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Expenses news round-up

Expenses news round-up

Here are some of the expenses related news stories that have hit the headlines during the past week:

Education charity slammed for lavish expenses A publicly funded academic group has been slammed for allowing its expenses policy to run out-of-control. A hard-hitting report into E-ACT, an academic chain which runs free and academy schools, describes lax controls of expenses with money spent on prestigious venues, large drinks bills, expensive lunches and first-class travel. The group’s director, Sir Bruce Liddington, resigned last month but the group say that proper controls are now in place to improve the monitoring of expenses. You can read more […]

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British companies playing catch-up with US over cloud adoption

British companies playing catch-up with US over cloud adoption

Companies in the UK are lagging behind the US when it comes to cloud computing, research has shown. A study by research group Vanson Bourne has found that American companies’ enthusiasm for cloud services is giving them a competitive edge over British counterparts. The study, involving more than 1,300 organisations, showed that 83 percent of new start-ups in the US were using cloud computing services, compared to just 62 percent of UK start-ups. Those using it said the benefits included cost savings, greater efficiencies and improved flexibility. The survey looked at business specific cloud services, as opposed to mainstream applications like email and […]

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Industry leading standards in customer support

Industry leading standards in customer support

A commitment to ‘exceeding expectations’ is the secret behind webexpenses industry leading customer support.

Head of customer support, Gillian McKearney, talks about how the company has been able to maintain a 98 percent client retention rate over the past five years. It’s a customer focus which saw webexpenses selected as a finalist for two prestigious UK Customer Service Awards last year, as well as being chosen as one of the UK’s smartest business in the “Smarta 100” award. Gillian said: “Keeping customers happy should be the fundamental goal for all businesses but it’s so easy to lose sight of. “At webexpenses, it […]

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The royal headache of managing the Queen’s expenses

The royal headache of managing the Queen’s expenses

Making a call on whether to green light a business trip is part of everyday life for most finance directors. But it’s not often that a decision will result in global headlines and questions asked about the future of a national institution.

This was the outcome of a call made by Buckingham Palace about the Queen’s non-attendance at this year’s biennial Commonwealth summit; the first time the 87-year-old monarch has missed the event in more than 40 years. In her place, Prince Charles will be attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting, being held in Sri Lanka later this […]

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Expenses news round-up

Expenses news round-up

Here are some of the expenses related news stories that have hit the headlines during the past week:

BBC bosses slammed for Manchester move handouts The BBC has been criticised for paying out more than a £1 million in expenses to help employees move from London to their Salford base. Details released in the latest audit show that 11 staff members received six-figure allowances to help pay stamp duty, estate agents fees and furnishings to help ‘incentives’ people to make the move. The value of the homes being moved into ranged from £500,000 to £1 million while staff who choose to rent […]

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How many iPads does it take to be an MP?

How many iPads does it take to be an MP?

The issue of iPads being claimed on expenses has become a thorny issue for public organisations throughout the UK - but how about claiming two?

This is something that a freedom of information request revealed has been done by 12 British MPs since February of last year. It comes as part of a House of Commons initiative to make more of its committees paper free. As part of this ‘digital first’ scheme the members of 13 different committees are able to apply for the use of an iPad. But 12 of the MPs who are receiving a device for […]

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In receipt of happiness

Publication: Buying Business Travel, page 152

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7 steps to trouble-free corporate card auditing

Publication: Buying Business Travel, page 146

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Risk of mixing personal and professional on business trips

Risk of mixing personal and professional on business trips

One of the perks of business travel is the opportunity to visit some of the world’s most beautiful cities. And as the summer months approach, many employees will invite their partners to join them on the trip.

It’s a chance to make the most of the location and share the experience with a friend or partner. But it can also lead to financial headaches when it comes to sorting out the expenses. In the worst case scenario it could even end up with an appearance in court to be challenged by HMRC over what should and should not have been […]

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Expenses news round-up

Expenses news round-up

Here are some of the expenses related news stories that have hit the headlines during the past week:

Tory MP to be sued for expenses repayment The House of Commons expenses watchdog is going to sue a Conservative MP who has refused to repay a £54,000 profit made on a publicly funded property. Conservative MP Stewart Jackson says he has no intention of paying back the money he made from the sale of a property whose mortgage repayments had been paid for with expenses. It comes as part of crackdown by the Ipsa watchdog which has targeted 29 MPs who have made […]

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