Most of you know me, but for these who don’t, I’m Nicola Combe, the Founder and Owner of Morecambe Bay Wills & Estates Limited.
Firstly, thank you for asking us about Wills or Powers of Attorney for yourself, your family or your clients. I really value the trust you put in us, and hope that you’ve benefitted from that reassuring feeling that comes from having the right documents in place.
We’ve had such a lot going on and I wanted to update you on our exciting news. I’d also like to give you information about the recent Budget that the new government delivered last week, and how that may affect many of you.
Since our last newsletter, we’ve grown the team, launched a new brand, welcomed another company into our family, won a few more awards AND donated lots more to charity.
And we’ve also worked with some other fantastic local businesses and would love you to know about them! In this edition, we look at two local legal services providers, who can help you, your family and your business.
I hope you enjoy reading our update and of course our team are here for you if you have any questions at all. Do let us know if you’d like more information on any particular subjects – we’d love to keep you updated with blogs, news and videos you may find useful.
Now you know how we work, and the service we give, why not join many of our other customers who have referred family and friends to us? Wills and LPAs aren’t something everyone talks about, but you can help them get the same sense of reassurance you feel having completed your own. We’d love to help them too!
We are growing!
In 2024, we welcomed Kendal Wills and Lancaster Wills into the Morecambe Bay Wills family.
Janet Pardula has joined Andrea Bentham and Jane Booker to look after our clients across Cumbria and Lancashire.
And Cerys Parry-Jones joined us to head up our new North Wales Wills brand, looking after clients in that area.
And I continue to split my time seeing clients in all these beautiful places, and more!
Our Admin team are based in our offices at White Cross, Lancaster. Sue Beninson, our Office Manager, Paula Johnson and Georgia Broadley, our Administrators, continue to help all our clients, wherever they are.
You can reach any of us on our main office number – 01524 571032 – we are all here to help!
The recent Budget from the new government made quite a few changes to Inheritance Tax. For many, this won’t have an effect at all, but for some of our clients this could mean quite a few challenges. Here’s a quick overview of what is changing.
The main allowances (known as the “Nil Rate Band“) is frozen at £325,000 for a further 2 years – to 2030. This allowance hasn’t changed since 2009, and with increasing property prices, can mean that many more people may have to pay IHT on their estates
The additional allowance for those who own property which passes to their descendants is called the “Residence Nil Rate Band“. It is also frozen until 2030 at a maximum of £175,000. Again this has not been increased for several years, the last change being made in 2020.
In 2026, the existing IHT relief on business shares and agricultural assets will be capped. Previously the whole value of these assets was excluded from estates. That meant they could be passed down from generation to generation. From April 2026, this relief will be limited to assets of £1m or lower, with the remainder being taxed at 20%.
Similarly, investments made in shares of companies listed on the “AIM” (Alternative Investment Market) were also free from IHT. From April 2026, these will be taxed at 20%.
And probably the change that will affect more people is the plan for inherited pensions. Since 2015, unused pension pots and lump sum death benefits have been exempt from IHT. From 2027, these will now be counted in your estate, and for some people will mean going over the (frozen) allowances and having to pay the tax. It will mean much more planning is needed for some of our clients.
If you’d like us to review your Will and circumstances, just let us know. Or if you’d like us to put you in touch with one of our financial advisor partners for some further planning, we can do that too!
More awards!
This year we were recognised once again at the “Oscars” of our industry. The prestigious British Wills and Probate Awards were held on 10 October in Manchester. We were once again finalists in a hat trick of categories. Here’s how we got on!
We won the award for “Estate Planning Firm of the Year” – a huge honour as there are thousand of small firms nationally doing this work! The judges said ” .”
Andrea was a finalist in the hotly contested “Estate Planning Consultant of the Year” category. She is a brilliant ambassador for the MBW brand and the Will writing industry as a whole and is an inspiration to her colleagues. To be shortlisted is a huge honour for her.
We were also honoured as “Community & Charity Champions“. This is an award very dear to us, as our little company was set up specifically with the aim of giving back. We are a small team with a big heart and very proud of all we do for others. We’ve now raised over £28,000 for charity! And we’ve given hundreds of hours to community projects. The judges said ” . & , .”
Supporting other local businesses
Not only do we do good in our community, but we also like to get out and meet other businesses. And tell you all about what they can do for you.
In each newsletter, we are going to feature services we think you may need. And this time we are looking at other legal services. These two relatively new companies are local and provide amazing affordable assistance for businesses and for individuals
Do check them out, and spread the word to your friends and family who may need their help!
Barkley Legal
Barkley Legal provide all businesses, from start-ups to the well-established, with access to legal information and documents they need. Our documents are free of jargon and understandable to prevent problems before they occur.
Anne Phillips was a solicitor for many years . For over ten years she has run her own business and combines her extensive legal experience with her own understanding of the practical side of running a business.
We have found that most businesses are still floundering with GDPR/data protection, and we provide a special service with advice and training for business owners and their staff.
If you are looking at making your will and you own shares in a company, make sure you have a shareholder agreement in place to cover serious illness and worse to ensure the seamless continuation of the business
At Pre-Law, we proudly serve the Lancaster and Morecambe Bay area with fixed-fee legal solutions that provide a clear, affordable alternative to traditional law firms. Our focus is on early resolution, offering straightforward advice tailored to your specific needs to ensure the legal process is as simple and stress-free as possible. Whatever issue you’re facing, our goal is to help you find quick and amicable solutions.
We offer legal advice to individuals across a wide range of areas, including family law, employment matters, landlord-tenant issues, and consumer disputes. Our team works closely with clients to resolve disputes efficiently, and we provide tailored contracts and agreements to meet your unique needs. At every step, we ensure you receive clear, practical guidance.
One of the kindest things you can do for your family is to get the right documents in place. It prevents problems later and makes it so much easier for them to help settle your estate or deal with your affairs.
We all know someone who has been affected by not being able to make things right for their loved ones. The problems caused can be enormous, and all at a time when everything else is so hard to deal with.
Now you’ve made the first steps in planning for your own future, why not chat about it with your friends and family? It’s not an easy thing to talk about, but we like to think we do make it easy for everyone. So ask them to call us for an initial friendly chat,
We love it when we get a call telling us that someone has recommended us. It means we’ve done a great job for you! So thank you for recommending us, and keep spreading the word!.
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