Companies House to close two ageing online portals in push to make web services more accessible January 25, 2022 Companies House has confirmed that it will close two of its online web portals, with a view to focusing on its main web service. In a statement, Companies House said it would be closing its Companies House Direct (CHD) and WebCHeck services, as it urged users to use its Find and update company information service [...]
Raising pension age led to record rates of over-65s employment January 25, 2022 The government’s decision to up the state pension age from 65 to 66 has seen higher number of 65-year-olds staying in work than at any point since at least the 1970s. However, poorer people with less education were significantly more likely to stay in work than richer people with university degrees. Becky O’Connor, Head of [...]
Data experts team up with Google, Microsoft and Mastercard for new UK post-Brexit govt council January 25, 2022 In order to boost cross-border data flow and trade post-Brexit, the government has set up a new council that comprises of a group of data experts from industry giants and academia. The International Data Transfer Expert Council will include representatives from the likes of Google, Mastercard and Microsoft when it meets for the first time [...]
UK is losing fight against fraud as anti-corruption watchdogs are “under-resourced” January 24, 2022 An anti-corruption think-tank has warned the UK is losing the fight against financial crime, as a lack of funding has left the country’s law enforcement agencies “over-stretched” and “under-resourced.” In a report, the think-tank called on the government to reinvest money recuperated from criminals into the government agencies fighting corruption and financial crime, as it [...]
Nine in ten businesses say Covid has made them a target for fraudsters January 24, 2022 Almost nine-in-ten businesses believe the pandemic has made them more susceptible to fraud, according to survey from BDO. More than four-fifths of businesses were victims of fraud last year, while more than a third of companies said levels of fraud increased between and 2020 and 2021. On average, businesses lost £223,000 to fraud last year, [...]
EY to open office for “neuro-diverse” tech workers in Manchester January 24, 2022 Accountancy firm EY is set to open an office for “neuro-diverse” tech workers in Manchester. EY said it will hire 100 people with “cognitive differences” such as ADHD, dyslexia, and autism, to work on projects involving emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, and the blockchain. The Manchester Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence (NDCoE) is set [...]
Government invests £1.3m into family mediation scheme, to cut divorce court backlog January 24, 2022 The government is set to invest a further £1.3m into its family mediation scheme, in an effort to keep divorce cases out of court. The new funding will provide an additional 2,440 vouchers for mediation services, with a view to freeing up space in divorce courts to cut the backlog built up during Covid-19. In [...]
Law firms opt for M&As over listing in plans to grow in 2022 January 24, 2022 Almost half (47 per cent) of UK law firms are considering mergers and acquisitions, as they seek to expand their geographical footprints and scale up their businesses, according to a poll commissioned by M&A broker Acquira. In a poll of 100 law firms, 47 said they are currently planning a merger or acquisition, with small- [...]
UK government to recruit 4,000 new magistrates in biggest court recruitment drive in 650 years January 24, 2022 The UK government is set to recruit 4,000 new magistrates from all sections of society, in a bid to make magistrates courts more representative and cut the court backlog built up during Covid-19. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said its plan to launch the largest recruitment drive in the Magistrates Courts’ 650-year long history could [...]
FTSE 100 firms are failing to tackle poverty, despite embracing ESG agenda January 23, 2022 Britain’s major companies are ignoring the “social” aspect of the ESG agenda by failing to pay attention to poverty, a think-tank has warned. James Kirkup, director of the Social Market Foundation, accused Britain’s biggest companies of “ignoring the S in ESG,” as he called on FTSE 100 firms to do more to tackle poverty. [...]