Monthly Archives: June 2021

London & Partners Q&A — driving growth in the London startup ecosystem

Originally written by Nick Ismail on Small Business
Some parts of the London startup ecosystem have thrived during the pandemic, while other sectors have not.
The road to recovery for these industries has started with the easing of lockdown, but an inclusive support and economic growth system is needed to support this.
In this Q&A, we speak with Maurizina da Silva, Head of the Business Growth Programme at London & Partners, to find out about; how they are assisting London startups and scaleups, the importance of diversity and inclusion, the state of the London startup ecosystem and its future outlook.
Can you introduce the Small Business audience to London & Partners?
London & Partners is the business growth and destination agency for London and we operate as a social enterprise. Our goal is to create economic growth in London that is resilient, sustainable and inclusive. We do that by working with high growth sector companies, supporting international and domestic businesses, to scale through investment, trade, growth and innovation programs.
On top of this overarching mission, we look at the visitor economy to the capital and aim to attract visitors and create events that highlight London as a world class destination.
We want to promote London as a

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Payroll: how UK small businesses can get it right

Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
This year, like 2020, is one of change. Alterations to the legislative environment affecting payroll practitioners have come on top of seismic shifts in the way people work and, often, how they are paid.
For a small business, the difficulties might feel particularly acute, with a changing workforce potentially leading to reduced headcount and new recruits, as well as cover for temporary absences. Fewer people are available to handle a growing number of tasks and keep on top of fluid working practices.
Yet businesses must strategise beyond the shock of 2020 and push for future opportunities. In doing so, you need to understand how you’ll pay for accrued holidays, handle a workforce returning from furlough, employees in multiple locations and how this will impact expenses payments.
It’s a tricky situation, but with some preparation and the right software, growing businesses can navigate payroll problems with ease. Joanne Pringle, payroll product manager at Sage, believes the solution is to create a solid platform of information and processes from which you can work.
“When you have all the set processes mapped out, it allows you to have a laser-focus on changes when they come in,” she explains. “If you

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Sunak ignores small business pleas for more help to get through lockdown

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has ignored small business pleas for more taxpayer support to help get them through extended lockdown until July 19.
Small business owners, and especially nightclub operators, face going out of business because of the government pushing back the lifting of lockdown restrictions until end-July. The fear is that government scientists will again point to Covid-19 infection numbers again going in the wrong direction, and Britain remains at the current level of restrictions until spring 2022.
The Treasury has pointed to local authorities still having £1bn at their disposal to help small businesses cover such things as business rates on a case-by-case basis. Other than that, its arms are folded.

From the start of next month, small businesses will have to start contributing to the salaries of furloughed workers. Currently, the government covers 80 per cent of wages of workers in the furlough scheme. Next month that becomes 70 per cent, with employers having to cover an extra 10 per cent
Hospitality, leisure and retail operators will also have to start paying one third of their business rates bill from the start of July, ending more than a year of the bills being waived.
Small businesses

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