- "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
Employee earnings fall for a third decade
Shrinking wages mean that UK workers are taking home £60 billion less, in today's relative value, than workers 30 years ago.
The figures come as part of a report published by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), titled 'All in This Together', which blamed the 2008 recession and the weak economy for squeezing salaries.
According to the report, the total UK wage bill, which represented 58 per cent of GDP in 1978, has been falling steadily over the last three decades, and now sits at 53.8 per cent in 2011. The drop means that earnings of £20,000 today would equate to £31,300 if the wage-output ratio had remained the same as it was in 1978 - a pay rise of more than 50 per cent.
Earnings were most affected during the recession, when the average wage increase of 4.2 per cent in 2007 dropped to 1.7 per cent in 2009, failing to beat the RPI rate of inflation - the most commonly used measure in setting pay. In fact, the TUC's statistics reveal that 99 per cent of salaries in September 2011 were well below the UK's RPI.
With no indications of rebounding to a pre-recession level, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has predicted that the wage-output ratio will drop even further by 2016. This coincides with the TUC report which suggests that the current and future decrease in wages will be most acutely felt by those on low and middle incomes, whose living standards could be affected.
The TUC report found that the salaries of the poorest fifth of workers last year suffered the most and were 43 per cent lower than compared with 1978, whilst middle incomes where similarly affected by a 36 per cent wage loss. High earners experienced an average wage loss of just 6 per cent such whilst top executives were the only group to weather the recession by receiving median pay increases of 17 per cent in 2011.
The TUC now wants the issue of lost earnings and the increasing wage gap to form a bigger part of the Government's economic strategy.
Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said: "The tens of billions of pounds that workers miss out on each year has been papered over by rising credit card bills and a housing boom, but the financial crash has brought home the reality of our shrinking wage pool to millions of workers and their families.
"Wage-led growth, based on greater collective bargaining, better skilled workers, better corporate governance and a broader base of well-paid jobs, is the only way to generate a sustainable economic recovery that everyone benefits from."