Thousands of people across the South West could end up not being entitled to a full state pension when they retire, warns ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) today. Chas Roy-Chowdhury, ACCA head of taxation said: “Most workers do not have to worry that their National Insurance contributions are up to date, the group that are most at risk from not having the full qualifying years are those that are self-employed.
“Figures show that 16% of people from the South West are self-employed potentially meaning thousands of workers might not be entitled to a full state...
Search and rescue helicopters from the Royal Navy have made more than 25 emergency journeys during the recent storms.
9 people were rescued in the West Country with helicopter crews from Royal Navy Station Culdrose battling with the extreme conditions.
These conditions made the journeys far more dangerous and saw 50knot (57mph) head winds triple the journey time of some flights requiring extra stops for fuel in North Devon.
Search and rescue helicopters from across the UK saw what the government described as “almost non-stop” activity during the storms as people...
Professional union, Prospect has urged the government to suspend its job cuts at the Environment Agency in the light of the recent widespread flooding.
The Agency has confirmed that it will be cutting 1,500 jobs including some from flood protection as part of the government’s latest round of austerity cuts.
Although it is unclear which area of the organisation will see the job losses but the union claims that 550 jobs related to flood protection could be lost.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said the agency was making its own choices...
House prices in the South West are set to rise again as demand continues to exceed supply, surveyors have forecasted.
According to new figures released today by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) house prices in the South West will increase by a further 7% over the next year.
Rental costs are also set to rise by a further 2% which will carry over into the cost of living.
The forecast is echoed nationally as well with the average UK house price set to rise by 8% in the next year.
London house prices again see the largest increase, jumping up by...
After the unprecedented success of this year’s awards, Taste of the West is delighted to announce that entries for the prestigious Product Awards and Hospitality and Retail Awards are now open for 2014.
The 2014 awards are taking place earlier than ever before, with the Product Awards judging set for early April, allowing winners a longer period of time to maximise the benefits of receiving these widely recognised accolades.
These highly sought after awards demonstrate the South West’s commitment to producing food and drink products of an outstanding quality.
One year on from some of the worst flooding in 2012, latest research by the Environment Agency reveals that last year’s record-breaking wet year in England could have cost the UK economy close to £600 million.
The overall financial cost to businesses of the extreme weather was up to £200 million as total commercial property and contents damage totalled up to £84 million, and further indirect impacts – such as staff working days lost – hit companies and local economies for up to £33 million.
The latest assessment on the financial cost of the 2012 floods reveal that every...
Men and women in the South West are being challenged to lay off the booze in January to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The charity is launching Dryathlon, its New Year fundraising campaign, and urging people across the West to sign up now before the festive season gets into full swing. Dryathletes pledge to drop the drink for a month and either get sponsored or donate the money they would have spent on alcohol to the charity. Supporters can register as individuals or set up a team and get their friends, family and colleagues involved to motivate each other along the way. And for those...
The Stagecoach transport group has donated £10,000 to help relief efforts in the Philippines.
The transport group has made the donation to the Philippines Typhoon Appeal run by the Disasters Emergency Committee.
Stagecoach has also agreed to match up to £40,000 of funding raised by its employees.
The group employs 35,000 bus and rail employees in both the UK and North America.
Stagecoach Group Chairman Sir Brian Souter said: “The scale of the human tragedy caused by this disaster has touched all of our hearts and everyone wants to respond to the tremendous...
Five Police and Crime Commisioners, including Devon and Cornwall PCC Tony Hogg have sent letters to Policing Minister Damian Green over potential further cuts to police funding.
PCCs from the South West have come together to voice their concerns on the dangers of further cutting police budgets which would see a reduction to policing numbers. In the letter from from the PCCs they write: “In addition to grant reductions under the austerity programme we have recently faced a number of additional burdens. “These include the direct imposition of higher costs in relation to national...
Stagecoach South West is helping to support the Royal British Legion's 2013 Poppy Appeal which honours and remembers service personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The local transport operator is providing poppies for all their staff that choose to wear them with a donation made to the Royal British Legion. It has also donated advertising space inside its buses to help promote the appeal.
Michael Watson, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, commented “I’m proud to say that once again Stagecoach will be supporting the poppy appeal. We have staff at...
