The government has published a revised timetable for when employers must start enrolling their staff in a workplace pension under the auto-enrolment initiative. Large employers – those with 250 or more employees – will face no change in the dat...

Companies are being asked for their views on how to tackle unnecessary bureaucracy in company and commercial law in the latest phase of the government’s Red Tape Challenge to scrap unnecessary regulations. For three weeks from 26 January, the Red...

Empty and under-used government offices may become home to start-up and growing small businesses, under plans forming part of a new initiative announced by Prime Minister David Cameron. The Business in You campaign, launched by Mr Cameron on 23 Ja...

HMRC has issued a reminder to VAT-registered businesses that all VAT returns must be submitted online from April. Currently, only newly-registered businesses and those with turnovers of more than £100,000 have to submit VAT online, as well as payin...

A new national programme has been launched to help small and medium manufacturing businesses to grow. The new Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) became available to all manufacturing businesses across England from 3 January. It will be delivered...

A pilot scheme has been launched for a new way to resolve disputes between SMEs and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) uses independent HMRC facilitators to resolve disputes between HMRC and small and medium-s...

New legislation will be introduced by 2015 that will help to make it as easy to set up a co-operative as any other form of business, the Prime Minister has announced. David Cameron said on 19 January that more than a dozen outdated pieces of legi...

A new government pilot scheme could pave the way to earlier and more cost-effective resolution of workplace disputes. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is to fund mediation training for employees from a group of 24 small and medium...