April changes for Corporation Tax for associations and charities
These changes will affect third sector organisations that pay corporation tax, including clubs, societies, associations, co-operatives, charities and other unincorporated bodies.
£100m investment in skills to drive growth
Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, and Minister for Skills, John Hayes, recently launched a £50 million a year fund to help businesses develop the skills they need to drive growth.
The Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) will deliver targeted help for employer groups to overcome barriers to growth within their sectors and industries. The funding could deliver new training to boost innovation and productivity, enable industries to set new professional standards, or support new or extended National Skills Academies.
BIS will invest up to £50m per year in partnership with businesses, whose investment alongside Government could deliver a total of up £100m a year.
Secretary of State Vince Cable said:
“This government understands that to rebalance and grow our economy, we need to tackle the skills shortages that hold companies back. Through this fund, we will support employers that take collective action to overcome these blockages to expansion.
“By putting the employer voice at the heart of the process, we will reward inventive approaches to training that deliver real help to get business moving.”
Radical shake-up of Criminal Record Regime and Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS)
Does this effect your Association or Not for Profit Organisation
More than nine million people working or volunteering with children and vulnerable adults will no longer need to register and be monitored by the state following an overhaul of the checking regime. The government has unveiled plans to scale back the VBS and Criminal Records Regime to common sense levels while ensuring vulnerable groups are appropriately protected.
The proposals, which come after a comprehensive review of the existing system, include: the merging of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to form a streamlined new body providing a proportionate barring and criminal records checking service; a large reduction of the number of positions requiring checks to just those working most closely and regularly with children and vulnerable adults; portability of criminal records checks between jobs to cut down on needless bureaucracy; an end to a requirement for those working or volunteering with vulnerable groups to register with the VBS and then be continuously monitored by the ISA; and stopping employers who knowingly request criminal records checks on individuals who are not entitled to them.
Bribery Act 2010 – Is your Association or Not for Profit Organisation prepared?
The aim of the act is to consolidate existing legislation on bribery. For the purposes of the Bribery Act, bribery is defined as `the giving or taking of a reward in return for acting dishonestly and/or in breach of the law’.
Paternity Leave and Pay – Additional paternity leave and pay will come into force from 3rd April 2011.
Introduction of additional paternity leave and pay
Additional paternity leave and pay will come into force from 3 April 2011, eligible employees will gain the right to additional paternity leave and pay (APL&P).
The right will apply where:
- their partner is due to give birth on or after 3 April 2011
- they and/or the other adoptive parent receive notification on or after 3 April 2011 that they have been matched with a child for adoption
Additional paternity leave (APL) will allow an employee to take up to 26 weeks’ leave to care for the child.
The employee will only be able to start their APL:
- 20 or more weeks after the child’s birth or placement for adoption
- once their partner has returned to work from statutory maternity leave or statutory adoption leave and/or ended their entitlement to statutory maternity or adoption pay, or maternity allowance
New government measures announced to help small companies grow
Backing Small Business
The government has announced further plans to help small and medium-sized businesses to flourish and to encourage entrepreneurship. CJAM specialise in outsourcing to support SMEs contact our management team to find out more.
Set out within the Backing Small Business report, released on 1 November, are six steps to support small businesses:
– Improving access to finance
– Opening up government procurement and ensuring prompt payment
– Supporting those starting a business
– Making sure competition framework helps new companies
– Providing targeted support to those that have high-growth potential
– Ensuring that the government is deliberately reoriented towards their needs
Online marketing – a cost-effective approach
In difficult economic times online marketing provides a cost-effective way to reach customers. Digital marketing has become one of the most powerful and effective tools for many of CJAM’s clients. As part of an integrated association and not for profit management solution or as a stand alone service, our digital marketing platforms can help you achieve a wide range of marketing objectives including accurate segmentation and targeting, increased brand awareness or customer relationship development.
Our digital solutions are much more cost effective than traditional direct marketing and provide accurate, instant feedback helping you to constantly tailor and improve the effectiveness of campaigns.
Business groups welcome Employers’ Charter
Business groups welcome Employers’ Charter
The government has set out measures designed to give businesses, especially SMEs, added confidence to expand and create jobs.
Reforms to employment tribunals will increase the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from 1 to 2 years. Last year tribunal claims rose by a record 56% to 236,000, and the average cost for a business defending itself against a claim was £4,000. The changes will reduce unmerited tribunal claims and encourage employers and employees to seek mediation to resolve disputes.
Bank forecasts highlight the challenges of predictability
While today’s revised economic growth forecast by the Bank of England may have us thinking that we need to tighten our belts even more, it also highlights the difficulties involved in business planning, budgeting and projections.
CJAM join the Institute of Association Management
We are pleased to announce that we are now members of the Institute of Association Management