Budget Update – 3 March 2021

Furlough will continue until September, with no change of terms. After July, businesses will be asked for a 10% contribution, rising to 20% in August and September.Support for the self-employed will also continue until September. 600,000 self-employed people excluded from the government’s support package so far will be able to claim direct cash grants as part of an extension to the SEISS.The National Living Wage will rise to £8.91 from AprilThe 5% reduced rate of VAT will be extended for six months to 30 September followed by interim rate of 12.5% for another six months. The standard rate will not return until April next year.Contactless Payment – From today, the […]

Timetable options to improve rail performance in the north of England

The Manchester Recovery Task Force (MRTF) has opened a public consultation, running until 10 March, offering three options to alter timetabled passenger and freight services in an attempt to improve the performance of the rail network in the Manchester area.The three proposed changes would have direct impacts on Transport for Wales’ services between North Wales and Manchester. Option a: North Wales to Manchester services diverted to serve Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge stations, removing direct services between North Wales and Manchester Airport, and the removal of stops at Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations.Option b: retain the current North Wales to Manchester Airport/Manchester Piccadilly services.Option c: divert North Wales to Manchester […]

Virtual Employment Law Update Webinar – have you booked your place yet?

Employment Law Update webinar As per usual it’s been a busy year in realm of employment law with many changes coming in 2021.  Are you up to date? Here are just some of the changes you need to be aware of which come into force this year:  Brexit and immigrationNational Minimum Wage increasesChanges to IR35 Thursday 4th March 2021, 10am – 11.45am via Zoom To book – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/employment-law-update-2021-tickets-137660176293?aff= Who Should Attend? The webinar is aimed at HR/personnel directors and managers, business owners and those in charge of staff. It is free of charge and is being hosted by Supertemps and S2 Recruitment with guest speakers Simon Bloch and Paul Chamberlain from JMW Solicitors LLP.

Smoke-free laws – Changes from 1 March 2021

On 1 March, the law around where people can smoke in Wales is changing. This means that hospital grounds, school grounds, public playgrounds, and outdoor care settings for children will be required to be smoke-free. It will be an offence to smoke in a smoke-free area and anyone caught breaking the law could face a £100 fine. The legislation will also make changes in the tourism sector. There are currently exemptions that allow smoking in self-contained holiday and temporary accommodation (cottages, caravans, chalets and Airbnb etc.) and for hotels, guesthouses, inns, hostels and members’ clubs to have smoking bedrooms. The new legislation keeps these exemptions, but only for a limited […]

International Traveller Research

VisitBritain have published the findings from the International Recovery Research on their corporate website on 3 February 2021. The purpose is to provide up-to-date insights on international travel demand and visitor needs as part of a recovery planning. The report provides the results from the first wave of the research, undertaken in December 2020, based on an online survey of potential visitors living in 14 key international markets for the UK. Please follow the link to read the report. https://www.visitbritain.org/node/123858/