After concerns were raised by food and farming organisations, DEFRA has decided to provide more transparency on how the agriculture budget for England is spent. On 18th September DEFRA published its Food Farming and Countryside Programme annual report for the 2022-23...
In September, the Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs announced a new £25 million flood management scheme as part of their Natural flood management programme. This (ring-fenced) funding is being provided by the government and...
The government has launched an infrastructure grant scheme worth £10 million to fund cattle housing for farmers. This fund aims to improve calf health and welfare as well as enhancing environmental sustainability and innovation. The funding will be granted to farmers...
The government announced that GP’s and all other practice staff will receive a 6% pay rise as recommended by the independent pay review body. The pay rise aims to address the recruitment and retention issues in the NHS. Recently, the NHS has struggled with recruitment...
Managing and investing charity funds is a delicate balancing act. Trustees have a responsibility to ensure that funds are invested in a manner that aligns with the charitable purpose of the organisation whilst maximising returns. On 1st August 2023, the Charity...
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulates solicitors in England and Wales. According to its latest annual report the SRA spent £16.5m on disciplinary processes in 2021/22, a £1.5m increase from 2019/20 (pre-covid). It should be noted that the SRA financial...
Whistleblowing plays a vital role in exposing wrongdoing, fostering transparency, and holding organisations accountable. Whistleblowing occurs when individuals within an organization bring to attention unethical or illegal practices, aiming to expose them to the...
In the digital age, fraud is showing no sign of slowing and is becoming an ever-present threat across all industries and sectors, in particular law firms that handle highly sensitive information on a daily basis. During these times, cybercriminal activity is becoming...
New legislation easing the tax rules for divorcing couples has received Royal Assent. This confirms announcements made by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget 2023. The changes apply in relation to disposals of assets made on or after 6 April 2023. What were...
On 16th May, the IASB published guidance regarding the effects of climate related matters on financial statements prepared in accordance with the IFRS for SMEs financial statements. Full guidance can be found here. The guidance contains examples of areas where...
The government is currently consulting on various options to simplify non-financial reporting rules indicating consideration of the appropriateness of the current company thresholds. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Financial Reporting Council (FRC) are...
Defra has published updated guidance regarding farms that have recently been sold. New Defra guidance From 2024 Basic Payment Scheme payments will be delinked which means that new farm owners will not need to apply for BPS, instead this will be calculated based...