2

Business Argus

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Training events by UKs Best VAT team

A LEADING South Wales taxation expert will host a series of training sessions in Newport, to increase the VAT awareness and understanding of finance staff and business owners. The training sessions, at Merlin House, Langstone Business Park, will enable people from a variety of sectors to manage their VAT issues. A basic VAT awareness course for those working in the higher education sector will take place on November 7. There will also be a basic course tailored to people in the training sector, on November 21. Topics will include partial exemption, non-deductible VAT, where supplies are deemed to happen, differing VAT rates and more. On November 28, Centurion will run an Introduction to VAT course for those in the further education sector. Centurion were recently crowned Best VAT Team in the UK, at the National Taxation Awards.

By Jo Barnes

The big question...

THIS week we learned that Newport Unlimited, the citys urban regeneration company, is closing its doors in March 2014. So we decided to ask local business people What has Newport Unlimited ever done for us?... Paul Brown, CEO of Certus Technology Group Newport Unlimited has played a key part in bringing Superfast Broadband to Newport by 2015, and has done a lot to engage with businesses and make them aware of the many benefits that this will bring. Superfast will ultimately mean that businesses can be more productive online. They will be able to tap into cloud computing services and increase their capacity to work remotely . It will have huge benefits for the city, and for SMEs in particular. Liz Maher, director of Centurion VAT Specialists Ltd The benefit of an outward facing organisation such as Newport Unlimited was that it was able to provide a strategic focus for Newport, and raise its profile throughout the rest of the UK as a place to do business. This strategic approach has been vital in attracting inward investment into the city . Robin Hall, managing director, Kymin Since Newport Unlimited was established in 2002, the city has certainly changed beyond all recognition. Many parts of it have been transformed with new developments, such as the new City Campus and the transformation of the Old Town Dock along with the eagerly-awaited Friars Walk development. However how much of this can be solely attributed to Newport Unlimited, surely Newport City Council and others were also instrumental in these developments? Newport Unlimited, in my opinion has just doubled up on what Newport Council has done over the past decade and at what cost?

01633 777240 jba@gwent-wales.co.uk Twitter @SWABusiness

The City Campus building for the University of South Wales in Newport city centre Regeneration projects from April 2014 are being taken over by the councils own regeneration team in partnership with a Welsh Government task force, chaired by Simon Gibson of Wesley Clover. This I see as a positive step with one less Quango in the mix. Newport has suffered hard from the economic downturn of the past few years, as have many other towns and cities up and down the UK. It can and will get better from here, Newport is moving forward and we can all help in our own way . Lewis Lewis, of Lewis and Lewis, Newport Newport is an up and coming, vibrant, modern city with a number of key companies within the area bringing inward investment opportunities and potential. Newport Unlimited has certainly been at the hub of much of the city centre activity and has helped support and identify potential business opportunities. We must however not forget all of the private investors we have in our area and the broad range of businesses Newport is home to including the likes of Celtic Manor Resort, Admiral Insurance, IAC Group, Go Compare and Alcatel, many of which have brought huge amounts of jobs, apprenticeships and real time opportunities to a city which over recent years has lost key department stores and established businesses from within the main city centre. The challenge for Newport Unlimited in its final months and indeed Newport City Council on-going is to ensure they deliver pipeline schemes which the public feel have been promised like the new Friars Walk development and truly make Newport city one of the most exciting business environments in the country as local SMEs and our general public are awaiting the re-birth and regeneration of the city and are desperate to grab it with both hands in the hope it brings prosperity and greater future opportunities for us now and indeed tomorrows entrepreneurs. Its time for Newport to be re-born and to have its own identity within Wales and the UK and truly show itself for the City of Culture and History that it is. Luke Welsh, employment law solicitor, Howells Solicitors Newport Unlimited has made the city physically look more attractive and inviting, however more needs to be done on attracting businesses to the city centre, although I appreciate the economic climate did cause some of their plans to be mothballed due to lack of investment. I remember as a young boy the busy atmosphere when walking through the shops and John Frost Square waiting for the clock to open - now its like a ghost town and is sad to see. mencement of a substantial new retail and leisure scheme in the city centre and there are very few places in the country that can say that. Bringing the John Newell, university and Admiral into the city centre are also signifiof Kingston cant achievements aided by Newell Estate Newport Unlimited. In difficult Agents circumstances Newport has taken some significant steps I think there forward recently and these has always need to be built upon. A signifibeen some concant amount of foundation fusion as to what Newport Unlimited was established to work has been achieved to allow future developments to actually do and how their work differentiated from that be taken forward by the private undertaken by the Economic sector, but this may not be appreciated for some time to Development team at come. Newport City Council. If There will be those that argue they had communicated a more could have been achieved clear vision of what they wanted to achieve at the out- but I think in five or 10 years time, the people of Newport set then perhaps it would may appreciate the work have been easier to measure Newport Unlimited have done the success of the company . much more. However, in my opinion the city has benefitted. Will Graham Rogers, Newport Unlimited leave a legacy? Yes it will and in five deputy Vice to ten years time the positive Chancellor for benefits of this will be clear- Regional er for all to see. Engagement and Student Support Dan Smith, at the University M4 Property of South Wales Consultants The universitys iconic City I am sure Campus building is a major many people development for Newports in Newport future, putting a world-class would have been hoping for higher education presence at significantly more over the the heart of the city . Newport last 10 years. However, conUnlimited played an important sidering the financial climate role in supporting the concepthat has transpired since tion and enabling the build of 2008 I think Newport the City Campus, which is makUnlimited will be pleased ing a substantial contribution with what they have achieved to the regeneration of the cenand I am minded to agree. We tre of Newport and the wider should shortly see the comGwent community .

Contact us...
Editorial Jo Barnes Special features editor Tel: 01633 777240 email: jo.barnes@ gwent-wales.co.uk Advertising Graham Harris Senior Field Sales Executive Tel: 01633 777135 email: graham.harris@ gwent-wales.co.uk Samantha Taylor Media Consultant Tel: 01633 777147 Email: Samantha.taylor@gwent-wales.co.uk southwalesargus.co.uk/ business

Follow us on Twitter: @SWABusiness