The Jenkins Bakery is celebrating National Cup Cake Week.

The event is organised by the British Baker magazine and website.

To mark the occasion, the Llanelli-based bakery has produced special cup cakes which will be on sale at all shops.

All Cup Cake varieties are £1.25.

The range of cup cakes includes –

• Emoji
• Piggy
• Butterfly
• Cookie Monster
• Rocky Road
• Multi-coloured

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns MP will give the keynote speech at a special focus event at Aberystwyth University on 18 September 2018, convened to explore establishing a pioneering new UK innovation and research facility in Mid Wales.

The National Spectrum Centre will research, develop and test the next generation of spectrum-dependent systems and applications needed by the UK, whilst creating new high value jobs for Wales.

The aim of this new facility for the UK is to create an ecosystem between government, industry and academia to train the next generation of engineers.

It will identify, develop and demonstrate the enabling technologies and applications necessary to secure, broaden and maximise the value gained for Digital Britain by those systems that depend on using the radio spectrum such as intelligent farming,  autonomous vehicles, digital health care, 5G and the internet of things.

The centre will support the UK Government’s aim to meet its vision for spectrum and double its annual economic contribution to over £100bn by 2025 by supporting strategic initiatives such as the fourth industrial revolution.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said: “Aberystwyth University plays a central role in the local economy, and makes a crucial contribution to the wider Welsh and UK outlook. There is no better demonstration of this university’s success than that of an industry leader investing in a project which it believes will be a commercial success.

“This project will help the university build on its foundations of teaching excellence, training the next generation of radio systems engineers. It will also provide a home for ground-breaking research, both for the university’s purposes, but also to ensure the UK meets wider industrial or government challenges.”

Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, said: “We are experiencing a new industrial revolution, with the potential to bring with it huge economic benefits locally and nationally. We have the skills, resources and facilities in Mid Wales to become world leaders in driving forward the latest digital technologies. Working with QinetiQ and other local partners, we are ideally placed to create a National Spectrum Centre for innovation, engineering and experimentation. What we now need is government support for this pioneering proposal for Wales and the UK.”

James Willis, Managing Director of QinetiQ’s Cyber, Information & Training business said: “QinetiQ is pleased to be involved in this exciting opportunity to use our extensive radio spectrum knowledge and experience to help build a world-leading position in the testing, evaluation and assurance of spectrum-dependent technologies for both Wales and the wider UK”.

Councillor Ellen ap Gwynn, leader of Ceredigion County Council, said, “We are very pleased to be supporting the exploration of establishing a pioneering National Spectrum Centre in Mid Wales. As a Council, we are working with some of the larger businesses within the county to begin preparations for a Growth Deal for the region. Developing businesses and technologies is key for growth and development. This will ensure opportunity and a future for our young people, and create high value new jobs in the area.”

The focus event being held on 18 September 2018 aims to bring together over 200 delegates from across the diverse spectrum stakeholder community to demonstrate the need for a national centre and help define its requirements.

Background

National Spectrum Centre
The UK Government has set a vision to double the radio spectrum’s annual economic contribution to over £100bn by 2025. To achieve this, new policies, skills, spectrum dependent systems, and innovative technologies and applications need to be developed to support, for example, the fourth industrial revolution and the digital economy in areas such as intelligent farming, autonomous land, sea and air vehicles, interconnectivity of things, future cities, cyber-spectrum security, resilience etc. However, the radio spectrum is a finite resource and part of the UK’s soft infrastructure, and these applications need to compete for spectrum with legacy systems in an already congested and contested radio spectrum environment. There is a need, therefore, to accelerate spectrum innovations and grow the skills needed to ensure that spectrum exploitation can be maximised.

Aberystwyth University and UK leading technology and scientific company, QinetiQ, are working together on a proposal to establish a National Spectrum Centre for the UK in Mid Wales. The aim is to draw on other expertise from academic, industrial and government stakeholders and create a novel ecosystem to train the next generation of engineers, and to identify, develop and demonstrate the enabling technologies necessary to secure, broaden and maximise the value gained for Digital Britain using spectrum dependent systems.

Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth University is a world-class university that has been attracting students since 1872. It will use its practical engineering and academic expertise in area such as robotics and autonomous vehicles (Department of Computer Science); radio spectrum and sensors (Department of Physics); agri-tech, future foods and smart farming (IBERS), and Earth Observation and spatial data (Department of Geography and Earth Sciences). Its world class status will enable it to develop new national and international research collaborations to support the centre.

QinetiQ
QinetiQ, which has a base in Aberporth in Ceredigion, is a company of over 6,000 dedicated people providing technological and scientific expertise. It provides unique solutions that combine its depth of knowledge and experience with a collaborative and enterprising approach. QinetiQ’s breadth and depth of experience spans many markets and industries that use radio spectrum. The centre will draw on QinetiQ’s programmatic expertise in managing complex facilities, management experience of large research consortia and complex experiments, and QinetiQ’s position of being a trusted industry partner with linkages across all industry sectors, as well as technical expertise in radio systems, cyber security, spectrum resilience, assurance, governance, autonomous systems and 5G testing.

Focus event
More than 200 delegates from government, academia and industry have registered for the focus event at Aberystwyth University on 18 September 2018 to find out more about the proposal to set up a National Spectrum Centre, to demonstrate the need, and help define the centre’s requirements.

Links:

AU Research, Business & Innovation www.aber.ac.uk/en/rbi

Department of Computer Science www.aber.ac.uk/en/cs

Department of Physics www.aber.ac.uk/en/phys

QinetiQ www.qinetiq.com

About QinetiQ www.qinetiq.com
Listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:QQ.L), QinetiQ is a leading science and engineering company operating primarily in the defence, security and aerospace markets. Its customers are predominantly government organisations including defence departments, as well as international customers in other targeted sectors.

About Aberystwyth University www.aber.ac.uk
Established in 1872, Aberystwyth is a leading teaching and research university. It was awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) in June 2018 and was named University of the Year for Teaching Quality in The Times | Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. In the 2018 National Student Survey, Aberystwyth was the best in Wales and one of the top universities in the UK for overall student satisfaction. The latest Research Excellence Framework in 2014 reported that 95% of the research activity submitted by Aberystwyth was of an internationally recognised standard or higher. The University is a community of around 9,000 students and 2,000 staff committed to delivering teaching that inspires, research with excellence that makes an impact, engaging the world, working in partnership and investing in our future. Registered charity No 1145141.

The latest podcast from Phil Evans and Robert Lloyd.

The Big Cwtsh (Episode 29) is now on Soundcloud.

By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. This Money Matters column appears in the Pembrokeshire Herald, Carmarthenshire Herald and Llanelli Herald.

The taxman at HMRC is working with more than 150 software suppliers who have said they will provide software for Making Tax Digital for VAT (MTDfV) in time for April 2019.

From April 1, 2019, businesses will be mandated to use the MTDfB system to meet their VAT obligations under MTDfV.

Only businesses with a taxable turnover above the VAT threshold (currently £85,000) will be required to use MTDfV.

However, HMRC is piloting the new system, on a small scale, from April 2018.

HMRC has advised that more than 40 suppliers have said they will have software ready during the first phase of the pilot and other software suppliers are expected to follow.

HMRC will open up the pilot to allow more businesses and agents to join later in 2018.

HMRC has advised that the list will be updated as more software meets the criteria.

HMRC are advising businesses to check with their existing software supplier to find out if they will be supplying suitable software.

You can contact the team at Claw Shaw Butler chartered accountants in Carmarthen for help with Making Tax Digital for VAT.

Meanwhile, HMRC is warning that taxpayers could face penalties if they fail to declare their income on foreign assets before new ‘Requirement to Correct’ legislation comes into force.

HMRC is urging UK taxpayers to come forward and declare any foreign income or profits on offshore assets before September 30 to avoid higher tax penalties.

New legislation called ‘Requirement to Correct’ requires UK taxpayers to notify HMRC about any offshore tax liabilities relating to UK income tax, capital gains tax, or inheritance tax.

The most common reasons for declaring offshore tax are in relation to foreign property, investment income and moving money into the UK from abroad.

HMRC has stated that over 17,000 people have already been in contact to notify they have tax due from sources of foreign income, such as their holiday homes and overseas properties.

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mel Stride MP, said:

“Since 2010 we have secured over £2.8bn for our vital public services by tackling offshore tax evaders, and we will continue to relentlessly crack down on those not playing by the rules.

“This new measure will place higher penalties on those who do not contact HMRC and ensure their offshore tax liabilities are correct. I urge anyone affected to get in touch with HMRC now.”

From October 1, more than 100 countries, including the UK, will be able to exchange data on financial accounts under Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

It is expected that the CRS data will significantly enhance HMRC’s ability to detect offshore non-compliance and it is in taxpayers’ interests to correct any non-compliance before that data is received.

Taxpayers can correct their tax liabilities by:

• Using HMRC’s digital disclosure service as part of the Worldwide Disclosure Facility or any other service provided by HMRC as a means of correcting tax non-compliance.
• Telling an officer of HMRC in the course of an enquiry into your affairs.
• Or any other method agreed with HMRC.

Once a taxpayer has notified HMRC of their intention to make a declaration, by the deadline of September 30, they will then have 90 days to make the full disclosure and pay any tax owed.

To ensure there is an incentive for taxpayers to correct any offshore tax non-compliance on or before September 30, there are increased penalties for any failures to correct by that date.

If taxpayers are confident that their tax affairs are in order, then they do not need to worry. However, if you are unsure, please contact the team at Claw Shaw Butler on 01267 228500.

Internet link to the Government website –

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hmrc-warns-its-time-to-declare-offshore-assets

You can find out more about money matters on the Clay Shaw Butler website (under our news for business section) –

http://www.clayshawbutler.com/news/latest-news-for-business

We have a strong and experienced team with great local knowledge all geared-up to helping you get the very best from your finances – whether that is as an individual or as a business.

We stay ahead of the game by putting great store by continual professional development for our staff.

With Investors In People status at Clay Shaw Butler, we care passionately about making sure our staff have all the tools they need to serve you, our customers.

Weblink – http://www.clayshawbutler.com

The team at Clay Shaw Butler can be contacted on 01267 228500.

The team at Clay Shaw Butler are on Twitter. Look for @clayshawbutler.

Aberystwyth University statement on Pantycelyn delay:

The ambitious refurbishment of Pantycelyn hall of residence is one of the University’s priority capital projects and we have been working hard to deliver it within the intended timetable.

However, it has become clear following further surveys and detailed discussions with architects and contractors that the challenges of redeveloping this Grade 2 listed building mean the original aim of reopening the building in September 2019 is not achievable.

To allow the work to be carried out sympathetically, to a high standard and on budget, the first students will now move into their rooms in September 2020.

The University realises this news will be disappointing to those who want to experience life in Pantycelyn at the earliest opportunity and apologises for the delay. There have been unforeseen pressures on the timetable, including the need to include a comprehensive sprinkler system in the plans.

When it does reopen in 2020 after refurbishment, this iconic building will offer quality contemporary, en-suite rooms for 200 students in a Welsh-medium environment, along with offices for Aberystwyth’s Welsh students’ union UMCA, a refectory and attractive social spaces for use by students, staff and the local community.

The University is pleased to report that the project has already reached a series of significant milestones. Internal and external planning permissions have been approved, and there is ongoing liaison with CADW and Ceredigion County Council planning officers. A £12m funding package is in place, with a generous £5m grant from Welsh Government. A full and thorough procurement process has been carried out in order to appoint external contractors, and a University Project Manager is in post who has expertise in managing quality student accommodation. A series of enabling works are also underway.

For the 2019-2020 academic year, students can choose to join our vibrant community of Welsh-speakers and learners in designated accommodation in Pantycelyn-Penbryn or Fferm Penglais, with the opportunity of moving to Pantycelyn in September 2020.

The University will keep all those who are interested in the transformation of Pantycelyn informed of progress. We look forward to seeing this exciting project develop fully and for Pantycelyn to become a focal point once more for Welsh speaking life in Aberystwyth and beyond.

Pantycelyn Project Board

Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, Chair of the Pantycelyn Project Board which has strategic oversight of the project said: “The Board was extremely disappointed to hear about the delay. The Board, however, accepts that the University is fully committed to reopening Pantycelyn and the funding package is in place. The Board has also received the personal assurance of the Vice Chancellor that the refurbishment will be fully completed by September 2020, and to the highest standard”.

UMCA

Anna Wyn Jones, President of Aberystwyth’s Welsh Students’ Union UMCA, said: “This news is a big disappointment for UMCA as everyone had expected to return to the hall in September 2019. However, we want to emphasise that Pantycelyn will re-open, and that the vibrant community of Welsh speaking students in Aber continues. It is essential now that students are able to move in September 2020 and as a union, we will be working with the Project Board and the University to ensure this happens.”