Reeves to limit legal challenges to key infrastructure projects October 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has ordered courts to open hearings on judicial review processes which could threaten to block critical infrastructure projects within four months of an application being made as part of a pre-Budget rush to introduce growth-inducing reforms. As part of a new set of planning-related proposals on Wednesday, the High Court will have [...]
Bellway says fears of Autumn tax raid has hit housing demand October 14, 2025 Housebuider Bellway has said that uncertainty over possible tax changes in the upcoming UK budget has dampened demand for housing. Rumors of various property taxes that Rachel Reeves might introduce in this Autumn’s budget in an attempt to plug a £40bn gap in the nation’s finances while overhauling a complex system of levies and charges have been [...]
Mel Stride: I would raise income tax in Rachel Reeves’ position October 7, 2025 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has said he would raise income taxes if he were in Rachel Reeves’ position, facing a £30bn black hole in the public finances. Speaking at a fringe event at the Tory party conference in Manchester, Stride said raising income taxes was the “cleanest” tax hike option available. His comments will likely [...]
House prices fall amid pre-Budget jitters October 7, 2025 House prices fell last month, a leading price index has suggested, a warning that house buyers and sellers are nervy ahead of a potential tax raid on property. Halifax’s house price index suggested house prices dropped by 0.3 per cent on the month, putting the average property cost at £298,184. The annual rate of growth [...]
Labour warned not to repeat past mistakes with homebuying reforms October 6, 2025 Property experts have welcomed government efforts to simplify the homebuying process, but warned that any change must be done in alignment with industry to avoid a repeat of previous attempts to cut red tape. The proposed changes include digitisation, the introduction of binding contracts at an earlier stage, and requiring property sellers and estate agents [...]
Over 150 high-rise schemes stuck in limbo as red tape clogs up UK construction October 4, 2025 Over 150 high-rise construction projects in the UK have been stalled due to problems with the Building Safety Regulator, with over half of those located in London, according to new data. A new survey from the Construction Plant-Hire Association (CPA), the UK’s leading trade association for renting building equipment, has found that crane fleets and [...]
Hotel demand ‘holds strong’ while staff costs eat into profit October 1, 2025 Demand for UK hotels rose in August, although higher staff costs means that hoteliers saw profit drop. Occupancy increased from 81.4 per cent to 82.1 per cent in August year-on-year, and rose slightly from 84.2 per cent to 84.5 per cent in London, according to RSM and Hotstats. But room rates remained flat as consumers [...]
Marylebone High Street: Host of lettings take super-prime village to capacity October 1, 2025 Marylebone has welcomed eight new names to its high street, with continued demand for spots taking the village to full capacity. A host of fashion, perfume and food brands have leased shops on the high street, while two longstanding companies are set to unveil enhanced new store layouts. “Demand for stores is at its highest… [...]
Omaze house prize draws fuel first UK profit October 1, 2025 Omaze, which runs house prize draws across the UK, has made its first profit since launching in this country. The division of the US-headquartered business has posted a pre-tax profit of £6.2m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The profit comes after Omaze reported a pre-tax loss of £17.3m for 2023. The [...]
City broker: Stocks have got the office cycle wrong September 30, 2025 City broker Panmure Liberum has said that listed commercial office firms are undervalued on London’s stock market given the rapid rise in rents in the capital. Commercial office leaser Great Portland Estates (GPE) has fallen nearly 60 per cent from its 2020 peak and significantly underperformed the FTSE 250 this year – but Panmure said [...]