With new figures showing the extent of employee fraud in the UK, commercial insurance experts are asking entrepreneurs to consider whether their policies adequately protect them from all the risks exposed to their businesses.

CIFAS – the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service – has released figures which confirm cases of fraud committed by staff within the employer organisations rose by 14.5% in 2011 compared to the previous year. There was also a 41% hike in the number of dishonest actions by staff to gain benefit by theft or deception including the theft of cash from the customer (31% of cases) and from the employer (23%).

The current economic climate and the financial pressures it has brought have been blamed for the rise and the situation doesn’t look as if it is going to improve any time soon. Senior counter fraud specialists are warning businesses to expect this type of fraud to pose the biggest danger to organisations in the future.

The figures, unveiled in the Staff Fraudscape report, show internal controls and monitoring were the main ways in which staff frauds were discovered in 2011 (44% of cases).

CIFAS Communications Manager, Richard Hurley, said: “It is well known that economic and personal circumstances lead some staff to commit fraud against their employer. Equally, the links between insider fraud and organised criminal networks have been demonstrated previously by CIFAS.

What Staff Fraudscape reveals, however, are the many nuances – from a 79% increase in staff manipulating details of a customer account (frequently to help family or friends who are in financial difficulties) through to a 59% decrease in staff stealing personal data for their own use – indicating, therefore, a higher level of criminal involvement.

While the general catalysts for staff fraud remain well known, Staff Fraudscape helps to clarify the range of issues – thereby providing better intelligence and counter fraud insights directly as a result of the data sharing efforts of CIFAS Members.”

Reacting to the research, David Hudson, Managing Director of leading Manchester commercial insurance brokers Buckland Harvester, said: “Employee fraud is a growing issue affecting UK businesses and is likely to continue increasing while the economy stagnates and times are tough. However, it’s often a problem overlooked by companies when it comes to taking out business insurance and as a result, many find themselves without cover if the worst happens.

“There are specialist insurance products which can protect businesses when it comes to employee fraud where money is actually stolen and it’s worth seeking professional advice about how best to achieve this”.

If you are concerned about any sort of fraud within your workforce please contact Buckland Harvester directly via www.bucklandharvester.co.uk

HR experts P3 People Management recently held a workshop to help employers prepare for the sweeping pension reforms.

The Manchester-based HR consultancy held the Auto-enrolment of Pensions event at its premises in Manchester’s Concord Business Park.

The workshop was designed to provide HR managers or business owners with more information about the changes set to take place concerning pension reforms.

From October 2012, all businesses are required for the first time to contribute to their employees’ pension funds and automatically enrol eligible members of staff into a scheme. The new rules will be phased in so that only businesses which employ more than 800 people will be affected initially, with all firms being subject to the rules by 2014.

Businesses must comply with the changes or they risk hefty fines or even imprisonment. They also have a duty to communicate the changes clearly with their staff.

Charlotte Gallagher, Managing Director of P3 People Management, Manchester’s leading HR consultancy, said: “We’ve been preparing for these changes for some time and wanted to share our experience and knowledge to help guide businesses through the transition period and make sure they are up to scratch with their legal requirements.

“The auto-enrolment of employees into pension schemes is one of the biggest changes to affect pensions in decades and our highly-skilled experts will help you through the process and suggest ways of communicating the changes to your workforce”.

P3 People Management provides a range of HR management services from recruitment and selection to a comprehensive outsourced HR service.

If you would like more information on how the team at P3 People Management can help ease your management worries call them on 0161 941 2426

North West Loss Assessors Hope & Williams have been instructed to act for the owners of a recycling warehouse that was destroyed in a serious fire over the weekend.

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service attended to fight the fire, which is believed to have started some time after 9pm on Sunday evening 21st October at Johnsons Lane, Widnes.

Richard Hope from Hope & Williams’s Manchester office is acting for the client as claims consultant in yet another high-profile project for the North West firm.

The fire started in the warehouse, which contains recycling plastics and paper then spread to two neighbouring units which also contain recycled products.

Fire crews with as many as fifteen engines continued to deal with the aftermath of what is considered a serious blaze. They claimed the fire had affected neighbouring businesses also, with some wagons and a sandwich van destroyed.

Warehouse fires such as this are fairly common, especially where large volumes of flammable materials such as paper and plastics are stored on site.

Richard Hope, director of the Manchester-based professional loss assessors, said: “With a case like this where fire and smoke has caused catastrophic damage, the process of assessing the true cost of the damage and then negotiating with your insurance company can be intimidating”. “It is advisable to immediately contact a Loss Assessor before you make your claim”.

Anyone affected by fire damage should contact Richard Hope on Tel 08448 223643

or by email at: rh@hopeandwilliams.co.uk

How can fire really affect you?

Check out this article about the hidden dangers of fire FIRE – Are you aware of the hidden effects?

In the current economic climate, every penny saved truly is a penny earned, and the director of Lancashire-based telecoms company TechAdvance has been embracing this mantra to help businesses get cost-effective. Ian Hilton says all throughout the business sector, companies can save nearly 30% by simply reducing operating costs.

Speaking frankly, Ian said: “We are still finding opportunities to reduce operating costs for businesses by an average of 29.7% by conducting an independent cost analysis of these services and comparing current bills against rates we can recommend. Growth is being driven through faster, more reliable internet connectivity options, and applications that deliver integration with mobile devices and the desktop, making communication easier.”

Ian then expanded on internet connectivity, which he sees as “another key area of focus.”

“Looking at the costs and speeds of current connections, and then considering upgrades to newer broadband technologies or Ethernet, first mile can prove very beneficial. Everybody wants faster and in today’s market this doesn’t always mean more expensive.”

Property Aspects recently reported on Ian’s company Tech Advance saving retailer Home Bargains several thousands of pounds over the last ten years by consolidating their telecoms early. Home Bargains has grown from 15 branches to 280 with an expansion to 500 properties on the way.

What was also recently reported was that they have hit sales of £900 million.

Being a telecoms expert, we had to ask Ian the big question: what are the biggest mistakes your average business makes in managing their telecoms technology?

Ian responded: “Put simply, too many companies manage this part of their business in house, usually in IT, finance, or sometimes both. In smaller companies the owner-slash-managers do the same“.

“Companies spend too much time considering services from too many providers and often lack a structured approach with expert input and broad industry knowledge. This can lead to slow decisions and paying over the odds”.

Property Aspects appreciates the contribution to this article from Ian Hilton of TechAdvance who has worked in telecommunications for 22 years. For more information, contact Ian via Tel: 0845 389 2311 or E-Mail: ihilton@techadvance.co.uk

The Party Wall Act sets out what information a properly served party wall notice must contain.

There is no standard format but many party wall surveyors use standard template forms of notice to ensure that the required information is provided.

It is essential that your party wall notices are properly formed and valid.

Stuart Thornhill, Partner at Jonathan Cornes Associates, Chartered Building Surveyors said “A party wall notice should give sufficient detail and description for a neighbour to understand how your proposals may affect his building. If the description is missing or is too broad – for instance just “build extension” then the notice might be considered as invalid if challenged.”

He continued: “Although drawings are only required for notices served under section 6, many party wall surveyors consider it good practice to include a drawing explaining the proposed work with their other party wall notices. Drawings are mandatory for section 6 notices.”

All party wall notices must be served by building owners, but they can authorise a party wall surveyor to sign and serve notice on their behalf. It is very important to make sure the party wall surveyor is authorised before he issues a notice on behalf of the building owner.

A surveyor can of course prepare the notice and pass it to his client to sign and serve without such authority.

All party wall notices must:

• be in writing – avoid the temptation to have an over the garden fence “it’ll all be OK” type conversation

• give the name and address of the building owner. If there are two owners for instance Mr and Mrs Smith then both must be named

• be signed either by the building owners or their authorised representative

• be dated – the date should be the delivery date if done in person or the date of posting if being sent in the mail .

• be served on all adjoining owners as defined by the Act. This can include both freehold and leasehold owners.

• give sufficient detail and description of the intended work and the date on which they want to start

• if a notice is served under section 6 for adjacent excavation then it must be accompanied by plans and sections showing the site and depth of any excavation

• if a notice is served under section 6 for adjacent excavation it must state whether the building owner intends to underpin, or otherwise strengthen the foundations of the adjoining owner’s building.

• if a notice is served under section 3 includes for works involving special foundations [footings incorporating steel reinforcing] include drawings showing details of those foundations

There is no specific format for the required notices however many surveyors use standard party wall forms and party wall notice templates.

Please contact us at info@jcassociates.co.uk if you need suitable templates.

The future for UK-based architects and start-up architecture firms looks rather bleak due to a combination of a downturn in construction at home, and a rise in demand for British architects abroad.

<>At a recent Insider breakfast, three of the North West’s leading architecture firms reported that since the global showcase British architecture received during London 2012, firms in the region are taking up lucrative overseas deals to offset the downturn at home. A recent report from the Designing Buildings Wiki on construction, revealed that output remains 9% down on 2002, and the private sector needs to grow by a third of a billion per quarter to maintain current output. Mike Hitchmough, of 3D Reid, stated: “UK architects bring intellectual rigour and conceptual expertise which foreign practices very often don’t have. For a short, sharp investment hit, you can be successful.”

However, renowned architect Will Allsop is concerned that this trend could cause problems for lesser known, smaller practices, and could jeopardise the UK’s reputation as a country of quality architects. “How are the next generation going to make a name for themselves, if they don’t have the projects at home or the opportunity to go abroad?” he proclaimed.

BDP Chairman David Cash has recently moved a large majority of the company’s contracts overseas, citing places such as Delhi, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai as key growth areas. “In the current climate, we probably need to accept the UK workload will be depressed for some years to come,” he stated. “This means that for larger practices in particular, winning work abroad is going to be essential.” So where does this leave smaller and newer firms?

Even from a grassroots level, working overseas seems to be ingrained in the next generation of architects, with more opportunities than ever to learn their trade abroad. As it stands, with the exponential growth needed in the wake of the public sector cuts, the landscape of British architecture looks bleak.

Are you a small to moderate sized architecture firm working in the North West? Are you struggling to survive in the UK market or are you thriving?

Either way, we’d like to help tell your story.

Please send us your contact details to info@m3publishing.co.uk

Being energy efficient, or ‘greener,’ is considered ‘key’ for businesses in the 21st Century. Since the Green Deal has been introduced to encourage business to be resourceful with their energy, companies have been expected to join the trend of cost-effective and resourceful power usage, regardless of their signing up to the deal or not. It was also expected that power generation companies would reap the benefits from this trend.

However Salford-based power generation group Ener-G has recently moved its focus to overseas to help cut their losses. The group reported a pre-tax loss of £1.77m in the year to 31 March 2012, down from a £5.35m loss in 2011, while revenues dropped from £122.3m to £113m. Ener-G “designs, develops and finances energy efficient, sustainable and renewable solutions on a business-to-business basis globally,” and won a 3i Private Business of the Year award back in 2010.

While time is yet to tell whether the Green Deal is fulfilling its objective, confidence in its ability to help businesses and power-gen groups alike seems to be waning. In August 2012 it was announced there would be a further £7m loan to The Green Deal Finance Company to help ensure it is ready to offer finance to Green Deal Providers in early 2013, but Green Wise reported that the £700m insulation industry will contract by almost half unless the Government reforms its flagship energy efficiency scheme, causing a possible 16,000 job losses.

Ever since its announcement, there has been constant criticism of the coalition that they have been reluctant to launch the plan and been scaling back on their promises constantly.

Ener-G commented on their recent move, saying they had been laying foundations for accelerated growth in new international markets, including USA, Latin America and Eastern Europe. However they maintain their growth potential lies in pipeline projects overseas AND in the UK.

All that can safely be said is, it’s a difficult time for going green in the UK, power-gen company or otherwise.

Are you a power generation company working in the North West?

Are you struggling to survive in the UK market or are you thriving?

Or are you a small to medium sized business in the region trying to go green?

Either way, we’d like to help tell your story. Please contact us with your story via: info@m3publishing.co.uk

Property Experts are calling for a reduction in VAT on home repairs, maintenance and improvement work. It comes as the UK government is about to lift the VAT exemption on listed buildings that is set to put Britain’s 400,000 listed properties under threat.

From 01 October 2012, VAT on all alteration and restoration work to listed buildings will be introduced at 20%. The move means owners of listed buildings will face spiralling costs just to maintain their property, whilst investors will be deterred from restoring empty listed properties.

As Chartered Building Surveyor Jonathan Cornes explains “Preservation of a listed building involves dedication in time and money due to the more expensive methods and materials involved. Much of the property industry, including RICS, has spoken out against the move which could mean essential works will no longer be financially viable, leaving Britain’s listed properties to fall into disrepair”.

The lack of funds will also impact negatively on specialist repair and maintenance companies operating in the construction sector. RICS, as part of the ‘Cut the VAT Coalition’, is therefore calling on government to reduce the VAT to 5% across all home repairs maintenance and improvement.

This would not only have a far smaller impact on owners of listed properties, but also free up finance for non listed property owners to pay for residential works.

“The government has missed a golden opportunity to create a level playing field on all residential works. Reducing the VAT rate to 5% across the board would have helped those who cannot afford vital repairs to their homes. In addition, the reduced costs would prompt investment and bring thousands of empty properties back into use”, said Peter Bolton King, global residential director at RICS. ‘Crucially, the construction sector would also be given a necessary boost. Research shows that VAT at 5% on all residential work would create 26,560 jobs in the construction sector with a total economic stimulus of around £1.7 billion in 2012 alone’, he added.

Stuart Thornhill, Partner at Jonathan Cornes Associates, Chartered Building Surveyors said; “What we should be doing is re-using existing buildings, turning chapels into homes and warehouses into restaurants, for example, but having to pay more tax is going to make that more difficult and is counter-intuitive to what the Government is trying to do.”

“The Government is trying to stimulate building, but this is pulling the other lever by making it more difficult for developers. The knock-on effect is that we are not going to bring these buildings back, they are going to fall into a further state of disrepair and we will lose the cultural and historical heritage that makes our landscape.”

“The Government is trying to stimulate building, but this is pulling the other lever by making it more difficult for developers.

Owners of listed buildings who received Listed Building Consent before 21 March 2012 will be exempt from the imposition of VAT until September 2015.

Property Aspects Magazine appreciates the contribution to this article from Jonathan Cornes Associates.

To some extent, the location of your office can greatly stimulate or dampen your business. Situate your office in a prime location with lots of foot traffic, and you will have marked your business for success. Pick the wrong spot for it, and it could have a detrimental effect on your business.

If you think your business needs a new lease of life. Have you considered relocating to a city centre location? One of the main factors a professional company must consider when choosing a location is accessibility to their targeted clientele including issues of proximity to client offices, accessibility via public transportation, and parking facilities.

Looking for a Manchester City Centre Office Space?

Gregs Building is in an ideal location in the heart of Manchester’s traditional prime office core on an island site with frontages to Booth Street, Chancery Place, Pall Mall and Tib Lane. It’s easy to get to and right in the middle of the busy, buzzing city centre.

The upper floors are accessed directly off Booth Street via an impressive recently refurbished ground floor entrance hall from where a 6 person passenger lift and principal staircase serve all floors. The office accommodation, which is air-conditioned, benefits from natural light on all four elevations and comprises mainly open plan accommodation with male and female toilets provided within each demise. The 5th floor provides a large decked balcony with excellent city views, Ideal for meetings or hosting client functions.

Paul Willan from Greg’s Properties said “We are delighted to be able to offer this fantastic Prime City Centre, Boutique Office accommodation to professional companies who are looking to relocate and really be in the heart of Manchester City Centre.

He continued: “Gregs Buildings is an excellent example of mid-19th century architecture offering exciting development opportunities. The city centre location really is attracting huge amounts of interest from a wide selection of professional companies.

So if you would like to give your business a new lease of life please check out this video and contact the agents whose details appear at the end of the short film clip.

With figures confirming that cybercrime is the fastest growing crime in the UK, the Government has announced new measures to help arm businesses with tackling this increasing threat to their companies.

Some of the UK’s most senior business leaders are to be given specialist guidance on how to protect their businesses from cyber threats and how to protect valuable assets such as personal data, online services and intellectual property.

The Cyber Security Guidance for Business has been produced by the CESG (the Information Security arm of GCHQ), the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) will help the private sector minimise the risks to company assets. It builds a key aim outlined in the Government’s Cyber Security Strategy to work hand in hand with industry and make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do online business.

The guidance consists of three products and includes information on risk management and corporate governance, as well as anonymous case studies based on real events.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Cyber security threats pose a real and significant risk to UK business by targeting valuable assets such as data and intellectual property. By properly protecting themselves against attacks companies are protecting their bottom line.

“Ensuring this happens should be the responsibility of any chief executive or chair as part of an approach to good corporate governance which secures a business for the long-term.”

Cybercrime currently costs UK businesses £21billion every year and at least 50% of these attacks are aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.

Commenting on the BIS’s plans, David Hudson, Managing Director of leading Manchester commercial insurance brokers Buckland Harvester, said: “First and foremost, businesses need to ensure they have sufficient security systems and firewalls in place to protect the sensitive information they store on computers and develop a strategy for deterring hackers to avoid being targeted all together.

“Insurance companies are continually developing fresh products which take account of the emerging threats to businesses arising out of e-commerce and internet technology but businesses also need to think carefully about how best to protect their assets should the worst happen. This means seeking out a comprehensive business insurance product which covers them for such a cyber invasion.”

For help protecting your business from cybercrime, contact Buckland Harvester at www.bucklandharvester.co.uk