Member News

Clients can access their accounts at the swipe of a finger whenever they want

TaxAssist Accountants has made managing the accounts of its small business clients even easier by introducing a new look app for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets.

As the largest network of accountants specialising in servicing the needs of small businesses, TaxAssist Accountants has used this expertise to completely redesign its app so that help is just a touch away – whether the client is a builder, hairdresser or IT consultant.

With the Government’s Making Tax Digital plans set to revolutionise the way accounts are reported, there has never been a better time to move away from those spreadsheets with a swipe of a finger across a phone screen.

Once downloaded, the app provides clients with full access to Inuit QuickBooks Online and Receipt Bank, clients will also be able to access their accounts and upload their expenses, wherever there’s a wi-fi or mobile data connection.

James Mattam, Group Business Development Director at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “Over the years the way people have looked after their accounts has evolved from handwritten receipts and account books to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets on desktop computers.

“In a world where everyone wants near instant access to information, it is only natural that the next stage of this evolution for clients is being able to access their accounts and receive help from their accountants at the touch of a button. At TaxAssist Accountants we pride ourselves on embracing new developments within the accounting industry to ensure that our clients are able to access and benefit from the very best services available.”

The app also includes a portal to a whole world of handy tax calculators and tables, a mileage tracker as well as a wealth of information, news, important dates and handy tips. More developments will follow later in the year.

For more information about the TaxAssist Accountants mobile app click here.

You can also download the app for Apple devices here and Android here.

For further information about the TaxAssist Accountants franchise opportunity please visit the website www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk or call 0800 0188297.

For anyone interested in becoming a client of a TaxAssist Accountant please call 0800 0523 555.

January 2017

KLM UK EngineeringSigns Virtual Learning Environment Contract for Part 66 Exams

Paris, Amstelveen, Norwich – 13 January 2017- KLM UK Engineering is delighted to announce the signing of a long term partnership with Kris Sakti Aviation (Malaysia) for the provision of EASA Part 147 exams supported by KLM UK Engineering’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) software.

Under the agreement, KLM UK Engineering (KLMUKE) will support Kris Sakti Aviation by providing experienced examiners to accompany its VLE product, allowing the students to gain their EASA Part 66 B Licence, while helping them to grow as a centre of excellence for the next generation of engineers.

With over 220 students graduating each year, the programme is equipping the aviation industry with skilled, qualified and competent engineers for the next generation.

In Kuala Lumpur, Dato’ Sri Mahmud Taib, the chairman of KS Holdings and KS Angkasamudra said: “Aviation engineers are highly trained professionals and with the support of KLMUKE we will provide training and develop individuals to become knowledgeable, skilled and competent. This mutually beneficial collaboration and smart partnership with KLMUKE utilizing their VLE products will enable the trainees to be fast tracked and obtain their EASA part 66 B licences, while helping to grow the next generation of aircraft maintenance engineers which is urgently required in the aviation industry.”

Whilst Peter Van Der Horst, Managing Director of KLMUKE added: “The partnership with KS Angkasamudra is a huge step forward in our aim to connect KLMUKE’s VLE products to many young engineers in the UK and abroad. The industry needs many good engineers for the future to accommodate the growing worldwide fleet and to replace inevitable retirements. KLMUKE wants to leverage its knowledge and experience and connect many more universities and aviation academies to its growing educational centre. This centre will be located within the International Aviation Academy in Norwich from April 2017”

About KS Angkasamudra Aviation Academy.

The Kris Sakti Group is involved in a wide spectrum of activities ranging from Aviation, Petroleum, Agriculture and Trading. As its contribution towards realising the aspiration of ‘Nation building through Aviation and Maritime”, the KS group has embarked into human capital skills and competencies development with its own foray into education and training with professional certification, initially through the setting up of KS Angkasamudra Aviation Academy whereby the Aviation Technical Vocational EducationTraining(TVET) is being organised to fill the specific gaps in the professional certification programs. Its vision is to help meet the training and educational needs of the growing international aviation industry, focused on human capital development of Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers in its professional certification programs for the domestic and regional aviation industries.

In complementing its certified aircraft maintenance licence programs at KS Angkasamudra Aviation Academy to be located in Subang, it will also conduct specialised aircraft maintenance skills and management courses with hands-on experimental industrial-type training and apprenticeship. The KLMUKE’s VLE products thus will support and enhance KSAS’s total learning and training environment for the trainees, building skills and competency while leading towards international professional certification for a licensed aircraft maintenance career.

Norfolk’s professionals have seen pay jump to an average of £32,970 – an increase of 6.4% over the past year, according to Cooper Lomaz Recruitment’s well-respected annual salary survey for the eastern counties.

The influential jobs barometer shows that while the Norfolk figure remains £3k lower than the East of England average of £36.4k, there has been a dramatic drop of 35pc in the number of people who say they are willing to move location to find a new job.

It is the 12th Recruitment Trends and Salary Survey to be produced by independent Norwich and Bury St Edmunds-based recruiters, Cooper Lomaz, using data gathered from thousands of respondents.

“Employers realise they must work harder than ever to attract and keep the cream of eastern counties workers. Salary alone is no longer the be-all and end-all when it comes to remuneration,” said Cooper Lomaz Operations Director Mark Fletcher.

“Recruitment remains a candidate-driven marketplace. Benefits such as a generous pension scheme, private health and dental care, life insurance, child care vouchers and gym memberships are all factors that help retain and motivate staff.”

One of the more surprising revelations was that the gender pay gap in the eastern counties appears to have widened from £8k to £10k. The average salary for a man is now £41k, while for a woman it is £31k.

“That’s quite a shocking finding, which shows more work needs to be done to achieve pay equality. It also suggests that there needs to be more encouragement and support for women to pursue careers in technical areas like information technology and engineering.” said Mr Fletcher.

The comprehensive study of data from 18,000 individuals across seven specialist sectors revealed that six out of 10 workers had enjoyed salary increases. Over half of respondents said they were satisfied in their work; fewer than a quarter were not.

The survey has some ‘could do better’ advice for employers wanting to recruit and keep the best talent. Seven in 10 employees are convinced their work would improve if they were offered training and development opportunities within their current role…. only three in 10 said they had been given the option.

One major shift in working patterns during 2016 saw a 40% surge in the number of people spending at least part of their week working away from their office desk or work station.

Over half of those questioned said they now worked from multiple locations. They may be working from more than one company office, at client premises, during their daily commute and, increasingly, from home.

“More and more employers recognise working from home as an attractive option in recruiting and retaining quality staff,” said Mr Fletcher.

The opportunity to work from home is primarily due to technological advances such as Cloud service systems, which simplify access to corporate IT resources and files from virtually any location with wifi connection.

“The use of tools like Skype and Google Docs means that office colleagues can actively collaborate on a work project. Several people can edit a document online at the same time,” said Mr Fletcher. “It is a big factor for a growing number of people who can now live and work in the eastern counties and enjoy the quality of life it offers, without having to commute to London. It brings a dramatic enhancement in work-life balance.”

The cafe culture is also a growing factor, with 1 in 10 saying that digital advances now mean they prefer to do some of their work over a cup of coffee.

“More and more people are looking for a break away from the office desk and with cafes and coffee shops offering free wifi, they can take a laptop and paperwork with them and enjoy a change of environment,” said Simon Brown, Cooper Lomaz, Commercial Director. “It’s a trend particularly evident among younger people, especially those who are working in the creative industries.

“It’s also a useful option for someone who is visiting a client’s premises some distance away from the office and wouldn’t otherwise be getting back until late,” added Mr Brown.

Some employers are also finding that productivity increases when they operate a shorter working day. It keeps younger staff tasked-focussed and away from the competing distractions of social media platforms and news browsing websites.

The EU Referendum has played its part in the sharp decrease in the number of people willing to move location to find a new job – from 54% to 35.2% in the past 12 months.

“Although employers’ appetites for hiring new staff hasn’t diminished, candidates appear to be more cautious about switching jobs because of uncertainty over how Brexit will impact the sector they work in,” said Mr Fletcher. However 45% do expect their role to change over the coming year.

The survey will be accessible on the Cooper Lomaz website from Monday 16 January 2017 – www.cooperlomaz.co.uk

Picture caption — L to R Mark Fletcher, Operations Director, Cooper Lomaz and Simon Brown, Commercial Director with their Salary Survey 2017. Picture credit Newsmakers

Business masterclasses and workshops are planned for February and March in Cromer and Fakenham, organised by business support organisation, Genix.

Alex Till, chief executive of Genix said, “Business owners their staff and the self-employed need to keep up to date with knowledge and information to ensure they prosper and that’s why we’re holding these effective and great value, masterclasses in North Norfolk.

“Our trainers are experts in their field and course titles include, Book Keeping and Financial Control for Business, The Essentials of Email Marketing and Understanding Balance Sheets and Profit & Loss.”

Holly Stibbon of marketing company, 101 Smart is the tutor for Genix’s email marketing course and aims to help delegates write effective emails which will be opened, read and actioned upon. The workshop is well suited to non-technical people who wish to improve their knowledge and get better results.

Genix’s masterclasses are subsidised and cost just £30 per person, per course, due to the support of the European Regional Development Fund.

Genix also works in partnership with eAlliance Learning Technology providing over 600 online, off-the-shelf e-learning courses, ideal for business owners and their staff.

For dates, content and to book Genix’s masterclasses go to www.genix.org.uk or telephone 0800 096 3013. For more details of its online training email genix@ea-learningtech.com.

Warham Reading Room, a community building inWarham, North Norfolk, has been given a new lease of life after work to refurbish and extend the building was completed. The Reading Room has been a strong presence in the village of Warham, Norfolk, since its opening in 1982. Its use had declined, particularly in recent years with the building requiring modernisation, but the improvements and extensions, carried out by LSI Architects and RobSon Construction, have revived its use to secure the buildings future.

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching community’s programme, the restoration is sensitive to the existing building and palette of materials, complementing the existing hall but adding a flexible, functional and modern space. The use of timber, large sliding folding doors and a minimal profile canopy, open the extension up to the grounds to the rear.

A green roof has been added, not only for it’s environmental benefits, but to ensure neighbouring properties have a better view, than looking out onto a more traditional roof finish.

Rachel Harmer, Architect at LSI Architects,commented “It’s fantastic to see the building in use now the work has completed, following a great deal of hard work by a number of very committed villagers. It was important for the community to have a larger and warmer space, with better sanitary, kitchen and storage facilities and the ability to use the hall for larger groups and events or smaller meetings. By opening up the main hall, via existing openings into the extension this has been achieved, and the proposed kitchen is light and spacious with a connection to the hall spaces.” Rachel Harmer

Access and parking has also been improved with new paving and level access so the hall can be enjoyed by all.

40 business people are expected to attend North Walsham’s business networking event, Coffee Means Business on Friday 27th January. Genix, the business engagement specialists in Norfolk were commissioned by North Norfolk District Council in 2016 to hold regular business events and this will be the fourth Coffee Means Business Genix has hosted.

The event will be held at Scarborough Hill Country Inn, North Walsham from 9.30am until 11.30am. The aim is to give business owners the opportunity to chat over coffee, make new contacts and gain information to help them grow their enterprise.

“I’d encourage both new and established business people to come to Coffee Means Business.” Said Gary Parker who hosts the events, “It doesn’t matter if you’ve never been to anything like it before or you’re a start-up business. The connections you’ll make will be highly beneficial to business growth. The feedback has been extremely positive, the informality and friendliness of the format and there being no membership fees has been appreciated.

“We’re the affordable face of business networking charging just £2 per person, payable on arrival.”

North Norfolk District Council has appointed Genix to organise and host Coffee Means Business in the North Norfolk area as they could see there was a need for a regular networking opportunity for businesses which didn’t involve expensive membership fees.

Genix has been appointed to organise Coffee Means Business by North Norfolk District Council because it is a not for profit organisation which, for over 20 years has been supporting businesses. In Norfolk Genix provides, free business advice sessions for established businesses and start-ups, subsidised business skills courses and events for ambitious small businesses and self-employed people.

Cllr Nigel Dixon, Cabinet Member for Business and Economic Development said: “I’m looking forward to this next event and would encourage businesses, whatever their size to come along on the 27th January.”

Alex Till, Chief Executive of Genix said, ” We’re very grateful for the support of North Norfolk District Council who understand the importance of helping businesses to grow ensuring future employment and apprenticeship opportunities for the area and increasing the prosperity of the county.

“My thanks to our Coffee Means Business sponsor, Ruth from Different Dimensions. Her company provides the information businesses need to ensure their websites are user friendly for their target market.”

Coffee Means Business will next be held on Friday 27 January 2017 at the Scarborough Hill Country Inn, North Walsham from 9.30am until 11.30am. There are no membership fees, just £2 per person, towards coffee, payable on arrival. Booking isn’t essential. For full details go to the events page of www.genix.org.uk or call 0800 096 3013.

For more information

Contact Genix Leanne Castle – leanne@genix.org.uk www.genix.org.uk 07496713103

Sue Lawson Communications Manager at NNDC 01263 516344 sue.lawson@north-norfolk.gov.uk

It’s always nice to get good feedback from any business you deal with, but when it’s a charity that feeling is even better. We’ve supportedThe Timber Projectfor the past 4 months now, and since their campaign went live on our digital screens theresbeen a large increase in donations.

Chris Moore, co-Founder of The Timber Project said “Thank you so much for your continued support! We have had a lot of donations on the back of this so we really appreciate your help”

The teamare out in Greece and along the Balkan route devoted to providing basic shelter and hygiene facilities for refugees stranded. Chris also said “The temperature here is well below freezing and many people are still living in tents. The more we can do provide warm spaces for people really makes a difference”

The team haveraised over £10,000 so far,but still need help to continue the building of shelters for the thousands of refugees. Please help support their amazing work by donating what you can, everything helps! You can donate here –https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/thetimberproject

Ashford Commercial work with government agencies across the board, as well as social landlords, to install windows and doors as part of large constructions. Priding themselves on building good business partnerships, they engaged with Naked Element to create a timesaving, cross-platform mobile app for them, in order to reduce error and save time when compared to their paper processes. With a strict budget and prompt turnaround required, the Naked Element team had their skills put to the test.

This was Ashford Commercial’s first app, and they were new to having bespoke software developed, making it even more important that everything went smoothly. Developer Kieran said “The project was to create a mobile app to streamline the completion of Fire Door Installation paperwork. Ashford Commercial wanted to improve their paper-trail for fire door installation, as relying on paperwork often meant waiting for fitters to pass the forms onto supervisors and then having a bundle of documents arrive at once – or potentially get lost.”

Keeping in mind that a quick turnaround was desired, Kieran came up with a solution to what could have been a lengthy development process. “We leveraged React Native (a cross platform mobile development framework) to ensure we only had to work with one codebase for both iPhone and Android. This dramatically reduced the time required to build the app and allowed us to deliver the full app in 2 weeks.”

Instead of Ashford Commercial’s fitters having to complete necessary paperwork manually, the app allowed for pre-filling of much of the data required. “The app provided ‘Yes/No’ questions with sensible defaults to make completing the form a breeze. As a further improvement to the previous paperwork” Kieran said “we were able to take advantage of the cameras in smartphones, so photographic evidence of the installation is supplied each time, confirming that the door has been installed as specified.”

Neil Davis, Operations Manager at Ashford Commercial, said Naked Element had been chosen to create the app because they felt they were the right company to offer the support for development. “It was a quick process, 98% of which was done Naked Element help Ashfords to reduce lengthy paperwork processes with Mobile App fluidly. The app means that there’s 100% conformity now, which is exactly what we wanted, as well as the performance we wanted. There’s total legal conformance and a lot of transparency which there wasn’t before. We didn’t want to invest people, so it was better to get the system to work, which is what we made happen with Naked Element.” With a relatively straightforward project such as this one, there were few challenges outside of the time and budget restrictions. Everything was made clear throughout the development process, “I was quite satisfied with how everything went and I would be happy to recommend Naked Element” said Neil.

“The app means that there’s 100% conformity now, which is exactly what we wanted.”

We welcomeJive Kitchen & Barto our digital ad screens across Norwich this month. A Mexican Street Food inspired kitchen & bar dishing up the best burritos, tacos, tequila and takeout.

A great venue for lunch or dinner, grab a takeout or pop in for a drink and some some snacks at the bar.

Good tacos, good tequila, good vibes….

Owners Rowan & Lizzie were inspired after traveling to Mexico and hadan amazing insight into real Mexican street food. Weeks of traveling and sitting in acamper van writing up menus led the coupleto the decision of bringing this great food to Norwich.

Being able to combine authentic Mexican ingredients and the best local produce of Norfolk, Jive Kitchen & Bar hasbeen able to create a menu to eat in or takeaway that will leave your taste buds needing more.

Our latest Health and Safety newsletter was sent out last week. In this month’s newsletter we looked at;

– IOSH Managing Safely – As you may be aware the team at RedCat are now licensed to provide IOSH Managing Safely training courses. The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) are the leading association for Safety and Health Practitioners. IOSH Managing Safely is ideal for anyone working at supervisory/managerial level. The course is designed to get delegates, from any sector, up to speed on the practical actions needed to make Health and Safety happen.

– RedCat eLearning Special Offer – Don’t forget we are offering a very special one-off price on our CIEH Level 2 eLearning courses.

This year we would like to offer all of our clients a special discount on our eLearning courses. A one off price of £20+VAT (Normal price £39+VAT) on any Level 2 CIEH eLearning course purchased before 28th February 2017.

To read our newsletter click here

Attleborough-based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has completed an air source heat pump installation for military charity Walking With The Wounded to deliver heating and hot water for a former Royal Engineers officer in Suffolk.

Eric Hamilton, an ex-Royal Engineer soldier, is suffering from mesothelioma, contracted from aggregate blue asbestosis in Cyprus in 1976. Eric lives in a bungalow in Red Lodge with his daughter and full-time carer, Suzanne Wright, who is also a former servicewoman.His condition requires him to be kept warm all year around, which was proving difficult and expensive as the bungalow’s oil boiler was coming to the end of its life.

Finn Geotherm donated and installed a new 5kW air source heat pump system, to deliver all of the Wright’s heating and hot water, at a fraction of the operating cost of the previous boiler. Finn Geotherm’s team also upgraded the radiators in the bungalow to ensure it could easily reach the temperature needed.

Suzanne Wright said: “Our air source heat pump system is working a treat. The system is simply phenomenal – it’s quiet, clean and incredibly economical. To have continuous heating and hot water and not worry about the cost is equivalent to winning the lottery. We are simply unable to express how eternally grateful we are. Dad’s symptoms have got progressively worse over the last 12 months and the quality of living environment Finn Geotherm have afforded him with the heating system has not only extended his life expectancy but also improved it. All have noticed a big improvement in Dad’s wellbeing, both physically and psychologically. I, on the other hand, am still crying with happiness! Finn Geotherm are the dream team. Everyone was the ultimate professional – polite, helpful and cheerful.”

Guy Ransom, Commercial Director of Finn Geotherm, said: “We were only too happy to get involved with Walking With The Wounded to help Eric and Suzanne. It’s genuinely rare that you find yourself in the right place at the right time, where your capabilities allow you to do something that makes a real difference.If it happens, it’s a privilege, not a task.”

Finn Geotherm has also offered to service the heat pump annually free of charge.

Aaron Services Ltd, a Suffolk-based facilities management company that Finn Geotherm works with, have been able to help the Wrights further by removing the old oil tank and also installing a new bathroom.

For more information on air source heat pumps and details on Finn Geotherm, see www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

In 2017, technology looks set to continue being a very influential part of our lives – providing a multitude of challenges and growth opportunities for business. Breakwater is lucky to work within a field that benefits from substantial investment and research, with IT regularly offering up new platforms to deliver the next level of innovation, and this year looks set to raise the technology bar even higher.

As an IT support and services provider, Breakwater works to ensure it is continually on the leading-edge, recommending new and efficient ways to meet the technology needs of clients.

With a future that looks set to be shaped by rapid IT progression and the subsequent demands upon company systems; Breakwater is excited to be welcoming in the year with a new Managing Director, a front-runner with a drive to positively employ the latest advancements brought onto the market. John Gostling has been appointed Managing Director of Breakwater, having been part of the company for 4 years and Operations Director for the past 2; during which time he has worked hard to enhance both the team and service they deliver.

Peter Davies, Chairman of Breakwater commented that: “John has been with the company for 4 years now and fully understands what is required to efficiently manage the IT needs of multiple companies across a wide range of business sectors. We are looking to significantly grow the business over the next 3 years and I am confident that with John at the helm we are going to achieve our aim of rapid and sustainable growth”

John is a great advocate of innovation, and with 2016 having been a year in which the technologies in our corporate world have shifted yet again, including the release of new products, rise of mobile workers, increased data and collaboration demands and of course, the big one – the ongoing threat and evolution of cybercrime; Breakwater are motivated to have such a forward-thinking Managing Director.

John Gostling, Breakwater’s new Managing Director commented that: “I am extremely excited to be meeting the year ahead in a position that enables me to actively guide the direction of Breakwater and the talented team we have here. It’s crucial that we continue to keep abreast of advancements in technology and the ever-changing needs of organisations operating across a variety of different fields. I’m especially conscious of the requirement to tackle the rapid rise and maturing nature of cyber threats and we will keep investing in technology and knowledge to deliver cutting-edge backup, recovery and business continuity solutions.”

The Breakwater Service Desk team is also expanding to further advance the technology and IT provision available to clients and to facilitate this Jack Fisher has been promoted to the position of Service Delivery Manager, heading up the team with a fresh focus and experience. Jack has been with the company for several years, working as a 3rd Line Engineer, involved in many key projects including multiple Office 365 installations.

As IT plays an increasingly more important role for organisations across the board, 2017 looks to be an exciting time to deliver more business value than ever before and with an experienced leadership team Breakwater are well equipped to help businesses harness this.