Thank you to all of you who took the time to contribute to our national labour rate survey throughout this year. Initial findings are surprising and highlight that independents provide exceptional value for money. However, many of your business overheads have increased, whilst in reality labour rates and overall earnings have either remained the same or decreased since the previous study eight years ago. The full report will be published this autumn.
As demand for MOTs increases significantly due to the MOT extensions implemented throughout lockdown expiring, the DVSA are predicting demand will peak in October-November, with almost 4 million MOTs due each month. Perhaps now is the right time to consider whether MOT’s need to be discounted.
You can encourage customers to book their MOT tests early using the DVSA’s ‘Beat the Rush’ toolkit, and if you need more testers to make the most of this extra business, the RMI Academy of Automotive Skills holds weekly MOT Tester Training courses. Further details can be found below.
The Government’s flexible furlough scheme, that was implemented following successful lobbying from the IGA, is now starting to wind down. Employers must now contribute towards furloughed employees’ wages as the scheme comes to an end on 31 October. As expected, HMRC are now making employers pay penalties if they are claiming an incorrect furlough amounts, so make sure you are calculating your claims correctly and are keeping abreast of the latest changes, which can be found in the bulletin below. If you find out you have made a mistake it is better if you notify HMRC before they discover it.
You will soon be receiving your copy of the IGA’s latest Garage Guide, The Garage Guide to Online Presence, through the post. Online searches for goods and services have increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this new guide provides step-by-step instructions on setting up a website, social media pages, Google Business and Maps listings, an online marketing strategy and more. Each step will help to drive new customers to your garage and give you control over your own online presence, without relying on third-party work provision companies.
