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News & Events

January Newsletter


Barnard Castle NeST

Happy New Year to you all! In this first newsletter of 2011 we have details about our continuing Developing SME Expertise programme plus information of a workshop and membership at The NeST in Barnard Castle. We also have details of a new grant for disabled children and young people plus the latest changes in tuition fees for agriculture courses, furnished holiday let rules, travel dispensations and the National Minimum Wage Lastly, there is news on the introduction of the new Enterprise Allowance, corporation tax changes and a new Community Organisers’ programme.

Developing SME Expertise in the North East
Businesses in the North East can access a subsidy, funded via One North East (ONE) by the government’s Solutions for Business initiative to help them grow. The principal aim of the programme is to aid the resilience of regional businesses by providing them with an accessible resource of highly skilled, experienced individuals who can work with them to deal with specific issues.

If you are feeling the impact of the recession and you employ people of a middle to senior management, professional or technical nature who may become under threat of redundancy or short time working, they could be seconded by you (the donor company) to work with another company which cannot afford to employ that level of expertise (the host company) to carry out an identified project. They remain in your employment during the secondment and you would receive 100% compensation covering the salary plus on costs to a maximum of 50% or £6,500.

A host company will also have the opportunity to employ a highly skilled individual on a fixed term contract to carry out an identified project. The individual must be either at risk of redundancy or have been made redundant within the last 12 months. The host company will pay the individual an agreed salary and receive support of up to 50% of the salary plus on costs to a maximum of £6.500.

If you are interested in finding out more about this programme please contact John Lancaster on 01388 776 688 / 07789 274 508 or email him at john@theenterpriseagency.co.uk

Fashion Make up and Photography Masterclass at The NeST, Barnard Castle
If you are a digital or creative business or an individual wanting to set up a business, becoming a member of the NeST will help you develop your skills and will give you a chance to work in a vibrant, friendly and creative environment.

Other benefits of the membership include:

  • Hotdesking space with free wifi, in the NeST and at Enterprise House in Barnard Castle – ideal for homeworkers to meet like-minded people
  • Free, on site use of all NeST equipment
  • Use of NeST for business meetings
  • Access to professional help from Digital City Business (DCB) Middlesbrough (personal mentoring, coaching sessions and group workshops) and hotdesking at Boho One in Middlesbrough
  • Diagnostic meeting with the DCB director to assess your individual business needs
  • Use of the NeST’s address as your business address
  • Regular member meetings to promote opportunities for co-working
  • Invitation to all networking events, focused on business growth

Membership fees are either £100 for businesses who only wish to access Digital City Business workshops and coaching or £300pa (£30 per month) for full membership.

The next workshop at the NeST is a Fashion Makeup and Photography Masterclass on 18th January from 10am to 4pm
For more details of joining the NeST or the workshop - contact Eva Zandman on 07723 097 447, or email: eva@barnardcastlenest.org.uk

"Aiming High" Grant Scheme
This is a joint initiative between Durham County Council and Making Changes Together - a group for parents and carers of children with special needs. Voluntary groups are encouraged to bid for funding to help disabled children and young people take part in positive activities and projects. There are a number of grants up to £1,000 available but the closing date is 31st January. For more details or for an application form, contact Amy Forshaw on 0191 383 4438.

Tuition fees rise will impact on agricultural workforce
A Sector Skills Council (SSC) has spoken out at the Government's plans to increase university tuition fees, saying they will impact on the number of agricultural students. A spokesperson for Lantra, the SSC for land-based and environmental industries, said the UK needs to attract 60,000 workers into agriculture over the next ten years. Lantra added: "It would be a shame if increased tuition fees keep students from considering agriculture as a potential career, especially when the food supply is such a vital issue for the economy."

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Changes outlined to Furnished Holiday Let rules
The Finance Bill has outlined some changes to the Furnished Holiday Let rules which allow holiday home owners to claim tax relief. Currently, owners must rent out their properties for 70 days a year if they intend to claim relief. Under the new proposals, this will increase to 105 days. The Government believes the extension should not pose a problem as most holiday home owners meet the proposed new limit for claiming relief.

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NMW amendment on travel dispensations now in force
An amendment to National Minimum Wage (NMW) legislation came into force on 1st January 2011 and will mean that tax-free travel and subsistence expenses cannot be counted towards an employee's or worker's NMW. The rules affect businesses that contract or employ temporary workers, and apply to expenses for travel from home to a temporary place of work, as well as associated subsistence and accommodation costs.

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New Enterprise Allowance and business support changes announced
The Government has announced details of the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA), which it claims will create up to 40,000 new businesses, alongside a Mentoring Gateway, which will be made up from a pool of 40,000 experienced business mentors. There are also plans to close regional Business Links by November 2011 and proposals to overhaul the existing Business Link website.

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HMRC announces corporation tax changes
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has announced important changes to corporation tax coming into force this April. All company tax returns for accounting periods ending after 31 March 2010, sent in from April 2011, must be filed in a specific data format known as Inline XRBL (iXRBL), which is a computer-readable format for financial data. The changes will affect limited companies, clubs, societies, associations, co-operatives and charities.

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Community organisers' programme could get £2 million from Government
A community support programme announced by the Government looks set to receive £2 million in start up funding, while charities providing the service have to contribute a further £10 million. The Government wants 800 community organisers trained by 2012 to provide support and encourage voluntary action in their local communities. According to a source working close to the programme, details of the start up funding are contained in a tender document for charities intending to recruit the community organisers. However, the actual details of the scheme are not yet finalised.

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