Andy Topp, Sales and Marketing Director at Corps Security
Corps Security welcomes some of the highlights from the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Statement (March 2023), predominantly the announcements designed to cut the costs to our colleagues’ way of life with the rising cost of living.
For Colleagues:
Corps Security will continue to support colleagues with the cost-of-living crisis, especially our core contract staff, who have been significantly affected by rising energy and fuel prices. In recent weeks we have launched new benefits, a discount scheme and a raft of internal communications to help our colleagues budget, find advice and feel supported.
For Businesses:
Whilst the budget was favourable to our colleagues, the support for businesses in the FM and Security sectors was minimal.
With the Treasury continuing with the Corporation Tax rise to 25% from 19%, many of our customers are directly impacted. The knock-on effect will be that these companies will have to reduce investment across their businesses, reducing investment in essential focuses such as ESG and Corporate Sustainability. In turn, we will see contract values adversely challenged, meaning stunted growth in a sector already challenged with staff shortages and a lack of wage growth with many contracted workers still not being paid at least the real Living Wage. This is very disappointing, and we hope to see additional investment in the business sector to counter this growing issue.
The final comment I would like to make is around ‘Returnships’. The security and FM sectors have huge skills gaps and recruitment is an ongoing issue. We, therefore, welcome the measures to get the “experienced” people in the over 50s category back into work; however, we will refrain from further comment until the Treasury has fleshed out the training and support programme that it has alluded to.
Corps Security will continue to work with our customers to ensure we can provide as a minimum, the real Living Wage for our contract colleagues and improve efficiencies and the effectiveness of our services to ensure the opportunity to raise colleague pay remains a viable option. Our teams will collaborate with all stakeholders over the coming weeks to provide assistance and discuss the implications of the budget on them.
