Monday, December 11, 2017

Meet the Advisers - Rural Policy Update

Thursday 19 April 2018: 6pm hot fork supper & drinks. Policy Update 7pm – 9pm
The Canalside, Marsh Lane, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 6LQ
Price: £FOC

With less than a year to go before the UK leaves the EU, this April event will bring members right up-to-date with where Brexit negotiations stand with regard to agriculture and the rural economy – and will take a glimpse at the likely shape of future domestic UK policy for agriculture, food and the environment.  By then we expect to have seen the publication of the new Agriculture Bill, a White Paper setting out the government’s 25 Year Environmental Plan and the start of discussions on the future of trade with the EU.

Everything may not have changed – but almost certainly, nothing will be the same.  The facts and the policy thinking will have moved on.

Members will hear from two of the CLA’s leading Policy Advisers, Charles Trotman - Senior Rural Business and Economics Adviser, and Susan Twining - Chief Land Use Policy Adviser, and from Bridgwater & West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger.  Ian is currently a member of the House of Commons Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Select Committee and a previous member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

Together, they will address the critical issues of:
Trade
Labour
Rural Development
Regulation
Future of Agricultural Policy.

There will be the opportunity for members to raise other issues they feel are of extreme concern to landowners and rural businesses during the Brexit transition.

The meeting will begin with a hot fork supper and drinks with presentations, questions and discussion to follow.


Tax Planning & Asset Preservation

Thursday 12 April 2018: 9.15am – 3.30pm
Bowood House, Derry Hill, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 0LZ
Prices: £45 inc VAT CLA members (additional family members FOC), non-members £55; students and YFC members £5
Supported by: Quilter Cheviot, Old Mutual Wealth and Hazlewoods

Our annual finance seminar will be held at the magnificent Bowood House, home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne.

In this seminar we will examine the threats and opportunities – too often assets are lost through lack of appropriate action or inertia. Our team of experts will look at opportunities to minimise tax liability, at the global investment market, inheritance and succession issues and at foreign exchange risk management. After the seminar we will have a two course lunch followed by a tour of the house and gardens.

This seminar will cover:
The latest ideas on minimising inheritance tax
Planning for succession – what to consider
Agricultural and Property Reliefs – an update
Tax efficient trading structures
Effective management of pensions and investments
Foreign exchange risk management
Investing in fine art

Speakers will be:
Quilter Cheviot
Old Mutual Wealth
Lawyer
Nicholas Smail, Hazlewoods
Will Richards, Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions
Russell Gous & Alistair Hutson, CLA Foreign Exchange (World First)

Bowood House, sits within 100 acres of beautifully landscaped ‘Capability’ Brown Parkland and has been home to the Lansdowne family since the 1st Earl of Shelburne purchased it in 1754.

The 9th Marquis, then Lord Shelburne, took over management of Bowood in 1972. He opened the house and grounds to the public in 1975. Today over half of the house is open to visitors, with the family living in the remainder. We will visit the Orangery, chapel, laboratory, library, sculpture gallery and exhibition room where there will be an exhibition with memorabilia commemorating 1918 – 2018. Bowood’s Estate Manager will also be on hand to answer questions about the estate.

Energy Efficiency and EPCs in Let Properties

Wednesday 21 March 2018:  10am – 3pm
Cumberwell Park Golf Club, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 2PQ

And

Thursday 22 March 2018: 10am – 3pm
Arundell Arms Hotel, Lifton, Devon, PL16 0AA

Price: £35 inc VAT CLA members (additional family members FOC), non-members £45; students and YFC members £5
Supported by: Mogers Drewett

Are you worried you will not be able to let your older properties from April 2018 when new                energy efficiency regulations take effect?
Do you despair when you hear that let properties must be able to show Energy Performance                Certificate (EPC) ratings of 'E or better' from April 2018, when you know they cannot achieve it          without costly work?
Surely there must be exemptions; or some funding available to help with the cost of the                        improvements needed?
What about Listed properties? - I heard they are exempt; but then I heard it’s not that simple.

If you have been asking yourself these sorts of questions, then you should come along to one of these CLA seminars designed specifically for owners of let property.

Whether you let one property or a hundred, whether they are domestic or non-domestic, whether they are on an existing tenancy or up for renewal, you cannot afford to ignore the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England & Wales) Regulations 2015 which take effect in under 6 months.

From April 2018, it will be potentially illegal to let a domestic or non-domestic building in the worst EPC bands of F or G, and owners may need to make improvements to achieve E rating before letting. There are exemptions and exceptions - but the regulations are complex. Property owners need to be informed so they take the best course of action to ensure compliance, avoid penalties, retain occupancy and undertake improvements which are appropriate to the property. Many of the property improvements which are encouraged are simply not suitable for older properties.

This seminar will cover the key aspects of how these new regulations will affect owners of let property. Come along to hear a range of CLA and other professional advisers cover the key rules, what properties are affected and from when, what exemptions there are, the Green Deal finance which is designed to help owners comply without up-front costs and many other relevant issues.

The seminar will cover:

Basics of the regulations, affected property types, exemptions
CLA’s role over past few years, advice to those affected, CLA Guidance Notes
What property owners should consider doing and when for residential & commercial properties,          tenancy considerations
Energy Performance Certificates and traditional buildings
How to reduce heating costs in buildings through various measures
Green Deal finance, how it works
How the rules relate to Listed buildings
Legal aspects including penalties for non-compliance

There will be a range of advisers and speakers with time for questions and discussion on the day. With so many people affected by these soon to be in force regulations, we expect these seminars to be popular. You are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

https://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=83116&view=Month

Be Ahead of the Curve - Ensuring the Farm Business is Fit for the Future

Tuesday 13 March 2018: 4 – 7pm
The Monks Yard, Horton Cross Farm, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9PT
Price: £30 inc VAT CLA members (additional family members FOC); non-members £40; Students & YFC members £5 followed by hot fork supper
Supported by: Rural Solutions, Milsted Langdon, Parnalls and HSBC      

It would be foolhardy to think that there will not be challenges ahead for the agricultural sector post Brexit.  In the longer term, there may be reduced levels of government funding and what funding there is may be specifically targeted for environmental work, for helping with productivity or for dealing with volatility.

But there will also be opportunities for progressive farmers and for imaginative thinking around land use and releasing the value of environmental land management. It may also be the right time to exploit those underused building assets on the farm.

Achieving and maintaining a profitable business should be at the top of every farmer’s current agenda and having a good business strategy will be a vital element to the future proofing of many farm businesses. 

This event will look at the management of rural businesses, risk management tools and opportunities to grow and move forward with the intention of safeguarding the farm business for future generations.

This seminar will examine:

  • Methods to evaluate the current business with business intelligence
  • Reviewing your financial viability
  • Taking the right strategy for your business
  • Considering new opportunities
  • Capitalising on your existing assets
  • Making a wise investment
  • A bank’s perspective
  • The approach
  • The business plan
  • Diversifying – top legal tips to succeed
  • What you should be doing to make sure you can secure any required funding to diversify
  • Alternative means of financing projects
  • Engaging with the next generation – family and employees
  • Cloud Accounting & Making Tax Digital 
Speakers will include:


  • James Del Mar, Rural Solutions
  • Ian Lloyd, Partner, Milsted Langdon, Accountants
  • Louis Mathers, Director Parnalls Solicitors
  • Euryn Jones, ‎Regional Agriculture Director, Wales and South West at HSBC Commercial Banking

CLA Making The Big House Pay

Wednesday 7 March 2018: 9.45am – 4.00pm
Great Fulford, Dunsford, Exeter EX6 7AJ
Price: £45 CLA members (additional family members FOC); non-members £55; Students & YFC members £5
Supported by: Savills and Saffery Champness               

Whether it is art or animals, weddings or weekend guests – the question of how to make money from the Manor House has been testing inventive minds of landowners and their advisers for decades.

It has been two years since we covered this topic and things have again moved on. This seminar will showcase the ideas, expertise, trials and tribulations of those who have secured the financial future of their family homes, complimented by professional advice on all practical aspects from planning to marketing.

Speakers will include:
  • Sammie Coryton, Pentillie Castle
  • Lady Victoria Vyvyan, talking about Trelowarren’s restaurant, spa and eco holiday lettings
  • Caroline Lowsley-Williams from Chavenage, which is currently enjoying fame from the successful Poldark series
  • Simon Foster, who has been responsible for marketing many successful enterprises including Eastnor Castle
  • Fiona Francombe, who runs the Bottleyard Studios in Bristol
  • Professionals from Savills and Saffery Champness
The seminar will cover:
  • Taxation, VAT, IHT & succession
  • How to compete effectively in today’s wedding market
  • Legal issues: contracts, employment
  • Film & photographic locations
  • Events & festivals
  • Spas, restaurants and eco holiday lettings
  • Luxury B&B and overcoming red tape
  • Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards on let property
The event is being held at Great Fulford, the home of CLA member Francis Fulford. Great Fulford featured in the TV programmes The F***ing Fulfords and Life is Toff. Francis is the author of Bearing Up: The Long View; looking at the troubled history of landowning and identifying the characteristics which have enabled many estates to survive while others have foundered. Surveying the scene today, Francis draws on his own experiences to suggest a strategy of survival in the twenty-first century.


The event will include a two course lunch with wine followed by a tour of Great Fulford with Francis.