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CEO Update September 2022
- 15 Sep 2022
Her Majesty the Queen has been an inspirational leader of our nation for the last 70 years. We at IPSE, along with millions of others, in the UK and abroad, have greatly admired her unwavering commitment to her duties. Queen Elizabeth II was an exemplar of public service and we will forever be indebted to her.
Following the sad news of the Queen’s passing, IPSE suspended our usual communications and we have postponed some events which were due to take place this week and next. These events are being rescheduled. Please refer to our event pages to for up-to-date information.
Following the state funeral on Monday 19 September, IPSE’s activities will return to normal, and there is much to be getting on with…
The new Prime Minister
After long summer of campaigning, the Conservative party finally announced that former Foreign Secretary Liz Truss would be the next Prime Minister.
At IPSE, we responded to Truss' victory by welcoming her election and stating that we look forward to working with the new Prime Minister and her cabinet. We also reminded Truss of her pledge to review IR35.
We believe that these rules are destroying businesses and holding back the economy - and that they need to change now. If this new government is going to be successful, then we believe that it needs to break with the past and announce a review that actually leads to radical change. This means leaving nothing off the table, including scrapping the dreadful legislation altogether.
In the coming weeks and months, we will be working on putting Truss’ feet to the fire and ensuring that she follows through on her pledge. We will also be looking to work with the new Prime Minister on other important issues such as the cost-of-living crisis, employment status, and Managed Service Company legislation.
IPSE Strategy and Governance
Earlier this month, IPSE’s elected leadership invited members to an open meeting to discuss the organisation’s long-term strategic goals and governance.
Following a comprehensive strategic review, I’m pleased to say the Board confirmed we are re-dedicated to our Mission of “Empowering, Protecting and Connecting our members for success, making IPSE the association of choice for the self-employed”. We will continue to campaign on the issues which matter to you most; a fair and simple taxation system for the self-employed (including IR35 and the highly dangerous push from HMRC towards categorising accountants as MSC providers), driving better behaviours from umbrella companies, clarifying employment status rules and ending the culture of late payment.
During the meeting, the Board confirmed that Mandy Clarke and Iain Sturrock will continue as Co-Chairs in line with the three-year term in the Articles.
Ian Wood’s term on the Board came to an end recently, and as a result Ian stood down before its most recent meeting. I’d like to thank Ian for his contribution over the last three years – he has been an asset to the Board and given many valuable insights, particularly in reflecting the member perspective.
We will shortly begin the recruitment process for a new independent Board member, and following an update to the Articles – which we will put before the members in the coming months – we will hold an election for a further Board member.
Q2 Freelance Confidence Index
IPSE published its Q2 2022 Freelance Confidence Index in August. The index found that freelancers’ confidence in the UK economy for the next 12 months has fallen sharply, from -27.4 in Q1 2022 to -56.7 in Q2 2022. For context, this represents the lowest level of freelancer confidence in the economy since the early days of the pandemic in Q1 2020.
The index also found that freelancers’ confidence in their own businesses for the next three months has decreased from 2.2 in Q1 2022 to -11.4 this quarter - the lowest recorded level for these indices since Q1 2021.
Strava Water Sports Challenge
At IPSE, we’re always looking for ways to foster a community between our members. That’s why we recently launched the IPSE Freelancer Active Club on Strava. The club allows members to share and compete with one another by posting workouts (runs, swims, cycle rides etc) online.
In August, we ran a special event in the club - the Freelancer Water Sport Challenge. We challenged members to make the most of the warm weather this August and mix their landlocked routine with some workouts at your local lido, river, lake, or ocean.
Amazingly, two IPSE members completed the challenge by spending ten hours exercising on or in the water. Congratulations to Katy Carlisle and Michael Wilkinson! Thanks to everyone who took part. We intend to run more challenges like this - find out more about the Strava group here.
Advice
Need more help? Self-employment often means having to navigate lots of different websites with no clear source of truth. As the only not-for profit focused on self-employment, IPSE provides impartial and relevant advice on the topics that matter to you.
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