News in Brief - 4 February

Accountants’ salaries rise

Accountants are set to see their salaries rise across all industry sectors this year, according to a survey from recruitment specialist Martin Ward Anderson. The survey, of clients and employers, reveals an overall salary increase in all accountancy jobs over the last six months.

Liquidation threat for Delta Derby-based accounting software house Delta (UK) faces liquidation at a meeting on Tuesday. The company ceased trading last week, after failing to win support for a voluntary agreement with its creditors.

Moores merger plans The three Moores Rowland offices which rejected last week’s chance to merge with BDO Stoy Hayward have released details of their merger plans. Manchester is to merge with the Manchester office of Hacker Young, while Glasgow and East Kilbride are linking with leading Scottish firm Scott-Moncrieff Downie Wilson.

ITEM recession forecast The UK economy will teeter into a technical recession in the first two quarters of 1999, the Ernst & Young ITEM Club has predicted in its quarterly economic report. In the medium term, the UK economic prospects look ‘extremely rosy’ with buoyant economic growth and lower interest rates devoid of the associated spectre of inflation.

PwC man beaten to death Police are investigating the death of a leading stamp-duty tax expert from PricewaterhouseCoopers in Brighton. Nigerian-born Jay Abatan, 42, died from severe brain injuries in hospital a week after the beating. Police believe Abatan was attacked when a group of white youths tried to barge in front of him and his friends in a taxi queue outside a Brighton nightclub.

CIPFA disciplinaries CIPFA has expelled one man and severely reprimanded another, following the conclusion of disciplinary cases brought against the two. David John Lee, from Preston, was expelled from the institute for theft from an organisation of which he was honorary treasurer. William Wilson Millar, from Ayr, was severely reprimanded and fined #1,500 for failing to respond to correspondence from a fellow accountant in relation to essential client information. Lee has since left his post at Preston Borough Council. The council declined to comment.

Chiltern acquisition Chiltern Group, the UK’s largest tax practice outside the Big Five, has acquired NCS Consultants, the second biggest tax practice, for an undisclosed sum. The deal is intended to consolidate Chiltern’s position as a leading independent business and tax adviser.

Manchester United the richest club Manchester United is the richest football club in the world, according to a survey by Deloitte & Touche. Measuring wealth in annual turnover not by assets, the club earned almost twice as much (#87.9m) in 1996/1997 as its nearest rival Barcelona which earned #58.8m.

KPMG euro translation KPMG today claimed to be the first major UK financial organisation to publish its annual accounts with a euro translation. The accounts show the 19% fee increase to #867m (1,228m euros) for the year to 30 September 1998, which the firm announced in December.

ACCA increase ACCA membership has risen by around 6,000 to more than 66,000, the association has announced. Some 55% of its members are in the UK, and the remainder in over 130 countries.

ClarificationSir John Bourn, Comptroller and Auditor General, has asked us to point out that he was not a director of his daughter’s company, Bourn’s Property Letting & Management, nor did he take any part whatsoever in the running of the company (Accountancy Age, 28 January 1999, page 44).