Today in the workshop .....

[harveyp6]

Last one out turn off the lights.
Carry on like this and there won't be anything left.

 

[Nick DV]

Well at least another U-turn gives the pubs a discount on their rates There may be hope for businesses yet

 

[m_c]

All this talk of business rates reminds me of an instructor I had years ago.
He owned a garage, and the council turned up and revalued the property. The result was his rates doubled, which he was willing to tolerate as he thought it was probably accurate and that the rates had been a bit cheap.

The council then decided they were going to backdate the rates for a number of years (was 5 or 10 years).
The result was he closed the garage, and sold it to a developer so the council ended up with nothing from him.

 

[Cato]

All this talk of business rates reminds me of an instructor I had years ago.
He owned a garage, and the council turned up and revalued the property. The result was his rates doubled, which he was willing to tolerate as he thought it was probably accurate and that the rates had been a bit cheap.

The council then decided they were going to backdate the rates for a number of years (was 5 or 10 years).
The result was he closed the garage, and sold it to a developer so the council ended up with nothing from him.

I wonder how many councillors were shareholders in the developer? Or how fat the brown envelope was?

 

[Dapph2]

Council employees & Councilors are not usually known for their expertise or experiences of working outside the council or local authority spheres . As a result commercially vital decisions that would benefit the coffers and locality are not found out till it is far too late to rectify the damage

 

[roblane65]

Council employees & Councilors are not usually known for their expertise or experiences of working outside the council or local authority spheres . As a result commercially vital decisions that would benefit the coffers and locality are not found out till it is far too late to rectify the damage

they are no more than trainee wannbe's and can't see past their nose or the policies theyv'e been brain washed with which results in no regard for reality , at the end of the day the desire is to make money than they squander !

 

[Blobber]

Well that's nice then. I'll just pull another £7,000 a year (£580 a month) out of thin air then shall I?
I'll have to run the numbers and have a hard think about carrying on the business as this increase on top of all the others may well turn out to be the final straw.

View attachment 528038

That's outrageous, how do they expect a small business to find that sort of money

 

[More Amps]

That's outrageous, how do they expect a small business to find that sort of money

Simple....in their world, small businesses would just increase their charges. Sadly they don't appreciate that one of the fundamental principles of economics is that when the price rises, demand falls!

 

[harveyp6]

Well at least another U-turn gives the pubs a discount on their rates There may be hope for businesses yet

This all sounds so familiar. Make rash policy decisions, and introduce them without any research whatsoever. I know pubs have been complaining about this for a while, (quite rightly so, even banning labour MPs from their pubs), but it's not only pubs, it's all small businesses, eg Cato, who just can't absorb those sort of rises in expenses.
If you price it up, any extra income from these increase in rates, will be eaten up by the massive increases of benefits that need to be paid out to all those put out of work.
This lot haven't got a clue.

 

[roblane65]

That's outrageous, how do they expect a small business to find that sort of money

Simple because they don't care and they don't answer to anyone ! their main aim is how to raise more money = businesses make money charge them more . This is pretty much across the board anything for business is charged higher than domestic quite sad really in business your pretty much an unpaid tax collector

 

[Cato]

"Why do you do it?"
A question I was asked following a moan about the cost of doing business.
Two basic reasons:-
1) I enjoy the work.
2) If not every day then certainly every week I see, do and learn something new.

 

[Cato]

Of course the missing hollow alignment dowels for the cases are "no longer available". Over to the lathe then for one of those times where a lathe is really useful.

It's this sort of thing that I do appreciate having one here for. Takes a few minutes to make an essential component, but I'd have to do some grovelling/arm twisting to get it done by someone else.

 

[More Amps]

I feel your pain over the rates demand, but just be grateful you're not employing anyone. If you employed a 21 year old full-time in 2020, the cost was a minimum of £17,035. In 2026 - to employ a 21 year old full-time would cost £29,600A... a 74% increase! Now think about how much extra turnover would have to be generated in order just to break even on the extra wages...and people wonder why prices are rising!

 

[addjunkie]

I feel your pain over the rates demand, but just be grateful you're not employing anyone. If you employed a 21 year old full-time in 2020, the cost was a minimum of £17,035. In 2026 - to employ a 21 year old full-time would cost £29,600A... a 74% increase! Now think about how much extra turnover would have to be generated in order just to break even on the extra wages...and people wonder why prices are rising!

Thats another reason for unemployment rising. Someone leaves, share the job out, save a wage.

 

[Cato]

I feel your pain over the rates demand, but just be grateful you're not employing anyone. If you employed a 21 year old full-time in 2020, the cost was a minimum of £17,035. In 2026 - to employ a 21 year old full-time would cost £29,600A... a 74% increase! Now think about how much extra turnover would have to be generated in order just to break even on the extra wages...and people wonder why prices are rising!

I planned going into this that I wouldn't be employing anyone. There are quite a few reasons, but the main ones were the cost (especially on costs) the lack of skilled people available, the inability to sack them if they're not up to scratch, and the way laws are now geared towards sick & paternity leave.

It's now the case that you have to either employ upwards of 15 people, or none to make it financially viable.

 

[Wallace]

Ooh. Need a nurse.

 

[Bobtail4x4]

I think its now worthwhile finding a unit on a farm, under the radar,
or even buying somewhere with a spare shed or two?
from our discussions in november most of your work comes from around the country? build a better mousetrap etc etc.

 

[More Amps]

I agree - though I'm sure @Cato doesn't like to think about all the work done to get the unit how he wants it, together with the associated upheaval of moving plus there'll be plenty of farmers rubbing their hands as they look at the long queue of rates refugees wanting somewhere to rent...

 

[Cato]

I think its now worthwhile finding a unit on a farm, under the radar,
or even buying somewhere with a spare shed or two?
from our discussions in november most of your work comes from around the country? build a better mousetrap etc etc.

I agree - though I'm sure @Cato doesn't like to think about all the work done to get the unit how he wants it, together with the associated upheaval of moving plus there'll be plenty of farmers rubbing their hands as they look at the long queue of rates refugees wanting somewhere to rent...

I'm not interested in operating under the radar. The downsides massively outweigh the benefit of saving money, and potentially it wouldn't do that either.

Farm buildings are generally unsuitable, rough floors, poor 3 phase supply, surrounded by junk, no lease agreement, insecure and close to the farmer's home. A lot of the customers who bring their expensive, shiny bikes wouldn't come to a place up a farm track, so I'd be left with the lower end of the work. I wouldn't be able to get trade insurance for a farm building, and they wouldn't provide it to someone working under the radar. Then there's the risk of malicious reporting from a jealous competitor, disgruntled customer or whatever.

From a purely personal point of view, I either do it properly or not at all which applies as much to the business as it does to the work. The unfortunate truth is that doing things 'properly' costs, so it's a simple matter of working out if or how the business can support that cost. If it can then great. If not well s**t happens.

 

[addjunkie]

I'm not interested in operating under the radar. The downsides massively outweigh the benefit of saving money, and potentially it wouldn't do that either.

Farm buildings are generally unsuitable, rough floors, poor 3 phase supply, surrounded by junk, no lease agreement, insecure and close to the farmer's home. A lot of the customers who bring their expensive, shiny bikes wouldn't come to a place up a farm track, so I'd be left with the lower end of the work. I wouldn't be able to get trade insurance for a farm building, and they wouldn't provide it to someone working under the radar. Then there's the risk of malicious reporting from a jealous competitor, disgruntled customer or whatever.

From a purely personal point of view, I either do it properly or not at all which applies as much to the business as it does to the work. The unfortunate truth is that doing things 'properly' costs, so it's a simple matter of working out if or how the business can support that cost. If it can then great. If not well s**t happens.

Or look elsewhere to a an area that has better rates….out of town