Accountancy support for Teesside, mostly done remotely.
Teesside and the wider Tees Valley take in Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, Redcar and the towns and villages around them. It is an area with deep industrial roots, a large university, busy town centres and a growing number of small firms set up by people who have left employment to work for themselves. We are a small firm of Chartered Certified Accountants, and we work with sole traders, partnerships, limited companies, landlords and individuals who want their accounts and tax dealt with properly and explained in plain English, without unnecessary jargon.
It is only fair to be candid about distance. Our one office is at A2 Marquis Court on the Team Valley Trading Estate in Gateshead, which is roughly an hour by road from most of Teesside. We do not have a Teesside office, so most of the work we do for clients here is remote. Records are shared securely, cloud bookkeeping software lets us see the same figures you do, and questions are usually answered by phone or email. If you would like to meet in person, that can be arranged at Team Valley.
Working at a distance suits many people better than they expect. There is no need to take time out of the working day to drop off paperwork, and a quick call can often settle a question that might otherwise wait for an appointment. A first conversation usually covers what your business does, how your records are kept and what deadlines are coming up. From there we can agree what you need, whether that is annual accounts, a self assessment return, VAT support, payroll or help responding to a letter from HMRC.
The Teesside business landscape.
Heavy industry built this part of the North East. Iron and steel made Middlesbrough’s name, chemicals grew up around Billingham and Wilton, and the river supported ports, shipyards and engineering works for generations. The closure of the Redcar steelworks in 2015 was a hard moment, and the large Teesworks site is now being redeveloped. Around these big operations sits a wide supply chain of fabricators, electrical contractors, maintenance firms and specialist trades. For many of them, subcontractor payments, construction industry scheme returns and payroll are part of the monthly routine.
The economy is broader than its industrial image suggests. Teesside University brings students, researchers and start-ups into Middlesbrough, and digital and creative businesses have grown around the town centre. Retail parks, high streets and markets in Stockton, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool support shops, cafés and service businesses, while the coast at Redcar, Seaton Carew and nearby Saltburn draws visitors. Hospitals, schools and the care sector employ many people who also earn some income on the side. Each group has its own records, deadlines and questions, so the advice needs to fit the person rather than the postcode.
Who we work with in Teesside
- 01
Engineering, fabrication and maintenance contractors
- 02
Builders, electricians and other CIS trades
- 03
Digital and creative start-ups
- 04
Retailers, cafés and hospitality businesses
- 05
Consultants and contractors working through limited companies
- 06
Residential landlords
Services Teesside clients ask about
A hypothetical example of remote support.
Imagine, purely for illustration, an electrical contractor based near Stockton who works on industrial sites across Teesside. The business has six employees and takes on subcontractors for larger jobs. Paperwork is kept in a van and an inbox, and the owner has been filing payroll late. Priestman & Co. could set up cloud bookkeeping with bank feeds, take over the payroll and construction industry scheme returns, and agree a monthly check-in by phone. The owner would not need to travel to Gateshead, and could meet us at Team Valley if a face-to-face review ever seemed worthwhile.
Getting to our Team Valley office
Team Valley sits beside the A1 in Gateshead. From most of Teesside the A19 heads north towards Tyneside, or you can take the A66 west to the A1(M) and continue north to the estate. Allow roughly an hour, depending on traffic. By rail, services run from Teesside towns to Newcastle, with a bus or taxi on to Team Valley. Most Teesside clients never need to make the journey.
Tax and reporting rules can change. This page offers general information, not advice specific to your circumstances. The example above is illustrative only.
Teesside: common questions
For most people, yes. Accounts and tax work rarely needs you to be in the same room as your accountant. Records can be shared securely, cloud software keeps the figures in one place, and questions can be dealt with by phone or email. If you would like to meet, we can arrange a time at our Team Valley office, which is roughly an hour away by road.
We do not have an office in Teesside, and our work with clients here is mainly remote. Meetings take place at A2 Marquis Court on the Team Valley Trading Estate by arrangement. Tell us how you prefer to work and we can explain what is realistic, so you know what to expect from the start.
It depends on what you plan to do and how much you expect to earn. Early decisions include whether to trade as a sole trader or a limited company, how to keep records and whether VAT registration may become relevant. We can talk through the options, explain the general tax position and help you register with HMRC correctly.