Helen Giddings, PCG's Research and Information Officer

I was flicking through the channels last week and caught the end of a documentary that was following the developments at Cern.  The discussion essentially closed by stating that 2012 could potentially be a landmark year as scientists are closing in on the identification of the “Higgs boson particle”…Whilst I am certainly no physicist, and I have to be honest much of what they said went over my head, I could relate to their enthusiasm that 2012 will be a year of discovery, as  I too certainly feel that 2012 could herald a momentous year for discovery at PCG.

Whilst physics and freelancing draw little parallel for me as a researcher, 2012 represents a year when discoveries will pave the way. Not only will this be scientists seeking to understand how particles impact on our world but also for business in the UK as economic trends emerge and key players that sustain our economy are further understood.

My reference to “key players” here is to freelancers and I am excited that this year at PCG we are combining both quantitative and qualitative research as never before to not only study the size of the freelance workforce but to also to understand the contribution of this population on business. 2011 saw us develop research projects that benchmarking researchers experience and looked to the dynamics of the wider freelance population, which will come to fruition in the 2012 research calendar.  In case you’re intrigued, here’s a brief taster of some of the projects to come:

Defining the freelance workforce

Thanks to the preliminary results of our research project at Kingston University we are already aware that there are 1.56 Million freelancers in the UK, and also that there has also been a significant increase in the number of mum’s becoming freelancers – a 25% jump in three years.

To me, these strong early figures raise some exciting questions we will be able to answer soon such as:  in what sectors are freelancers on the increase? What are the wider trends in these sectors? How do these figures compare to employed workforce? The list is endless.

If like me, you are fascinated to read more about the size and dynamics of the freelance workforce and how this helps to give an indication of the world of work in 2012, look out for the full Kingston report due to be released in the next few months.

Understanding the value and contribution of freelancers

I’ve got friends who freelance, I’ve met colleagues who freelance and I even work for an organisation who support freelancers; therefore, I like to think I’m aware of the contribution that freelancers make. Our work with Professor Andrew Burke is however set to delve deeper into freelancing than we have seen before.   “ The Value of Freelancers to the UK Economy,” carried out by Professor Burke of the Cranfield School of Management, is  due to be launched later this year. The new research could well turn all presumptions about the value of freelancing on their head. His study will use real case studies from organisations engaging freelancers to uncover the client reality and as I’ve been privy to a few of his initial insights, I can promise you, our understanding of freelancing in 2012 is set to soar.

If you would like more information on either of these projects or to hear about other membership research projects in 2012 please get in contact and email me at helen.giddings@pcg.org.uk

John Brazier, PCG's Managing Director

I am delighted once again by the support that has come through for National Freelancers Day taking place tomorrow. Today we announced a 12% increase in the number of people opting to become freelancers and as these new figures are released by Kingston University and as we do this, business leaders and politicians have rallied their support for freelancing. The number of freelancers in the UK now totals 1.56 million or 1 in 20 in the UK workforce, a 12% increase on 2008.

There is no real way to describe the breadth of support from political, business and from our fellow trade associations  so I have listed their comments below, many thanks to all those involved in providing them and please do visit www.nationalfreelancersday.org.uk tomorrow to view the fantastic webinars from contributers such as Dan Pink, Ed Gandia, Freelancer.co.uk, Nokia and many more.

1 in 20 of UK workforce is now freelance

THE POLITICIANS

 Prime Minister, David Cameron

“I have a huge respect for all those who make the brave decision to branch out on their own and take control over the way they work.

This Government recognises the valuable contribution that freelancers make to the economy and, as more and more people choose to join your ranks, you have all our support.”

Alex Salmond

Scotland’s First Minister

“I am delighted that National Freelancers Day gives me the opportunity to pay tribute to the growing importance of the freelance sector. From the oil & gas sector, IT consultants to media, marketing and finance, the men and women who pioneer the sector are bringing their skills and flexibility to the workplace. They deserve a vote of thanks for their contribution to the economy, as we work to boost jobs, growth and opportunity.”

 Edwina Hart,

Welsh Government Business Minister

“Freelancers make an important contribution to the Welsh economy and often provide invaluable support to start-up businesses and small and medium sized businesses who may need specialist advice but don’t have the resources to employ someone on a full-time basis.

“In Wales there are a large number of freelancers and a particular demand for them in the growing creative industries sector.  With popular television programmes such as Casualty and Dr Who now being made in Wales and film companies using locations in Wales for films like Harry Potter the demand for freelancers is set to continue.    National Freelancers Day gives us all a chance to acknowledge the contribution freelancers make to the economy of Wales.”

Toby Perkins MP
Labour Member of Parliament for Chesterfield
Shadow Minister for Small Business (BIS)

“We are clear that the recovery needs to be private-sector driven and led by business. As well as growing existing businesses, this means we need to see more people setting up their own businesses. There are more than three million enterprises across the UK which consist of a single self-employed owner manager or owner-director representing a hugely important section of our economy. I am pleased that National Freelancers Day is recognising their contribution.”

THE BUSINESS LEADERS

 Michelle Mone OBE,

Entrepreneur and founder of Ultimo

“Making a decision to work for yourself can be a big risk for those who are accustomed to a regular income, so I really admire the dedication and commitment of the 1.56million freelancers in the UK and am delighted to support National Freelancers Day. Striking a work life balance around family and other commitments can be a huge challenge and requires a great work ethic and drive which not only is inspiring to others but also benefits our economy at a time when unemployment is prevalent.”

Sir Tom Farmer

Entrepreneur

“When I think of the freelance community I think of pioneers with skills, dreams and a vision. On National Freelancers Day I am delighted to pay tribute to this growing sector who, through their innovation and determination, are helping the UK economy through these troubled economic waters. As the UK’s leading organisation representing freelancers PCG are also to be applauded for raising the awareness of freelancers, contractors and consultants. To every single one of you, have a great day!”

THE BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS

 John Cridland,

CBI Director General,

“ I hope that this year’s National Freelancers Day provides the inspiration for many new people to join the talented ranks of freelancers that we have here in the UK. A new career as a freelancer may create unexpected opportunities and provide welcome flexibility for those with caring responsibilities.”

Jane Bennet, Head of Campaigns, Forum for Private Business

“Freelancers can be a valuable source of temporary man power for small businesses. Our recent Referendum Survey showed a significant number of our members struggling to cope with spiralling inflationary pressures, so if using a freelance for a specific, short term job can help SMEs keep overheads down, all  the better.

“Using freelance staff is simple and means less red tape and form filling for employers.  No income tax, nor National Insurance contributions, and they won’t be asking for holidays either.

Using freelance staff is also a great way of getting specialist work done. Many a micro business owner will be familiar with using a qualified accountant to keep their company finances in order, particularly for tax purposes.  Tax returns can be complex and time consuming to the layman. Getting them in late can mean a fine, or botching them could lead to a visit from the tax man, so for those not used to number crunching, a freelance is the perfect way to avoid hassle.  The beauty of freelance staff though is their flexibility.  In to do a specific job, gone when it’s done.  This can be a great way of sourcing competent staff for a more permanent position too.”

Kevin Green, CEO of the REC – Recruitment and Employment Confederation

 “Flexible working practices were one of the main reasons employment held up comparatively well during the recession, and can also bring significant benefits now that the economy is recovering. The relative ease of doing business in the UK, and the flexibility of our labour market, is one of our key competitive advantages. We need to do everything possible to hold on to this and to enhance it wherever possible.

“The benefits are not only economic. Evidence shows that people who have taken control of their careers through freelancing and other forms of self-employment have higher levels of job satisfaction, as well as general health and wellbeing.”

To get involved in the day visit www.nationalfreelancersday.com

Freelancers come together to celebrate National Freelancers Day

Iain McIlwee, PCG's Head of Commercial Development

OK. So here’s the challenge. I want every UK Freelancer, contractor, interim, independent professional etc to have a chance to benefit from www.nationalfreelancersday.org.uk (23rd November 2011)… and now less than a week to do it.

NFD is all about Freelancing, a chance to highlight the value and contribution of the UK Freelance Sector, 1 in 20 in the workforce, 1.4 million people who are fundamental, key, vital, cruical, really really important etc. to the economy in the UK and our prospects of recovery.

To support NFD, PCG (the association for freelancers of every type, with 20,000 members and growing) are running free webinars, featuring some of the world’s top experts on finding, winning, keeping and managing freelance work.  The Freelance Lecture (supported by the Daily Telegraph) provides a centrepiece, and the event hosted by Sue Lawley (streamed live over the internet if you can’t get along to St Luke’s in London) is featuring some great keynote speeches from Dr Karen Stephenson, Professor Andrew Burke and Kamal Ahmed.  We are also are hosting a fun pop quiz on freelancing (with a serious message) and giving away free Guides to Freelancing (which is basically most things you need to get going as a freelancer and the things we should all be reminded of) and some brand spanking new research from Cranfield and Kingston Universities on the size and value of the freelance sector in the UK.  As well as working closely with the Telegraph and running a huge PR campaign, you will hopefully you will see some adverts popping up here and there too.

There are a number of other events running in Newcastle, Manchester and Brighton (to name a few), supported by fabulous freelance friends, like Freelance Romance, the Enterprise and Freelance Fair and Freelance Advisor. There are a range of competitions being run in support from Policy Bee and Webshorts that mean Kindles and short web animations can be won. Can you help help us spread the word via Google +, facebook, twitter, good old fashioned word of mouth.  The more people who get involved, visit the site, tweet, like, circle, + 1 or even mention in conversation, the bigger and better National Freelancers Day will be for all of us.

Any help in raising awareness of this great event for freelancing is really appreciated….

Iain McIlwee, PCG's Head of Commercial Development

Now I confess to being a fairly avid listener to, (my IPod has opened a raft of slithers of time) and reader of business literature. No ‘shock horror’ moment perhaps but I would say that some of these books have really changed my approach to work.

Working on National Freelancers Day has added to this passion as via the webcasts, research and lectures that we are running and the background that went into discovering and unearthing the views of people like Dan Pink, Karen Stephenson, Andrew Burke, Shane Pearlman and a raft of others, my horizons have been opened up to a whole new dimension of truly inspirational people.

In a roundabout way this research is how I ended up talking to Kevin Matthews today at Maximise Potential (always a pleasure) and it reminded me not just of above, but for the second time this week of the huge value in something I have taken a bit for granted recently at PCG, our Freelance MBA online training resource.

In conversation, Kevin rattled off a couple of books that I had not come across and I was immediately able to hop on to the Freelance MBA and flag up the book summaries to read at lunchtime today, I have already been online and added one to my wish list on audible.

I was also prompted to re-read the summary of Steven Covey’s 7 habits, certainly one of the defining books in my life and always worth revisiting and reminding myself of the core principles (I still haven’t cracked it btw!).

Earlier in the week, I was looking for some specific resources on finance and again the Freelance MBA didn’t disappoint, with the pocket book for the job and a few great supporting sources.

I promise this isn’t a sales pitch! This is me sharing my experiences of something and highlighting its availability since its restructuring. Through the Freelance MBA I have been able to learn and validate many aspects of my career and also keep up to speed with the business advice that PCG disseminate, to ensure I practice what we (for want of a better word) preach through our resources such as the Guide to Freelancing.

Information and advice are often treated as a commodity these days, but validated and authoritative info must be treasured and Ashridge are world leaders.  I have tasked myself to spend at least an hour a week really using the Freelance MBA to train and will use the Assessment Tool built in to help me to target the best skills to refresh and to remind me of any bad habits. Things like negotiation and presentation skills are always areas for self improvement, but I am sure I will find a few ‘I didn’t knows’ along the way too.

The Freelance MBA is available to PCG Plus Members here

This year’s party conferences were never going to be a hotbed of excitement, a crucible of bold policies, or a scene of high drama. The most exciting thing to happen was a dispute over a cat. Being years away from an election also doesn’t help. Chuck in to the mix an extremely gloomy economic outlook, and big news stories such as the eurozone meltdown, the release of Amanda Knox, and the sad death of Steve Jobs competing for column inches and you would almost be forgiven for thinking that there was nothing out of the ordinary going on at all in Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool.

Despite the apparent lack of drama, party conferences are still an essential ritual for those in the public affairs world. For one thing, conferences are pretty much the only occasions when everyone a lobbyist could possibly want to talk to is in one place. Not just MPs, ministers and shadow ministers, but other lobbyists too.  In short, it’s a great chance to catch up with everyone and get things done.

This year, we at PCG held fringe events at all three party conferences, raising awareness of our key issues. We were pleased to have the Minister for Employment, Ed Davey, speaking at our Liberal Democrat fringe. At Labour, the impressive then Shadow Small Business Minister Chuka Umunna spoke at our event.  Mr Umunna has now been promoted to Shadow Business Secretary (I suspect there is no connection between the two events).  At the Conservative Party Conference we held a special fringe on the issue of security clearance for freelancers, with Professor Anthony Glees of the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies our very special guest.  Holding these events was a great opportunity to build relationships with decision makers and other interested groups. It also gave us a chance to make freelance issues known to a wider audience.

Party conferences may not seem the most exciting of events to many people, but they will always be extremely useful to us in the public affairs world. Where else can you have a quick chat with a Minister or Shadow Minister in the morning, lunch with a key lobbying partner, and in the evening hold an event attracting big names in the Party?  On top of all that you can attend fringe events about issues ranging from taxation to dog ownership.  So, whilst a cat may have been the only thing to make the headlines at the party conferences, for PCG, they provide the purrfect opportunity to do some serious lobbying that shapes the year ahead.

Iain McIlwee, PCG's Head of Commercial Development

This morning was one of those Monday’s when I woke up and thought, what an exciting week, I was actually looking forward to work (..well almost, I had to have a cup of coffee first).

I know that sounds a bit smug (or like I had too much sun over the weekend), but working at PCG means I am working with some great people on some fascinating projects right now, with the third National Freelancers Day (NFD), all set for the 23^rd November, central to this.

The contribution that Freelancing makes to the economy is not really in question (1 in 20 in the workforce, £82 billion turnover, essential flexibility etc), but more work needs to be done to ensure that the message is heard, by government and the wider business community.  By educating the market, NFD ensures that freelancers have to spend less time justifying their existence so they can spend more time making a real difference to their clients and the economy.  In a recent interview best-selling author Dan Pink stated “more and more, freelancing is becoming a legitimate and very important form of work, but there is still this residual sense that it’s an aberration.”  This is exactly where National Freelancers Day fits in, an extravaganza of activity to deliver this simple message, that freelancing is vital to the economy.

PCG focus is on four core activities and in each of them there is genuine cause for excitement, but the day isn’t about us and we invite others to pick up the mantle, be they freelancers, suppliers, agencies or others.

Dan Pink (mentioned above) has been a key champion of the freelance model in recent years and I am delighted that he has agreed to do a webcast to mark NFD 2011:

“Talented people need organisations less than organisations need talented people. There is still an intense battle for talent.”

From this bold statement, the ever insightful Mr Pink, will go on to explain why freelancing is an increasingly important and legitimate way of working (the core message of National Freelancers Day).   Dan Pink is one of 15 people lined up to support this fascinating webcast and each has a unique and interesting message to share – we will be announcing more over the coming weeks (7 weeks to the day this Wednesday….!!) and these will all be available on the National Freelancers Day website on the day.

Our “Fit to Freelance” quiz is an interactive tool that will be launched in the next few days.  It is a bit of fun, but the advice that sits behind it is serious.  Our test group did get a little competitive, only the select few so far have managed 100% (I will not at this stage reveal my own score – you can decide whether this is from embarrassment or modesty!!), but it certainly got some debate going.  We are grateful to all those fabulous companies who have agreed to support by hosting the quiz on their websites and urge more to get involved.

The Freelance Lecture is a suitable centrepiece, the venue is inspiring, we have some world leading experts from their relevant spheres on the panel and bookings are open and off to a flyer.  With Sue Lawley hosting the debate, we anticipate a lively evening focussed exclusively on the value of freelancing and the role that freelancing does and will play in a changing business landscape.  As tickets are limited (do book now to avoid disappointment) and we want everybody to have the opportunity to enjoy this prestigious event, we are streaming live over the Internet on the evening of the 23^rd November and if you can’t make it to the LSO in Old Street, London, then you can join in online.  It is great to have the Telegraph on board again to help project the messages, opportunities and challenges that this lecture generates.

Finally the research is the glue that holds the day together.  Our work with both Kingston and Cranfield will again build on the truly groundbreaking work that PCG has done in this field and will no doubt aid in the projection and understanding of the value that freelancing delivers to business and the economy.

My hope on this happy Monday is that you share some of the excitement I feel and get behind National Freelancers Day, that some of the work we are doing inspires you and that you find in it something worth talking about.  Every voice adds so please have a look at the site and consider getting involved, link to the website, take the quiz, visit the webcast, tweet anything that grabs your eye, like us on Facebook tell your friends/colleagues/suppliers/clients (even enemies, we do want as many people as possible to know) and let’s unite freelancers, contractors, consultants, interims, independents and all of those who are part of the UK’s wonderfully eclectic and fantastically effective freelance workforce to work together to make our voice heard and our contribution recognised.

Andrew Chamberlain, PCG's Senior Public Affairs Advisor

Every year the Liberal Democrats congregate at their annual conference and espouse the virtues of electoral reform, the protection of civil liberties, greater European integration and other central tenants of the Liberal ideology. For some these issues resonate loudly but for the majority of the UK’s 1.4million freelancers, there are more pressing matters to deal with: what is the state of the economy? Will the Agency Workers Regulations affect the way I engage with clients? Can I afford to invest in training and new equipment? And where is my next contract going to come from? This year may just prove to be quite different as the Party voted on the single biggest issue that has affected freelancers over the last 11 years – IR35.

The Lib Dems are a somewhat unusual bunch (no, I’m talking about their proclivity for beards and sandals although it has to be said that both were well represented in Birmingham over the last few days) as unlike the other two main parties they actually make policies at conference.  Motions are put to party members and they vote on them. There are a few exceptions to the rule but generally speaking if a motion is passed it is adopted as Party policy.  If it’s not, it isn’t. All very liberal; all very democratic.

On Monday afternoon, Julian Huppert MP proposed a motion which for the most part focuses on the rules around digital copyright infringement and illegally downloading files via peer to peer websites.  But in amongst the text of the Information Technology policy paper are a few short paragraphs on IR35.  The crux of it is this: the IR35 rules are unworkable and should be suspended, while further consideration is given to permanent abolition.  Freelancers of all political persuasions will be delighted to learn that the policy was endorsed by the conference.

What this is really going to mean for freelancers is as yet unclear.  Although it seems likely that the immediate suspension of IR35 is now Lib Dem party policy I’m told there are sometimes a few quirks which can pop up in the Party mechanism which could alter this.  Furthermore the timing does seem to be a little off: the Lib Dems form part of the Coalition Government which has already undertaken a thorough review of IR35 and has committed to keeping it in place while improving its administration by HMRC.  That work is still ongoing and will not be abandoned as a result of this vote.

Nevertheless it is heartening to know that some MPs do still recognise that the world would be a better place without IR35.  In Julian Huppert’s own words: ‘It’s important to create conditions that reward innovation and talent.’ PCG have contacted Mr Huppert and we will hopefully soon be able to clarify whether this endorsement of policy by the Lib Dems might change the Government’s position. In the meantime we will continue to work with the IR35 Forum to improve the situation on the ground for freelancers working in the UK.

Andrew Chamberlain, PCG's Senior Public Affairs Advisor

Conference season is upon us once again and PCG will be making a big splash at all three of the main parties’ annual gatherings. We will be blogging and tweeting from inside the conferences and you can follow us @PCG_policy.

The autumn conferences provide a great opportunity to raise the profile of PCG amongst the key decision makers in each political party and, in so doing, influence policy.  This year PCG, in conjunction with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and ComRes, will be hosting a fringe event at each conference, putting the value of freelancing firmly on the agenda.

 First up is Birmingham and the Liberal Democrats.

Entitled, ‘Flexible working – the Liberal way?’ our event  will focus on freelancing , the value this brings to the UK economy, and the tendency for freelancing, self-employment and other forms of flexible work to be poorly understood by policymakers.  Alongside PCG Managing Director John Brazier on the panel will be Tom Hadley, Director of Policy  at REC and Andrew Hawkins, Chief Exec at ComRes.  Chairing the event will be Steven Gilbert MP, Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Freelance Sector and a great supporter of PCG’s.  We are particularly delighted that our keynote speaker will be Edward Davey MP, Minister for Employment Relations.  With such a star studded panel and a great location inside the secure zone we are expecting a strong turnout and an informative debate.

Next on the conference trail will be the Labour Party in Liverpool. 

Traditionally Labour has had an awkward relationship with the UK’s 1.4million freelancers and our event ‘Self employment and the Left, building a flexible workforce’ will seek to examine how the Labour Party have adapted to modern working practices.  With Paul Talbot, Assistant General Secretary at Unite, on the panel it should certainly be a lively discussion!  Bringing some star quality to the event is key note speaker Chuka Umunna, Shadow Minister for Employment and a real rising star within the Party, hotly tipped for great things.  Alongside them will be Simon McVicker, Head of Public Affairs at PCG, Gillian Econopouly from REC and Andrew from ComRes .  Ensuring the debate remains civil, Labour Party grandee and close friend of PCG’s, Doug Henderson will be in the Chair.

 Finally we move on to the Conservatives in Manchester

We take a detailed look at an issue which affects many freelancers: security cleared contracting.  Working with the University of Buckingham, PCG have produced a report which makes key recommendations to Government which would improve freelancers’ access to contracts that require security clearance. The report will be launched at the event, ‘Securing Britain’s future, are the best people getting security cleared roles’?  Author Professor Anthony Glees will be on the panel, together with John Brazier, Andrew from ComRes and Kevin Green, Chief Exec at REC.  The discussion will highlight the importance of this issue in the context of national security and will challenge the Government to more robustly enforce guidelines which are designed to ensure that the right people are working in security cleared roles.

Away from the events PCG will be rubbing shoulders with influential politicians, business representatives and policy makers.  If you happen to be at conference please do come along to our event.  Details are below.  I hope to see you there.

 Liberal Democrats – Flexible working, the liberal way?

Tuesday 20 September 2011, 18.15-19.30,

The ICC, Hall 7a, (secure zone)

 Labour Party – Self employment and the left, building a flexible workforce

Sunday 25 September 2011 18:00 to 20:00
ACC Liverpool (inside secure site)
Concourse Fringe Room 2

Conservative Party – Securing Britain’s Future: Are the best people getting security cleared roles?

Tuesday 4 October 19.30 – 21.00

Manchester Central Exchange 6 & 7 (secure zone)

Greg Dawson, PCG's Press & Public Relations Officer

Working for PCG has opened my eyes to all sorts of issues and challenges that freelancers face across the UK. In representing the authority on freelance working I have found myself so far everywhere from the Houses of Parliament with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Freelancing to a hotel meeting room in Bristol with some local freelancers and a few snacks.

However I recently faced up to a different challenge for me as we joined the Startup Britain UK Bus Tour at the end of August, the challenge of definition.

I attended the Bristol, Cardiff and London legs of this Government backed initiative to get a feel for what new businesses were cropping up, and also to deliver advice where possible, to those freelance businesses that attended looking to develop – but ended up coming across a foe I had only considered in media terms before.

The Startup UK Bus Tour at Waterloo Place

Whilst standing on the steps of a converted Double Decker painted in a very patriotic red white and blue, I came across many fascinating business people – however, none presented themselves as freelancers.

They were in no way inaccurate in their descriptions but for me it drove home the fact that there are a multitude of terms and nuances that collectively make up freelancing, rather than just a one size fits all word. These words are often used in its place rather than additionally – be it contractor, interim, consultant, small business or independent professional.

For example, I noticed a freelance angle in 80% of the people I chatted too, from impressive new IT consultancy Digital Dragonfly, to Business Coaching by Suzanne Sedgeman and even twitter Guru Mark Shaw (check out @markshaw) , all were freelance in my view.

On top of this observation most were really interested to hear of PCG and Freelancing Matters and could understand our relevance to them. But again the conversations did not begin with hello I am a freelancer.

This reminded me, as it often does in when speaking to journalists, that part of the challenge of being the voice of freelancing is simply education on what entails freelance working….alongside acceptance that not everyone would brand themselves a freelancer.

On close inspection of the bus tour, the issue for me seemed to be nothing more than definition but ‘definition’ itself is clearly a problem in going about our work.

It reinforced to me that despite the fact that the term “freelancer” does not resonate with all, the practice of freelancing is going on everywhere and is helping the economy recover both by those starting nano-businesses and those supporting them and helping them grow. This is of course more important than the term itself.

Freelancing is across all industries and each choose to define it in their own way, this underpins the healthy inherent flexibility in this way of working – that it has so many different forms only underlines its size and importance. The difficulty is getting the message across in the right way to each audience, a challenge we are undertaking with relish ahead of National Freelancers Day.

If anyone has thoughts on this definition issue I would love to hear them but to make a case in point at the event our Guide to Freelancing flew off the shelves on the bus all week……the need for advice and help was definitely there – of course those carrying it were entrepreneurs, interims, consultants, contractors, independent workers, small businessmen/women – for the untrained eye not a freelancer in sight.

For anyone interested in hearing about Start up Britain’s forthcoming bus tour later this month follow the twitter #subtour or their twitter account @startupbritain .

For a first hand account of Startup Britain’s bus tour in Bristol view PCG Director James Collings blog online here.

George Anastasi, PCG's Policy and External Relations Adviser

Are you concerned about ICT abuse?

If so, PCG has made available a special template letter you can send to your MP, helping us take the campaign for a level playing field to Parliament.

PCG has consistently campaigned for change to the ‘intra company transfer’ system of work permits, which many of our members have alleged are being abused.

This abuse has led to undercutting and displacement of UK contractors, especially in the IT industry.

Our previous campaigning has been successful – the system was comprehensively overhauled by the current Government and the situation is now much improved for contractors.

Many of the rules governing these permits became significantly more restrictive, with no ICT worker allowed to stay in the UK for more than 12 months unless they are earning more than £40,000.

However, problems remain, particularly with the way the system is implemented by the UK Borders Agency.

The rules may be better, but the way they are enforced was recently highlighted for criticism by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.

PCG has written a template letter detailing our main concerns, which you can send in your name to your MP. This will help raise awareness of ICT abuse and of past failures in enforcement, laying the foundations for better scrutiny in the future.

Feel free to edit the letter, and tailor it to your own personal style.

The letter is available here.

When you are happy, visit WriteToThem.com to email your MP, or alternative send a letter addressed to the MP at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

Remember, your MP is there to help you, whether you voted for them or not, so always be courteous and polite in any correspondence.

Please send on any replies from your MP or Minister to PCG, as these are always useful in our lobbying on the issue.

Our campaign on ICT abuse has been successful so far, but sending a strong message to your MP laying out the case for further change will further help secure a better future for contractors.