Annual Update Conference
This essential residential conference is an ideal opportunity for the general practitioner to keep up to date with a variety of topical issues. Covering key topics over six engaging sessions, supporting you in providing practical advice to your clients and gaining 10 CPD hours.
This conference is 1.5 days and includes dinner and accommodation.
Who should attend the conference
Ideal general practitioners in accountancy. This conference will cover key topics such as the latest in VAT changes, planning tools, corporation tax issues, updates to Audit & Accounts, and so much more over a day and a half.
Including with the conference:
- Networking opportunities
- Accommodation over night
- Evening Dinner
- Breakfast & Lunch
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Full conference agenda
2.00pm
Arrival and Registration
2.30pm
Welcome and Introduction
James Hurst, Mercia Group
This session will cover a topical VAT update, looking back at recent VAT developments as well as some of the more significant VAT cases and changes of the past year.
4.10pm
Refreshment Break
Pat Nown, Mercia Group
This session will tackle the elephant in the room. The plethora of changes in this area will be explained, key pitfalls for planning identified so the damage can be minimised. The shift to lifetime giving in Inheritance Tax (IHT) strategies means we have to tackle the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) issue too and gift relief can be tricky.
- The changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) and planning reviews.
- An important tool - getting s165 gift relief right.
- A detailed focus on qualifying for BPR.
- The taxing of Pension Funds for IHT.
6.30pm
Close of Conference Day 1
7.45pm
Dinner
9.00am
Day 2
Pat Nown, Mercia Group
This session focuses on the new tax status rules as they impact clients as individuals for Income Tax (IT), Capital Gains tax (CGT) and IHT. Trust matters will be in overview only. Worked examples and planning points will be included as appropriate.
Content will include:
- The new four-year foreign income and gains (FIG) regime for the newly resident.
- Overseas Workday Relief.
- IT and CGT transitional rules for existing remittance basis users - critical for SA compliance.
- The new tax status rules and impact for IHT.
Louise Dunford
This is a practical one-hour session looking at the statutory and case law developments in employment law in the last year, along with current trends in the tribunals. As far as time allows it is designed to give practical advice to managers. It will be updated to around two weeks before the session.
- Developments in employment status, including recent IR35 cases.
- Recent changes to employment rights, including neo-natal pay and leave along with any changes flagged for October 2025.
- Upcoming planned changes including in SSP, unfair dismissal and family friendly rights.
- Discrimination, including implications of most recent statutory changes, and recent cases.
- Neurodiversity and Age Discrimination – pitfalls to avoid.
- Dismissal and Grievances – recent developments and guidance on proper process.
12.30pm
Lunch Break
Norman Allison, Mercia Group
From April 2026, MTD for Income Tax (MTD for ITSA) will apply to self-employed individuals and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. Those with qualifying income in excess of £30,000 will follow in April 2027 and, as recently announced at the Spring Statement, MTD for ITSA will be extended to those with qualifying income in excess of £20,000 from April 2028.
This course will cover the following:
- Updated Regulations.
- Spring Statement 2025 MTD for ITSA announcements.
- Practical points to consider in the run up to April 2026.
- Overview of penalties for late submission and late payment.
2.30pm
Refreshment Break
Peter Herbert, Insight Training
There’s lots changing in the world of accounting and audit with many changes about to take effect. This session will bring participants up to date with all the latest developments. Topics covered will include:
- Changes in small and medium sized company and charity limits – what they mean in practice.
- Ongoing implementation issues with the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
- Update on the imminent FRS 102 and SORP revisions and what they mean for SME businesses.
- Common problems areas in financial reporting.
- What’s new in audit?
CPD Hours: 6
Conference speakers
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Louise has been continuously involved in training and consultancy since 1987 and is a qualified barrister. She provides advice and assistance to employers through a consultancy company, CompleteHR Ltd, and has assisted with the preparation of many disciplinary and investigation reports. She has also engaged in CPD training for most of the national accountancy training bodies and district societies in the UK for many years. Louise is involved in management training, particularly in employment and HR, for many large multinational and national commercial companies. She has published academic papers in refereed journals, chiefly on employment status and corporate manslaughter. |
Pat is a tax consultant lecturer at Mercia Group. Pat originally trained and worked in the profession for Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton and KPMG before moving to the University of Derby as their senior tax lecturer. Her time at Derby included undergraduate and professional tax training as well as being involved in examinations and publishing projects for ACCA and other professional bodies.
This led to a ten-year period with the Financial Training Company (now Kaplan) where she was Tax Product Director for the Midlands as well as becoming well known as a prominent exam-based tax lecturer. Over her career Pat has been actively involved in the tax professional bodies including serving as a Council member for 12 years for the Association of Taxation Technicians.
James joined Mercia in October 2022 as VAT trainer and consultant. His role involves writing technical material as well as devising and delivering VAT training courses. James has a wide experience of VAT and indirect tax, beginning his VAT career with HM Customs & Excise (as it then was) before moving to the private sector in 1995 and gaining his CTA qualification. Latterly, he had VAT partner and head of VAT roles in Grant Thornton and Mazars. James was actively involved with the Charity Tax Group for a number of years and has presented on VAT topics for the Charity Finance Group.
Outside of work, music remains a keen interest. Aside from playing jazz on the tenor sax, James is a regular member of the trumpet section of the Leeds Project Big Band.
Norman rejoined the tax team at Mercia way back in 2009 having originally left the company back in 1997. During his time away from the business he spent ten years with H&R Block Inc dealing with tax affairs of a wide range of clients and managing a national project with Barclays Bank as well as presenting throughout Eastern Europe. He was also a senior Tax Manager in the heart of the City dealing with the tax affairs for a number of high profile and high net worth clients. Since coming back to the business Norman has focussed on CPD training and technical updates for accountants all over the UK.
Originally from London (Walthamstow) and Essex (Clacton-on-sea) but now living in both the Midlands and the glorious North Yorkshire Dales (Pateley Bridge) he is still an avid supporter of Spurs and still dabbles on his Nord and Korg keyboards.
Peter qualified as a Chartered Accountant with an international accountancy firm before working in industry. He has over 20 years of training experience. He writes and presents technical updates for firms of accountants and qualified accountants of private and listed companies. Peter specialises in financial reporting, auditing and practice regulation. Peter also regularly carries out compliance reviews for firms of accountants, which provides him with an invaluable insight into the practical financial reporting and auditing issues that they face.
One Day Conference
Previous Annual Update Conferences
Explore the programme of our previous Annual Update Conferences:
