Plymouth Small Businesses .org.uk

Week 32 of 2010        Friday 13 August 2010 

Micro firms must be exempt from pensions ticking time bomb
Responding to the Government's consultation, 'Government review of automatic enrolment', the FSB is calling for micro firms - those with 10 employees or less - to be exempt from the automatic enrolment pension scheme due to come into force in 2012 to remove the regulatory and financial burden. Read the press release and the consultation response.  

Formal training down by 1.2 million
The National Employer Skills Survey has found that employers have reduced levels of staff training dramatically since 2007. Read the FSB’s comments in the Times Educational Supplement saying small businesses must benefit from the training and that most small firms advocate on-the-job training.  

Bank lending back in the news
Bank lending to small business has been back in the news this week, as the British Bankers Association and the six main banks in the UK set up a taskforce to discuss the problems with lending. Read the coverage on this and other bank issues in The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, Daily Mail and the Financial Times.  

Crackdown on clampers
National Chairman, John Walker, visited Frimley, Surrey this week and saw first-hand the problems that business owners and their customers face with over-zealous and cowboy clampers. We are keen to hear from other regions who also have issues with clampers – email your story. 

HMRC issues phone scam warning
HMRC is warning taxpayers to be vigilant following reports that thieves are making phone calls pretending to be the taxman, informing them that they are due a tax rebate, and asking for their bank card details over the phone. Read the advice.   

Bring your baby to work on the BBC
Dragonfly TV is currently working with the BBC to develop a unique TV experiment which will explore a radical alternative to maternity leave that is being piloted in America. Companies have successfully adopted ‘bring your baby to work’ practices, however, rather than just leaving the babies in a crèche at work, these schemes simultaneously combine parenting and work. If you think you’d be interested in taking part in a pilot show, email or phone 020 7033 2306 to find out more.  

Future of Banking lecture
The editor of The Banker magazine has put together a lecture on The Future of Banking, looking at why banks get into trouble, the causes of the economic crisis and new regulations, in order to simplify the banking crisis and provoke a discussion about how to prevent another one. It also tackles the question as to why banks stop lending when companies need them most. To find out more, email for details.  

Licence applications made easy
Herefordshire Council is making it easier for businesses, charities and residents to make business licence applications by offering an online service. For more information visit the website.  

Help required for thesis
As detailed last week, Mattheos Alambritis, nephew of our very own Stephen Alambritis is looking to gather the thoughts and views on environmental information and SME perception of such information and how it can affect business practices for his thesis. The survey is completely anonymous, will take no more than 10 minutes to complete and closes 15 August.  

BBC3 show on good hospitality
Fresh One TV is developing a new programme for BBC3 looking at good customer service. They are on the hunt for young people, between the ages of 18 and 30 and from a range of backgrounds, who work in a restaurant, a fashion boutique, a call centre or a hotel, but all share a passion for good service to take part. If you are interested send an email.  

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
There is less than a month left to nominate someone for the Shell Young Entrepreneur of the Year as the closing date for entries is 5 September. Find out more.  

Follow the FSB on Facebook
You can follow the activities of the FSB by joining our official fanpage on Facebook. Become a fan to view regularly updated events, photo galleries, lobbying information and have the opportunity to add your own photos and discuss current small business issues.  

Like what you read?
Bookmark this page using social media sites such as Delicious, Digg, reddit, StumbleUpon, and keep in the loop about the FSB’s activities by subscribing to our RSS feed and following us on Twitter.

Week 31 of 2010        Friday 6 August 2010 

Reform maternity and paternity leave
In a new report 'Flexible working: small business solutions', the FSB is calling for a reform of statutory maternity and paternity pay to give small firms clarity over employee's family leave. The FSB also proposes major reforms to childcare and flexible working. Read the press release and the report and coverage in the Daily Telegraph. 

Banks report profits increase
The FSB was in the news this week commenting on the reported increase in the profits of the banks and how they should be more flexible in how they lend to small businesses. Read the coverage in The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Independent, BBC Online and Channel 4 online. 

Tall Ships event
National Chairman John Walker will be attending the Tall Ships Race in Hartlepool which runs from the 7-10 August. The FSB is one of the major sponsors of the event and will celebrate the success of small businesses showcasing their talents in the FSB Small Business Marquee.  John will meet the crews from the Black Diamond, a Tall Ship crew sponsored by the FSB and the Pelican, a Tall Ship owned by an FSB member.  

Introducing the Ombudsman – information for small businesses
The Financial Ombudsman Service is running a series of seminars especially for smaller businesses covered by the service. They will provide an overview of the service, how its processes work and the decisions it makes, and will highlight the various sources of help and guidance available to businesses to support their own complaint handling.  Further details can be found on the FOS website. 

Case study for BBC Panorama
Nine Lives Media has been commissioned by BBC Panorama to make a programme: ‘Are you Paying the Right Tax?’ following a report by the National Audit Office which found that many people aren’t. As well as typical cases of people affected by the tax code errors, they also want to hear about more unusual or extreme cases of lives being affected by HMRC errors. If you’re interested email or phone Claire on 0161 832 2007 

Problems with energy companies
Have you been affected by your energy company miscalculating your bill and then demanding back payment. If so, email your story to the FSB.  

 Mumpreneurs wanted!
First Voice is looking for potential candidates for a feature about 'mum or dad-preneurs'. If you are a parent who has set up a successful business while on maternity or paternity leave, or as an alternative to working full time to provide the necessary flexibility to balance work and family life, email First Voice. 

Help required for thesis
You may recognise the name, Mattheos Alambritis, nephew of our very own Stephen Alambritis. Mattheos is at university in London and is completing his thesis and is looking to gather the thoughts and views on environmental information and SME perception of such information and how it can affect business practices. The survey is completely anonymous and confidential and should not take more than 10 minutes to complete. 

Follow the FSB on Facebook
You can follow the activities of the FSB by joining our official fanpage on Facebook. Become a fan to view regularly updated events, photo galleries, lobbying information and have the opportunity to add your own photos and discuss current small business issues.  

Like what you read?
Bookmark this page using social media sites such as Delicious, Digg, reddit, StumbleUpon, and keep in the loop about the FSB’s activities by subscribing to our RSS feed and following us on Twitter.