Why the UK Government Is About to Crush Your Coworking Space — And What to Do About It with Rolan... скачать в хорошем качестве

Why the UK Government Is About to Crush Your Coworking Space — And What to Do About It with Rolan...

Episode Summary “If these people have their own little standalone office somewhere, if they literally picked their office up and went to put it on the street outside, they would qualify for small business rates relief. But just because they’ve had the audacity to come and get an office in a coworking space, they’re going to lose that benefit.” - Roland Stanley Unreasonable Connection Going Live! London, February 2026. 🎟️ Tickets go on sale in January 2026. The entire day is co-created by the coworking community builders on the co-creation waitlist. Roland Stanley is angry. Not performatively angry. Not LinkedIn-post angry. Actually angry. The founder of Dragon Coworking in Rochester, Kent, has spent eight years building something real in a part of England that doesn’t make the tourism brochures. He trained as a chef at Canterbury College, grafted in kitchens across France and London, then came home to help his dad run the St. George Hotel “for two weeks” — and stayed 20 odd years. When a spare function room sat empty and eating business rates, someone mentioned coworking. Roland went up to London, saw what was possible, and asked a question that still drives him: Why can’t this work in Medway? Dragon Coworking was born in 2017. The name came from a friend’s suggestion — St. George Hotel, St. George and the Dragon. It stuck. What also stuck was Roland’s hospitality instinct: make people feel welcome, build relationships before asking for anything, treat your members like they’re part of something rather than just paying the bills. But now that something is under threat. Then the Valuation Office Agency sent a letter. The VOA has begun reclassifying coworking spaces in a way that strips Small Business Rate Relief from the micro-businesses inside them. Roland calls it an “extinction-level event” — and he’s not being dramatic. In this episode, Bernie and Roland dig into what’s actually happening with the VOA reclassification, why the government is using an ATM legal precedent to justify treating freelancers like cash machines, and what the coworking industry needs to do right now to fight back. Roland has already secured a meeting with his local MP, Lauren Edwards. Jane Sartin from FlexSA has a meeting with the relevant Minister in the diary. But they need numbers. They need noise. They need you. If you run an independent coworking space, work from one, or supply software to them: this episode is your call to action. Timeline Highlights [00:00] Bernie’s urgent intro: “This is possibly the best opportunity I’ve seen for the whole UK coworking industry to unite.” [02:06] Roland on what he wants to be known for: “Helping make people’s lives better. In a small way, that’s what I’d like to be known for.” [02:17] Bernie’s warmth: “I think you’re doing okay. Whenever I mention your name, most people react quite positively.” [02:53] The origin story: a spare function room at his dad’s hotel that was “eating business rates and just empty all the time.” [03:54] Why it’s called Dragon: “St. George Hotel, so St. George and the Dragon. That’s where it originally came from.” [04:16] Roland’s kitchen credentials: Canterbury College, City & Guilds, France for six months, then the London Clinic [08:33] The authenticity principle: “Run a business that’s a reflection of who you are. Don’t try to run a false business.” [11:07] How Dragon builds local perks without apps and gimmicks: “We’ll start liking their posts, get to know each other first, then go down and visit them.” [12:04] The local economy philosophy: “We don’t want a discount. Perhaps just a bit of added value, like a free garlic bread at the local pizza place.” [14:21] The “indie gang” of coworking operators: Teresa, Ewan, Karen, and John meeting up to share what’s working [15:30] The one rule: “We’ve got a bit of an informal rule that we’re not allowed to talk about mugs in the sink.” [18:12] Roland breaks down the VOA threat: offices that would qualify for relief on the street lose it “just because they’ve had the audacity” to join a coworking space [19:02] The ATM precedent: “They’re trying to treat our members like ATMs.” [19:47] Roland names it: “Extinction level event.” [24:46] The immediate action: “Literally, Jane has done a wonderful toolkit about what to do.” [25:20] Bernie’s challenge to software companies: “Perhaps all the software companies that we all spend lots of money with could help us out by shouting about it as well.” Thematic Breakdown The Chef Who Built a Kitchen for Freelancers Roland Stanley came to coworking through the pass. City & Guilds training at Canterbury College. Six months working in kitchens in France. A stint at the London Clinic. Eight years total in professional kitchens before he “managed to escape.” Hospitality isn’t a metaphor for Roland. It’s muscle memory. The instinct to make someone feel welcome, to exceed expectations without being asked, to read...