Property Special: London’s most affordable postcodes, up and coming areas, best for schools and to invest August 25, 2021 The property market has boomed over the past year, thanks to the stamp duty holiday which has given a lot of first-time buyers the opportunity to get their foot on the property ladder. Coupled with the introduction of the new government backed 5 per cent deposit scheme, designed to help home buyers, the market isn’t [...]
Augean ditches Morgan Stanley Infrastructure for new £341m buyout deal August 25, 2021 A consortium of investment managers Ancala Partners and Fiera Infrastructure have swooped in on waste management firm Augean, raising the prospect of a bidding war for the AIM-listed company. In a statement this morning Augean said that it had agreed to the two firms’ 325p per share, £341m buyout offer, having earlier this month approved [...]
Bank North bags fresh licence in its bid to localise the future of banking August 25, 2021 Bank North has secured a banking licence from the Bank of England as it looks to target northern cities with regionally focused lenders. The upcoming lender will open in October to small businesses in and around Greater Manchester, with plans to start taking retail deposits next year. The bank’s boss Jonathan Thompson explained that Bank [...]
OnlyFans founder blames banks for ban on sexually explicit content August 25, 2021 Tim Stokely, Founder and Chief Executive of OnlyFans, has name checked ‘unfair’ banks in an explanation of the site’s upcoming pornography ban. Last Thursday, OnlyFans, the site famed for its pornographic content, issued a statement announcing that the platform would ban sexually explicit content from October. Under the new rules any nude content posted on [...]
Relx snaps up Leeds software firm TruNarrative in £130m deal August 25, 2021 Relx has snapped up Leeds-based software group TruNarrative as the FTSE media giant continues to beef up its business through a string of acquisitions. TruNarrative, which was founded in 2016 and offers software that helps customers reduce risk and financial crime, will merge with the company’s LexisNexis Risk Solutions division. The company did not disclose [...]
End of Len McCluskey era: Unite union to get first woman leader today August 25, 2021 The giant Unite union is set to have its first female general secretary after a ballot to decide the successor to Len McCluskey. Voting papers will be formally counted today, but Sharon Graham, an assistant general secretary of the union, is expected to win. It is believed she has achieved a few thousand more votes [...]
Just Eat to create 1,500 new jobs in Sunderland August 25, 2021 Just Eat has announced it will create more than 1,500 new customer service jobs in Sunderland as part of a £100m investment in the North East. The British food delivery giant said that recruitment for the roles is underway with 300 positions already filled. The multi-million pound investment will fund a 20,000 square meter workspace [...]
Dominic Raab: ‘Almost all’ single-nationality UK citizens brought home from Afghanistan August 25, 2021 Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the UK evacuation effort in Afghanistan is working towards the end of August, but time will also be taken to withdraw the military operation. Speaking on Sky News this morning, and asked about suggestions the withdrawal could begin within 24 to 48 hours, Raab said: “I’m not going to [...]
Self-catered accommodation prices soar after pandemic August 25, 2021 Self-catered accommodation in the UK is now on average 40 per cent more expensive than in summer 2019. Analysis from consumer group Which? and BBC Panorama, found holidaymakers were paying an average of £300 more per week in August compared to the last summer before the pandemic. The average cost of one night of self-catered [...]
Data watchdog targets social media with new Children’s Code August 25, 2021 The UK data watchdog is setting its sights on social media and gaming companies with new regulations to protect children that come into force next week. The Children’s Code brings in new rules around protecting data for online services such as apps, online games and web and social media sites likely to be accessed by [...]