Something must be done about the surge in short-term lets on Airbnb – or we will be left facing a housing disaster September 2, 2016 Just when it seemed news for renters couldn't get any worse – it has. Figures out today from the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) show that a surge in the numbers of short-term lets on Airbnb could be having dire consequences for renters in London. In the four months from February to June this year London Airbnb [...]
Three at 3: The three stories you need to read right now September 2, 2016 Hoorah to the end of a four day working week. It’s Friday afternoon – so why bother trawling the internet for something to read? We’ve done the legwork for you, and put together the top three stories of the day in bite-size form. Check out our three at three. Networking events made easy We’ve had a [...]
Could Labour learn from this? Green Party turns leadership into a job share September 2, 2016 Bored of the Labour leadership battle, which seems to have been rumbling on for decades? Perhaps the party could learn a thing or two from the Greens, who have concluded their own leadership election without fuss this afternoon. In fact, the Green Party has named not just one leader, but two. Read more: Green Party [...]
Marks & Spencer pay row: M&S makes new offer to workers – but campaigners say it isn’t enough September 2, 2016 Could this be the end of the long-running pay row between Marks & Sparks and its workers? Evidently not: the retailer today announced it had finished consulting with staff over pay, but campaigners don't think its conclusions are enough. In a statement today M&S said after a "thorough consultation" with its national employee representative group, it was offering [...]
Ireland agrees to appeal against €13bn Apple tax repayment demand from EU September 2, 2016 Ireland's coalition government has agreed to appeal against a multi-billion-euro back tax demand that the European Commission slapped on iPhone maker Apple earlier this week, after independent members of the Cabinet gave their backing. "A motion will come before the Dail (the Irish parliament) on Wednesday seeking an endorsement of that decision," a government spokesman said. On Tuesday, [...]
Supermarket chic: Sainsbury’s to launch new premium fashion brand September 2, 2016 Hobbs, LK Bennett and Whistles could be feeling nervous this weekend – as Sainsbury's prepares to launch its new range of women's clothing early next week. The supermarket group named those three high-end brands in particular as it threw down the gauntlet in the battle to win more customers with its new collection. "The quality and styling [...]
“Shameful” Southern rail owner set for best one-day stock market performance since 2009 September 2, 2016 Southern Rail owner Go-Ahead Group is set for its best one-day performance on the stock market since 2009. Go-Ahead was slammed as "shameful" as it reported a 27 per cent growth in statutory pre-tax profits this morning. But investors are flocking to the company, with shares currently up more than nine per cent to 2,184p. If the nine [...]
London housing crisis may be fuelled by long-term Airbnb letting, landlords body suggests September 2, 2016 London's housing shortage is being fuelled by a rise in long-term letting via sites such as Airbnb, a new report has suggested. Airbnb has hit back at the research, describing it as "misleading". The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) research in June found that 61 per cent of entire homes and apartments listed on Airbnb are available [...]
Construction PMI: Industry decline slows in August – but fails to keep pace with upbeat manufacturing figures September 2, 2016 The UK construction industry's decline continued in August – but the pace slowed significantly on July, figures out today showed. The construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI), which is closely watched by policymakers at the Bank of England, hit 49.2 in August. The seasonally-adjusted Markit/CIPS figure remained below the 50 threshold (any figure above which denotes growth) for [...]
Samsung stops selling Galaxy Note 7 and issues recall after reports of spontaneous explosions September 2, 2016 South Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung is pulling its latest handset off the shelves – due to a risk of spontaneous combustion. The product recall was prompted by reports of phone batteries exploding. “Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. In response to recently [...]