45
PRO INSTALLER MARCH 2015
PRO BUSINESS
@proinstaller1
Legal protection
without the price tag
Regulation
changes ‘to deliver
£19.6m in savings’
For many window and conservatory
companies dealing with the employment
issues and legal requirements of
running a business can be stressful,
time consuming and expensive;
what’s more, getting professional
legal advice is often no different.
Changes to the
Construction (Design
and Management)
Regulations should
create savings of
up to £19.6 million,
according to new
Government-backed
research.
With this in mind, lawyer and senior partner
at Stormcatcher Law,
Philip Harmer, is spearheading the launch of a
new Business Support
Service designed to
provide the benefits
of an in-house legal
department without the
costs.
Philip says that the accessibility and affordability of
legal advice is central to
preventing and resolving
employee concerns and
commercial disagreements,
helping give the peace of
mind and confidence to
focus on the business.
Contrary to the traditional
arrangement, the new service
is geared to convenience and
certainty; where the lawyers
come to you and/or you can
get instant advice tailored to
the circumstances at any time
via the advice line.
As well as all aspects of
employment law, tribunal
representation, business law,
trading standards, legal documents and dispute resolution
the service includes help with
“small claims” and contract
checking.
Currently, its Business Support package is only available
to businesses in London and
the South East, but there are
plans to extend across the
rest of the South and the
Midlands over the coming
year.
Installers urged to take advantage
of the Home Improvement Fund
Green Homes Together is helping local installers to boost their business
and reach new customers with the government cashback scheme.
The Department for Energy
and Climate Change (DECC)
has re-opened the Green
Deal Home Improvement
Fund (GDHIF), a £1,000
cashback scheme for customers who install energy
efficiency measures (such
as boilers and insulation)
through a certified Green
Deal Installer.
Green Homes Together are
working with the National Energy Foundation and
15 Local Authorities across
Oxfordshire, Cotswolds,
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire,
Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire
and Ealing to help local, quality installers become certified
and involved in the scheme.
They are offering one-to-one
support with certification and
up to £500 towards the cost
of certification.
Installers are being urged
to find out more about the
scheme by calling 01908
256945.
The cashback scheme
has proven to be extremely
popular with 20,000 people
applying for vouchers when
it was last opened in June
2014.
The DECC released a statement at the end of last year
stating, “Up to £30 million
in vouchers will be available
and details of further releases
will be announced on a
quarterly basis with the next
release expected February
2015. This is part of the
additional £100 million for
household energy efficiency measures announced in
October 2014 which is in
addition to the £450 million
already allocated to household energy efficiency over
2014 – 17.”
Ministers have indicated
that the introduction of a
‘one in, two out’ approach
to the country’s health
and safety regulations
has helped to remove
or improve 84% of these
rules since the start of the
current Parliament.
The Department for
Work and Pensions
(DWP) said this policy
has been adopted in order to reduce the amount
of red tape which employers have to contend
with.
However, it said that
while the number of
health and safety rules
has been halved, this
does not mean employee
protections have been
compromised.
In particular, it is hoped
the construction industry
could benefit from the
Government’s attempts to
cut red tape.
The DWP said the
newly-revised CDM regulations will lead to the
largest saving under the
one in, two out scheme,
of £19.6 million.
Building firms will need
to comply with the new
CDM rules from this coming April.
The rules, which aim to
ensure that construction
projects are underpinned
by strong health, welfare
and safety standards,
have been redesigned and
streamlined so that they
are easier for employers
to work with.
The Construction Industry Training Board has
worked closely with the
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to produce
detailed CDM guidance,
which will help building
firms to navigate the latest changes.
Ministers said the HSE
has passed on savings
worth £21.25 million to
businesses overall since
the present Parliament
began, thanks to the one
in, tw