Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

By David Butler, director of Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants, Lammas Street, Carmarthen The first few months of the new year sees many people launching new businesses. It’s a challenging time . . . You’ve got to think about that all-important business plan, decide on your trading structure, work out what accounting systems you are going to use and take on board sound financial advice. If you're just starting up in business, your accountant will have stressed how important it is to stay on top of your record keeping. Although other elements of your business may seem more pressing, it's essential to set aside enough time each week to ensure that your books are in order - keep putting it off and you'll quickly find that your accounts become unmanageable. Here are five key ways to take charge of your bookkeeping. 1- With the help of your accountant, create a calendar or spreadsheet of important tax-related dates and place it whe...

Strange days at County Hall in Carmarthen. They have taken to using the council website to lob hand grenades at all-comers. Here's the latest volley issued as a press release . . . make of it what you will. ----------------------------------- Many councillors and officials at Carmarthenshire County Council say they are bitterly disappointed and frustrated at misinformation being circulated around the recent public interest report issued by the Wales Audit Office. As such, they have today published correspondence between themselves and the Wales Audit Office in order for people to judge for themselves as to what has actually taken place, ahead of the extraordinary council meeting which has been called to debate the Public Interest Report later this month (February 27). Whilst the intention had been to present this information to councillors at the meeting, the scale and persistent nature of the misinformation in circulation has led the council to publish it earlier and s...

Carmarthenshire residents are being urged by Trading Standards to seek advice if they have overspent at Christmas and got into financial difficulties. Trading Standards officers warn that Christmas puts a great strain on the family budget. There is enormous pressure on everyone to spend a lot on presents and entertaining, and as the credit card bills arrive in the New Year, people will start to feel the effects of having missed payments on essential bills to fund the festive season. Trading Standards' advice to residents who find themselves in financial difficulties is to contact the  Carmarthenshire Citizens' Advice Bureau, in the first instance, and ask to speak to an expert who can give them specialist advice in relation to Debt on: 01267 231275 Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9 am to 4pm.

Hywel Dda Health Board | “Remarkable achievement”: NHS Wales breaks-even Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has congratulated Local Health Boards across Wales on meeting financial targets for 2011-12. The Minister thanked managers for what she called a “remarkable achievement” given the financial challenges facing NHS Wales. Provisional figures issued by the Welsh Government show all NHS organisations have met their financial targets in 2011-12, making a small surplus of £0.5million. The Health Minister said achieving financial balance had also been delivered against a pattern of general improvement and maintenance against key delivery priorities.

Hywel Dda Health Board | Securing the finances to deliver highest quality healthcare Hywel Dda Health Board has succeeded in reaching a break-even position at the end of the financial year. At the same time, clinical care has been of the highest quality, with the Board reaching or exceeding the vast majority of clinical performance targets, bosses say. HDHB Chairman Chris Martin, and Chief Executive Trevor Purt announced the news and thanked staff for their continued hard work and dedication towards patient care at the latest Health Board meeting.

On the day when the Chancellor of the Exchequer was delivering the 2012 Budget, students at Aberystwyth University’s School of Management and Business were receiving a master class in commerce from leading financier George Ashworth. An Aberystwyth University economics graduate, George is Managing Director of Asset Finance at Aldermore Bank, one of only five financial institutions to have signed up to the UK Government’s new National Loan Guarantee Scheme. Sixteen SMB students attended the morning workshop which focused on exploring George's career within the financial sector to help students to develop their understanding of the key employability attributes and skills they need to be successful. With the emphasis on understanding the real challenges faced by business, the students were set a challenge of their own; to prepare a creative solution to a current business scenario at Aldermore Bank. The winning team of Nathan Mears, Alexandra Gencheva, Xiang Li and Helen Froelich wil...

An independent financial expert from Carmarthen is embarking on a mission to make more people aware of the ‘Attendance Allowance’.  Huw Jones, of KHL Trust Services, suspects that many people are missing out on claiming the benefit. He is worried that many people don’t realise the ‘Attendance Allowance’ scheme exists and that those who know about the benefit cannot face the paperwork involved in filing a claim. “In short, I suspect that if we surveyed the matter in Carmarthenshire, we would find that many people are losing out on Attendance Allowance,” said Mr Jones. If you are receiving care from family members or paying for care either at home or in a residential care home you are almost certainly entitled to Attendance Allowance. The allowance can be for up to £73.60 per week (shortly to be increased to £77.45 per week). “It is money that has been allocated by the Government to cover care issues,” said Mr Jones. “The pot of money is there, but many people don’t realise...