businesses

Pension deadline looms for SW small businesses

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 08/01/2016 - 10:45am

Over 174,675 businesses based in the South West1 must automatically enrol eligible employees into a workplace pension scheme before 1 April 2017, including businesses employing only one or two people.

Automatic enrolment can be complex and small businesses can be stretched - often with little experience of running a pension scheme, so the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has created Pension Solution to help small businesses through the automatic enrolment process.

Commenting, Laura Webb, Head of Membership Relations, Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association...

Exeter businesses will soon be able to authenticate Twitter accounts with blue tick

Businesses and individuals across Exeter will soon be able to apply for their very own blue Twitter tick as the social media giant begins rolling out a new scheme.

Over the last few weeks Twitter has announced it will be launching a new system which allows local businesses apply for verified status. Verified status is displayed by the reputable blue tick that appears next to a Twitter profile. Previously, Twitter verification was only granted to public figures who were deemed to be of public interest, but soon anyone will be able to apply, providing they tick all of the boxes. The...

StartUp Britain tour visits Exeter

Following a high-profile launch at Buckingham Palace as guests of the Duke of York, national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain will tomorrow (TUESDAY) arrive in Exeter as part of a summer bus tour providing inspiration and support to thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs.

As an indicator of local entrepreneurial drive, new figures released by StartUp Britain for the tour show 363 new businesses were formed in Exeter in the first six months of 2016. This compares with 738 new businesses registered in the city throughout 2015.

Now in its fifth year, the StartUp Britain tour,...

Cyber Security Consultation at Plymouth Science Park

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Thu, 07/14/2016 - 12:07pm

Plymouth Science Park tenants are asking the west country business community to come forward with their experience of cyber fraud.

Devon and Cornwall Business Council, who recently relocated their HQ to Plymouth Science Park, will be holding a half-day conference to discuss the subject.

Up to thirty spaces are available for the morning talk session at Plymouth Science Park, using their conferencing facilities, to discuss how to make sure business is resilient to cyber attacks.

Research shows that 98% of tested web apps are vulnerable to attack, 75% of directors of...

Grant Thornton unveils faces of a vibrant economy in the SW

Five business and community leaders from the South West celebrated amongst 100 individuals inspiring leadership, innovation, and helping their communities across the UK

Grant Thornton UK LLP today unveils its inaugural list of people who are helping to shape a vibrant economy in the UK, one which realises the shared potential of businesses, cities, people and communities across the UK. In the South West, Geoff Gollop, Joel Gibbard, Kim Atherton, Nick Davies and Richard Clothier have been named as Faces of a Vibrant Economy.

The list has been curated as part of Grant...

Superfast broadband for more rural areas

The Connecting Devon and Somerset partnership (CDS) has launched a procurement exercise to extend the second phase of the superfast broadband scheme.

This £39.5m public sector investment will deliver Next Generation Access broadband services (a minimum of 30 Mbps) and ultrafast broadband (of speeds greater than 100 Mbps) to tens of thousands of homes and businesses across Devon and Somerset in predominantly rural areas.

The tax-payer subsidised programme aims to bring faster broadband to areas unlikely to benefit from wholly commercial operations.

The overall...

Devon Chamber launches #EUandMe campaign

Devon Chamber of Commerce has launched its #EUandMe Working Together campaign to combat the spreading climate of fear across the county.

Leading the campaign through the sharing of positive messages on social media and through its communication channels the Chamber aims to highlight the positive contribution that partnership working with EU workers and businesses has on the local economy.

The campaign aims to demonstrate that whilst the political decision making on the process for Brexit continues, for businesses in Devon, and across the UK it's business as usual, alongside...

Package of measures suggested to help South West businesses

A leading tax accountant is calling for a package of measures to help businesses in the South West following the UK's historic decision to leave the European Union.

John Endacott, Head of Tax at chartered accountants and business advisers PKF Francis Clark, says action is urgently needed in a number of areas to promote economic activity.

His proposals include:

• Boosting domestic business investment through the new Investors' Relief. • Reviewing Stamp Duty Land Tax rates, in particular the new three per cent surcharge. • A possible temporary cut in VAT, if necessary...

Search is on to find top dog-friendly businesses

The search is on to find the UK’s most dog-friendly places, as the Kennel Club launches its Be Dog Friendly Awards 2016.

The competition, now in its tenth year, is part of the wider Be Dog Friendly campaign which aims to break down barriers for man’s best friend by encouraging more businesses and public spaces to welcome dogs.

With around 8.5 million dogs in the UK, and around one in four households owning a dog, the great British public are always on the lookout for places where their four-legged family members are also welcome. The Be Dog Friendly Awards recognise...

Local marketing experts join forces to launch exclusive training event

A team of local marketing, design and communication experts have joined forces to launch an interactive training event for any South West company looking to improve its approach to communications.

The event, which is taking place on Thursday 7 July at Sandy Park in Exeter from 2pm, is being organised by a collaboration of top marketing experts from across the South West – ADPR, Anna Lodge Consultancy and Drive Creative Studio. Love Marketing, is for anyone involved in marketing - whether new to the industry or already an experienced marketing practitioner. The event will go beyond...

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