PCG lobbying secures Tory commitment to review IR35
PCG’s lobbying on behalf of contractors has secured a commitment from Shadow Business Minister Mark Prisk that a future Conservative government would review IR35 as part of a wider overhaul of business taxation and regulation. In a letter to PCG, Prisk said: “...we recognise and value the contribution of freelancers and we are well aware of the way in which the current Government has treated them. We want to deal with this problem comprehensively, in a way which provides us all with a lasting solution, not a short-term fix.” More…
Financial services forecast good for IT contractors
IT contractors stand to benefit from the financial services growth forecast by the latest CBI/PricewaterhouseCoopers Financial Services Survey. The financial services sector is the UK’s largest consumer of IT contractor services, and 48% of financial firms anticipate rising business volumes over the next three months. According to Ian McCafferty, CBI Chief Economic Adviser: “Activity in the financial services sector held steady in the last three months, and there are signs of better things to come.” More…
Budget may damage economy says IoD survey
The Institute of Directors’ post-budget survey of over 1,200 business leaders says aloud what many contractors are thinking: last week’s Budget may actually damage the UK’s economy, by failing to tackle public sector spending. IoD Director General Miles Templeton said: “It’s the entrepreneurs and business leaders of the UK who will make economic recovery happen. But they need confidence – confidence in their businesses and confidence in the Government’s economic policy. So it’s deeply worrying that instead of boosting confidence, the Budget appears to have had the opposite effect. More…
New warship secures future engineering and IT contracts
MoD contractors with defence-related IT and engineering skills will benefit from a new deal signed by the MoD to develop the latest generation of Type 25 combat ships for the Royal Navy. Further contracts have been signed for submarine development and long-term maintenance and support. “These commitments…will protect the long-term future of the maritime industry,” explains Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth, “and preserve the industrial capability and skills needed to carry out future programmes cost-effectively." More…
Energy contractors to win work in nuclear dismantling
Contractors in the nuclear engineering and science sector are a step closer to a potential jobs bonanza as the Department of Energy and Climate Change releases a consultation over the funded nuclear decommissioning programme, which is likely to keep an army of experts occupied dismantling the UK’s ageing nuclear energy infrastructure. More…
Wind energy boost through new turbine factory
A new Siemens factory to manufacture offshore wind turbines in the North East of England will provide an estimated 700 new jobs and contracts. Opportunities for contractors are expected to come in design, construction, management and maintenance of the facility. Further jobs and contracts are likely from the increase in offshore expertise required to construct the offshore wind farms themselves. “Investment in our UK infrastructure for renewables will provide a much-needed economic boost…as well as driving growth in the UK’s innovative wind power industry,” says Siemens CEO Peter Loscher. More...
Commons report slams HMRC for poor call handling
Contractors and their tax advisers experiencing problems talking to someone at HMRC won’t be surprised to hear that the Committee of Public Accounts has heavily criticised HMRC’s call-handling performance. Only half of the 103 million calls to HMRC’s main helplines were answered, falling well below industry standards of 95%. Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts Edward Leigh MP, stated the obvious: “If an organisation wants more of its customers to contact it by telephone, then it has got to be good at answering calls. HMRC unfortunately is not very good at [it].” More…
Retail sales surge good news for contractors
Together with the news that GDP Growth in 4th quarter of 2009 has been revised upwards, the surge in February’s retail sales, 4.9% higher than February 2009, is further evidence that the UK is slowly climbing out of recession. This is likely to create increased opportunities to contractors in most, or even all, sectors. Internet sales have steadily crept up to account for 8% of total retail sales, providing evidence that demand for ecommerce and web development contractors is likely to be sustained. More…