A NEW Worcester accountancy firm is trying to bring a bit of colour to the profession.

The new firm, called Howard Painter & Company, is offering a new approach with fixed-fee charges and a ban on jargon.

"Accountancy has always, if sometimes unfairly, been painted as a bit of a grey profession," said owner Howard Painter.

"Well, now locally, there's a bit of colour on the accountancy front. Accountancy and taxation are inevitably serious matters, but there's no reason why they can't be treated as humanly as possible.

"For starters, we can make every effort to ensure our clients understand what we're saying and to this end we're banning jargon from our offices.

"Secondly, we're going against the grain by ensuring our customers know what it will cost to work with us. We're moving away from the old fashioned time-based method of calculating fees and opting for a fixed fee system.

"We'll quote on how much the job will cost and if it takes longer than we said, we will stick to our quote."

Mr Painter was formerly a partner at the Douglas Dale Partnership in Worcester.

The new firm will be based at Sansome Lodge, in Sansome Walk, and is offering a free first meeting with new clients.