Andy Burnham slammed for Manchester tourist tax plans February 21, 2025 Andy Burnham has been slammed by the chief executive of UKHospitality after backing plans for a new tourist tax to be introduced in Manchester. The mayor of Greater Manchester said earlier this week that tourists visiting the city region should pay a “proper” mandatory “tourist levy”. He added that he wanted to see Manchester city [...]
Business secretary accused of false CV claim to be a solicitor February 19, 2025 Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been accused of falsely claiming that he was a solicitor before being elected as an MP, despite only being a trainee. The cabinet minister – who is responsible for the UK’s businesses and international trade – has previously described himself as a solicitor, including on his LinkedIn profile, according to [...]
‘Prohibitive building costs’ stunting UK growth projects – Deloitte February 4, 2025 “Prohibitive costs” involved in construction projects in major UK cities led to a sharp decline in the number of new developments breaking ground in 2024, according to a new report from Deloitte. Deloitte’s latest Regional Crane Surveys, which covers the central areas of Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, has revealed the number of new starts [...]
Manchester unveils £15bn plan to become go-to tourist destination outside London January 29, 2025 Greater Manchester has unveiled plans to grow its visitor economy to be worth £15bn by the end of the decade in a bid to be the go-to tourism destination in the UK outside of London. The new strategy, which covers a five-year period through to 2030, aims to increase the region’s visitor economy from around [...]
Reeves pledges planning reform shake-up to boost growth January 26, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to cut red tape for building homes and infrastructure in a bid to speed up planning application approvals. Ahead of Reeves’ speech next week on economic growth, the government unveiled its new Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will be introduced in the spring and help push its plan to build [...]
Andy Burnham wants Manchester to add an extra £13bn a year to the UK economy – this is how January 24, 2025 A decade-long plan to increase Greater Manchester’s contribution to the UK economy by £13bn a year has been unveiled by the region’s mayor, Andy Burnham. The proposal, which has been made public today, would see the “whole Greater Manchester system mobilised” to deliver £1bn of investment every year between now and 2035. Burnham has also [...]
For your next career opportunity, look beyond the boardroom January 14, 2025 After a successful career in business, Sir Rod Aldridge stepped onto the board of the North’s leading arts institution The Lowry. Here explains why the best career moves are sometimes the most unexpected When I was approached about the role of chair at The Lowry, the North West’s leading arts institution, I’ll admit it felt [...]
Manchester proves industry has the answers to boosting regional growth January 13, 2025 Manchester’s tech sector is one of the fastest-growing clusters in Europe – all thanks to a culture of innovation going back to the industrial revolution, says Alison Ross When Boris Johnson was Prime Minister, I developed a fierce hatred of the phrase ‘levelling up’, even stronger than the antipathy triggered by the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ motif [...]
FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader gears up for £87m HQ move January 13, 2025 FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader has confirmed plans to relocate its headquarters from a building named after a Manchester legend to a new base worth £87m. The company is to leave its home at 1 Tony Wilson Place in First Street and move to Bruntwood SciTech’s 3 Circle Square in 2026. Auto Trader has been [...]
Mark Kleinman: Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting results in Manchester Disunited January 9, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week, he tackles Ratcliffe’s own goal, Shawbrook setting the tone and a FTSE 100 Doomsday clash over pay Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting results in Manchester Disunited Sir Jim Ratcliffe might not like to admit it, but 2024 [...]