Darren Sherborne, director of Sherbornes Solicitors Ltd “Two things seem clear for 2020, and none to do with Brexit. Changes
with the USA, which is a travesty, not just of animal welfare, but of human health too. “While all of this is going on, we’ll be hosting COP26, the latest UN climate conference in October, and early signs are not good for a decent outcome. The UK seems unprepared to host – probably due to our singular focus on Brexit for the last four years.” Sam Holliday, FSB development manager for Gloucestershire
to IR35 (IR35 comes in April) mean that medium sized companies will now be on the hook for tax and National Insurance, where workers who purport to be self employed by working through a limited company are not really self-employed according to IR35. “The test will be the same,but instead of the contractor having to pay the tax, it will be the company using the sub-contractor that will have to pay the tax if they fall foul.This could be a big expense where sub-contractors are part of the business model. It's already keeping us very busy. “Equal pay. Since a few high profile ladies at the BBC have shown that the law demands they are paid the same as men, women are starting to realise that having a pay shortfall made up that has gone on for years can run into six figure sums. “This is not just for doing the same job, but also for doing a job of the same value, like dinner lady and bin man, office manager and site manager, finance director and operations director. Women have fought for decades to get to the top, and now they are there, they want the same money.” Simon Mckeag, of Ash Chartered Surveyors “Last year was dominated by a general election and ongoing Brexit discussions. This led to uncertainty in the marketplace, but with both now resolved, hopefully business will proceed with some confidence. “There have been several developments in the county, the most notable being Cheltenham Borough Council’s acquisition of 45 hectares of land being promoted for the development of a cyber park adjacent to GHCQ. “Gloucester City Council announced in early 2020 that they had purchased the Eastgate Shopping Centre, following on from their acquisition in 2019 of St Oswalds Retail Park. “The council is aiming to transform the city centre's offering of being traditionally retail to ‘one with a variety of experiences throughout the day and night for residents, workers and visitors’ and the redevelopment
“After years of confidence-damaging toxicity caused by repetitive political and Brexit arguments, my hope for this new year and indeed this new decade, is that we can all just get ‘back to business’.
“There are of course still a lot of hurdles for businesses ahead and it remains as hard as ever to run and maintain a great business, but I do detect signs of belief starting to return and we now need a business- friendly Budget and a business-friendly Brexit deal to help seal that. “Gloucestershire has so much to be proud of and so much to look forward to and I am convinced that, with a record amount of people now running or working in small businesses in the county, that SMEs will lead the way in ensuring a bright future.” Anthony Poeton, chairman of Poeton Industries
“The biggest issue we're facing is Boeing's progress with the 737Max. There are two major aircraft companies the world and both have a foothold in Gloucestershire.
“Airbus has a rolling future order book of 7,000 aircraft and Boeing has the same, but has produced a plan in a year and that leads to massive cash flow concerns with suppliers. “If Boeing were to go bust - and it seems inconceivable that they would, but Rolls Royce did - it will have a massive knock-on effect the world over."
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February 2020 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 19
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