11 minute read
training and events
Training and Events Diary
Members enjoy discounted rates for training
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Tailored Training
Sussex Chamber can provide company bespoke training courses which is a fantastic way of designing one of our training courses to suit your business needs. This is a cost effective way of training a group of your employees at the same time, on a date that suits you and at the premises of your choice.
Foundation Award in International Trade
These courses are delivered online and are structured to match the ten British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) courses. Each course offers one credit towards the BCC Foundation Award in International Trade and candidates attending six or more courses and obtaining six or more credits received the Award.
Note: receive a discount when booking any six of the courses at the same time. The following prices will apply:
£1026.00 + VAT per person (members = 10% discount)
£1425.00 + VAT per person (non-members = 5% discount)
Training Courses
Gold & Premier members - You can now use your credit pots to pay for training
1st Dec 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Incoterms
6th Dec 9:30- 13:00 Foundation Award in International Trade- Customs Procedures & Documentation
8th Dec 9:00- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Export Documentation
13th Dec 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade - Customs Procedures & Documentation
14th Dec 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade - Export Documentation
15th Dec 9:30- 13:00 Foundation Award in International Trade- Understanding Commodity Codes
10th Jan 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Incoterms
11th Jan 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade - Customs Procedures & Documentation
12th Jan 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade - Export Documentation
24th Jan 9:30- 13:00 Foundation Award in International Trade- Understanding Commodity Codes
25th Jan 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Understanding Exporting
26th Jan 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Methods of Payment
7th Feb 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Import Procedures 8th Feb 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Documentary Letters of Credit
9th Feb 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Agents & Distributors
21st Feb 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Preference Rules of Origin
22nd Feb 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Inward & Outward Processing
23rd Feb 9:30- 12:30 Foundation Award in International Trade- Incoterms
6th Dec 9:30- 16:30 Essentials of Supervision & Team Leadership- 2 Days (F2F)
14th Dec 9:30- 11:30 Train the Trainer - Virtual
22nd Nov 9:30- 16:30 Introduction to Supervision (F2F)
25th Jan 9:30- 16:30 Essentials of Supervision & Team Leadership- 2 Days (F2F)
2nd Feb 9:30- 16:30 Introduction to Supervision (F2F)
2nd Dec 9:30- 12:30 Introduction to Emotional Intelligence - Virtual
9th Dec 9:30- 11:30 Presenting & Speaking to Engage - Virtual
13th Dec 9:30- 11:30 Confident & Effective Communication - Virtual
17th Jan 9:30- 16:30 Unshakeable Confidence (F2F)
27th Jan 9:30- 16:30 Confident & Effective Communication (F2F)
30th Jan 9:30- 16:30 Presenting & Speaking to Engage (F2F)
8th Feb 9:30- 16:30 Time Management & Personal Effectiveness (F2F)
9th Feb 9:30- 11:30 Confident & Effective Communication - Virtual
5th Dec 9:30- 16:30 Selling Skills for Results (F2F)
24th Jan 9:30- 11:30 Selling Skills for Results - Virtual
1st Feb 9:30- 16:30 Great Customer Service (F2F)
3rd Feb 9:30- 16:30 Selling Skills for Results (F2F)
Events
Virtual & Face to Face (F2F)
6th December 12:00 - 14:30 Members Christmas Networking Lunch.
Call 01444 259259 to book.
13th December 11:00 - 12:00 Ignite Your Membership - Virtual
15th December 10:00- 11:30 Grow Your Connections (Christmas Event) - Virtual
10th January 10:00 - 11:30 Grow Your Connections - Virtual Members: £35.00
FREE
Members: FREE
Members: FREE
18th January 14:30 - 15:30 Ignite Your Membership - Virtual
FREE
19th January 8:00 - 10:30 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - F2F Members: £15.00, Non-Members: £25.00
24th January 10:00 - 12:00 The Ultimate Sussex Network
19th April 14:00 - 16:00 Speed Networking with the Neighbours: Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire Members: FREE, Non-Members: £20.00
Members: £25.00, Non-Members: £35.00
Additional events and forums will be added to this schedule – both virtual and face to face.
For Sector-Based Forums, Bank of England events, Social gatherings, MP events, Purely Networking and many more, go to the following link on our website for an updated list of all of our events: www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk/events
All Change Please, All Change!
In the 17 years I have been involved in Research and Development Tax Relief, I have never seen so much change and uncertainty around the schemes. Q4 2022 certainly has thrown a spotlight on the Tax Reliefs like no time before.
At the start of the quarter, we were digesting the findings of the recent HMRC & ONS Statistics for the performance of the schemes and also the ONS comparison of Business Enterprise Research and Development Statistics to the R&D Tax Relief Statistics, that were also published on 29th September. In the past there has always been a significant discrepancy between the two, with the Tax Relief statistics always throwing out a far larger number. However, it was “all change” in the BERD statistics as the ONS looked at their modelling and felt it didn’t really represent the efforts of smaller UK businesses in conducting R&D. They waved their magic wand and all of a sudden, the UK had spent an extra £15 billion on R&D in 2018 and up to £16.1 billion more in 2020. The ONS will use this model when they release their full BERD statistics for 2022 later this month.
Then in November, in the shadow of the disastrous 44 days of Liz Truss’s role as Prime Minister, and the prospect of new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement leading to spending cuts and tax rises, The Times newspaper have written a series of articles shining a light on some of the darker arts of the R&D industry. This has been followed by The House of Lords investigating R&D Tax Relief as part of their wider review of the Finance Bill 2022, where members of the scientific community, the accounting profession and the R&D Tax Relief industry have been called to give evidence.
The problem is clear for all to see, but apparently not HMRC, over the last 5 years there has been a rise in the number of firms that see cold-calling and selling their 100 percent success rates and the notion of free money from HMRC to anyone who will listen. The changes announced in the 2021 Autumn Statement are already baked into the R&D Tax Relief Scheme and will take effect for accounting periods starting on/ after 1 April 2023.
Some of the changes already coming in may help on the fraud and pushing the boundaries:
notifying HMRC of any external advisor;
signing off the R&D Claim by a senior director;
early notification of the intention to claim, which has to be within six months after the year end for a company that hasn’t claimed in the previous three years;
all claims will have to be made digitally;
the costs will have to be broken down; and
an explanation of the R&D will be required
There are other changes coming in that will also affect the value of the claim for accounting periods starting after 1 April 2023:
Subcontractors – only UK based subcontractors will be eligible in claims, so if you are near-shoring or off-shoring your development at the moment, you can still do this, you just won’t be able to include the cost in your R&D claim. Would Re-shoring be a possibility? This is designed to boost the productivity of the UK and to build on the skills already in the country. There are some limited exceptions to this change;
Cloud Computing and Data costs – in an effort to keep the tax relief relevant these essential development costs for tech and bio pharma will be eligible
Pure Mathematics – has previously not been considered a science, but with the rise in algorithms, its now to be included. Jeremy Hunt’s 2022 Autumn Statement has thrown in some significant additional changes, which clearly are hoped will go some way to reduce the effect of fraud and manipulation, but will have a significant effect on genuine claimants:
Whilst I fully expected the enhancement rate for SMEs to be reduced to 100% which would have meant that a profitable company would obtain tax relief equivalent to 25% of eligible costs, and would have maintained the status quo with the current rate of relief equivalent to 24.7%, he went a step further and reduced it to 86%, which reduces the relief to 21.5% of eligible costs;
He has also greatly reduced the repayable tax credit from 14.5% to 10% this means with the reduction in the enhancement rate to 86%, a loss-making company which might previously have received a 33.35% tax relief, it has been reduced to 18.6%; and
It was also considered that he might merge the 2 schemes (SME and RDEC) into one – whilst he didn’t do this, he did greatly enhance the rate of RDEC to 20% from 13%, which equates to a tax saving of 15% of the eligible spend.
If you’d like to know whether you might be able to claim or need support to cope with the coming changes, why not book a noobligation discovery call with me at www. calendly.com/cooden/discovery-bus-edge.
Establishing the Future Urban Landscape
The concept of a circular economy is not new – in fact, the linear economy characterised by taking, make and dispose of has only existed since the industrial revolution in any particularly meaningful way. In previous eras, very little was thrown away, as nearly everything had an alternative use at the end of its life, even if only for compost. Building materials are a case in point; many old buildings are constructed from stone from demolished buildings, and some old timbered properties are held up by old ships timbers.
So why don’t we still do this everywhere? The truth is that it’s far more convenient and sometimes cheaper to manufacture products from virgin material, and nearly always the quality is more consistent.
GreenBlue Urban has always been committed to the circular economy principle – and it is far wider than just product manufacture. A circular economy is a wide economic system that works to challenge global issues such as waste and pollution, but also climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – both air and water. In setting such massive goals, the circular economy needs a huge shift in thinking, by all of us.
In addition to the issues that the circular economy seeks to tackle, as above, it is designed to benefit not only the environment but to bring prosperity to business and to society. It is regenerative by design, meaning that natural resources do not become so quickly depleted, and therefore new industries came to arise, bringing healthy economic growth.
Planting trees is a perfect example of a circular economy, as the tree provides multiple benefits during its life, and can be used to manufacture products when it is cut down. Removal of a plantation tree results in space left for new tree planting, bringing employment to often rural areas. But what about urban trees? Urban trees also form part of a circular economy – but to maximise the benefits, these need to be properly planted, and grow to maturity. This is the raison d’être of GreenBlue Urban – assisting trees in their struggle to survive in a hostile environment. Whether it is providing soil support by using RootSpace soil cells, guiding tree roots with products from the ReRoot root management range, bringing air and water to the rooting zone with RootRain irrigation and aeration solutions or physically protecting the tree from above ground damage with tree grilles and guards.
The GreenBlue Urban innovative solutions enable trees to grow to their species potential longevity. All the below-ground products are manufactured from 100% recycled materials and are recyclable up to 5 times once they have finished their life. This is central to the GreenBlue Urban philosophy, as our vision is to bring environmental benefits to communities around the world, and the least possible carbon footprint.
With policy insisting that all developments of more than 150 residential units, buildings over 30m in height or commercial premises over 2500m2, a Circular Economy Statement must be submitted, along with a Whole Life Carbon Assessment as part of the planning process. This aims to reduce waste and pollution, and in time, will help achieve the net-zero carbon commitments. It is suggested that circular economy strategies could deliver emissions reductions that could limit the expected temperature rise by half – an incredible benefit.
Greenblue Urban is the global leading solutions provider in assisting trees in their battle to establish in urban spaces. Established in 1992 with more than 40 years’ experience in the landscaping industry GreenBlue provide exceptional expertise & Solutions in planning, design and the installation of green and blue infrastructure in the hard landscape.
