|
NHS tax will add insult to injury for small businesses
Report with thanks to The Forum of Private Business
(FPB)
A leading business pressure group is appalled at the implications for small business of the proposed 'NHS tax,' which aims to 'claw back' the costs of medical treatment resulting from injuries sustained in the workplace.
Despite suffering inflated Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ECLI) premiums already, many of which have increased by up to 400 per cent in recent years, the Forum of Private Business (FPB) is concerned that the proposals will lead to even higher costs for the small business sector.
Nick Goulding, the FPB's Chief Executive, said he was "staggered"
by the Government's determination to push ahead with the plans, despite a wealth of evidence pointing to the disastrous impact they could have on small businesses.
Nick Goulding said:- "Many of our members are already being hit hard by higher premiums and there's no doubt that, should the proposals be introduced, they will be faced with even greater expense. More expensive premiums aside, we are also concerned that the plans would lead to increased compensation claims, as the Government itself has conceded.
We are also very concerned that patients may be pressurised in to making claims by hospital staff. The concerns that the country has about an increasing 'compensation culture' will not be alleviated by bringing more pressure to bear on the legal system. Many small businesses, faced with the cost of fighting claims in court, will settle out of court rather than face punitive settlements should the case go against the business; yet another added cost for hard-stretched business owners."
Warrington's budding politicians of the future will be battling it out in the New Year to become Members of Youth Parliament
THE young people, aged 11 to 18, will set out their stall to become representatives of the UK Youth Parliament, set up to give young people a national voice listened to by the government and local authorities.
Elections for the new Members of Youth Parliament will take place at 10am on Saturday 8th January at the 'the GATEWAY', on Sankey Street (opposite the Town Hall's Golden Gates).
Every young person living in Warrington has the right to vote for the person they believe should be their Member of Youth Parliament (or MYP as they are known).
The election event will provide the chance for every young person to have their say on 'what's hot and what's not' in Warrington, and to decide who represents them for the next year.
The two young people elected will represent the two wards of Warrington North and Warrington South. Each of the MYP's will also have two deputies to support their workload, to work with local groups and to gather information about what young people want in Warrington.
If you would be interested in coming to the elections please call to book your place on 01925 811955 or e-mail
warr_ukyp@hotmail.com.
Come on!! Get involved!! Have YOUR VOTE!!
|
LANDLORDS
WILL BE FIRST TO FEEL THE IMPACT OF NEW SAFETY REGULATIONS
ELECTRICIANS and Town Hall staff are likely to be snowed under this winter as they face a build-up of household electrical jobs that need certifying under new safety legislation.
Changes in building regulations, which become law on 1 January 2005, are intended to raise standards of electrical safety in the home by insisting that all but minor electrical work is certified or inspected by town hall officials.
But the electrical industry and local authorities seem "ill-prepared" to cope - according to one of the country's most influential professional bodies for landlords.
All householders will be affected but professional landlords will feel the impact first," says Alan Ward, chairman of the Residential Landlords Association whose members own over 100,000 rented properties in the UK.
"There is a shortage of registered electrical contractors formally recognised as 'competent' under the new regulations. And the un-registered will not be able to self-certify their work - so it will have to be inspected by local authority building control staff who will struggle with a mounting backlog."
According to Government statistics an average of 10 people die each year and about 750 are seriously injured in accidents involving unsafe electrical installations in the home.
So the new law requires all electrical work in England and Wales to comply with new 'Part P' building regulations. This means that work has to be carried out by competent professionals, certified by the Electrotechnical Assessment Scheme, similar to the way CORGI polices standards of gas installation.
"Notifiable" installations include all bathroom and kitchen work, external work in garages, sheds and gardens as well as some jobs currently considered as
"DIY".
Small jobs, like replacing a socket-outlet or a light switch on an existing circuit, will not need to be notified to a building control body, although there will be some exceptions for high risk areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.
All work that involves adding a new circuit to a property will need to be either notified to building control, for the work to be inspected, or be carried out by an electrician who is registered with a Part P Self-Certification Scheme that verifies their competence.
The Government is also planning to introduce regular checks to ensure that houses comply with the regulations, especially when they change hands. Failure will be a criminal offence and an uncertified installation could invalidate household insurance, warns the RLA.
"The new regulations are intended to save life and injury and we support all reasonable improvement in standards - but we do foresee problems,"
says Alan Ward. "There are five professional bodies running the certification scheme but only three of them seem anywhere near ready, with only weeks to go.
And, because of the haste with which this is being introduced, local authorities don't look as if they have the capacity either.
Meanwhile landlords will be particularly vulnerable. It will take time for the new system to settle in but they should not take short cuts or risks - no matter how frustrating it becomes."
|
