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HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have revealed that 37,000 people have plugged gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record since last April, boosting the amount of State Pension they will receive when they reach retirement age. The amount of State Pension you will receive is based on how many completed years you have in your NI record.

When it comes to disposing of computer equipment, how do you make sure that any storage media – hard drives, SSDs, flash drives and so forth – can’t be read by unauthorised users or have the data recovered? The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) reports that there have even been examples where several gigabytes of sensitive documents were retrieved from decommissioned photocopiers and printers.

The Charity Commission has issued a warning reminder to large, incorporated charities about changes to the law on preventing fraud. A new failure to prevent fraud offence will come into force on 1 September 2025 for all large organisations, including charities.

Following the recent run of storms and wet weather, the government has announced that £2.65 billion will be spent over the next two years to build, maintain and repair flood defences. Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency, so flood defences are becoming increasingly important in protecting both homes and businesses. The funding will also help protect farmland, which has also suffered in the recent storms.

February saw changes for the alcohol industry come into force that particularly affected winemakers. A temporary easement has been in place for wine that has treated wines with an alcohol by volume (abv) between 11.5% and 14.5% as if their abv was 12.5%. It was announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget that the easement would end on 1 February 2025. There have been calls to make the easement permanent, however the government has confirmed that the easement would end as planned.

Pemberton Timber Frame Ltd from Kent has been fined and ordered to pay costs following an avoidable injury to one of its workers. The company manufactures timber frame structures for the construction industry. One of its workers was operating a panel saw and was asked to perform a rip cut on a length of timber, i.e. cut down its thickness.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivered a speech last week that served as an update on the government’s plans for delivering economic growth. The plan largely focused on developments proposed around Oxford and Cambridge as well as a third runway at Heathrow. Here are some of the highlights from the speech.

Severe weather can be an enormous challenge for businesses, and we have seen plenty of it recently. Power outages, property damage, and forced downtime are not just disruptions—they can feel like setbacks that threaten months or years of hard work. If your business has been affected by recent storms, you are not alone, and it’s important to remember that resilience is built in moments like these.

A recent investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) independent inquiry group has revealed that competition in the UK cloud services market is not functioning as effectively as it could. Cloud services form the backbone of modern business operations, supporting industries ranging from financial services and retail to digital start-ups and public services.

Concern has been raised about various shops and service firms not accepting cash and therefore excluding those who rely on cash to pay for things. While some countries appear to be planning to put rules in place that require essential services to accept cash, the UK does not seem as though it will be following suit.

28 January 2025 was Data Protection Day and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) used it to highlight the opportunities and challenges related to AI and data protection. AI adoption is integral to the government’s growth plans, however the ICO are keen to make sure that the opportunities AI brings are taken up in a way that keeps people safe.

As part of the government’s efforts to drive economic growth, the Trade Secretary has appointed a new ‘global growth team’ of UK Trade Envoys with the goal of driving UK exports and investment. 32 MPs have been assigned target markets across the globe and have been tasked with identifying trade and investment opportunities for businesses as well as championing the UK as the place to invest for investors in those markets.

A deposit return scheme, which more than 50 countries worldwide are now using, gives people a financial incentive for returning empty bottles and cans to a collection point, such as at a supermarket. According to government supplied statistics, the average return rate in Europe is 90% with Germany leading the way at 98%.

Recent economic developments have sparked concerns among UK businesses. Government borrowing costs surged in December to their highest levels in four years, and this has drawn heavy criticism of the Chancellor’s fiscal strategy. The BBC reported that the gap between government spending and tax revenue widened to £17.8 billion in December, compared with £10.1 billion a year earlier.

Starting from 31 January 2025, entry summary declarations will now be required for goods imported into Great Britain (GB) from the EU. This extends the already existing requirements to submit entry summary declarations for imports into GB from countries outside the EU and exit summary declarations for exports to the EU.