CITY NEWS

The support of a Queen

Her Majesty The Queen Consort recently officially opened the new Bath city centre headquarters of national charity, the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS)

Two awards for Corkage

Corkage in Chapel Row recently won gold at the prestigious Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards and Best Restaurant at the Crescent Club Awards. Corkage owners Richard Knighting and Marty Grant had to split their time between the two events. Richard joined the 200 guests at the Winter Gardens in Westonsuper-Mare for the tourism awards hosted by broadcaster Laura Rawlings and former professional cricketer and PGA golf professional Peter Trego. Marty, meanwhile, was representing at the Crescent Club awards at The Assembly Rooms, joining their members and the great and good of Bath for the glitzy evening.

“We’re absolutely chuffed to bits to have won gold at the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards against some very stiff competition,” said Richard. “Winning this award will make a huge difference to our profile as we head into the new year, and it's always good to have something to shout about!”

Richard added, “It’s amazing to get the nod for Best Bath Restaurant from the members of the Crescent Club, ahead of many of our local independent competitors.” corkagebath.com

Personalised care at home

OxleyCare, a friendly, family-run live-in care agency with over 22 years of experience caring for elderly and vulnerable adults, has recently expanded to Bath. As a small and exclusive agency providing outstanding live-in care across the south of England, OxleyCare can accommodate a wide variety of requirements for care including companion care, dementia care, respite and convalescence care, palliative care and care for long-term illnesses. All the care packages are created bespoke for individual needs, so clients can be certain they are are getting the very best care possible.

For more information about OxleyCare visit oxleycare.co.uk or telephone 01980 846690 to speak to a member of the team.

Her Majesty has a long-standing relationship with the ROS, following her late mother’s and late grandmother’s devastating experiences of osteoporosis. Since 1994, The Queen Consort has been one of the most effective and high-profile communicators globally in highlighting a condition which has been characterised by passivity and low awareness, despite affecting half of women over 50.

During her visit to the new ROS offices, Her Majesty met with specialist nurses who run the charity’s free Helpline, which answers 13,000 enquiries a year, providing support and information for people living with osteoporosis and their family

Truespeed back the vulnerable

Providing respite from the escalating costof-living crisis, Bath-based Truespeed has extended its broadband price freeze and has introduced its ‘Truespeed Basic’ product to support financially vulnerable customers.

With its initial 12-month price freeze announced in May 2022, Truespeed is amplifying its commitment to helping customers combat the ongoing cost-ofliving crisis by extending its price freeze for the whole of 2023. Guaranteeing its ‘no incontract price rise’ promise, the local provider is bucking the industry-wide trend of inflicting substantial price hikes and ensuring full fibre broadband remains accessible to as many people as possible.

The community-led company is also taking new steps to ensure its most financially vulnerable customers are supported throughout increasingly

The Wild Escape

The Victoria Art Gallery is taking part in The Wild Escape, a nationwide project uniting hundreds of museums led by national art charity Art Fund with support from Arts Council England.

Running until July 2023, The Wild Escape invites children to find a favourite animal in their local museum and create an artwork imagining its ‘escape’ back to its natural habitat. The pictures and stories children create will be brought together by the Art Fund in a collective work of art that imagines a better future for the wildlife on our doorstep, launched online and in museums on Earth Day on 22 April. The gallery will work with local primary schools to offer group visits, where members. Her Majesty then attended an event at the Guildhall to celebrate the ROS’s move into the city. The Guildhall event was attended by regional leaders, including the Mayor of the West of England, the Leader and Chairman of Bath City Council and the Mayor of Bath. Osteoporosis causes bones to weaken and fracture following simple injuries –including a cough, a fall from standing height, or even a hug from grandchildren. Fractures caused by osteoporosis are one of the most urgent threats to people living well in later life theros.org.uk turbulent economic times. Available to households that meet the criteria, e.g pensioners and households on income support, the local provider has launched its ‘Truespeed Basic’ product that delivers guaranteed speeds at the price point of £20 per month for 30Mbps.

Nelson Missier, Chief Commercial Officer of Truespeed said, “We’ve always been a part of the South West community and are proud to step up during this unprecedented situation.” truespeed.com children can be inspired by pictures of animals, create animal habitats using collage, and make sketchbooks to record their observations. There will be a themed gallery trail and special displays of sculpture, ceramics, paintings and drawings that celebrate nature. victoriagal.org.uk/events; thewildescape.org.uk

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment (MTD ITSA): delayed!

What is MTD ITSA?

Under MTD for ITSA, businesses, self-employed individuals and landlords will keep digital records, and send a quarterly summary of their business income and expenses to HMRC using MTD-compatible software. In response they will receive an estimated tax calculation based on the information provided to help them budget for their tax. At the end of the year, they can add any non-business information and finalise their tax affairs using MTD-compatible software. This will replace the need for a Self-Assessment tax return.

The government has announced a further delay to the introduction of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment (MTD ITSA). Why this change and what is the new timeframe?

In a statement released on 19 December, the government has finally acknowledged that MTD ITSA is a significant change for all concerned, and that launching during an economic crisis is not ideal. MTD ITSA will now be delayed until April 2026, with the self-employed and landlords with turnover in excess of £50,000 joining first. Those with income over £30,000 but not exceeding £50,000 will not need to join until April 2027. A start date for general partnerships has not yet been announced. Prior to this announcement, the mandatory use of software to remain compliant was set for April 2024.

The government will now review the needs of smaller businesses before asking those earning less than £30,000 to join. Previously MTD ITSA was going to be mandatory for the self-employed/landlords earning over £10,000. Given the expected additional costs and administrative burden for small businesses this will undoubtedly be a very welcome change. However, HMRC will have its work cut out when operating different systems for self-assessment customers so further delays could be on the cards. Note. This does not affect the move to tax year basis periods, which will be effective from 2024/25 after next year’s transition.

What can you do to prepare for the introduction of MTD ITSA?

Despite the pushing back of this significant change to how self-employed/landlords record their income and expenses; it is important that those impacted turn their attention towards what they need to do to stay compliant when MTD ITSA goes live. Getting the right system in place for both compliance and your needs is the first step to preparing for Making Tax Digital.

The good news is there are plenty of software options on the market for both the selfemployed and individuals that are compliant for MTD ITSA. If you wish to discuss these options, please get in touch with OCL and speak with one of the team.