Grindstore, an online retailer in Holt that employs 25 people, said its orders from EU customers fell 61%, from 6,128 to 2,371, against the same period last year, Greatest Hits Radio Norfolk reported on Wednesday 21 October. The fall followed new customs costs in July; the firm says the extra customs and handling costs pushed its average shipping charge on euro orders from €4.09 to €11.07. Its previous European courier also gave it short notice, forcing a quick change of delivery arrangements.

The cause is a temporary EU duty that took effect on 1 July 2026: €3 on each different type of item in parcels worth under €150 sent to EU consumers by non-EU sellers registered for the EU's IOSS VAT scheme, goods that were previously exempt from duty. Greatest Hits Radio reports that a further EU handling fee on e-commerce parcels is expected from November. North Norfolk MP Steff Aquarone visited the business on Friday 16 October and plans to take its evidence to Parliament.

Why it mattersThe €3 is charged on each type of item in a parcel, not on its value, so it hits small, cheap orders hardest: on a €20 single-item order it adds 15%, before any courier handling charge or the expected November fee. It stays until the EU scraps its €150 duty-free threshold altogether. Any Norfolk or Suffolk firm that sells direct to EU consumers should now work out its true landed cost by order size, check what its courier passes on, and consider minimum order values, bundles or EU-based fulfilment before the next fee arrives. That work needs customs and VAT knowledge and pricing analysis by channel, which few small finance teams have in house. Firms without that expertise may need indirect-tax advice or interim pricing support; for candidates, export pricing experience is a growing selling point.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; check the current rules with your courier or customs adviser.

Norfolk County Council warns of a £148.5m funding gap

Council leader David Bick has written to the Chancellor and the Communities Secretary warning of a £148.5m gap over the next three years, against £343.3m of forecast cost pressures, the Diss Express reported on Monday 19 October. He blames rising demand for adult social care, children's services, SEND and home-to-school transport, and wants the forthcoming Budget to give Norfolk and other rural areas more.

PHP security flaw takes Norwich City Council's website offline

Norwich City Council took its website down on the evening of Wednesday 21 October, and West Norfolk Council's site was down until Thursday 22 October, after details leaked of flaws in PHP, the language behind about 70% of websites, including those built on WordPress. The National Cyber Security Centre has urged organisations to patch their systems immediately, so finance teams should check that whoever runs their website, customer portal or online payment pages has done so.

Inflation jumps to 3.5% as vacancies hit a 12-year low

CPI inflation rose to 3.5% in September from 3.1% in August, led by motor fuel prices up 29.8% on the year, the ONS said on Wednesday 21 October. A day earlier it reported 691,000 vacancies, the lowest in 12 years outside the pandemic, and regular pay growth of 3.7% in June to August, just 0.8% above inflation, a margin September's higher prices will squeeze. Economists at Schroders now expect the Bank of England to raise rates in November.

Profit and loss filing for small companies put on hold

Companies House said on Friday 23 October that the plan to make small companies and micro-entities file a profit and loss account from April 2028 is paused while the government looks at simpler ways to file. Software-only filing still goes ahead: from April 2028 every company must file its accounts in iXBRL through commercial software, as web and paper filing of accounts closes.