News
Post-COVID economic rebuild will need a kickstart The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber has echoed national calls to provide incentives for firms to invest in growth as a way of rebuilding the economy in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis. Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) plea to government for further support for businesses on the back of the Chancellor’s spending review would be welcomed by companies in the region. She said: “The spending review underlined much immediate economic damage that the COVID-19 crisis has caused, as well as the lasting effect it will have on our economy for many years to come. “This Chamber, and others up and down the country, has given credit to the government for the unprecedent support measures it has introduced over the past eight months but we’ve also ensured that gaps in help have been highlighted to decision-makers. “The BCC is quite rightly pointing out that businesses will have been in survival mode for a year when we get through to the spring and they are going to need incentives and support to be able to invest in future growth, which will also lead to an economic uplift too.” BCC director general Adam Marshall said: “This spending review comes at a critical time as business communities are fighting for survival in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. “The launch of the National Infrastructure Strategy is an important step in overcoming the longstanding infrastructure deficit. We’ve spent long enough discussing infrastructure projects – it’s now time to focus on delivery. “Measures to help people return to work at this challenging time will help limit long-term unemployment but government must waste no time in putting these plans into action.”
Football kit celebrates Coventry’s UK City of Culture status Coventry City and Hummel have unveiled the Sky Blues’ new third kit for the 2020/21 season. The striking design celebrates Coventry being chosen as the UK City of Culture for 2021 and is available to order at ccfcstore.com. The UK City of Culture branding on the shirt takes inspiration from the city’s story and its built environment. It celebrates the people, cultures and histories that have contributed to its international reputation, including the jet engine, the bicycle wheel and the 5G symbol.
On the shirt, the part of the brand that represents Coventry’s digital innovation, the 5G symbol, emanates from the Coventry City crest as the football club is the heartbeat of the city – and for many fans the club is central to many aspects of their lives. The new Sky Blues third shirt also shows the Coventry skyline on the back too, including the city’s famous three spires, Lady Godiva and the Whittle Arch. Inside the neckline of the shirt, images of Coventry City legends who have played a prominent role in the club’s history feature – with
Steve Ogrizovic, John Sillett, Tommy Hutchison, Clarrie Bourton, Dion Dublin, Bill Glazier, Jimmy Hill, Mick Coop, Cyrille Regis, George Mason and George Curtis all shown. Coventry City chief executive Dave Boddy said: “We’re delighted to unveil our new third kit, celebrating Coventry being the UK City of Culture 2021. “It is another fantastic kit from our partnership with Hummel, with the City of Culture branding featuring prominently in the design.” Laura McMillan, director of operations and legacy at
Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “The Sky Blues play such an important part in Coventry’s identity so working with them on the 20/21 third shirt has long been our ambition. “The fans’ passion for the city is what Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture is all about, celebrating and having pride in this extraordinary place we call home.”
Impact on home-working at Leamington development
Stephanie Green and Alistair Clark from AC Lloyd Homes
A Warwickshire property company has responded to the increase in home-working due to COVID-19 by reconfiguring the design of its properties on a new development. A survey by the Institute of Directors showed that 74% of just under 1,000 firms it
contacted are planning on maintaining the increase in their staff working from home, with more than half considering reducing their use of workplaces in the long term. With a permanent shift in home-working being one of the expected knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic, AC Lloyd Homes has transformed one of the bedrooms in its showhouse at The Cricketers in Radford Semele, Leamington, into an office for the first time. Extra points have been added to plug in laptops, printers and mobile phones in the office, which fits two people working at home within the 67 two, three,
four and five-bedroom home development. AC Lloyd Homes managing director Alistair Clark and sales and marketing manager Stephanie Green went along to The Cricketers to spend a day working from the showhouse to road-test it before it was open to the public. Alistair said: “The coronavirus pandemic has led to a permanent move to more flexible working due to the national lockdowns and advice when the tier system was introduced. Everyone has proved they can be highly productive working from home. “When the vaccination programme is rolled out, I think
more and more people will be dividing their time between their office environment and working from home instead of everyone returning to their office desks full-time. “The last nine months has resulted in more people assessing their homes with people working from either the kitchen, the dining room table or a spare bedroom. “Transforming one of the bedrooms at the showhouse at The Cricketers into an office shows prospective buyers how they can combine work and home under one roof and, just as importantly, separate the two.”
Gallagher Coventry recognised in FirstPro Awards Gallagher Coventry has been crowned Team of the Year at the annual FirstPro Awards, which celebrate the best professional and financial services in Coventry & Warwickshire. The awards recognise excellent teamwork in the region and FirstPro is seen as the gold standard event for
professionals locally. As well as being named Team of the Year, Gallagher’s Coventry team also made it through to the final of three other categories: Contribution to the Community, Deal of the Year and People Excellence. The judges noted the firm’s consistently strong performance, team spirit and
strength of purpose, as well as its commitment to look after each other and provide a supportive environment. Cheryll Rawbone, chairman of Gallagher Coventry, said: “It is an honour to receive this award on behalf of our Coventry team. This external award recognises the team’s client-first approach and entrepreneurial spirit in
Two solicitors listed on review website Review website ThreeBestRated.co.uk has ranked two solicitors at Band Hatton Button in the top three in their specialist fields in the Coventry area. The site handpicks the best individuals using a rigorous 50-point inspection, which looks at everything from reviews, business reputation, cost and satisfaction to general excellence. Kristy Ainge, a solicitor advocate in the litigation team, has been recognised as one of the top three personal injury solicitors. She has been listed on the site since 2017.
Kristy offers legal guidance and representation to ensure that her clients receive all of the benefits owed to them without worrying about expenses by entering into no win no fee agreements where appropriate. She provides a cradle-to-grave service including representation at court hearings without the need to instruct a barrister. She advises claimants on road traffic accidents, employer liability claims, public liability claims, fatal accidents, occupiers liability claims, industrial disease and clinical/medical negligence. Kristy said: “I feel honoured to have received this accolade for another year. It shows that hard work, dedication and compassion do not go unnoticed.”
the face of adversity caused by the pandemic, along with our strong ethos of helping each other and the community. A massive congratulations to our award-winning team!”
Meanwhile, partner and head of employment Mark Ridley is listed on the site as one of the top three employment law solicitors. Mark specialises exclusively in this area of law, managing a broad range of contentious and non-contentious work. This includes the preparation of contracts of employment, company handbooks and policies and procedures. Mark offers practical advice to employers and employees on the conduct of disciplinary and grievance procedures, including appeals. He is also able to advise on sickness procedures and performance improvement systems. Mark said: “I am delighted to have been recognised in my field. Employment is a dynamic area of law and I approach it in a practical and personable way.”
Cast iron welding specialist unlocks R&D tax incentives A firm that specialises in welding cast iron has earned a £10,000 windfall from the government after the work required for a special project proved so complex that it qualified as R&D. Cast Iron Welding Services (CIWS) had been told repeatedly by tax professionals that its activities didn’t qualify under HMRC’s R&D tax credit scheme. But after agreeing to a third review of the company’s activity by tax relief specialists Catax, the innovations finally got the recognition they deserved.
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CIWS had been approached by a client who needed repairs to a huge cast iron industrial strainer that was five feet in diameter and 40 years old. It had developed a substantial crack due to repeated heating and cooling over many years. The object was large and heavy and was not uniform in shape or thickness. It also contained impurities and other materials, mainly nickel. This meant the CIWS team couldn’t just rely on techniques developed in the early days of the company for joining and repairing cast iron objects.
Further experimentation was required, which involved adjusting the temperature and the rate of cooling to suit its unique composition. As the company was attempting to solve a technological uncertainty, its work qualified as R&D, which resulted in a claim for £9,700 in R&D tax credits. These credits were introduced by the government in 2000 to incentivise innovation, and result in either a reduction in a limited company’s corporation tax bill or a cash lump sum. Peter Palmer, managing director of CIWS, said: “Making a claim for R&D tax credits
has opened our eyes to the way we can use the scheme to support our work on more complex projects in the future.” Kully Nijjar, associate director of Catax, said: “The overall size of this claim wasn’t as important to CIWS as knowing that R&D tax credits could allow them to take on many more clients with complex repairs in the future.” For more information, please visit: www.catax.com and www.castironwelding.co.uk
www.cw-chamber.co.uk
