The group was formed in order to highlight the importance of the UK’s flexible workforce to the Government, as well as providing a way to pass on any recommendations to them. Their inaugural meeting involved discussion about the concepts of flexibility in the workplace versus flexible employment models.

Former Chief Executive of the British Chambers of Commerce, David Frost CBE, said it is an important time to be focusing on the flexible workforce, both for the country as a whole and for businesses on a smaller scale.

“The UK’s flexible labour market has long been acknowledged as a significant competitive advantage and a driver of investment and growth in this country. But with 2.6 million unemployed and the UK hovering close to a double-dip recession, it is more important than ever that we think critically about flexibility.”

“Employers are adopting a more flexible approach not only as a temporary retention strategy, but as a permanent and sustainable solution to more competitiveness.”

The REC’s Chief Executive Kevin Green also described the formation of the group, who will meet again on February 21st, as “a critical development in our work to champion flexibility as one of the UK’s key drivers of employment growth over the next decade.”

ICS are one of the leading contractor accountants and administration companies and have helped thousands of contractors working in a range of industry sectors. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.

We believe our new packages are now some of the best within the marketplace. Whilst many competitors offer insurances as an added extra, professional indemnity and public liability insurances are included in our Plus and Pro packages.

Our three enhanced packages are Lite, Plus and Pro. There are just too many benefits to list here but you can view them by clicking here.

Competitively priced, our packages start from just £23 per week plus VAT.

Why ICS?

ICS is led by three guiding principles: trust, care and compliance. We make sure we get the basics right – from ensuring you are paid the correct amount at the right time, to being available when you need any advice.

Our goal is to help you make the right decision by providing you with clear and honest advice about your options. We will never pressure you into making a decision, because we believe that presenting you with all the facts up front is much more likely to lead to a longer term relationship.

If you would like to speak in more detail about our three enhanced packages, please telephone Judith Solomon or Richard Anson on 0800 195 3750.

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The UK subsidiary of the firm owns the Coryton oil refinery in Essex. Owned and operated by Petroplus Refining and Marketing Limited, the oil refinery employs around 500 staff and 350 contractors.

It supplies about 20% of fuel for London and the South East. There is already concern that there could be a fuel shortage in the South East due to this closure but speaking to the BBC, BP say; “There are no immediate supply issues across our network.”

Petroplus chief executive Jean-Paul Vettier commented;

“We have worked hard to avoid this outcome, but were ultimately not able to come to an agreement with our lenders to resolve these issues given the very tight and difficult European credit and refining markets. We are fully aware of the impact that this will have on our workforce, their families and the communities where we have operated our businesses.”

A group of European parliamentarians have met to discuss various options available to help save jobs at Petroplus. The company have facilities in France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the UK.

HMRC met with regular member of the forum on January 11th in order to have detailed discussions about the administrational plans for IR35 and the current ideas for the planned business test. A spokesperson confirmed that “following working groups with the external stakeholders, we felt that there was more work to do prior to holding another full Forum meeting”, which led to the postponement.

One of the groups involved in the IR35 Forum, the REC, spoke about the discussions in the November IR35 Forum meeting , which included issues surrounding this tiered business test. They believe that this would help to sift out lower risk IR35 cases and give contractors clarity on their self employed status.

Whilst they also confirmed that progress on the business test required further discussions with HMRC, their representative on the IR35 Forum, Gillian Econopouly, spoke positively of the role of the group. She commented;

“Being involved in the IR35 Forum has provided a unique platform for taking forward the views and recommendations of recruiters in sectors such as technology, engineering and interim management. Whilst the discussions are taking time, we are working hard to establish common ground with HMRC and remain confident that we can help deliver genuine simplification for recruiters and the contractors they place.”

ICS work with a team of experts in employment and tax law to ensure our services are fully compliant with existing IR35 legislation and the latest government regulations, such as the AWR. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor

REC Chief Executive Kevin Green was still confident that the UK jobs market is resilient and functioning well despite the tough conditions. He said that “there are clearly signs of decline but we are nowhere near the lows seen in 2009 when the market deteriorated at a drastically faster rate than we are seeing today.”

“Employers are still hiring and using temps in large numbers; however, they are starting the year on a cautious note and are taking their time to make workforce decisions. The quicker the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis is resolved and we get some economic visibility, the better it will be for employer confidence and the UK jobs market.”

Whilst sectors such as engineering, technology and IT were reported to be performing well and remaining strong, Bernard Brown of KPMG comments said that it was “a huge concern to see temporary placements falling in tandem with permanent employment opportunities.” He said that “the decline in temporary roles is a clear indication that businesses are too nervous to even make short-term commitments” which does not inspire hope for the year ahead.

ICS are one of the leading contractor accountants and administration companies and have helped thousands of contractors working in a range of industry sectors. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.

A survey from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has found that 29% of organisations are likely to terminate contractors early due to the AWR. On top of this 19% of recruiters said that AWR is contributing to a decreased demand for contractors; and 43% said this impact will be greater following the expiration of the first 12-week qualifying period.

APSCo Chief Executive Ann Swain confirmed that the AWR is cleary having an impact, even with top end contractors, due to the increased costs the regulations bring. She said that “Even where temps and contractor are better paid, or outside the scope of the Regulations entirely, there is still a significant compliance burden for both hirers and recruiters.”

She also confirmed the problem between employers and recruiters, which we reported earlier this week. “A lot of recruiters are saying that getting the information from hirers, which is crucial from a compliance perspective, is proving difficult.”

The potential casualties from the AWR, which Ms Swain suggested as being in the tens of thousands, have been seen already in the REC’s latest Report on Jobs, which found that temporary jobs fell for the first time over two years in December.

ICS work with a team of experts in employment and tax law to ensure our services are fully compliant with existing IR35 legislation and the latest government regulations, such as the AWR. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor

Independent Contractor Services (ICS) are celebrating ten years of working within the contractor marketplace. Established in 2002, we have been providing accountancy and payroll services to thousands of contractors working across hundreds of different industries.

It’s simple to switch to ICS and this is why.

• We liaise with your current provider on your behalf for a seamless transition
• Keep your existing company and bank account if you join our Limited Co Service
• Switch at any point in the financial year and we’ll bring you up to date at no cost **

Switch to ICS. Get £150 Cashback*. Smart Move.

These are just some of the benefits from switching to ICS.

• Personal Account Manager
• Freephone UK helpline for any urgent requirements
• Access to experts on IR35, AWR, MSC, tax, contracts and compliance
• SMS alerts so you know when you’ve been paid
• Online portal to access your information 24/7
• Same day processing so you don’t have to wait for your money
• Unlimited phone and email support
• Expert accountancy and tax advice when you need it
• Access to specialist contractor financial products with ICS Money
• Raising and chasing of invoices on your behalf
• Free contractor guides to keep you informed
• Award-winning back office support
• 10 years experience supporting 1000s of contractors

If you would like more information about switching to ICS, you can telephone us on 0800 195 3750 or email info@ics.me.uk. We look forward to working with you!

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Bob Jones, a former Inland Revenue tax inspector however reassured the contractor not to be afraid of changing accountants but to ensure they chose accountants that were able to fulfil all the necessary requirements.

Speaking on Contractor UK, Mr Jones said;

“HMRC do not publish their risk analysis strategy, but they are generally more interested in the figures in the accounts rather than the firm involved in the production. Remember though that whether local or offline, a professionally qualified accountant has been trained and must adhere to certain standards. If you look for an accountant outside that sphere then, of course, you do need to be careful. HMRC are aware that there are certain tax advisers that should really be doing something else!”

“The bottom line is that changing accountant should not cause a problem provided you go to someone who is reputable and, preferably, qualified.”

Independent Contractor Services (ICS) offer accounting and payroll solutions to the contractor marketplace. Guided by the principles of trust, care and compliance, we specialise in Umbrella, Limited Company and Sole Trader solutions.

These views have been shared by the REC, with Chief Executive Kevin Green describing the situation as “fragile” for the first part of the year. He continued that whilst business confidence is low “the UK’s temporary and contract work market remains strong and continues to provide a crucial outlet for business and for workers”.

The REC’s own forecasts predict unemployment to be slightly lower than the CIPD’s, at 2.75m, but that higher end job demand will remain high and public sector cuts will be absorbed by private sector growth by the end of the year.

The group have also published some of their hopes and wishes for what they expect to be a challenging year; as well as looking at the wider picture of the EU addressing the European debt crisis and the global economy improving, they are also hoping for some more specific issues to be addressed.

They want the UK’s flexible work force to be utilised for growth, without AWR having a negative impact. This includes changing people’s attitudes towards temporary and contract workers, which they call “intrinsic part of a cost-effective resourcing models rather than an unnecessary cost that needs to be slashed”.

ICS work with a team of experts in employment and tax law to ensure our services are fully compliant with existing IR35 legislation and the latest government regulations, such as the AWR. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.

The main talking point in 2012 was of the Agency Workers Regulations, which eventually came into place in October after much speculation. These regulations brought the right to equal pay and other rights for all agency staff, thus having an impact on the way that some contractors operated.

Another legislation that has been heavily in contractor news this year is IR35. This legislation was reviewed earlier this year by the Office of Tax Simplification; they made a number of recommendations to the Government which eventually led to the formation of the IR35 Forum. This group are continuing to work towards a better approach to IR35. Alongside this HMRC were involved in a number of high profile IR35 contractor cases.

The PCG also held their 3^rd National Freelancers Day in November to celebrate the role of contractors and freelancers in the UK. They also used this celebration to announce their latest findings into the freelance community, revealing there are now 1.56 million workers in the UK.

2011 has been a successful year for ICS and all of our contractors, and we look forward to working with you all over the next year!

ICS are one of the leading contractor accountants and administration companies and have helped thousands of contractors working in a range of industry sectors. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.