DVSA to Replace VOSA

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has now been launched to replace the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the Driving Standards Agency (DSA). The new Agency will be responsible for setting, testing and enforcing driver and vehicle standards in Great Britain, employing more than 4,000 members of staff.

The Chief Executive of the Agency, Alastair Peoples, said that “by bringing testing and standards services into a single agency we will make life easier for customers by putting them at the heart of the services they rely on and providing a more coherent approach to service delivery.”

Source - R&S Magazine

Newest Member of the Team

The Small Move Company would like to welcome David Marshfield, our newest member to the team. Dave has previous removals experience and a customer service background so is well placed to join our team ready for a busy summer.

Personal Trainer Brought In To Improve Staff Fitness

Quoted from The Bristol Post:

REMOVALS can be a strenuous business. Lifting, loading and climbing umpteen stairs, removal workers need to be in good shape. The Small Move Company in Avonmouth is setting the bar high for its staff and has enlisted the services of a former Bristol Rovers player - now personal trainer - to test their fitness.

Lee Archer's tests are similar to those used by the fire brigade and will be used on existing and all new staff at the company based on Avonmouth Way.

Owner Calvin Groves said: "I was amazed at how hard the job of a removal man can be. These guys go for eight to ten hours a day and in that time can carry and load between one and two tonnes of furniture."

"Everything they lift is of value to the customer, so it is important nothing gets broken or is dropped."
Midfielder Mr Archer, who played 200 games for Rovers and scored 26 goals up to 1998, said: "The fitness tests are aimed at finding out what is needed as a base fitness level to perform the daily tasks in a safe and healthy way and will include a beep test and a step test with equipment to monitor heart rates of the removal team."

The first tests were held in December and the average bleep test result was 9.4. People will not be sacked if they fail to reach that standard, but it will be an expected and motivational bench mark they must all now aim for when they are tested every three months.

Mr Groves added: "We are trusted with thousands of pounds worth of furniture every single day and I feel it is our duty to be as professional as possible and deliver a service that not only takes the stress out of the move for our customers, but also ensures that nothing gets damaged during the long days our teams face.

"The fitter and stronger our removal teams are, the less chance of breakages or injuries to the removal guys, which results in happy customers and healthy workers."

"January is also the month that diet and fitness becomes fashionable so there is no better time to get everyone at the company up to speed."

Source: Bristol Post

The Housing Market Is Still Growing

The housing market is showing no sign of slowing down, as we at The Small Move Company are having our best December on record.

The average UK home has increased in value by £10,329 over the past year according to figures from property search engine Zoopla. The city that has experienced the greatest increase in value over the past year is Newcastle. Semi-Detached houses in England overall have seen the biggest increase in value.

Source R & S

UK Housing Market In Recovery Mode

The housing market has continued to recover over the summer. Rightmove confirms that buyer demand for residential properties is now increasing and is expected to keep increasing when the Help to Buy Scheme starts helping purchasers with the mortgage guarantee scheme, starting in January 2014.

Flats are most in demand by first time buyers and buy to let investors, with supply failing to keep up with an increase in demand and hitting their highest ever price level.

Source R & S Magazine

Minimum Wage Rates Go Up

Minimum Wage rates have gone up for all.

The new rates came into effect on October 1st, 2013. The new rates are:


Adult Rate - increase of 12p to £6.31/hour.
18-20 year olds - increase of 5p to £5.03/hour.
16-17 year olds - increase of 4p to £3.72/hour.
Apprentice rates - increase of 3p to £2.68/hour.

Source R & S Magazine

Roadside Fines To Rise

The Government has announced a significant increase in fixed penalty levels for a wide range of motoring offences.

Fixed penalty levels for most motoring offences - including not wearing a seatbelt and using a mobile phone whilst at the wheel, will rise to ÂŁ100. Careless driving will be a fixed penalty of ÂŁ100 and 3 points on your licence.

More serious examples will still go to court and commercial goods drivers are at least 50% higher than they were.

Sources: Rightmove and R & S magazine