SMALL BUSINESSES RECEIVE BOOST FROM BUDGET PLANS E
CA and BESA’s call to protect SMEs from employment red tape and to increase support for
H
ello there and welcome to the final issue of the year, my
goodness gracious me how time does fly. As the new editor, I had no idea just how embracing and supportive the industry would be to a newbie like me, but what a cracking set of clever and innovative people you are. My first tradeshows, EDS, ELEX
and DCD, which were filled to the brim with relevant news and product launches, gave me the opportunity to meet and greet all the wonderful people I’ve been in contact with so far, and the benefits to attending and exhibiting at shows couldn’t be clearer. There’s no use having a marvellous, game-changing product if nobody knows. It’s a fantastic space to form new relationships and check out all the latest technologies. Marketing can make or break your launch, and is worth investing in, be it digital, print or live events. Speaking of, I’ll be out and about
at various shows throughout 2019 so do make sure you drop me a line if you’d like to chat about editorial opportunities over a coffee, I am always looking for smarter ways to communicate the key issues to the readership, and would be delighted to publish your ideas, opinions and advice, particularly when it comes to energy efficiency and renewable technology. After all, there is no planet B. For now, though it may feel a
little premature, I want to wish you all a healthy and happy new year, filled with success and joy.
Niamh Marriott, Editor
engineering skills, were reflected in the Budget announcement made by Chancellor Philip Hammond on Monday 29 October. The Chancellor plans to change the way self-
employed people working for companies are taxed, by extending the public sector IR35 system to the private sector, the Government move is aimed at ensuring that individuals who work through their own companies, but operate like employees, are classified as employees for taxation and national insurance purposes. After sustained ECA representation to Government,
this change only applies to private firms with more than 50 employees or a turnover of more than £10 million, in order to protect small businesses from red tape. These medium and large businesses will be responsible for checking contractors’ status from 6 April 2020, allowing employers time to prepare. The Chancellor also acknowledged the vital importance of investing in technical skills, by
announcing that the 10 per cent contribution rate that SMEs must pay when they take on apprentices will be halved to 5 per cent, although the exact date this will come into effect remains to be confirmed. While the change applies principally to SMEs, it could also benefit Apprenticeship Levy payers who have used up their levy pot, and wish to take on more apprentices. Andrew Eldred, ECA director of employment and
skills, commented: “The decision to reduce co- investment rates for apprenticeships, and apply IR35 changes in the private sector to medium and large employers, show that the Government has taken on board representations from ECA. These measures will mean that small businesses won’t be burdened with the changes to taxation, while employers will be able to offer more apprenticeships and narrow the skills gap. We will continue to work closely with Government and industry decision makers to ensure the details of the implementation of these budget provisions are in its members’, and the industry’s, best interests.”
eca.co.uk
£20M FOR UK MOBILITY DATA INSTITUTE T
he Chancellor of the Exchequer has
announced that the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will receive up to £20 million, subject to approval of a satisfactory business case, to enable WMG, at the University of Warwick to create the UK Mobility Data Institute, a focussed research centre to collect, process and analyse transport data generated by the advent of new mobility technologies such as autonomous vehicles and smart charging of electrified vehicles. The
announcement was made in the publication of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s full budget following his Budget 2018 speech on Monday 29th October. Data aggregation and analysis
will underpin the future of all transport systems and how they
are built, regulated and used. At the heart of the UK’s first 5G urban connected area and the home of future mobility innovation WMG, working in partnership with WMCA, will create the new data institute. It will provide the computing, technical and connectivity capacity and expertise to bring together and exploit, for economic, productivity, social and environmental gain, the huge amount of data generated in many transport programmes. The West Midlands is the UK’s
first Future Mobility Area and will be the UK’s first 5G connected urban area.
warwick.ac.uk
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4 NOVEMBER 2018 | ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
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