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Business News


Partnership to support young


Two Birmingham-based youth support organisations have forged a new partnership. They are Beatfreeks and the


Martin James Foundation, whose youth arm Epic Youth is backing a project being run by the former, ‘Fuel’. Fuel is a fund which people


aged 18-30 can apply for to get new business ideas off the ground. Those eligible can apply for


funding of up to £500. Amy Clamp, Beatfreeks general manager Amy Clamps said: “We are excited to be working with Epic Youth to give Fuel funding a further life after two years of great success and obvious need. “We feel that by working


together, we can grow the impact of our work for young people by offering more opportunities to access micro- campaign funding.” Lindsey Hyde, UK programme


manager, for Epic Youth, said: “Epic Youth is delighted to be partnering with Beatfreeks. We have such similar visions and we look forward to developing our relationship. “Together we’ll be able to


help one another reach more young people, whether it’s through Fuel funding or through business development with Epic Youth.”


Pandemic leads to drop in regional fraud cases


There has been a dramatic drop in the volume and value of fraud cases coming to courts in the Midlands in 2020, as the coronavirus crisis led to the closure and postponement of many court operations. Only 25 cases - with a combined value of £59.8m -


were heard in the region’s courts this year. Of these, 12 were in the East Midlands and 13 in the West Midlands – in the previous year (2019), there were 67 cases, totalling £684m in 2019. Although the value and volume of cases dropped,


the types of fraud committed generally remained much the same. Commercial businesses were the main victims in


2020, being 44 per cent of cases compared to 28 per cent in 2019. Interestingly, however, there was a notable drop in the number of fraud cases against government organisations, with just four in 2020, compared to 24 in 2019.


Julie Bruce, forensic director at KPMG in the Midlands, said: “Considering many of our regional courts were temporarily closed earlier in the year due to the pandemic, it’s no surprise that the volume of cases has dropped. “However, this also suggests that the true extent of


fraud committed across the region is yet to come to light, particularly given everything going on in the world at the moment. “The methods that criminals are using to extract


either data or cash are ever evolving, so businesses must be vigilant and ensure protective measures are in place and that any controls are effective and regularly tested and monitored.” Among cases that did reach the region’s courts


during this period were: • A trio of Warwickshire conmen who claimed £29.5m in tax relief against a fake project; • A lawyer and his colleague from Loughborough who tried to sell £3m worth of properties that they did not own;


• A charity boss from Shropshire who stole £184k to pay off credit card bills.


KPMG said that fraudsters had been quick to adapt


to Covid-19, trying out new and different types of fraudulent activity. Among these are furlough-related fraud, which


KPMG believes will begin to make its mark in 2021, although the extent of the impact of these Government schemes won’t be fully evident until detected and investigated by 2023.


‘The methods that criminals are using to extract either data or cash are ever evolving’


Last year, early estimations by Government


watchdog the National Audit Office indicated that more than £3bn in furlough money may have been stolen by October 2020. The Government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) have proven critical in supporting more than a million businesses during the pandemic. However, the British Business Bank, which is


responsible for overseeing the state-backed lending programmes, has already identified more than £1bn of fraudulent loan requests, with more on the horizon. Fraudsters and investigators alike will be monitoring


how heavily HMRC will be clamping down and penalising fraudsters in such cases. Roy Waligora, head of UK Investigations at KPMG, said:


“The year ahead will mark how authorities plan to tackle these furlough related fraud cases - through enforcement or amnesty? Given the fact that the cost of trying to recuperate losses and investigate fraud on these small loans would dwarf the value of the actual fraud for both the bank and the government – it may be that the circumstances favour the criminal. Watch this space.”


Travel firms boosted by vaccine confidence


A UK package coach holiday operator is reporting signs of growing confidence from the ‘grey pound’ in their ability to start to travel again in 2021. The package coach holiday division of


National Express, which includes Lucketts Travel and Woods Tours, has seen a 185 per cent increase in bookings for Spring and Summer 2021 compared to figures for 2020, before the arrival of coronavirus. Jit Desai, head of holidays and travel at


National Express, said: “98 per cent of our customer base is over 65 and we’ve seen an increased appetite for travel in the last week or two with an uplift in enquiries and bookings every time there’s been an announcement about new vaccine approvals and the roll-out programme. “Some of this is postponed travel carried over


from last year. But there’s definitely a trend of customers being comfortable that they will have had their vaccination and be protected from Spring onwards, so can start to make travel plans.


“Some are telling us that they’ve already had


their jab and can’t wait to go on holiday once guidance allows again. ”


40 CHAMBERLINK February 2021 Lucketts Travel and Woods Tours provide


package coach holidays across the UK and Europe which include accommodation, meals, excursions and return coach travel. They are currently taking bookings for travel from May onwards.


The top 10 most popular UK destinations for 2021 bookings to date are: • The Cotswolds • Isle of Wight • York • The Lake District • North Wales • Then Isle of Man • Northumbria • Isles of Scilly • Scotland • Cornwall


National Express is offering the option of £1 deposits and a no-quibble 100 per cent refund, or a free transfer to another departure date of the customers' choice if their holiday is cancelled due to Covid. Enhanced cleaning regimes ensure vehicles are sanitised multiple times a day, including the


National Express: Grey pound is boosting holiday bookings


disinfection of all high-contact areas with antiviral products and fogging systems. New air filtration systems have also been


installed to regularly purify the air on board the vehicle throughout the coach journey. All coaches have limited seating capacity with


passengers required to only use designated seats to comply with social distancing rules. Drivers are temperature checked prior to


starting their shift and all passengers must be temperature checked before they can board the vehicle.


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