Gov Cyclescheme - anyone refused

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Gov Cyclescheme - anyone refused

41 posts & 22 voices | Started 2 years ago by VassagoJay | Latest reply from fubar

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VassagoJay - Member

Hi

Been trying for over a year to get the cyclescheme introduced @ work and have now been told that as not enough people were interested (30% of our site employees) they were not going to do it I was also told that the time it takes to set up was excessive !! I work for a very large worldwide company who take environmetal issues very serious so I thought they would jump at the chance of this

So has anyone else had problems getting this introduced at their workplace? or has anyone got any tips on how I should approach the company again about it?

Posted 2 years ago #
foxyrider - Member

Hmm - difficult - I did my own at work and did all the donkey work as no one else was interested - ho hum - we are a small buisness so was not a problem convincing the boss

Posted 2 years ago #
Trailseeker - Member

After two years of trying unsuccessfully to get our HR dept to run Cyclescheme, I suggested to the boss that he could save loads off the bike his son wanted for Christmas & voila, scheme up, running & my new bike is ordered.

Posted 2 years ago #
VassagoJay - Member

Good thinking Trailseeker but I dont think it would work with my single childless boss who earns shedloads of money so does not have to worry about getting discounts on bikes

Posted 2 years ago #
b r - Member

I work for a very large worldwide company who take environmetal issues very serious so I thought they would jump at the chance of this

Don't they all say that, a bit like everybody has a CSR policy...

Posted 2 years ago #
wombat - Member

I've suggested it twice so far where I work and have organised a number of folks from other UK offices to do the same, still no joy.

I'm told it's too much admin to be worth doing, yeah right....

Posted 2 years ago #
foxyrider - Member

Can you do the donkey work and just get the money deducted from your PAYE - just do it for yourself? Or will open the flood gates

Posted 2 years ago #
jimbobrighton - Member

All,

Give me a shout if you want any help or advice setting up a scheme - I work for CycleSurgery running their Tax Free scheme, but I'll be impartial i promise!

email in profile.

Jim

Posted 2 years ago #
MountainMonkey - Member

I have my own (very small) company and decided to sign up just to see if they would let me do it. It was really simple and I had no issues registering, which as a one man (well woman) policy advice consultancy did surprise me a bit. I didn't end up using it as I felt it would be unethical as I wouldn't actually be riding the bike to work, but it's nice to know the option's there should circumstances change.

Anyway, my point is; it's not a lot of admin, it's not hard to set up and if they let me register my tiny company, I can't see them refusing a worldwide company like yours...

Posted 2 years ago #
owenb - Member

We tried to get it running at our place of work, unfortunately our workplace has a car lease scheme as well for people on essential car user allowances, and if they could get to work on a bike they'd lose their allowances and lease car.
Shame really as I don't get any allowances

Posted 2 years ago #
VassagoJay - Member

Can you do the donkey work and just get the money deducted from your PAYE - just do it for yourself? Or will open the flood gates

I was pushing it more for a few colleagues who want to get into cycling rather than for myself. Is it easy enough for 1 person to do this ?

Give me a shout if you want any help or advice setting up a scheme - I work for CycleSurgery running their Tax Free scheme, but I'll be impartial i promise!

Im waiting for a replies from a few people @ the moment but I'll will take you up on that offer in the future though, cheers

Posted 2 years ago #
foxyrider - Member

Yes was really easy - just a few forms and a Cheque from my employer - I guess the difficulty with you is sorting out payroll?

Posted 2 years ago #
b r - Member

I have my own (very small) company and decided to sign up just to see if they would let me do it. It was really simple and I had no issues registering, which as a one man (well woman) policy advice consultancy did surprise me a bit. I didn't end up using it as I felt it would be unethical as I wouldn't actually be riding the bike to work, but it's nice to know the option's there should circumstances change.

Why bother looking at c2w, when the company could have just (legally) bought the bike - you need to talk to your Accountant (or change them).

Posted 2 years ago #
stumpy01 - Member

I suggested this at my last place of work, along with a few others. The head office is on the outer edge of Cambridge & plenty of people would have used it.
But, a lot of the management are petrolheads & it was pretty much poo-pooed everytime it was suggested. Too much expense to set-up being the excuse. You were considered a bit of a peasant if you didn't own an M3 or a Porsche....

Not suprised though; at their Huntingdon manufacturing facility, there idea of 'bike storage' was the cheapest rack you could imagine that you could lock a wheel to. It was made from aluminium tubing & wasn't even fixed to the floor.

Posted 2 years ago #
hilldodger - Member

We tried and failed repeatedly to get it at our place of work (about 1000 employess, poor local transport links, many cyclists).
Strange when you consider we work for part of Govt Dept with 'environment' in it's acronymic name

Posted 2 years ago #
yunki - Member

hmmmmph...
A mate of mine works for the local council and has been very much looking forward to getting his finaces balanced just perfectly and then getting himself a bike on the scheme.. only problem being that when he finally went into the LBS a couple of weeks ago... he learned that the council have dropped this government intiative..

what a load of boll*cks

Posted 2 years ago #
missingfrontallobe - Member

Trailseeker - Member
After two years of trying unsuccessfully to get our HR dept to run Cyclescheme, I suggested to the boss that he could save loads off the bike his son wanted for Christmas & voila, scheme up, running & my new bike is ordered.

My employer overcomes the issue of Xmas by only having a 6 week period in the spring when the scheme runs. Sadly I was off sick last year, and will probably be off sick for the time period this year too. Bugger, need to wait another year before I get a work subsidised bike

Posted 2 years ago #
rootes1 - Member

took 4years to get the scheme at my employer (40,000 bods) finally happened but hard work.

posted some info on the other c2w threads (there are lots!)

Posted 2 years ago #
Mrs Toast - Member

Asked about it at our company (250+ staff) and they said that it was too much work to set up, and unfair on drivers.

Posted 2 years ago #
rootes1 - Member

very little to set up with these schemes

Posted 2 years ago #
davidrussell - Member

unfair on drivers.

eh? what a bizarre ~~excuse~~ reason not to implement it. The entire point of the scheme is to get people out of their cars!

Posted 2 years ago #
iainc - Member

I don't gte the connection with cars/car allowances ?

Lots of folk I know have a bike on C2Work and a company car/car allowance. I don't think there is any rule which makes them mutually exclusive ?

Posted 2 years ago #
foxyrider - Member

If the company bought the bike and gave it to you then its tax deductable so would be classed as income and you'd be charged. If it is not justified as legitimate work purchase by the employer then he can't get the VAT off it surely?

Posted 2 years ago #
rootes1 - Member

not mutually exclusive at all.

Posted 2 years ago #
rootes1 - Member

If the company bought the bike and gave it to you then its tax deductable so would be classed as income and you'd be charged. If it is not justified as legitimate work purchase by the employer then he can't get the VAT off it surely

but of course the whole point of the scheme is that they do not 'give' you the bike or equipment, they hire it to you and you 'pay' for this via salary sacrifice

Posted 2 years ago #
foxyrider - Member

That what I was trying to say - the post above said just get the company to buy it outright - That would not be a legit way of doing it rootes1 - The only legit way is via the RTWS unless you work for a cycle firm etc

Posted 2 years ago #
rootes1 - Member

That what I was trying to say - the post above said just get the company to buy it outright - That would not be a legit way of doing it rootes1 - The only legit way is via the RTWS unless you work for a cycle firm etc

But the company does buy the bike outright (can lease as well).

Of course, if they just gave the bike to an employee then that would not be in accordance with the C2W scheme tax situation and the employee would be liable for tax due to the benefit.

Si

Posted 2 years ago #
rootes1 - Member

As a note there is nothing saying that a company has to use a C2W Provider like cyclescheme, halfords, wiggle et al. But that just makes it easier, especially for larger organisations.

For littler companies in a small goegraphic area, there is nothing stopping them buying bikes direct from local shop, claiming the VAT back, then hiring those bikes to employees with payment via salary sac.

This is also better for the shop as they don't then pay a fee to a formal c2w provider (normally 10% of the value of goods)

Si

Posted 2 years ago #
MountainMonkey - Member

b r - because I was interested in whether it would work for such a small business and yes, I know I could buy a bike through the company - but it would have to be a company asset - again ethically dodgy imo...

I have a very good accountant - but I also have a fairly strong sense of morality!

Posted 2 years ago #
rootes1 - Member

b r - because I was interested in whether it would work for such a small business and yes, I know I could buy a bike through the company - but it would have to be a company asset - again ethically dodgy imo...

I have a very good accountant - but I also have a fairly strong sense of morality!

well if the company buys it, and you as an employee of the company you hire it, not an issue as different legal entities though would have to check if you are a director etc...

Posted 2 years ago #
Mrs Toast - Member

I don't gte the connection with cars/car allowances ?

Lots of folk I know have a bike on C2Work and a company car/car allowance. I don't think there is any rule which makes them mutually exclusive ?

They're not. At all. We don't have company cars, or even company parking spaces (unless you're a high-up manager), so HR said it would be 'unfair' to give cyclists a benefit, and not give drivers anything. Bizarrely we have 2 extra days of holiday for non-smokers, which smokers complain about, but that's OK. Maybe they can only handle so much moaning.

Posted 2 years ago #
father - Member

The company I work for will not run the C2W scheme again on 'Health and Safety' grounds!

Has anyone else come across this?

Posted 2 years ago #
thebikechain - Member

The company I work for will not run the C2W scheme again on 'Health and Safety' grounds!

What on earth?

Have they explained this at all... sounds particularly odd.

Posted 2 years ago #
MountainMonkey - Member

I am a director - I also have a background in law, so am probably more anal about these things than most!

(Besides, I'm 34 weeks pregnant so not really interested in it at the moment as I don't plan on working for a while - was just trying to encourage the OP that it sounds like his work are making excuses rather than the scheme actually being difficult to organise)

Posted 2 years ago #
El Vino - Member

People use Health & Safety all the time when actually what they mean is risk of being sued. They don't care about peoples health at all otherwise they would be delighted to see them cycle to work. I managed to get the scheme set up at our work without going through a provider. It is simple to do the admin. You need to get payroll on side as that is where the work resides. Does your company offer child care vouchers or any other similar scheme as this will help explain what is involved .Also H&S one of my is my responsibilities

Posted 2 years ago #