18th March, 2021, Neil Gayton
School is now back in full swing and it does seem now like we have never been away.
Several things have changed.
First, the general state of the house. It’s miraculously tidy.
Two weeks ago there were pencils everywhere, but never one in sight, wrappers to various ‘snacks’ found in unimaginable places and greasy thumb prints on most doors, not to mention the laptop, which probably had all the ingredients of a good meal attached to it.
Secondly, it’s quiet. Previously echoes of ‘It’s not fair’ or ‘you’re on mute’ penetrated the walls, in between cries of ‘I need help’, or my favourite ‘I’m not doing it unless you star jump down the stairs’.
Thirdly everyone is dressed. Loungewear (as I understand it’s called) appeared to replace regular everyday clothes. I only know as it seemed to keep appearing in parcels through my letterbox.
I’m sure I speak for all parents when I say we tried our best, but one thing’s for sure, the boys were happy to go back to school and see all their friends.
And I was happy to finish a cup of coffee before it resembled something completely different.
It’s also been an interesting time economically with the announcement of Rishi Sunak’s Spring Budget.
Our clients have all been affected in different ways and we have been providing support for anyone needing more information.
Among the raft of measures is the extension to the furlough scheme until September and the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, with two further grants announced.
It’s also good news for our hospitality and holiday accommodation clients. The government are planning an extension of the 5pc reduced rate of VAT until September 30 and to help businesses return to the standard 20pc rate, a 12.5pc rate will apply for the following six months until March 31, 2022.
Related pages: Budget Guide
Related articles: Budget 2021: Response from Henry Pettitt
Profile: Neil Gayton FMAAT