Nearly a quarter of a million racing pigeons have gone missing from more than 50 races across Britain, as mysterious weather conditions lead to them vanishing.

Dubbed ‘the worst day in the sport’s history’ the sudden disappearance of so many birds has left pigeon fanciers perplexed and bereft.

The loss of so many pigeons was first reported following a race from Peterborough to the North East, in which more than half of the 9,000 pigeons taking part failed to reach their destination.

Since then, many more have gone missing, although some birds have later been found as far away as Holland and Majorca.

Dene Simpson, a race controller for the South West Wales Federation of pigeon fanciers, said: “We’d let ours go from Swindon at midday on the same Saturday in June – that’s a 92-mile journey with the wind behind them, so it shouldn’t have taken that long.

“But, of the 1,400 that went out, only about 200 to 300 made it home. And when we looked on social media later on, we saw that lots of other federations around the UK had experienced something similar.”

Many race controllers, such as Dene said there have been no warning signs that something odd was about to happen.

He like many others feel some freak weather conditions affected the homing abilities of the pigeons that prevented so many from finding their way back to roost.

He said: “I think something invisible to the naked eye occurred, something that messed with the birds’ internal Sat Nav and caused them to veer off course drastically.”

The events have been likened to the loss of ships and aircraft over the South East coast of the US and Caribbean, which is known as the Bermuda Triangle.

These disappearances have been linked to everything from bizarre weather conditions to aliens and even inter-dimensional time travel.

We are delighted that so many of our clients took part in our recent Clueless competition.

We hope you enjoyed solving the clues. In case you are still scratching your heads, the three answers we were looking for were: Peter Plunger the plumber, Doug Flowers the gardener and Susie Shears the hairdresser.

However, there can only be one winner of the £100 Amazon voucher, which is why we want to send special congratulations to:

Mark Davis from Stafford

Mark was chosen at random from all of the correct entries and is pictured below with his prize.

Mark enjoys visiting National Trust places, travelling (when allowed) and playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, for which he is currently conducting an around the world trip in one-hour flights! He also has a passing interest in astronomy.

Don’t forget, you too can be a winner by referring your friends, colleagues and contacts to us.

For each referral we receive, you will get £100 – and the person being referred gets £100 too!

Remember, you don’t have to be a contractor to use our services. We act for all types of businesses from small traders to large companies. It doesn’t matter whether the person you refer operates as self-employed, is in a partnership or is a director of a limited company, we are ready to help them.

If you know of an individual or company that may benefit from our services and advice, please click the link below.

If you have any questions about the services we offer or our referral scheme, please feel free to contact us by calling 020 8952 2234 or emailing info@cogentaccountants.co.uk

This month, many of us were hopeful for the eventual end to lockdown on 21 June 2021. Like so many events during the pandemic, it was not to be, and we must now wait until at least 19 July to enjoy what has been called ‘Freedom Day’.

Understandably this is frustrating, not least for those businesses and sectors that are still required to remain closed during this period. For these hard-hit industries, the news will have been devastating.

However, with a new date set and things looking more positive as a result of the UK’s successful vaccination programme, it is time for businesses and contractors to prepare for what may lay ahead.

Signs of growth

Already things are starting to look up for the UK economy. The Bank of England has already said that growth is on track to hit record levels and unemployment figures are dropping.

In fact, many businesses are concerned about a labour and skills shortage as they try and find new recruits to meet consumer demand.

For contractors and freelancers, the news is positive as well, with several experts and publications recording a surge in new contracts and work as employers try to fill gaps in their businesses.

Challenges remain

Of course, we are by no means out of the woods yet. Many businesses remain in a difficult position, with constrained cash flow, as they look to rebuild and recover from the events of the last 18 months.

Adapt and overcome

Now we have a clearer picture of what the end of lockdown may look like, it is time for businesses and contractors to prepare for a new way of life.

At least for the time being, things are unlikely to return to how they were pre-covid. It is difficult to truly predict what life may be like in many sectors once the pandemic ends.

There are already suggestions that the Government may legislate to make flexible, remote working an entrenched right and there are clearly challenges ahead, as we have identified.

To succeed, businesses need to remain adaptable and quick to change if they are going to succeed.

Our personal lives

For many of us, it has been hard to separate our personal and work lives in the last year. As we emerge from lockdown, we need to take the time to rediscover the activities and things that we loved pre-covid.

Whether that is once again returning to live music events or just reconnecting with family and friends.

It is clear that for many of us, the events of 2020/21 have had an impact on our wellbeing and our view on life, so it is important to learn from the last year and build greater resilience for the future.

Come what may, you can rely on the services of Cogent as lockdown ends. To find out more about our wide range of services, please contact us.

When the public sector IR35 reforms came into force on 6 April 2017, the number of contractors working ‘outside IR35’ dropped.

We are currently seeing a similar trend in the private sector following the changes to IR35 this past April.

The fact that the two changes somewhat mirror each other is a cause for hope, as ‘outside’ contracting in the public sector has since recovered.

Given the similarities between the previous public sector reforms and the latest private sector rules, it suggests that this recovery in limited company contractor volumes will be mirrored in the private sector in the months ahead. In fact, many clients are already seeing an increase in levels of contractor opportunities as things have begun to stabilise.

A shortage of skilled labour in the UK may also force the hands of many engagers to restructure contracts outside of IR35 in future.

The trends experienced within the public sector certainly suggest a more positive future for contracting and highlight the benefit of keeping a limited company open so that you can benefit from future changes. To find out how we can help you in this area, please contact us.

As more and more foreign destinations are added to the Government’s red and amber travel lists, the prospect of staycations is becoming more and more popular for British holidaymakers.

With so much to see and do across the country, more and more people are booking holidays in the UK.

In fact, according to a new study by Travelodge more than 80 per cent of people are planning a ‘staycation’ break this summer.

This demand for staycations can already be seen in bookings for the summer holidays, which are up by an incredible 460 per cent this year, according to SnapTrip.

Topping the list of destinations are:

1. Devon
2. Cornwall
3. Cumbria
4. Norfolk
5. North Yorkshire

There has also been a surge in the purchase of camping equipment, motorhomes and caravans, partly in response to the higher prices demanded by holiday parks, hotels and resorts. It is no surprise then that campervan and camping trip bookings are up by 500 per cent in some areas as well.

This sudden increase in staycations could play an important role in boosting local and the wider UK economy as the nation emerges from lockdown.

With many people able to save more during the pandemic due to a lack of leisure and entertainment options and a reduction in costly commutes, the spending power of many individuals has increased as well.

We hope you have a great summer enjoying all that the UK has to offer.

A US man, who skipped his niece’s wedding for a Las Vegas poker tournament, has won more than £260,000.

63-year-old Harlan Miller had been invited to the wedding of his niece, Macie, in Montana, but instead of watching her tie the knot, he jetted off to Las Vegas to win big.

To the surprise of some family members, Miller decided to skip the nuptials to participate in the Mid-Stakes Poker Tour Venetian $1,100 Main Event.

Speaking about his decision to miss the big day, Miller said: “I figured if one (member of the family) was missing (at the wedding), it wouldn’t hurt anything.

“I just had a really strong feeling about this tournament. I had to go. I don’t really know what it was, but I thought I could take it down, or get really close to it. I can get (Macie) a better wedding present now.”

The tournament saw Miller, who is a retired office supply company owner, take on 2,790 players.

Having played poker for more than 15 years and won over £350,000, Miller was able to beat pro poker player Ryan Dodd with a straight to take home the top prize.

We are delighted that so many clients took the time to leave Google reviews recently and we send a massive thank you to you all.

However, there can only be one winner of the Apple iPad, which is why we want to send special congratulations to:

Samir Mammadov from Sutton in Surrey

Samir was chosen at random from all of the entries and is pictured below with his fantastic prize.

Samir loves watching and reading anything to do with criminal justice and court procedures, be it a documentary based on true events or just a movie… well that means his new iPad will be getting a lot of use!

Don’t forget, you too can be a winner by referring your friends, colleagues and contacts to us.

For each referral we receive, you will get £100 – and the person being referred gets £100 too!

Remember, you don’t have to be a contractor to use our services. We act for all types of businesses from small traders to large companies. It doesn’t matter whether the person you refer operates as self-employed, is in a partnership or is a director of a limited company, we are ready to help them.

If you know of an individual or company that may benefit from our services and advice please click the link below.

Refer a friend to Cogent Accountants.

If you have any questions about the services we offer or our referral scheme, please feel free to contact us.

Client Road Map

Having written for many months about IR35, I am thrilled to temporarily leave this subject out there on the horizon.

With the last stage of the Covid roadmap looking like it will take place on 21st June, with spring in the air (I saw a bit of spring just after I got caught in a hail storm) and business growth projections going up, there is the feel of shoots of optimism in the spring air.

The success and speed of vaccinations in the UK is changing Government policy and industry is following.

Our freelance contractor clients are getting new contracts, sometimes working from home and sometimes back in an office and often a mixture of both.

Covid seems to have brought an adult pragmatic maturity to end clients who previously thought working from home was an excuse to do some home gardening or DIY.

As your accountants, we have worked throughout the pandemic to help our clients and to keep their accounting and tax housekeeping in good order.

We have also been innovative and created a marketing program to make you and all our clients understand that we are prominent in freelance contractors but work for other clients in all types of industries.

We love to help all our clients both old and new and get so much satisfaction when we make a difference. Most of our team have been with us for more than 10 years showing the job satisfaction they all get from our positive client directed approach.

We pay a tax-free commission for the successful introduction of a new client and, more importantly, you will gain the thanks and credibility of your friends or work colleagues for connecting them to accountants who love to help clients, answer their questions quickly and speak and explain things in a straightforward non-jargon way.

So, if you haven’t picked up from our marketing over the last few months that we are keen to work with businesses of all types, not just contractors, here it is again. Apology for the big shout!

WE ARE ACCOUNTANTS AND ADVISORS TO ALL TYPES OF BUSINESS CLIENTS. REMEMBER, IF YOU REFER US TO A FRIEND/COLLEAGUE, ALL THREE OF US WILL BENEFIT.

We look to hear from you with new introductions.

Best regards,

Victor Korman
Managing Director
Cogent Accountants

With news that many restrictions may be ending in the coming weeks, despite the risk of new variants, there is evidence that many of the sectors of the economy are now reopening.

Shops and hospitality venues, as well as the industries that support them, have once again been given the chance to trade following months of difficulties.

There are signs of this success everywhere, whether in the falling levels of unemployment or the quiet high streets bustling once again.

Inflation has nearly doubled as people start spending again and the UK economy could enjoy it’s fastest growth in more than 70 years in 2021, according to the Bank of England.

With much of the Government’s financial support being whittled away later this year, many tough challenges lay ahead. It is important that contractors and small businesses seize upon new opportunities as they emerge.

We are working with a wide range of contractors and small businesses at the moment to help them explore new opportunities and deal with the difficulties they face. To find out how we can support your recovery, please speak to us.

Following the Government’s decision to extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) earlier this year, businesses now have the opportunity to rely on this support until the end of September.

Introduced more than a year ago, the furlough scheme (as it is more commonly known) has helped many businesses to retain talented employees without having to meet their regular employment costs.

Now, as many sectors of the UK economy are re-opening and the recovery gets underway, changes will take place to the furlough scheme that reduce the financial support available to employers.

The 80 per cent furlough grant will continue until 30 June 2021.

To prevent an abrupt end to this financial lifeline, from 1 July 2021, the amount paid will be gradually reduced – meaning that employers will be expected to start making additional contributions on top of the grant provided by the Government.

This gradual tapering means that, from July, Government support will be limited to 70 per cent with the remaining 10 per cent provided by the employer.

Then, from 1 August until the end of the scheme on 30 September 2021, employers will be expected to contribute 20 per cent, with the Government covering the remaining 60 per cent.

In addition to the 10 per cent and 20 per cent contributions made in July, August and September, employers must continue to pay employers National Insurance and pension contributions on the full amount being paid to employees.

Beyond just extending the life of the scheme, the Government has also opened the door for employers to claim this grant for employees who have previously been unable to benefit.

As per the latest guidance, new employees who have not previously been eligible for furlough can be furloughed for the first time from 1 May 2021 onwards, if they were included in a Full Payment Submission to HMRC by 2 March 2021.

Although there are already early signs of economic recovery across the UK, many businesses may still need to rely on this scheme for some time and so they must be prepared for these important changes in advance.

To find out how we can help you with the administration of these changes to the furlough scheme, please contact us.