The number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supported through the government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) has trebled over the past year, new figures show.

A leading accountancy body has issued top tips for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners to help make sure that their businesses do not suffer financially while they and their staff are on holiday.

All the UK’s largest businesses have now passed their staging dates for automatically enrolling eligible workers into qualifying workplace pension schemes.

The government has named the company it has chosen to deliver a new service, designed to help employees and employers better manage sickness absence and reduce the costs involved.

A list of tax avoidance schemes whose users may be required to make an upfront payment of tax has been published by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).