News:

The weekend of the 17th/18th December was a busy one as we finally moved into our new offices, refurbished somewhat slower than anticipated after Lloyds Banking Group, Covid, local planning departments and builders each imposed their own delays. The Christmas period offered a welcome rest. We’re pleased to report that 30 Market Place West is warm and comfortable and has given us a lot more space over three floors than our previous premises. There are still some finishing touches to be added, but after a lot of hard work we are 95% of the way there. We look forward to hosting our clients, professional contacts and friends in proper surroundings again.

We will be moving before Christmas into our permanent home at 30 Market Place after a prolonged refurbishment. In addition to providing disabled access, our new premises boast a fully equipped kitchen and several meeting rooms. We are looking forward to putting these to good use as 2023 unfolds and would be delighted to see any clients who wish to pay us a visit. That said, our offices will be closing in the early afternoon on Friday 23rd December and Friday 30th December, and will also be closed on the 26th and 27th of December, and again on the 2nd January, so please do not turn up on spec on those days as there will be no-one there. We hope…[more]

Over the seventy years of her reign, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second personified permanence against a rapidly changing backdrop. To those of us who served in her Armed Forces she represented an enduring bulwark against fleeting trends and the latest fads. It was without the slightest regret that we all took the oath to be faithful and bear true allegiance to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law, because we knew that she would stand by us. This is not something we expect of politicians, of whatever hue, though on occasion they can surprise us all. Your Majesty, you will be sorely missed, and we are truly and humbly grateful for the enormous amount you have…[more]

Markets had already been falling since the start of the year on inflationary concerns and the ongoing impact of Covid on global supply chains as Omicron heads East.  The situation in Ukraine has significantly increased this uncertainty. Whilst investment matters are perhaps less important than the humanitarian crisis unfolding so close to home, we wanted to share with you our thoughts on the impact of recent events on markets and portfolio values. Unsurprisingly, the last month has been difficult for both equity and bond markets, with expectations for an increasing number of interest rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank prompting concern that efforts to get inflation under control may dampen…[more]

Thankfully the Omicron variant has proven far less severe, and the number of people in intensive care continues to decline.  We’re not out of the woods yet, but the Government has now been able to claim Plan B a success, allowing us to return to work in greater numbers.  It is difficult at this stage to know exactly how work patterns will evolve. Greater flexibility is certainly being demanded by employees in the big cities, and one must assume a hybrid of home and office hours will remain the norm for many of us.  For now though I am pleased to say that the Maunby team is back in the office, and happy to see to clients should they wish…[more]

On the 30th November the UK Treasury wrote to the office of Tax Simplification in response to the OTS suggestion of raising the rate of CGT and lowering the annual allowances. In the letter (a link can be found here) the Treasury passed over the suggestion, implying that the recommendations are off the table for the short to medium term. The Treasury also rejected making any changes to inheritance tax, which means that the two significant IhT reliefs of Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) remain, as does the seven-year period for gifts and transfers to drop out of a donors or settlors estate. This means that our inhouse IhT portfolios will remain as tax-efficient as before,…[more]