Are you ready for the coming revolution?Russel Winder
UK school curriculum underwent a revolution as of 2014-09: ITC was replaced with programming (aka computer science). Whilst the change itself was campaigned for, and widely wanted, the way government handled the change left a lot to be desired. Some, but not all, universities and colleges have joined in realising the change and preparing for the consequent revolution in university computer science curriculum, c.2018 onward. Are businesses ready for the knock-on change?
This presentation will delve into some of the most important and/or obvious issues surrounding this world leading experiment in child education.
Ex-academic, Analyst & consultant Russel talks about the important issues surrounding the government’s push for programming in UK schools, and how the way it’s been handled has left a lot to be desired.
From 2015 ICT in UK schools is to be replaced with programming, but the way the government handled the change left a lot to be desired. Russel talks about some of the most important and obvious issues surrounding this world leading experiment in child education.
About Russel Ex-theoretical physicist, ex-UNIX system programmer, ex-academic. Now an independent consultant, analyst, author, expert witness and trainer. Also doing startups. Interested in all things parallel and concurrent. And build.
Actively involved with Groovy, GPars, GroovyFX, SCons, Me TV, and GStreamer. Also Gradle, Ceylon, Kotlin, D, Go, and bit of Rust. And lots of Python, especially Python-CSP.
Briar Chemicalsattended the Chemical Industries Association annual business conference, which this year was focussed on “Brexit” and the UK Chemical Industry’s future strategy.
The event provided an excellent forum for senior management of UK chemical manufacturing companies, alongside UK Government Ministers and other stakeholders, to come together and define policy and opportunities.
There is no question that following the “Brexit” vote on23rd June 2016 there is uncertainty in the business environment and that this has resulted in a great deal of lively dialogue in our industry and in the media as a whole.
Susan Brench,Head of Commercial at Briar Chemicals,said: “Whilstwe understand our stakeholders’ concerns, I would like to offer the following perspective; Briar Chemicals believes that the current economic and political climate has also resulted in several opportunities presenting themselves:
Sterling devaluation makes our selling prices more attractive
There is the potential for reduced regulatory burden
Government action can make the UK an even more attractive investment location
From a recent survey, the UK chemical industry, being a long-established, highly export-orientated manufacturing sector, maintains a positive outlook to business prospects; Briar Chemicalsis no exception and we are certainly still Open for Business.
Briar Chemicals continues to focus on operational excellence to drive down costs and deliver shared benefits for all stakeholders, investing in its employees and manufacturing assets (capex and maintenance spend will be maintained at a rate above the European industry norm).
Susan added “We believe that Briar Chemicals will remain an efficient and cost effective partner regardless of any challenges presented during the “Brexit” process.”
Read more from the Chemical Industries Association press release in which UK Chemical and Pharmaceutical companiessay exports can drive growth.
Roger Bowen, Robert Littlefield and Andrew Thornton all celebrated 15 years of practice ownership in January 2020.
Back in January 2005, three ambitious accountants launched their own practices after joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, which this year marks its own special landmark 25th anniversary.
Roger Bowen’s practice based in Llanelli, South Wales, has grown to a team of seven and has been operating from a shop since 2009.
“The best decision I ever made was joining TaxAssist,” said Roger. “It has provided me with an opportunity to choose a good work/life balance, make my own work decisions and be in charge of my own destiny. I can work from home when I choose, see clients when I choose or play golf when I choose. All this and a great income to boot. My success has proved it works.”
Kent-based Robert Littlefield concurs: “Time flies when you are enjoying yourself. Aside from asking my wife to marry me, taking on a TaxAssist franchise has to be the best decision I have made in my life. From working all the hours for an employer, I changed to working the hours I choose for myself. As a result, I have ended up considerably wealthier, and more importantly spent so much more time with my family, (I’ve never missed a sports day or parents evening since!) I would like to thank the TaxAssist support team for helping to make this all possible, as I could not have achieved what I have done without them.”
Andrew Thornton, who opened his shop in Otley, West Yorkshire, in 2005 said: “15 years! Wow! Where did that go?
“I wish that I had had the opportunity to join 15 years prior to when I did. I achieved my ambition to work for myself and build my own small team but with the added benefits of having the support of a larger, friendly organisation with some really nice people. I have absolutely no regrets!”
Karl Sandall, Chief Executive Director of The TaxAssist Group, was quick to congratulate the trio. “It has been an absolute pleasure to support Roger, Robert and Andrew over the last 15 years, and to watch as they have built up substantial accountancy practices.
“I take great pride in offering first class support to our network of franchisees and we never forget that our success as a franchisor is dependent on the success of our franchisees. I wish them many years of continued success.”
During uncertain times it’s essential that business owners can keep track of their business’s financial performance in order to instil stability and minimise disruption.
Over the coming weeks, we’re expecting many offices to close and work patterns to be adjusted due to Covid-19. This is likely to include most professional firms. Fortunately, MHA Larking Gowen has a robust business continuity plan and all our teams can work remotely with no interruption to their day to day working. This means our teams can support our clients regardless of location.
As business owners, I’m sure that you will be requiring frequent contact and advice from your trusted advisor over the coming months. However, the challenge is – how can you provide them with access to your up-to-date business records if restrictions are in place?
Cloud Accounting
MHA Larking Gowen has Platinum Partner status for cloud accounting platforms Xero and QuickBooks.
If you haven’t heard of Xero and QuickBooks before, these are online cloud accounting software packages designed to make life easier for small and medium sized business owners. Most importantly, these are cloud based so can be accessed by both you and your trusted advisor anywhere, if you have access to the internet.
Not only can these be accessed anywhere, they also both provide essential efficiencies which will relieve you of mundane bookkeeping tasks and allow you to concentrate on minimising any disruption within your business.
Integrated features
Both Xero and QuickBooks have amazing integrated features to help with everyday bookkeeping tasks.
The main ‘time saving’ feature is the live bank feeds. Bank feeds automatically import transactions from your bank, directly into Xero and QuickBooks. Therefore, eliminating the need to enter bank transactions manually into your cloud accounting software.
We make sure all our cloud accounting clients are set up with Receipt Bank https://embed.vidyard.com/watch/x5coA6aEWFUK5wB8pW7nPe This third party application allows you to take photos of your sales and purchase invoices using an app on your phone or tablet. It then extracts data from these invoices before they are published through to Xero or QuickBooks, avoiding any manual data entry of sales or purchases.
Real Time Information
As business owners, I’m sure many of you will be required to make some vital business decisions in the coming months but how will you be able to do this if you don’t fully understand where your business’s finances are at, right now?
Technology can be used to provide Real Time Information, to help business owners understand exactly where they stand.
It is essential that business owners have all the tools in place to enable them to provide their trusted advisor with information instantly. In return, bookkeeping can be updated on a daily basis, providing business owners with Real Time Information. This gives business owners the detail they need to make informed business decisions.
Cashflow is going to be key in the coming months and third party applications such as Futrli (https://www.futrli.com/) can be used to further help business owners with decision making.
Futrli integrates with Xero and QuickBooks and enables you to create budgets and forecasts based upon multiple scenarios. This is essential to enable business owners to gain a real insight as to what the future of their business will look like and so they can ensure they are on track to achieving their objectives.
In this current climate, it is essential that business owners have the resources required to utilise technology to their advantage.
If you’re worried about the impact Coronavirus will have on your business performance and would like to know more about your business’s current financial position, please call Jessica Rafferty-Smith on 01603 624181.
Tree planting begins at Colby Playing Field this weekend as part of Colby & Banningham Parish Council’s support for North Norfolk District Council’s (NNDC) ambition to plant 110,000 trees – one for every person in North Norfolk – over the next four years.
A total of 500 trees are being planted at the playing field on Bridge Road, Colby. The parish council, which maintains the land, has taken the opportunity to get involved in NNDC’s new initiative, to help make the playing field more attractive for residents to enjoy. The planting follows on from work by local wildlife group, Wild About Colby, who developed a small copse at one end of the field in recent years.
The new trees are a mix of native species chosen to suit the soil conditions in the area, including oak, rowan, gorse, broom, silver birch, hazel, field maple, goat willow and dog rose. Advice has been sought from Dr Colin Studholme, an expert in environmental science who has worked on similar schemes elsewhere, to help choose the best possible trees for biodiversity, to improve the parish landscape and contribute to NNDC’s climate change initiative.
The Colby tree planting events, which are open to all to attend, are taking place from 11am on Saturday 15 and Saturday 22 February. For more details, see the Colby & Banningham Parish Council website or Facebook and Twitter pages.
Mo Anderson-Dungar, parish clerk at Colby and Banningham Parish Council, said: “We are pleased to be holding these two tree planting events which will enable us to further improve the playing field site for the benefit of all local residents. At the same time, we’re delighted to be supporting NNDC’s initiative by planting one tree for everyone living here in our parish.”
Councillor Nigel Lloyd, NNDC’s Portfolio Holder for Environment, said: “We are delighted to see Colby and Banningham getting involved with our scheme and using it as an opportunity to complement their existing work on the playing field. These 500 trees all count towards our ambitious goal to plant 110,000. We welcome all support and ideas and would love to hear from other villages and groups who are interested in taking part, whether it’s to plant one tree, 500 or more.”
To support its four-year tree planting ambition, NNDC is partnering with the Woodland Trust as its main supplier of trees. It is encouraging individuals, as well as local schools, groups and businesses, to get involved with the campaign which is part of its journey to becoming a carbon neutral council by 2030. For more information and details of how to get involved, visit: https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/trees
MHA Larking Gowen Corporate Finance Partner, and business coach James Lay discusses how to ‘keep things in perspective’ amidst current uncertainties.
There’s no doubt about it, the COVID-19 pandemic is deeply concerning for everyone. And it is everyone!
Other than World Wars, it’s difficult to think of anything which has or ever will affect so many of us across the world simultaneously. Although a glib comparison, even when global sporting events take place, there are huge swathes of the global population who pay absolutely no attention. But this is clearly different and hugely important. For those who aren’t affected by the virus directly, there’s little way of avoiding the restrictions being put in place across all of our societies.
Who could have possibly seen this coming? Well, anyone who has seen Bill Gates’ TED talk from 2015 will see his alarmingly accurate warnings. Clever chap that Bill! But there’s little point looking back with hindsight at the ‘if onlys’. We must all pull together and support those who are directly affected by the virus. And for everyone else, we must take responsibility for how we choose to respond to the 24/7 rolling media coverage which is creating understandable anxiety across the globe.
The American Psychological Association (APA) has put out some tips to manage this anxiety which are more grounded in reality, compared to much of what we are reading in the general media.
The five tips are:
Keep things in perspective. Most people should not get seriously unwell; even those over 70 can take steps to minimise the likelihood of getting the virus. As more data becomes available the analysis suggests the death rate is relatively low.
Get the facts. Avoid getting caught up with sensationalised media coverage and focus on reports from the relevant authorities.
Communicate more. Share qualified data with others. If we remain calm, it builds confidence and reduces anxiety in others.
Keep connected. Maintain a sense of normality with all your personal and business connections ‘electronically’ using face-to-face technologies like Zoom, Skype and Facetime. Use texts, emails and social media if you must, but they don’t create the same level of connection. Of course, there’s always the phone and hand-written letters too!
Seek help. We’re all in this together. No one is alone. Let’s look after ourselves and proactively support other people. In working relationships this should be true both up and down the chain of command. Leaders should be supporting their team members but, just as importantly, team members should be looking out for their leaders. And, if anyone is feeling an overwhelming nervousness, sadness, or other reaction, then they really ought to consult a mental health professional to manage their stress.
In terms of businesses, of course, they are all currently dealing with a short-term heightened level of disruptive change associated with potential working from home changes, new policies, home pressures and concerns, disrupted customers and new technologies that need to be implemented quickly. What we are seeing is that around one third of businesses are now exceptionally busy (and doing OK), for the next third it is roughly business as usual, and the final third are experiencing significant trouble. Of the final category, maybe half of those businesses may prove difficult to save. So, as you can see, the impact of COVID-19 is maybe not quite how it is being portrayed in the media, and in truth every business will need help and support in differing ways.
Watch out for a series of further posts and videos over the coming days with practical business tools and advice to support people and businesses. We are also available through Skype to provide business coaching to businesses – please just get in touch – james.lay@larking-gowen.co.uk.
Please note that Trading Standards have received details of Coronavirus (COVID19) related community scams. We are continuing to issue our alerts and post messages via social media of any scams or information we receive. For more information about the current scams or rogue trading in Norfolk sign up to Trading Standards Consumer or Business Alerts at: www.norfolk.gov.uk/scams or follow us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/norfolktradingstandards Twitter: twitter.com/NorfolkCCTS You can report scams to us via our partners, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 or via their online reporting form
It’s always nice to get good feedback from any business you deal with, but when it’s a charity that feeling is even better. We’ve supportedThe Timber Projectfor the past 4 months now, and since their campaign went live on our digital screens theresbeen a large increase in donations.
Chris Moore, co-Founder of The Timber Project said “Thank you so much for your continued support! We have had a lot of donations on the back of this so we really appreciate your help”
The teamare out in Greece and along the Balkan route devoted to providing basic shelter and hygiene facilities for refugees stranded. Chris also said “The temperature here is well below freezing and many people are still living in tents. The more we can do provide warm spaces for people really makes a difference”
The team haveraised over £10,000 so far,but still need help to continue the building of shelters for the thousands of refugees. Please help support their amazing work by donating what you can, everything helps! You can donate here –https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/thetimberproject
Briar Chemicals welcomed Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, to their manufacturingsite to find out more about how the Company generates substantial added value for the UK and global economy.
Briar Chemicals delivers contract and custom manufacturing solutions to world-leading companies in the crop protection, fine and speciality chemical sectors. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is the UK’s number one manufacturing export earner.
The products made onbehalf of our customers help to protecta wide range of crops, increase farmers’ yields in challenging climates, prevent diseases in cattle and sheep, and are key building blocks in the leather, textile and plastics sectors.
Whilst touring the site, Clive Lewis MP visited one of the production plant control rooms,monitored 24 hours a day by a team of operators.
This year, Briar Chemicals celebrates 60 years’ of production on the site. In 1956 by May and Baker established a new manufacturing plant in Norwich, on the46 hectares (114 acres) site that Briar Chemicals occupies today.
Tim Green, Briar Chemicals site manager, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mr Lewis to our site to show him around the facility. It is important for us, as a established business in the local area, to know that we are receiving support from our local MP. We are proud of our heritage, our staff and the positive work we do in the community.”
Briar Chemicals plays a pivotal role within the community, employing 220 people, supporting local schools with its education programme, sponsoring the local arts and science festivals and offering careers advice to the future generation of scientists.
As Briar Chemicals reached its fourth anniversary of operating as an independent business earlier in the year, it looks to the future. TimGreen added: “We are focused on continued investment in our employees and manufacturing assets to support growth through new business opportunities”.
With businesses suddenly having to manage a considerably more remote workforce due to the impact of coronavirus, we asked ourselves, how can we at Safepoint help?
To help support businesses in these tough times we’ve put together some free resources, as well as providing Safepoint completely free to anyone that needs the extra support.
Did you know that staff who work from home are considered ‘lone workers’ by the government? If self-isolation is your first experience with hiring lone workers, it’s recommended that you create a ‘lone worker policy’. Don’t worry, you can make one using our free document builder here: https://www.safepointapp.com/lone-working-policy-builder
We also know that, despite Covid-19, some essential services can’t operate from home. To help, we’re offering a completely free month of Safepoint for anyone who needs it. Sign up at https://www.safepointapp.com/ and use the code PROTECTMYSTAFF at checkout.
The scheme will be available for all employees currently paid via PAYE and will be backdated to 1 March 2020. he scheme will be open initially for three months but the period may be extended if needed
As a business, the guidance states that you will need to:
Designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change. We consider that ‘furloughed workers’ means keeping the employees on the payroll rather than laying them off or making them redundant. Changing the status of employees to ‘furloughed workers’ is subject to existing employment law, therefore, you would need to agree to any changes with your workforce (unless you have set lay off, etc provisions in your contract of employment). The workforce would be likely to agree to any changes if the alternative is redundancy or lay off. If you have more than 20 employees affected by any changes to terms and conditions or proposed redundancies, our team would be happy to speak to you about collective consultation obligations.
Submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required).
HMRC will then reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC is working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Although it is not clear yet, it is likely that the £2, 500 per month will be a net figure to be placed into the hands of employees and include pension etc. However, we will need clarity on this point.
Please note that it will be the employer’s decision on whether to designate employees as ‘furloughed workers’ therefore employees cannot just be given this status without the agreement of the employer.
Further information
For specific advice for your business, please get in touch with our specialist Employment Law team through this website or by calling 0330 404 0778.
I have been so touched at the level of #coronakindness over all socials and the kind offers of support in our region – it is heart warming at such a difficult time.
We would like to extend our support to colleagues and and are in a great position as a business to help you reach out to your most important asset – your teams. We have designed a bespoke team survey for your use (free of charge) which has been written following conversations with businesses across many sectors to ascertain the type of insight that will be of use. Questions such as how you are communicating with teams and your customers and do they have the right tools for their roles in the current circumstances requiring new ways of working for some. The survey is anonymous for participants.
Understanding how your teams feel at this current time will be crucial in making sure you are making the right decisions for them and your business, as we ride out the pandemic. Having vital colleague insight at this time will enable you to make decisions quickly.
It is totally FREE of charge including the outputs from the report. To sign up and receive your unique link please follow this one.