In your weekly PCA update this week:

• CITB’s Response to Levy Payment Suspension
• UK government unveils aid for self-employed
• Continued Help & Advice for Members
• VAT Payment Deferrals
• Updated Safe Site Advice from CABE
• 2020 Conferences, Awards & AGM cancelled
• ** MEMBERS ONLY ** NEW Virtual Regional Meetings!
• PCA webinars – who’s up next?
• Missed the recent webinar? Catch up now…
• PPE – Can you Help?

Important Update from CITB – Levy Suspension

We reported in the breaking news yesterday that YOUR Association has been lobbying for the suspension of Levy payments during this period of unprecedented uncertainty.

We can confirm that CITB’s board met on March 25 and we are pleased to say they have given final approval to suspend the issue of its levy bills, due for payment in 2020, for an initial period of three months.

The delay will provide immediate financial relief to PCA Members during the coronavirus crisis. In normal times CITB assesses and sends out levy bills each April in accordance with legal requirements. CITB levy bills are usually due for payment in May, but CITB will not seek collection on the suspended bills until August, or later if possible.

We will, of course, continue to update members but if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch on 01480 400000.

UK government unveils aid for self-employed

Finally…some good news and some clarity for all our self employed PCA members. The chancellor has announced that you can apply for a grant worth 80% of your average monthly profits to help you cope with the financial impact of coronavirus.

It’s not perfect…but finally some token relief! One point to make note of however, is that HMRC will be basing their calculations on taxable trading profits rather than net profits.

To see if you qualify for the 80%, visit this useful online tax calculator. To find out more about the scheme, click on the button below…

Continued Help & Advice for Members

We continue to receive information and support from our partners, of which we will continue to share with you, our members. These are unprecedented times and we are working hard to ensure that you receive the latest information as soon as it is released.

Astute Insurance – Ian Mahoney can be contacted on 01604 611910. The Astute team are here for members, providing valuable updates and advice around Property/Business Interruption, Motor and Liability and Business Travel policy wordings.

Stallard Kane continues to provide daily updates for our members, which includes useful documents, advice on business closures, information on furlough, work carried out in people’s homes, training, working from home and wellbeing etc,.

As this is a very fluid situation, members can also check the Government’s website for updates.

VAT Payment Deferrals for All

Our members will have seen last week’s announcement from the Chancellor confirming their support to businesses during this pandemic and allowing businesses to defer from paying their VAT for 3 months. But what does this mean for your business or your clients?

PCA’s accountants, Thomas Quinn, have created a set of FAQs to help members with the practical detail surrounding this announcement:

• Do I still have to pay VAT to HMRC? Not if you don’t want to or cannot. HMRC is deferring VAT payments for 3 months.
• Do I still have to file VAT returns? Yes. The deferral scheme only applies to payment of VAT. You should continue to file VAT returns by your normal due date to avoid late filing penalties.
• What if I am unable to file VAT returns on time because of Covid-19 affecting me, my staff or my accountant? We expect such circumstances to count as a “reasonable excuse” for late filing. However, the timeframe for using COVID-19 as a reasonable excuse is the actual time of sickness and not the duration of the pandemic.
• What payments can be deferred? At the moment HMRC have said that payments due between 20 March 2020 to 30 June 2020 may be deferred.
• When will I have to pay deferred VAT payments? You will be given until the end of the 2020-21 tax year (5 April 2021) to pay any liabilities accrued during the deferral period.
• Will there be interest or penalties if I defer payment? No.
• How do I know if I am eligible to defer VAT payments? All UK businesses are eligible to defer.
• Do I have to apply for deferral? No – it applies automatically.
• What if I am due a refund or reclaim of VAT? VAT refunds and reclaims will be paid by HMRC as normal.
• What if I am able to and want to pay VAT as normal? You can continue to pay in the normal way.

The situation is changing on a daily basis, but we are here for our members and will continue to share any further notices affecting businesses who file VAT returns, as and when they are announced.

Updated Safe Site Advice from CABE

We shared with members on Wednesday, information from CABE (Chartered Association of Building Engineers) regarding the confusion over whether certain sites should be shut down and how they are working towards greater clarity and insight for all in the built environment in these trying times. As we know, the Government’s latest guidance is to work from home wherever possible.

CABE is appealing to the industry to follow Public Health England guidelines and ensure that the health and safety of the public and the workforce are at the forefront of any decision making. This includes ensuring that sites are left in a safe and secure state, if it is determined that they must close temporarily.

Please click on the button below to read the full statement from CABE.

2020 Conferences, Awards & AGM cancelled

It is with great sadness that your Association is cancelling the conferences and events programme for 2020. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but given the current COVID-19 situation, this is the right one for the interests of you, our members. The events cancelled for 2020 are as follows:

• All three PCA conferences (Structural Waterproofing – 2nd July, Building Preservation – 29th September & Invasive Weed – 26th November)
• Best Practice Awards & Dinner (29th September)
• AGM (21st April)

We will advise members of the date set for the AGM in due course, but for now, please save the dates for the 2021 conferences and awards:

• International Structural Waterproofing & Best Practice Awards Dinner – 15th July
• International Building Preservation – 28th September
• International Invasive Weed – 25th November

If you need any further advice we are only a phone call or email away, so don’t hesitate to get in touch via the button below.

** MEMBERS ONLY ** NEW Virtual Regional Meetings!

One for our PCA Members Only. Register now for our FIRST EVER VIRTUAL Regional Meeting! This will take place on 1st April 2020 from 09.00-11.00am. For those who missed the meetings in Scotland and Manchester, you can now join us on 1st April and hear from YOUR Association, engage with us and receive the updates you were expecting from the PCA.

These are unprecedented times but 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.

PCA webinars – who’s up next?

Your Associations’ programme of webinars continues and during these uncertain times, we are increasing the number of live webinars we are delivering, keeping you up to date with the latest technical information and sharing topics of interest.

So, next week sees our FIRST EVER Virtual Regional Meeting, which takes place on Wednesday 1st April (no joke!), closely followed by PCA’s James Berry, delivering his ‘Evolution of Damp Control‘ webinar on 9th April.

Register via the button below…

Missed the last webinar? Catch up now…

Yesterday’s Japanese knotweed ‘Problem Plant or Just a Weed?’ webinar, was a great success with over 90 people in attendance! And what’s more, over 30% were from overseas! The subject certainly got people engaged and we had lots of questions coming in, which Peter will respond to directly.

Don’t worry if you missed the webinar, or if you are wanting to share it with colleagues and clients, simply click on the button below…

PPE – Can you Help?

We are all aware of the incredible work our amazing frontline NHS and key workers are undertaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have learnt one of our members, ‘The Knotweed Company’ is donating stocks of PPE to their local NHS procurement teams – a great idea and one that some of you can get involved in too!

It’s understood they need coveralls rated to EN14126 (infective agents), which are commonly used by herbicide operatives, amongst others (e.g. Tyvek Classic+ Cat III) and breathing masks rated to FFP3 or better. The Knotweed Company is donating their stock of PPE to Northampton General Hospital and are liaising with them regarding stockists of these products within the amenity sector.

If members want to get involved, why not check your stock of PPE and contact your local NHS or care homes to see if they need the equipment? If you do have the spare equipment and you can donate to the NHS, please do let us know to allow us to say thank you and give you credit.

A BIG THANKS in advance to all.

Remember to keep in the loop…

Find out the latest news instantly by following the PCA via our social media channels: