Streets Chartered Accountants, a top 40 UK accountancy practice, has announced the establishment of Streets Steele Chartered Certified Accountants following the merger of the award-winning Bristol practice, Steele Financial with Streets Chartered Accountants. Ben Steele, now Managing Director of Streets Steele, said: “Having started Steele Financial only six years ago we have experienced significant growth and as such, in line with the advice we give our clients, we recognised the need to develop our practice to service growing demand. “In particular it would seem our approach to run a true cloud based and digital accountancy practice along with providing clients a virtual finance office, certainly has made us an attractive proposition for many entrepreneurs and businesses alike. “Recognising the potential, along with the need for us to provide a greater breadth of services, we sought to join up with a larger practice who can not only support us but also support the needs of our clients, now and in the future. We are delighted to say we have found that in Streets Chartered Accountants. “We also believe that our clients will benefit in that the combined firm will be able to offer a wider range of services, including areas of specialist corporate and private client tax planning, international advice and personal financial planning.” Looking at what the merger means to Streets, the firm’s managing partner, Paul Tutin, said: “We are delighted and excited to have Steele Financial become part of the Streets wide practice. “Ben and his team, including fellow director Ryan Saward, are a truly inspiring practice and have earned an enviable reputation, not just in Bristol, but also in London and further afield, for their progressive approach and innovative use of technology to look after the needs of clients. “Such an approach has seen them successfully grow a broad client base as well as particular sector specialisms in hospitality, food and drink and media and entertainment. “We are looking forward to working with Ben and his team on enhancing and developing a practice wide virtual finance office and our respective sector specialisms. “This recent merger comes on the back of an earlier one this year, with Streets Eadie Young in Banbury, Oxfordshire and this time last year Streets Whittles in Colchester, Essex. In line with our own growth aspirations, we also recently opened a new office in Burnley, Lancashire and are currently in talks with a number of practices around further mergers. “With Streets Steele in Bristol, we now have 23 offices from Burnley in the north to Brighton in the south. “Whilst many large firms have moved to more regional models, Streets remains committed to and focused on looking after clients that live, work and operate businesses in the local area. This approach is very much at the heart of our strategic focus for growth, which is likely to include further mergers of like-minded firms. Our aspiration is to become a top 20 UK practice by 2030.”

Policing Minister Chris Philp has met senior police leaders and 13 of the UK’s biggest retailers to launch the Retail Crime Action Plan. The plan includes a police commitment to prioritise urgently attending the scene of shoplifting instances involving violence against a shop worker, where security guards have detained an offender or where attendance is needed to secure evidence. Police attendance will be assessed based on risk, and prolific or juvenile offenders will be treated with elevated priority. Police have also reaffirmed their pledge to follow up on any evidence that could reasonably lead to catching a perpetrator. Forces will step up targeted hotspot patrols in badly affected areas. The plan sets out advice for retailers on how to provide the best possible evidence for police to pursue in any case. They should send CCTV footage of the whole incident, and an image of the shoplifter from the digital evidence management system, as quickly as possible after an offence has been committed. Where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database using facial recognition technology to further aid efforts to identify and prosecute offenders – particularly prolific or potentially dangerous individuals. A specialist new police team is also being created to build a comprehensive intelligence picture of the organised crime gangs that fuel many shoplifting incidents across the country, to help target and dismantle them. The initiative, called Pegasus, is a business and policing partnership that will radically improve the way retailers are able to share intelligence with policing, to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders. This will include development of a new information sharing platform and training for retailers. Spearheaded by Katy Bourne, the Business Crime lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Pegasus is the first national partnership of its kind. It is backed by the Home Office, John Lewis, the Co-op, M&S, Boots, Primark and several more, who have collectively pledged to provide over £840,000 to get the initiative off the ground. Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp said: “I want a new zero-tolerance approach to tackling shoplifting. It is a blight on our high streets and communities and puts the livelihoods of traders at risk. I am determined to drive forward change. “While it is encouraging to see a 29% increase in charges for shoplifting in the past year, the rise in offending is unacceptable and there is much more to do to stop it happening in the first place.

“That’s why we’re taking action and bringing together government, policing and business to commit to smarter, more joined up working when it comes to retail crime, which will help to drive down criminal behaviour and rebuild public confidence in the police response when it does occur.”

An independent insurance broker in Lincolnshire has been appointed by Lincoln City Football Club. Dallas Scott Davey will be providing independent insurance broking and risk management services to ‘The Imps’, as well as supporting the club as a business partner.

Dallas Scott Davey employs a team of seven from its office at Plowright House on the Riseholme Estate. The firm is headed up by insurance professionals, Ed Davey and Darren Scott, who have almost 50 years combined industry experience.

Dallas Scott Davey is part of the TL Dallas Group, which has 12 other UK offices. Its headquarters are in Bradford, from where the firm also manages Bradford City Football Club’s insurance needs.

Darren said: “As a huge fan of The Imps, it’s a real career highlight for me to be working with the club. Our wider group already has a similar relationship with Bradford City, where TL Dallas has supported the club for more than 45 years.

“Bradford City and Lincoln City have a massive affinity with each other as very sadly back in 1985, during the fire disaster at Bradford City’s Valley Parade, 56 fans lost their lives – 54 from Bradford and two from Lincoln. Many others were also injured, and since then both clubs hold dear the memories of these fans and hold events, like a recent veterans’ match between the two clubs to raise funds in their honour.”

Adam Chantrey, from Lincoln City Football Club, said: “We chose Dallas Scott Davey because Darren, Ed and the team are clearly very passionate about what they do and are based locally to us, so they can provide an in-person and highly experienced service.

“We have a number of complicated insurance risks which Dallas Scott Davey have run through in great depth, to make sure we are covered as comprehensively as possible, and we are confident that we are in safe hands.”

Streets Chartered Accountants covers tax changes, mortgages, Foreign Exchange and more in its latest monthly news roundup. Basis Period Webinar – catch up Streets recently hosted a webinar about changes to the way the self-employed and those in business partnerships are taxed. It aimed to provide a clear understanding of what the basis period is, the recent changes, who it affects, when it takes effect and considerations for those affected. This presentation was recorded and is now available on demand for those who weren’t able to join live. Watch now to catch up.

Podcast: Merch turns tech for enterprising Stuart

This episode of the Streets Sessions features entrepreneur Stuart Maclaren, founder of Fan Merch and Your Print Partner. Still only in his very early thirties, Stuart shares his journey from running a back bedroom business to that today of a leading personalised merchandising business, embracing the latest technology to service the needs of everything from large scale sporting events to bespoke personalised one-off items. Listen now.

Bricks Awards 2023

Streets Chartered Accountants were delighted and proud to sponsor East Midlands Business Link’s Bricks Awards 2023, the Awards serving to highlight the vibrancy of the construction and property sector across the East Midlands. They are also a great showcase for the many businesses and organisations that have undertaken innovative and pioneering projects over the last few years. With Streets’ tax specialism for looking after those in the sector they were delighted to be sponsor of the Overall Winner, with the Award being presented on the night to Chevin Homes by Robin Lee, one of a number of partners across Streets’ practice, who specialise in the property and construction sector. See the winners here.

Mortgage mayhem… time for advice As of 6th October, we have seen multiple lenders fall below 5% interest charged on some fixed rate residential mortgages, with a rate war appearing to break out between the lenders and further announcements being made every day. The consequence is the difficult consideration for clients to decide whether they fix now or try and hold out whilst rates continue to fall. This month the base rate held for the first time after 14 consecutive months of increases, which has been a catalyst for rates falling. This gives cause for optimism of falling interest rates and inflation, which in turn should lead to mortgage rates falling further. Read more. The inflationary challenges of managing a business

Managing a business during a period of high inflation certainly brings its own set of challenges. For some younger business people and perhaps even older ones, this is something that has not been faced before. Perhaps explaining more about what inflation is might not be necessary as we are exercising the effects in our daily lives, but for context inflation is the sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services. It is a complex economic phenomenon that affects various aspects of an economy. Businesses, regardless of their size or industry, are not immune to the far-reaching consequences of inflation. Read more. Do you know the true cost of your FX/Foreign Exchange?

One of the more complex and often overlooked areas for a business to manage is ensuring they know what their international payments are truly costing them. The good news is that help is on hand through Streets Banking & Finance’s long standing partnership with a global Foreign Exchange specialist. In tandem with their specialist’s help, Streets can assist clients with the provision and cost of Foreign Exchange. By completing a complimentary currency health check, Streets will be able to demonstrate whether you are on a ‘good deal’ or if in fact there are savings to be made. Read more.

John Good Group has achieved operational carbon neutrality for all its businesses – John Good & Sons, Good Travel Management, Dan Shipping & Chartering, TEPS, and Bay Shipping.

The 190-year-old family business was supported by leading audit, tax and consulting firm RSM to measure and report the carbon footprint for 2022 aligned to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and their Quantis tool for Scope 3 emissions. Adam Walsh, Chief Exec of the John Good Group, said: “It’s an important first step for the Group to achieve operational carbon neutrality, and I’m proud of the team that has worked on this. It’s something we’re all passionate about, but we’re fully aware we have a lot more to do. For our non-operational scope 3 emissions, which are more than 100 times greater than our operation emissions, we’re engaging with both customers and suppliers to look at solutions that are on the horizon and how they might meet our customer needs. A good example of progress in this area relates to the emissions relating to the flights we book in our travel business on behalf of our customers. We’ve introduced carbon insight at the point of booking for our customers, and all our team has undertaken sustainability training led by travel sustainability experts, Responsible Futures.” Walsh continues, “Reduction is our focus now, and whilst it might be our reality for several years yet, we know reliance on carbon offsets is not the answer to the climate problems we’re facing or to be relied upon by the Group for the answer to our responsibilities. Our businesses operate in industries that have material impacts on the environment, so reducing carbon output is essential. Our view is a pragmatic one, however, and we believe by engaging and collaborating within these industries, showing leadership and working with others to make a difference, we have the opportunity to challenge and influence the wider industries we operate in to help shape a greener future.” Achieving operational carbon neutrality is one of many steps in John Good Group’s sustainability journey. The Group has rolled out carbon reduction programmes across each of its businesses, including renewable energy generation, the introduction of Hybrid and EV vehicles, a review of suppliers, and the development of several people focussed initiatives aimed at carbon-contributing factors such as commuting miles. The reduction initiatives will continue at pace over the coming years to ensure the business is reducing its emissions as much as possible. However, the Group’s largest carbon-producing business, TEPS, is constrained by the pace of the industry’s technological developments. Progress on new fuelling solutions is slow and the availability of suitable vehicle alternatives is still several years away. Frustratingly for the Group, additional solar energy generation is also being limited by the national electricity grid – which is currently prohibiting the business from exporting surplus solar energy, which it could generate by making extra investment into solar panels on its warehouses. These are issues the Group hopes will diminish over the coming years. To offset the Group’s residual emissions for 2022, John Good Group partnered with Climate Impact Partners to purchase carbon credits. Working together, the two teams selected initiatives that make significant contributions to the communities they serve while also addressing the global issue of climate change by avoiding and reducing carbon emissions. The projects selected include Rural Clean Cooking in India, Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD++ in Indonesia, Mudbrick Rocket Stoves in Malawi, and Degraded Grasslands Afforestation in Uruguay. James White at Climate Impact Partners explained: “Our collaboration with John Good Group is about delivering action on climate change and creating a more sustainable world. We worked together to identify projects that truly align with their ethos and support the UN’s SDGs in the most meaningful way.” These projects align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals that John Good Group has committed to: No Poverty (SDG 1), Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) and Climate Action (SDG 13).