News:

In marked contrast to the fog and confusion in the press, a referendum held on Valentines Day delivered a clear result of 87% in favour of adopting the Ripon City Plan, a neighbourhood plan under which local residents now have more of a say in planning decisions. Only residents of Ripon were eligible to vote, and turn-out was not particularly high at 22%, but the plan has been approved and has legal force. Haydn, Marie and Michael all live in Ripon and all voted, so it has been a pleasant distraction from the subject of the other referendum.  

It is with deep gratitude and not a little sadness that we wish Freda Whincup a very happy retirement. With 32 years under her belt at Maunby after raising her family, Freda has been a constant and abiding feature as Maunby has evolved around her, and it was to her credit that she adapted so well to the wholesale changes to our profession since she started in 1986. Freda, we salute you and wish you every happiness in your well-earned retirement.

During the festive period the London markets close early on the last working day before Christmas and New Year.  We will therefore be closed from 1pm onwards on the 24th and 31st December, although on all other business days we will be available as usual.  We hope you have a very merry Christmas and wish you a prosperous 2019.

  Last weeks budget can be summed up as safe, and we’re inclined to agree. The two shibboleths of inheritance tax and pensions were both avoided by the Chancellor – a review of the former by the Office of Tax Simplification is due to be published later this year, though we suspect that the Treasury already know what the report will say. And pensions didn’t merit any words, wise or otherwise. PFI was abandoned, leaving £200bn of liabilities on the governments balance sheet. Wine will be taxed a little more, but not beer, and the fuel duty escalator remains stationary. More money will go to the NHS, to schools and to defence, the self-employed are going to be stung for…[more]

Inheritance tax explained by the experts   Inheritance tax is something more of us are having to pay, as inflation and asset growth push many across the nil-rate threshold.   For most people, working out your inheritance tax allowance is fairly simple, but what about those of us with more than £2million in assets, with more complicated financial affairs, or who have already passed their house on to the next generation?   We go through the basics and illustrate how a more bespoke service can make the difference for high net worth clients.   How to work out your inheritance tax allowance. The inheritance tax threshold, or nil rate band, is at the time of writing £325,000, which means that…[more]

We are delighted to report that David Battersby, who joined us in April, has received approval from the Financial Conduct Authority to discharge the CF30 controlled function.  In plain English, this means looking after clients.