News

August 27, 2026

Cost of business crisis for British SMEs

UK businesses are facing a “cost of business crisis”, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Its new cost-stack calculator shows government policy alone has pushed up an average firm's expenses by 70% over the past decade, adding roughly £827,000 a year in costs for a typical mid-sized business. About a quarter of the rise stems from the increase in employer National Insurance contributions, with the higher minimum wage and mandatory pension auto-enrolment also major contributors.

August 26, 2026

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax first quarter statistics published

Under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, sole traders and landlords with income of more than £50,000 have been required to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC since 6 April 2026.

June 5, 2024

New guidance issued on machine learning principles

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued guidance to help developers, engineers, decision makers and risk owners in creating and using machine learning systems.

June 3, 2024

Business Insights

The Office for National Statistics conducts a fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS). The voluntary responses received from the latest survey revealed the following insights.

May 30, 2024

Apple and Microsoft announce new product updates

Both Apple and Microsoft have announced updates to their product lines in recent weeks. Apple unveiled updates to their iPad Air and iPod Pro lines, and Microsoft have introduced Copilot + PCs as showcased by their new Surface Pro and Laptop.

May 29, 2024

Inflation rate falls in April

Official figures released last week by the Office for National Statistics show that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) dropped to 2.3% for the 12 months to April 2024. This is down from 3.2% for the 12 months to March 2024.

May 28, 2024

Admitting a new partner into the partnership: What should you consider first?

For businesses that run as a partnership, there often comes a time where you need to consider admitting a new partner into the partnership.

May 21, 2024

Understanding economic changes: How recent events affect businesses

Data releases in recent weeks from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) coupled with Bank of England decisions might make recent news about the economy seem a bit confusing. Understanding how this news affects businesses is important so let’s break it down.

May 16, 2024

Shott Scale Up Accelerator: Leadership programme opportunities available

Making the leap from a technical expert to a business leader can be challenging. The Shott Scale Up Accelerator is a 12-month programme that aims to help senior decision-makers in high-growth engineering and tech SMEs develop the skills needed to scale their business to the next level.