- "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
Rise in state pension age to be delayed
An increase in the state pension age that would have seen thousands of women facing an additional two year wait has been delayed by six months.
The Pensions Bill, which is currently going through parliament, will be amended to cap any increase to a maximum of 18 months. Previously, the Bill proposed that the state pension age for women will rise from 60 to 65 by November 2018, and to 66 for both men and women by April 2020. The amendments will mean that the age for men and women will reach 66 in October 2020.
Commenting on the announcement Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith said: "We have listened to the concerns of those women most affected by the proposed rise in state pension age to 66 and so we will cap the increase to a maximum of 18 months. We have always made clear that we would manage any change fairly and ensure any transition is as smooth as possible."
Pension bodies have welcomed the changes, but still feel that more could have been done to prevent those women born between December 1953 and October 1954 who will still be hit with an additional 18 months to wait to reach state pension age.
Joanne Segars, chief executive of NAPF said: "This takes some of the sting out of what was a very raw deal for many women.
"This is a useful bit of leeway. People need time to prepare their finances for the transition into retirement, and there's now a clearer ceiling on what to expect.
"But a lot of women in their late 50s are still being told to wait another 18 months, and many will struggle to bridge the gap. The Government could have done a bit more to give them extra notice."
Charity Age UK has been campaigning for the Government to make changes to the Pensions Bill Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of Age UK, commented: "We would have liked the changes being made to have gone further. Having faced uncertainty twice already, these women must not be affected by any further changes to their state pension age again without sufficient notice."
After 66, the current Pensions Bill timetables a rise to 67 for between 2034 and 2036, but according to the Daily Mail, Whitehall may soon announce that this increase will be brought forward by as much as a decade.