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Business News England
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Welcome to the DPC round up of the latest business news for our clients for 2nd June 2025
Please contact us if you want to talk with out team of experienced Stoke-on-Trent accountants about how these updates affect your business. We are here to support you!
THIS WEEK…
It’s long been said that putting all your eggs in one basket is risky. Many small business owners may fear that risk of becoming a reality.
Take the UK’s farming sector as an example. Faced with extreme weather, policy shifts and volatile prices, farmers have increasingly turned to other sources of income to keep their businesses viable. According to a recent BBC news article, nearly three-quarters now run at least one non-farming enterprise – anything from glamping to beauty salons to wedding venues.
It’s not just farming where this lesson applies: when your main income stream becomes unpredictable or limited, diversification can help stabilise your business.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released its annual review of the UK economy and the message this year is more positive than many might have expected. The IMF has upgraded its forecast for UK growth in 2025 to 1.2%, noting that “an economic recovery is underway.”
While this may not be headline-grabbing growth, it’s a step up from earlier projections and a shift in tone from what has often been a cautious outlook.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has recently updated its guidance on Employers’ Liability insurance – a useful reminder of the rules and risks around a business insurance that is legally required in the UK.
The guidance explains that if you employ anyone – including part-time, temporary, or even volunteer staff – you are likely required by law to have this cover in place. It’s there to protect businesses should an employee become ill or injured because of their work and the employer is found legally responsible.
The recent disqualification of television personality Ant Middleton and his wife, Emilie Middleton, as company directors provides valuable lessons for business owners. Their company, Sway and Starting Limited, failed to pay over £1 million in taxes, despite receiving more than £4.5 million in income. The company eventually went into liquidation, with a significant overdrawn director’s loan account.
This case highlights key financial and legal responsibilities that business owners should keep in mind to avoid similar issues.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released new guidance on how to properly retire old digital systems and devices – a process known as decommissioning.
The guidance is aimed at IT teams, but there are useful takeaways for any small business that uses computers, software or online systems.
Thousands of farmers in England are set to benefit from a £30 million uplift to Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payments from January 2025. This could mean more money in your pocket for the work you’re already doing to protect the environment and maintain the countryside.
From 1 January 2025, payment rates will rise for 157 different HLS options.
The aim is to better recognise the work farmers do in protecting rare species, restoring habitats and maintaining traditional countryside features. The uplift also aims to bring these payments more closely in line with those offered under Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes.
The government has set out new plans aimed at helping small and medium-sized housebuilders get projects moving faster and with fewer hurdles. For housebuilders that have found themselves stuck in a slow, expensive planning process for a small site, these changes might be of interest.
Right now, building a site of 10 homes can involve the same level of planning red tape as a site with 100. That’s long been a frustration for smaller developers, and it’s one of the things this package of reforms is trying to fix.
The proposals include plans for small developments (up to nine homes) to benefit from faster decisions made by planning officers, rather than going through a full planning committee. Some of the biodiversity requirements will also be simplified, which should reduce costs and paperwork.
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