Latest News
Remote Working Beats the Big Freeze
Just because your car park has become a skating rink and half your staff are taking two hours to get into work instead of 20 minutes, doesn't mean to say you can't have the full level of support and service you expect from West and Foster.
Many businesses and organisations have been badly affected by the disruption to travel and transport of this unusually harsh winter. However, West and Foster was ahead of the game as usual, installing the latest remote support tools during 2009, so that our customers accounts packages can be fully visible to us at our Sheffield or Bakewell offices - or even if we had to work from home for a couple of days!
The system is, or course, highly secure, and ensures that adverse weather, staff illness, and even simple geographical remoteness are no obstacle to us in our effort to deliver high quality service all year round.
Published: 11/01/2010
Watch this Space for Birthday News
Celebrations are being planned to mark the 40th anniversary of the launch of West and Foster and the 25th anniversary of the opening of our Bakewell office, which both fall in 2010.
If you are a current West and Foster client, we will soon be announcing a couple of dates for your diary...and if you're not a current West and Foster client, then maybe you should give us a call! There might even be a glass of champagne in it...
Published: 03/01/2010
Tax Return Deadline Extended by West and Foster!
If you are a self assessment taxpayer you will almost certainly fall into one of two categories - those who have already filed their 2009 tax returns on paper, and those who have left it too late to do so. Never fear, however. West and Foster can stretch that deadline by a full three months!
Here at West and Foster we provide a complete, hassle-free service for anyone who needs to submit a Personal, Partnership or Trust tax return to HM Revenue and Customs, whether you are self employed, working for an employer, retired or own your own company. Unlike the paper returns you fill out yourself and submit by the end of October, the deadline for filing returns using our software systems is 31st January 2010, so there is still plenty of time to collate, prepare, approve and submit your return - and you’ll have the comforting knowledge that it has been prepared with the assistance of a firm of chartered accountants who have, since the 1960s, been assisting clients all over the country and abroad, from the smallest and most straightforward tax case to the complex affairs of large companies.
Each and every one of our clients receives the personal attention of either myself or one of my three partners and we in turn are supported by a staff with a wide range of skills and experience at our offices in Sheffield and Bakewell. In addition, where required, we are able to call on the expertise of a range of consultants, specialising in various fields such as pensions and financial services, complex tax and VAT matters, marketing and PR, IT matters, employment law etc. We are also able to offer clients peace of mind with the offer of our low cost Tax Enquiry Fee Protection Service provided by Peninsula Business Services Limited, protecting against the professional fees to be incurred if the tax man were to enquire into your tax affairs for whatever reason.
However, our first priority is to ensure that the chances of such an enquiry are as remote as possible and our aim is always to provide a fast, friendly, efficient and extremely professional service which we hope will give you peace of mind in your dealings with HMRC.
Published: 03/12/2009
Launch of Hathersage Hall Business Centre
In an idyllic location in the village of Hathersage, just a few minutes drive from Sheffield City Centre, West and Foster client Michael Shuttleworth has turned vision into reality with the opening of a superb new business centre developed from the decaying remains of a Peak District farm.
One man's 25-year vision has seen the launch of a prestigious business base at a historic rural location.
Hathersage Hall Business Centre, the brainchild of Michael Shuttleworth, has been officially opened by the Duke of Devonshire and is now set to bring prominent knowledge-based businesses from Sheffield and Manchester into the stunning Peak
Development of Michael's 18th century family owned farm complex was initiated in the 1980s with numerous planning applications being submitted before economic and social, heritage, environmental and planning logistics were finally met allowing listed stone-buildings to become state-of-the-art Grade A offices.
The Duke of Devonshire said: "Hathersage Hall Business Centre is a unique development for the Peak District and shows the versatile options for the redevelopment of period buildings, to both generate business for rural Derbyshire and to maintain its delicate architectural heritage."
Located 20 minutes south of Sheffield city centre, the 12,500 sq ft complex is the first development within the confines of the Peak District to combine buildings with such provenance and new-build structures to create a top specification commercial property hub.
Michael Shuttleworth, Director of Hathersage Developments Ltd, said: "This development is one of the first of its kind for the Peak District and aims to provide business space within the National Park which is dedicated to knowledge based businesses.
Hathersage Hall Business Park will generate throughput of commerce, establish high-earning jobs in the village and provide sustainable income via business rents, all of which immediately benefit the local economy.
The philosophy behind this project is to use the space for commerce rather than tourism, allowing for sustainable business growth in a traditional rural setting, yet preserving the beautiful architecture that gives the region its character.
Broadly speaking, Peak District properties such as these, which are no longer fit for purpose, are inevitably turned into holiday accommodation or put to other use within the tourism industry, which provides some of the lowest paid jobs available in rural England.
It has taken many years to reach fruition, but the project now acts as a showcase for what can be done with redundant historic buildings. These buildings were in agricultural use for many years but are simply not suitable for modern farming practises."
The £2.3m development meets DDA compliance, has a BREEAM rating of 'very good' and specification includes raised access floors, air source heat pumps, underfloor heating, category 6a cabling throughout, high-speed fibre-optic broadband connectivity, meeting rooms, shared communal green spaces, open hillside views, landscaped grounds and its own fruit orchard.
Units are available on negotiable six to ten year leases with mid-term break points.
Story courtesy of Sheffield Newspapers
Published: 03/12/2009