Loop round-up: July

Here’s our quick round-up of The Loop updates throughout July. 

Colleagues 

Welcome to Opass Billings Wilson & Honey LLP 

In July, we welcomed Opass Billings Wilson & Honey LLP (OBWH) as the latest firm to become part of the Affinia Group. As OBWH joins Affinia, we are now a combined team of nearly 500 with 11 offices across the East and South-East, now including a second location in Sidcup! 

Find out more in the full post: Welcome to Opass Billings Wilson & Honey LLP – Affinia Marketing Blog 

July Group Update 

Last month we hosted our quarterly group update via Teams. This presentation included an update on Affinia becoming a better place to work, our community at work, and the launch of our October face-to-face event. 

Read the full summary of the Virtual update here: Thank you for joining our Group Update – Affinia Marketing Blog 

New team members: 

In July we welcomed 23 new joiners to Affinia across our Operations, Accounts, Audit, Corporate Finance, Development and Tax teams. We hope you’re all settling in well – if there is anything you need to help your integration, please don’t hesitate to ask your team or office lead. 

Included in the 23 new starters are Neil Ford and Chris Theobald. Neil joins as our new Operations & Transformation Director, based in Stratford and Chris joins as our new Corporate Finance Director, also based in Stratford. 

Find out more about Neil and Chris here: Welcome to Neil Ford and Chris Theobald – Affinia Marketing Blog 

Work anniversaries: 

We celebrated 37 work anniversaries across the business, ranging from 1 to 29 years! 

Exam success: 

24 of our team members passed professional exams. Congratulations to all! 

Instant reward:

Taryn Murrells, Tax Manager at Colchester, received an instant reward for going above and beyond with an increased responsibility for tax returns from the accounts service line and working with assigning this to the wider team. 

The full People & Culture update can be found here: People & Culture July Update – Affinia Marketing Blog

Introducing new Affinia assets 

The Marketing team shared information on the new branded assets available to you. This included new Teams backgrounds and phone wallpapers, for those who have a work mobile.  

The team also shared polite reminders asking for LinkedIn accounts to be attached to the Affinia company page and to ensure your headshot and a branded header are included on your profile. 

Please check out the full post here: Introducing new Affinia brand assets – Affinia Marketing Blog 

Marketing team: How we can support you 

In June, the Marketing team welcomed Emily Bickers as Marketing Manager, based in Ipswich. The team took this time to remind everyone of who they are and how they can support you. 

Find out more in the full post: Marketing team: How we can support you – Affinia Marketing Blog 

Clients 

New process for setting up Xero licences 

Our Cloud Accounting team shared the new process for setting up Xero licences, which will help to improve efficiency and ensure consistency in how we manage licence set ups. Read more on the new process here: New Process for Setting Up Xero Licences – Affinia Marketing Blog 

If you have any questions on Xero or the new process, please contact the Cloud Accounting team. 

The Audit monthly newsletter 

Last month our Audit team highlighted the following in their newsletter: 

• Sector focus: Transportation & Logistics 
• FRS 102 changes 
• Staffing update 

The full article can be viewed here: July Audit Newsletter – Affinia Marketing Blog 

The Corporate Finance monthly newsletter 

In their July update, our Corporate Finance team shared a variety of updates which included: 

• A welcome to Chris Theobald as a new Corporate Finance Director 
• Affinia, London Stock Exchange and Natwest client event on 2nd October to launch the LSE’s Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES) 
• The next Ask the Experts: An M&A Masterclass in Orpington on 17th September 
• Spotlight on Services: Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) and how they can support clients through the EOT process 

The full article can be viewed here: Corporate Finance monthly newsletter – Affinia Marketing Blog 

The Property Tax monthly newsletter 

Last month, our Property Tax team shared some highlights and reminders on key issues, including: 

• Recent Property Tax team successes (including a HMRC Disclosure & Penalty Suspension, a High-Profile Advisory Engagement and a Large Group Engagement) 
• Information on the abolishment of the Furnished Holiday Lettings regime 
• Announced ‘The Property Tax Team Roadshows’ coming soon 
• Recent client queries: Private Residence Relief, garden disposal and development risk 
• SDLT case: Bemal Patel vs HMRC 

The full article can be viewed here: Property Tax July Newsletter – Affinia Marketing Blog

Advising clients on excess company cash: risks and opportunities 

This article reviewed the effects of holding significant cash in a company account, specifically around tax efficiency, business planning, and long-term strategy. Read more on this topic here: Advising Clients on Excess Company Cash: Risks and Opportunities – Affinia Marketing Blog 

A look back: highlights from our recent updates 

The Marketing team shared a recap of insights, updates and expert perspectives from different teams across our website and socials. This recap included: 

• The Academy Trust Handbook 2025 
• Changes to Business Property Relief 
• P11D submission deadline 2025 
• A strategic acquisition in the construction sector 

Read the full recap here: A look back: highlights from our recent updates – Affinia Marketing Blog 

Understanding HMRC’s Cryptoasset Reporting Framework 

We recently published an article highlighting the new Cryptoasset Reporting Framework (CARF), coming into effect from 1st January 2026. If you have any questions or concerns about CARF, please contact your local tax team. 

To read more about CARF, please read the full article on our website: Navigating CARF: Ensuring compliance with HMRC’s Crypto Reporting Framework | East & South East | Affinia 

Community

We were delighted to share some Community Updates from across our locations, including: 

• We reflected on our Pride celebrations across our offices, which included a pizza party with a quiz at our Stratford office and a variety of activities at our Ipswich office, including pride-themed bingo and bracelet making 
• Our Leigh-on-Sea office took part in their annual charity day. This was launched in April 2023 in memory of Michael Hallybone (one of the founding members of Platt Rushton) who sadly passed away in February 2023 due to Leukaemia. They continued to raise funds for Blood Cancer UK, raising more than £1,150 so far this year! 
• A team from our Chelmsford office took part in the 5K Race4 Business in support of Haven’s Hospice. Before Affinia and NSO joined forces, our colleagues had been participating in this event for many years. It’s great to see that this tradition has continued under Affinia! 
• Tom Butterworth, Head of Property Tax, was recently appointed Vice Chair of Stowmarket Town FC. The club has recently launched the ‘Stow Town FC One Pint Challenge’ to help save them from a significant financial challenge 
• Our colleagues from our Orpington, Sidcup Main Road and Sutton offices recently came together for a fantastic evening of fun and team bonding at Epsom Racecourse 

You can read more about our community updates here: 

Pride Month Wrap Up – Affinia Marketing Blog / Leigh-on-Sea Annual Charity Day and Chelmsford Race for Business – Affinia Marketing Blog / Stowmarket Town FC One Pint Challenge – Affinia Marketing Blog / A night at the races: team social at Epsom Racecourse – Affinia Marketing Blog

That covers the key updates from July. If you have any questions about anything covered here, please get in touch with the head of service line as appropriate or email the marketing team. 

Have a great day everyone!