11 February 2025
National Minimum Wage – Apprentices and Associated Risks
HMRC’s National Minimum Wage team are offering live webinars, talking through who is eligible for the apprentice rate, the common mistakes made, provide some best practice tips. You can also ask a panel of experts questions.
So many employers accidentally underpay their workers because they do not understand the criteria, or what counts as working time for an apprentice. Register for the event, which takes place at 10am on February 13 through the HMRC website.
The Bank of England Cut Interest Rate
The Bank of England has voted by a majority of 7–2 to reduce Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 4.5%. Click here for more details.
Free Direct Marketing Advice
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a free online tool to help organisations ensure their direct marketing activities comply with UK law. It offers small businesses tailored compliance advice on how to use email, text messages, direct e-mail, social media, telemarketing, and other marketing communications. Further information is available on the ICO website.
The Low Pay Commission Regional Visits
The Low Pay Commission (LPC) is conducting regional visits in 2025 to gather first-hand evidence on the impact of the National Minimum Wage from individuals and employers. As an independent body that advises the Government, the LPC seeks to understand local economic conditions, employment outlook, and the effects of rising minimum wage on both employers and workers.
They invite participants to share their insights on the local economy, wage trends, and the future of the minimum wage. The evidence collected will inform the LPC's recommendations for minimum wage rates, with all information treated confidentially and anonymised where necessary.
Last year, the National Hair & Beauty Federation contributed to the LPC's report, advocating for any wage increases to happen gradually and be coupled with support for businesses hiring apprentices. For more information and to get involved in the regional visits please, contact rosina.robson@nhbf.co.uk. Visits in Dundee and London are coming up in March/April.
The list of locations for the Low Pay Commission’s regional visits programme in 2025.
Campaigning for you – Low Pay Commission
The NHBF is quoted extensively (11 times) in the Low Pay Commission’s annual report for 2024 setting out the evidence it's used to recommend revised wage rates to the government. The report refers to the survey results from the quarterly NHBF State of the Industry survey and direct quotes from members on the back of regional meetings with commissioners. The references make clear the negative impact that wage rises will have on the sector and business owners intending to raise prices, reduce staff/apprentice hours, reduce the business headcount, and reduce investment in the business. The report makes clear that NHBF called for the government to counteract these rises through enhanced employer support for apprentices.