DPC Business & Tax Advisers Stoke-on-Trent
Creating Relationships – Driving Success
Looking for an Accountants in Stoke-on-Trent? Wherever you are in your business journey, just starting out, established and running a successfully business, looking to retire to grow your business, or just need some help with meeting your tax obligations, DPC Accountants Stoke-on-Trent have all the skills to help you achieve your financial goals and keep you compliant.
Our aim is to build lasting relationships to understand your business and personal financial goals and help you achieve them.
We can provide you a professional, honest, and personal service from day-to-day business accounting and compliance, through to specialist tax or business advice, and auditing.
Our team have a wealth of experience to help individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses to reach their full potential and grow and develop.
We help a wide range of businesses from corporate groups, owner managed businesses, sole traders and partnerships working across multiple business sectors and industries.
We use and embrace technology to enable us to deliver accurate and efficient information to you which enables us to provide advice that adds value to your business.
Our staff are trained to a high standard and our work is regulated by the ICAEW accountancy body, ensuring we deliver a high standard of service to all our clients.
Find out about the wide range of services offered by DPC Accountants
Launch of United Growth Briefing Paper
Working with you to ensure the success of your business relies on strong relationships, trust and integrity.
As a well-known Staffordshire firm of chartered accountants and business advisers, DPC Chartered Accountants Stoke-on-Trent use intelligent accounting solutions and expert advice to guide business and private clients.
Continual staff training and in-house skills are invested in to deliver the most up-to-date services compliant with HMRC, digital technology and data protection.
Whether you run a start-up company, a growing business, are looking to exit a business or require taxation advice, you can be assured of the highest quality guidance and tax solutions.
DPC Chartered Accountants are part of The Sumer Group Limited.
The people behind the company! Introducing the staff, our practices and our working culture.
The heritage of DPC Group Limited originated with Edwin Downward on February 9, 1943 who set up shop as a sole practitioner in Wellesley Street, Stoke-on-Trent.
Welcoming John Plumb in 1962 and Mike Colclough in 1963, the firm became known as Downward, Plumb and Colclough – later adopting the acronym DPC.
Over the course of its rich history as a firm of accountants in Stoke-on-Trent (80-years celebrated in July 2023) DPC has gone from strength to strength embracing many changes and a commitment to constant innovation.
When computers were a fledgling industry, DPC took a chance by investing into new technology by spending £3,500 on a revolutionary Logabax accounting machine in June 1967.
The investment enabled advanced accounting (at the time) for some of Staffordshire’s most prominent businesses. The efficiency in financial affairs resulted in many of these organisations achieving international success.
Since Edwin’s ‘accounting vision’ launched in 1943, the company has grown steadily to employ over 60 people today, making DPC one of Staffordshire’s largest accountancy practices.
Looking to work as an accountant in Stoke-on-Trent? We welcome people at all stages in their careers, from school leavers and recent graduates to experienced professionals.
We’re focused on attracting the best talent, putting people into the right roles and offering the best professional training and personal development to deliver a first class client service.
We offer fully funded and supported professional training at each stage of an accountancy/ audit/ tax career i.e. AAT, ACCA, ACA (ICAEW), ATT, or CTA. This is supplemented with an in-house mentor and Personal Development Plan.
We offer structured career paths across a range of roles within the practice
As a dynamic and proactive practice we continually expand and are always looking for high-calibre staff to join our busy team.
Experienced hires
Develop personally and professionally with DPC
Monthly Tax News
October Tax News
Welcome to the October 2025 edition of Tax E-News. We hope that you find this informative. Please contact us if you wish to discuss any matters in more detail.
To view previous tax newsletters, click here
Practice News
Business News from DPC Accountants Stoke-on-Trent
South Western Railway: The first railway service to be renationalised
The Transport Secretary has revealed that South Western Railway’s services will be the first to transfer into public ownership in May 2025. C2C will be transferred in July 2025, with Greater Anglia following in autumn 2025. The Department for Transport expects to transfer all passenger services that are currently being operated under contracts to public ownership within the next 3 years.
Diamonds might be forever
The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) reported last week that its scientists and engineers along with the University of Bristol have successfully created the world’s first carbon-14 diamond battery. A battery of this type has the potential to provide power for thousands of years, making it a very convenient and long-lasting energy source.
Are you prioritising mental health in the workplace?
In a survey of 1,025 employees carried out by ACAS, 9 in 10 said they thought it was important for mental health to be prioritised at work. As a result, ACAS is encouraging employers to have empathetic conversations with their staff to ensure mental wellbeing is supported in the workplace. Many do not like to talk about mental health and not everyone will show obvious signs of poor mental health.
Are you employing seasonal winter staff?
In the run up to the winter holidays, you may be considering taking on additional temporary staff to help with the workload. While these staff may only be with you for a short period, you still need to consider them for pension purposes each time you pay them. Staff need to be put into a pension scheme based on their ages and how much they earn. This applies to family members too.
Protecting charities: New guidance on fraud and cyber crime
With last week being Charity Fraud Awareness Week, the Charity Commission has unveiled updated guidance to help trustees protect their charities from fraud and cyber crime. This follows the regulator revealing that it opened 603 cases related to fraud and 99 cases involving cyber crime in the past year.
Be wary of Self Assessment scams
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have issued a reminder to be careful about scam attempts that target people filing Self Assessment tax returns. In the last year, nearly 150,000 scam attempts were referred to HMRC, a 16.7% increase on last year. With the 31 January 2025 filing deadline approaching, fraudsters are likely to step up their activities.
Get Britain Working White Paper: Reforms to employment support announced
The government has unveiled some significant reforms to employment support, underpinned by a £240 million investment. The measures aim to address deep-rooted issues of unemployment, economic inactivity, and barriers to work, as detailed in the newly published Get Britain Working White Paper.
New Homebuilding Skills Hubs to try and address UK construction challenges
5,000 additional construction apprenticeship places are to be made available annually as part of a £140 million initiative aimed at addressing workforce shortages and meeting housebuilding targets. Central to this plan is the establishment of 32 new Homebuilding Skills Hubs, which are designed to accelerate training.
Addressing work-related ill health and injuries: Are there practical steps you can take?
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) recently released annual statistics for 2023/24 reveal the challenges being faced by employers in managing work-related ill health and injuries. Stress, depression, anxiety, and workplace injuries continue to be issues affecting the health and wellbeing of workforces.
Will it cost more to visit Wales?
People staying overnight in Wales may soon have to pay a small charge in changes proposed by the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill. The levy would be set at 75p per person a night for hostels and campsite pitches. For all other accommodation types the levy will be £1.25 a person a night. The decision on whether to set a levy or not will rest with the local authority for the area.
Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers confirmed
The UK government has announced that it remains fully committed to a Deposit Return Scheme and expects to launch the scheme across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October 2027. The UK government will be working with the Scottish government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland to bring about these changes.
Agricultural and business property relief: What happened in the Budget?
Changes to inheritance tax were announced in the Budget that have caused consternation to farmers and business owners across the UK. Clearly, both Agricultural and business property reliefs have played an important role in families being able to pass on agricultural and business assets without having to worry about inheritance tax. What exactly is changing and what could this mean for you?
Employers must take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment – New legal duty in force
Employers now have a new legal duty to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of employees. This duty requires employers to anticipate when sexual harassment may occur and take reasonable steps to prevent it. If sexual harassment has already taken place, then an employer would need to take action to stop it from happening again.
Inflation on the rise again – What the latest figures mean for businesses
The latest inflation figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for October 2024 rose to 2.3%, up from 1.7% in September. This marks the first increase in inflation since July, and it has sparked interest among business owners, economists, and policymakers alike.
Stress awareness reminders for employers – Could more stress awareness lead to productivity gains?
During Stress Awareness Week 2024, held during November, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) used the occasion to remind employers of their need to carry out their legal duty to prevent work-related stress and support good mental health at work. According to HSE figures, 17.1 million working days were lost to work-related stress in 2022/23. An average employee suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety takes an average of 19.6 days off work a year, almost the equivalent of a working month.
Businesses count the cost of increases to Employers National Insurance – What will it mean for your payroll?
From 1 April 2025, the rate for Employers National Insurance (NI) will increase from 13.8% to 15%. At the same time, the level at which employers start paying national insurance on each employee’s salary will be reduced from £9,100 per year to £5,000. The combination of these two changes means a potentially significant increase in payroll costs for businesses.
Business Fives Football Fundraiser
Earlier this week, DPC’s five aside team braved the snowy cold weather to compete in a charity football tournament at the Powerleague in Stoke-on-Trent. Our team was playing to raise money for the aiM charity – this is a local charity that was set up by the parents of Mia who tragically passed away in December 2022 from sepsis. The charity works to raise awareness of Sepsis to save lives and hopefully stop others feeling the same pain as Mia’s family.
Inflation on the rise: What October’s figures mean for businesses
The latest inflation figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for October 2024 rose to 2.3%, up from 1.7% in September. This marks the first increase in inflation since July, and it has sparked interest among business owners, economists, and policymakers alike. The rise in inflation was widely anticipated, and as a result the Bank of England have already signalled that any future cuts to the base rate will happen gradually.
The Spring Statement and what it means for you
Click to see our guide to the implications of the 2025 Spring Statement for your finances.
