Lots to celebrate in 2013
Given the challenges of the last year or two, members could be taken aback by the suggestion that there might be anything to celebrate during 2013. This, though, is exactly the cheerful view offered by […]
Given the challenges of the last year or two, members could be taken aback by the suggestion that there might be anything to celebrate during 2013. This, though, is exactly the cheerful view offered by […]
Don’t roll your eyes when you read the words ” employee benefits” I spoke to a client at the end of last year who was quite sceptical about employee benefits and their worth. He did […]
Each client I speak to is dealing with their own specific business challenges and issues. They may be struggling with rising costs, tough competition and the constant need to both win new clients and keep […]
Recent research conducted by the Daycare Trust revealed that the cost of childcare for under two’s has soared by 5.8 per cent and those with children over the age of two are paying 3.9 per […]
A recent ICM poll of 5,000 UK employees, commissioned by the Guardian on behalf of Unum, found that basic work-life benefits were among those respondents rated highest. The article suggests that employers need to “clearly […]
A recent report by unbiased.co.uk has reported that failure to claim all available credits will mean UK taxpayers, low income families and pensioners will give up over £8.5 billion in the current tax year. Many […]
Christmas is nearly upon us and whilst most people are finishing their Christmas shopping and buying food for the festive season…. our travel partners, Affinion Travel are planning for the January Sales rush. After filling […]
The end of the year is looming. A lot of your employees may be dreaming of a holiday rather than turkey in front of the TV but can’t afford it. Why not give them an […]
How do your employees get to work? The ideal may be shared or public transport, but for many this simply isn’t a viable option. the inflexibility of public transport combined with the lack of regular […]
Employees dental health A recent British Dental Association report has shown a 50% drop in dental attendance with a further 40% drop in restorative work being undertaken. The impact of this on a business can […]
You may have been following our ongoing fight to keep Childcare Vouchers open alongside Tax-Free Childcare to give parents a genuine choice of the financial support that best suits their families’ needs. As things stand, the Government will close access to Childcare Vouchers to new parents from this April. This will also apply to existing users who change employer for any reason.
You may also have been one of the 116,000 instrumental citizens that signed the petition to keep Childcare Vouchers open, resulting in a Westminster Hall debate on Monday 15th January. Nine MPs from multiple parties laid out emphatic arguments for why the Government should keep Childcare Vouchers open alongside Tax-Free Childcare to ensure that many hardworking families are not worse off. However, the Government Minister failed to acknowledge these arguments in its response. You can watch the full debate here and read the transcript here.
The debate was a key milestone but the Government’s failure to acknowledge the issues raised means we have to continue to keep the pressure up. An Early Day Motion (EDM) has been laid to keep Childcare Vouchers open. These are used by MPs to raise an issue when they believe the Government has not taken sufficient notice and we can all play a role in supporting it.
A particularly effective component in Monday’s debate was the number of real life examples that MPs were able to present of parents in their constituencies that benefit from Childcare Vouchers. With this in mind, we would urge you to write to your MP stating briefly how Childcare Vouchers have benefitted you and your family and to ask them to sign Early Day Motion 755 to keep Childcare Vouchers open. This may only take a couple minutes of your time but could mean your family and future generations continue to benefit from thousands of pounds of extra support.
Writing to your MP is easy. It just takes a couple of minutes using the three simple steps below: