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Working with West Herts College we have developed a bold new look for their Annual Report, making it more accessible and engaging with a vibrant design that blows away the corporate cobwebs.

As well as developing a new creative direction that brings to life the impressive business achievements of the College over the last year, we oversaw print – creating a high-quality perfect-bound document with spot UV finishing printed on sustainable, FSC papers.

Have You Registered Your Trust?

New rules were introduced on 6 October 2021 as part of the UK’s implementation of the Fifth Money Laundering Directive (5MLD) extending the scope of the trust register.

Previously, trusts were only required to register if they were liable to pay tax. Under the new rules all UK trusts are required to register unless they come under specific exemptions.

Trusts that need to be registered

Trusts that need to register under 5MLD fall into three broad categories.

1. All UK express trusts unless specifically excluded

An express trust is one that is created deliberately by the settlor in express terms and usually in writing, as distinguished from one that comes in to being through the operation of the law, such as trusts set up under intestacy laws or personal injury trusts receiving funds under court order.

2. Trusts that have a UK tax liability

Irrespective of whether they are express or specifically excluded. In other words, any trust with a UK tax liability needs to register.

3. Non-UK express trusts that

– Acquire land or property in the UK; or

– Have at least one UK resident trustee and have a business relationship within the UK (such as having a UK accountant or adviser).

Common arrangements that will now need to be registered

• Declarations of trust over land (unless the trustees are holding exclusively for themselves);
• ​Investment bonds written in trust (as part of Inheritance Tax Planning for example);
• ​Bare trusts; and
• Non-complex estates under administration for more than two years.

Registration deadlines

The deadline for new registrations of existing non-taxable trusts under 5MLD is 1 September 2022.

Non-taxable trusts set up after 1 September 2022 must register within 90 days of creation.

• Trusts that need to register under the existing rules because they have a UK income tax or Capital Gains Tax liability for the first time, must do so by 5 October following the end of the tax year in which the liability arose. This is to allow time for a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) to be issued under which to file the self assessment tax return.
• ​Trusts that already have a UTR need to register by 31 January following the tax year in which the liability to income tax or Capital Gains Tax arose (the same deadline as for the corresponding tax return).
• Trusts that have other tax liabilities that are not income tax or Capital Gains Tax that is Inheritance Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax (and the Scottish and Welsh equivalents) and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax, must also register by 31 January in the tax year following that in which the liability arose.

Updates to Registered trusts

Currently, registered taxable trusts are required to update the trust register within 30 days of any change in details relating to the registered persons.

The Government is intending to legislate to increase this period to 90 days later this year.

For further information on this topic, download our factsheet here.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued new guidance for any business who makes environmental claims.

The guidance is applicable for goods and services and for any business.

The purpose of this guidance is to help businesses understand and comply with their existing obligations under consumer protection law when making environmental claims. We hope it will give confidence to those businesses whose products are genuinely ‘green’ to provide consumers with the information they need to make informed decisions.

See link to guidance and press release here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-claims-code-making-environmental-claims

One of the best ways to support the Norfolk countryside and farming community is by becoming a member of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA).

To become a member please email enquiries@rnaa.org.uk or call 01603 748931.

We’re currently reviewing our membership fee structure which runs from 1st January – 31st December each year.

About the RNAA

The Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association works hard to ensure it meets the purposes of the charity:

Through the Royal Norfolk Show and other events, we are committed to  promoting, understanding and supporting food, farming and the countryside in Norfolk.

We do this through a variety of activities and events including:

• We give back to the local farming community through financial and other support to organisations who having a significantly impact the lives of those in the agricultural industry.
• We offer educational support and opportunities dedicated to sharing the important work of agriculture and food production.
• We support events and activities which are central to the Norfolk farming community and its development.
• The support of our members is central to ensuring the work of the RNAA continues and as well as being extremely rewarding, our members are critical to the work we do in the county.

By becoming a member of the RNAA, not only can you get involved in many of our events and activities, you will enjoy a host of benefits that are only available by joining us.

Benefits of being an RNAA member

• Invitations to and updates about events at the Norfolk Showground – as well as a range of discounts and exclusive opportunities.
• Access to our Young, Innovative, Enterprising, Learning and Developing (YIELD) Network and their exciting programme of events
• A variety of Members’ visits and events – enabling social, network and learning opportunities. Watch this space to find out more about what we have planned for 2021 and 2022
• Exclusive benefits with leisure and retail establishments – click here for list of benefits
• Discount on bookings at the Norfolk Showground – Norfolk’s Premier event venue including meeting rooms, commercial spaces, kitchens and parking.
• Regular updates on RNAA activities, events, news and opportunities exclusive to our members.
• Invitations to a range of interesting and informative events throughout the county.
• Long Service Awards for agricultural employees. Members can apply using an application form available here or by contacting the Show Office, please call 01603 731977.
• Farm members can purchase concessionary tickets for their agricultural workers.
• Entry to the Royal Norfolk Show on both show days including Priority forward parking, exclusive access to both the Members’ Enclosure and the Members’ Area of the Grandstand and Vice President members receive exclusive entry into the Vice Presidents’ Enclosure and Grandstand area.

Membership Enquiries

To enquire about RNAA new and existing membership please get in touch by emailing enquiries@rnaa.org.uk or call 01603 748931.

Attleborough-based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, is celebrating two major landmarks – its 15th year in business and securing a total of £22million in Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments for customers who have switched to a heat pump for their heating.

Established in 2006, the company was started by technical director David Alston, who first ran Finn Geotherm from a container unit on his father’s farm. An engineering graduate, David spotted the opportunity to bring heat pump technology, which was being widely used in Finland, to heat homes here in the UK. Today, the company has modern offices and a showroom just off the A11 and employs a total of 25 staff. In its 15 years, the company has installed more than 1,000 systems in properties ranging from two-bedroom bungalows and converted windmills to stately homes and even at the zoo in locations across East Anglia and beyond. Heat pumps are now widely accepted as one of the best low carbon heating systems available, with the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan committing to deploy 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028.

David Alston, technical director at Finn Geotherm, said: “I understood the massive potential of the UK heat pump market when I first started Finn Geotherm 15 years ago and we’ve steadily grown the company as more and more people see for themselves the many great benefits of having a heat pump for their home or business. For the Government to now announce these systems as the future of heating, marks the start of the next exciting chapter in Finn Geotherm’s history.”

On its 15th anniversary, Finn Geotherm has also reached the huge milestone of securing £22million in Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments, which will be shared among the domestic and commercial customers for whom it has designed and installed ground and air source heat pump systems.

The RHI is the current government initiative designed to reward people for switching to a more environmentally friendly form of heating. Administered by Ofgem, the scheme comprises the Domestic RHI for homeowners and Non-domestic (Commercial) RHI for commercial customers. Based on the amount of clean, green heat produced, both provide tax-free quarterly payments for seven years under the Domestic scheme or 20 years for Commercial. The Domestic RHI ends for new applications in March 2022 and will be replaced by the newly announced Boiler Upgrade Scheme. The Non-Domestic RHI ended in March 2021.

As one of the UK’s longest established renewable heating companies, Finn Geotherm has been helping its heat pump customers apply for this tax-free incentive since it was first introduced in April 2014. The company has kept a log of all the RHI payments it has secured for its domestic and commercial customers and this has now reached a total of £22million pounds.

Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm added: “To reach this incredible milestone of £22million in our 15th year of trading is testament to the hard work of the entire team at Finn Geotherm in installing these heat pump systems and ensuring our customers receive the maximum benefit of switching to clean, green heating. At a time when we all need to be doing our bit to tackle climate change, we could not be more proud of the role we play in helping people to choose a better method of heating.”

For more information on ground and air source heat pumps and details on Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

A CNC Milling Programmer at Norwich based engineering firm Thurne Middleby Ltd has fought off tough competition to secure a place in the prestigious national finals of the WorldSkills UK Competitions. Jacob Wiggett will join finalists from all over the UK to compete in front of over 70,000 visitors at WorldSkills UK LIVE. Taking place from 15 – 17 November at the NEC, WorldSkills UK LIVE is the country’s largest experiential skills, apprenticeships and careers event and is free to attend.

“We are very proud of Jacob for reaching this stage of the competition and wish him all the best for the final”, said Dean Folkard, Production Manager at Thurne-Middleby Ltd. “His skills are making an important contribution to our in-house manufacturing capabilities and he has our full support in his preparations for November’s final.”

Dr Neil Bentley, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said: “I offer my congratulations to Jacob and Thurne-Middleby. Our competitions equip apprentices and learners with the lifelong, world-class skills that will drive up training standards to the highest level to help boost UK productivity and competitiveness.”

WorldSkills UK Competitions are run in over 60 skill areas and are proven to help people go further, faster in their training and chosen career. The WorldSkills UK Competition in CNC Milling is run in partnership with Semta.

 In light of GDPR regulations, deadly data breaches are the subject of discussion in offices and business meetings nationally.

There is a public focus on the businesses accountable, with the public being more aware of their personal data rights than ever before. Most data breaches happen accidentally in your employee’s inboxes, either by sending an email to the wrong recipient or clicking on a link that isn’t secure. Have you ever sent the right email to the wrong person?

Simple mistakes such as these can now cost companies clients, income and also their reputation. Several businesses have come under scrutiny recently, after mistakenly sending sensitive information to the wrong recipient, just through a click of a button.

Over breakfast at St Giles Hotel, Tiger Eye Consulting will help you to make sense of how you can avoid the dreaded data breach in your inbox.

The seminar will explain the simple truth behind data breaches, and present two solutions, with presentations from Tiger Eye, MimeCast and Tessian. With spaces booking up fast, grab your spot to avoid missing out: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-secure-is-your-email-system-breakfast-seminar-and-networking-meeting-tickets-49894855857?aff=twitter1  

Following the development of bespoke cyber security training services for a number of our clients it was clear that there was a need within businesses for courses and workshops that supported their cyber security journey from the very early stages, through to those with more developed positions still requiring some experienced support.

Following a successful launch of 5 courses and workshops in September 2021 we will be continuing delivering them both in person and online in to 2022, expanding our offering in to new locations across the East of England.  From January we will be offering courses in Leicester, Peterborough and Cambridge in addition to the existing Norwich and Online courses.

Our cyber and information security training is focused on providing training that also brings personal benefits to individual attendees in their broader lives and not just in the workplace.  Being built by our consultants who bring their real world experience of working within client businesses, the courses bring to life the very real risks facing today’s businesses, schools & charities.

If in 2022 you have a focus on educating and upskilling your staff to create a more vigilant workforce, or you need to increase the levels of cyber security knowledge within your leadership team to enable better decision making, we are here to support you.

Cyber security training not only achieves the above, it has the additional benefit of facilitating building a culture of security within your business.  With staff coming away from the training with changes they can make immediately, and business leaders feeling more informed and empowered the return on the investment will begin that same day.

Our first set of training dates for 2022 are now live and bookings are open via our website.  You can read more about the individual courses by following the links below:

Staff Awareness Training

Business Owners and Leaders Training

Incident Response Planning Workshop

Preparing for Cyber Essentials

ISO27001 Certification

As we continue to invest in our training offering we are also exploring ways in which we can add more value to delegates who are maybe seeking CPD hours or points from the time they spend in training and personal development.  As we further develop our training services we are looking at building specific courses for industry sectors such as Legal, Finance, Healthcare & Charity.  If you are operating in these sectors, or feel that something bespoke for your sector would be useful, then please do get in touch with us for a chat.