MPs claim Covid PPE contract ‘failures’ cost UK taxpayer £2.7bn July 20, 2022 There were “significant failings” in the government’s management of personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts during Covid that cost the taxpayer £2.7bn, according to a crossbench committee of MPs. A report from Westminster’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says the government is in dispute with 176 contract holders for PPE, worth £2.7bn, around the effectiveness of the [...]
Millions of Brits looking to move abroad in search of a better life as cost of living crisis becomes unbearable July 20, 2022 A staggering 4.5m Brits are considering moving overseas for a better quality of life, as a result of the cost of living crisis and for better career opportunities. In fact, over 3.4m UK working adults say moving outside of the UK is a long-term goal of theirs, while 3 per cent admit they are actively [...]
Rail strike on 27 July: Brits face zero services on some train lines July 20, 2022 Network Rail has warned passengers that limited to no services will run on 27 July, the first of an additional three-day strike called by the union RMT last week. The government-owned operator said that – while “specially-trained back-up staff” will keep vital services running on the day – timetables will be cut down to 20 [...]
Merciless verdict: Accounting watchdog FRC slams BDO and Mazars for ‘unacceptable’ audits July 20, 2022 Auditors BDO and Mazars have been called out for the “unacceptable” quality of their work by the accounting watchdog. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said there has been “some improvement” across the auditing sector amid heavy scrutiny following failings linked to the major collapses of firms such as Carillion. FRC chief executive Sir John Thompson [...]
HMRC in crackdown on tax return mistakes as taxman hands out 80 per cent more penalties July 20, 2022 HMRC handed out 80 per cent more penalties for careless errors made by taxpayers in their tax returns last year, with 89,317 penalties issued in 2021/22, up from 49,701 the previous year. Some of the penalties issued for ‘careless errors’ are likely to be for mistakes made in returns filed during the pandemic. While the [...]
Property and rent price rises speed up as low stock and inflation grip households July 20, 2022 The pace of property and rental price rises in the UK has sped up, according to the latest figures, as a cost of living crisis shrinks household budgets. Rents in the UK rose by three per cent in the year to June, up from 2.8 per cent in the 12-months to May. House prices increase [...]
Inflation races to new 40-year high – but worst is yet to come July 20, 2022 UK inflation raced to a fresh 40-year high last month, but economists have warned the cost of living squeeze is set to get even worse. Prices surged 9.4 per cent over the year to June, the quickest acceleration since 1982 and up from an already historic level of 9.1 per cent in May, according to [...]
Rail operators and freight firms create coalition to transform UK railways July 20, 2022 A consortium of rail and freight operating firms have clubbed together with a prospectus to transform Britain’s railways. The launch of Rail Partners was welcomed by rail minister Wendy Morton, as the industry sets out five key priorities for reform – including the sector’s decarbonisation and the role of Great British Railways moving forward. Made [...]
Planned redundancies down by a fifth as firms spooked by pandemic’s impact on labour shortages July 20, 2022 Firms are putting off planned redundancies despite rising business rates and inflation, after being spooked by the pandemic’s impact creating severe staff shortages. The number of redundancies has fallen by 21 per cent from in the last quarter according to law firm GQ|Littler. The figures show it dropped from 50,382 to 39,669 up to the [...]
Sale of swimming pools and paddleboards skyrocket by 200 per cent as heatwave intensifies July 20, 2022 There has been an increase in sales of swimming pools by more than 210 per cent due to the heatwave. Lee Bagnall, CEO of GO Outdoors, shared with City A.M. this morning that over the past week his company has seen sales of outdoor living equipment soar, in response to the current heatwave that’s sweeping [...]