Majority of professionals in Liverpool struggle to make ends meet

ACCORDING to the latest survey from CV-Library, the UK's leading independent job board, the majority (62.4%) of workers in Liverpool struggle to make ends meet each month, but 56.8% are still too scared to ask for a pay rise.  The study, which surveyed 2,300 British professionals, reveals that workers in the City are less confident about asking for a pay rise than they were a year ago, where 56.9% said they'd be happy to request one. Alongside this, most professionals in Liverpool run out of money before the end of the month, with 64.2% of respondents failing to make it to payday. Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library comments:- "It's worrying to see that so many people are struggling to make ends meet across Liverpool. The cost of living in the City is continuing to rise and when the economy is so uncertain, it's clear that companies just can't keep up in terms of pay. If you're finding it difficult to manage your finances, remember that there is support out there and you can even speak to your local Citizen's Advice Bureau."

The study went on to reveal that 56.8% of professionals in Liverpool feel confident about securing a higher paid role elsewhere. This is lower than the national average of 61.3%. Biggins continues:- "It's no secret that changing jobs is 1 of the best ways to secure a higher salary, so it might be time to look for a new role. That said, if you regularly struggle with money, but are happy in your current position it's worth discussing a pay rise with your line manager 1st. Remember, you'll need to prove your worth and show them why you deserve the investment, so come armed with plenty of evidence."

But 1 employee said:- "Many of us are worried at ask, as we know that many small businesses just can not afford to pay more. They do not get the support big businesses get, yet they are expected to pay the same as big businesses. Many of the small businesses in the area often have owners are paid less if they are paid at all.  Yes, we are not confident to ask and that is why!"

Make your Sport Relief donation go further with Gift Aid

THE UK Government has been urging eligible taxpayers to tick the Gift Aid box and boost the contributions they make to Sport Relief.  "Tick the box" and see generous charity donations go 25% further, the Government urges eligible taxpayers. This comes on the day of the all star Sport Relief telethon, which raised ₤38 million for charities in the UK and abroad in 2018. Sport Relief is a fundraising campaign run by Comic Relief that raises money to tackle mental health stigma, domestic abuse, homelessness and poverty, both in the UK and around the world. Gift Aid allows UK charities and community amateur sports clubs to claim an extra 25p for every ₤1 donated. Research from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) shows that in 2018-2019, Gift Aid from individuals contributed more than ₤1.3 billion to the charities sector. It doesn't matter how much you donate, as long as you are eligible: the vast majority of Gift Aid claimed by charities all over the UK is from smaller donations. To add Gift Aid to a donation, you must have paid income or capital gains Tax that year worth at least the value of the Gift Aid being added and give the charity permission to claim it. Alex Reid, Chief Executive of Comic Relief said:- "Gift Aid is a simple but hugely important way that supporters can increase charitable donations at no extra cost. As we race towards a fantastic Sport Relief, on Friday, 13 March 2020, I hope as many people as possible enjoy the show and use Gift Aid if possible."

Gift Aid costs no extra to add on to your donation; you just tick the box. However, recent research showed that charities are missing out on almost ₤600m in Gift Aid, money which could be vital to their work. Nicola Rawnson, Chairman of Salisbury Rugby Football Club, a registered community amateur sports club with current membership of 1,000, said:- "For the last four years we have been working on 'Project All Change' to build new changing rooms at the Club. Our hard work has been very successful: we have generated around ₤280,000 from our own efforts, with much of this coming from individual donations. Gift Aid contributed almost ₤25,000: we couldn't have been successful without it."

HMRC works closely with charities to ensure they get the most out of Gift Aid, including making sure their donors understand the rules and that they fully benefit from the support it gives. For more information on Gift Aid, and to find out whether you are eligible to:- "tick the box" on your charitable donation, visit Gov.UK.  If you are a charitable organisation, find out more about how you claim Gift Aid also see the Gov.UK site for more information.

Housing proposals prompt response from CLA

THE CLA has spoken on the Secretary of State Robert Jenrick's proposals to bring Britain's planning system into the 21st Century. CLA President Mark Bridgeman said:- "The CLA welcomes this announcement, but there needs to be a greater focus on the countryside if the UK Government is committed to 'levelling up.' These reforms must deliver much needed employment and housing, of all types and tenures, to sustain rural communities across the country. We are proposing improvements to enable landowners to work together in order to make development happen. We call on the UK Government to concentrate its efforts on achieving a flexible, efficient and effective planning system that delivers a sustainable rural economy."

CLA North Rural Surveyor Robert Frewen added:- "Local planning authorities should give parish and community Councils more responsibility to work with landowners to identify local housing needs with particular attention given to affordable housing and housing for the elderly. It will ease some of the burden on Local Authorities and give local people more power to improve the sustainability of their Villages. If we are to encourage people with skills and talent to remain or move to the countryside, then we need to be able to build environmentally sustainable yet affordable homes that people want to live in."

Coronavirus delays filming and raises questions over support for the self employed and gig workers

IN approximately 10 weeks COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the global economy. Italy has been effectively shut down and the tourism has virtually collapsed. Add to this, the financial markets have fallen to their lowest levels since the 2008 financial crisis; international and national sporting and cultural events have been cancelled and business travel has been curtailed. It is no wonder why we are seeing a run of cancellations and postponements in the entertainment industry, as safety concerns grow over the rapid spread of the Coronavirus. Filming and new releases are now being postponed, like Paramount halting the filming of:- 'Mission: Impossible 7' along with CBS has suspending:- 'The Amazing Race;' release of the latest Bond spectacular:- 'No Time To Die' has now been postponed, and that is not mentioning the other films and TV shows. Now on Merseyside, this impact is also hitting home, with Warner Bros. Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' was due to start filming on locations within Liverpool, but production of this has now been suspended for 2 weeks or more. The film was shooting on a sound stage and had planned to move to Liverpool, on Monday, 16 March 2020 and film within the City, until Sunday, 29 March 2020.

This hiatus and the many shutdowns world over will have untold financial and cultural impact. In the UK, for many who work in the media industry, this is an extremely worrying time. Most are freelance (self employed) and most will get no support from UK Banks or Government to cover the losses from not being able to work, let along get insurance to cover it! As result we expect to see a major reshape of popular culture for years to come. It has highlighted yet again that the UK Government's economic model is not properly thought out.

A local actor, who is not wanting to be named, said to us:- "I'm acutely aware that we're currently under siege by a new virus, but we are the being plunged into poverty and debt, as we have no real help from our Government, despite what is say. Most of the media, from the catering team though to the actors, the technical crew to the runners, nearly all are self employed, or gig economy workers. We only get help if we are sick and ₤18 per day, no 1 can live on that! Many of us can't get banks to hep us via giving us bridging loans. We can't sign on at Jobcentres and even if we do, how will that really help us? So what should we do? No industry has been left untouched. This is also the same question being asked by many other businesses, not just ours. The reason I don't want to be identified is that I don't want to worry my family. We need to Government to get the UK banks to give us interest free loans to help us. They paid the banks when they needed help, now we need the banks to step up and help us!"

Interestingly, NEEDaFIXER CEO, Sofia Panayiotaki said:- "The impact that the virus is having on the filming industry is huge. On average, we produce around 150 projects a month, via our network of film fixers around the world. With the Coronavirus outbreak, almost half of our agreed projects were either cancelled or postponed for an unknown later date. But, the need for international film content has made production teams reconsider their plans; in the last few days, we have been increasingly contacted by new and past clients, asking us to appoint local Directors, fixers and production teams, willing to film all that was needed and share the content with the end clients abroad, via online platforms. We have experienced a big surge of requests, which we managed to accommodate efficiently and affordably for our clients, thanks to the remote working model we have used for years now, communicating daily in different time zones with our local Directors and fixers in 100+ countries around the world. What appears as an 'outside the box' way of working is business as usual for us; and while we hope that the virus will very soon disappear, we are happy to allow productions to run as planned without suffering losses or other repercussions brought about by COVID-19."

As the impact of the crisis grows and we see changes filtering down, throughout this industry and others, both within the UK and abroad. These changes will more than likely leave the freelance and gig economy in tatters for years to come, resulting in many people out of work. This will then have a major issue on not only those affected in the short term, but for years to come as they battle to get out of debit.  Are you affected by this? If you are, please let us know your thoughts via emailing us to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com.