Author Archive
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Sharp fall in demand for rural land
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has reported a significant drop in demand for rural land in H1 2016, and with supply continuing to increase, expectations have been pushed further into negative territory. According to RICS research, 49% of contributors now expect prices to fall across all farm types over the coming year. Anecdotal evidence from respondents suggests that several factors are combining to dampen sentiment in the market which include increased uncertainty due to ...
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Small businesses to benefit from “Making Tax Digital”
Paying tax should become less burdensome for British businesses under plans for a new tax system set out by HMRC. Six consultation documents which seek views on its Making Tax Digital programme have been unveiled setting out the benefits as follows: cash-basis accounting so that thousands more will be able to pay tax based simply on the difference between money they have taken in and what they have paid out, meaning tradesmen will pay tax on ...
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Manufacturers reluctant to borrow from banks
Growth and investment are at risk because manufacturers remain disengaged from the banking sector with the legacy of the financial crisis still playing a significant role in their attitudes towards external finance. According to new research from EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, over eight in ten manufacturers are confident of securing finance for a new business opportunity. However, while just over a third say they are more likely to use external finance than ...
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SME invoice finance up 60%
The amount of finance advanced to the UK’s smallest businesses through invoice finance jumped by over 60% in the last year to £711 million, according to the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA), the body representing the invoice finance and asset based lending industry in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The amount of finance advanced to the UK’s smaller businesses recorded the highest year-on-year boost since the recession, as businesses increasingly shift away from more traditional types ...
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Ingenuity – a Notts based opportunity you shouldn’t miss
CMM managing director, Graham Allen, recently featured in the "member spotlight" section of The Ingenuity Network’s newsletter. Nottingham University’s Ingenuity programme launched 10 years ago and has since grown into a thriving community of over 1,800 individuals, all of whom benefit from networking opportunities and wide ranging input aimed at supporting SMEs. Summing up his relationship with the Network, Graham said: “I started attending the Ingenuity Network from the very start and ...
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UK services sector contracts
The UK service sector registered a fall in business activity in July, according to the latest PMI survey data from IHS Markit and CIPS. Output and new business both declined for the first time in over three-and-a-half years and at the fastest rates since early-2009. Consequently, employment in the sector was unchanged since June, ending a three-and-a-half-year period of uninterrupted job creation. The 12-month outlook for activity weakened sharply to the lowest since ...
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Brexit impacts UK commercial property
The UK commercial property market has seen a significant drop in confidence and investor demand following the Brexit vote, according to the Q2 2016 RICS UK Commercial Property Market Survey. Both the investment and occupier sides of the market have been affected by the change in sentiment and both rent and capital value expectations are now in negative territory. Although ...
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Natural England launches south east costal path
Walkers can now enjoy 66 miles of new and improved National Trail between Camber and Ramsgate. The route represents the first section of the England Coast Path to open in the south east - it permits unbridled views of coastline including the White Cliffs and the unique areas of Dungeness and Pegwell Bay, popular for bird watching, their landscape and their summer flowers. Natural ...
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Bluetongue vaccine now available
Bluetongue vaccines for sheep and cattle are now available across Britain, with supplies approved for use in vet practices. There is a high risk of an outbreak of Bluetongue (BTV-8) towards the end of the summer as a result of infected midges being blown across the English Channel from France - the disease affects all ruminants, but particularly cattle and ...
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Online testing service helps vets and APHA tackle animal disease
Launched today (15th July 2016), the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) new Animal Disease Testing Service will ultimately replace an old, paper-based process for sending sample data to APHA and receiving results from surveillance and diagnostic tests. It should save time and work for vets, support earlier diagnosis of diseases and improve access to sample results. Crucially, APHA will ...
