This study says Uber-style ride-sharing and carpooling could dramatically reduce city traffic January 3, 2017 London's roads – and the millions of people who travel on them – have reached an unprecedented gridlock. Congestion is estimated to be costing businesses in the capital £237m every year, while Londoners are wasting a week each year, on average, stuck in traffic jams – not to mention the impact on people's health of high [...]
Bat boxes and playgrounds are holding back property development, says industry group January 3, 2017 A property industry group has called for changes to the planning system because bat boxes and playgrounds are holding back house building in the UK. Housebuilders are forced to meet various conditions before building, called pre-commencement conditions, some of which are halting development unnecessarily, the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has said. Read more: These are the [...]
UK manufacturer confidence reaches highest point for two and a half years January 3, 2017 UK manufacturers saw confidence levels reach a 30-month high as output and new orders strengthened, according to a closely watched indicator. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 56.1 in December, up from 53.6 in November, as the sector ended the year on a high note according to data compiled by IHS Markit. The [...]
Oil prices just hit an 18-month high January 3, 2017 The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil rose to an 18-month high this morning, as a deal between Opec countries continued to boost the market. WTI crude rose 2.5 per cent to $55.06 in early trading, its highest since July 2015. That pushed the price of Brent crude up 2.4 per cent to $58.19. Oil [...]
Labour and the Conservatives can’t stop blaming each other for rising train fares January 3, 2017 London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan and Conservative politicians are blaming each other for the rising cost of rail travel this morning. Commuters returning to work this week are set to see their train fares rise by an average of 2.3 per cent. And both sides of the political spectrum have gone on the attack this [...]
Russian “Methbots” show we need to ditch our digital advertising addiction January 3, 2017 The advertising industry had a serious problem in 2016. In recent years, the rise of digital advertising has gone from a new and welcome thrill for marketers, to a full-on addiction that has left brands robbed of money, and the reality of what has been going on behind their backs. It was only a matter [...]
British exporters look to Middle East and Asia-Pacific to avoid Brexit uncertainty January 3, 2017 British exporters are turning their gaze to the Middle East and Asia as they look to avoid economic uncertainty and the uncertain trading relationship with Europe, a new survey says. The Asia-Pacific region in particular is set to be targeted, with an 18 per cent balance of UK businesses expecting exports to increase over the [...]
Protesters are taking to the streets of London over rail fare hikes January 3, 2017 Protesters are gathering at King's Cross in London and other railway stations across the country to show their anger about rising rail fares in the UK. Read more: Rail fares have increased twice as fast as wages in the past 10 years The protests – planned for over 100 stations – have been organised by action groups Action [...]
L&G completes the sale of Cofunds’ investment platform to Aegon January 3, 2017 Life insurer Aegon has completed the acquisition of investment platform Cofunds from Legal and General. L&G and Aegon first announced a £140m deal in August last year, and have today confirmed completion of the transaction. It means Aegon becomes the UK's largest platform provider, with more than three million customers. L&G only bought the business in [...]
Rail passenger group urges Southern to freeze fares to “rebuild trust” January 3, 2017 Freezing fares for Southern passengers would "help to start rebuild trust" in the franchise, a rail passenger group has said. Transport Focus urged Southern to freeze ticket prices after "months of misery they have experienced". Passengers were beset by strikes and disruption for much of 2016 – and the misery will continue into this year, [...]