• PCA remains highly focused on working for members
• Where can members go for help and advice
• Dedicated Tax helpline
• Insurance Covers
• Spring Regional Meetings cancelled
• Japanese knotweed webinar – 1 week to go!!
• Review of BS 8102

PCA remains highly focused on working for members

These are extraordinary times, but YOUR PCA team remains highly focused on working for YOU, our members, to continue to provide service and value.

Today’s message is principally aimed at providing all of our members with information in an easily accessible form and to let you know we are working for YOU. Read more from Steve by clicking the button below…

Where can members go for help and advice

We have a duty of care as YOUR Association to YOU, our members to continue to support you and your businesses. As part of your membership, we can provide the contact details of where you can go for the help and advice you need during this period of uncertainty:

• Stallard Kane – Please contact Amanda Modev direct on 07837 408759. She can talk you through any employment law or health and safety concerns you have.
• GPi – Please contact Gemma Swankie on 07494 474032 for all Insurance Backed Guarantee support. Most of their team are now working from home, but they’re very much still supporting members and are still taking calls on 01292 268020.
• Thomas Quinn (PCA accountants) – Check out this Guidance for Employees, Employers and Businesses.

For now, we continue to act upon the information we have from the Government and will update you as soon as anything changes. The current position with COVID-19 is constantly developing, but there is guidance available on the Gov.uk website, via the button below.

Dedicated Tax helpline

The Government announced in the Budget that there would be a dedicated helpline for businesses needing time to pay for VAT, PAYE and Corporation Tax. The HMRC Coronavirus Helpline number/times are as follows:

• Telephone: 0800 015 9559
• Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm / Saturday, 8am to 4pm

To help you, our members, we recommend you have the following information ready when you contact HMRC:

• VAT or UTR number
• The amount of the debt on file (so you must have submitted and not paid the VAT, or other return)
• Be able to talk about the number of staff employed and what the payroll costs are for the next 6 months to a year
• What overdraft facility is available
• What the directors/partners/sole prop are doing personally to support the debt i.e. business loans and funding
• Be ready to supply cash flow projections and the importance of supporting business continuity

There is no guarantee that a ‘time to pay arrangement’ will be granted, but it has to be a business continuity remedy that is considered. Usually HMRC will agree 12 months or under – but this will depend on the debt and the tax the debt relates too.

Insurance Covers

In regards to insurance cover, the vast majority of insurers are not providing cover for Coronavirus – COVID-19 under the Business Interruption section of applicable policies.

To explain: Standard business interruption cover is intended to respond to Physical Damage at the property, for example, a Fire or Flood etc., which results in the business being unable to continue to trade. Insurers do provide extensions in certain circumstances and normally diseases is one of them. However, the vast majority of policies Specify the Diseases that are covered and obviously, Coronavirus – COVID-19 is new and therefore not listed. There are a few particular contracts that offer cover on a Non-Specified Disease basis, but as we say, this is not usual and if you are in any doubt as to whether cover applies to your policy, please contact your insurer.

The Government is monitoring the situation closely and no doubt there will be regular announcements relating to financial assistance, which may also include information regarding insurance. We are in regular contact with our Insurer Partners and will keep members informed of developments relating to this matter.

Spring Regional Meetings cancelled

Regretfully, we have cancelled the PCA regional meetings for 18th March, 25th March and 1st April. This is not a decision we’ve made lightly and believe it is the right course of action given the current COVID-19 situation.

We are conscious that many of our members were looking forward to the meetings, to engage with and receive the updates you were expecting from your Association. Therefore we are working on providing these updates to our members via a webinar on 1st April – further details and links to register will be shared next week.

These are unprecedented times and we continue to support you, our members. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 01480 400000.

Japanese knotweed webinar – 1 week to go!

JUST ONE WEEK TO GO until our Japanese knotweed ‘Problem Plant or Just a Weed?’ webinar. Join us 8am-9am on 26th March as we discuss ‘if Japanese knotweed really deserves its reputation’ and ‘what the future might bring in terms of treatment solutions’…

Learn about its impact and share with your clients and customers why YOU as a PCA qualified professional are the ‘voice of authority’ on the subject of Japanese knotweed! Register via the button below – you won’t want to miss it!

Review of BS 8102

BSi have now published their proposal for the review of BS 8102 and we are urging all of our members to express their support for the review, via the button below, before the closing date of 3rd April.

Thank you also to everyone who attended the recent Structural Waterproofing Group meeting. Click the button below to view the minutes. If you have any queries please get in touch with James Berry on [email protected] or give him a call on 01480 400000.

Remember to keep in the loop…

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