News & Events

January Newsletter

Have Your Say

Happy New Year to you all! We kick off the New Year with a free marketing workshop for anyone thinking of starting a business. We are also hosting more HM Revenue & Customs workshops plus there is news of free driver training. However, we also want to hear from you about your training needs so that we can offer you other workshops.

You are also welcome to attend the North Pennine Dales Leader AGM 11th February and lastly we have up to date news on various issues including NI increases, overpayment demands from the RPA, an extra bank holiday and eye test legislation.

Have Your Say!
Our Community Coach, Abi Harrison, has recently joined us in our Teesdale office and part of her new role is to arrange four workshops over the next 10 months. As a business, or an individual looking to set up a business, what are your needs in terms of training? Is there anything in particular you would attend? So far we have ideas such as search engine marketing, eBay awareness and website maintenance. Please let us know what training would interest you by clicking here as soon as possible.

Marketing on a Low Budget Workshop – Monday 8th February
This workshop is free for anyone considering setting up their own business and covers choosing the right marketing for your business, branding your product, the importance of customer service and satisfaction, advertising-tips to save you money and how to write a press release. It is at Innovation House, South Church Enterprise Park, Bishop Auckland from 10am to 1pm. To reserve your place – please contact Jeremy on 01388 776688 or e-mail him at jeremy@theenterpriseagency.co.uk

HM Revenue & Custom Workshops
We are hosting Becoming Self Employed and Paying Your Employees workshops at Innovation House, South Church Enterprise Park, Bishop Auckland.

Becoming Self Employed Workshop is on Tuesday 9th February from 9.45am to 1.15pm and covers Tax, National Insurance, VAT, record keeping and when to pay.

Paying Your Employees is on Thursday 4th March from 9.45am to 3.15pm and covers how to calculate tax and NI using a CD Rom, how to use P45/P46 forms, how to register for online services and where to get help when you need it.

Both these workshops are free and you can ring HM Revenue & Customs on 0845 6032691 to book a place.

National Insurance increase will affect self-employed most
Self-employed people earning more than £17,500 will pay more National Insurance (NI) under the Chancellor's PBR measures to increase NI, despite his announcement that anyone earning less than £20,000 will not be affected by the increase. A report in The Daily Telegraph highlights that some self-employed people will pay an extra £16 a year. The Treasury confirmed this, and a spokesperson told the newspaper that "it's very clear that the Chancellor was talking about people in employment" when he announced the measure.

Government delays roll-out of pensions scheme
The Government's Personal Accounts pension scheme, which requires all employers to automatically enrol their staff into a pension plan, has been delayed. Small businesses were originally due to be phased into the scheme in the three years from 2012, however it was announced in the PBR that the phasing in period has been extended to 2017. For more on this story go to this website.

Farmers urged to query RPA overpayment demands
Farmers who receive letters from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) demanding repayments are being urged to check that they do actually owe money. Experts have warned that the RPA has made errors related to how much farmers owe. A representative from a firm of chartered surveyors told 'Farmers Weekly' that there is "a huge number of errors being made" and urged recipients to get the letters checked by a professional. To read more on this story go to this website.

Extra bank holiday announced for 2012
A one-off extra bank holiday is being planned for Monday 4 June 2012, to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee. Also, the spring bank holiday, which is usually at the end of May, will be moved to 5 June in order to give the nation a four-day break. For more on this story go to this website.

"Controversial" farm legislation comes into force
EU legislation that requires all sheep to undergo electronic identification (EID) came into force across the UK on 31 December 2009. EID is now mandatory for all sheep born on or after this date. However, it has been called "one of the most controversial and bitterly opposed" pieces of legislation by farmers' representatives, who believe the scheme is disproportionate and damaging to the farming industry.

To read more on this story go to this website. For more information on the regulations visit this website.

Three-quarters of business owners unaware of eye test legislation
More than three-quarters of employers are not aware of the forthcoming legislation that requires professional drivers to undergo frequent eye tests. Research by optician Specsavers also shows that up to a third of people who drive as part of their job could have substandard vision. The EU legislation is due to come into force in 2011 and requires commercial licence holders to have an eye test at least every five years. Member states have until 2013 to implement the Directive. To read more on this story go to the following website.

North Pennine Dales Leader “Celebration of Achievement AGM -
The Way Forward” on Thursday 11th February 4.30pm to 6.30pm
This is an opportunity for you to find out about and see the achievements of the North Pennine Dales Leader programme. It also provides a chance to meet and discuss possible new projects with the Local Action Group members or even to get involved by becoming a member yourself.

The AGM will be followed by a buffet and networking opportunities. It will be held at The Morritt Hotel, Greta Bridge, Barnard Castle and if you would like to attend then contact Sue Ellwood 07789 266 491 or e-mail her at sue@northpenninedalesleader.co.uk or www.northpenninedalesleader.co.uk

Driver CPC Support Programme from Essential Partners
From September 2010, all professional drivers who drive vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are required to have their Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC). Existing drivers can achieve this by doing 35 hours off the job training in 7 hour chunks by September 2014. Essential Partners, working with Gateshead College, have developed a one or two day programme which combines a BTEC short course with Driver CPC training. The one day course is free whilst the 2 day course costs £30. For more details either ring Essential Partners on 0191 430 2615 or e-mail them on recruitment@essentialpartners.co.uk