28 Eastbourne Herald, Friday, January 15, 2010 www.eastbourneherald.co.uk
MONEY MATTERS
ACCESSING
GOVERNMENT -
BACKED LOANS
By Steve Turner, Senior Manager,
Lloyds TSB Commercial, East Sussex
A year ago the Government launched the
�1.3 billion Enterprise Finance
Guarantee (EFG) to help businesses
secure the funding needed to boost
working capital or implement investment
and growth plans.
Over the past 12 months more than
7,100 firms have been offered EFG
loans, across all lenders, totalling �717
million.* Now, the Government has
announced that it is extending the
initiative for a further year, enabling
businesses to secure EFG funding until
March 2011.
Under EFG, the Government will
guarantee lending to viable businesses
and support bank loans of up to 10-year
maturity to UK firms with a turnover of up
to �25 million. Loans are available from
�1,000 to �1 million.
EFG loans are ideally suited to those
businesses - such as start-ups - that don't
have the assets or security to back a
traditional borrowing request or that are
looking to refinance part of an overdraft
facility to free up working capital.
Here at Lloyds TSB Commercial, we're
committed to providing funding to small
businesses and we are one of the most
active lenders under the EFG.
Since January 2009, we've offered loans
to over to over 2,000 businesses, which
accounts for 28 per cent of all EFG loans
offered.*
In the East Sussex area, we're working
closely with our customers to support
them in finding a funding solution that
matches their needs and enables them to
achieve their long-term ambitions.
For more information on the EFG or
lending, contact Steve on 07801 472 627
or e-mail steve.turner@bb.lloydstsb.co.uk.
By Steve Turner
� Business Accounts and
Taxation
� Self Assessment
� Bookkeeping, VAT and
Payroll
� Fixed Fees
� Local Friendly Service
� Meetings at your home or
business premises
Call Nick Casson for a free initial
discussion without obligation on
01323 737770
or email nick.casson@taxassist.co.uk
120 Cavendish Place, Eastbourne,
East Sussex, BN21 3TZ
www.taxassist.co.uk/nickcasson
Accountants for
Small Businesses
News
Walk-in centre sets
up in town's stationA two-storey, walk-in Health
Centre is now open within East-
bourne Station, having been
transformed from a Sports Bar
that closed down more than a
year ago.
The technically challenging de-
sign, planning and contract admin-
istration was undertaken by local
chartered architects, Faulkner As-
sociates Ltd.
The Health Centre is being run
by South East Health on behalf
of NHS East Sussex Downs and
Weald, to make it easier for local
people, as well as tourists/visitors,
to see a GP or nurse at a time and
place convenient for them.
People can register as patients
with the centre, just like any GP
practice. The centre also enables
anyone to walk in and be seen by a
doctor or nurse from 8am to 8pm, 7
days a week.
Nigel Faulkner, managing direc-
tor of Faulkner Associates Ltd.,
said, "We had to design a concept
that was practical, energy efficient
and fully accessible, while also re-
taining features from this Grade II
Listed station.
"There were many structural
changes as well as mechanical and
electrical installations."
Simon Lawrence, director of
businessdevelopmentatSouthEast
Health Limited, said, "Faulkner As-
sociates has provided architectural
and design services for a number of
recent South East Health premises
developments.
"They are extremely profes-
sional and have excellent experi-
ence which has helped each of our
projects, some of which have been
quite challenging and on each oc-
casion innovative solutions have
been offered."
Faulkner Associates Ltd refur-
bished a derelict parcels office into
the Trackside Pharmacy, within
Bexhill-on-Sea's railway station,
for South East Health which won
an architectural award at the 2009
Sussex Heritage Trust Awards.
Faulkner Associates Ltd., Char-
tered Architects, is renowned for
its friendly team and design and
planning expertise for both large
and small architectural schemes.
Their work includes commercial
and industrial, eco and sustainable
and residential new build and con-
version projects.
John Mayers, MD of Shoreline
Building, added "We were recom-
mended Faulkner Associates af-
ter another architect let us down.
Faulkner's always give us a really
fast turnaround for good quality
drawings, which is great for our re-
lationship with our customers.
"They are easy to deal with and
their prices are competitive, so
we will definitely continue to use
them."
Find out how Faulkner Associ-
ates Ltd. can help you save time
and money throughout the process
of planning, building regulations,
design and build, by visiting www.
faulknerassociates.co.uk or calling
01424 845543.
To find out more about the Health
Centre, call 01323 726650.
The walk-in health centre
By Graham Buchanan
Managing Director
WSI Internet Consulting
WHEN it comes to websites,
content is king. It's a mantra
that is worth remembering no
matter how much hype we hear.
A website with no worthwhile
content is always going to be
a case of the "Emperor's New
Website". It will neither appeal
to the search engines nor the
human visitors.
Content is undeniably
important, so why is it such a
thorny problem for companies?
Typically a company will be in
one of two positions:
�You have a website you cannot
administer and you need to tell
your web developers what you
want to say.
�You have a content managed
website, and you still need to
tell your web developers what
you want to say.
In my experience clients with
plenty of new content to add
to their website are like hens'
teeth � rare. But even possess-
ing copious amounts of content
can be a mixed blessing.
Copy that works well in maga-
zines and flyers may not work
so well as web pages. Content
for the web needs, by and large,
to be concise and to the point.
Be prepared to tailor your
content to suit the medium.
The fact that the web can
get your business in front of
someone anywhere in the world
without involving a printer or
a postal system is undoubtedly
a boon. But there is a difference
between editorial and distribu-
tion. Just as desktop publishing
made everyone a publisher but
not a typographer, so content
management systems can make
everyone a website manager but
nobody an editor.
Content management is
undoubtedly a very wonderful
and great thing � your website
is increasingly an important
first port of call for any poten-
tial business contact � and
content management means it
can instantly be kept up to date.
But content management is the
implement, not the execution.
With content management
you have a new dilemma. Not
only do you have to keep the
content fresh and / or growing,
but you have to ensure it is por-
traying the right image for your
business.
If you are managing content
you're dealing in words, and
they need skilful handling.
For more information, contact
Graham Buchanan on 01323
724159 or graham@wsileading-
webdevelopment.co.uk
Tax Payments in January
Q: I recently received a statement from my
tax office showing the tax due at the end of
January 2010. I know that some of this payment
is a payment on account due for the 2009/10
tax year. Is there any way I can reduce this
amount, as business has been really poor in the
current year?
A: In January, most taxpayers are due to make
a combination of the previous 2008/09 "balanc-
ing payment" and 2009/10 first "payment on
account".
Payments on account represent 50% of the
individual's net tax liability for the previous
year and are payable on 31st January and 31st
July each year. All individuals are liable to
make these payments unless their net tax and
Class IV National Insurance liability is less
than �1,000 or more than 80% of the tax due
was deducted at source.
If your income in the 2009/10 tax year is
likely to be significantly less than the previous
year, you can make a claim to reduce the pay-
ments on account becoming due. You should
prepare an estimate of your tax and Class IV
National Insurance liability for the current
year. Each reduced payment on account will
then be 50% of that amount. For example, if
your statement currently shows payments on
account of �5,000 becoming due in January and
July 2010, but you estimate that your total lia-
bility for 2009/10 will be �2,000, you can reduce
the payments to �1,000 each.
You should, however, take care with your
estimation of the current year's liability. If it is
later found that the actual liability for the year
is greater than your estimate, the payments
on account will be revised to reflect the actual
amount due.
You will then be liable to pay interest on the
difference between the amounts actually paid
and the revised amount due. If, on the other
hand, the actual liability is less than your esti-
mate then you will have overpaid tax and the
difference will be refunded to you.
Now is the winter of our web content...
Topical advice by N Casson TaxAssist Eastbourne 01323-737770

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