Monthly Archives: September 2019

Hot Business News Today

Labour to offer 2.5bn interest-free loans to help small businesses switch to electric vehicles

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Labour will introduce 2.5 million interest-free loans to help small businesses, sole traders and low-income households to buy electric cars. 
Speaking on the BBC Today programme, shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the loans of up to £35,000 would cover the £1,500 cost of interest on a loan, with individuals saving up to £5,000 over time. 
McDonnell said: “This will stimulate the automotive industry, it will sustain jobs in the conversion from fossil fuels to electric but actually it will create new jobs as well. 
“So this is beneficial in terms of the climate, it is beneficial for those people who want to convert their carbon-fuel powered car into an electric vehicle that is sustainable. 
“At same time it will help support the automotive industry and create jobs. Those jobs are in areas where we have had real issues, particularly with Brexit.” 
The interest-free loans will require participation in a mass trial of Vehicle-2-Grid technology that will allow the UK to transition to renewable energy. 
This new technology will allow electric cars to store excess energy from the national grid, smoothing energy supply from renewable sources. 
Today, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey will announce at the Labour Party conference in Brighton that, if elected, it will build a national network of electric vehicle charging point at

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Seven key types of small business employment contract

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Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
As a small business owner, your legal responsibilities when taking on staff can be somewhat daunting but with a little help you can soon understand what’s needed.
When you start taking on employees you will be faced with a fair amount of legal responsibilities. It’s important you understand all your obligations as an employer as if you don’t comply with UK employment law you can easily find yourself in front of an employment tribunal.
One of your first duties as a new employer is to ensure you comply with employment contract law.
See also: Five areas of employment law small businesses must be aware of
Full-time contracts
Employees are legally entitled to a written statement of the main terms and conditions of employment if their employment contract lasts at least one month or more.
You, the employer, must provide the written statement within two calendar months of the employee starting work.
There are a number of things which an employment contract must include as legal requirements. These requirements are specified in the Employment Rights Act 1996. An employment contract must include:

The name of the employer and the employee
The employee’s start date, taking into consideration previous periods of employment which are counted
The

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Should you be outsourcing health and safety for your small business?

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Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
As your small business grows, it’s easy to forget about some of the basics.
When staff numbers keep growing and profits increase, your time becomes even more stretched.
Which is when you might start to let some of the smaller things slip, like does your premises still have a suitable number of WCs? Are your staff overloading electricity sockets? Do you have enough first aiders to cover everyone?
Although such examples might seem quite inconsequential, they’re important. Because when something goes wrong, such as an employee suffers an injury with no first aiders available to help, a business risks facing legal action and a damaging penalty fine.
See also: How to fill the health and safety knowledge gap in your business
According to the Government, small business considers health and safety as its biggest regulatory headache and the most substantial obstacle to success.
Of course, no employer sets out to put staff at risk. We understand why safety in the work environment is not only important but also essential. We know that if we don’t provide a safe working environment for our employees and for those who use our facilities, the consequences can be devastating. It’s most often just

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