- "In the last 20 years our business has changed considerably…and as the focus of our business has changed, Bird Luckin have moved with us."
Alex Tanner, George Tanner (Shalford) Ltd - "Bird Luckin has looked after us incredibly well for over 60 years, they are pro-active and innovational - meeting all our needs to help us achieve our aims."
Richard Stubbings, Cliffords Limited - "I can honestly say that Bird Luckin are the best firm of accountants and auditors I have ever dealt with - and I don't say that lightly!"
Colin Webb, Walthamstow Stadium - "It's important for us to know that we will always be able to contact the right people to give us the right advice and support."
Jane Bennett, Bennetts Funeral Directors - "Although we deal mainly with one Partner … we also know that if we need to contact someone else who is a specialist in another area, we can get the advice we need quickly and easily"
Jeremy Ruggles, J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd - "Bird Luckin got us to a stage which would have taken us months - if not years - to reach on our own, and they got us there in a matter of weeks"
Matthew Sullivan, SNC Ltd - "You can be a good accountant, but if you don't have an understanding of the industry it can be very difficult. "There are two or three people we have regular contact with at Bird Luckin who know our business well, and it makes a difference.""
Robert Church, W A Church (Bures) Ltd - "The work which Bird Luckin has done for Boddingtons over the past few months has helped shape our future direction for the better."
John Warner, Chief Executive, Boddingtons Ltd - "Bird Luckin has acted for us since our inception 10 years ago. They have a very 'can do' yet highly professional attitude - we are very appreciative of their support and advice over the years."
Marlon Fox, Outlook Property Ltd
An outline summary
Spending reviews have been part of the governmental landscape since the late 1990s, but none have garnered quite the anticipation of the one which the Coalition government has just delivered.
What follows is an outline summary of the main points:
- Chancellor announces four-year public expenditure plan.
Debt and spending
- Current debt interest payments total £43 billion a year. Debt interest payments will be lower by £1 billion in 2012, £1.8 billion in 2013 and £3 billion in 2014, a total of £5.8 billion over the course of the Spending Review.
- Next year, expenditure will be £651 billion, rising to £693 billion by 2014/15.
Departmental cuts
- Government departmental cuts to average 19 per cent.
- Whitehall administrative costs to be cut by £6 billion.
- The core Cabinet Office budget will be reduced by £55 million by 2014/15.
- Treasury budget to fall by 33 per cent.
- MOD spending to fall by 8 per cent to £33.5 biliion in 2014/15.
- Foreign Office to lose 24 per cent of Budget by 2014/15.
- Home Office budget to be cut by 6 per cent.
- Department of Business to reduce spending by 7.1 per cent.
- Ministry of Justice budget to be cut by 6 per cent per year down from £9.5 billion to £7 billion over four years.
- Funding for the Department for Energy and Climate Change will fall by an average 5 per cemt a year and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs must save an average of 8 per cent a year.
Effects of the cuts
- OBR predicts reduction headcount of 490,000 in public sector over next four years.
Pensions
- State pension age to rise to 66 for men and women by 2020, four years ahead of the previous plan. It will start to rise from 65 to 66 from 2018.
- Public sector pensions to save an additional £1.8 billion by 2014/15.
- Savings credit for pensioners to be frozen for four years.
Welfare
- The Department for Work and Pensions must find savings from the £200 billion benefit bill on top of those identified in the Budget.
- New universal credit to replace benefits and tax credits over the course of the next two Parliaments.
- Removal of child benefit from higher earners confirmed.
- Child benefit to stay for children until they leave school.
- Further increases in child element of Child Tax Credit.
Health and education
- Total health spending to rise over inflation to be funded in part by welfare cuts.
- Real increase in schools budget, from £35 billion to £39 billion over the span of the Parliament.
- New £2.5 billion pupil premium for children from poorer backgrounds.
- Sure Start to be protected in cash terms.
- Educational maintainance allowance for 16-19 year olds to be dropped.
Training and skills
- Increase of 50 per cent in apprenticeship funding over the next four years, covering 75,000 extra places.
- Train to Gain scheme to be dropped.
- No graduate tax.
- Science budget to be safeguarded at £4.6 billion a year.
Transport and environment
- Transport projects to see investment of £30 billion over the next four years.
- A "green" investment bank will be set up using £1 billion of funding.
Other announcements
- Ringfencing of local authority revenue grants to end by April 2011.
- Council funding to drop by 7.1 per cent over four years.
- Police spending to fall 4 per cent each year.
- Legislation to introduce a permanent tax levy on banks will be published on 21 October.
- Extra £900 million to be spent by HMRC on tackling tax fraud, the aim to reclaim £7 billion in revenues.