A blog about Wirral Council, Wirral Council's councillors & officers
A blog about Wirral Council's public meetings, Wirral Council's councillors, Bidston & St. James ward and other public bodies on Merseyside
What was the “Atlantis – Motorways of the Sea” project and how was the £264,912.50 grant funding the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority from INEA for it spent?
AGRESSO Document Page 1 of 3
266
PROFORMA INVOICE
Payment by BACS
Name Sefton MBC
Address Corporate Finance & ICT
Magdelen House
Trinity Road
What are the dates of the 6 RMT strike days on the Merseyrail network and will the £273 million cost of the new trains rise if the UK leaves the EU?
Above is an invoice paid in March 2019 for 2% of the value of 52 new class 777 trains that Merseytravel are buying from Stadler Bussnang AG. This invoice was released to us on the 12th July 2019 as part of a request made using the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 in relation to the 2018-19 financial year. The invoice was requested as part of a collaborative journalism project with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s Bureau Local project.
Continue reading “What are the dates of the 6 RMT strike days on the Merseyrail network and will the £273 million cost of the new trains rise if the UK leaves the EU?”
What were Cllr Liam Robinson’s answers to 2 questions about vandalism to bus stops and bus shelters in Merseyside?
On Thursday afternoon, the councillors on the Transport Committee of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority had a public meeting. As I was still on my way back from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Headquarters to Liverpool City Centre following a public meeting of the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, my two questions about vandalism involving bus stops and bus shelters were asked in my absence by Louise Outram.
Continue reading “What were Cllr Liam Robinson’s answers to 2 questions about vandalism to bus stops and bus shelters in Merseyside?”
Hundreds protest about climate change and greenspaces before, during and after Liverpool City Region Combined Authority meeting
Continue reading “Hundreds protest about climate change and greenspaces before, during and after Liverpool City Region Combined Authority meeting”
Has Liverpool City Region Combined Authority been paying the right amount of income tax and national insurance on payments to personal service companies?
This is a rather complicated story involving the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) and one of its contractors called Green Blue Skies Limited that I will do my best to explain as well as I can.
Earlier this week following a request for information to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority I received a copy of an invoice dated 30th June 2017 from Green Blue Skies Limited for £2,400 for consultancy work.
A copy of the invoice (partly redacted) is below.
Green Blue Skies Ltd (according to Companies House) is owned by its sole director Mrs Victoria Jane Kelly.
It’s a personal service company that provides professional services (as detailed on the invoice) to clients (in this case the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority).
In LCRCA’s response to my request they incorrectly state, “In the case of Green Blue Skies Ltd., the company was a sole trader”.
As being paid for work through a limited company compared to being an employee of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority led to tax advantages, in February 2017 Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued guidance on what is termed off-payroll working rules.
The upshot of the guidance is that from February 2017 in relation to personal service companies providing services to public authorities such as the LCRCA was that when the off-payroll working rules applied the following should happen. Once the public authority was invoiced, the public authority would deduct the equivalent in tax and national insurance as if the person had been an employee from any payment made to the personal service company.
This invoice is for £2,400. The list of payments that the LCRCA made in July 2017 published on Merseytravel’s website (on page 5) show that the amount paid was £2,400.
I just don’t understand why the two figures match when according to the guidance LCRCA should have deducted tax and national insurance from the amount paid?
Perhaps you could find out for me why and leave a comment?
Contact details for LCRCA’s Treasurer and external auditors are below.
John Fogarty (LCRCA Treasurer) john.fogarty@merseytravel.gov.uk
External Auditors to the LCRCA (Mazars)
Gareth Hitchmough Gareth.Hitchmough@mazars.co.uk
Chris Whittingham Chris.Whittingham@mazars.co.uk
Patrick McCloskey Patrick.Mccloskey@mazars.co.uk
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