The UK government’s student immigration policy is bad for business and the economy July 20, 2015 Education, particularly higher education, is one of this country’s great success stories. Every year thousands of students come here to learn and along the way they become lifelong friends of Britain. Nonsensically, the government seem intent on making this whole process harder. Under current rules most students can apply for a work visa while still [...]
Home extensions pile on the pounds to property values July 20, 2015 The alterations and extensions made to people's homes have added billions of pounds to property prices across Britain. Over the last 12 months, the work has added a combined £6.5bn to the value of homes, as nearly a quarter of a million owners made changes, adding around £30,000 per property on average. In London, where homeowners have [...]
High street shopper numbers continue decline as they head online July 20, 2015 The number of people heading to the high street has fallen again, new figures reveal, as one minister called for parking charges to be scrapped in an attempt to halt the decline of town centres around the country. Footfall fell 2.8 per cent on the same month last year on the high street and 2.4 [...]
City firms splash out on red tape officers as demand for compliance skills boosts wages July 19, 2015 (Source: Emolument) City workers who help companies cope with red tape are seeing their pay rocket, as a wave of regulations boosts demand for their skills. Figures out this morning reveal that some firms are offering pay rises of 30 per cent in order to attract the staff they need “The more [...]
London’s housing market hits consumer confidence July 19, 2015 London’s housing market is weighing on the minds of consumers, driving the steepest decline in consumer confidence for any major region of the UK last quarter, a poll shows. Consumer confidence in London and the south east fell by six points for the three month period ending June, making it the least optimistic region in [...]
Angela Merkel calls for action on Greek banking rules as lenders reopen July 19, 2015 Greek banks opened again today after a three-week closure, as European politicians try to restore trust inside and outside of Greece after it narrowly avoided bankruptcy with a last-minute financial reforms deal last week. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for swift aid talks so that Athens can also lift withdrawal limits, which were previously set [...]
George Osborne aims to curry favour in the Square Mile with Martin Wheatley dismissal July 19, 2015 As the chancellor who introduced the banking levy back in 2011, George Osborne is not as popular in the City as he could be. But last week it looked like he may be trying to work his way back into bankers’ good books. On Friday, Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority [...]
Highest London house prices dip: Kensington and Chelsea, Camden and Richmond fall as bottom end gets boost from first-time buyers July 19, 2015 Some of the capital’s most expensive residential areas saw house prices drop sharply this month, according to data released today, with high demand supporting the lower end of the market. In Kensington and Chelsea, London’s most expensive borough to buy in, prices dropped 7.2 per cent from June to July, according to Rightmove. [...]
Government to fast track plans for UK fracking July 19, 2015 Fracking could begin in the UK sooner than previously expected, following the government’s decision to award onshore oil and gas exploration licences in two stages, fast tracking the applicants whose proposals do not require extensive environmental assessment. The department for energy and climate change (DECC) will grant a number of licences from the fourteenth round [...]
Redundancy payouts decline as pressure to cut costs eases July 19, 2015 Redundancy payments have fallen to their lowest level since the recession, according to new figures published today. Redundancy payouts to workers totalled £3.5bn in the 12 months ending April 2015, down 10 per cent on the year before, commercial law firm EMW said. The number of payments has also dropped 10 per cent from 284,000 [...]