Press Release News
Warwickshire Living talks to Newman Property Services Jonathan Handford
Local Estate Agent Triumphs at National Award Ceremony
Local estate agents Newman Property Services have won the national award for excellent performance with the Fine & Country brand, at an award ceremony held in London.
The prestigious event was held in the lavish setting of the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair, where over 100 delegates had gathered for the company’s annual conference.
Newmans had also won the regional award for representing Fine & Country in the Midlands, earlier in the evening.
Receiving the accolade, Jonathan Handford said: “We’re thrilled to accept this award for our work in the area over the past twelve months. At Fine & Country we deal exclusively with the region’s premier property - and despite the most challenging market in living memory, the support of the brand has helped us achieve an extraordinary level of sales. The results are testament to the hard work and dedication of the whole team.”
The national conference also included a charity auction which raised over £10,000 for The Simon Lewis Foundation, formed in memory of one of Fine & Country’s most popular agents who died from cancer last year, and which is in turn dedicated to supporting the Willow Foundation charity who provide special days out for seriously ill young adults.
Chief Operating Officer for Fine & Country Mike Bidwell commented: “Newmans have been a cornerstone of our operation in the Midlands. Together with Fine & Country’s offices all over the UK - as well as those in Europe, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and shortly the USA - they have helped us establish the company as a truly global brand.”
SUSPEND STAMP DUTY
Property Todays Matt Phillips talks to Jonathan Handford, Managing Director of Newman Property Services and Fine & Country
Why would a temporary suspension of stamp duty help the economy?
The buying and selling of property creates demand in a huge number of related services - solicitors, surveyors, removals firms, builders, carpet fitters; the list goes on almost limitlessly. The point is, when a sale completes everyone from the tax man down to the paint supplier gets a piece of the action. The glitch in this system at present, as I see it, is that Stamp Duty thresholds are based upon a market that no longer exists. The government had previously generated somewhere in the region of £3 billion pounds each year in stamp duty tax. They are understandably keen to protect this income but the cost of moving to the consumer is now proportionately higher, aggravated by the worsening economy.
How will the government replace the lost revenue
In 2007 national property transactions were 1.3 million. Last year that figure was 600,000 and projections for this year are even less. This dramatic fall, not even taking into account decreased prices, substantially diminishes the tax collected by the Government. And these revenue losses are by no means the whole story. The more compelling losses are those that have spread right across the board. The recent 2.5% V.A.T. reduction has made little difference to the builders, plumbers, electricians, et cetera, whose business has dramatically slowed down through sheer lack of
demand. There is, surely, more to be made in V.A.T., even at 15%, through the associated costs of all the goods and services used during moving and refurbishment, than from Stamp Duty on far fewer sales.
What is the solution?
If this tax was suspended until better times, let’s say 2012, then it should re-energise the housing market - which in turn would have a positive knock-on effect on the economy as a whole. With increasing unemployment, the Government should be encouraging the free movement of labour, Stamp Duty acts as a disincentive to people who might otherwise have the confidence to move. The demands of an active and healthy housing market have a positive effect on all the related and connected sectors. The momentum the suspension of Stamp Duty would produce could not only
enliven and invigorate the property market, but significantly assist the rest of our economy during these difficult times. We have to remember that one persons expenditure is someone else's income and property is the catalyst for a lot of spending.
If you agree with me please sign the petition at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/suspendstampduty. If you have any other questions you can contact Jonathan Handford on 01926 431431 or 07813 787474
