Chasing debtors: How much does your business suffer simply because of those who don’t pay you when they should do?
— James Hazel is the youngest partner at McKinnells Solicitors in Lincoln. He is the head of the employment and dispute resolution department.
How much money does your business write off each year as a result of people just failing to pay you? Equally, how much does your business suffer simply because of those who don’t pay you when they should do?
The effect on cash flow and the financial implications of not having money when it should be paid is often, cumulatively, just as crippling to a business as those debts that don’t get paid at all.
Credit control is a critical part of a successful business and it starts from the moment a potential customer is identified. Knowing your customer is essential and simple precautions can pay dividends. If you live by the philosophy that you should treat every new enquiry as potentially your next biggest customer, then why not also consider that your next biggest customer could also be your next biggest debtor?
Terms and conditions of business are morbid documents. In many ways, they’re like wills. Deep down, you know you need them but at the start of what seems like your next biggest deal, you don’t want to think about what happens if things go wrong. And yet there are so many advantages of doing business on your terms that you’re missing out on.
What happens, by the way, if you can’t actually make the delivery on time because of factors beyond your control? The Judge will let you off, won’t he, if it’s not your fault?
No, he won’t. Unless you can point to some written document signed before the contract was entered in to saying why he should. So having your Ts & Cs checked might be a good idea, especially in the current climate. Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
Preventative medicine is the best cure but there are always some who slip the net. People who owe you money are like spiders because many of us have an irrational fear of them. And yet in reality they’re far more scared of you than you are of them.
However, there is more than one way to kill a spider. For a start, try a debt recovery letter, such as can be found for free here. What this handy tool gives you is the ability to send out a legally worded warning to anyone who owes you money, but without incurring any legal costs. All you do is enter your details and the debtor’s details and click.
This type of ‘pre action’ letter is usually good enough to kill off the smaller spiders and does a good job of flushing the bigger ones out from under the settee. For the ones who don’t come out and hope that you won’t see them, it’s best to take legal action as soon as possible. After all it’s your money they are holding and the longer you leave it the worse it tends to get – for you.
James is the head of McKinnells Solicitors Lincoln's employment and dispute resolution department and the firm’s youngest partner. He prides himself on his ability to achieve his clients’ goals efficiently and delivers honest and practical advice in an understandable and jargon free way.
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
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