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February 2012 Number 451 4.00 www.bar.co.uk

Singing the

praises oNightingale

TLs Ian Wainwright on preparing or the Olympics 52 Removals apprenticeship schemes 24 & 34

Register now or DMotY! See inside or details


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No: 451 February 2012 www.bar.co.uk

This month:News rom Watord 06

Industry News 07-18- Ending the Satnav headache?- Potential 50% increase in company

car tax- Transport red tape review welcomed- Councils win more powers over HGV signs- North West inrastructure plans- Scottish motorway plans progress- Forth Replacement Crossing on track- Severn Tolls slammed- Meeting the A14 Challenge- New cranes or Felixstowe- Motorway services rip-o continues- 3D lasers to aid crash sites- US cuts trucker hours

- Fighting the late payment trend- Mixed eedback on Fit Notes- Government to expand pre-claim

conciliation- Britannia Sandersteads are go!- Harrow Green in archive move- Armishaws updates eet- Matt Purdie frst to Overseas Moving

standard- Momentous at Windsor Castle- Britannias eline stowaway- ONeil partners on cloud- Santa Fe combines orces- Chudley International supports education

charity

- Anglo Pacifc raise Movember unds- Britannia in charity drive- Chess Moving school roadshow

- Housing market eels the pressure

BAR News 24

- Brian Maidman on winning DMotY 2011- EU trip or BAR members- Free PR at the Surrey County Show- BAR elections- Celebrating BAR Afliate relationships- Domestic Removals Apprenticeships- Legal and Financial Helplines- Update your web presence

- North West joins LANPAC- BAR Awards night- Young Mover: AnnMarie Pearson- Industry statistics

BAR Services 30

Olympics Monitor 33

Commercial Moving Group News 34

Overseas Group News 40

Training News 46

European News 49

People News 60

Competition 60

Memberships 61

Diary Dates 62

Letters 70

February 2012 Removals & Storage 5

On the cover: Actor Stephen Tompkinsoncongratulates Nightingale Removals for its excellent servicein his removals and storage over the past seven years.

34

38

I understand there are concerns rom the removals industry

about the plans to impose higher rates (200) or Penalty Charge

Notices (PCNs) during the Olympic Games on the Olympic Route

Network (ORN). What we are trying to do here is to make sure

the PCN rate reects the severity o the consequences or theathletes, and or the Games, i the ORN is blocked. The ORN has

been designed to allow trafc to ow as switly as possible so

that the athletes are not late or the sporting event that they

have spent the last our years preparing or.

Ian Wainwright, Road Freight Programme Manager, Transport or London

- Preparing for the Olympics with IanWainwright of TfL

- Nightingale: TV star in ode to Nightingale

- Pakistan associate: Target Moving &Relocations

- The only way is Essex: Essex Bodies

- Acas: The changing world of work

Features 52-58

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6/72Removals & Storage February 20126

BAR News

EditorialContributions on all aspects o the removals and storageindustry are welcome, together with photographs iappropriate.Please contact the Managing Editor, Louise Gale on:

Tel:020 3235 1806

Email:[email protected]

Deadlines: The deadline or all article submissions orthe March 2012 issue o R&S is 3rd February 2012.

AdvertisingFor all enquiries and bookings, please contactSteve Pearce on:

Tel:0117 957 5400

Email:[email protected]

Deadlines: The booking deadline or all displayadvertisements or the March 2012 issue o R&S is11th February.

SubscriptionsRemovals & Storage is subscribed to by members o theBritish Association o Removers in the UK and Overseas.Current annual subscription is 48.00 in the UK and72.00 overseas. Additional subscriptions are availablerom BAR (see contact details to the let).

Registered as a magazine The British Association oRemovers 2012. ISSN 0034-4265

All rights reserved. No part o this publication may be scanned,reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in part or wholein any orm or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission o theBritish Association o Removers.

Opinions expressed in Removals & Storage are not necessarily thoseo the publisher, British Association o Removers. The description o aproduct or service in this publication does not constitute endorsementby the publisher. The publisher does not accept any responsibility orany claims by advertisers. The articles in this publication are or generalinormation only and are not intended to be advice to any specifcperson. Readers are recommended to seek proessional advice beoretaking or reraining rom taking any action on the basis o the contentso any article in this publication.

The British Association o RemoversTel:01923 699 480Fax:01923 699 481Email:[email protected]

Tangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watord,Hertordshire WD18 OTG

President: Reg Hackworthy

Director General: Stephen Vickers

Company Secretary: James Falkner

Removals & Storage is designed on behal oThe British Association o Removers by:Rubicon Marketing Ltd.Tel: 0117 957 5400Email: [email protected]

Article submission: 4th o the month preceding publication

Booking o display Adverts: 10th o the month preceding publication

Booking o classifed adverts: 10th o the month preceding publication

Booking o trade adverts: 10th o the month preceding publication

Artwork or adverts: 15th o the month preceding publication

Copy and advertising deadlines 2012 or uture issues o R&S magazine

NewsFROM WATFORD

BAR has agreed to partner with

the West Herts College here in

Watford to deliver the new

Commercial Moving Apprenticeship to

Members. Apprentices can be new

employees or existing staff members,

and a range of funding levels will be

available, depending upon the age of

the individual on commencing the

training. This is an exciting and

innovative new BAR initiative,

particularly at a time of high

unemployment and especially amongst

the young, and it is intended to also

address the persistent skills shortages in

the industry. A full report on the

Commercial Moving Apprenticeship

scheme can be found on pages 34.

Mike Nattrass, UKIP MEP for West

Midlands, is the keynote speaker at the

BAR Annual Conference in Windsor in

May. Not only that, between 12-14

March there is the opportunity for anumber of BAR Members to go to

Strasbourg to visit the European

Parliament, as guests of Mr Nattrass.

There will be the opportunity to tour

the parliament building and see the

MEPs at work, discuss matters of

particular concern to the removals

industry, and also to tour this beautiful

and historic city. Details can be found

on page 24, and as places on the trip

are limited, if you do wish to go please

make yourself known as soon as

possible.

While on the subject of the Annual

Conference, the Vehicle Show and

drive-by, re-introduced as in earlier

years, is attracting a great deal of

interest and should be a real highlight

of the event. Another highlight will be

the Associations Annual General

Meeting at which a new Directly Elected

Director on the BAR Board will take

post. A call for volunteers to take part in

the election to this for this importantpost will be made later in the month.

The closing date for the Commercial

Mover of the Year (CMotY) competition

has now passed, but late entrants can

be accepted for the equally prestigious

Domestic Mover of the Year (DMotY) up

to 17 February. So, if you want to enter

your company this year and go for the

DMotY award, dont delay.

Contact Details:


7/72February 2012 Removals & Storage

Industry News

7

Ending the Satnavheadache?

In early March, the Government will hold the UKs rst SatnavSummit to thrash out solutions to end the misery caused when lorrydrivers ollow out-o-date directions rom their satellite navigationsystems.

At present, it can take months for mapupdates to make their way from localcouncils to satnavs. As a result, thousands

of drivers follow out-of-date maps, and localresidents end up with HGVs and other largevehicles on their doorsteps. Furthermore, somemotorists do not update their satnav maps,either because they forget or are not aware they

can, which makes the problem even moreserious.The Government wants highway authorities,

mapping providers and satnav manufacturers towork more closely together to provide driverswith accurate, up-to-date information on trafc

restrictions such as narrow roads or low bridges.It says it is essential that there are clear lines ofcommunication which allow councils to quicklyget road classication information to satnav

companies so route calculation software can beupdated. Local Transport Minister NormanBaker said out-of-date directions meanmisdirected trafc a scourge of local

communities. He hopes that greatercollaboration will help prevent huge lorriesfrom being sent down inappropriate roads andensure motorists are given the best possibledirections. The summit will take place a monthbefore local authorities gain new powers todecide how their roads appear on maps. Thismeans that local authorities will be able toreclassify roads, ensuring A roads are placedwhere they want trafc to run and lowering the

category of road in places they want trafc to

avoid, rather than having to come to Whitehallfor approval. (see story on page 8).

Taken together, these initiatives are designedto make sure that drivers are using the right

routes, especially for freight trafc. However,

Edmund King of the AA fears the Governmentsatnav summit may produce a road map forsuccess or they may get lost climbing thesummit at the end of the day. The AA is alsoconcerned that the new Council powers to re-

classify primary roads may just lead to moreconfusion. With the potential for a signicantshake-up of road designation as each countychanges routes according to local priorities, adislocated network and ongoing changes couldcreate a nightmare for satnav rms trying to get

their mapping right, according to Mr King.The Satnav Summit in March will be attended

by the Association of Directors of Environment,Economy, Planning and Transportation(ADEPT) the former County Surveyors

Society which represents councils in transport- and ITS(UK) which promotes intelligenttransport technology and whose membershipincludes satnav companies.

Transport redtape reviewwelcomed

The Freight Transport Association hassaid that the Governments Red TapeReview will bring some notable and

common sense changes to regulationsaffecting the road transport sector. A totalof 142 road transport regulations will nowbe scrapped or improved as a result of theRoad Transport Red Tape Challenge.

However, FTA also warns that whilemany of the suggestions will serve toeliminate unhelpful and costlybureaucracy, the Government mustconsult with industry to ensure itsrecommendations bring maximum benet

to business.Proposals to scrap the regulationrequiring drivers to hold a papercounterpart to their driver licence by 2015will reduce an administrative burden ondrivers and ultimately save money,according to the FTA. However thescheme must come with an importantcaveat. Since many commercial vehicleoperators check the validity of the driversthey employ from penalty points on theircounterpart, a robust system is needed ifthis is removed so that potentialemployers can gauge clearly and instantlya drivers entitlement to drive.

The removal of the regulationsurrounding the annual notication

process for vehicles that are not in use onthe road (Statutory Off Road Notication)

will be seen as good news for motoristsand for many large eet operators. The

FTA has also welcomed clearer roadsignage alerting lorry drivers toinappropriate roads.

The Governments Red Tape Reviewoutcomes will reverberate across thewhole transport sector. The FTA will nowfocus its efforts on the consultationsarising from recommendations to raise thenational speed limit which could apply

to HGVs over 7.5 tonnes on singlecarriage ways. It believes this must bedone in a way that brings the speed limitsfor lorries and other road users closertogether to avoid risky overtaking.

From 6 April 2012, a new emissions scalewill come into force for company car taxwhich could mean hefty increase in charges

for many.An income tax charge (and Class 1A national

insurance liability) will be applied for the

private use of a company car on 10 per cent ofthe cars list price where a car has CO2emissions from 76 g/km to 99 g/km, rising by 1per cent per 5 g/km band, to the usual maximumof 35 per cent.

Christina Nawrocki of Wellers Accountantsadvises: If you have a company car with CO2

emissions of 120 g/km, this could result in a 50per cent increase in the tax payable or 40 percent if the emissions are between 115 and 119g/km.

There will also be a further increase, albeit ofjust 1 per cent of the list price, for vehicles with

CO2 emissions of between 95 and 219 g/km in2013/14.Wellers recommends that it is essential to

review the company cars you provide as anemployer and/or drive as an employee.For more information, please contact WellersAccountants, www.wellersaccountants.co.uk.

Potential 50% increase in companycar tax



Industry News

8

Under the new rules, laid beforeParliament by Transport MinisterNorman Baker, councils will no longer

need Whitehall approval to introduce certainnew signs or some existing ones that they need

to use on a regular basis including one to warnlorry drivers of roads that are unsuitable forlorries.

Among the new signs councils will now beable to use without needing to get Governmentapproval are those indicating that a route isunsuitable for and signs indicating chargingpoints for low emission vehicles.

In addition, from now on councils will be ableto use one sign showing headroom warnings inmetric and imperial measurements, reducingclutter and cutting costs. Councils will still beable to use a single sign displaying imperial

units only. Currently councils must either usesigns authorised in the Trafc Signs Regulations

and General Directions (2002) or gain specic

approval from the Department for Transport.The changes being put forward will add moresigns to the Trafc Signs Regulations and

General Directions so that councils can usethem without gaining specic approval.

Councils win morepowers over HGV signsMinisters are tackling the problems caused by lorry drivers ollowingsatnavs down narrow and inappropriate roads as part o a package onew trafc signs rules.

Scottishmotorwayplans progress

The Scottish Government haspublished the ofcial PriorInformation Notice for the M8,

M73 and M74 motorway improvements

project, signalling the start of

procurement proceedings.

The project combines the upgrade of

the A8 Baillieston to Newhouse,

completing the motorway between

Glasgow and Edinburgh, work to

improve Raith Interchange and the

widening of key sections of the M8,

M73 and M74. It is anticipated that

construction will commence in late

2013, with completion by 2017.Transport Minister Keith Brown said

this is a key delivery milestone of this

signicant project that will complete thelast remaining gap in the central

Scotland motorway network. On

completion, it will further boost the

nations economy by improving

connections between the commercial

centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh and

beyond.

This latest investment by the Scottish

Government follows on from the

successful delivery earlier this year of

the M74 and M80. Like these other

projects, drivers can expect the M8,

M73 and M74 motorway improvements

project to reduce congestion while

enabling safer, quicker journeys.

ForthReplacementCrossing ontrack

Meanwhile, construction has

started on the Forth

Replacement Crossing (FRC),

which Cabinet Secretary for

Infrastructure, Alex Neil, said is within

budget and on schedule to open in 2016.

One of the added benets of the FRCwill be its improved resilience compared

to the existing Forth Road Bridge,

Mr Neil said. The new crossing will

incorporate state of the art wind-

shielding to ensure it will remain open

to trafc during the sort of extreme high

winds that have shut the road bridge inrecent bad weather, meaning less

diversions and disruption for motorists

and the travelling public. This type of

wind-shielding technology is used on

the Second Severn Crossing.

North West inrastructure plans

Transport associations and industryorganisations have welcomed the road

infrastructure proposals made by theChancellor, George Osborne.

Phil Orford, Chief Executive of smallbusiness body, the Forum of Private Business,said that improving road links to ManchesterAirport via a new section of dual carriagewayfrom the A6 south of Stockport would be ahuge boost to business in these areas too. Itwill take pressure off other arterial routescurrently choked by heavy trafc, such as the

A34 and M60, and attract investors at theManchester Airport Enterprise Zone, he said.

The managed scheme to widen the M6between Manchester and Birmingham by

allowing drivers to use the hard shoulderduring busy periods is as much welcome newsto the FPB as it is to the road transportindustry. The M6 is one of the busiest roadsin Europe, and anything that speeds up travelon this congested section is a good thing.

Free owing trafc uses less fuel and therefore

an efcient road network means lower

transport bills for small business.While welcoming the proposals, the FTA has

warned that increasing the long-term capacityof routes such as the A14 between the EastCoast and the Midlands, and the M4 in SouthWales remain in the balance. Congestion onthese routes will not go away by Governmentannouncing studies, and industry will belooking for early, tangible progress inproviding industry with the journey timereliability it needs, said an FTA spokesperson.

Elsewhere in the North West region therewill be spending for the Mersey Gateway,specically the second crossing over the River

Mersey. Mr Orford said that this will providean economic boost for both Widnes andRuncorn, although its a shame this will be atoll bridge. The Forum hopes the crossingprices are kept sensible.



Industry News

9

Agroup of industry bodies have written tothe Business Minister, Mark Prisk(pictured above), to call for a plan of

action to address late payment, which decimatessmall rms cash ow.

Recent research from the payment body Bacsshows that late payment to small businesses,mainly originating from large companies at thehead of supply chains across a broad range ofsectors, has hit an all-time high. Bacs gures

show small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) are now owed a total of 33.6bn inoutstanding invoice payments a rise of 10 per

cent in the last 12 months and the highest gure

since records began in September 2007.Similar results have been published by theinformation company Experian, which foundthat late payment among UK rms of all sizes

increased by almost a day on average duringJuly, August and September 2011, compared tothe April to June period.

The industry group, which is supporting theGovernments new Finance Fitness campaign,believes any plan to encourage better paymentpractices should include the followingmeasures: Conrm that the EU Late Payment Directive

making 30-day payment terms mandatory, inthe absence of any specied/agreed payment

terms, is being brought forward to 2012 asoriginally stated and ensure any newlegislation prevents suppliers being coercedinto agreeing to vary payment terms againsttheir will.

Clamp down on large companies takingprompt payment discounts and imposingretrospective changes to payment terms andconditions that are not contractually agreed.

Pledge to continue with the UKs publicsector 10-day and 5-day payment initiatives,and ensure they are embraced by more localpublic sector bodies across the country andthat prompt public sector payment is passedon down the supply chain.

Introduce a national league of local authoritypayers including incentives to encouragecouncils to perform.

Strengthen the Prompt Payment Code,

including requesting businesses to sign up tothe Code exploring ways of making it anopt out rather than an opt in arrangement.

Require FTSE companies to report moredetailed information on their payment times.

Use the public procurement process topromote best practice.

Severn Tollsslammed

T

he Freight Transport Association hascondemned the decision made by

Severn River Crossing plc (SRC) thebridges builders to foist up the charge forheavy goods vehicles to use this vital tradecorridor, this time from 17.20 to 18.10.Ian Gallagher, FTAs Policy Manager forWales, said it would seem that under thecurrent contract, the users of the Severncrossings are at the mercy of cynical chargesto use what is for the haulage industry anessential piece of infrastructure.

While these annual price increases areexpected to end in 2017 when the bridge isback in public hands, the FTA suggests thatthe approach by SRC highlights the need infuture for private sector infrastructureprojects to more carefully consider thecontractual terms so that those affected arenot held to ransom with unreasonabledemands.

FTA recommends amending the currentcontract with SRC to reduce the level of tollsbut to levy them over a longer period of time.This would still accrue the same level ofincome but would place less of a burden onbusinesses. FTA is also advocating a lowertariff for night-time crossings for commercialvehicles.

Mr Gallagher said Severn tolls alreadycost companies many thousands of pounds a

month; this latest price hike will make life alot tougher for hauliers who cross fromEngland into south Wales and comes at atime when companies are already strugglingin the face of higher fuel costs. In an industrywith notoriously tight prot margins, roadfreight operators often have no choice but topass their costs on to the customer, whichstokes ination and is certainly not goodnews in a faltering economy. Clearly, theSevern Bridges Act needs amending, and the

sooner the better.

Fighting the latepayment trendThe Government is being urged to tackle the growing problem o latepayment in order to help small rms survive, grow and drive

economic recovery.



Industry News

10

The Challenge is focussed on nding a long-term solution to thecapacity and congestion problems on the corridor, in particular

between Ellington and Fen Ditton. Alongside this, a 20m

package was announced by the Chancellor for quick win measures

to reduce congestion and lessen the impact of incidents on the

route. The Government says it has no intention of charging road

users for an unimproved facility but would expect to consider

tolling for enhanced capacity. The views of participants in the

Challenge will help the Department for Transport, Cambridgeshire

County Council, other local authorities and Local Enterprise

Partnerships develop proposals by the spring and reach

recommendations on a preferred solution by the summer. For more

information, see www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-20111212.

Meeting the A14 ChallengeRoad users, businesses and local communities are being encouraged to take part in a Governmentstudy, the A14 Challenge, that aims to deliver major improvements to this key Cambridgeshire

transport corridor.

Arecent survey by the Institute ofAdvanced Motorists (IAM) conrms

what most BAR members knowmotorway service areas are charging driversway over the odds for both fuel and non-fuelproducts.

Drivers continue to shell out up to 40 per centmore for everyday items at motorway serviceareas than they would on the high street. A large

Snickers bar costs 90 pence from a motorwayservice area compared to 68 pence from a highstreet branch 32 per cent more while a

regular coffee costs 16 per cent more on themotorway. A packet of McCoys crisps was

almost 45 per cent more expensive than a shopon the high street, and a packet of Walkerscrisps was marked up by 36 per cent.

With petrol prices averaging about ten penceper litre more than at off-motorway forecourts,the IAM is calling for a complete review ofmotorway prices, together with lling stations

being forced to advertise their and theircompetitors fuel prices, as is the case in France.

IAM chief executive Simon Best warns thatrip-off prices will discourage people fromgetting the rest they need. Parking nes for

drivers who sleep for longer than two hours putpeople off taking rest breaks.

Motorway services rip-o continues

3D lasers to aidcrash sites

IMDG Codechange

Drivers across England are to benet

from shorter motorway closuresafter crashes, thanks to the roll-out

of 3D laser scanning technology fundedby the Government and police.The technology saves time by quickly

making a 3D image of the whole crashsite, rather than investigatorspainstakingly surveying multiple sectionsof a scene. This digital image of the sitecan then be viewed on a computer screenremotely allowing investigators to takemeasurements of where vehicles are inrelation to each other and examine otherimportant evidence. This will benet

drivers by reducing incident clear-uptimes by 39 minutes on average. The

Department for Transport has awarded 27police forces across England a total of2.7m, which together with police and theNational Policing Improvement Agency(NPIA) contributions, will enable them topurchase 37 scanners.

There has been a signicant change to

the International Maritime DangerousGoods (IMDG) Code, which came into

force at the beginning of this year.As from 1st January 2012, articles with aninternal combustion engine now fall withinthe scope of the IMDG and must be notied

to carriers as dangerous goods, UN 3166,Class 9.

A dangerous goods declaration anddocument will be required. Full details ofthis change are contained in various bulletinssent out by shipping lines. The declarationand document can be provided by somebodywho has received training on how toproperly load vehicles into containers toensure safe transit. Records must be kept for

each occasion a vehicle is loaded into acontainer including full details as to themake of vehicle as well as the type andnumber of the container.For more information, contact theMaritime & Coastguard Agency atwww.dft.gov.uk/mca

New cranes orFelixstowe

The Port of Felixstowe has taken

delivery of its latest consignment

of new cranes.

The port already has the countrys

busiest intermodal rail freight operation,

and the new rail terminal will be the rst

in the UK to be designed to handlelonger, 30-wagon, freight trains. The

longer trains will allow more containers

to be moved on the same infrastructure

and provide greater carbon savings.

The two new ship-to-shore gantry

cranes and ten rubber-tyred gantry

cranes (RTGs) are the biggest of their

type in the world, capable of handling

container ships with 24 containers wide

on deck. With the new arrivals, there

will be seven ship-to-shore cranes on

Berths 8 and 9, and 37 in total across the

port. Each of the new cranes weighs

approximately 2,000 tonnes and is

capable of lifting 2 containers

simultaneously up to a total of 70

tonnes.

According to Secretary of State for

Transport Justine Greening, Felixstowe

is a gateway for over 40 per cent ofgoods entering and leaving the country:

This is one of the reasons our recent

spending review included improvements

to the A14, one of the countrys major

freight arteries, she said.


11/72



Industry News

12

FMCSAs new HOS rule reduces by 12hours the maximum number of hours atruck driver can work within a week. Under

the old rule, truck drivers could work onaverage up to 82 hours within a seven-dayperiod. The new HOS rule limits a driverswork week to 70 hours.

In addition, truck drivers cannot drive afterworking eight hours without rst taking a break

of at least 30 minutes. Drivers can take the30-minute break whenever they need restduring the eight-hour window. The new ruleretains the current 11-hour daily driving limit.

The rule requires truck drivers who maximisetheir weekly work hours to take at least twonights rest from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. This restrequirement is part of the rules 34-hourrestart provision that allows drivers to restart

the clock on their work week by taking at least34 consecutive hours off-duty. Drivers can usethe restart provision only once during a seven-day period. Commercial truck drivers andcompanies must comply with the new HOS ruleby 1st July, 2013.

US cuts trucker hoursNews rom across the pond US Transportation Secretary RayLaHood has announced new rules rom the Department o

Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Saety Administration(FMCSA) which revise the hours-o-service (HOS) saetyrequirements or commercial truck drivers.

Mixed eedback on Fit Notes

While the introduction of the t note

to replace the sick note hasprovided the nudge needed for

managers to open up important conversationswith their staff and discuss the best way tohelp get individuals back to work, t notes

have done little to reduce absence at work,according to newly released ndings from the

Chartered Institute of Personnel andDevelopment.

The Statement of Fitness to Work or t note

replaced the sick note in April 2010. The t

note allows GPs to categorise employees asmay be t for work, as well as unt for

work. Its aim is to encourage more

employees with health problems to agree withtheir employer a phased return-to-work, suchas reduced hours or the use of varied duties, aspart of their rehabilitation and recovery.

More than half of employers (52 per cent)stated they agree that the introduction of thet note has enabled line managers to prompt

conversations about absence and health issueswith their staff. Just under a third of theorganisations (31 per cent) questioned in theCIPD/Simplyhealth survey agreed that the t

note helps line managers to manage absencemore effectively. Although the vast majorityof employers (87 per cent) have used the t

note in their organisations, its use was lesscommon in smaller businesses of less than 50employees (54 per cent).

These ndings follow the publication of

recommendations from the Government-commissioned independent review into

sickness absence, which highlights theimportance of helping employees who are offwork sick to make supported and phasedreturns to work, for example, with the help ofa new Independent Assessment Service.

Less encouragingly, the survey suggestsemployers remain unconvinced that the t

note has yet had much impact in helping toreduce levels of employee sickness absence.Only one in ten respondents (11 per cent) saidthe t note had reduced absence in their

organisation. And, with the same number ofemployers believing the t note is being used

effectively by GPs, there is clearly adisconnect between employers needs and

current outcomes.Dr Jill Miller, CIPD Adviser, says the

research ndings are not surprising

considering the culture change needed byGPs, employers and employees to ensure thata phased return-to-work is more frequentlyregarded as a positive and integral part ofemployees rehabilitation and recovery. Sherecommends: GPs and employers need towork from the same page, promoting what isbest for the individual employees health andwell-being, but also what makes sense for thebusiness. Employees too need to be moreforthcoming and willing to enter these

discussions. Policy makers, however, shouldnot be discouraged as it may well take ve

years or so before the t note is consistently

used effectively and viewed more favourablyby GPs, employers and employees, to supportearly and lasting returns to work.

Governmentto expandpre-claim

conciliation

The Government has announcedplans to require all employment

disputes to go to the Advisory,Conciliation and Arbitration Service

(Acas) to be offered pre-claimconciliation before going to a tribunal.

Under the new system anyone

intending to make an employmenttribunal claim would need to notify Acas

of this in the rst instance rather than theTribunals Service. Acas would then have

a specied time period of up to one

month in which to provide conciliation.If this does not resolve the matter, a

claim to a tribunal could then continue.Acas Chair, Ed Sweeney said the

Government recognises the success ofpre- claim conciliation and has

recommended the service becomes a

more formal part of the disputeresolution system. This will mean greater

access to earlier intervention inworkplace disputes and ultimately more

long term, positive working relations.Pre-claim conciliation (PCC) was

introduced in April 2009 and since then

Acas has worked with 38,000 employersand employees to avoid the cost, stress

and anxiety of an employment tribunal.In 2010, three quarters of potential

disputes that qualied for PCC were keptout of the tribunal system.

In 2010 independent research found

that when staff time and legal costs arefactored in, businesses who resolve

disputes through the service save 3,700on average, compared to costs involved

once an employment tribunal claim hasbeen made. Employees save on average

nearly 1,300 when resolving a PCC

case compared with dealing with anemployment tribunal claim.

Pre-claim conciliation is currentlyavailable for appropriate cases via the

Acas national helpline: 08457 47 47 47.



Industry News

13

The project was completed over a six weekperiod. The magnicent new facility in

Ebbw Vale will provide the idealenvironment for users to access a uniquecollection of documents. With state-of-the-artstorage and a modern archive conservationstudio, the Gwent Archives collection will bepreserved for future generations.

The challenge for Harrow Green was to packthousands of individual items in strict sequentialorder for transportation and relocation inexactly the right place in the new storagefacility.

The art of planning a complex sequentialmove, says Stephen Noake, Harrow Greensrelocation consultant on the project, is toensure complete traceability of every box andeach item at every stage of the move, in and out

of buildings, on and off shelves.Often for moves of this size Harrow Green

will provide a managed barcode system usingproprietary document management software. Inthe case of Gwent Archives, Harrow Greenworked with the clients own barcodeidentication system.

Every item was scanned, along with itsoriginal shelf position, and scanned in at thenal location in the new premises. Data was

output to Excel spreadsheet to create an instantlocation database.

Gary Tuson, County Archivist, said: Wedecided when planning the relocation of thearchive to store everything by size rather thancollection to make the most effective andeconomical use of space, so it was not a like-for-like move we have fourteen different types

of storage to accommodate the collections.No material was left outside secure storage

areas, either in the original loading areas or atthe nal destination, out of unsupervised

hours, adds Stuart Fitton, commercial managerfor Harrow Green in the southwest.

The County Archivist was very happy with theresult: Harrow Green was appointed on thestrength of their experience of similar projectsand their competitive pricing. They proved to bea great team of people who managed thesequential move efciently over a tight six-

week schedule, he said.

Harrow Green inarchive moveMoves o archives can be among the most challenging operations orany removals business. At the end o 2011, Harrow Green plannedand carried out the sequential move o 7km o archival material to anew home or Gwent Archives.

Armishawsupdates eet

A

rmishaws has invested over

600,000 in new vehicles to meet

increased demand for both their UKand European moving services and update

the eet to Euro 4 category.A leading military mover, Armishaws

increased its eet with four new trucks in2010 and a further six in 2011. The latest

trucks are led by 2 Scania P320 withVancraft 6 container bodies and cab-top

sleepers. The units are on air suspension,

front and rear along with low prole tyresto make the loading height as low as

possible. This also means an increasedheight inside the body, whilst keeping the

vehicle overall below four metres high.

The volume demanded by the militaryis 2,400 cubic feet (67.92 cubic meters)

and Armishaws vehicles easily exceed therequirement with 2,500 cubic feet.

Another pair of R320 high-top cabs havealso joined the Armishaws 12-strong

Scania demountable eet.

The vehicles, with their double sleepersare used for collections and deliveries

where goods need to be kept on thevehicle for up to 14 days. There are over

fty 1,850 cubic feet demountable bodiesalready in the eet which can be loaded

and stored at any of the Armishaws

depots.The vehicles are ideal for large jobs,

with poor access, where the bodies can beswapped between lorries and trailers, or

when loads need to be swapped betweenvehicles.

The nal pair to join the eet are two

Mercedes 815s. These vehicles carryVancraft 3 container bodies with Luton

top sleepers and are destined forArmishaws Camberley depot, which

deals with MOD movements within theM25. These are the nal replacement

vehicles for this depot to bring all the

vehicles up to Euro 4 compliance for thisyear.

When Britannia Sandersteads moved

to their current depot sixteen yearsago they always knew the landlordplanned to develop the site, but due to the sizeof the development and the road infrastructure,the planning needed European Union approval.

Five landlords later, it has now been decidedthat the whole site will be converted to 90 percent affordable housing with a huge push tomake Hackbridge the greenest community inthe UK. As a result, the team at Sandersteadshas found ideal new premises 800 metres fromJunction 6 of the M25. Offering greatmotorway links, the site is only fteen minutes

from Croydon and is now located outside the

London Low Emissions Zone (LEZ). The newdepot is located in an old chalk quarry in themiddle of the woods at the end of a secludedresidential road and was originally an old sawmill. It has four large warehouses and astandalone, glass circular ofce building that

could resemble something from Thunderbirds!Sandersteads have increased in size from

24,000 ft to the new depot that is 37,000 ft insize. This will be another big step forward forthe company and both management and manualstaff are all very excited about the new depotand the challenges it brings.

Britannia Sandersteads are go!

Do you have any news to share with R&S readers?:

Send to: [email protected]



Industry News

14

Momentous atWindsor Castle

The team at Momentous was recentlyback again at Windsor Castle,

carrying out a removal for a member

of the castle staff. The crew reported thestaff members complete satisfaction with

the move, and despite the obvious securityprecautions at the castle, things went very

smoothly!

David Woodhouse, Overseas Movements Manager, and Matt Purdie (R)

We were the rst company to achieve

this, and are currently the only companyin Britain to hold all ve of the industry-

related Quality Standards, Matt told R&S.

Matt and overseas manager DavidWoodhouse have now attached a sign to the

companys main building for all to see, in

commemoration of this outstanding

achievement.

For more information about how to obtainthe BS 8564 Overseas Moving Standard,

contact Chris Waymouth:[email protected] or

call: 01923 699480/07831 309379.

Britanniaselinestowaway

Britannia reports that a trade shipping

customers cat has been found hidingin the 20ft container that was loaded

with the customers belongings at their

property. The container had already beendelivered to the shipping port and was

awaiting loading onto a freight destined forDubai.

The customer in question was planning

on leaving her cat in the UK with family.The cat was still at the property while the

removal crew were loading the customersbelongings into the container, which is

when the cat sneaked into the container

determined to follow its owner to Dubai.

It wasnt until the cat had spent a nightlocked in the container on the shippingdock, that Abdool Hamid in Britannias

Exports division received a call from avery frantic customer telling him that her

cat was missing and that she wanted the

container searched as soon as possible.Thankfully Abdool was able to get the

container moved to a safe place so thatstaff from the shipping line could search

for the pet, and allowed the owner to comeinto the dock to assist with searching for

the cat.

As you can see from the photo the cat

was reunited with its owner, hungry butunharmed.

Matt Purdie frst to newstandardThe team at Matt Purdie & Sons have chalked up another rst: Mattsays the company is the rst to be certied or the QSS standard orOverseas Moving.

ONeil Softwares DataTech wing, whichprovides cloud-based commercialrecords management services, has

teamed up with Intandem Solutions, a providerof enterprise content management solutions, to

provide an integrated solution for managingphysical documents stored in off-site recordcentres directly from Intandem SolutionsFileTrack product.

This capability will allow end users, managingboth digital and physical records, the ability tomanage this content in a consistent mannerdirectly from the FileTrack software solution.Ian Thomas, Executive Vice President of ONeil

Software, believes this integration will provideend users seamless access to their corporaterecords stored at off-site record centres.

ONeil and Intandem partner

Britannia shows cats really do have 9 lives!

David Woodhouse, Overseas Movements Manager, and Matt Purdie (R)



Industry News

15

Ilminster-based removals company,

Chudley International, is supporting thePiers Simon Appeal (PSA) and its School

in a Bag scheme.The Piers Simon Appeal was established in

memory of Piers who sadly passed away inthe 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Luke Simon,

who was with his brother Piers in Thailand at

the time, and spent ve days searching forhim in the aftermath, now runs the charity in

his brothers memory, with the support of theSimon family.

The charity was set up to offer disasterrelief around the globe and still undertakes

appeals when major disasters such as therecent Turkish earthquake and Japanese

Tsunami occur. It also runs the School in aBag scheme which provides children with

basic stationery equipment and resources.

In 2011, the children at the New England

Community in Freetown, Sierra Leone

received 200 School Bags and in a gestureof thanks renamed the school the Piers

Simon School.Sales manager at Chudley International,

Adam Chudley, said as shipping partner forthe Piers Simon Appeal, we have sent smaller

shipments of bags to destinations across the

world. When the project for The Piers SimonSchool in Sierra Leone was oated we saw a

huge opportunity for this school. Due to the

volume we were sending we realised wecould utilise additional space within thecontainer to provide the school with many

items that would be surplus to us in this

country.This year, PSAs projects include a

shipment of bags and teddies to victims ofabuse in Swaziland and also supporting the

Preston School to send their computerequipment to their link school in Ghana.

We are proud to support the Piers Simon

appeal and School in a Bag, Adam said.The projects we have undertaken this year

have been great and the smiles on the facesof the children just make it all so worthwhile.

The 2012 projects are exciting and to be ableto turn what we do into something so positive

is so rewarding.

To donate a school in a bag for just 15,please go to www.pierssimonappeal.org

Chudley International supports

education charity

Santa Fe combines orces

Aglobal training conference proved to bean historic moment for the Santa FeGroup at the end of last year as it brought

together three industry-leading businessesoperating across three continents in a relativelyshort period of time.

As part of its global training programme, theSanta Fe Group held a Global Conference inCebu, Philippines in November 2011. Thetheme of the conference was The Power ofCombined Forces 2012.

Colleagues from Santa Fe, Wridgways andInterdean found the three days, which werepacked with training sessions, updates andintegration tasks, highly informative.Representatives from each of the continents;Asia, Australia and Europe, delivered detailedtraining to ensure that the Groups employees

gained a good understanding of how each of thethree businesses operate. The training wasfocused around customers needs, the relocationmarket place and how both of these facets arechanging and developing. This was followed bya workshop on how our teams can develop andimprove the services delivered by the Santa FeGroup to meet these developing needs.

The Groups Senior Management Team held

meetings to discuss progress made in each ofthe three organisations. This included updatesfrom the Santa Fe Groups Business Managerswith input and feedback from front line staff.Members of the Senior Management Team alsogave the audience their take on the future ofmobility and how the Santa Fe Group intends to

shape its business goals, ensuring that everyoneunderstood a common direction. Future strategywas also communicated with the Group so thateveryone in attendance could share this vision.

Throughout the three-day conference, SantaFe Group employees took part in team-buildingevents which were a fantastic opportunity forcolleagues from across the globe to get to knowone another.

Three businesses operating across three continents

meet in Cebu, Philipinnes

Anglo Pacifcraise Movemberunds

Joining a global movement of literallyhundreds of thousands of gentsworldwide, the men folk of Anglo

Pacic International plc spent the month of

November sprouting some nemoustachery. Aside from being the

source of great amusement, and aestheticwrongness, their facial feats raised over

1,000 for cancer charities.Liz Caines, HR Director at Anglo Pacic,

said, Much hyped Movember is a visual

reminder of the need to change establishedhabits and attitudes men have about their

health and to educate them about the risks

they face in order to increase chances ofearly diagnosis and effective treatment.

The movement has so far raised over106m for male cancer charities since its

inception in Melbourne Australia in 2004and, for us, its a fantastic way to do

charitable work at the same time asfostering humour and a gentle competitive

spirit in the workplace as we eased into the

countdown to Christmas.Awards were announced at the companys

Christmas Party at the end of last year.Vishal Basra from the Companys IT

Department collected the Mr Movember

2011 sash for a facial masterpiece thatstood out a country mile.

Alongside the sizeable donation wingingits way to The Prostate Cancer Charity and

Institute of Cancer Research, the choice ofChristmas Party venue at the Victory

Services Club in London allowed AngloPacic to support the Clubs work with

retired and serving members of the Armed

Forces.

Winner: VishalBasra

TheMovemberGroup



Industry News

16

F

irst up is Britannia Bennetts sponsorshipof the Snowdrop Ball, which is an annualfundraising event for St. Richards

Hospice, Worcester. Next, Dave Aldridge,Croydons Warehouse Manager has set up adeal to provide the Head Ofce with three new

water coolers through a company called Aquaid.In return, Aquaid constructed an Elephant Pumpin Zimbabwe for Britannia (pictured). Davereceived a certicate for the sponsorship of the

water pump and a very touching thank youletter from a young school pupil, who wrote totell him how grateful her school was to have theElephant pump so close to them, which means

they have clean drinking water and water toclean their classrooms and equipment.

Britannia has also been involved in

campaigning for another charity, supportingthem in their efforts to win a competition withthe Vodafone Foundation. The charity, MsiziAfrica (www.msiziafrica.org.uk) was foundedby Lucy Caslon after visiting Africa in 2006 tocare for 50 orphans at an orphanage in Lesotho.After securing funding through an earlierVodafone Foundation competition, they wereable to take on another 1,000 children, and thislatest competition has now secured fundinguntil June 2012.

In another corner of the globe, Team Britanniacompleted their various distances across thefull marathon, half marathon and 8km

disciplines in Amsterdam, running along streetslined with people cheering and encouragingparticipants when they seemed to be agging.

Most of the Britannia runners certainly hadsome tricky periods but the general feeling wasthat being part of a team throughout thetraining, the Blog and the event itself gaveeveryone the extra impetus to go those extramiles.

The charity selected by Britannia this year wasCancer Research and this was an importantchoice for many of the Britannia team and nodoubt spurred everyone on. The Britannia teamkit displayed the Britannia AmsterdamMarathon logo, name or the runner and theCancer Research logo for all to see.

All the participants nished without major

injury and managed to pick themselves up for acelebration in town in the evening (see picture).At the time of going to press Team Britanniahas raised over 6500 with money still comingin. This is way over the target of 5000 so thewhole team are overjoyed with the effort andthe achievement.

Britannia in charity driveThe Britannia amily o companies has been stepping up itsinvolvement with a range o charities in the UK and in Arica.

...and completes Amsterdam Marathon.

Chess Movingschoolroadshow

At the end of 2011, the team atChess Moving Perth conducted aroad show in conjunction with

Canning Coalition, a broker betweenindustry leaders and schools to support

young people in looking at career

options.Chess Moving visited Kent Street

Senior High School and promoted theFurniture Removals, Warehousing and

Distribution Industry, highlighting thevast and exciting potential career paths

that the removals industry offers. Sixty

students participated in a programme

that included exposure to Health &Safety topics, Packing Skills, a trolleyobstacle course, plus a chance to sit

behind the wheel of a M.A.N primemover.

For many, the highlight of the day was

the pack off where students packed acarton of crockery which was subject to

the drop test: a sudden and unexpecteddrop of a carton from height, with

breakages recorded. The students thatdisplayed excellent listening skills and

displayed excellent packing skills with

no breakages were rewarded with a

small gift.

Martin Thomas o Team Britannia running the

marathon

Sixty students rom Kent Street Senior High School

participated in a programme

Elephant Pump in Zimbabwe


17/72



Industry News

18

Figures from the Land Registry show anannual price decrease of 1.9 per cent inNovember 2011 which takes the average

property value in England and Wales to160,780. The monthly change from October toNovember was an increase of 0.3 per cent.

The only region in England and Wales toexperience an increase in its average propertyvalue over the last 12 months was London, witha movement of 1.4 per cent. The North Westexperienced the greatest monthly rise with amovement of 1.4 per cent. The North Eastexperienced the greatest annual price fall with a

decrease of 5.4 per cent. The East experiencedthe most signicant monthly price fall with a

decrease of 0.6 per cent. During September2011, the number of completed house sales inEngland and Wales increased by 6 per cent to61,031 from 57,463 in September 2010.

Nationwide, which covers the whole of the UKand is based on a sample of loans issued in anygiven month, reported that prices declined by0.2 per cent in December 2011, increasing by 1per cent in 2011 as a whole. The price of atypical home is now 163,822. With the UKeconomy struggling to gain momentum, labour

market conditions are likely to remainchallenging in 2012, deterring buyers fromentering the housing market. This may tip thedemand/supply balance in favour of buyers,chief economist Robert Gardner said. However,there are few indications that a ood of

properties is about to hit the market, so tightsupply conditions will continue to provide somesupport for prices. The outlook is very uncertain,and will depend crucially on how the wider UKeconomy performs. Nevertheless, as thingsstand, the housing market in 2012 looks likely tobe characterised by low levels of activity onceagain, with prices moving sideways or modestly

lower over the course of the year.

Halifax, which also covers the entire UK, butbases its index on a sample of each lenders ownloans each month, said that on a monthly basis,house prices fell by 0.9 per cent in December2011 with the average house price at 160,063.House prices in the nal quarter of 2011 were

0.1 per cent lower than in the previous quarter.This compared with a 0.1 per cent rise betweenQ2 (April to June) and Q3 (July to September).Housing economist Martin Ellis predicted broadstability in house prices for the rest of 2012,provided the UK can avoid recession. There is,

however, considerable uncertainty regarding theprospects for the UK economy which will, to alarge extent, depend on how events in theEurozone unfold, he said. In addition, theextent to which households choose to reducetheir debts will also affect growth. As a result,the outlook for house prices is also uncertain.

Figures from Communities and LocalGovernment (CLG) for October 2011 showthat UK house prices decreased by 0.4 per centover the year and increased by 0.6 per cent overthe month (seasonally adjusted). The averagemix-adjusted UK house price was 205,974 (notseasonally adjusted). Average prices decreasedduring the year in all UK countries; England(-0.2 per cent), Wales (-0.5 per cent), Scotland(-1.5 per cent) and Northern Ireland (-12.1 percent). Prices paid by rst-time buyers were 0.4

per cent higher on average than a year earlierwhilst prices paid by former owner occupiers

decreased by 0.7 per cent. Prices for newproperties were 12.1 per cent higher on averagethan a year earlier whilst prices for pre-owneddwellings decreased by 1.2 per cent.

And, according to the latest monthly marketreport from the National Association of EstateAgents, the number of sales made by agentsdecreased during November, with the averagebranch selling 6 properties in November 2011compared with 8 in October. This represents ayear-on-year decrease, with an average of 7sales made in November 2010.

The level of housing stock also decreased,

moving from an average of 72 per branch inOctober to 65 in November. The report alsofound that house-hunter levels dropped from anaverage of 305 in October to just 262 inNovember per branch.

Price change by region Source: Land Registry

Housing market eels the pressureThe perormance o the housing market at the end o 2011 refected the general lack o condence in theUK economy. Away rom London, prices and transaction numbers remain muted. With unemploymentedging higher, economists said they saw little prospect o any signicant upturn in 2012.


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23/72February 2012 Removals & Storage 23

BAR News



BAR News

BAR Elections

Elections will be held in the Spring to

nd a new Directly Elected Director for

the BAR Board, as well as Directors

for our subsidiaries, QSS and BAR

(Services) Ltd. These posts are a key part in

the working of the democratic structure of

BAR, enabling representatives of Member

companies to get involved and inuence the

shape of the future for the Association. A

call for interested parties to stand for

election will be made this month, with the

ballots to take place under the direction ofthe BAR Company Secretary during March,

and the successful candidates being in post

from the AGM in May onwards.

DomesticRemovalsApprenticeships

A

fter the highly successful launch of

the Commercial MovingApprenticeship qualication with the

CMG, BAR is now working hard to producea Domestic Removals Apprenticeship

scheme. As a Member, your help is needed

to ensure that this exciting prospectbecomes a reality! Everybody in the

industry will agree that this is a very timelyinitiative. An apprenticeship represents an

ideal way of attracting the young of todayinto a fast moving industry, in which every

day is different and camaraderie is second to

none. BAR now needs the support ofMembers to optimise the Apprenticeship

scheme. To register the scheme and allocatefunding for it, the Sector Skills Council

must be provided with indications of justhow much demand there is for an

apprenticeship scheme, and how many

people are expected to become apprentices.This is really important to our project, as

we cannot register and produce the schemeuntil we have this information, BAR

Training Manager Loren Webster told R&S.

Loren is calling on all Members to informher, their Area Secretary or National

Councillor of the number of people theyestimate they could sign up to a funded

Domestic Removals Apprenticeship scheme.This is not a commitment to be involved in

any future scheme, just an estimate toprovide authorities with a rough idea of thepotential numbers involved. For any

questions, please do not hesitate to contactLoren Webster, BAR Training Manager, at

[email protected]

The event will be hosted by MikeNattrass, MEP (UK Independence

Party) who is the keynote speaker atthe forthcoming 2012 BAR Conference in

Windsor. This is a great opportunity to seethe EU in action and also visit one of

Frances most historic cities. Strasbourg is

the capital and principal city of the Alsaceregion in eastern France and is the ofcialseat of the European Parliament.

Strasbourgs historic city centre, the Grande

le (Grand Island), was classied a WorldHeritage site by UNESCO in 1988, the rsttime such an honour was placed on an entire

city centre.A group package, at cost beneting from

preferred group rates, has been put togethertravelling from London on the 12th March

by Eurostar and staying at the Holiday InnStrasbourg City Centre, returning to London

on the 14th March. There is also the

possibility of this trip being partially fundedwith a refund of c200 per person

(depending on geographical locationtravelling from in the UK) after the visit.

For full details, see the BAR website(www.bar.co.uk). To book a place(s) or

for more information, please contact the

Commercial Department on 01923 699 483.

Visit the European Parliament!BAR has received a group invitation to visit and tour the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday13th March 2012. There are only 30 places, available on a strictly rst-come, rst-served basis.

Free presence and PR at the

Surrey County Show

BAR will have one of the main exhibits

at the Surrey County Show to displayBAR Members vintage removals

vehicles. BAR is offering its Members theopportunity to exhibit their vintage vehicles

free of charge and thereby increase theirvisibility to potential customers.

The Surrey County Show takes place

at Stoke Park, Guilford on the 4th June2012. In the run up to the event, 25,000

leaets and 5,000 posters will be distributedand displayed in shops and various other

outlets. In addition, the event will bepromoted on sideboards in four counties,

and advertised in leading magazines,

newspapers and trade press.Since BAR vintage removals vehicles are

one of the main attractions of the SurreyCounty Show, the event organisers will

themselves not miss any opportunity to

mention it everywhere they can! If you have

a vintage removal vehicle, please takeadvantage of this opportunity for your

company to benet from free marketing andPR during the month leading up to the event

and on the day. Your vintage vehicle(s) willbe presented twice during the day during the

parade and there will be a commentary

presenting your company and your vehicle.In addition, you will have access to the press

tent. If you would like to participate at thisevent, enter your vintage vehicle(s) in the

2012 BAR Conference vehicle competitionand you will be able to participate at the

Surrey event at no extra cost! Places are

limited and will be allocated on a rst-come,rst-served basis so to enter contact BAR assoon as possible on 01923 699483.

Update your web profle

As BAR ramps up its efforts to optimise the

effectiveness of the BAR website, BAR Members,

Afliates and Partners are advised to update theirMembership proles on the BAR website. By ensuringyour company description and contact details arecomplete and accurate, you will increase the likelihood

of being found by customers and potential customers asthe key words used with the description of your prolewill be picked up by the BAR website

search facility. For more information,please log into your MyBAR

account on www.bar.co.uk.Alternatively, please contact the BAR

Commercial department on 01923

699 483 or email: [email protected]



BAR News

Over recent years, the BAR legal

and nancial helplines haveestablished themselves as

important resources and a rst port of callfor guidance in relation to a legal or

nancial uncertainty, for all Members andparticularly for smaller companies.

Thanks to BARs successful

partnerships with specialist rms ofsolicitors and accountants, the initial

query is handled completely free ofcharge for BAR Members. Over 90 per

cent of matters are usually dealt withduring the initial contact.

In the last quarter of 2011, eleven BARMembers used the legal helpline service,

for a variety of purposes. Five calls were

for personnel related matters, such as

recruitment, suspension and constructive

dismissal. One was related to theft fromthe member company and the rest were

directly related to terms and conditions,

an invoice query, a claim query, a delayeddelivery due to mechanical fault, and a

limited liability query.

North Westjoins LANPAC

T

he North West Region of BAR has

become the latest member of the

Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire

Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC),

joining many blue chip companies in

supporting LANPAC.

LANPAC is a not for prot third sector

organisation which works in partnership

with private, public and voluntary sectors to

provide nancial support to projects aimed

at reducing crime and increasing public

condence in Lancashire.

The Preston Police headquarters were the

host of a recent BAR North West meeting,

where the decision was made to become a

supporting member of LANPAC. Benets to

BAR North West include regular informative

emails with up to date business advice,

invitations to seminars, including crime

prevention and community safety themed

conferences and meetings as well as free use

of Constabulary meeting rooms. One

hundred per cent of the membership fee paid

goes towards making a real and practical

contribution to crime reduction and

prosperity in the communities where BAR

North West does business. Over the last 13

years, police ofcers in Lancashire have

been awarded 1,271,000 from LANPAC to

support a host of projects, which has resulted

in four times that amount being raised from

other agencies. This support from businessesand organisations has assisted the

constabulary to reduce crime and anti-social

behaviour in Lancashire.

Book your tableor the BARAwards night!

Entries for the Commercial Mover of the

Year award closed at the end of

January. However, there is still time to

submit applications for the Domestic Mover

of the Year award the closing date for

applications is 17th February.

Now is also a good time to nalise your

arrangements for the evening gala awards

event at the BAR Annual Conference in

Royal Windsor (17-19 May 2012). If you

want to reserve a complete table for tenpeople, please do so as soon as possible to

ensure you are sitting with the people you

want to spend the evening with!

For more information, please visit

www.bar.co.uk/conference2012.aspx.

To commemorate this landmark, R&S is

running a special series of proles ofthese partner companies to explain the

services that the partners provide to BAR

Members, and look at how the Afliates areaiming to leverage their long standing

relationships with BAR going into thefuture.

All BAR Afliates are provided with acompany prole on the BAR website, aswell as attendance at the AnnualConference, area meetings, and any other

national functions organised by theAssociation.

Afliates also enjoy discount rates foradvertising in R&S, which is distributed tothe entire BAR Membership (UK and

Overseas) and the UK Removals industry,

and other associated organisations with aninterest in removals. The magazine is also

published online on the public facing part of

the BAR website to increase visibility andincrease advertising value. In addition,

Afliates receive the weekly BARNewsletter.

The companies can also display the BAR

Afliate badge on any trade stationery orpublicity material, as well as on their

website. They can also access the listing ofall BAR Members for their direct marketing

purposes. BAR is proud of the long standingpartnerships it has established with its

Afliates. As well as bringing benets to the

businesses involved, Afliate status has ledto many new friends being made and warm

personal relationships built across theindustry. Over the course of this year, R&S

and the BAR will be maximising theexposure of our partner companies,

celebrating their contribution to the

Removals industry.

Celebrating BARAfliate relationshipsIts not only the Queen who is celebrating a milestone this year: in 2012a whole range o suppliers o essential products and services to BAR aremarking their 10th or even 20th anniversary as a BAR Afliate.

Legal and fnancial helplines or

BAR Members

Contacts

Financial helplineTelephone: 020 7630 6665 or [email protected].

Legal helplineTelephone: 01254 828 300 or [email protected].



BAR News

Annmarie started Norfolk-based APAKRemovals and Storage in 2005, withhusband Andrew, whom she met at a

BAR Conference so its fair to say that BAR

has played a major part in both her personallife and her business life!

Thanks to BAR, weve made lots of goodfriends in the industry who have helped usthrough some tough times by giving us theirassistance, Annmarie says. We haventforgotten the help we have received. Its veryimportant that we keep these relationshipsgoing strong. Andrew and I would never bewhere we are now if we hadnt been able to

become Members of BAR.Both Annmarie and Andrew worked in the

removals industry before they met; Annmariein Ireland, her home country, and Andrew inthe UK, where as many Members will knowhe ran the only training school in the countryspecically for the removals industry.

When she moved to East Anglia, Annmarietook a break from the industry, studied for abusiness degree, worked in advertising for alocal newspaper and then in marketing for alarge automotive company, an experience shesays was extremely helpful when the couple

decided to set up on their own. A lot of start-ups dont realise how important marketing is,she says. It can really make the differencebetween a company succeeding or failing inthe rst year.

There are two main elements that willdetermine the long-term survival of a removalscompany, Annmarie believes: technology andquality.

On the technology side, the Internet has ofcourse revolutionised the industry. Annmarienow spends 90 per cent of the companyadvertising budget on web development, and iscontinuously updating the Apakmove.co.uk

website and investing in search engineoptimisation.

The couple have also invested in newtelecommunications technology such as VOIP,which she says has provided major savingsimmediately after making the initial

investment. People can be scared of investingin technology, but for us it is really enabling usto grow, she says. If you dont embracetechnology, you will fall behind.

On the quality side, Annmarie believes thatBAR is pursuing the right policy ofencouraging Members to take up the industrystandards. People seem to have a new foundrespect for the industry, she says. Its veryimportant that we clearly get the messageacross that there is a big difference betweenthe professionals and the non-professionals.

APAK themselves are currently undergoingaccreditation, a process which she says is

proving a very useful driver for the companyto become more efcient and effective.

Annmarie believes it is important that BARcontinues to recognised the different needs ofsmaller and larger organisations. She saysAPAK has beneted immensely from the

democratic, inclusive nature of BARConferences, where she and Andrew have beenable to learn from the CEOs and directors ofsome of the industrys largest companies.Supporting the Young Movers

Annmaries enthusiasm for the work of BAR

is particularly evident when she discusses therole of the Young Movers group.As a Young Mover who is an employer and

owns her own company, she has a uniqueperspective on the benets of the organisation.

Its so much more than just a jolly, she says.Its a way of thanking employees and aboveall of giving them an opportunity to network.Its so important in this business to buildrelationships, and Young Movers allows theyoung people in our industry to be able toproblem solve by making a phone call tosomeone in another company.

As well as personally attending Young

Mover events, as an employer Annmarie hasalso encouraged APAKs Jenna Cornwell tobecome involved. Jenna has been inspired bythe Young Movers to develop her career in theindustry and has just completed the BARTSBTEC Removals Management course at

Watford. From my employees I look aboveall for loyalty and enthusiasm the rest can belearnt, Annmarie explains. The YoungMovers is a way for employees to becomeenthusiastic about the business, to bash outideas with other young people, and show theirlove of the industry. There should be moreYoung Mover representation at BAR areameetings, she suggests, in order to help raisethe prole of the organisation and increase

numbers. Annmarie really enjoyed theEuropean Young Movers conference, attendedby hundreds of delegates from across Europe.It was an amazing opportunity for Young

BAR Members from the UK to network acrossEurope, she remembers. Its very importantto build these networks internationally.

The story of APAKs own success, whichhas seen it grow from being run out ofAndrews and Annmaries spare bedroom intoa team of ve people in the ofce and over 25

on the road, is a tale above all of hard workand relationship building. Annmarie believesthat those two ingredients are the secret to aprosperous and fullling career in the

removals industry, both as an employee andemployer. Its a message that the BAR and in

particular the Young Movers are working hardto deliver across the industry.

Annmarie Pearson:

representing the nextgeneration o removalscompaniesAs an owner o a removal company, Annmarie Pearson is a member othe Young Movers special interest group with a unique perspective onthe uture o the industry.

Young Mover Profle: Annmarie Pearson

Book now orWoburn SaariPark

The rst Young Movers event of

2012 will take place on Friday16th March (midday) at Woburn

Safari Park, Bedfordshire. The package

includes business seminars, admissionto the Woburn Foot Safari tour, and

lunch and refreshments. For moreinformation and to register online please

visit: www.bar.co.uk/ym2012.aspx orcall 01923 699 484.



BAR News



BAR NewsBAR News

The ndings from the year to end report are

as follows:

Moves within the UKUK domestic moves in 2011 compared

satisfactorily to 2010, with a slight year to date

increase of just 0.62% (Figure 1). Four of the

rst six months of 2011 however all fared worse

when compared to the previous years ndings,

March 2011 witnessed a quite signicant 8.87%

decrease in moves against March 2010.

Conversely, the most encouraging months of

2011 were during late summer, early Autumn astotal number of moves increased by 4.73% in

August, 5.77% in September and 3.89% in

October. 2011 Q4 months continued to show

positive ndings, all faring favourably compared

to like months of 2010. This could be explained

by the severe winter of 2010. December 2010

was in fact the coldest since records began when

temperatures consistently plummeted to -10C

severely disrupting travel nationwide.

The National Association of Estate Agents

(NAEA) identied the extreme weather

conditions as a major factor in adversely

affecting the removals industry; Sales

traditionally do drop in December as many

people are reluctant to buy or sell property

during the holiday period. This year (2010) the

slowdown was exacerbated by the terribleweather conditions that left swathes of the UK

blanketed in snow.

The NAEA has recently noted cautious

optimism for the housing market; Interest in

UK property rose during December (2011)

bucking previous winter trends, according to

estate agents. The market report for December

showed an increase in the number of house-

hunters registering with an agent across the

country, from an average of 262 per branch in

November to 294 in December. In contrast in

December 2010, demand for property reduced to

227, from 241 in November

House price and sales volumeThe latest Land Registrys House Price Index

report for England & Wales (2010 2011)reveals a rather changeable housing market, as

indicated by house prices and sales volumes

(Figure 2). From January 2010 average house

price rose and peaked in August (166,509).

Industry Statistics: January 2010/11 December 2010/11 (Q1 Q4)Based on surveys completed by Member companies, BAR has analysed an annual review o industrystatistics or the proessional removals industry 2010 compared to 2011. The data compare like-or-like

months rom 2010 and 2011.

Figure 1: Moves within the UK

8.00%

6.00%

4.00%

2.00%

0.00%

-2.00%

-4.00%

-6.00%

-8.00%

-10.00%

2011 compared to 2010 by month

Figure 2: House price and sales volume (England & Wales)

168,000

167,000

166,000

165,000

164,000

163,000

162,000

161,000

16O,000

159,000

Ave

rageprice()

S

alesvolume

80,000

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

Average price () Sales volume Source: Land Registry

Figure 3: Sta Employed

5.00%

4.00%

3.00%

2.00%

1.00%

0.00%

-1.00%

-2.00%

-3.00%


Figure 4: Vehicles in use

20.00%

15.00%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%

-5.00%


Figure 5: Moves to European countries

60.00%

50.00%

40.00%

30.00%

20.00%

10.00%0.00%

-10.00%

-20.00%

-30.00%


Figure 6: Moves to Overseas (non-European countries)

40.00%

30.00%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00%

-10.00%

-20.00%

-30.00%

-40.00%


Jan 10 Apr 10 Jul 10 Oct 10 Jan11 Apr 11 Jul 11 Oct 11Month

Sep5.77%

Dec2.09%Oct

3.89%

Mar-8.87%

Apr2.43%

May-0.90%

Nov0.59%

YTD0.62%Jul

1.66%

Jun1.50%

Jan-1.39%

Feb-5.17%

Aug4.73%

Jan54.84%

Apr-8.79%

May-2.60%

Jun-19.23%

Mar12.00%

Feb36.84%

Aug38.89%

Jul-6.58%

Sep35.42%

Dec

0.00%

Oct-4.88%

Nov-4.29%

Jan0.67%

Feb1.13%

Mar3.49%

Apr3.48%

May-1.70%

Jun-1.54%

Jul3.98%

Aug0.78%

Sep1.01%

Oct-2.00%

Nov1.33%

Dec-0.86%

YTD

0.60%

Jan-0.42%

Feb-1.65%

Apr0.00%

June0.00%

Oct0.38%

Nov10.00%

Dec-0.76%

Aug2.38%

Mar6.20%

May7.32%

Jul15.21%

YTD3.98%

Sep5.41%

Jan32.56%

Feb4.26%

Mar-9.43%

Apr-3.43%

Jul-10.17%

Dec-31.10%

May11.66%

June15.66%

Aug15.69%

Oct1.74%

Nov0.00%

YTD-0.16%

Sep0.00%

YTD

5.23%



BAR NewsBAR News

Since then, there has been a general decline in

average house price to below 161,000. Sales

volume mirrored the general trend for average

house price throughout 2010. Encouraging

gures are reported for 2011 as sales volumes

approached the 60,000 mark as the year

progressed.

Industry employment

The number of staff employed increased slightlyby less than 1% (Figure 3) during the 12 months

of 2011 compared to 2010. Only four months

have seen a decrease in staff employed for 2011

compared to like months of 2010 (May, June,

October and December).

Vehicle in useThe number of vehicles in use increased by a

total of 3.98% (Figure 4) during the 12 months

of 2011 compared to 2010. Only three months

have seen a decrease in vehicles in use for 2011

compared to like months of 2010 (January,

February and December). This increase may be

attributed to the announcements of the LEZstandard changes during 2011 (implemented in

January 2012). There have been peaks and

troughs in number of staff employed and number

of vehicles in use throughout the past two years

creating a rather inconsistent trend.

Moves to European countriesTotal moves to European countries in 2011

compared to 2010 by month have revealed an

overall increase of 5.23% (Figure 5) but this

gure does not indicate the inconsistency of the

market during this time. The most signicant

month was January 2011 during which moves to

European countries increased by 54.84%.

Figures continued to decrease and between April

and July were lower than 2010. June 2011 saw a

decrease of 19.23% compared to June 2010. A

recovery was evident during August and

September with an average increase of 37.16%.October and November fared worse than like

months from 2010.

BAR Members identied the top European

removal destination for 2010 and 2011 as

France. Spain was the second most popular

destination for 2010 and 2011 and Germany was

the third most popular destination for both years.

Moves to Overseas (non-Europeancountries)Total moves to Overseas countries (non-

European) in 2011 compared to 2010 by month

have revealed an overall slight decrease of just

0.16% (Figure 6) but this gure does not signifyhow erratic the market has been during this time.

The most noticeable months were January 2011

during which moves to Overseas countries (non-

European) increased by 32.56%. Conversely,

moves to non-European countries decreased by a

signicant 31.10% during December 2011.

BAR Members identied the top Overseas

(non-European) removal destination for 2010 as

Australia followed by USA and then New

Zealand. The top non-European removal

destination for 2011 was New Zealand followed

by USA and then Australia.

In summary, the gures recorded for 2011

when compared to 2010 can hardly be described

as a strong performance, but against a backdrop

of economic gloom and a worsening labour

market, the UK removals market was

surprisingly resilient. This resilience was

perhaps less evident in the Overseas removalsmarket to non-European destinations as 2010

fared better than 2011, all be it only slightly.

The coming year certainly looks set to be a

tough year for BAR Members. Robert Gardner,

Nationwides Chief Economist commented:

The outlook is very uncertain, and will depend

crucially on how the wider UK economy

performs. Nevertheless, as things stand, the

housing market in 2012 looks likely to be

characterized by low levels of activity once

again, with prices moving sideways or modestly

lower over the course of the year. The

Nationwide Building Society is the fourth largest

mortgage lender in the country.

BAR would liketo thank thosemembers who haveparticipated in theindustry surveys.



BAR NewsBAR Services

Having taken over from Tony Allenover 5 years ago, Miranda Hyder and

Ali Cowie have successfully steered

BAR Services through some difcult yearsand are pleased to see the business

ourishing. BAR Services Chairman JohnLuxford and General Manager Miranda

Hyder signed the contracts in December2011. John has known Miranda and Ali

since their edgling years under Tony andseen them mature as Contrast UK into a

progressive force in the packaging industry.John comments: I am very pleased that

we have been able to agree a new contract

with Miranda and Ali. We have started theyear with a more positive, proactive

contract, which, together with Tim Oliver, asthe face of BAR Services on the road, will

be to the mutual benet of both theMembers and Miranda and her team. It will

be good to put the recessionary years behind

us and restore rebate levels as soon as weare able.

Business is as usual, and BAR Services,under Contrast UK, looks forward to

supplying the loyal service and qualityproducts that Members have come to expect.It continues to nd innovative products andservices that make BAR Members the mostprofessional movers in the industry.

Contrast UK signs urther 5-yearcontract with BAR ServicesBAR Services Ltd is pleased to announce that Contrast UK Ltd has signed a 5-year contract to continuerunning the business on behal o BAR Members.

A ond arewell to David Trenchard

A

t a recent BAR Services directorsmeeting, Chairman John Luxford

presented David Trenchard (pictured)with a gift as a thank you for all of Davidsinvaluable support and loyalty to thecompany for the past 34 years. Not only didDavid receive a caricature of himself butalso a life-size model sheep to add to his

already existing garden menagerie.With a family history that is entrenched

in the moving industry, David Trenchard

has spent most of his 65 years becoming a

master and expert in this eld. Having

worked for the family business for manyyears, in 1981 David bought

Leatherbarrows and has run a successful

and progressive company ever since. BARMembers will know David from his many

roles within the BAR. Bar President in1991, a member of the board for 20 years

and Chairman of the Overseas Group are

just a few of his BAR accolades but Davidwas also one of the original creators of

BAR S

rs february 2012

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