 Another month flies by as we make a run for Christmas having passed the half way point on 2019 and look back to check where the time has gone. Our favourite host MD Jason Roper reflected on the year to date in the same fashion before announcing plans for a new look MPG in 2020. Having consulted MPG partners and members on the subject the new look MPG in 2020 will see bi-monthly events in a similar format as we currently see supported by a variety of other events and away days throughout the year so watch this space for more details as time draws closer. Not for the first time this year we had the pleasure of hearing from one of the most respected tax experts in the UK, UHY Hacker Young Partner and MPG Co-founder Clive Gawthorpe to bring us his usual Property update. The subject of choice on this occasion was Accounting IARF 16 in which Clive made us aware of the need to capitalise any lease longer than year on your balance sheets and the effects of doing do, the consequence of not doing so and the tax relieve also associated.  For further information please contact Clive:- c.gawthorpe@uhy-uk.com Next to the step us was our guest speaker this month Michael Brennan returning to speak to MPG for the second time in 18 months. Michael is an exceptional entrepreneur who was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe List in 2018 having founded Tootoot with is friend Kieran Innes in 2013 after leaving university. Initially launching the Tootoot app aimed at pupils as an anti-bullying reporting tool, Tootoot have since raised further funding to expand their vision into the workplace as an anonymous reporting tool. Initially backed by MPG Ambassador Terry Flannagan MBE with huge success, they have recently pushed for a further £500,000 of investment which has almost been achieved with just £80,000 up for grabs.  Tootoot Founder Michael Brennan MPG July 2019 Michael was very keen to share the success of Tootoot with MPG and explain the growth they have seen since he last visited producing figures which were absolutely astonishing. Since moving their app into the workplace they have had major success and been adopted by some large names, one example being Barclays. Their old process for employees to report consisted of an employee helpline costing £5 million per year to upkeep and when they did a survey less than 50% off all employees even knew the number existed. Moving to Tootoot has not only saved them a huge cost it also allows the employee an easier and more comfortable way of reporting.  To listen to Michael speak is always a pleasure, he even followed up with a question and answers session which brought even more positive point to light including a retention rate of over 70%. All in all the journey to date and the steps Tootoot have made in both education and the workplace are huge but beyond all inspirational.
Watch this space closely because don’t be surprised is one day in the no so distant future Tootoot is up there with some of the most recognisable brands and symbols in the world! The winner of this month’s champagne draw sponsored by Landmark Development Solutions was first timer Jane Kirkham, with the meal for two at Albert’s going to Lee Longden, MPG Partner and MD of ABC Accounting Services. We look forward to seeing you all at our next event taking place on Thursday 1st August when we will be joined by Carl Lomas MBC, Chairman of the Institute of Couriers, Author and MPG Ambassador. If you are not a member but are interested to get involved with MPG please contact us today info@mpg-nw.com and we would be more than happy to provide information on our membership options and upcoming vents. We look forward to seeing you all in August!!!
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 Purple Bricks Land and New Homes - MPG Blog School holidays didn’t keep our members away as MD Jason Ropergot proceeding underway at June’s MPG event with his usual unique and relaxed way of hosting to disarm the room and make way for our guest speakers. First up to speak this month was Chris Oxley of UHY Hacker Young who was thrown in at the deep end last minute by a colleague (stuck in a client emergency) to provide a brief overview of ‘going digital’, a key subject which will affect all business very soon. Chris dipped into the ranges of software available to business and the reason most businesses will still need an accounting firm to assist, regardless of how revolutionary this new way of accounting is perceived to be.  With these huge industry changes you are almostcertain to encounter hurdles somewhere along the journey, but in the long run it will be a huge step which us much needed to keep up with ever evolving technologies. If you have any questions please contact Chrisby email: -c.oxley@uhy-uk.com Next was the main event, speaking on behalf of MPG Partners Purple Bricks was Director and Head of Land & New Homes Stuart Richards who’s aim was to provide our members and overview of their restively new Land & New Homes Division. Starting with the basics, Stuart gave simple yet informative history of Purple Bricks as a whole business producing some amazing statistics for a business which is little over half a decade old. The pure scale of the business, the number of listing and sales, the worldwide expansion and record breaking Trust Pilot Reviews all telling an impressive tale of their own.  Then Stuart moved to focus his attention on the Land & New Homes Division which he heads up nationally, the side of Purple Bricks which has most potential to connect with MPG Members and Partners. This division of the business is even newer, just two years beyond conception yet going strongly in the right direction. From his experience, some key tools which tend to appeal to developers when selling through Purple Bricks include the online app and booking system enabling developer to arrange and change viewing by contacting the purchaser via their app, the app also allows for feedback to be collected and processed efficiently. The cost of selling new homes through Purple Bricks can also be a huge are of saving for a developer, their fees are set solid and payment options can easily be discussed to suit particular.  To finish with, Stuart opened up a Questions & Answers opportunity, he openly admitted he was expected tricky questions, however, he was willing to answer with total transparency. Questions included the recent announcement that they were pulling our of the Australian market, to which he explained the model just wasn’t completely suited to the property market out there and rather that continuing to burn cash they made the commercial decision to pull out, this isn’t to say they won’t re explore at some time in the future just not right now. This was also used to explain the recent share prices. If you are interested in selling your development with the help of Purple Bricks or for further information please contact Stuart Richards (stuart.richards@purplebricks.com)or Adam Docwra (adam.docwra@purplebricks.com) The winner of this month’s champagne draw sponsored by Landmark Investments was guest member Michelle Thorniley of the LK Group, with the meal for two at Albert’s going to Dean Gormley of Irwin Mitchell. We look forward to seeing you all at our next event taking place on Thursday 4th July when we will be joined by Michael Brennan, Founder & CEO of Toot Toot. If you are not a member but are interested to get involved with MPG please contact us today info@mpg-nw.com and we would be more than happy to provide information on our membership options and upcoming vents. We look forward to seeing you all in July!!!   May’s event was kicked off by our MD Jason Roper with some good news for MPG, our very own Jordan Roper passing her exams to become a qualified Mortgage Advisor, a feat made ever more impressive in the fact she had done so while being 6 months pregnant. First up to speak this month was Michelle Dale of UHY Hacker Young who chose VAT and Construction Services as her update topic, very relevant to all of our Developers in the room with changes to the liability coming into effect later this year.  These rule changes will have certain exceptions but will still have an impact on the zero-rated construction industry. If you have any questions please contact Michell by email: - m.dale@uhy-uk.com. Our second guest speaker of the day was Mark Riley who is the Commercial Manager at Connell Brothers Limited. Connells have been partners of MPG from the very beginning and have worked with many of our Members and Partners over the years. Coming into the event with a topic of day advertised as “Asbestos – The Truth!”, Mark mixed things up by starting with an brief overview of Connell’s history before moving on to explain more of the specialist services they can provide including High Reach, Floor by Floor and Hand Separation but to name a few. Flicking through his slides Mark showed some Manchester landmarks which Connell’s have worked on over the years with mixed emotions from the attendees. A slide showing the demolition of the famous Hacienda was met with some whispers of disappointment (no surprises there) before a photo appeared of a half demolished Main Road Football Stadium, being the former home to Manchester City you can imagine the heckling which followed!!! Switching to a slightly more serious note with some key pieces of advise for any developers who are faced with a demolition project on a site they own, the biggest advise was to always carry out a full Refurbishment & Demolition Survey (R&D Survey) as failure to do so can be incredibly costly down the line. Other notable things to consider are the planning permission process prior to demolition and even things which sound so simple as the disconnection of services can be more time consuming and complex than you could imagine. For further information please contact Mark Riley: - mark.r@connellbrothers.co.uk The winner of this month’s champagne draw sponsored by Landmark Development Solutions was guest Ali Kader of Richmond Property, with the meal for two at The Albert Square Chop House going to Dean Gormley of Irwin Mitchell. We look forward to seeing you all at our next event taking place on Thursday 6th June when we will hear from Adam Docwra, Director of New Homes at Purple Bricks. If you are not a member but are interested to get involved with MPG please contact us today info@mpg-nw.com and we would be more than happy to provide information on our membership options and upcoming vents. We look forward to seeing you all in June!!!  TFGM Manchester freight - the fifth annual event. Clean air at the heart of it. Lomas delivers Client Chain Key note in Manchester. Post Bank Holiday sunshine, the Manchester event focused on informing and engaging the Freight sector on the Outline Business Case for the TFGM Manchester Clean Air Plan. Megan Black spoke passionately for Manchester, Lomas from the IOC looked at Client Chain driven decisions in express. Tracey Worth talked inclusion of millennials to the logistics workforce alongside DWP Job Centre Plus guru Alex Farkas. Lorna McAtear, Royal Mail, 'We are investing 7 million in new compliant delivery vehicles'. We are trialling everything from LNG, CNG and even e-bikes.' Toby Poston BVRLA, 'There is a growing demand for petrol vans.' The full house TFGM freight event delivered a cracking lunch and a magic mix of multi-modal operators. The target was to engage logistics industry operators and it delivered with final mile excellence from heavy LGV to two wheels and walking post. The forum with over fifty individual operators in the room, generated a better understanding of freight operations in GM. Informing and identifying future needs and the development of potential interventions, Megan Black, TFGM, 'clean air at the heart of it.'  Opening presentation, Greater Manchester Clean Air Proposals Megan Black, Interim Head of Logistics & Environment, TfGM opened, 'The goal of a clean air zone is to move people to cleaner vehicles.' 'We are looking to reduce NO2 as quickly as possible.' 'Tackling nitrogen dioxide, what we are planning and proposing, the next steps' Starting with the problem, air quality, it brings life expectancy down six months. The two categories, nitrogen dioxide and second, the particulates. 'Diesel vehicles are the largest source of nitrogen dioxide, Govt has asked local authorities to deal with the air quality. 60 local authorities, GM is working together for a plan for Greater Manchester. Clean air zones, from class A bus, (private hire and taxi), Class B and C split between 3.5 tonne grades, Class d for cars and motorcycles.' Megan clarified congestion zones and clean air zones are not the same. 'the goal of a clean air zone is to move people to cleaner vehicles.' We recognise we need to support change, we are asking govt for funds for vehicle renewal. 'Clean freight fund'. We are looking to extend infrastructure, we want to increase charging points by 600. Sustainable journeys, looking at behaviour change for travel. We want to see retro fitting recognised. Assumed clean air penalty fees look like seven pounds fifty for car and LGV van, one hundred pounds for truck for a zone that covers all of Greater Manchester. We have asked govt for 25 million to cover infrastructure. 'This is not a penalty, we assume the majority of people will upgrade using the support schemes.' We want to hear your views, we have a six week consultation; 13th May to 23rd June, there will be further consultation in the summer. Carl Lomas MBE, Chairman Institute of Couriers, and TFGM chair of Urban deliveries. Key note: ' Looking through a new lens.' 'Alternative vehicles, alternative fuels, consolidation and saving miles in final mile.'  'Compliance may be the only step to drive purchase of zero emission.' Lomas asked guest to look with a new lens at the delivery, alternative fuels, alternative vehicles, consolidation, look with a lens of clean air. Then showcased a Carmen Livery cart board, 500 years of clean delivery licenced then at five shillings and relevant today as it was then to see clean delivery. Lomas talked, reducing miles with consolidation and client chain perception, taking a look through the lens we see clean air with. Taking the vote - Lomas asked the acceptability of consolidation to office delivery for home e-retail. Your office is a consolidation zone, a hundred deliveries here today or a hundred locations to your homes this evening. Big numbers voted against home to delivery to the office with the example of food but even bigger numbers voted work related home deliveries were acceptable. 90% sent home delivery to the office is acceptable on the example of reading spectacles. 80% said food was not an acceptable delivery to the office (using chocolates as a birthday present example) 50% said small items are acceptable delivery to the office 500 years ago cart-boards began the licencing of clean streets for London, today the lens is clean air but the principles remain. Express explosion and increasing city density, the challenge to deliver clean air solutions. Corporate excellence with DPD and their London SW1 micro depot, all EV. To deliver with less miles. False volume and returns at the heart of the problem. It's not all vans. Lomas touched on Cycle consolidation zones in Vienna, could we see these in Greater Manchester. Making a business case for the owner driver covering low miles in inner city delivery zones compounded with the challenges of charging the van at home and availability of new vehicles leaves the land of zero emission in the hands of the corporate fleets. Chris Swan, Head of Rail at Tarmac. How the construction sector can meet today's challenges 'We need capacity on rail to get heavy freight on trains.' Chris took a lens from the rail and heavy vehicle sector, 'Rail freight in Greater Manchester & meeting the future challenges. 'We need capacity on rail to get freight on trains.' Talking Tarmac, new sites, new technology, a new way to off load trains in Greater Manchester. Using rail to move heavy materials and make use of economics to get that material into the city. Rail need for passengers is a challenge to freight in the opportunity for growth. Cost of signalling and cost of sites at rail heads is a challenge. If you use rail in your supply it is far cleaner air delivery per tonne than road. From the Key notes optional workshop sessions with round tables followed. Workshop One - Tracey Worth, IOC, DFT, Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce (STAT) and Diversity in transport chair. Tracey Worth talked 'inclusion of workforce for logistics in a modern business,'  'Millennials, 35% of your next employees will look at your policy for inclusion before they make a job application to your company.' 'This session explores challenges and opportunities for the freight sector.' 'STAT is a voluntary, cross-sector industry body that has been given the responsibility for promoting awareness and access to apprenticeships, sector diversity and promoting transport as a career.' 'Adding value to your logistics company with inclusion of workforce. Think millennials and your next generation workforce, inclusion is changing and makes your future workforce.' Asking the workshops to talk understanding in inclusion for logistics workforce success. 'Creating ambition in freight workforce. Understanding representation, mirroring society, staff retention.' All hot topics. Today let me give you a toolkit. It's free and available to you. Let me give you an invitation, Transport Minister Jesse Norman MP welcomes you to Portcullis House Westminster to launch the freight sector diversity and inclusivity platform for logistics, the date for your diary is May 29th Workshop two - Research into key issues in the freight sector. A double bubble delivery, Royal Mail & BVRLA. Lorna McAtear, Royal Mail, 'We are investing 7 million in new delivery vehicles. We are trialling everything from LNG, CNG and even e-bikes.'  Lorna McAtear, Royal Mail, 'The red fleet, a big number of vans, we collect post boxes, 143 thousand employees, 93,000 walking post using trollies. We are trialling e-bikes. We are trialling CNG. London ULEZ, we had 385 none compliant vehicles, a charge of 1.8m for those vehicles. We swapped out over 600 vehicles pre-ULEZ to other locations. Making it easy for your drivers, is the vehicle complaint, we made a bunch of stickers to identify euro 4, euro 5, euro 6 vehicles. We are trialling infrastructure and electricity supply wins. 'Its about the right vehicle at the right time in the right place.' The group was challenged to consider the issues posed by clean air zones and the London ULEZ. The session consider compliance solutions such as the role of rental and leasing in the zones, as well as discussing potential mitigation measures available. Toby Poston talked lease vehicles being the cleanest on the road. Getting the correct vehicle for clean air zones and post Brexit regs. Understand CNG LNG in heavy fleets. We are seeing a growing request for petrol vans. Workshop three - Safe Urban Driving (SUDS) Course, helping to evaluate the course. Rachel Scott, Delivery Manager at TfGM Rachel made a brief introduction to SUD training for raising awareness of vulnerable road users - this was an interactive workshop and a chance to find out more about this training, an opportunity to feed back for those that have some experience of this and discuss ways of making this offer more useful for safety on the road. Concluding the event - Round up and the votes. Do you agree GM needs a clean air plan? 96% said yes Do you know about the GM plan? 88% said yes Do you broadly agree with the GM clean air plan? 78% said No TFGM freight event April 2019, a great success in the northern city heartland of logistics. * Take forward practical operational initiatives of benefit to industry but which also reduce externalities; * Act as an initial source of communication on other initiatives that have an impact on the industry as the Logistics Strategy is implemented Megan Black with Carl Lomas and the 500 year vehicle taxation of Cartmarking in the City of London. Clean air is at the heart of it.  For lots more detail on this week's extracts, take a look at the IOC detailed web news<https://instituteofcouriers.com>. Institute of Couriers www.ioc.uk.com Institute of Couriers is the govt stakeholder organisation; it is the voice for the Express delivery and courier sector. It hosts four heads of industry events each year, the National Courier Awards in October and the fellows' gowning in February. Key networking events include the Mansion House transport banquet in March and the Guildhall Cartmarking in July. There is a fellows' Sunday email briefing for the week ahead and urgent news shots regarding items such as major road closures or alerts such as the Taylor answers on modern workforce status. Research by the Institute includes, 'Where does our express sector fit within supply chain?' 'Is the new e-retail explosion really a client chain?' 'Would consolidation solve final mile congestion?' Latest research is on 'how do people shop online?' A four-year longitudinal study of consumer value of time in final mile. What is a worker status in Express? - 'Taylor'; IoC was proud to see over fifty thousand final mile individuals represented to respond to the 2017 May deadline with a detailed explanation of how the sector engages its workforce. A code of conduct and practice is emerging from that work Recent reports from the three national trade shows, IntralogisteX, CV and Multimodal and the largest transport conference in Europe, Microlise can all be found on the IoC web. IoC works with DfT, TfGM and TfL with their LoCITY programme for alternative fuel final mile solutions. Facilitating the Trailblazer employer group for Express qualifications with DfE, IFA, mapping qualifications to delivery material in the sector and acting as the EQA for those qualifications. IOC is aligned with DWP & JCP for next generation workforce. Becoming a fellow begins with a call to the IOC CEO Tracey Worth 07976 263745. 2019 key dates April 16th - Logistics Joint Services Carmen dinner, City of London April 25th - TfGM 5th annual freight forum - Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham delivers keynote, 'largest clean air zone outside London.' April 30th to May 2nd Commercial vehicle show CV Show at the NEC - Vans rule as truck numbers fall in an NEC showcase of all things commercial transport. www.cvshow.com. The Show attracts close to 21,000 business visitors and its central location at the NEC Birmingham, ensures a truly nationwide attendance. For operators it's the annual meeting place and for sector suppliers the ultimate showcase for products and services. May 15th - Microlise Conference, Ricoh Arena Coventry. The biggest transport logistics keynotes in the UK www.microliseconference.com. May 24th - TfL LoCITY Light Vehicle group meeting - Palestra House TfL London SE1 May 29th - DFT Diversity in logistics, Minister Jesse Norman, Port Cullis House Westminster. Operator best practice event, chaired by Tracey Worth, reception hosted by Jacquie O'Donovan. Key notes include Alastair Cochrane Whistl, Kate Lester, Diamond Logistics, HS2 Mark Lomas. Westminster London SW1. June 5th Warehouse Technology Group - John Munnelly, Head of Operations at John Lewis & Partners talks reverse logistics in Manchester at the MANTRA hosted event. June 18th-19th City Transport & Traffic Innovation Exhibition. Arena MK, the CiTTi Exhibition is an exciting brand-new event that will gather the industry together to explore how innovations within traffic and transport will help the movement of people and goods through an urban environment safely and efficiently. June 18th-20th Multimodal at the NEC 12 years in the making - new dates - Birmingham, road, rail, air and sea transportation. www.multimodal.org.uk. June 25th Freight Traffic Control 2025 project, London. Policy implications for urban last mile delivery, keynote by professor Phil Blythe chief scientific advisor to DFT. Attendance is free and to book a place please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/joint-symposium-meeting-its-uk-and-freight-control-traffic-tickets-56635390979. July 2nd Logistics Skills Alliance Vision 2025 round table Heathrow. Free to operators. July 17th Cartmarking. - 503rd year of marking of carts in Guildhall Yard, City of London. Sept 9th deadline for DCPC. Truck, bus or coach 'drivers must have completed their 35 hours of periodic training in last five years of this second block. Sept 24th - 27th IMHX A proven platform for the intralogistics industry to do business, and takes place at the NEC, Birmingham. www.imhx.net. Oct 15th National Courier Awards - Hosted at the Institute of Directors Pall Mall, best of the best for all things final mile, van drivers to managers showcasing excellence in delivery. Nov 6th Freight in the City at Ally Pally - make a date with the best fireworks in London from top of the N22 hill. Seminars and showcase of all challenges to urban logistics. 2020 key dates Feb 28th IOC Fellows Gowning at the House of Lords. March 31st / April 1st Intralogistex - Richo Arena Coevntry June 2nd - 14th Transaid Land's End to John O'Groats cycle ride. Have you got a cup of tea ready for IOC Chair Carl Lomas to pit-stop at your depot on his 25-year-old courier cycle? Institute of Couriers www.ioc.uk.com. Institute of Couriers is the govt stakeholder organisation, it is the voice for the Express delivery and courier sector. Hosting four heads of industry events each year, the National Courier Awards in October and the fellows gowning in Feb. Key networking events include the Mansion House transport banquet in March and the Guildhall Cartmarking in July. There is a fellows Sunday email briefing for the week ahead and urgent news shots regarding items such as major road closure or alerts such as the Taylor answers on modern workforce status. Research by the Institute includes, 'Where does our express sector fit within supply chain?' 'Is the new e-retail explosion really a client chain?' 'Would consolidation solve final mile congestion?' Latest research is on 'how do people shop online?' A four year longitudinal study of consumer value of time in final mile. What is a worker status in Express 'Taylor', IoC was proud to see over fifty thousand final mile individuals represented to respond to the 2017 May deadline with a detailed explanation of how the sector engages its workforce. A code of conduct and practice is emerging from that work Recent reports from the three national trade shows, IntralogisteX, CV and Multimodal and the largest transport conference in Europe, Microlise can all be found on the IoC web. IoC works with DfT, TfGM and TfL with their LoCITY programme for alternative fuel final mile solutions. Facilitating the Trailblazer employer group for Express qualifications with DfE, IFA, mapping qualifications to delivery material in the sector and acting as the EQA for those qualifications. IOC is aligned with DWP & JCP for next generation workforce. Becoming a fellow begins with a call to the IOC CEO Tracey Worth MPG Ambassador, Carl Lomas MBE blogged the MPG April meeting. Corned beef hash and brown sauce with mini burgers was the order of the day for the monthly hot spot Chop House venue of the Manchester Property Group with standing room only. A treat was in store with details of the council’s workings by it’s own Deputy Executive Leader, a review of the budget by Clive Gawthorpe, UHY Hacker Young and a look at the question, ‘buy the property or buy the company?’ Purple Bricks were in the room, as were champagne sponsors Landmark Development Solutions and members of Mahdlo to call for support on July 6th for the three peaks Saddleworth challenge.  MAHDLO challenge July 6th MPG founder and property guru, Jason Roper opened the April Manchester Property Group meeting with property value numbers, ‘Nationwide reported a first fall in values since 2012, the typical buyer spends £330,000 but this still remains a challenge to first time buyers.’ Jason detailed help to buy with a wide update of the deal for first timers on new builds, ‘let’s talk second steppers, it looks like their deal is coming to an end. Help to buy is about to tighten and focus on just First timers.’ Jason introduced the guest speaker, ‘An Oldham Athletic supporter’ Hush quiet as the audience was in for a treat, an insight into the workings of the council first hand by the deputy leader.  MPG full house as Jason Roper opens April’s event. The guest speaker for the April meeting was Executive Deputy Leader of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Cllr Bill Fairfoull. ‘Yes an Oldham Athletic fan’ Now a proud Ambassador of MPG, Bill explained how he took his first steps in property at Manchester College of building, before being elected for council in 2010. In his everyday life he’s also an Auditor. Some of Bill’s first jobs as a councillor included a tree under preservation order and a smoking shelter but to name a few as he continued to give the attendees a quick overview of the workings of local government as well as the Northern Powerhouse numbers, GM circa 2.75 million people in a UK of 65 million. The insight showed how a council executive has a great diversity mix with strong female representation that has led to good constructive communication. He also went on to explain the funding received by Tameside that has been falling since 2010, a year, not raising council tax is a big challenge to the budget and last year the number was £175 million not helped by things such as Carillion and the Stalybridge Moor fires both of which were costly. Bill went on to talk planning and green belt both of which are huge decisions for the next generations, affordability and availably of houses, first time buyers, population growth and land availability, ‘we need decisions that support the next generation’ before closing with the plan to be Carbon neutral by 2040 in Greater Manchester.  Cllr Bill Fairfoull ‘Workings of the council’ Standing room only at the April MPG was a big advantage to those at the back who were in for a treat of the first corned beef hash, layered on brown sauce for a perfect foundation of property folk networking at what has become the Manchester place to be for all things property. ‘Let’s review the budget for property.’ Clive Gawthorpe- Tax Partner UHY Hacker Young & MPG Co-Founder first opened with the question. ‘Should I buy the company? Or should I buy the property?’ Clive looked at the downside, ‘due diligence on the company, tax & VAT can often be more intense than due diligence on the property.’ Issues of stamp duty, presently due 14 days after completion. The hidden tax, tax on property, property is stock, beware of the hidden tax! Another view for negotiation, the seller has to pay tax, find out how much that tax is, then get back to the table and negotiate with a view of tax on both sides of the deal.  UHY, Clive Gawthorpe delivers the numbers on buying the property or buying the company in a working example. The winner of the champagne draw, sponsored by Landmark Development Solutions was one of MPG’s newest members Ian Chow of Bee in the City with the meal for 2 at Albert’s being won by Peter Lim of SAM Properties. Get your diary set for May 2nd and be sure not to miss this event with a delivery a presentation from MPG partners Connell Brothers Demolition with the topic, ‘Asbestos - the truth!’  As usual the event was kicked off by our MD Jason Roper commenting yet again on what a fantastic turnout with standing room only at the back of the room. Jason’s subject of choice this month was the planning application process born off not only his own experience of the process but the experiences and difficulties which some of his clients are encountering on a weekly basis. As Jason elaborated more he posed the question of how the planning process can be improved for the better, how can developers work closer with the planning officers and local authorities in order to reduce the time in which it takes to get a planning application through. Many options were touched on, mostly common sense, however, Jason will be updating us throughout 2019 as he himself will be lobbying for change by speaking to the local authorities to see how everyone can work together and hopefully look to implement some much-needed changes in the near future. Jason did close by saying this is not the same across the country and indeed some local authorities lead by example, however its consistency we need. Next up was a short video message from MPG Director Fiona McKay who is currently busy working on a project out in Dubai. Fiona talks of International Women’s day and her #FEEDBACKFIRSTCAMPAIGN. (see video below) Our first guest speaker this month was Craig Jones of Energy Gain UK. Craig provided some very interesting statistics relating to Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy market growth, Carbon Reduction, Energy Wastage and Renewable Energy. More interesting reasoning also showed why energy pricing are currently increasing at the rate of 6% per annum, these include wholesale & transportation costs, government taxes, exchange rates and changing weather such as the beast from the east which produced a 10 year high in UK energy prices. Craig also discussed the Feed in Tariff which was a government backed incentive to install solar photovoltaics and other green technologies which ends in March 2019. Despite this scheme coming to an end it’s far from being the end. For example, from a landlord’s perspective installing solar photovoltaics can have many benefits including a revenue stream by selling the generated power to the tenants at market value, capital allowance benefits, increased energy performance as well as creating great CRS and marketing opportunities. Please visit their web address for more details on the variety of services Energy Gain UK have to offer - https://energygain.co.uk/  Second to take to the floor was Michelle Thorniley of the LK Group. Michelle got straight to the point, she explained the definition of contaminated land and the impact and potential costs implications it can have for a developer if they fail to carry out the correct DD from day one. The basic theme was that paying out for a concise Preliminary Risk Assessments and Site Investigations can be incredibly beneficial and account for huge costs savings when it comes to the remediation process and the ultimate validation of that remediation. For a full idea of the service which Michelle and the LK Group can offer please visit their website: - http://www.thelkgroup.com  The winner of this month’s champagne draw sponsored by Landmark Development Solutions was Wayne Radcliffe, with the meal for two at Albert’s going to Tony Houlihan, FC Developments.
We look forward to seeing you all at our next event taking place on Thursday 4th April when we will hear from Cllr Bill Fairfoull, Deputy Leader of Tameside TMBC for the latest on the Spatial Framework. We will also be hearing from our very own Clive Gawthorpe who will update us on Brexit, VAT and significance of the Chancellors recent speech. If you are not a member but are interested to get involved with MPG please contact us today info@mpg-nw.com and we would be more than happy to provide information on our membership options and upcoming events. We look forward to seeing you all in April!!!  Jason Roper MD kicks of MPG February 2019 One thing that has been guaranteed with MPG events over the last 12 months is a full house and yet again it was standing room only for February’s event as we were joined by many new members and guests. Proceedings were kicked off by our ever-vocal MD Jason Roper with his trademark take on recent events in the market. The first piece of exciting news was the announcement that Purple bricks have now joined MPG as the latest in a long list of high-profile partners offering evermore ranging services to our members. Although only seven years old Purple bricks have already grown to become the largest and probably also the most recognised Estate Agency in the Country and have recently expanded to both the US and Australia with an ever-growing positive reputation. One of the newest additions to the Purple bricks business in the UK is the New Homes team which was set up just 18 months ago to provide a bespoke and professional service dealing directly with property developers. The team is headed up by Directors Stuart Richards and Adam Docwra who will also be speaking at an MPG event in the coming months to explain how they are hoping to revolutionise the way developers sell new homes with potentially huge cost savings.  Opening the main proceedings this month was MPG Ambassador Bill Fairfoull, Deputy Executive Leader of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, who provided us with a brief update on the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework Consultation (GMSF) which ends on 18th March 2019. Bill explained for those unaware, that GMSF was launched as a plan to provide the right homes in the right place for people across the Greater Manchester Region as well as at the same time improving infrastructure to ensure the future prosperity of Greater Manchester. The plan is focused om making the most of Greater Manchester’s brownfield sites to address the housing crisis with a minimum target of 50,000 additional affordable homes (30,000 which are to be social). The consultation period ends on 18th March 2019 so you don’t have long left, but should you wish to get involved please follow this web address: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/ www.gmconsult.org Bill will be joining us again in April to provide a more detailed update once the GMSF consultation period has ended and he hopes to be able to highlight some of the news which has by then began to filter out.  Great talk by Stuart Law at MPG Feb 2019 Next up was our guest speaker, Stuart Law, Founder and CEO of Assetz Group. As well as being the Founder of Assetz Group which includes Assetz Capital and Assetz Property, Stuart is also one of the UK’s leading economists his opinions can be found in numerous publications including the finance section of the Guardian. Stuart gave a very interesting insight into his background and how he came from wanting a career writing computer codes to be the founder of one of the UK’s leading Peer-to-Peer lending businesses. Hitting some very important points along the way, Stuart talked of the economic cycle, the traditional tell-tale signs and how and other leading UK economists saw the last recession hit from 2007 in such a fashion. Talking on the subject of peer-to-peer lending, Stuart explained the difference between banks and peer-to-peer lenders and for property developers the main points being the peer-to-peer lenders flexibility in terms offered, as opposed to traditional high street banks. Our MD Jason Roper also works for Assetz Capital and if you require development finance please get in touch with him on Jason.roper@assetzcapital.co.uk for a fast and flexible approach to funding. We look forward to seeing you all at our next evet taking place on Thursday 7th March when we will hear from Michelle Thorniley from LK Group talking about all development issues from contaminated land, Flood Risk plus much more a topic never touched on at MPG before, so it’s sure to be informative. We will also be hearing from Energy Gain UK giving us the final roll call for solar panel with the ever-looming Feed-it Tariff (FIT) closing on 31st March 2019 If you are not a member but are interested to get involved with MPG please contact us today info@mpg-nw.com and we would be more than happy to provide information on our membership options and upcoming vents. We look forward to seeing you all in March!!!   Check out this article about MPG Ambassador Fiona McKay from The Business Desk.com about the continued success of Lightbulb Leadership Solutions, and its expansion plans for the coming year...
 Chris Clough holds court to a packed house at MPG Jan 2019 MPG ambassador, Carl Lomas MBE blogs,UHY Hacker Young property guru Clive Gawthorpe opening the MPG 2019 January event to a full house, all seats taken and folk standing at the back. In what has become the property networking must attend event for developers in Manchester, who want to talk shop with fellows in a no sell environment, that exchanges vision from new build to refurb. January was an exceptional turn out, toad in the hole to finish after a headline run through 2019 budget for property and a full trade secrets showcase of the property insurance brokerages. All that and champagne prizes supported by Landmark Investments!  Clive Gawthorpe - MPG Jan 2019 Clive Gawthorpe from UHY Hacker Young explained budget updates focused on property in a condensed master class of key titles. Capital Allowance to increase from 200k to 1 milion. 'Give something, take it away.' Clawing back some tax relief, it's an end to 100% allowance for products on the energy technology list. Passing on sub-contractors VAT will be a new challenge. Moving to letting relief reform and property tax for overseas landlords. Clive to a healthy set of questions from the floor, brexit had to come up, 'My prediction is a no deal.'  Carl Abbott of LIFT Insurance - MPG Jan 2019 The MPG group has become renowned for advice inside the box. The full house January meeting talked property insurance. Carl Abbott of LIFT Insurance spoke frankly, brokers work on fee or commission, if they didn't ask for a fee they are receiving in the thirty per-cent ball park of commission. 'Tips on the best deal for you, choose a broker by reputation, ask around.' With a full house of property developers MPG events a perfect measure. Back to nuisiness, 'let me explain, don't ask two brokers to compete from the same insurer, as a broker if I press my favourite insurer for a best deal for you I can negotiate, the minute a second broker places the request to the same insurer, the price is fixed. If you do shop between brokers as them for quotes identifying specific insurers, leave your negotiation open for maximum discount. Think about the optional extras, NIG offer kitchen or bathroom pods at the property after a fire, keep them serviceable and let. Cyber is an option, extortion and even media liabilty. When you place the business be sure to explain what you do. Don't just tell them you are a builder. If working at heights or depths, this is often excluded, if its excluded, you have not told them, then you are not covered and your policy is money spent for no cover. When you are negotiating, try to get the insurer in the room, ask the broker to get the insurer in the room, if the insurer sees you as a low risk the premium is going to be better. Don't go too far, if you ask the World then the broker may walk away. My final advice, cheapest is not always best, ask your broker for the cheapest deal and then ask for the deal your broker recommends. Next MPG event is February 7th, clear your diary! Here comes that time of year when not only are we jolly but our diaries are busier than ever ahead of the Christmas break so thank you once again for taking the time to join us at this months Manchester Property Group. As always we heard from our enthusiastic MD Jason Roper who covered hot property topics including the UKs acute affordable housing shortage and Manchester's outstanding housing profit performance. Manchester is now considered in the Top 10 Global Destinations for Investment and dubbed the 'London of the North' what a time to be in business in this fantastic city! 2018 has given us many memories to take with into 2019. We have celebrated the centenary year of the Vote for Women, endured the Beast from the East which stopped us in our tracks and not forgetting that we almost brought it home.... Here at MPG we have been privileged to host and hear from many fantastic Guest Speakers over the past 12 months educating us on everything from Feedback in the Workplace to properties of Political Inspiration right here in Manchester! And this months guest did not disappoint...we were joined by serial entrepreneur Brendan Flood, Chairman of Edge Real Estate, University College of Football Business (UCFB) and Director of Burnley Football Club.  Brendan Flood and Jason Roper December 2018 Brendan opened up with his best but also worst time of his career, May 2009. This month signifies when Burnley played and won against Sheffield in the Championship playoff but also saw Brendan's property Development company Modus Ventures go into administration not 4 days later. Brendan then shared his path of discovery and re-invention that followed and what he believes important to be successful in business.  Brendan Flood holds court at MPG December 2018 We heard next about Brendan's time in the boardroom, here he explained that 'there's nothing wrong with a good argument as long as it ends in peace. If you want to achieve, have a go. Set your intentions and it will happen'.
A worthwhile daily mantra from a well versed businessman. Next we heard about UCFB Burnley and it's students. Brendan explained that he focused ons creating an environment where students would thrive and love learning about sport with an ambitious goal of want to have a student in every stadium and regulatory body in the next 10 years. Read more about UCFB here: https://www.ucfb.com/ With ongoing property developments across the country Brendan has got a lot to look forward to in 2019 and no doubt we will see more of this established businessman as his empire grows. If you would like to know more about Brendan's journey you can purchase his book Big Club, Small Town and Me here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Club-Small-Town-Me/dp/0955953413 From the beginning we have heard regularly from MPG ambassador Terry Flanagan and his involvement in the revolutionary company Tootoot. Tootoot have created the only App in the world that allows safe reporting for victims of bullying. Tootoot is now live across the country in numerous schools, sport clubs and is now expanding into the work place with big companies such as AO.com<http://ao.com/> and Morrison's keen to sign up. If you'd like to support or install this amazing application in your workplace visit their website and find out how here: https://tootoot.co.uk/ For the past 12 months we have supported the amazing youth charity Mahdlo https://www.mahdloyz.org/ MD Jason spotlighted an upcoming event for the charity, a business breakfast with Sir Norman Stoller, not to be missed! If you'd like to attend follow the link below to book your place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/business-breakfast-with-sir-norman-stoller-cbe-kstj-dl-tickets-51015446574 Thank you to this month's champagne sponsor Landmark Development Solutions. Winners of our monthly business card draw were Austin Hornsby and Carl Abbot. We look forward to seeing you at January's event on 10/01 when we will hear from Carl Abbot at LIFT - Insurance. Don't forget MPG are ready to help and support so if you would like information on how we can help you and your business get in touch with the team today at: https://www.mpg-nw.com/contact.html Another successful event followed by much festivity enjoyed by all. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us here at MPG! |
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