Weather Does Not Deter Lincolnshire Show Goers

© Prima PR and Marketing

Regardless of the weather, over 60,000 visitors attended both days of the 128th Lincolnshire Show.

The first day of the show saw a six percent increase in visitors on last year, credited to the warm weather on Wednesday, and spirits were not dampened by the rain on Thursday.

Organisers reported a five percent increase on trade stand bookings from 2011 and the number of visitors from across the UK entering livestock and equine competitions also increased.

It is estimated by show organisers that for every £1 spent at the show, a further £20 has been generated in the local economy.

Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts in the area experienced heightened demand for overnight stays from an extra 18,400 visitors. For many businesses in Lincolnshire, the show provides an opportunity to showcase local produce and services. Showground Director Jayne Southall said:

"We’ve had a fantastic show and it’s been wonderful to see everything come together.

"We had a big boost to visitor numbers with the wonderful sunshine on day one. 

"Although numbers were down on Thursday, the showers seemed to do little to dampen enthusiasm and we had a steady flow of visitors arriving throughout the morning. 

"The show has proved itself, once again, as a major visitor attraction which helps to bring Lincolnshire’s wider visitor and tourism story to a national audience."

© Malcolm Leaning

Edward Leigh MP, who represents the Gainsborough Constituency, within which the Lincolnshire Showground is located, visited the West Lindsey District Council tent and  met with local councillors and joined in with the keep fit dancers from the West Lindsey Leisure Centre, Gainsborough.

West Lindsey Extend Business Rate Relief for Small Business

With Small Business Rate Relief eligible ratepayers pay no rates on properties with rateable values up to £6,000, with a tapered relief of between 100% and 0% for properties with rateable values between £6,001 and £12,000.

In the budget on Wednesday, 23rd March 2011, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the extension of the temporary small business rate relief to  Sunday, 30th September 2012 which was previously due to end on Friday, 30th September 2011.

The measure doubles the usual rate of relief so that ratepayers with rateable values below £6,000 pay no rates at all for the period, while ratepayers with rateable values between £6,000 and not more than £12,000 receive tapered relief from 100% - 0%.

There are no other adjustments to the scheme. For example, the eligibility criteria remain the same. There will be no changes to the multiplier so those businesses that do not fall within the eligibility criteria of the scheme will see no change in their bills. The government is making this change to the Small Business Rate Relief scheme to provide help with the fixed costs of starting and running a small business as the economy starts growing again.

Once the legislation has been put in place all those who currently receive small business rate relief will receive revised bills. In the meantime small businesses will need to carry on paying thier instalments. Current collection and enforcement procedures will continue to apply to ratepayers who miss scheduled instalments.

For more information you can phone the Business Rates Team on 01529 414424.

Local Coffee House Named In Top-5 In The World

A local coffee house, Coffee Aroma on Guildhall Street in Lincoln has been awarded the accolade of being one of the best coffee shops in the world by Cosy Coffee Shops - a website dedicated to independent coffee houses.

In the past five years the Cosy Coffee Shops team have visited over one hundred of the most highly regarded independent coffee shops in the world, looking for a combination of ‘nice places’ and ‘outstanding coffee.’ Cosy Coffee Shops’ opinion is well-valued in the speciality coffee industry, so Coffee Aroma are doubtlessly thrilled to be included in their list of ‘The Top 10 Coffee Shops in the World for 2011.’

The Top 10 includes independent coffee houses in Japan, New Zealand, Mexico and Vietnam amongst other countries, in a list of what Cosy Coffee Shops deems to be the top-performing independent coffee houses on the world stage. Of the Lincoln-based coffee house Cosy Coffee Shops' review said:

"It [Coffee Aroma] is a gorgeous, picturesque place, not to mention comfy and charming. I can’t think of a coffee shop with a nicer interior; just perfect for relaxing with a good mug of coffee. That would do me nicely, thanks very much, but I was delighted also to discover coffee of the highest order.

"As the owner (Richard Teasdale) prepared it [my coffee], he described his method… Richard – as you can tell – is a coffee geek, but in the nicest possible way. He has had some success at barista championships and has rubbed shoulders with the best in the world. He’s a friendly guy, driven to create the perfect coffee experience."

More help needed for Lincolnshire’s small firms during the recession

Call to make business rate relief automatic for small firms

Giles McNeill today welcomed Conservative plans to cut taxes and paperwork for small shops and small firms. In a new initiative, small business rate relief would be given automatically to firms across England, rather than making businesses claim it and complete time-consuming forms. Giles McNeill was speaking as Parliament discusses a Conservative Private Members’ Bill to change the law in this way.

Small business rate relief was introduced in 2005, allowing small firms to claim up to 50 per cent off their business rate bills. However, firms have to fill out paperwork to claim the rate relief, despite the fact that Whitehall’s tax inspectors know precisely which firms are eligible.

• According to the most recent figures, 736 firms claimed small business rate relief in West Lindsey.
• The Local Government Association has estimated that some 870,000 firms are eligible for the rebate but less than half have claimed. The take-up rate is estimated to be 48% in the Midlands.
• By contrast, in Wales, small business rate relief has been automatic since 2007.

After rent and staff, business rates are typically the next biggest cost to local firms. Business experts have warned that 32,300 businesses will fail in 2009. Firms face a hammering this April from the Government thanks to soaring business rates:
• Business rates are to rise by 5.0 per cent in April 2009, despite RPI inflation forecast to be negative this year. This is because of a statistical quirk in the way business rate rises are calculated.
• Transitional relief from the 2005 business rates revaluation has expired, pushing bills up further for many firms in April 2009.
• The Government has slashed back rate relief on empty properties. As the recession bites, firms are unable to rent out vacant property, and have to pay rates in full without any income from rent.

Giles said:

“Small shops and businesses across Lincolnshire are facing tough times in Labour’s recession. These firms, from our corner shops to local pubs, are the lifeblood of our local community. A responsible government would do more to help them.

“Yet Gordon Brown is making it difficult for small firms to claim the tax relief to which they are entitled. He is adding to their misery by finding new ways to drive up business rates by stealth.

“Conservatives would ensure that small firms automatically receive rate relief, cutting their paperwork and tax bills, giving many of them a fighting chance to stay afloat.”

Lincolnshire’s pubs being ripped off in tax inspectors’ cover-up

Government hides admission that pubs are paying too much in rates

Local pubs in Lincolnshire are being denied business rate cuts by the Government, Giles McNeill, Prospective Conservative Candidate for Lincolnshire County Council in the Nettleham & Saxilby Division, warned today. Pub landords could be paying thousands of pounds over the odds in tax, but are being kept in the dark by Government tax inspectors who want to avoid paying out tax refunds.

This follows a revelation earlier this year that tax inspectors were hiding the fact that hundreds of thousands of homes could be paying too much council tax. The tax officials kept quiet about the information to save money and save face.

• Five pubs closing every day: The British Beer & Pub Association has estimated that pubs are now closing at the rate of 36 a week - five a day. They are paying a heavy price for smoking ban, fragile consumer confidence, ruthless competition from supermarkets and – not least – higher beer taxes imposed by Gordon Brown.

• Government guidance on taxing pubs: Parliamentary Questions have brought to light unpublished internal guidance by the Valuation Office Agency (an arm of HM Revenue & Customs) on how local firms should be charged business rates. It admits that they have been giving out the wrong advice to firms on the effect of the smoking ban. Until recently, tax inspectors refused to give any business rate reduction for the loss of custom due to the ban. Their latest guidance now admits – thanks to advice from top lawyers – that the smoking ban represents a ‘material change’. Pubs can use this to make a claim for a lower ‘rateable value’ and so cut their yearly rates bill. For example, a £5,000 reduction in rateable value would save publicans £2,300 a year in tax.

• Local firms kept in the dark: Pubs can only apply for this tax cut if they make an appeal and fill out complex paperwork. The Government has made no announcement about potential refunds to local pubs across England and Wales. The Government is happy to hike tax bills, but it will not tell people when their bills could fall. Business rates are the third biggest cost to local firms after rent and staff costs.

Giles said:

“Local pubs in the villages that comprise the Nettleham & Saxilby Division are a vital part of our social fabric and community life. Whilst big pub chains may be making money out of Labour’s new drinking laws, small everyday pubs are suffering from the combined onslaught of higher beer taxes, a weakening economy, supermarkets selling alcohol below cost price and the smoking ban.

“Whatever people’s views on the smoking ban, it has had a major impact on many pubs. The Government’s own tax inspectors have now admitted that pubs may be eligible for refunds on their business rates, but local pub owners are being intentionally kept in the dark about this U-turn. This is yet another tax cover-up from the same inspectors who have conspired to hide council tax errors.

“Ministers are only interested in changing the tax system when it raises extra money for Gordon Brown’s coffers. Thanks to Whitehall secrecy and this stealth pub tax, local firms are going to the wall and everyday pub-goers are being hit in the wallet.”

Tax cuts needed to keep Lincolnshire working says Giles McNeill

Action required to boost the economy and reduce unemployment

Ahead of the publication of the Government’s draft Budget - the so-called Pre-Budget Report on 24 November, Giles McNeill, Prospective Conservative Candidate for Lincolnshire County Council in the Nettleham & Saxilby Division, has called for tax cuts to help Lincolnshire’s economy and reduce unemployment. The latest official Government figures show the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the Gainsborough constituency is now 1,200 a rise of 202 from this time last year.

Conservatives are calling on the Government to introduce tax cuts to create new jobs, under an innovative scheme which will help firms take on extra employees, boost the economy and reduce the damaging social costs associated with unemployment.

Private sector firms who hire someone who has been claiming unemployment benefits for more than three months and who has not previously worked for that company in the previous year, would receive a credit against employers’ National Insurance bills.

This would be funded by using money that would otherwise be spent on welfare payments to give tax cuts worth £2,500 per head over a year. It is estimated that the plan could create around 350,000 new jobs across the country over the next year. Simple safeguards would prevent abuse by ensuring that only genuinely new jobs would be eligible.

On top of this, Conservatives have already proposed:
• A two-year council tax freeze, paid for by cutting back on government advertising and consultancy fees.
• Taking family homes out of inheritance tax and nine out of ten first-time buyers out of stamp duty, funded by introducing a levy on non-domiciles.
• Allowing small businesses to delay their VAT payments by six months.
• Cutting payroll taxes for the smallest companies.

Giles said:

“I am very concerned about the state of the economy. Jobs, businesses and livelihoods across the Nettleham & Saxilby Division are at risk, and it is clear that we cannot rely on Gordon Brown to produce the positive policies that will help us cope with recession. Change is desperately needed.

“Cutting taxes for local firms who create new jobs is one of the ways that we can support our local economy, in a fiscally responsible way.”

Call to give Local Firms in Lincolnshire Access to More Government Contracts

Massive Whitehall procurement budget should help small and medium firms

Giles McNeill, Prospective County Council Candidate, today added his voice to calls for the Government to do more to help local firms in Lincolnshire hit by the economic downturn. Conservatives are demanding that Whitehall opens up the massive £125 billion government procurement budget to small and medium firms across the country.

The government is the biggest purchaser of goods and services in the economy, but Whitehall bureaucracy means that small businesses are locked out of this system. Making it easier for small businesses to win government contracts would provide companies in Lincolnshire - and across the country - with a crucial source of revenue during the downturn, helping to protect local jobs.

The Conservative action plan includes:
• Scrapping the rule requiring companies to provide three years of audited accounts when bidding for government contracts. This unnecessary rule locks start-up companies out of the procurement system – simply because new companies may not have three years of audited accounts.
• Immediately introducing a single questionnaire to be allowed to bid for government contracts worth less than £50,000. This would only have to be filled in once and logged for future contract bids. This will radically reduce the administrative burden involved in bidding for government contracts.
• Requiring all government contracts worth over £10,000 to be published online, so that small companies can for the first time find out exactly what contracts are available. At present, it is not mandatory for contracts to be published online. As a result, over 75 per cent of small and medium firms report that it is difficult to find out about procurement opportunities.
• Aiming for 25 per cent of government contracts to be awarded to small and medium enterprises. This is something that United States federal government does, and would help overcome the risk aversion that leads to them being overlooked for government contracts.

Giles said:

“This is another part of the Conservative action plan for small business, which also includes proposals to defer VAT bills, cut payroll taxes by 1p and reduce the small company corporation tax rate.

“We need to open up the government’s procurement system and get money to small businesses across the country. It’s not just small firms that will be helped – taxpayers will benefit from the innovation and greater efficiency that small businesses can bring to government contracts.

“Small firms in Lincolnshire are facing a very difficult time and jobs are at risk. If Labour Ministers were serious about making a difference, they would adopt this action plan.”