Newbury Business Today

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Thursday, November 4, 2021

Newbury Weekly News

sations are experiencing staff- ing issues and it’s dishearten- ing to see some venues forced to close for temporary periods. There are mixed emotions for business owners, who are delighted to receive Christ- mas bookings but concerned how they’ll be able to provide a great customer experience with reduced staffing levels. It’s hard to know what the solution is in the short-term, but there’s certainly a need for a long-term strategy to attract workers back into hospitality and leisure. We also can’t ignore the im- pact Covid may have on the town centre again this Christ- mas, with caution being urged by public authorities. We have designed our Christmas events with safety in mind – the Christmas Lights Switch- On Festival and the Victorian Christmas Fayre are taking place outdoors and have clear event safety plans in place. Town centre shops and ven- ues continue to assess and mit- igate risks and are committed to ensuring Newbury is a safe, welcoming, and joyful place to visit this Christmas. From a personal point of view, I remain hopeful that residents and visitors will embrace everything Newbury has to offer over the coming months. The energy and en- thusiasm our team are put- ting into creating Newbury’s Christmas experience is admi- rable and certainly stands us in good stead for success. Entrepreneurs’ relief claims for £5.95bn in the South East MORE than one in eight (13 per cent) claims for En- trepreneurs’ Relief were for gains of more than £1m in 2019/20, with the average claimed at just over £627,000, new anal- ysis from Handelsbank- en Wealth Management shows. Entrepreneurs’ Relief, which allowed an effective Capital Gains Tax rate of 10 per cent on gains from busi- ness disposals over a lifetime of up to £10m, was replaced in the March 2020 Budget by Business Asset Disposal Relief, which limits gains to £1m. Handelsbanken Wealth Management’s Freedom of Information (FOI) request to HMRC found business own- ers in the South East account- ed for more than a fifth (21 per cent) of chargeable gains qualifying for Entrepre- neurs’ Relief worth £5.95bn, according to the most recent data. Handelsbanken Wealth Management head of tax Mark Collins said: “The num- bers of business owners ben- efiting from Entrepreneurs’ Relief has remained rela- tively stable for the past few years at around 46,000 while the value of chargeable gains has increased marginally over the same period.”

Legal Question Time

How to prepare for remote hearing in family matters

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PRIOR to the pandemic, virtually all family hearings took place in person at court. The courts have had to adapt very quickly to the new ways of working and as such, they have introduced remote and paper hearings to minimise attendance at court. What is a remote hearing? A remote hearings take place by telephone or video. The parties and their legal representatives are not required to attend court in person. The court papers, namely the Notice of Proceedings, will clearly confirm whether the hearing will be remote, in person or on paper. How to prepare for a remote hearing? It is very important to provide your contact details and the contact details of any legal representatives to the court as soon as possible.

or Zoom meeting. At the start of the remote hearing, you will be asked to confirm that you are alone and not recording the hearing. You will also be asked to place yourself on mute if you are not speaking. You should wear smart clothes as if you were attending the hearing in person. If you are representing yourself, you should ensure that you have easy access to the court papers. For telephone hearings, the court will call you at approximately the start time of the hearing. The court often uses a ‘withheld’ or ‘private number’ so it is recommended that you are available up to one hour before and one hour after the start time of the hearing in case there are delays. For both video and telephone hearings, you are usually allowed to file

is needed before another hearing can take place. If you are given notice of a paper hearing, you should prepare a short position statement summarising your case and the points which you want the court to address. Can I request a hearing in person? Some court hearings are continuing to take place in person due to the seriousness of the circumstances, such as a final hearing in care proceedings. If you require a hearing in person due to a vulnerability which would impact your ability to participate in the proceedings effectively, you should contact the court as soon as possible. n If you have received notice of a hearing and would like to discuss what options are available, please contact Stephanie Vyas in the Gardner Leader Family Team.

You should wear smart clothes as if you were attending the hearing in person

a short two-page document called a position statement beforehand. What is a paper hearing? Paper hearings are increasingly common for the First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA) in private children proceedings. A paper hearing does not require you to attend in person or by video/telephone. Instead the hearing will involve the judge reviewing the court papers and making directions (instructions) as to what further evidence

Stephanie Vyas

For video hearings, you will receive an email from the court approximately one day prior to the hearing with a video link and joining instructions. It is very similar to joining a Microsoft Teams

A vital Christmas period for town centre traders

Bringing appointments to your front room

IT’S vital that town centres enjoy a fruitful Christmas trading period this year, writes Newbury BID chief ex- ecutive Melissa Hughes . Retail, hospitality and lei- sure organisations still have a great deal of ground to make up after nearly two years of stilted trading. Although the temporary Business Rates Relief for 2022/23 announced in last week’s Autumn Budget brings some respite, a successful Christmas could still make or break some of the small- er, independent businesses which help to make Newbury unique. One of our aims at New- bury Business Improvement District is to create a compel- ling Christmas experience to attract visitors and shoppers to Newbury. This year, we’ve been fortunate to access the EDRF’s Welcome Back Fund via West Berkshire Council to support our efforts. Newbury Town Council also contributes funding to- wards the Christmas lights each year, easing the burden on Newbury’s businesses to fund Christmas in Newbury. We have an ambitious, long-term vision to position Newbury as one of South East England’s key Christmas des- tinations. We are lucky to live and op- erate in a town which has so many desirable ingredients – modern, open-air shopping in a historic, waterside location,

with a vibrant arts scene and a strong sense of community. Our determination to get Newbury on the map means we’re taking our marketing campaign and Christmas events to the next level. Newbury’s first TV advert went live on Sky and Virgin Media in October as part of a 12 Days of Newbury cam- paign, which includes digital, outdoor, broadcast and print media. Our summer campaign (July to September) was a huge success – generating a 157 per cent uplift in visitors to the Visit Newbury website compared to the same period last year and helping to en- sure Newbury’s summer foot- fall performance was strong. We expect even better re- sults from our Christmas cam- paign. There are of course risks and challenges for the busi- ness community as we move towards winter. Many organi- Newbury BID chief executive Melissa Hughes

Newbury Building Society is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number 206077). English Law applies and we will communicate with you in English. We are participants of the Financial Ombudsman Service. We have a complaints procedure which we will provide on request. Most complaints that we cannot resolve can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service. 8402 Call: 01635 555700 | Visit: www.newbury.co.uk YOUR MORTGAGE IS SECURED ON YOUR HOME. THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE SECURING OTHER DEBTS AGAINST YOUR HOME. YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE. Building Society Newbury There’s no need to leave the comfort of your sofa; we can come to you. If you’re looking to buy a new home or remortgage, we offer mortgage appointments over the phone and by video call. Book online today.