A 1.25% rise in National Insurance will be reversed from 6 November and the government will axe a planned tax rise to fund health and social care.The NI rise was introduced in April under former chancellor Rishi Sunak, but during the Tory leadership race Liz Truss pledged to change it.New chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng made the announcement ahead of a "mini-budget" on Friday.He said: "Taxing our way to prosperity has never worked."To raise living standards for all, we need to be … [Read more...]
EU Settlement Scheme – Deadline Fast Approaching
The EU Settlement Scheme deadline of 30th June 2021 is fast approaching.Please see below details from the Government of who should apply and how and here is the link to the Government website to start your application:Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status) Skip to contents of guideContents1. Overview 2. Who should apply 3. What you’ll get 4. What you'll need to apply 5. Applying for your children 6. Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme 7. If … [Read more...]
Fire and Rehire: Employers tread carefully
James Tamm believes that following the end of Furlough in September, there may be an expected increase in dismissal and engagement contracts. It seemed to be an optimistic outlook for the labour market when government indicated that 1.3 million fewer workers moved off furlough in March and April alone. The governments’ Plan for Jobs has taken an incremental approach as they prepare the economy to wean from furlough which is expected to end in September this year. In July the … [Read more...]
Powerful new Government body – New Workers’ Watchdog confirmed
The Government confirmed on the 8th June a powerful new workers’ watchdog will be created to protect the rights of UK workers. The watchdog will be responsible for tackling modern slavery, protecting agency workers and enforcing the minimum wage, which are currently managed by 3 different bodies.Business minister Paul Scully quoted "This new workers’ watchdog will help us crack down on any abuses of workers’ rights and take action against companies that turn a blind eye to abuses … [Read more...]
Furlough numbers continue to decline
Government’s Plan for Jobs pay off as figures indicate 1.3 million fewer employees accessing furlough. An optimistic outlook for the labour market indeed. At an all-time low this year, statistics published by GOV.UK on the 3rd June reveal that the number of workers relying on government support fell to 3.4 million. March and April showed 1.3 million employees moving off furlough, with some of the highest falls in the under 18s and 18 – 24 age group. Furthermore, the furlough … [Read more...]
Future of Lockdown: UK Government Guidelines
A paper published by the House of Commons on April 2nd, 2021, outlines the rules around COVID-19 and returning to work. Here is a brief summary which outlines lockdown legislation, employer’s health and safety obligations and when workers can refuse to work.Download full report here.In late March 2020, the UK Government imposed a National lockdown in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic that swept the country. Government imposed rules that prohibited people from going to … [Read more...]
HMRC’s new Taskforce clamps down on fraud and exploitation of COVID-19 relief schemes
With losses escalating to £1 billion per week, the extent of this exploitation equates to the “biggest fraud in British history”, David Clarke, Chairman of the COVID-19 Fraud Watch Task Force. Since the start of the pandemic, the government has forked out in excess of £54 billion towards COVID-19 relief schemes to support businesses and individuals across the UK. Among these Government initiatives include:The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) otherwise known as Furlough … [Read more...]