JLA ‘signs the Pledge’

LIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport have made a special commitment to staff training and development by making the ‘Skills Pledge’ and as part of this commitment, Louise Ellman, MP for Liverpool Riverside, joined managers to open a new ‘Unionlearn’ training room as part of a joint partnership between the Airport Company and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The ‘Skills Pledge’ is a voluntary, public commitment made by organisations, to invest in the skills of its workforce and is a promise that the employer will work to realise the potential of all their employees by developing their basic skills and working towards relevant, valuable qualifications.

The Airport Company’s commitment is to actively encourage and support staff to gain the skills and qualifications that will support their future employability and meet the needs of the Airport business.

As part of this commitment, the Airport Company and the TUC have worked together to develop a new Unionlearn training room at the Airport, with computers available for Union members across all organisations based at the Airport, to access on-line Learndirect courses.

Mark Whitworth, CEO of Peel Airports Group commented:- "The Peel Airports Group recognises that its employees are fundamental to continued success and future growth. We also recognise the importance of training, to enable our employees to achieve their full potential. The Skills Pledge commitments that we have made and this new training facility shows Peel’s determination to be amongst the best in the airport’s business."

Attached Photo (L to R): Louise Ellman MP, Andy Gower Airport Director, David Otter Head of Training and Development for Peel Airports, Mark Whitworth CEO Peel Airports and John Halligan from the TUC.

CHRISTINE GOES SHOPPING FOR A JOB

A disabled woman from Wavertree has landed a job that would be the envy of many a shopaholic!33 year old Christine Holmes, who has mobility issues, has just been appointed a personal shopper at Mencap Shopping Services, her first paid employment since leaving school. Her job is to take and deliver shopping orders to local residents who are elderly or housebound, and as a shopping lover herself, it’s a job she’s enjoying very much!  “I get great satisfaction from chatting to my customers and then taking them their weekly groceries. Making them happy means the job is very worthwhile.” said Christine.

Christine was supported into work by Remploy, which provides specialist services for people who experience complex barriers to employment. At its Liverpool branch on Derby Square, Christine worked hard with her employment advisor to refine her employability skills such as CV writing and learning effective interview techniques – and then she signed up for voluntary work at Remploy’s branch, helping with administrative tasks. The experience increased her confidence, enough to convince Mencap Shopping Services that she would be more than capable of doing a good job. “For some time I have yearned for independence, and having a job has given it to me. Being at home every day is no fun and just knowing I am doing something really useful now is a tremendous boost.” said Christine.

Remploy offers a broad range of employment services for people with disabilities and health conditions who are keen to return to work or enter the labour market for the first time. These include basic employment skills and vocational training, assistance with job searching, help with completing application forms and arranging job tasters and interviews.  Mencap Shopping Services, based at Sainsbury’s store in Woolton, is supported by Liverpool City Council and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. Believed to be a unique initiative in the UK, the organisation offers year-long contracts to help disabled people develop their skills further whilst in paid employment.

Help amid fears rates revaluation could hit small firms hard

MEMBERS of the Forum of Private Business (FPB) are being given access to a free business rates appraisal service amid fears that they will be forced to pay inflated rates bills for five years, according to a recent FPB survey.

Business properties are revalued every five years to ensure that rateable values reflect the changes in the property market. However, because the present revaluation is based on rent prices from April 2008, before the recession and when property prices were high, small businesses are concerned that, despite the recent slump in the market, they will end up with unfairly high rates bills.

The Business Location Survey, which was carried out ahead of October 2009’s revaluation of rateable values, showed that 79% of respondents believe their business rates will increase in April 2010, when the changes are to take place. The average expected rise was 3%, with high street businesses forecasting an increase of more than 5%, and office-based businesses expecting a rise in excess of 2%.

However, according to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), revaluation will actually mean £5 million less in revenue for the Government and lower bills for many businesses. In addition, ‘transitional relief’ will be available for those ratepayers facing the largest increase in bills.

In its response to the consultation on the application of transitional relief, the FPB has called for the scheme to be extended over five years to 2014/15, which would involve annual caps being imposed on changes to rates valuations during this period. Further, 61% of respondents to the FPB’s survey believe that transitional relief should apply to empty properties following the removal of empty property rates relief in 2008.

Both measures should provide small businesses the support to help them cope with increased rates bills, and the FPB has joined forces the chartered surveyor Montagu Evans, which specializes in business rates, in order to further help members via its business rates appraisal service.

“The 2010 revaluation, while not a revenue generating exercise, will affect most small businesses’ rate bills. Our survey shows that business rates are ranked as more of a concern than utilities and staff costs, and most of the businesses surveyed fear the worst – that their rates will go up. While that may not be entirely accurate, small businesses are already under a great deal of pressure to pay their business rate bills and most do not see the corresponding value in local authority services. It is extremely important that the Government provides an appropriate and fair system of transitional rate relief for small businesses who will see an increase in their rateable value from 2010. This year’s rates bill has already been a difficult one for many firms. With no transitional relief in 2009/2010 and a 5% rise in the multiplier used to calculate their bills, small businesses are feeling the impact of changes in their business rates. After pressure from the FPB and others, the Government allowed businesses to spread the additional cost over the next three years, but the liability remains on the firms’ books, adding another element to the equation. While one in five (20%) of the small businesses surveyed by the FPB anticipate business rates to remain broadly the same, just under 1% expect them to decrease." said the FPB’s Policy Representative, Matt Goodman.

“We recently received our business rates bill for 2009–2010 and were extremely surprised to see a 50% increase in the amount we have to pay this year. We expected an increase as the transitional relief is on a reducing scale and the amount in the pound was bound to increase. We did not expect to find that there was no transitional relief noted on the bill at all. Our local authority, Mid Sussex District Council, said that, although we were due five years’ transitional relief – this would have been our fifth year – the Government has decided to end all transitional relief. Transitional relief is so important for firms facing an increase in their rates bills, particularly in the current economic climate. The Government should reinstate it in a way that genuinely helps businesses to control costs.” said FPB member Christine Cheesmur, of Guideline Building Services Ltd in Crawley, West Sussex.

In addition to the revaluation, over the next few years many firms will have to pay additional rates taxes under the Business Rates Supplements Act, which passed into law in July 2010 and will be used for regional projects such as Crossrail in London.