London’s rental market stalled after glut of new properties August 15, 2016 An over-supply of property was the reason average London rental values dropped for the first time in nearly six years. Prices were 0.5 per cent lower – saving renters an average of £7 per month – compared to July 2015 according to estate agent Countrywide. The last time there was a year-on-year fall was in November 2010 when the average [...]
Government plans for fracking payments fail to entice public August 15, 2016 Government plans for sizeable payouts to households located near fracking sites haven't been enough to whet the public's appetite for the controversial process. The Shale Wealth Fund, which could be worth up to £1bn and result in individual households receiving as much as £10,000, was unveiled by Prime Minister Theresa May last week. Read more: Third Energy gets fracking go-ahead [...]
London sees Britain’s largest house price drop over last four weeks August 15, 2016 London house prices were the worst performing in Britain as they fell by the largest amount over the last four weeks. The average asking price for the capital's houses dropped by 2.6 per cent compared to a national decrease of 1.2 per cent, the Rightmove house price index revealed. Westminster was the worst performing in London with prices flopping 14.5 per cent from [...]
Whitehall needs to get its Brexit act together August 15, 2016 The official website of Chevening House, the country residence of the foreign secretary, still lists Philip Hammond as the present occupier. That they have yet to update the site since Boris Johnson took over as the UK’s most senior diplomat is perhaps a reflection of the confusion caused by Theresa May (somewhat mischievously) asking Boris to [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan boosts police funding by £3.4m to protect Night Tube travellers August 15, 2016 Around 100 extra police officers will be deployed when the Night Tube launches this weekend, as part of a £3.4m boost in security funding for the new 24-hour services. The British Transport Police (BTP) officers will patrol trains and all 51 stations on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday night, Transport for London (TfL) [...]
Barter for a living: Astus co-founder Frances Dickens talks media barter, tackling China and risk aversion August 15, 2016 "I can't think of anything more stupid than setting up my own media barter company,” says Frances Dickens candidly. “But it has worked.” Since 2003, the Astus co-founder and her partner Paul Jackson have grown Astus into the largest barter company in the UK, Ireland and Australia, and with it, the size of the market [...]
City Moves for 15 August 2016 | Who’s switching jobs August 15, 2016 P-Solve P-Solve, part of River and Mercantile Group, has appointed Ajeet Manjrekar as co-head of P-Solve alongside Ross Leach. Ajeet is re-joining P-Solve, having previously worked with the company as an investment consultant and principal until 2007. He subsequently worked for Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management business and spin-off Global Thematic Partners. Ajeet is an actuary with 18 years’ [...]
Who owns America? Why Donald Trump will lose – but not by much August 15, 2016 To put it mildly, by any terrestrial standards Donald Trump has not had a good week. Be it seeming to threaten Hillary Clinton with assassination or stubbornly refusing to back down on his Oliver Stone-like claim that President Obama is the founder of Isis, Trump has stretched the already fraying bonds of American credulity to breaking point. [...]
Fintech is thriving in Edinburgh too – and it’s great news for the whole of the UK August 15, 2016 One of the good things about the Rio Olympics, quite aside from the sport, is the fact that it reminds us of four years ago when we hosted the Games. It was a month of celebration and positivity for the whole UK, not just London, and it showcased the best that Britain has to offer. [...]
Disappearing deliveries cost online shoppers £250m last year as Britons shun leaving packages with neighbours August 15, 2016 Sometimes, it seems, the postman doesn't ring at all. More than 3.6m unlucky online shoppers have been sent a package that has gone missing or not been delivered in the past year, according to figures released today by Direct Line Home Insurance. The disappearing deliveries have cost Britons more than £250m, with the average value of [...]