John Neighbour is retiring after 45 years with HB Accountants

A letter from our former Tax Director, now Tax Consultant,
Mr John Neighbour

I joined HB in September 1976 from Thomson McLintock (now part of KPMG) in order to set up a tax department.  At that time, we were based in London at Coventry House near Liverpool Street Station.  45 years & 4 office moves later, we are now based at Plumpton House in Hoddesdon. Over the past few years, I have been winding down my time commitments & at present I am typically working about two days per week. At the same time my tax manager, Amy Thompson, has been taking on more responsibility. 

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Why is effective credit control so critical for your business?

Effective credit control is fundamental to ensuring a business has a regular flow of cash. Securing a good cash flow is one of the most important aspects of running a business in order to enable sustainable growth or to support a fight for survival. As we emerge from a pattern of lockdowns and openings, it’s never been more important to ensure your business is in the strongest financial position possible.

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We love the Apprenticeship Scheme!

We’re big fans of the apprenticeship scheme. A number of young people have now started their careers at HB this way, either as trainee accountants. Last September, we employed two new trainee accountants, Max and Taylor, on our apprenticeship scheme. This is what they told us about their first few weeks with HB.

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Just announced: Additional financial support will be available for businesses who have been impacted by the Omicron variant

Rishi Sunak has announced that £1 billion of additional support will be available for businesses most affected by Omicron across the UK with businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises. Plus more discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support other businesses

What additional financial support is being made available?

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How networking will boost your growth

The old adage ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ is more relevant today than ever. People do business with people they know, like and trust and for a business to grow, it’s team and management need to meet and build relationships. A fantastic way to do this is by networking: be this in person or virtually. Not only can you build those all-important business connections, you can also learn a tremendous amount by listening to different experiences and insights.

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Meet Keith Grover – Director, Ferrari enthusiast and HB stalwart

For the past 35 years, Keith Grover has worked at the heart of HB Accountants, he is our Audit and Accounts Hero and has seen many changes over the years. He first joined us back in 1986, there was one DOS-based computer for use by the whole office (if you don’t remember DOS-based computers, Google it, it means you are young). No mobile phones and two thirds of the office was male and the women usually worked as secretaries, thankfully things have changed. Fast forward to today when over half the office is female and we’re moving to fully digitised taxation and accounting systems. The one thing that remains, as Keith explains, is that clients still expect the same dedication and thorough understanding of their business. It’s this personal touch that sets HB apart.

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How does the Autumn Budget 2021 impact on you and your business? Find out here

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak presented his third Budget on 27 October 2021. In his speech he set out the plans to “build back better” with ambitions to level up and reduce regional inequality. Find out how the Budget impacts on you and your business below

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