business matters

Preparing for the changing landscape of research & development tax credit claims

The government introduced corporation tax reliefs over twenty years ago to encourage investment in research and development and provide financial support to business undertaking work in this area. The aim of this being to increase scientific and technological innovation within the UK economy. The schemes have seen year on year growth in terms of uptake and were designed to support all companies subject to corporation tax, whether new or existing, large, or small and medium size enterprises.

Stephen Kus

Managing Director Oldland Consulting Limited

In recent years, there has been growing concern of misuse of the schemes, with fraudulent or erroneous claims being filed. A small proportion of such claims have been opportunistic, but of greater concern are maverick claims filed by organised criminals. In response, HMRC have been carrying out enhanced checks of supporting evidence during 2022 and will be implementing some scheme changes from April 2023.

Although elements of the upcoming changes could be perceived as “red tape”, some are linked to widening the definition of qualifiable R&D expenditure. For example, data licenses, cloud services, and data storage costs will now be qualifiable. Which makes sense in terms of the increased use of such services within R&D activities. That said, expenditure on overseas services (i.e., services outside of the UK) will not qualify except in specific circumstances.

Other “red tape” changes linked to the overall process of making a claim include:

Notifying HMRC of making claim before doing so.

Providing supporting evidence in relation to the claim.

Directors signing off content created by agencies or third parties.

Oldland Consulting Limited (OCL) has been supporting businesses, across multiple sectors, to file successful claims for over 14 years. OCL’s approach involves:

Keeping fully up to date on changes in the legislation in relation to both UK tax credit schemes.

Working closely with clients to understand their businesses and the R&D activities taking place.

Identifying qualifiable costs and ensuring clients are aware of why costs are eligible or ineligible in relation to their claim.

Suggesting reasonable approaches for calculating time spent on qualifiable R&D.

Co-producing clear and accurate Financial and Technical Reports to underpin claims.

Liaising and aligning with clients’ accountants to ensure resulting claims are correctly represented within tax returns.

OCL believes the changes to the UK R&D tax credit schemes will be beneficial to the companies that are entitled to claim. The interventions will also be beneficial to the taxpayer as financial support will be directed to qualifiable businesses not fraudulent claims. OCL has taken steps in preparation for the changes, having bolstered the strength of its existing team with the recruitment of Melanie Owen FCCA, Tax / Compliance Director. Melanie has been driving actions in relation to compliance and adherence to PCRT guidelines.

If you would like to be better prepared for the changes set for 2023, or for R&D tax relief claims in general - OCL are always happy to discuss and provide support where we can. Please contact Stephen Kus, Managing Director by email at steve@ocl.co.uk or by telephone on +44 (0) 1243 200231. Or you can always visit Stephen at OCL’s office in the beautiful cathedral city of Chichester in West Sussex.

Sussex businesses join forces to deliver: PSC Global announces SCM partnership with Portal Devices

Worthing-based firm PSC Global is delighted to announce that we’ve joined forces with a local engineering firm, Portal Devices Limited, respected innovators in the field of immersivew technologies, providing specialist display engineering to immersive installations in the attractions market.

Chris Smith

Managing Director, PSC Global

Matt Roberts

Founder, Portal Devices

This type of ‘immersion’ describes the experience of being surrounded by a virtual world: think theme park dark rides and flight simulators. But what role could gaskets possibly play in immersive technologies?

Engineering, reliability and highperformance equipment underpin the effective delivery of immersive experiences. Portal Devices supports some of the biggest names in the industry, household names of attractions we all know and love.

Portal’s founder, Matt Roberts, knew he needed the projector mounts and structures to be 100% reliable for many years of almost-continuous service. He trusted PSC Global’s gasket expertise could help him achieve the quality and consistency he required.

These projector mounts are hefty mechanical fabrications and cost as much as a new sports car. With such costs, the protection of critical components against dust and vibration is essential and the units need many gaskets to perform perfectly. We are also adding our assembly capabilities to the project, putting the units together against exacting quality assurance requirements to ensure they are fit for purpose.

But, that was just the start of our shared vision. Our supply chain management (SCM) abilities maximise competitive advantage, quality and customer satisfaction. We knew we could help Portal Devices deliver their products to customers when, where and in the quantities they need to; we would become their partnered production house.

Roberts said ‘We found the perfect solution to fulfil our operational goals - the skilled and capable team at PSC are hugely enjoyable to work with and readily understand the engineering and production controls we need. We’re looking forward to building on this serendipitous partnership’.

PSC Global is ramping up production for this welcomed new partner. Portal Devices demonstrate how our SCM and production skills can provide invaluable capability expansion for companies needing local world-class operations for a world-wide customer base.

Find out more about the power of PSC Global at psc.global

Myth Busting Search Engine Optimisation

As experts in Search Engine Optimisation, we have heard many different myths about search engine marketing and reasons why companies are not making it a focus for their marketing efforts. Here are a few of the myths busted.

Stephen C.

CEO & Founder Prophecy Marketing

SEO Is Only For Big Companies

SEO is incredibly powerful for smaller companies and can provide them with exceptional online visibility without large investment. For companies focusing on local consumers, SEO is very important as 93% of consumers use search online for local businesses.

Content Quality Is Not That Important For SEO

This might have been partially true in the past, however with sophisticated algorithms and the use of Ai, high quality content is now critical for effective SEO. Search engines will give better rankings to websites which have engaging, easy to navigate and well written content.

I don’t Need To Do SEO AS My Website Is Already On Page One

When searching for your company’s brand it should be on the very top of the first page of a search engine. However, what about other keywords that your target audience might be using? On what page is your website coming up for these? If you are not on page one, then there is work to be done.

My Competition Don’t Use SEO Techniques

If your competition is not using SEO, then it is the perfect opportunity to strengthen your position. There are numerous search engine updates each year, many of the updates can change website ranking dramatically. If you are already working towards SEO best practice, then it is likely these updates will have less impact on your website’s position. If you would like to learn more about search engine marketing, simply visit www.prophecy. marketing/free-seo-course to book your attendance in the next class.

www.prophecy.marketing

01273 234 686

The journey for Carbon Neutrality as Sussex Packaging Company breaks the internet

Safe to say our launch was both monumental and unexpected. In essence, our goal was to simplify the online packaging experience with great products, great value and a core drive for sustainability.

Growth and response have been fantastic. We are breaking into top 5 results on Google for key words such as Double Wall Boxes, Un Certified Packaging and many more. Our E-commerce site, Packaging Online, is occupying a space that has been dominated by a few big players, but as ever we aim to break convention in our quest to be better. We strive to bring a fresh hassle-free approach to packaging with over three decades of packaging experience all backed up and the largest manufacturing facilities in the South.

Historically, Challenge has been on a journey to minimise our environmental impact for some time. We endeavor to reduce waste and recycle everything we can whilst offering a diverse range of sustainable products.

We understand that our operation and the operations of our customers all impact the environment in some way. With this in mind we are ready and committed to our next step on the journey to Net Zero. We have recently partnered with Auditel (a Carbon Footprint & Carbon Reduction Consultants) in order to audit and implement a suitable framework that delivers accountability in reduction of our carbon footprint. Auditels measure and verify approach will give us the meaningful information required to provide our customers with a transparent solution that has sustainability at its core.

At Challenge we are conscious that the market is full of greenwashing, something we want to stay completely detached from. The idea of ticking “green” box for marketing only purposes does not sit well with us, both morally and commercially. British Standards Institution (BSI) The PAS2060 is an auditable standard with a verification process that does what it sets out to do. It measures and plans for us to reduce our footprint continuously. We believe change is inevitable so why not follow us as we embark on our journey to be “Better”.

Beautiful Sussex

I was lucky enough to move to Sussex when I was 14 years old and have lived here ever since. During my teenage years I could see the Seven Sisters from my brother’s bedroom window and every week would run across Seaford Head and down to Cuckmere Haven – I did that again a few times this Summer but much more slowly!

I’m spoilt now by living within walking (and sometime running) distance of Devil’s Dyke and, as legend would have it, the burial mounds of the Devil and his wife.

When I first moved to Sussex, I’m pretty sure there weren’t any vineyards. I remember my first pint of Harvey’s though when I was almost 18 - now we have over 50 vineyards and 70 brewers in the County!

Sussex has its County Cricket side of course but I spent more of my adolescent time at the Goldstone Ground (back to the legend of Devil’s Dyke) and for years couldn’t stop reliving ‘and Smith must score’. Now we have a firmly established Premier League team knocking on the door of European competition and the women’s team is in the Women’s Super League. We also have East Grinstead Hockey Club with both the men’s and women’s 1st X1 playing at the pinnacle of hockey in England.

Our County is rich in natural beauty and history, in sporting excellence and has a rich heritage in architecture, in coastal communities, in agriculture, in tourism and hospitality and in the creative arts. On top of that we have the biggest and best Bonfire Night events in the UK. We have 2 Universities and 14 FE Colleges that are part of FE Sussex and most gardens in the County will have a Sussex Trug or two. The list goes on, including the world-renowned Goodwood events including Glorious Goodwood and the Festival of Speed.

Knitting all of these together is our forward looking, resilient, inclusive and passionate business community and I can’t think of a better place to live than good old Sussex by the Sea.

Rob Clare

Chairman, Sussex Chamber of Commerce

Why make Lasting Powers of Attorney?

Have you ever considered what may happen if you were no longer able to make decisions for yourself due to an accident or ill health?

There is a misconception that your spouse or ‘next of kin’ would automatically be able to step in to deal with all matters for you. Unfortunately, this is not the case as they do not have a legal right to do so unless you have put a Lasting Power of Attorney in place.

I often say to my clients that a Lasting Power of Attorney is like an insurance policy. You may never need it but if you do, you may heavily rely upon it.

The key factor necessary for putting a Lasting Power of Attorney in place is that you have the mental capacity to do so. Sadly, I see many clients who leave it too late. This can be particularly hard on family members leaving them powerless when it comes to simple things like paying a loved one’s bill or managing their care. Lasting Powers of Attorney allow you (as the donor) to grant another person or people (as Attorneys) a wide range of powers and the ability to make decisions on your behalf. There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney. The first is for property and financial affairs and gives your Attorney the authority to deal with decisions such as liaising with your bank, paying bills and selling property. The second type covers health and welfare issues, allowing your Attorney to deal with decisions about your medical care.

Lasting Powers of Attorney can also be invaluable if you have business interests. They can ensure your business suffers minimal disruption as someone can quickly step in and safeguard the business, preventing lost contacts or unpaid wages for example.

Lasting Powers of Attorney will give you peace of mind that you are protected. Spending time now discussing them and putting them in place, could be time very well spent.

Greer Pratley

Senior Associate, Lewis Denley

Contact Greer: 01403 333 744 or email greer.pratley@lewisdenley.com.

For more information about Lewis Denley visit: www.lewisdenley.com.

Sussex business owner undertakes 24hr podcast for local children’s charity

Sam Thomas, host of County Business TALKS Podcast, co-founder of County Business Clubs and managing director of Sussex Business Times, completed a 24hr live podcast as part of a £10,000 challenge in support of Rockinghorse.

Sam joined the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity board as their first Parent Trustee in February 2021 following his family’s experience at the Trevor Mann Baby Unit at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital where their twins were born in 2015.

While Sienna was born without any complications, Sam’s son Luca struggled to survive due to a prolapsed cord. Immediately the medical staff rushed to help him, giving him oxygen and ‘cooling mat’ treatment that stopped his brain from swelling.

Despite these interventions, they were given the devastating news that Luca may not survive, and if he did, he would likely face severe brain damage. But thanks to the dedication and care shown by the incredible staff at the unit, Luca slowly built up his strength and the family started to get more positive feedback from the doctors.

Eventually after four weeks they were finally able to take Luca home to meet Sienna and after two years of monitoring and testing, he reached every milestone along with his sister.

It was at this point that Sam decided to do as much as he could to support Rockinghorse Children’s Charity so that other families who find themselves in the same difficult situation can get all the support they need.

Since 2015 Sam has raised the equivalent of £20,000 for the charity through a range of challenges, events and sponsorships. And during this, the charity’s 55th Anniversary year, Sam decided to set himself the challenge of raising £10,000 through a range of events and challenges, including completing a 24hr podcast.

Sam already hosts the weekly County Business Clubs TALKS podcast, where he speaks to local business people to share their stories and inspire listeners, so Sam decided to use these skills to organise the charity version of the podcast where he would speak to 24 different guests.

Sam said: “My love for podcasts and having these conversations is what led me to take on one of my biggest challenges of the year.

“On 13 October at 12pm in the Plus X Studio in Brighton I began my challenge, on the hour every hour I interviewed another guest from entrepreneurs and business leaders to professional athletes, Master Chef winners, radio and tv presenters and many more.

“Throughout the 24 hours we also hosted over 60 people to watch two of the episodes live on stage with Dragons Den winner and founder of the Tiny Box Company Rachel Watkyn and Giles Palmer founder of Brandwatch.

“I had 24 amazing conversations that were streamed live and have so far raised £2500 which takes my total this year to over £7500!”

Amanda Heatherington, Corporate Engagement Manager at Rockinghorse, went along to support Sam during the first few hours of the podcast and said: “It was such a great idea of Sam’s to use his podcast platform as a fundraiser for Rockinghorse. It was fascinating listening to all the different guests he interviewed, despite him losing his voice towards the end!

“Having Sam as such a passionate supporter of Rockinghorse really makes a difference to us. As a small local charity, people like Sam enable us to support thousands of babies, children and their families every year. So, a massive thanks to him for his continued support”

You can donate to Sam’s £10,000 challenge on his Just Giving page, just search ‘Sam Thomas 10k Trustee Challenge.’

And to find out more about Rockinghorse, visit their website at www.rockinghorse.org.uk.

Premium Brands deserve a Premium Service

Supporting local businesses with their car requirements is what I do. My name is Kate Chapman, I have proudly worked for the souths leading automotive retailer group ‘Harwoods’ for over 7 years; representing premium brands, Jaguar Land Rover, Audi, Volvo, Bentley, McLaren and Aston Martin.

Kate Chapman

Business Development Manager, Hardwoods Ltd

With the forever changing market, requirements, and government rules it is my job to make sure my customers know what is best for them and their business. Working with individual Directors, opt out drivers and Fleet Managers, I am your dedicated contact for businesses at Harwoods.

I always welcome the opportunity to meet at one of state of the art newly built showrooms across the South of England or if that is not convenient, at a place of work or even a scheduled video ‘Teams’ call

Working with the support of not just our dedicated team here at Harwoods but also the manufactures enable me to offer off site Test Drives, very competitive Finance quotations, along with all what you would expect from class leading Brands.

Harwoods have been the leading automotive retailer group in the South of England for over 90 years. We remain independent in a market mainly dominated by large PLC’s giving us the opportunity to adapt to individual requirements for different types of businesses and drivers.

If you have any motoring requirements or just want to say ‘Hi’ it would be a pleasure to meet you.

kate.chapman@harwoods.uk.com www.harwoods.co.uk

Dare to Dream programme inspires over 2,500 local students so far this term

We’re over two and a half months into the delivery of our 22/23 Dare to Dream programme, and what an amazing start to the academic year it’s been.

Over the summer months, we put a huge amount of effort into using what we’ve learned as an organisation to tweak our programme content to ensure we’re maximising the delivery of each session.

One of the biggest, and most exciting, changes we made was securing our inspirational Head of Programme Delivery, Jack Hayes on a full-time basis. Anyone who’s ever witnessed Jack in action will fully understand why having him more involved in the day-to-day aspects of the LoveLocalJobs Foundation C.I.C is so important.

We’re all facing a multitude of challenges at the moment and the impact of these challenges is being felt by the young people within the local community. Because of this, and the future concerns they raise, experiences like Dare to Dream couldn’t be more pertinent.

Already this term, we’ve delivered programmes to over 2,500 students in schools across Sussex: a truly remarkable figure and one we’re incredibly proud of.

The success of these programmes would not be possible without the help and support of our fantastic growing network of schools, local businesses and their mentors. We’ve plenty to look forward to over the coming months, with more school sessions, workplace visits and new collaborations with fantastic organisations making a real impact in the community.

As we said, it’s been an amazing start to the year, but the good news is we’ve only just begun.

Exciting times ahead! www.lovelocaljobs.com