Autumn Statement 2015: Business rates regime scrapped by chancellor George Osborne in “revolutionary” move November 25, 2015 George Osborne has delivered a much-needed fillip to struggling town centres and bricks and mortar retailers by abolishing uniform business rates. Under plans announced during the Autumn Statement today, the much-hated regime will be ditched in favour of letting councils decide whether to cut rates to make their town centres "more attractive to businesses". "Elected [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Osborne confirms new flat state pension will be £155.65 a week November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne today said that the new flat state pension will be £155.65 a week, while the basic state pension will rise by £3.35 to £119.30 a week from April. It came as he promised to maintain the state pension "triple lock" – meaning they'll rise in line with the highest of inflation, earnings or at [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Pound up against euro and dollar as George Osborne announces raised GDP forecast for next two years November 25, 2015 The pound edged higher against the euro and US dollar today after chancellor George Osborne announced gross domestic product forecasts had been raised for the next two years. Read more: Autumn Statement – tax credit changes off the table The chancellor announced new forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility, where the economy will grow by 2.4 per [...]
Moody’s warns chains like McDonald’s could be hit as US egg-prices are set to reach record highs with another bout of Avian flu November 25, 2015 Egg prices in the US may hit new highs this winter, as the industry remains shell-shocked from the worst bout of Avian flu ever recorded earlier this year. A report from Moody's Investor Service warns another case of Avian flu may hit egg-laying flocks of hens, placing more pressure on an already scarce resource. Prices rose to $2.97 a dozen for [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Tax credit changes off the table, George Osborne announces November 25, 2015 George Osborne has taken controversial changes to the tax credits system off the table in one of his first major announcements during today's Autumn Statement. The chancellor said he had "listened to the concerns" about changes previously proposed, with many urging that changes should be phased in to ease the transition. "However, given the improvement [...]
PMQs today: Jeremy Corbyn skips asking about Syria, focuses on climate and women’s safety November 25, 2015 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn used his six questions at today's Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) to probe Prime Minister David Cameron on the government's policies surrounding climate change and violence against women, rather than ask about proposals for further military action against the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria ahead of an expected parliamentary vote on the issue [...]
Holborn Tube station trials standing-only (no walking) escalators as Transport for London tries to speed up exit with rule-breaking experiment November 25, 2015 Commuters heading through Holborn during morning rush hour will be stopped from walking up escalators at the Tube station in a new experiment that's actually designed to speed thing up. The new standing-only rule will be in effect during early peak travel for the next three weeks, breaking what might just be the cardinal rule of London – walk on the left and stand [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Here’s why the government’s new housing target is easier said than done November 25, 2015 NULL
Night Tube launch back on track? TfL proposes hiring part-time drivers to break union deal deadlock and get start date agreed November 25, 2015 Plans for the Tube to run through the night are back on track after Transport for London suggested hiring part-time staff to drive the services in a bid to break a deadlock in negotiations with unions. Part-time drivers, estimated to number around 140 at this early stage, would be hired to work the night shifts which unions [...]
French consumer confidence shows no early signs of being dented by the Paris Attacks November 25, 2015 One of the earliest indicators of French consumer confidence in the wake of the Paris attacks held steady in November. The household confidence index was unchanged at a score of 96, according to figures released this morning by Insee, the French statistical office. However, only seven per cent of the data was collected after the [...]