01204388189

The contact number belongs to a company called The Clements Agency Group who everyone should avoid at all costs. From researching about them further, it seems that they are targeting new or first time business owners by offering to help lower their business rates. They first contacted us over the phone in a friendly manner and offered to help lower our rates and said that we could cancel and opt out at any time. We agreed but did not sign anything and waited for the paperwork to arrive. Thankfully we did not sign any contracts with them and requested to cancel the appeal. We were then told that this was not promised and because they do not record their phone calls, there was no way to provide proof of this.

The company then decided to take out £700 from our account despite our request to cancel. Once we called up to speak to them and ask for the refund, they refused to co-operate. The funds were taken from our account using our card details, which we did not authorise whatsoever, so we've had to cancel the card and dispute this with our bank. They even sent over a screenshot of them using our card details to submit the transaction! We have reported them to Action Fraud for the use of our card and reported them to Trading Standards for their practices.

If you research this company, their Facebook page link pops up and you can see that there is hardly any information on the company or any comments on the pages. Their website and emails are riddled with grammatical mistakes and lack of information on what they do exactly. Definitely steer clear from this company as it has been an absolute nightmare dealing with them and they know exactly who to target and take advantage of.

The government will be putting retail jobs at risk if it does not undertake a fundamental review of business rates, Dave Lewis, the chief executive of Tesco, has warned ahead of the budget on Wednesday.

In a clear warning to the chancellor, George Osborne, Lewis said business rates were “completely disproportionate” and the fact they are linked solely to property puts traditional retailers operating from physical stores at a disadvantage.

Lewis also threw his weight behind a report by the British Retail Consortium that said there could be 900,000 fewer jobs in retail by 2025 as costs including business rates and the national minimum wage rise.

Lewis said the BRC report was a “fair reflection” of the outlook for the retail sector, which is a major employer in the UK. “If the government is not careful, it is going to keep piling on the burden. Business rates are the single biggest tax Tesco pays – £700m a year.”

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Last year, Lewis said retailers face a “potentially lethal cocktail” as profits slump and costs rise.

Retailers face £14bn of extra costs in the next five years from an increase in business rates and Osborne’s introduction of the “national living wage” in 2016, he said.

“There is a real risk that [this] will put pressure on employment in traditional retail,” he added.

Last month, leaked documents revealed that Tesco is considering cutting store staff by 39,000 over the next three years as the supermarket group tries to reverse a decline in profits.

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The group, which employs more than 300,000 people in the UK, cut thousands of jobs last year as part of efforts to reduce costs, although Lewis said there were no current plans to go further.

But he added: “We have to keep that under review depending on what happens in the budget [and the wider market].”

His focus on business rates was echoed by the British Chambers of Commerce. Its acting director general, Adam Marshall, said: “Ministers must also finally take action to ease the burden of business rates. Reform of the rates system is long overdue and a source of uncertainty for companies everywhere”.

Marshall has been propelled into the role since the departure of John Longworth after he was suspended for expressing his support for a UK exit from the European Union.

“In an increasingly uncertain economic environment, the chancellor should avoid any and all moves that could damage business confidence. At a time when many businesses already face sharply higher costs and taxes, the chancellor must avoid adding any new obligations on our firms,” Marshall said.

Osborne launched a review into business rates, which are based on commercial properly values, last year, and since then has promised to give local authorities control over business rates by 2020.

Tesco reported better than expected trading over Christmas and recent market data suggests that Lewis has dramatically slowed the pace of sales falls in recent months.

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Lewis said: “I’m pleased with progress, but I’m absolutely sure there is much more that we need to do.”

He said he expected the grocery market to remain tough in 2016. “Not since the early 1970s has the UK market experienced any food deflation and we are now entering a third year of that. Nothing I see suggests that is going to change in the next year or so ... Deflationary prices are good for customers but challenging for a business like ours and pressures from business rates and the living wages and new competitors.”

Tesco had “an opportunity to manage those conditions better than others,” Lewis said.

One area of focus is Tesco Mobile, the group’s telecommunications business, which is currently run as a 50-50 joint venture with O2.

O2 is in the process of being taken over by Hutchison Whampoa, the owner of the Three network in the UK. Tesco has signalled to European regulators, who are currently considering the deal, that it is looking at taking full ownership of the venture and securing capacity on Hutchison’s networks.

Lewis said Tesco would “look at all options” to protect its position in Tesco Mobile.

“It is a very good business that is extremely well managed and customers love it,” he said. “As the regulator looks at it, we need to make sure we protect the value in what is a great business for us.”

British retailers are facing prolonged misery after the Government delayed its highly anticipated overhaul of business rates until next year’s Budget.
The extra wait comes despite repeated assurances from the Government that there would be a decision by the end of this year, in line with the Conservatives’ manifesto.
The Government closed its consultation in June into reform of business rates, which cost UK businesses £2.40 for every £1 in corporation tax.
“Businesses will be distraught that, yet again, their calls have been ignored by the Government, instead treating English businesses as a cash cow that can be milked until it is dry,” said Jerry Schurder, head of business rates at Gerald Eve.
Business rates, which brought in £27.3bn this year, are forecast to rise by £500m next year, and to rake in £32.4bn for the Treasury by 2020.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that the rate rises combined with the additional costs of the new living wage and the apprenticeship levy would mean retailers have to find an extra £14bn over the next five years.
The BRC said that it was better that the Government took “the time to get the solutions right on the first go and design a system that is fit for purpose.”

However, some sector sources suggested that the Government was simply buying more time and said that retailers “shouldn’t hold their breath”.
"The retail sector continues to face significant cost increases from the already announced national living wage and was hoping for earlier reform of the business rates from the promised review," David McCorquodale, head of UK retail at KPMG said. "However, the Chancellor has kicked the 'business rate can’ further along the road until the Budget."
The delay came as the Chancellor also confirmed that universal business rates would be scrapped in favour of devolving to local councils, who will now collect 100pc of the tax.

Local councils will now be given the power to reduce business rates for struggling firms but only city elected mayors are able to increase them to help “fund key infrastructure projects”. However, councils will also be left balancing the books as they will no longer receive core central government grants.
“The planned devolution to Local Authorities is discouraging,” said independent retail analyst Richard Hyman. “Their track record in understanding business in general, and shopping in particular, is a worry.”
Reply!

Landlords, licensees and owners in the pubs, bars and hotels sector could be hit with increased business rates bills payable from April 2017, adding further financial strain to the hospitality sector.

The new 2017 draft figures, that are due to be announced on the 1st October 2016, could mean higher business rates across the sector despite a widespread perception among many pub, bar and hotel owners that the industry has suffered enough in the face of an antiquated rating system.

It is possible that some businesses could see their rateable value (RV) rise by up to 100% and with thousands of new draft figures hitting the doormats of landlords and licensees across the country later this year, it is expected to be met with widespread disdain and a flurry of business rates appeals.

The general consensus is that business rates bear no relation to the current economic climate. With the last RVs valued as at April 2008 prior to the economic downturn, many hospitality sector businesses - such as pubs, bars, clubs, hotels and restaurants - have been paying high business rates during a period where the economy has largely been in decline.

Craig Newton, Associate Director of Rating at Eddisons, believes a business rates increase will trigger a groundswell of appeals from landlords, licensees and owners in the hospitality sector.

"I think in many ways, any increase announced in the draft figures on the 1st October will be the straw that broke the camel's back for pub, bar and hotel owners who have seen their industry beleaguered for several years.

"Whether you're a landlord, licensee or owner, it's important that you're aware of your right to appeal against your rateable value, particularly when you receive your new 2017 draft rateable value.

Great news - so I guess you advise is to sign up with a unregulated firm of rating surveyor cowboys and pay them upfront in order to reduce the rateable value?

1st floor connaught house 112-120 high Road Loughton IG10 4HJ

Landlords, licensees and owners in the pubs, bars and hotels sector could be hit with increased business rates bills payable from April 2017, adding further financial strain to the hospitality sector.

The new 2017 draft figures, that are due to be announced on the 1st October 2016, could mean higher business rates across the sector despite a widespread perception among many pub, bar and hotel owners that the industry has suffered enough in the face of an antiquated rating system.

It is possible that some businesses could see their rateable value (RV) rise by up to 100% and with thousands of new draft figures hitting the doormats of landlords and licensees across the country later this year, it is expected to be met with widespread disdain and a flurry of business rates appeals.

The general consensus is that business rates bear no relation to the current economic climate. With the last RVs valued as at April 2008 prior to the economic downturn, many hospitality sector businesses - such as pubs, bars, clubs, hotels and restaurants - have been paying high business rates during a period where the economy has largely been in decline.

Craig Newton, Associate Director of Rating at Eddisons, believes a business rates increase will trigger a groundswell of appeals from landlords, licensees and owners in the hospitality sector.

"I think in many ways, any increase announced in the draft figures on the 1st October will be the straw that broke the camel's back for pub, bar and hotel owners who have seen their industry beleaguered for several years.

"Whether you're a landlord, licensee or owner, it's important that you're aware of your right to appeal against your rateable value, particularly when you receive your new 2017 draft rateable value.

Sounds like yet more spin to encourage the working public to be scammed by your dodgy firm of rating surveyors.

If you have an employment contract, you should check what it says. It should set out rules about working on bank holidays.

Look for wording like ‘holidays’, ‘holiday entitlement’ or ‘annual leave’.

You might see something that says, “In addition to bank and public holidays, your annual entitlement to holidays is … days” - this would mean you get bank and public holidays in addition to your annual leave entitlement.

Or you might see, “Your annual holiday entitlement (inclusive of bank and public holidays) is ... days” - this would mean you have to take bank holidays as part of your annual leave entitlement.

Your employer must follow what’s in your contract. If they don’t, you should raise the issue with them.

If your contract doesn’t say anything about bank holidays, ask your employer what their rules are.

If you don’t have a contract

If you haven’t been given a contract, you should ask your employer what their rules are.

You could also speak to other colleagues to see what their situation is. If you’re being treated differently to your colleagues, you could raise the issue with your employer.

Bank holidays and annual leave

If you’re entitled to annual leave, then bank holidays will either be:

deducted from your annual leave allowance (so you’ll have to take all bank holidays as paid holiday)
counted as additional holiday days - you may or may not be paid for them
Your contract should say which situation applies to you. If it doesn’t, bank holidays will automatically be deducted from your annual leave entitlement.

Example

You work full-time and you're entitled to 28 days of statutory paid holiday a year. You don’t have a written contract of employment. You’ll have to take the 8 bank holidays out of your paid holiday entitlement. This means you’ll have 20 days left to take when you choose.
If you work part-time

If your work shuts on bank holidays and you normally work on those days, you’ll have to take them as paid holiday. Because you work part-time, you’ll be entitled to fewer statutory holiday days each year than if you were full-time. This will leave you fewer holiday days to take at a time of your choice.

Example

You work 1 day a week - Monday. You’re entitled to 5.6 days' annual leave each year.

There are 4 bank holidays that fall on a Monday each year, and your work shuts on these days. This means you have to use up 4 days of your annual leave on bank holidays. This leaves you with 1.6 days’ annual leave to take at a time of your choice.

If you worked on Tuesdays, there would be no bank holidays on the days you work. Therefore you’d be left with 5.6 days' annual leave to take at a time of your choice.
There’s no law to stop your employer from doing this, but you might be able to negotiate it. For example, you could ask them not to pay you on bank holidays and instead give you paid holiday on other days of your choice.

Trying to resolve an issue with your employer

Take the following steps

Step 1: speak to your employer

You could try having an informal chat with your employer (or HR department if they have one). Explain your concerns and try to resolve the issue.

Step 2: raise a grievance

Check if your employer has a formal grievance procedure you can use. Even if they haven’t, you can still raise a grievance - for example by writing a letter.

You could say something like:

“My contract states my rights regarding bank holiday working. You have breached these terms.”

Step 3: get advice

If your employer doesn’t respond, or they do but it’s not the response you wanted, you should contact your local Citizens Advice. They’ll be able to advise you on what to do next - for example, whether you can take your case to an employment tribunal.

If you visit a branch of Citizens Advice, make sure you take along:

your employment contract, if you have one
any correspondence you’ve had with your employer

Try
1st floor front
Connaught House
112-120 High Road
Loughton
IG10 4HJ

I have also been stung by Clements Agency Group is TOTAL FRAUD Rouge organisation

I have been threatened all sorts of things by them.

One of the invoices has this address
Its floor front, Connaught House, 112-120 high road, Loughton, IG10 4HJ

The deal that Prime Minister David Cameron negotiated with the EU in February, giving the UK a special status as an EU member, will now be scrapped.
The UK won a guarantee that it would not suffer discrimination by being outside the eurozone. That was to safeguard the City of London's authority, as Europe's biggest financial centre. In return, the UK pledged not to block deeper eurozone integration.
If the UK manages to negotiate continued access to the EU single market on preferential terms the deal is unlikely to include the non-discrimination safeguards.
EU deal: Did PM get what he wanted?
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Withdrawal negotiations
Officials with Lisbon Treaty, 13 Dec 07Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
The Lisbon Treaty of 2007 for the first time explained how a member state could quit the EU
Mr Cameron has now said he will stand down by October and pass on to his successor the role of invoking the EU's Article 50 procedure to negotiate the terms of the UK withdrawal.
Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which has never been used before, sets a two-year time limit for reaching a deal. Generally seen as a tight deadline, it can be extended only if all 28 member states agree.
Once the UK tells the EU that it is withdrawing under Article 50, it "shall not participate in the discussions of the European Council or Council or in decisions concerning it", the rule says. So the UK will be cut out of EU decision-making at the highest level before it actually leaves.
The process requires the UK to unpick some 80,000 pages of laws binding the UK to the EU. Some will be kept, because some areas of EU policy are shared with non-EU countries, like Norway and Switzerland.
Under this "divorce settlement", as some have called it, the UK and EU must agree how to divide assets, resolve EU budget issues and set out the future rights of EU nationals in the UK and vice versa.
The settlement requires approval by a majority of EU members, plus the European Parliament and UK Parliament.
After the EU referendum result: What happens now?
The day after a vote to leave the EU
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New trade relationship
Port of Rotterdam, 21 Mar 16Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
The UK has a huge volume of trade via the Dutch port of Rotterdam
Talks to determine new UK-EU trading arrangements could start during the two-year negotiating period for withdrawal, but not necessarily.
If the EU waits until the UK's formal withdrawal, the negotiations might drag on for another five years or more. Pending a deal, the UK will trade with the EU under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
That would mean UK exporters paying new EU import tariffs and facing non-tariff barriers, in the same way that China and the US trade with the EU. UK services - accounting for 80% of the UK economy - would lose their preferential access to the EU single market.
Free trade deals that the EU negotiated with 53 countries, including Canada, Singapore and South Korea, will no longer apply to the UK. If the UK wants the benefits of them it will have to renegotiate with those countries.
The Remain camp said full access to the EU single market - the world's biggest free trade area with 500 million consumers - was crucial for the UK. But free movement of workers, payments into the EU budget and acceptance of the EU rulebook are conditions for that access.
The EU is unlikely to bend on those conditions, because it does not want more members to leave the club. The UK might well sign up to those conditions, but it would not be able to influence EU rules, as it would lack a vote. Many in the Brexit camp see that position - exemplified by Norway - as unacceptable.
The UK's main selling point is that it is a big market for EU exports, such as French food and German cars.
Would Canada's deal with the EU be a good model for the UK?
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No more budget contributions
EU investment sign in Wales, 7 Mar 16Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Wales has been a big recipient of EU funding for poorer regions
The UK will stop paying into the EU budget once it formally leaves the bloc.
So the UK's current net contribution of about £8.5bn (€11bn; $12.5bn) annually will stay at home. It could be spent partly on the National Health Service, as some in the Brexit camp have suggested, or used to scrap VAT on fuel.
But UK farmers will no longer get direct payments from the EU, which were worth about £2.4bn in 2015. It is not clear how much of that, if any, the UK government will continue paying.
Nor is it clear how much the UK's poorest regions will get in future, now that they no longer qualify for EU regional funding.
How much does the EU Budget cost the UK?
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Immigration challenge
Polish migrants on bus leaving London, 20 May 09Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Many Polish migrants arrived in London by bus when the UK opened its doors in 2004
The UK will try to reduce immigration from the EU, probably with a points-based system like Australia's. It means giving priority to high-skilled workers and blocking entry to low-skilled ones. Many jobseekers from the EU may be told to leave.
But first the UK will have to clarify the status of the nearly 2.2 million EU workers living in the UK. The rules for family reunions may get tougher. But any block on freedom of movement is unlikely for at least two years, while the UK is negotiating Brexit.
Nearly two million UK nationals also live abroad in EU countries - so any British measures targeting EU workers could trigger retaliation against UK nationals abroad.
What the UK can start doing immediately, however, is tighten the rules for migrant benefits.
Brexit will undoubtedly boost the fortunes of anti-EU, anti-immigration parties in some other EU countries. It may also inspire Eurosceptics in some other countries to hold their own referendums on EU membership. Brussels would see that as a "domino" effect - a nightmare scenario for the European project.
EU exit 'could take years to complete'

1. How it works
From 6 April 2016, you’ll pay the Scottish rate of Income Tax if you live in Scotland.

This means some of your Income Tax will be paid to the Scottish Government.

It applies to your wages, pension and most other taxable income.

Your Personal Allowance - the amount of income you don’t pay tax on - stays the same. You’ll also pay the same tax as the rest of the UK on dividends and savings interest.

What you’ll pay under the Scottish rate
The Scottish rate of Income Tax is 10% but you’ll pay the same overall rate of Income Tax as people in the rest of the UK. This is whether you pay the basic, higher or additional rates.

The table shows the total rate you’ll pay from 6 April 2016, if you have a standard Personal Allowance (which will be £11,000). You don’t get a Personal Allowance if you pay additional rate tax.

UK rate for England, Wales and Northern Ireland    Income band    UK rate paid in Scotland    Scottish rate    Total rate for Scottish taxpayers
Basic rate 20%    £11,001 - £43,000    10%    10%    20%
Higher rate 40%    £43,001 - £150,000    30%    10%    40%
Additional rate 45%    Over £150,000    35%    10%    45%
Who pays the Scottish rate
You’ll pay the Scottish rate if you live in Scotland.

Work out if you’ll pay the Scottish rate if you do any of the following from April 2016:

move to or from Scotland
live in a home in Scotland and one elsewhere in the UK, eg for work
you don’t have a home and you stay in Scotland regularly, eg you stay offshore or in hotels
The tax year is from 6 April to 5 April the following year.

What happens next
You’ll get a letter from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if they think you should pay the Scottish rate of Income Tax.

You must update your address with HMRC if your main home is in Scotland and you don’t get a letter by the end of February.

How you pay the Scottish rate
If you’re employed or get a pension, from 6 April 2016 your tax code will start with an ‘S’. This will tell your employer or pension provider to deduct tax at the Scottish rate.

Most people’s tax code will be S1100L if they pay the Scottish rate and get the standard Personal Allowance.

If you fill in a Self Assessment tax return for the 2016 to 2017 tax year, there’ll be a box for you to tell HMRC you pay the Scottish rate.

Hey diddle diddle the cat did a piddle the cow jumped over the moon.  The smallest dog laughed to see such fun and the dish ran away with the spoon the spoon the spoon and the dish ran away with the spoon

Who does call me...I will tell you but its a secret and one you must not share so i am not sure of mr eddington or mr myles or tj being able to keep it and yet i must share it but how can i when they are not trustworthy as they lie and make falsehoods cometh the hour and we shall be one and i will be you and you will be and we shall be we or will we maybe mr jfv has died and gone to hell and is haunting all or one or two or none but heyho it will be christmas soon and will this matter no i say it will not or will it lets see what happens now and what troubling news comes forth or goes forth and the value of sites such as these are to be held in esteem or should they i care not but i do care do you care

LOL

I am for ever blowing bubbles pretty bubbles in the air they fly so high nearly reach the sky and like England they fade and die Iceland kept on running so the Welsh do too I am forever blowing bubbles out my bottom like Roy do.

Is Iceland still offering 2 for 1 in their English branches.?

2 for one goals.......

LOL