Recent local media reports have indicated that more over 60s are getting divorced. This follows a recent report published by the Office for National Statistics.
Emma Alfieri from our family team comments: “The team has seen an increasing number of Divorce Petitions being brought amongst the older generation, particularly those in their 60s and 70s. The reason for the steady rise appears to be down to a number of social factors, including the fact that both sexes are living longer as it is reported that life expectancy has increased, particularly for men.
We are experiencing many older clients that are becoming disillusioned with their marriages once the children have flown the nest and for many, the view seems to be that retirement is the start of the next phase of their lives, not the end.
There also appears to be an increase in women’s independence, and cultural values give the perception that divorces are now more socially acceptable”.
Financial matters can be more complicated when over 60s are going through divorce proceedings, particularly when pensions are in payment. Therefore we would suggest that early legal advice is sought.
For further information please contact our family team.
In the current heatwave, Labour MP Linda Riordan has tabled an early day motion which could make it law for workplaces to send staff home when temperatures reach more than 30C. The group of MPs behind the campaign, which it seems is unlikely to succeed, claim that it could prevent potentially fatal accidents.
The Halifax MP said ministers should “resolve uncertainty for employers about their duty to combat excessive heat in the workplace by introducing a maximum working workplace temperature of 30 degrees C (86F) and of 27 degrees C (81 degrees F) for those doing strenuous work”.
The motion warns that employees in workplaces are often subjected to temperatures which can “impact seriously on their health and well-being”.
“While the current warm weather can make some workplaces uncomfortable, I think it would be very difficult to enforce a maximum temperature as humidity and air quality vary so much from one workplace to another,” said Big Sky Additions’ director, Justin Murray. “We would encourage all employers to do as much as they can to make workplace temperatures bearable to ensure high levels of productivity and staff welfare are maintained,” he added. “Simple things like using blinds to block out direct sunlight, providing free standing fans close to windows to circulate cooler air and turning off unnecessary computer equipment can all help to keep office temperatures down,” suggested Justin.
There are currently guidelines regarding minimum workplace temperatures, but nothing to cover the current heatwave conditions. An official code of practice introduced in 1992 as part of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations states that workplace temperatures should not normally drop below 16 degrees C – or 13 degrees C if the work involves severe physical effort – but there is no suggested maximum limit.
Karl Alderton, the founder and managing director of Norwich-based telecoms company, Comms Supply, an EDP Future50 company, has hit out at other suppliers in the business telecoms sector. He is calling for all suppliers to pass on recent wholesale telecoms price reductions to their existing clients.
Wholesale telecoms costs have dropped three times during the past 18 months. The first two reductions were in landline to mobile call costs. These were triggered by Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK communications industries, capping the cost of mobile termination rates. Ofcom introduced a staged plan to reduce costs which will conclude by 2015. The most recent wholesale reduction is in physical line rental.
Increased competition amongst the biggest players within the industry is also bringing about improved access to advanced technologies and cost efficiencies. For example, Talk Talk, Vodafone (who have recently taken over Cable & Wireless) and BT Wholesale are pushing hard against each other, particularly in the area of leased lines. Leased lines, or Ethernet services, allow data to be transmitted over a direct fibre ‘pipe’ from a client’s office to an exchange and have, historically, been too expensive for smaller businesses. With the big three players making major advances in this technology and making it available to smaller businesses, leased lines are becoming a cost effective option for more and more organisations.
These price drops, technological advances and efficiencies have saved business telecoms suppliers significant amounts of money across their client contracts and yet the vast majority of suppliers have not passed any savings on to their existing customers.
Comms Supply has passed all their wholesale savings straight on to customers and will be making a further reduction in charges on 1st September 2013. This means that customers will see the third reduction in their monthly bill in less than two years.
“I’m sure that many business owners would say that my decision to reduce our potential profits by passing on wholesale price reductions to customers is a foolish one,” says Karl Alderton. “But I set up Comms Supply with a very public commitment to treating my customers with respect and being open and honest in the way we operate. If I didn’t pass on these savings to customers then that promise would be completely meaningless.”
“I’m incredibly frustrated by the widespread business practice of offering new customers a special deal or reduced rates to tempt them in,” continues Karl. “In my view, existing customers deserve the very best service and prices we can provide. That’s the only way we will secure their loyalty and have the opportunity to stay with them as their businesses grow.”
Comms Supply launched in early 2012, providing customers across East Anglia – and beyond – with a range of business telecoms services: from basic phone or broadband line rental to complete systems. The company has invested heavily in developing new technology including a hosted solution which provides a cost effective and efficient option for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Comms Supply’s open and honest approach has been well-received by customers. The company reached an annual turnover of £1million in June this year and has more than doubled its workforce in the past 12 months.
To find out more or to arrange a free business telecoms audit please call 0333 2020 900 or visit www.commssupply.co.uk.
Stepping into self-employment is exciting, but it’s also a bit of a whirlwind. When Tim Voller launched Voller Surveying Services Ltd, he was ready to throw himself into the surveying work he loves. The only hurdle was that the financial side of running a limited company felt like a completely different language.
Tim admits it himself: “I had no experience of being self-employed as a limited company. The complexities around self-assessment, taxation, dividends, invoicing, GDPR, and just generally running the financial side were a huge challenge.”
And Tim isn’t alone. Many new business owners quickly discover that doing the work is the easy part; it’s everything behind the scenes that becomes the headache. Tim wanted to spend his time surveying, quoting, and supporting clients – not juggling admin, deadlines, and tax terms.
“Claire and her team handle all the accounting side of my business,” Tim explains. “Claire, Ruth and Danny are always friendly, professional, and offer helpful advice or remind me when I need to do something!”
From managing his accounts to offering ongoing guidance, the team took the pressure off. Their proactive support has meant Tim can stay organised without constantly worrying whether something important has slipped through the cracks.
A Team That Truly Cares
For Tim, one thing stood out more than anything else: the personal touch.
“They’re always approachable. They take the time to reply to all my many questions and respond promptly in a way that makes sense. I feel they genuinely care about my business and its success.”
That genuine care and clear communication have given Tim the reassurance that his finances are in safe hands.
Seeing the Impact
Two years on, Tim can see the results every single day in his business:
More confidence in his finances
More time to focus on surveying and looking after his clients
Better clarity around cash flow and time management
Less stress, more headspace
Pay It Forward
Tim first came to Jennison Accounting because a friend recommended them, and now he’s more than happy to pass that recommendation on.
“I would highly recommend working with Jennison Accounting. They’ve been so valuable in helping my business over the last two years. I have confidence in their ability, which allows me to focus on the areas where I’m skilled to do so.”
The recent case of Newbury v Sun Microsystems [2013] serves as a useful reminder of the importance of expressing documentation to be “subject to contract” whilst under negotiation. In this case the High Court held that correspondence between two parties negotiating a settlement sum amounted to a binding agreement. In order for negotiations to have continued the parties should have used the words “subject to contract” in the correspondence.
An employee (Newbury) brought a claim for unpaid commission. In response the employer counterclaimed for the recovery of overpaid commission, thus a dispute entailed. To avoid going to trial the employer’s solicitor sent a letter offering a settlement sum to the employee’s solicitor containing the following terms:
“Our client is willing to settle the entire proceedings by paying the Claimant within 14 days of accepting this offer, the sum of £601,464.98 (the “Settlement Sum”) inclusive of interest by way of damages, by means of an electronic transfer into his nominated bank account, in full and final settlement of the Claim and counter-claim plus the sum of £180,000 in relation to his legal costs, such settlement to be recorded in a suitably worded agreement.”
The letter was not expressed as being “subject to contract” and the employee’s solicitor responded accepting its terms. As a result there was an offer, an acceptance, consideration and an intention to create legal relations; all the ingredients required to form a legally binding agreement.
The employer had intended to negotiate further terms of the settlement contract, in particular with respect to income tax, confidentiality and the form of the consent order. Therefore the employer argued that there was not an intention for the correspondence to form a legally binding agreement.
The High Court held that there was a contract contained in the correspondence and that the conduct which occurred after the date of the letters could not be used to determine whether there was an intention to create a legally binding agreement. As the letter was not expressed to be “subject to contract” there was a demonstration that there was an intention for the offer to be legally binding. If the words “subject to contract” had been used, then it would have been clear that the terms would not be binding until a formal contract was finalised and agreed.
This case is a classic example of why, when offering or negotiating a settlement of any dispute or agreeing terms of a contract, it is important to add the words “subject to contract” to correspondence where it is intended that further terms are to be negotiated. In fact it is often very sensible or even tactical to focus on key terms at the initial stages of negotiations to enable efficient progress and to then look to introduce certain subordinate or ancillary terms later.
So remember: always express correspondence to be “subject to contract” until you are satisfied with all of the terms and you intend to make the agreement legally binding.
I was really pleased to receive a written testimonial from one of our new customers, Climate Air Conditioning Ltd. Company Director, Phil Rees, wrote “having only 2 telephone lines with a ‘least cost routing company’, I didn’t think it would be worthwhile looking at; however my bill arrived the day before my meeting with Kevin so I gave it to him just in case. His response was immediate, not only was he able to offer me better rates for line rental and calls he also found I was paying for a service I didn’t need. Just by switching to Breakwater I will save over £400 per annum”.
The moral of Phil’s kind letter was to emphasise that you are never too small to take the time to review your telecoms services and look for saving. However, my view was quite different because you are never too big either. If a business with just 2 lines can save £400 per annum, does that mean a 4 line customer can save £800 and a 20 line customer save £4000?
So how did I save Phil money, especially when he was using a so called “least cost routing company”? It was easy, over the last 18 months the wholesale cost of fixed to mobile calls have reduced twice and line rental is reducing this September. At Breakwater IT we are very fortunate because our wholesale partner has passed discounts onto our customers all 3 times! So, I reduced Phil’s line rental by a little and his cost of calling mobiles by a lot, 70% in fact.
Having 20 years’ experience in the telecoms industry, I am very quick to identify cost savings and calling plans that just do not work for customers. Call commitments, call capping, call allowances, call set-up charges, minimum call charges, inclusive minutes, are all terms that just don’t seem to deliver what they promise especially when they are not billed properly. Earlier this year I met Julian Garrood, Director of Drayton Caravans and Norfolk Caravan Hire. I completed a similar audit of their telecoms bills. They have 5 lines so according to Phil’s experience they should get a saving of £1000? In fact annual projected saving was £1290, but that’s not all. 4 of the lines were digital ISDN2e and were on a tariff called “Start-Up” which includes a £20 per line per month call allowance. However their provider was not passing the allowance on due to a billing error. Julian was very pleased with an additional refund of £391 which we claimed back.
So, if you like the prospect of saving money on your telephone bills together with the comfort that your rates are pro-actively monitored then a free Breakwater IT telecoms audit could be for you. Not only that, our fixed line services are only contracted over 30 days as we are confident that you won’t need to look no further.
And again, you are never too big or too small to use Breakwater IT for telecoms services. Phil will receive his line rental reduction on the 1st September along with East Anglian Air Ambulance, Seajacks, M+A Partners, Norfolk Country Cottages and many more.
Breakwater IT offer IT Support and Business Telecoms solutions across the East Anglia region.
Specialised Management Services (SMS)will be exhibiting at the 40th SPE Offshore Europe Conference and Exhibition, Aberdeen at the beginning of September 2013, as part of the Alderley Group.
Alderley has won over £57 million worth of orders over the last 10 months and will be delivering a range of projects that include brownfield refurbishments of metering and control systems in the North Sea, produced water treatment and bespoke hydraulic solutions. As an independent system integrator, Alderley has supplied more than 250 systems in the North Sea alone and at Offshore Europe will be demonstrating how they provide clients with technology that best fits the application, is best in class and best for their clients’ business.
Eric Maddock, Group Business Development Director says, “Alderley have been providing a range of applications to the North Sea fields ever since 1975 when we became the first to measure oil from this region. We have used our experience in technology and local standards to delivery technical excellence throughout our projects.”
Eric continues by saying, “We look forward to returning to Offshore Europe 2013 to further establish our relationships with our local clients and highlight our range of capabilities and new offerings in the oil and gas industry.”
Over the past 18 months, Alderley have delivered to the Jette Field a Hydraulic Power Unit and Topside Umbilical Termination Unit to NORSOK standards, a Produced Water Treatment skid package designed to to treat produced water from upstream production and test separators to the Luno field and are in the process of shipping a gas metering system and an oil metering system along with their associated controls systems to Korea for the BP Quad 204 project.
For more information on Specialised Management Services and the projects they have delivered you can visit them at stand C60 at the Offshore Europe 2013, Aberdeen from the 3rd – 6th September 2013.
Many of us have mixed feelings about winter weather, it may be cold out there but it’s nice to cosy up or go for a crisp walk. However, for those living with asthma, the colder months can bring a unique set of challenges. Winter isn’t just about bundling up, it can genuinely affect breathing, trigger symptoms, and increase the risk of asthma flare-ups.
The Larking Gowen Norwich Half Marathon takes place this weekend, set to welcome up to 3,000 runners supported by hundreds of volunteers for one of the region’s biggest annual sporting events. Organised by Good Running Events, this year’s half marathon features an improved route for 2025, offering participants a refreshed and scenic experience.
A key enhancement to this year’s route sees runners taking on 13.1 miles around Easton, Colton, Barnham Broom and Marlingford, before entering the grounds of Easton College. This new section provides wider paths, and a smoother transition back into the Norfolk Showground, where thousands of spectators are expected to gather.
The event continues to draw runners from across the UK, with a significant portion travelling from outside of Norfolk, bringing a welcome boost to local tourism, hospitality and businesses across the weekend, as well as a host of local charities.
Participants will once again be raising funds for a variety of good causes, with this year’s charity partners including Keeping Abreast, East Anglian Children’s Hospices, The Benjamin Foundation and the Big C, among many others being supported through the runners efforts and causes close to their hearts.
The event would not be possible without the tireless support of its volunteer team. From helping to deliver a safe course, to assisting runners at water stations and celebrating them across the finish line, volunteers remain at the heart of the event. Organisers are also grateful to title sponsor Larking Gowen, who continue their steadfast support of the event as headline sponsors.
Race Director, Aaron Murrell said: “We absolutely cannot wait to see thousands of runners lining up on the start line on Sunday morning. The atmosphere at the Larking Gowen Norwich Half Marathon is always incredible, and with our newly improved 2025 route — including the fantastic section through Easton College — we’re excited to offer participants a brilliant race day experience.”
Spectators are encouraged to visit the Norfolk Showground to cheer on runners and help contribute to the positive atmosphere – with the 2025 Larking Gowen Norwich Half Marathon promising to be a memorable celebration of running, community spirit and determination, as thousands come together for one of Norfolk’s most anticipated annual events.
The award winning Chef, Franck Pontais, Offer now Private Cooking Master Class for you and your friends at home.
This is the opportunity to Learn from a Master in the comfort of your own residence, don’t worry about the size or facilities in your kitchen, Franck will bring his own equipment with him.
Courses are from Beginners to very keen cooks and will be designed upon your own needs.
For more information please contact Franck on 07960 700 538 or consult his website at www.franckpontais.co.uk.
Thomas Cook has confirmed a partnership with Flybe that will open up long-haul routes to regional airports across the UK via the operator’s Manchester hub.
Thomas Cook Airlines hinted at a partnership earlier this year but has today confirmed the details of the deal.
It will mean that customers can fly from Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Inverness, Isle of Man, Norwich and Southampton to Manchester to connect with Thomas Cook flights to the Caribbean, Florida, Las Vegas, Mexico and Goa.
These include the only routes outside London to Antigua and St Lucia, and one of only a handful of flights from the UK to Barbados.
“As we develop Manchester Airport as our UK hub – working in partnership with Flybe – we’re pleased to be able to offer more flexibility and choice for our customers, competing with the very best scheduled and charter carriers with a range of connections ensuring they don’t have to rely on London’s airports,” said Christoph Debus, Thomas Cook Group head of air travel.
A spokesman confirmed that when Thomas Cook chose its new long-haul flight times from Manchester, launched in the spring, it already had Flybe connections in mind.
Connections to Sanford in Florida (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday) and Las Vegas (Wednesday) will be available with early morning Flybe connecting flights. A new Las Vegas flight on a Friday starts on 2 April 2014.
From 29 March 2014, Thomas Cook Airlines launches flights to Orlando International, with same-day Flybe connections available on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays and with an additional departure on Wednesday from next summer.
For winter holidays, Flybe flights will connect with Thomas Cook Airlines’ Manchester to Cancun flights on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays on selected dates during the winter.
A new Manchester-Antigua-Barbados Thomas Cook Airlines flight operates from Thursday 19 December. Flights will leave late morning from Manchester, with Flybe connections.
A Manchester-Goa flight departs every Wednesday.
However, for Thomas Cook’s new weekly Sunday Manchester-St Lucia-Barbados route, starting on 10 November, holidaymakers need to spend the night at an airport hotel on the Saturday night.
The airline’s Sunday flight to Goa also benefits from a connecting departure, and from March 2014 Thomas Cook will introduce its first Sunday Florida flight from Manchester.
Those holidaymakers returning into Manchester on a Sunday will benefit from same-day returning Flybe flight back to their local airport.
In addition to new Florida and Las Vegas connections, next summer will also see Flybe flights linking to the Tuesday, Thursday and Friday Manchester-Cancun flights, and the introduction of a new Manchester-St Lucia-Barbados route every Thursday.