Inoff the Red

Unfortunately you are experiencing the consequences of the credit crunch. Prior to the recession banks were making crazy lending decisions (for example 105% mortgages etc). Now lending institutions are making equally stupid decisions by looking primarily at their security position of assets pledged which they discount to a fire sale value. On the basis that you have already tried your own bank/building society, i suggest you go to your accountant or a mortgage broker who should know which lenders are worth approaching for the project you have in mind. Lending institutions these days are little more than glorified pawn shops. I think you will struggle to get anywhere near a 75% mortgage for woodlands unless you show that it can consistently generate sufficient income to cover mortgage payments 1.5 times. Even then, they will compare their perception of its fire sale value against the proposed loan and if there is a gap they will probably look for additional security from somewhere (second charge on house/personal guarantee etc) as additional cover.

Have a look at Mamut Account edge Mamut AccountEdge - Mamut Software Ltd Although this package is simple to use it has some great reporting and customer management options and it also has a linked mobile app.

All i am saying is that if you give a quote of £100 and don't make it clear that VAT is to be added, you cannot then charge them £120 (i.e. £100 plus £20 vat) when you give them an invoice. If you quote and invoice £100, then in your accounts you have made a sale of £83.33 and vat of £16.67.

If you issue a quote and fail to mention that the quoted price is subject to vat, then the customer is entitled to believe that the price quoted is the contract price. You cannot then go back and add 20% for VAT. It is not open for one party to unilaterally change the terms of a contract. Issuing a quote and then trying to ramp up the price by introducing hidden extras is the tactic of a rogue trader.

dogman, Can you post a picture or two please? I may be interested in a few if the price/condition is ok.

Green Delta Ltd registered office 272 Bath Street, Glasgow Nature of business.Agents involved in sale of timber and building materials Incorporated 10 May 2012 No accounts filed Share capital £25

Look on the bright side, it may be less appealing to thieves in its current state.

Depends on the type of bee. Honey bees will survive in a cluster over winter if they are healthy, have enough food and the colony is big enough to generate the heat to stop them from freezing.

Anything on the hotel CCTV to identify the scrotes that did it?

My understanding is that every landowner has a common law duty of care to ensure that trees on their property do not pose an unacceptable risk to adjacent properties. A landowner may however, only be liable for injury or damage caused by trees if they are found to be negligent. Landowners should take reasonable care to inspect trees and/or undertake essential safety work and maintenance. I suggest that you try and get the council tree chap to let you have his opinion in writing, then give a copy of this advice to the owner of the trees. It may also be worth having a survey done (without committing trespass) if that is possible. If the council advice and tree survey suggest the need for action, I then suggest advising the landowner making the point that having put him on notice that his trees require an inspection/thinning he may now be deemed to be negligent should he fail to act and any damage is subsequently caused by the offending trees. This bit is probably best done in writing and sent recorded delivery so he cannot at some future date deny knowledge of your concerns. (*) In England & Wales a local authority can act unilaterally to deal with a dangerous tree and recover the costs from the landowner. It may be worth contacting your local citizens advice bureau to see if there is a Scottish equivalent. In my experience of dispute resolution, even the most cocky bugger tends to put their sensible head on when it starts to look as though they may be on the wrong end of a negligence claim (although I appreciate this may be of little comfort if part of your house is reduced to a pile of rubble). (*) There was a recent law report on tree damage and negligence that (from memory) put landowners firmly in the cross-hairs if they failed to act when they should have known that remedial work was needed…..if i can remember where I read it I'll post a link

Average speed cameras have nothing to do with road safety, it is about revenue generation from increasing the number of fixed penalty notices they can issue.

Given the number of posts on here from folks having stuff nicked, fair play to them for asking if they could have it.

How about this Anti-Bribery Policy It is our policy to conduct all of our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our dealings wherever we operate. We are also committed to implementing and enforcing effective systems to counter bribery. 2 Who is covered by the policy? This policy applies to all individuals working at all levels and grades, including senior managers, directors, employees (whether permanent, fixed-term or temporary), consultants, contractors, and any other person providing services to us. 3 What is a bribe? A bribe is a financial or other advantage offered or given: - to anyone to persuade them to or reward them for performing their duties improperly or; - to any public official with the intention of influencing the official in the performance of his duties. 4 Gifts and Hospitality This policy does not prohibit giving and receiving promotional gifts of low value and normal and appropriate hospitality. However, in certain circumstances gifts and hospitality may amount to bribery and all employees must comply strictly with Domino’s ethics policy in respect of gifts and hospitality. We will not provide gifts or hospitality with the intention of persuading anyone to act improperly or to influence a public official in the performance of his duties. 5 Facilitation payments and kickbacks We do not make, and will not accept, facilitation payments or “kickbacks” of any kind. Facilitation payments are typically small, unofficial payments made to secure or expedite a routine government action by a government official. Kickbacks are typically payments made in return for a business favour or advantage. All employees must avoid any activity that might lead to, or suggest, that a facilitation payment or kickback will be made or accepted by us. 6 Donations We do not make contributions of any kind to political parties. No charitable donations will be made for the purpose of gaining any commercial advantage. 7 Record Keeping 7.1 We will keep financial records and have appropriate internal controls in place which will evidence the business reason for making any payments to third parties. 7.2 All expense claims relating to hospitality, gifts or expenses incurred to third parties must be submitted in accordance with our expenses policy and specifically record the reason for the expenditure. 7.3 All accounts, invoices, memoranda and other documents and records relating to dealings with third parties, such as clients, suppliers and business contacts, must be prepared and maintained with strict accuracy and completeness. No accounts must be kept “off-book” to facilitate or conceal improper payments. 8 Raising Concerns Employees will be encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of malpractice at the earliest possible stage. No employee will suffer any detriment as a result of raising genuine concerns about bribery, even if they turn out to be mistaken. 9 Monitoring The effectiveness of this policy will be regularly reviewed by the Board. Internal control systems and procedures will be subject to audit under the internal audit process.

What will you pay me to let you have one?

I have often wondered whether the victim of a theft could launch a civil action for loss and damages against the perpetrator of the crime. Of course, the scrote concerned would need to have some assets to make it worthwhile but it is not difficult or expensive to take action in the small claims court. The claim could cover repair of any damage, costs of hiring replacement kit, loss of profits from the down time etc . It is difficult to see how the criminal could defend such a claim if they have been found guilty of the theft. Once judgement was obtained, if they didn't pay you could petition for bankruptcy.

Actually if this was the motive, this headmaster and his/her attitude is part of the problem in the inexorable decline in education standards. IMHO the head should be trying to instil discipline and respect into the pupils and if staying quiet for 2 minutes is beyond the head's capabilities they should be replaced by someone that can.

Disagree. That is like saying there is no need for 2 minutes silence on 11 November because they did it on the sunday.

Army surplus stores for example.... Search results for: 'tarpaulin'

Have a look at UKworkshop.co.uk There is a wanted and for sale section and lathes come up for sale quite regularly. There is a section on buying advice and tool reviews which I think you will find helpful

Local legend has it that Robin Hood hid in this tree to avoid the Sheriff of Nottingham.

I use Windguru for forecasts when i go sailing WindGURU: bristol Gives a rolling 5 day forecast in 3 hour segments showing wind speed wind gusts wind direction temp cloud cover % Rain expectation (as well as wave height and wave direction) The site uses colour coding so you can see at a glance what sort of day it will be. Not sure how far inland it covers (although it does have a forecast for Glastonbury)

The last time i registered a company for a client it cost about £60. Then there is annual cost of £14 for filing an annual return. Small companies don't need to be audited so no extra costs there. If profits from the business exceed £50k and you are self employed, you will be paying higher rate tax on part of your profits (and have a claw back of any tax credits received). In a limited company profits are taxed at 20%. You could draw a small salary at the NI threshold and take a dividend that takes you up to the higher rate tax band with nothing more to pay the taxman. This means that you can retain profits within the company to cover any future downturn in business.

There are numerous reasons why an employer may prefer to use sub contract labour rather than employing someone:- the cost employers national insurance at 13.8%. the cost of holiday/paternity etc etc pay difficulties in separating employees from the payroll if they become redundant Of course, an employer could offer a zero hours contract but then the "employee" would be better off self employed

Putting the differences in tax treatment to one side, the choice between sole trader and limited company could depend on how risky your work will be and the extent to which you can cover those risks through insurance. As an example, if you are a sole trader and the tree you are working on demolishes a house, your personal assets could be at risk if the householder decided to sue you for negligence. If you operated through a limited company and the same event happened, any claim would be against the limited company and your personal assets would be safe. Depending on the level of trading and profitability there can also be tax advantages by operating through a limited company.