Welcome to InBrief Winter 2023

Here at Gullands we pride ourselves on playing a supportive role within the local community and especially with those initiatives which celebrate our town centres and businesses.  Late last year we decided to give something back to high street businesses here in Maidstone who have no doubt faced a number of challenges since March 2020.  You can read about our High Street Heroes Awards on pages 4 and 5 and this is an initiative we look forward to developing over coming years.

We are also delighted to announce our involvement in a major initiative planned by the Heart of Kent Hospice for Maidstone in 2024, featuring the cartoon character Shaun the Sheep which promises to be very exciting.

There has been a significant increase in dog ownership in the last few years but many people are unaware of their legal responsibilities as a dog owner.  We have teamed up with Dog Trainer and Behaviourist Justin Gilmore, www.dogtraininginkent.com to find out more about some of the issues dog owners can have.

With the growing threat of cyber security and the devastating effect it can have on any business, we have also teamed up with Select Technology to look at some of the issues and what steps businesses can take to overcome this rising challenge.

There are several proposed changes to company law. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill is currently being debated in the House of Commons and if passed it will see a range of measures designed to prevent the abuse of current UK corporate structures and to help tackle economic crime.  We look at some of the issues and what business owners need to do
to prepare.

Finally, another type of fraud which is rare but is increasing and which involves the theft of residential property.  We look at some of the issues and how to protect your property interests.

If the articles in this edition are of interest and you would like further details, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with our team.

With best wishes

John Roberts
Managing Partner