change access rights and passwords, grant permissions and alter vital operational systems.

Hijacked software updates are one of the most common forms of supply chain attack. There have been several highprofile cases recently, including the attack on the SolarWinds Orion platform. A “backdoor” programme was injected into the Orion IT update tool and was inadvertently downloaded by 18,000 customers. A similar attack on ASUS in 2018 took advantage of an automatic update feature to connect users to a domain controlled by hackers.

The classification of suppliers we recommend above correlates with the well-recognised CIA Triad – Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. These three elements of this well-known data protection model provide a useful basis for corroborating the classification of your suppliers and other critical third-parties.

Confidentiality: confidentiality relates to the privacy and security of your sensitive information, and how you prevent unauthorised access. Organisations need systems in place to ensure only the right people and suppliers have access to the data they need, protected by strong authentication and validation processes.

Integrity: integrity relates to the accuracy and completeness

James Alliband, Head of Marketing at London-based cyber security experts, Risk Ledger, urges business leaders to implement supply chain risk management.

of data, and your ability to prevent it from being corrupted. Organisations need to ensure data can’t be tampered with or modified, both in terms of where it is stored and when it is transmitted to others. It requires processes to prevent hackers from intercepting data as it flows both within your organisation and between your organisation and your suppliers.

Availability: finally, the availability pillar relates to your ability to access the information you require, when you need it. Consider how you would be impacted if a supplier suffered a cybersecurity breach, meaning you couldn’t access key data. Assess your interdependencies with suppliers and your reliance on them for data access. Think about mitigations to ensure business continuity if key suppliers are compromised.

According to UK government research, most enterprises only manage to carry out risk assurance on around 30% of their third-party suppliers. That figure falls to just10% for smaller organisations. Given those low percentages, it’s vital that any efforts at third-party risk management are focused on those suppliers that pose the greatest potential risk – because of their criticality to your business and their access to your data and systems. Focusing your resources on ensuring the security of those critical suppliers is an important first step in effective third-party risk management.

The Safer Essex Road Partnership launches business driver training

THE Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP) has launched its bespoke Business Driving in Essex training programme.

Driving is one of the highest risk activities that your employees can assume. More than a third of those killed or seriously injured on Essex roads were undertaking work trips. Therefore, organisations across Essex are being encouraged to train through the SERP’s Business Driving in Essex programme, to keep their employees safe on the road, protect organisational reputation and ensure compliance with current health and safety laws.

Business Driving in Essex training is about companies demonstrating road safety is more than just a tick box exercise and provides a ream of benefits, including better employee health and safety, enhanced efficiency, reduced likelihood of costly collisions and preventing increased insurance fees in the future.

Training is designed to equip drivers with the skills and knowledge to ensure their safety whilst going about their daily driving activities,

which will protect the future integrity of an organisation’s fleet.

The programme’s interactive workshops are growing in demand within the business community and, in addition, our trainers can offer in-vehicle, practical driver training. The team are on hand to provide expert guidance and cater to a variety of vehicles, including grey fleet, vans, lorries and minibuses. They will also review current driving policies within the company and if required, can help write one.

Drivers will be trained on a range of important topics relating to their daily duties behind the wheel, including hazard awareness, perception, recognising speed limits, driving at an appropriate speed and defensive driving.

The SERP’s Driver Improvement Manager, Sally Plail, said: “With a high rate of around 38% of serious collisions on Essex roads involving a

work journey, it is vital organisations take the initiative to undertake driver training, to keep their employees safer, and reduce organisational risk.”

She added: “Our team will visit your business onsite to discuss daily operations, as well as discuss any issues or concerns you might have, and create a customised programme, carefully tailored to the needs of your employees’ daily driving activities. The SERP is committed to offering help and support to any local businesses wishing to work on reducing the number of road casualties, as part of our strive towards Vision Zero. Business Driving in Essex training is essential to protect drivers and other road users from harm, and to fulfil the responsibility businesses must uphold in protecting their employees from future driving related incidents”.

Help your business comply with current legislation, saves costs, and improves performance: www.saferessexroads.org/ business-driving-in-essex/

To register your interest in Business Driving in Essex, email driverintervention@essex.gov.uk

Environmental policy shifts and their impact on businesses

THE autumn Budget presented by the Labour government represents a significant opportunity to address critical issues at the intersection of energy, the environment, and the legal and financial challenges facing small businesses.

These enterprises often bear the heaviest burden when it comes to adapting to regulatory changes and meeting financial requirements, particularly in light of environmental policies aimed at achieving sustainability goals.

During recent years, small businesses in the UK have faced mounting pressure to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations designed to lower carbon emissions and encourage sustainable practices. This impact is especially pronounced in sectors such as manufacturing, construction and retail, where energy consumption and waste management are pivotal concerns. Compliance with environmental standards is not merely a legal requirement, it can also have a profound effect on operating costs, reshaping budgeting priorities and influencing the long-term viability of these businesses. Many small enterprises are grappling with how best to navigate these regulations without compromising their profitability or growth prospects.

The Budget reflects a commitment to advancing environmental initiatives, earmarking considerable funds for projects in renewable energy, carbon reduction and clean technology. This Budget outlines several essential components, including:

Incentives for renewable energy adoption: to encourage small businesses to adopt renewable energy sources, the Budget introduces new grants and funding options. This includes support for the rollout of electric vehicles and an ambitious goal for the UK to achieve a fully clean power grid by 2030. The Government has also reaffirmed its commitment to large-scale projects such as Sizewell C, a nuclear power station, and the launch of Great British Energy, a state-owned clean energy company. By facilitating access to renewable energy, the budget seeks to reduce the financial barriers that often prevent small businesses from investing in sustainable practices.

Investment in energy efficiency and green technologies: the Budget includes extensive investments in emerging energy technologies such as carbon capture and storage and green hydrogen production from renewable sources. These initiatives aim to create a more sustainable infrastructure that small businesses can leverage to cut costs, reduce environmental impact and enhance their brand appeal. In her Budget speech, Chancellor Rachel Reeves underscored the role of the national wealth fund in investing in future industries, allocating £3.9 billion specifically to decarbonise industrial sectors. This funding will support the UK’s natural advantages and foster innovation in green technology, enabling small businesses to participate in and benefit from a rapidly evolving energy landscape.

Direct support for small businesses: the Budget provides £1.9 billion in support specifically tailored for small businesses. This includes:

• Corporate Tax Roadmap: the Government will cap the rate of Corporation Tax at 25%, the lowest in the G7, for the duration of the Parliament. This provides stability and predictability, enabling small businesses to plan and invest with greater confidence

• the Government will also maintain the Corporation Tax Small Profits Rate and marginal relief at their current rate and thresholds. The £1 million Annual Investment Allowance will also be kept in place to provide the certainty businesses need to invest

• access to finance: new measures are introduced to improve access to finance for small businesses, including guarantees for loans and support for fintech initiatives aimed at streamlining funding processes

• digital and skills investment: an additional focus on digital skills training and support for adopting new technologies will be emphasised. Grants for training programs are intended to help small business owners, and employees adapt to digital innovations that can enhance operational efficiency.

Challenges ahead: while the Budget offers promising opportunities, small businesses should remain mindful of the potential obstacles that may emerge as they adapt to the changes.

Competitive disparities: larger companies often have more resources at their disposal to adapt quickly to changes. This competitive disparity can disadvantage small businesses that may struggle to keep pace with larger competitors,

Tim Field, Partner and Head of the Commercial Department at leading Essex legal firm, Birkett Long, looks at the potential green impact of the Chancellor’s Budget.

potentially leading to market share losses.

Resource limitations: many small businesses operate with limited personnel and expertise. Navigating the legal intricacies of environmental regulations can be daunting, and without adequate knowledge, small business owners may risk non-compliance.

Real-world examples: consider, for instance, a small café that has opted to invest in solar energy for its premises. By leveraging available grants, the café is able to lower its initial investment costs and, over time, benefit from reduced energy expenses. These savings can translate into greater profitability, positioning the café as both environmentally conscious and financially robust - an appealing quality for ecominded customers.

Conversely, a small manufacturing firm may face substantial costs in shifting to renewable energy sources, potentially outweighing the benefits in the short term. Such scenarios highlight the delicate balance small businesses must maintain between pursuing new opportunities and managing financial risk.

While the Budget introduces important measures that could provide substantial support and growth opportunities for small businesses, it is vital for owners to remain vigilant about the accompanying challenges. By embracing sustainable practices and staying informed about available resources, small businesses can navigate this landscape effectively.

IN today's fast-evolving business landscape, partnering with academic institutions such as Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) can offer Essex businesses a significant edge.

With a range of collaboration models, ARU is wellequipped to help companies innovate, access fresh talent and build a competitive advantage. Consider the case of Felgains, a care equipment provider that turned to ARU to validate the effectiveness of their Raizer 2 chair, a portable lifting device. This collaboration provided the academic validation needed to confidently market their product.

Similarly, Lipolife partnered with ARU to improve its product design and scale up manufacturing processes for its liposomal supplements, benefiting from partial funding from Innovate UK.

These examples underscore the broad potential for Essex businesses to innovate and grow through ARU partnerships.

Many business professionals are eager to connect and collaborate with universities but often find themselves unsure of the various ways they can engage. ARU has created an Industry Engagement Model that businesses can use to explore and discuss potential collaborations with ARU.

Collaborative research: ARU’s collaborative research projects empower businesses to leverage academic expertise in tackling real-world challenges, developing

new products and improving processes. By partnering with ARU, companies can access cutting-edge research, gain strategic insights and potentially secure research funding to drive further innovation.

Community clinics and social responsibility: engaging with ARU’s clinics, such as the Law and Eye Clinics, allows businesses to support social initiatives while benefiting from the university’s expertise. These clinics offer affordable services to the community and provide practical experience for students—a win-win for all involved.

Apprenticeships: ARU’s apprenticeship programmes provide structured, industry-relevant training, allowing businesses to cultivate talent while taking advantage of government incentives. This makes ARU an ideal partner for cost-effective workforce development and growth.

Advisory boards and strategic insight: businesses can shape the future of ARU’s offerings by joining industry advisory boards. This involvement helps align academic programmes.

Internships and talent acquisition: through internships and placements, businesses gain access to fresh talent and innovative ideas, while students gain invaluable real-world experience. Additional engagement opportunities include job fairs and guest lectures.

Consulting services: ARU’s consulting services offer customized solutions to specific business challenges, from market analysis to product development. Contract research services ensure that projects are tailored to align with company goals, maximizing the

Mohammad Ali, Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), extols the business benefits of working with ARU.

value of academic expertise.

Technology transfer and licensing: with ARU’s technology transfer office, businesses can access and commercialize innovations developed at the university. Licensing agreements allow companies to integrate cutting-edge technologies, accelerating time-tomarket and strengthening their competitive position. Innovative facilities: state-of-the-art spaces like the Bloomberg Lab, Fab Lab, and Design Studio are available for businesses to use, fostering a collaborative environment for joint projects and creative endeavours. Through collaborative initiatives and strategic partnerships, Essex companies can drive growth, enhance competitiveness, and make meaningful contributions to the regional economy.

EAST ANGLIA

The costly impact of mediocre* leadership

BUDGET announcements, climate crisis, new President of the USA – changes are continuous and those who lead others must be expected to go beyond mere adequacy.

Those that perpetuate outdated, uninspired leadership styles need to recognise they may have unconsciously settled into inherited, complacent leadership habits, ultimately hindering their teams and organisations.

Can you recognise a mediocre leader?

Leaders are entrusted with a critical mission: to leave their organisations stronger than they found them. This includes leaving a lasting, positive legacy. People leaders, including managers and supervisors, need to rise to new, often unexpected, challenges. They must exemplify accountability and adopt behaviours and mindsets that foster a culture of responsibility both personally and collectively.

Making unpopular decisions, giving frank feedback to colleagues, and calling out unproductive performance are part of any leadership role. If a leader avoids doing the hard work, they weaken themselves, their team, and their company. Effective leadership, on the other hand, thrives on commitment and rigor.

Five characteristics of mediocre leaders

Mediocre leaders share certain traits that can become toxic to team dynamics and organisational health. Here are five key indicators:

1. Blames others: these leaders rarely take ownership of mistakes or failures, instead shifting blame to their team.

2. Selfish and un-serving: acting out of self-interest and entitlement, these leaders prioritise their needs over those of the team or organisation.

3. Uncivil and mean: known for public criticism and belittling behaviour, they often mistreat others, damaging morale and trust.

4. Inept and incompetent: making decisions without adequate knowledge or consideration, or avoiding make decisions, they leave a trail of poor outcomes.

5. Lack of initiative: avoiding hard work, they tend to deflect responsibility and resist going the extra mile for their teams.

These behaviours not only hinder a leader’s effectiveness—they actively harm the entire team’s performance, morale, and retention.

The true cost of mediocre leadership

Poor leadership naturally impacts the day-to-day morale of a team, and it can also threaten an organisation’s entire future, draining employee engagement, productivity, and innovation.

Effective leadership requires a conscious effort to build relationships across the organisation, fostering an environment where ideas can be shared freely, and collaboration drives success. Leaders who do not embody this ethos risk demotivating their teams and pushing high performers away. It is the bottom line where the results of Medicore Leadership are clearly seen.

Avoiding the mediocre leadership trap

Why do leaders fall into the trap of mediocrity? Below are common reasons cited by those who find themselves stuck:

1. Unclear expectations: without a clear understanding of what is expected, leaders often struggle to explain and then meet organisational goals.

2. Pressure to accept the role: some leaders may have felt pressured into leadership positions they were unprepared for.

3. Lack of role models: in the absence of strong mentors, leaders may lack a solid example to emulate.

4. Fear of failure: many leaders avoid taking risks due to a deep-seated fear of making mistakes.

5. Overloaded responsibilities: too many tasks can leave leaders burnt out, with little energy to invest in their team’s development.

82% of managers who enter management positions have not had any formal management and leadership training - they are "accidental managers"¹ Simone Robinson, Director at First Ascent Group, Cambridge, offers some tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of mediocre leadership.

6. Lack of development investment: when organisations fail to invest in leadership development, leaders lack the tools they need to thrive.

Breaking free from a culture of mediocrity

It is crucial for organisations to maintain a culture of accountability and to address mediocre or unaccountable leadership behaviour. It is equally important for organisations to invest in the personal development of their leaders – and future leaders, to break the mould of the ‘this is how I have always led’ leadership culture that may exist. Developing agility and resilience in leaders helps equip them for unpredictable challenges, making them more capable and confident in their roles.

Here are some steps organisations can take to foster strong, effective leaders:

1. Promote continuous development: provide, and encourage leaders to seek, learning opportunities and continuously update their skills. Leadership is not static, and neither should be the learning path for those at the helm.

2. Encourage ownership and accountability: instil a culture where leaders feel responsible for their outcomes and are encouraged to learn from mistakes rather than shift blame.

3. Support balanced workloads: help leaders manage responsibilities effectively, ensuring they have time to focus on team development rather than just task completion.

4. Provide mentorship programmes: offer mentorship and coaching to guide leaders and provide them with role models who exemplify strong leadership qualities.

¹ https://www.managers.org.uk

Running a business nowadays is just far too taxing for anyone’s good

AS an owner and operator of various businesses across sectors such as security, property and, now, a men’s fashion brand, and with 34 years hard graft and experience behind me, I look forward to another year with a sense of challenge.

There are so many factors to be considered when trying to run a business, such as import and export red tape and costs, the labour market, or rather lack of a labour market if we’re looking at suitability, employment costs and forever changing employment rights. Add to these the challenges of the property market, understanding tax legislation, pesky tenants, interest rate costs and the thought of working with trades when completing renovations and refits - if they turn up, that is!

There is a minefield of things to consider and worry about, not just for me but for all business owners. And it matters not if your turnover is £50k, or £5 million: the stresses and strains are much the same, just the scale differs as the more people you have to worry about.

There are, when I last counted, more than 5.5 million SMEs (small or medium size enterprises) within the United Kingdom. These are business employing between one (you) and 249 other fine individuals. This accounts for 61% of UK employment and 7% of all business turnover and is truly the backbone of the UK economy.

That said, why on earth do we get treated like third-rate citizens, totally disregarded and looked upon as unintelligent, selfish and greedy by our so-called elected members of parliament - people who, I should add, are placed in position and paid for by us, the hardworking taxpayers of the UK.

These elected souls fail miserably to represent the 61% hard-working souls and,

instead, inflict upon us illogical, unrealistic ideas and suggestions. They then expect people who have lived and breathed business for the greater good of many others, to meekly accept their ‘ideas’. This is not even about me. It’s the garage owners, the shopkeepers, the restauranteurs, the hairdressers, the plumbers, the builders (some are OK!) - the list is endless. These are the small local businesses we rely on in our everyday lives and who are responsible for the stability and growth of the United Kingdom – the very same growth this new government keeps bleating about,

It’s about time our elected representatives took stock and really listened to the voice of business. They’d do well to take a leaf from our book if they want to successfully run the UK economy. They need to look at how, why and when they take our hard-earned cash off all of us.

There’s a raft of taxes and business costs which need serious examination: income tax, national insurance (at many levels), VAT, business rates, insurance tax, import and export tax, corporation tax, capital gains tax, stamp duty, savings interest – the list is depressingly long. You can’t even bloody die without them wanting a piece (damn inheritance tax!) I may have missed a few, so please shout them out as you read this.

Do you think that there is a Christmas game they play at HMRC called guess the new tax name?

Our guest columnist to finish off 2024 in some style is Darren Hyde, Director at leading Essex security firm, VIP Security. Any fans of the Government may wish to look away now!

Perhaps the winner gets a pack of six first class stamps (how expensive are they nowadays?)

Us hard-pressed business owners pay an ever-increasing raft of taxes, but for what? We pay more and more each year and get less for it? How on earth does that make sense?

Why are we not holding these people to account? I, and I’m sure you, understand the need to pay our fair share, but come on? For what? To keep the feckless and benefit scammers at home? To pay for illegal migrants to stay in nice hotels? To pay for wars and world aid that has no bearing or reward for the United Kingdom? And to top it all, we pay for the Government. It’s ludicrous.

People, it’s time to raise those pitchforks and storm the Houses of Parliament to get answers. Oh, hang on, didn’t some American guy try that and get into a bit of trouble? Worked out well for him in the end, mind!

Perhaps an easier route is for us to speak to our MPs and councillors, and start barking back at them.

Holistic financial planning for business

RUNNING a business is full of highs and lows and, as a business owner, you’ve probably faced your fair share of both.

But what about your personal finances? Are they keeping up with your business journey? And should you combine both your personal and business finances into a single plan, rather than two separate silos?

I believe a combined approach to financial planning is essential for business owners because if one goes astray, so will the other.

The start-up phase: in the early days, most business owners don’t pay themselves much –you’re too focused on reinvesting in the business. But as things grow, you’ll need to start thinking about how to balance your salary with dividends and other income.

Protecting your business: noone wants to think about worstcase scenarios, but planning for them is essential. If a key person in the business, such as a director or

senior employee, can’t work due to illness or worse, the survival of your business may be at risk. This will often involve products that are designed specifically to mitigate risk. For example:

• Key Person Cover: this protects the business if a key employee or director becomes seriously ill or dies

• Shareholder Protection: if a shareholder dies, this can provide the funds to buy their shares –and help prevent dispute with their beneficiaries

• Relevant Life Cover: similar to death-in-service benefits for employees, but usually for small businesses

• Executive Income Protection: if a key employee can’t work for a long period, this helps cover their salary and keeps them on board

• Loan Protection: this provides businesses with the funds to repay commercial loans if a business owner dies or become critically ill. Each of these types of protection is designed to keep the business running smoothly and

protect your financial interests - even when life throws a curveball.

Managing the cash in your company: it might sound like a good problem to have, but too much cash in a trading company can jeopardise your business’s trading status. There are ways to manage this, to ensure your business is protected and your personal finances are factored into the solution.

Kyle McGill, Chartered Financial Planner with Amber River East Anglia, offers some insightful advice when it comes to joined-up business and personal finance.

Profit extraction: as the business grows, the question of how to take money out becomes more important. You want to make sure you’re doing it in a tax-efficient way and in a way that fits with your personal goals.

Exit strategy: whether you’re looking to pass the business down to family or planning to sell, thinking about your exit strategy early can make all the difference. Many business owners see their

company as their retirement pot, but without careful planning, a chunk of that pot could go to the taxman.

Business planning isn’t just about the business. It’s about you, your family, and your future. An holistic financial plan helps make sure your personal finances and business goals are aligned, so you get the most out of all your hard work.

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ARU professor to help shape UK business schools

AN Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) professor will help shape the future of UK business education after being elected as Vice Chair of the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS).

Professor Mohammad Ali, Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at ARU, will work closely with CABS chair Professor Stewart Robinson, Dean of Newcastle University Business School to address key sector challenges, including the global positioning of UK business schools.

The Chartered Association of Business Schools is the leading representative body for the UK’s business and management education sector, encompassing staff from all UK business schools. It is estimated that the UK’s business schools contribute £13bn to the national economy.

Professor Ali, who joined ARU in June 2023, said: “I am deeply honoured to serve as Vice Chair of the Chartered Association of Business Schools. It is a pivotal time for business education in the UK, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to further the mission of CABS and support the

success and innovation of our business schools.”

Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “I am delighted to congratulate Professor Mohammad Ali on his appointment as Vice Chair of the Chartered Association of Business Schools. He’s an outstanding leader and colleague, and I am sure he will have a significant impact in this role, advancing business education across the UK.”

Flora Hamilton, Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said: “We are delighted to welcome Professor

Mohammad Ali as our new Vice Chair. With his support and participation in our leadership we look forward to building on and utilising the engagement of our members to ensure the UK remains a leading destination for business education.”

Praevidus; with over two

Don’t let sharing your business become a New Year regret

DECISIONS made about your business can come back to haunt you like the ghosts of Christmas’s past, present and future, if you don’t think about how they might impact the way you run your business.

It is a well-known fact that many relationships breakdown as couples seek to make a fresh start to the year, and it is unlikely January 2025 will be any different.

As family solicitors, we regularly encounter situations where business owners are advised for legitimate reasons to involve their spouse or civil partner in their business, whether through employment, shares or a mixture of both. There is no doubt there are financial benefits to such arrangements, but understanding the implications of these decisions in the event of a divorce or civil partnership dissolution is crucial for your business, as it can affect not only the divorce settlement, but also your future business operation and its financial stability.

The breakdown of a relationship causes a range of emotions, as each party comes to terms with the impact of the situation on them. This can strain even the most harmonious of working couples, and impact on the efficient running of the business. However, in the more extreme situations, it can make the most basic of decisions seem impossible, damaging the business and creating a hostile working environment for you (and any other employees).

A spouse as an employee (most likely a director) is usually directly connected to the inner workings of the business, so will be privy to information about its future, which would ordinarily be treated in the strictest confidence. However, in a matrimonial context where there is an inherent duty of full and frank disclosure, this information is most likely disclosable if it helps to support a party’s case about the future of the business.

It may sound obvious, but if your spouse is an employee of the business, any decisions about their future role must be handled in accordance with employment law. This includes adhering to the terms of their employment contract (should one exist) and ensuring their fair treatment when decisions are made. Unilaterally terminating a partner’s employment will expose the business to legal liability and you to a potential claim for spousal maintenance.

In any event, just dealing with the employment aspect of your partner’s role in your business, may not prevent them from still having an involvement if they are also a shareholder.

Many people forget what it means in practice to be shareholder, which in a basic sense is as an owner of the business. The extent of this ownership will be based on the amount and type of shares which are held and will impact on the involvement in decisions and the entitlement to dividends.

The smaller the business the more impactful the division of shares can be, as you could find you are unable to pass simple decisions because you have

not retained enough control to enable you to do so. Deadlock situations can paralyse decision-making, hinder growth, and negatively affect the overall performance of the business.

However, what may have been simple to set up as a share transfer, is not so simple to resolve as the shares cannot be taken away on a whim. Instead, it will generally require negotiation as part of a financial settlement, where the transfer of shares is part of a wider financial settlement.

It is also important to understand dividends on shares are the entitlement of the shareholder, irrespective of how those dividends might have been treated during a relationship. It is not unusual to find parties are no longer willing to have their dividends paid into a joint account, especially when they are personally responsible for the tax on the dividend which has been declared in their name.

The extent to which your business is shared with your spouse or civil partner during your relationship could impact the view the Family Court may take about its future ownership and operation.

It is not unusual in matrimonial proceedings for a forensic accountant to assist with valuing the business and/ or individual shareholdings, as well as assessing liquidity to support a financial settlement, or determining salaries/dividends which could be drawn to

Joshua Coombe is a Partner and Caitriona Rafferty is a Solicitor in the family law department at Tees, with significant expertise in helping clients to protect their business in the event of a divorce or civil partnership dissolution.

provide for future maintenance payments. Business valuations can be complex, often requiring expert assessments to account for revenue, market conditions and growth potential, so the input of a party with knowledge of the internal management can have a significant impact.

In most family cases, the objective is to achieve a sharing of the matrimonial assets, to avoid the need for the parties to have to work together in the future. For a settlement, it would be possible to agree terms on which your partner will terminate their employment and agree the transfer of their shares, whilst ensuring personal commitments are given to underpin the obligations they may have in their employment contract to protect the business and not to divulge any trade secrets. This type of separation is not always possible, and where there will be a working relationship it is important to establish clear agreements about operational roles and responsibilities, whilst reviewing the division of shares and future voting rights to ensure that appropriate business decisions can be made.

Essex law firms feature The Legal 500 UK

ANUMBEER of Essex law firms have featured prominently in The Legal 500 UK Solicitors 2025 rankings – the leading guide to law firms and solicitors in the UK.

These rankings reflect the result of months of extensive analysis by The Legal 500 research team, which conduct thousands of interviews with private practice lawyers and read through tens of thousands of submissions in order to select the very best lawyers and law firms in the UK. As part of the research, the team also canvassed the views of more than 40,000 clients.

The guide offers all of those buying legal services in the UK reliable and up-to-date information on the very best firms and individuals operating in a dynamic legal market.

In addition to ranking law firms and listing leading individuals by location and practice to help in-house counsel make an informed choice, these rankings also allow law firms to benchmark their own performance against their peers.

Tees Law has six offices, in Chelmsford, Brentwood, Bishop’s Stortford, Cambridge, Royston and Saffron Walden. Tees are recommended in 21 practice areas with six departments rated in the Top Tier 1 category:

• Private client > Agriculture and estates

• Real estate > Commercial property: Essex

• Insurance > Personal injury and clinical negligence: claimant

• Private client > Contentious trusts and probate

The Private Wealth Law Firm

A Legal 500 recommended law firm:

“They really care about the client, and they are always a priority throughout.”

Independent testimonial, Legal 500 2025

„ Dispute Resolution – “A very solid choice for landlord/tenant work.”

„ Medical Negligence – “Many years of specialist experience and a good instinct, as well as expert knowledge.”

„ Personal Injury – “Attwaters routinely live up to their reputation for handling complex and innovative cases.”

„ Family Law – “Massive intelligence [and]

a first-class command of the law.”

„ Wills, Trusts & Probate – “One of the best Wills and Probate teams I’ve ever worked with.”

„ Town & Country Planning – “They are very knowledgeable and easy to work with.”

„ Court of Protection – “Efficient and straightforward advice.”

For the legal advice you deserve, get in touch today.

0330 221 8855 | enquiries@attwaters.co.uk www.attwatersjamesonhill.co.uk

Loughton Hertford Ware Harlow (by appointment only) London (by appointment only)

Attwaters Jameson Hill is authorised and

• Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate: Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx

• Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate: Essex

Catherine Mowat is listed in the Hall of Fame, while seven leading partners, five next-generation partners and eight leading associates are recognised in the 2025 list. With offices in Basildon, Chelmsford and Colchester and employing some 170 staff, Birkett Long secured top tier rankings across various practice areas. The firm has been ranked in Tier 1 for four practice areas, Tier 2 for four areas, Tier 3 for four areas, and Tier 4 for one area. Additionally, Birkett Long has one Hall of Fame member, five Leading Partners, four Next Generation Partners, and four Leading Associates acknowledged in this year’s rankings.

0330 221 8855 | enquiries@attwaters.co.uk | www.attwatersjamesonhill.co.uk

feature highly in rankings

This achievement highlights the firm’s dedication to delivering exceptional legal services, with clients consistently praising Birkett Long’s personal approach, tailored solutions, and deep understanding of their businesses.

Recognitions by The Legal 500 UK 2025:

• Hall of Fame: Claire Read

• Leading Partners: Peter Allen, Melanie Bache, Emma Wraight, Philip Hoddell, Julie Temple, Kevin Sullivan, Jonathan Perlmutter

• Next Generation Partners: Tim Field, Lisa Collins, Ben Parmenter, Thomas Emmett

• Leading Associates: Perdeep Grewal, Suryen Nullatamby, Emma Coke, Francesca Cozens

The Legal 500 UK 2025 rankings confirm Birkett Long LLP as a leader in the legal profession, renowned for providing expert, tailored services across various sectors. One client summarised the firm’s value, saying, Birkett Long delivers not just legal services but also a true partnership that understands and addresses the unique challenges its clients face.

With strategically located offices in Colchester and Clacton, Thompson Smith and Puxon has been commended in nine practice areas across its two offices, with nine lawyers recognised as either ‘Leading Individuals’ or ‘Next Generation Partners’.

TSP’s ‘Next Generation Partners’ include Directors Kerry Addison (Commercial Property), Robert Ashworth (Wills & Estates) and Senior Associate Nicola Healy (Wills & Estates) with corporate powerhouse Director Caroline Nicholls (Corporate & Commercial) also joining this distinguished cohort.

In addition to this, TSP Directors Fiona Ashworth (Wills & Estates), Jolyon Berry (Employment), Mary Anne Fedeyko (Corporate & Commercial) and Stephen Firmin (Commercial Property) are all ranked as ‘Leading Partners’ in their respective practice areas for another consecutive year, with Louise Margiotta (Family) also making a well-deserved entry into the ‘Leading Partners’ category.

The results are released in the wake of a huge period of growth for the firm, as CEO Sean Stuttaford explains. “With ten new

additions to the firm in the last month alone that have seen our lawyer numbers boosted by 20%, we have significantly increased our presence in the local market, positioning ourselves as a modern and commerciallyfocused legal firm. As we continue to set the foundations for the next five years, these strong rankings are a reminder that we remain on course for success.”

Senior Partner, Mary Anne Fedeyko, said: “We are delighted that The Legal 500 continues to acknowledge not only the quality of our service, but also the breadth and depth of talent within the firm. Our business services offering remains strong, providing a comprehensive and holistic approach to client needs. Indeed, the firm's performance reflects sustained improvement across key areas.”

Aquabridge Law has offices in Essex and Suffolk. Praised by clients for its ‘excellent personal service’, Aquabridge specialises in the sale and acquisitions of ownermanaged businesses, and is noted for its broad capabilities in financing and corporate governance, in addition to the structuring of shareholdings. The team is jointly led by Keith Vincent and Simon Letts, who are both recommended for their extensive experience in share and business sales, management buyouts, and the establishment of employee ownership trusts. Vincent is also noted for his strong expertise in transport and logistics sector. The practice is well-supported by Osman Imtiaz, who is well-versed in M&A, corporate governance, and commercial contracting matters.

The firm was highly praised by clients: Aquabridge are brilliant at corporate deals, and very pragmatic and good at problem-solving to get deals over the line, said one. Simon Letts and Keith Vincentare both outstanding, always available and pragmatic, said another. Another added, exceptional service and response times.

Attwaters Jameson Hill , which has five offices across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, saw many individual lawyers and entire departments recognised and praised for their specialist experience, practical approach and commitment to client care.

Its Town & Country Planning practice, headed by Leading Partner Salvatore Amico,

retained its prestigious Tier 2 ranking. The Wills, Trusts & Probate team, led by Senior Partner Andrew Flannagan, is knowledgeable, experienced, and frequently look at modern and up-to-date ways to get problems solved.

Its Court of Protection department, which is headed by Lesley-Ann, was also described as providing “efficient and straightforward advice”, with Lesley-Ann noted particularly for her vast knowledge and experience. The Medical Negligence team received praise for its many years of specialist experience and a good instinct, as well as expert knowledge. Associate, Rebecca Pilgrim, was noted as a key name to note within in the practice.

Its Family Law team was once again in the spotlight for the breadth of its practice, with the directory praising Practice Head, Belinda Strange, as excellent. Consultant Joyti Henchie was commended, with one client stating Joyti Henchie is simply amazing. I have never known a more complete lawyer. She literally has everything you would want. Massive intelligence, a first-class command of the law, and you really feel she is working with you, not for you. I could not recommend her highly enough and have in fact referred anyone that has asked me, to her.

The Dispute Resolution team, headed up by Partner Leanne Philp, was said to be a very solid choice for landlord/tenant work, while Associate Prabhi Ghura was noted for her very hands-on approach, leaving no stone of a case unturned.

Managing Partner, Sheri-Anne Mizon, said: “We have invested heavily in our team in recent years to ensure we have the talent and resources to provide our clients with a truly top-tier service. Our Service Pledge means that clients can expect excellent treatment from every single lawyer, no matter what department they are dealing with.”

Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP sustains top ranking in 2025 Legal 500

FISHER Jones Greenwood (FJG), which has offices across Essex and Suffolk, has reinforced its status as one of the eastern region’s top law firms in the 2025 Legal 500 rankings.

For the 11th consecutive year, the Family Law team, now led by Partner Charlotte Knappett following Simon Osborn’s retirement earlier this year, has retained top-level Tier 1 status - an incredible accomplishment that underscores their continued excellence.

FJG has also received recommendations in six other practice areas:

• Commercial Litigation (Tier 2) –Led by Partner Rhian Lowe

• Personal Injury (Tier 3) – Also led by Rhian Lowe

• Immigration (Tier 3) – Led by Partner Ashlee Campbell

• Commercial Property (Tier 3) –Led by Partner Keeley Miller

• Personal Tax, Trusts, and Probate (Tier 3) – Led by Partner Gregory Johns

• Corporate and Commercial (Tier 4) – Led by Partner Ashton Carter.

As well as recognising the firm’s broader expertise, the latest rankings also acknowledge specific individuals within the firm – one as Leading Partner and five others as Next Generation Partners – lawyers who have been partners for fewer

than five years - as follows:

• Tony Fisher, Chair (Commercial Litigation) –Leading Partner

• Rachel Earnshaw, Partner (Family Law) – Next Generation Partner

• Ashlee Campbell, Partner and Head of Immigration – Next Generation Partner

• Ashton Carter, Partner and Head of Commercial Law – Next Generation Partner

• Keeley Miller, Partner and Head of Commercial Property – Next Generation Partner

• Leon Pascall, Partner and Assistant Head of Commercial Property – Next Generation Partner.

These individual recognitions

reflect the firm’s commitment to nurturing talent, ensuring clients benefit from the expertise of upand-coming legal professionals.

Commenting on FJG’s success, CEO Paula Fowler said: “In the past 18 months, we have made strategic promotions to enhance client services and foster talent within the firm. We are beginning to see the positive impact of these efforts reflected in our rankings and business growth, and we look forward to continuing to deliver excellence in the years ahead, serving our clients with integrity and care. We are immensely grateful to our clients for their ongoing trust and support, and for the dedication of our staff.”

Paula Fowler, CEO at Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP.

Facing up to the NIC challenge

THE first Labour Budget in 14 years was supposedly billed as being one to drive growth, though it is hard to see how this will come about.

From next April, businesses face increased costs of employing people with the rise in the national minimum wage to £12.21 an hour and employers’ national insurance from 13.8% to 15%. Furthermore, the threshold for which employees’ earnings are liable for employers’ NIC will drop from £9,100 to £5,000.

Whilst those employers are set to benefit from the change in the amount of employers’ allowance that they can deduct from their bill from £5,000 to £10,000, the overall cost for most is set to rise significantly.

By way of an illustration, a business employing 100 workers working 40-hour weeks at minimum wage, from next year will face an extra £103,000 in NI and an extra £160,000 in salary. So, a total extra cost of £263,000, though if you are a company the corporation tax relief available brings it down to £197,000.

It is widely reported and acknowledged

Measures to manage the impact of the hike in employers NIC are likely to include consideration to reducing head count, reducing hours and the staffing mix, replacing labour with technology and holding off recruitment and even a freeze on pay or reduced pay awards in 2025.

Perhaps one of the more common approaches to soften the blow is offering a salary sacrifice scheme, whereby employees agree to reduce their gross salary in exchange for a non-cash benefit, such as additional pension contributions, tech schemes, electric vehicle schemes or bike-to-work schemes. However, care must be taken to ensure the overall package remains attractive to employees.

For those employees who are company directors, it may be worth considering looking at alternative remuneration and paying a portion of their income as dividends instead of salary, as dividends are not subject to NICs. However, this approach requires the business to be profitable to make such payments.

For others it might be a good time to look at taking on an apprentice, as employers who

You might think your payroll is high now, but it is going to get even higher next April, as Michael Greene, Partner Streets Whittles Chartered Accountants, explains.

Whilst April may seem some time off, all employers and especially those with a larger number of employees and/or those for whom their payroll is the greatest cost, will need to assess and consider the impact of the pending changes.

Assessing the potential increase in both your wage and NIC bills is paramount, as is talking

Accountants Colchester

Do you have a healthy working environment?

ANEW report from the Royal Society for Public Health found nearly half (47%) of the UK workforce is without access to essential health support, such as routine health checks or flu vaccinations.

education and voluntary sectors. Our training solutions are based on the most current research and data from global sources and align with both UK and EU health agendas.

We are a team of pioneers committed to developing wellbeing interventions tailored to each setting and the individuals who participate. Our programmes

The report also concludes every employer can influence the health and wellbeing of their organisation in a more positive way.

Workplace stress and mental health issues are real challenges for many people and can affect performance, attendance and productivity at all levels in an organisation.

Understanding the causes of health inequalities can enable employers to create an organisational culture which supports teams to perform to their maximum potential- and making a business work better.

At Health Talks, we pride ourselves on offering evidencebased training and consultancy programmes with a flexible and innovative approach to suit all budgets in the public, private,

are thoroughly evaluated to ensure a measurable impact.

The health and wellbeing of the workforce is everyone’s responsibility and as employees and employers we can work together to create a better working environment for all. Sometimes it is the little things which can make big changes- and when working with organisations on a consultancy basis, we start with consultation- to find out what works and what doesn’t as a first step. We involve other agencies too- recognising that developing better links between organisations and health improvement services can enhance day to day working life.

Developing a network of Workplace Health Ambassadors is our way of sharing positive health messages throughout the business

community. As a small business ourselves, based in Essex but with a UK wide footprint, we understand the often-competing priorities faced by the workforceof families, teams, daily life- and the job itself. Using an evidencebased approach based on health psychology we can support your business to develop better people skills and grow a happier, healthier workforce.

Workplace Health Ambassador (WHA) training equips learners with:

• knowledge to support colleagues and have healthy conversations

• tools to promote positive health & wellbeing

• resources for signposting to relevant support services

• communication techniques to engage every level of the workforce.

The course is accredited and learners will receive a Royal Society for Public Health Level 1 Award in Health Awareness. It is delivered in one half day online workshop by our highly skilled facilitator, a qualified public health professional. This interactive workshop also provides a toolkit of resources for learners to use on an ongoing basis as they take up the role of a Workplace Health Ambassador.

This course will help learners:

• analyse the influence of individual behaviour change on personal well-being and worklife balance to develop better working practices

• increase work productivity and attendance by promoting a healthier workplace culture

Alix Sheppard, Director at Colchester-based public health consultancy, Health Talks, explains how you can create a healthier - and more productive - workforce.

• promote awareness of key health messages, including nutrition, sleep hygiene, alcohol, menopause, exercise and mental well-being

• enhance health literacy among learners and their work communities by designing and developing informative and engaging health promotion campaigns

• establish a network of Workplace Ambassadors to amplify public health messages and drive behaviour change

• identify opportunities for improving health and wellbeing within the workplace to align with company policies and enhance overall organisational performance.

One very happy client said: “Our jobs are all desk-based and there is a culture of “us and them” when it comes to the senior management team. Doing the WHA role has enabled me to improve communications between the different levels of the organisation, we feel listened to, part of the same team and our working life is much improved.”

Scan QR code to go to our website for all our Course and Training Consultancy.

A decade of investing in safer communities

TEN years ago, a unique initiative was launched in Essex to seize assets acquired by criminals and turn them into something positive for the county.

Essex Police launched the Proceeds of Crime Scheme with the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF) in 2014.

The scheme is the only one of its kind in the UK and, since it was set up, Essex Police has been able to channel £750,000 into the project from assets confiscated from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

ECF has used the monies to match eligible donations on a two to one basis and establish charitable funds that currently have a combined value of £1.5 million.

These invested funds enable grants to be given away year on year and, to date, £360,000 has been awarded to local charities and voluntary groups involved in creating safer communities.

Ben-Julian Harrington QPM, Chief Constable at Essex Police, said: “By confiscating the proceeds of criminal activity, we are making it harder than ever to profit from crime. Overall, crime is falling in Essex, but we can’t work alone, and we rely on the support of all our communities to keep that trend going.

“Whether it’s supporting victims, getting children and young people into sport, or giving families a safe place to stay, I’ve seen the extraordinary work of local charities. Together, we are making our county an even safer place to live and work.”

Local charities that have received support from funds set up with matched funding from the Proceeds of Crime Scheme include:

Inclusion Ventures, a charity working at the heart of Jaywick and west Clacton and helping to improve the lives of vulnerable young people. By providing a range of support and offering them positive activities, Inclusion Ventures helps to divert the young people away from a potential life of antisocial behaviour and crime and inspire them to have a brighter future.

As well as a breakfast club and drop-in sessions, the charity runs after-school activities to improve the physical health, emotional health and wellbeing, of the young people as well as helping them discover a wider perspective and positive future.

LND provides vital early intervention and long-term support, directly addressing the often-overlooked impact of absent fathers on young men. They offer a varied programme of activities that are designed to foster personal growth and resilience. Participants engage in personal development group work mentoring, outdoor activities, practical life-skills training, community volunteering, and peer mentoring.

LND received £6,890 from community safety focussed funds set up with ECF, to help deliver a reading mentor reading programme in Tendring primary schools.

vulnerabilities of crime and exploitation.

UTurn also wants to increase the number of young females seeking support and reporting crime, as well as encouraging healthy behaviours and attitudes to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of the girls, and future prospects.

Other charities receiving funds established with support from the Proceeds of Crime Scheme include:

• SOS Rape Crisis who received £6,000 to support survivors of sexual abuse in South East Essex

• The Ben Kinsella Trust received £2,200 to deliver knife crime prevention workshops to secondary schools and youth groups in Colchester, Basildon and Southend Central.

• The Change Project, based in Chelmsford who received £2,000 for their work with perpetrators and survivors of domestic abuse across Essex

father figure.

UTurn4Support educates young people on knife awareness, county lines and other related youth violence. They received £7,458 from community safety funds with ECF that is enabling them to deliver a programme of oneto-one mentoring and an additional sporting element, to help inform and protect young females against the

• Youth Enquiry Service received £6,000 to help increase the capacity of a homeless and housing support service for young people in the Colchester and Tendring area.

If you want to find out more about the Proceeds of Crime Matched Funding Scheme and make a donation, please contact Jo Macaulay at ECF on 01245 355947 or by email jo@essexcf. org.uk.

Lads Need Dads (LND) in Tendring aims to prevent and address the challenges faced by boys aged 10-18 growing up without a

The Lads Need Dads Reading Mentor Programme is empowering boys to reach their potential, reducing the risk of underachievement.

Inclusion Ventures in Clacton supports and inspires young people to have brighter futures

Budget changes mean lots of food for thought for farmers

UNDER current legislation, qualifying assets can attract up to 100% relief from Inheritance Tax (IHT) with no overall cap on how much relief can be claimed.

The proposed reform of Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) from April 2026 means:

• there will be a cap of £1 million per person on combined claims for APR/BPR

• an effective IHT rate of 20% on the value of assets qualifying for APR/BPR in excess of £1 million.

The Chancellor also announced an extension of the freeze on both the main and residence nil-rate bands until 2030, rather than 2028.

These reforms will affect many businesses, particularly in the farming sector. The good news is, with careful planning and financial advice, many families and businesses will be able to mitigate additional taxes under the new rules.

Here is an overview of the proposed changes:

The £1 million allowance is not expected to be transferable between spouses.

It will be allocated against property qualifying for 100% relief only – so assets that only qualify for 50% relief under the normal rules will not count towards the £1 million limit.

The allowance will apply to property in the estate at death together with taxable gifts made in the 7 years prior to death.

Where multiple assets qualify for 100% relief, the allowance will be allocated proportionately based on value.

The allowance also applies to lifetime transfers which trigger an immediate IHT charge, such as gifts onto a trust.

The £1 million APR/BPR allowance is in addition to an individual’s Nil Rate Band of £325,000 and (for estates below a certain level) Residence Nil Rate Band of £175,000.

Therefore, with careful planning, a married couple could pass assets qualifying for APR and/or BPR worth up to £3 million without an IHT liability arising.

It must be stressed this does require very detailed planning. For example, if an individual makes a gift before April 6 2026 and dies after April 2026 but within seven years of the gift, the gift will be brought into the deceased’s death estate and taxed under the new rules rather than the old rules.

Draft legislation should arrive in early 2025, and this will be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny before making its way into a Finance Act.

While we await the detailed legislation, we’ve put together a case study to explore initial thoughts on actions that could be taken to manage the position of those affected. It’s representative of many farmers who will be worried about these new rules and can be viewed at www.scruttonbland.co.uk/ news-views/agricultural-property-reliefexplained-budget-autumn-2024/

The case study explores a fictional farming family and looks at steps which could be used to avoid IHT such as:

• a lifetime gift to children

• transfer of assets to a trust

• incorporation of the business.

ON October 30, the new Labour Government announced reforms to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) which will affect a number of farming businesses. Jack Deal, Business Advisory Partner at Scrutton Bland, discusses the changes and their impact in his latest insight.

It also explores funding strategies in cases where the IHT cannot be avoided:

• borrowing to fund IHT

• selling assets

• insurance policies.

What are the changes likely to mean for those affected?

The upcoming changes will significantly impact the IHT payable by individuals owning businesses and agricultural land worth in excess of £1million.

Add this to DEFRA’s announcement of the near total phase out of Basic Payment Scheme payments in 2025, and we anticipate a surge in landowners and farmers considering whether they can avoid an IHT liability and, if not, whether they can afford to continue farming with the burden of such a liability.

Careful planning is required and each family’s circumstances must be carefully considered. For example, for some people transferring assets to the next generation during their lifetime will be attractive. However, with the probate base cost uplift surviving the Budget, this could result in higher Capital Gains Tax for the next generation if the assets are eventually sold.

What should I do now?

Each family and business’s circumstances are different and tailored advice is required to navigate the changes announced in the Autumn Budget. Please take time to speak to your advisers to ensure that the advice is thoroughly understood and adapted to your situation. Often IHT planning involves a seven-year window until it is fully effective – meaning the sooner you act, the better.

Freeport East: a catalyst for growth and innovation in Essex

By Freeport East Chief Executive, Steve Beel

THERE was much to digest following the autumn Budget.

One item of note was the Government confirmed its commitment to the UK Freeports programme.

For businesses, investors, and local communities across the East of England, this means Freeport East is moving full steam ahead in driving economic opportunities, attracting investment and advancing innovation.

While freeports may still be a new concept to some, or are inaccurately compared to the very different freeport models previously used in the UK, our purpose is straightforward. Freeport East is dedicated to maximising sustainable economic growth, supporting ambitious businesses and bringing economic development to the region —all while positioning Freeport East, and the wider Essex and Suffolk region, as a leader in green energy, sustainability and decarbonisation.

As one of twelve designated freeports in the UK, Freeport East is anchored by its international maritime gateways. The ports of Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich carry a significant proportion of trade in and out of the UK and represent a prime opportunity for Freeport East to drive growth across the local area and beyond. In total, our area of operation covers a diverse footprint that includes Harwich, Clacton, Colchester, Ipswich, Felixstowe, Sudbury and Stowmarket.

Freeport East aims to build ambitious strategic partnerships, create well-paid, high-quality jobs, and foster innovation and productivity to benefit our local economy. To accomplish these goals, we have established three main development sites in Harwich, Felixstowe and Stowmarket. These sites are uniquely positioned to drive both national and international interest through their highly strategic locations, a commitment to enhancing the clean energy and other sustainability-related sectors, supportive investments in skills and innovation, a special customs model that facilitates trade and a combination of financial incentives.

We are already seeing exciting results as Freeport East becomes a brand and location that is recognised in key markets across the

UK and overseas. For example, The Range, a British retail giant, is establishing a new logistics base at our Gateway 14 site near Stowmarket, creating 1,600 jobs in the process. An engineering company in Harwich is thriving, exporting 50% of its manufactured goods to Europe. The energy sector is showing robust interest, with companies such as ScottishPower and RWE exploring ways to develop cleaner fuels tailored for the logistics and maritime industries. Additionally, the Port of Harwich is experiencing growth in vessel activities related to offshore wind and attracting increasing interest from investors as a potential site for new manufacturing ventures.

Our growing international reputation is bolstered by support from the UK Embassy network, which is actively promoting Freeport East to overseas investors. The recognition and reach provided by government-backed initiatives has already helped to elevate Freeport East’s visibility on the global stage, attracting investors and partnerships that are crucial to the region’s long-term growth. For example, Rux Energy, an Australian start-up, specialising in green hydrogen technology, has selected Freeport East as its European base. Germany-based Bauder are two market-leading international businesses that specialise in green building materials and are investing in new facilities in our Stowmarket site. Freeport East is also a core partner in a green innovation programme in India that targets SMEs in both countries. This all demonstrates our ability to attract forwardthinking companies to East Anglia.

For Essex businesses, Freeport East represents much more than a logistical or manufacturing hub. It is a powerful opportunity to gain new exposure, participate in expanding industries, and

access funding that supports growth, innovation and sustainability. Freeport East also adds an important voice to make the case for the critical transport, skills and energy investments we need from central government.

With our focus on clean energy, Freeport East opens up new supply chain opportunities, enabling businesses to become integral parts of the green economy. Furthermore, companies in Essex benefit from the freeport’s direct engagement with global businesses, increasing access to both national and international markets.

Freeport East is not only enticing new businesses to the area but actively supporting local ones too. We recently launched nearly £1million in funding to help local businesses grow within key high-potential areas, such as cleaner fuels, robotics, artificial intelligence and agritech. Additionally, we allocated funds to broader innovation and skills programmes that will support a range of smaller businesses to succeed, equipping them with the resources to upscale, integrate advanced technologies, and develop workforce skills that align with the evolving demands of the economy.

We are bringing together new partnerships to drive local growth. In Harwich, our emerging Clean Energy and Maritime Innovation Cluster is helping unite local businesses to support the economic development of the town, maximising its rich history and strategic location to shift into high growth sectors of the future.

Beyond immediate business advantages, Freeport East serves as a long-term commitment to the prosperity of the region. As the freeport attracts more investment, the local community can gain access to improved infrastructure, new career paths, and a stronger economic base that will drive sustained growth. In fact, our role as a driver of innovation and skills development means Essex’s workforce will be better prepared for future industries, from digital manufacturing to renewable energy.

To find out the latest news, events and advancements from Freeport East, please visit our website - www.freeporteast.com

A gateway to business success and collaboration

IN 2024, the University of Essex’s Knowledge Gateway research and technology park has attracted an exciting array of high-profile tenants, showcasing its growing appeal as a premier business destination.

The landmark Clingoe House development within the Knowledge Gateway’s Parkside Office Village has welcomed multinational tech company MSX International, known for its innovative approach to business process outsourcing; Milestone Infrastructure, the principal contractor for the first phase of Colchester's £99m governmentfunded Rapid Transport System; and the University's Health, Wellbeing and Care Hub.

For a decade, the Knowledge Gateway has been transforming the business landscape, offering

a unique blend of academic expertise and entrepreneurial spirit.

Set within 200 acres of mature parkland and providing access to university amenities, it has established itself as an exceptional business environment and a vital hub for technology and innovation in the East of England.

Jamie Burns, Head of Operations at the University of Essex, is looking forward to further growth in 2025: "Business leaders in the region seem to have realised the unique nature of what we offer.

“In addition to contemporary, high-quality office space, we provide campus co-location and opportunities to build links with the university, from research and development through to accessing our student and graduate talent.

“There has been a lot of interest in the office space still available at Parkside. We aim to attract tenants

who will complement our existing community and we are working closely with our agents, Whybrow and Carter Jonas, to develop a strong pipeline of businesses eager to join us.”

It is this collaborative environment that attracted MSUK, a national charity supporting people affected by multiple sclerosis, which moved onto the Knowledge Gateway in 2021.

Amy Woolf, CEO of MS-UK and a University of Essex graduate, praised the location. She said: "While the modern facilities, natural surroundings, accessibility and amenities are an enormous benefit to the charity, the Knowledge Gateway provides so much more than just a location – it is also a supportive ecosystem."

Neville Pearson, founder of Adauxi Accountancy Practice, who moved his business to the Knowledge Gateway in early 2023, echoes this sentiment.

"Moving here was a game-changer. The energy, the space, and the potential for collaboration - it all aligns with what my business represents."

Parkside offers a range of spaces for businesses at different stages of growth. Clingoe House has flexible office space available to let from 1,873 sq ft to 26,932 sq ft.

As we look towards 2025 and beyond, the Knowledge Gateway is set to further cement its position as the East of England's leading hub for innovation and collaboration. To join the thriving business community and explore available office spaces, please contact Jamie Burns on 01206 872849.

Jamie Burns.

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF INNOVATION AND COMMUNITY

This year, we celebrated a huge milestone at Innovation Centre—our 5th Anniversary!

It’s been an incredible journey of growth, creativity, and collaboration, and we couldn't be more excited to share this moment with everyone who has been part of our story.

From the very beginning, our vision has been to create a vibrant, enthusiastic, and supportive community where businesses can grow, innovate, and thrive. Fast forward five years, and we've seen that vision come to life in ways we couldn't have imagined. Together, we've built something truly special—and we couldn’t have done it without the people who’ve supported us every step of the way.

We’re not just a place to work—we’re a community. And this community is what makes us truly unique. The connections between our businesses, and the University are at the heart of everything we do. It’s that sense of collaboration, of sharing ideas, and of lifting each other up that makes our Innovation Centre more than just an office space.

One of the things we’re most proud of is the incredible businesses that have called our Innovation Centre home. Over the years, we've had the privilege of supporting a diverse range of companies —from tech startups to creative agencies to social enterprises—all with one thing in common: a passion for innovation.

Whether it's helping a fledgling startup scale or connecting entrepreneurs with the right resources and partners, we’re committed to making sure that every business here has what it needs to succeed. Watching these businesses grow and thrive has been one of the greatest joys of our journey.

As we celebrate 5 years of success, we also look ahead to the next chapter. We’re more committed than ever to nurturing the ideas, talents, and businesses that will shape the future. With the support of our incredible community, we’re excited to continue driving innovation and making a lasting impact.

As we reflect on all we’ve achieved, we also want to take a moment to thank every single person who has been a part of this journey. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or joined us along the way, your support has been invaluable.

Here’s to the next five years of growth, collaboration, and innovation. Together, we can accomplish even greater things!

Quite simply, the best and most cost-effective of 20,000 decision-making, business-focused readers across Essex, in print and online, every issue

BusinessTime in Essex is now the largest and most successful regional B2B print and online magazine in the country, with an ever-growing number of the county’s businesses using it to promote their message. Find out more from our media/info pack at www.businesstimeinessex.co.uk

Sarah Brockwell, part of the Business Coaching team on the Essex County Council-funded Group2Grow programme, said: “After placing a full-page advertisement in BusinessTime in Essex, promoting the Group2Grow Business Coaching Programme, we saw an immediate response in terms of website hits as well as applications to join the programme (which is 100% funded by Essex County Council). If you are considering investing in print advertising, BusinessTime in Essex is highly recommended. BusinessTime in Essex does what it says on the tin - promotes business in Essex!” The magazine works for you!

Call us on 01245 904 627

on 01245 904 627

So if you’d like to be an active part of the next issue, rather than be on the outside looking in, contact Editor Peter Richardson on 01206 843225 or 07778 067614 – or email him at peter@pjrcomms.co.uk www.businesstimeinessex.co.uk

How to manage workplace health and safety this winter

CARRYING out a risk assessment is a very good starting point.

Under the ‘Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999’, a risk assessment is a legal requirement. It involves identifying sensible measures to control hazards if you’re an employer, your work activity is mentioned in the regulations, or your work poses a risk to others.

A risk assessment should involve spotting the potential hazards, assessing the risk of them causing an accident, taking action to prevent them and recording your findings in writing, if you employ five or more staff.

You could identify where and when hazards could occur inside and outside your business. These should include black ice on your car park, a slippery pavement at your entrance, a build-up of wet leaves on the paths and unseen hazards in poorly lit spaces.

You’re not expected to eliminate all risks, but you need to do everything ‘reasonably practicable’ to protect people from harm. This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble. You do not need to take action if it would be grossly disproportionate to the level of risk.

There are different ways you could tackle hazards. These include

• gritting car parks/pathways

• removing leaves from pathways

• placing warning cones around slippery areas

• fitting signage to stop people taking shortcuts

• replacing lighting or install more lights in poorly lit areas.

Carry out regular checks. Check that lighting, power, and heating systems are working properly, keep an eye on pathways outside to make sure they’re clear of ice, snow, and leaves and appoint a reliable member of staff to be responsible for checks.

The ‘Workplace Regulations’ Approved Code of Practice’ states temperatures inside the workplace should normally be at least 16°C. They can be 13°C if a lot of the work involves rigorous physical effort. These temperatures are not absolute legal requirements but are for guidance only.

Employers have a legal duty to provide a 'reasonable' temperature in the workplace and to determine what reasonable comfort will be for staff in particular circumstances.

Speak to your employees about potential hazards they’ve come across and shadow them during their working day.

‘FSB Health and Safety’, included in FSB membership, takes the stress out of compliance.

Making sure your business is a safe place for people to work, shop, or visit is essential. While your business should be aware of hazards all year round, there can be additional points during colder months. Ann Scott, Essex Development Manager at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), offers advice to help ensure your business provides a safe environment this winter.

With workplace health and safety advice from industry experts, online documentation and ondemand training, you’re in safe hands with FSB. FSB also runs an award-winning full general insurance broking service with discounts, tailored support and a dedicated insurance advice line. To enquire about membership email ann.scott@fsb.org.uk

Could you release some of your employees to become on-call firefighters?

Many on-call firefighters work within 5 mins of a local fire station and balance their role with a full-time job. Having on-call firefighters available during the day helps keep fire crews ready for emergencies. You and your employees could help keep your community safe.

Search: Join Essex Fire

Building a safer Essex:

The story of ECFRS’s Business Engagement Team

By Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

www.essex-fire.gov.uk/business

2024 marked a significant step forward for fire safety across Essex, with the establishment of the Business Engagement Team at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. Created to support business and building owners, the team focuses on educating local businesses about fire safety legal requirements. With each team member bringing a high level of expertise and experience - the team’s mission is clear: to make Essex safer.

The team’s mission and impact Led by team manager Alison Loades, the Business Engagement Team spent much of this year setting the groundwork, building valuable partnerships with local councils and business support networks. The focus in 2024 has been to gather data and understand the fire safety challenges that business owners across Essex face. “This year was crucial for establishing our role and understanding what business owners are up against,” Alison shares. “Our ultimate aim is to make Essex safer, and that starts with insight and building trust.”

A major part of the team’s mission has been empowering business owners to take control of their own fire safety through comprehensive education and support. Alison stresses the importance of fire risk assessments as the foundation for safety planning, emphasising that before deciding on control measures - like how many fire extinguishers they need - businesses must first be fully aware of the risks unique to their premises.

Reaching out across the County To maximise their reach, team

members are spread across Essex, forming connections within diverse communities. They frequently come together for targeted visits to areas identified as needing extra fire safety support. These visits are highly appreciated by business owners, who often express surprise at the level of tailored advice they receive. “Many business owners are amazed by the depth of information and resources we offer, both in person and resources available on our website,” says team member Todd Parrott.

One of the team’s unique strengths is their ability to listen to and understand the needs of Essex’s varied business landscape. For instance, Ollie Everett, the team’s Rural Engagement Officer, brings invaluable expertise about rural communities and farming, which has proved instrumental in helping farmers address their specific fire safety challenges. His work has become a cornerstone of the team’s outreach, especially for communities that have historically been underserved in terms of fire safety support.

Inclusivity and technological innovation

an innovative tool that translates fire safety resources into 22 languagesa game-changer in making fire safety guidance more inclusive.

Addressing emerging risks with lithium-Ion batteries

Looking ahead to 2025, the team is preparing to tackle new and emerging challenges, particularly the rise in fires caused by lithiumion batteries. Dave Bond, Head of Protection at ECFRS, notes that any business using lithium-ion batteries must include this in their Fire Risk Assessment. “In Essex alone, we’ve seen dozens of serious fires this year due to lithium-ion batteries,” Dave explains. “The risks are real, and we want businesses to know exactly how to protect themselves.”

With these new measures, the Business Engagement Team is laying the foundation for a safer Essex, using both their industry expertise and community connections to support local businesses. Through their commitment and forwardthinking approach, they’re not only addressing today’s risks but also preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.

As the team continues to engage with businesses, they encounter both familiar and unique challenges. Team member Robert Gibby has observed that language and cultural barriers are common, particularly among smaller high-street businesses and restaurants. The team is committed to making fire safety information accessible to all, including nonEnglish-speaking business owners. To this end, they actively promote the ECFRS’s website, which offers

Interested in finding out more and get advice for your business?

Contact ECFRS’s Business Engagement Team:

essex-fire.gov.uk/business

Important updates in fire safety legislation

IN September of this year, the final report on the Grenfell enquiry was published, more than seven years since the terrible events of that night in June 2017.

The one element that stands out above anything else to me was these deaths were clearly avoidable.

As part of the enquiry, the Government has produced a wide range of new legislation and systems, the likes of which have not been seen since the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) was published. Although not replacing the FSO, the new legislation provides much needed additional details and clarification in terms of fire safety for buildings which must now be integral at the design stage.

The Fire Safety England Regulations clarified that where a property has two or more domestic

premises, the doors to the residential flats must be included in the fire risk assessment. These regulations also stated different measures that must be in place regarding fire doors for premises from single story through to high-rise buildings (more than 18m or seven storeys). Information about fire doors must also be shared with residents. This is an important development in my opinion, as it emphasises the importance of passive fire safety within a building to support the stay-put procedures that are integral to the design of purpose-built blocks of flats.

The make-up of the exterior of the building, including balconies, where present, must also be included in the FRA.

Section 156 of the Building Safety Act makes amendments to the FSO with reference to Fire Risk Assessments (FRA). Previously the wording of the legislation required only the ‘significant findings’ to be recorded. Without a clear definition of this term, the content of some

FRAs could be limited. There was also no requirement to document your assessment if a business employed less than five people. This has now changed and will have an impact on small businesses as they must now ensure a full Fire Risk Assessment is completed. There are significant benefits for a business to have a documented FRA, particularly when reviewing the documents and providing evidence of compliance to the legislation.

Rob Wylie, who runs Essexbased RD Fire Health Safety consultancy, takes you through some important fire safety legislation updates introduced after the enquiry into the Grenfell fire tragedy.

When choosing a competent person to assist you with your duties of fire safety management and to undertake a FRA, the Responsible Person must ensure three things: they are engaging with someone who is suitably competent, they hold suitable qualifications to undertake FRAs, and they document the steps taken in this process.

Also consider requesting

We undertake fire risk assessments and provide guidance, support and training to clients to manage fire safety. We’ll work with you to help not just tick boxes, but to ensure you fully understand how to minimise risks to keep you, your staff and visitors safe.

references from previous clients and look for evidence they are affiliated to a suitable professional body. It falls to the Responsible Person to ensure these are all considered. Further guidance regarding a competence framework for Fire Risk Assessors is currently under consultation. This should eventually provide a framework that Fire Risk Assessors will be working to so they can undertake FRAs across different sectors such as high-risk buildings.

£190,000 boost to community and nature projects in Essex thanks to Veolia Environmental Trust

THANKS to generous support from the Veolia Environmental Trust, Essex Wildlife Trust has received funding that will enable it to improve Langdon Nature Discovery Park through conservation, new pond dipping stations and mixed herd grazing.

Fund grant from the Veolia Environmental Trust will see a brand new state of the art structure put in place, allowing more than 40 supervised ponddipping sessions each summer for some 850 people.

A core value of the Veolia Environmental Trust is to connect people and wildlife through community projects and the new

Langdon Nature Discovery Park comprises 460 acres of land including woodland, meadows, lakes and former plotland gardens, and is the largest inland reserve managed by Essex Wildlife Trust. This project aims to introduce a new pond dipping station for the 80,000 annual visitors to experience, as well as significant nature conservation and improvements that moves the reserve away from mechanical grassland management.

The current pond dipping station at Langdon was created in the early 1990s but is fenced off to the public, having rotted and become unsafe. The £190,000 Landfill Communities

platform will allow visitors to have memorable and meaningful engagements with a range of aquatic wildlife that would normally be hidden from view.

The second part of this project focuses on reintroducing natural grazing practices to 33 hectares of land, where a small mixed herd of cattle and sheep will be given free rein. Instead of fencing off areas for grazing, livestock will be given collars to track their movements and the GPS heatmap data will complement ecological monitoring and feed into management plans. The grant moves Essex Wildlife Trust away from mechanical grassland management, which requires fossil fuels, and could damage

soil health and invertebrate populations. It now means structurally and floristically diverse meadows can be created, contributing to an increase in biodiversity.

Caroline Schwaller MBE, Chair of the Veolia Environmental Trust said: “The Veolia Environmental Trust is thrilled to be a part of the Langdon Nature Discovery Park project and is looking forward to seeing the vast improvements made across the landscape. A core focus of the Trust’s work is giving people the opportunity to come together with nature on a daily basis, for social and environmental benefits. We are now looking forward to seeing

the positive impact that Langdon Nature Discovery Park will have in and around Essex.”

James Astley, Grants and Trusts Manager at Essex Wildlife Trust said: “Thanks to this generous donation, we can transform our conservation management of Willow Park at Langdon Nature Discovery Park. Through this project, we can reinstate lost, dynamic, natural processes that will boost biodiversity. A huge part of the trust’s work is engaging with the public, especially young people, and we look forward to using the new pond dipping platform to encourage more children to connect with nature.”