Proposals to help self-employed and directors backed by cross-party MPs February 16, 2021 The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) chairman has said the government needs to act to help the businesses that fell through the gaps in business support requirements. In response to the Treasury Committee’s Economic Impact of Coronavirus inquiry update this morning, FSB chairman Mike Cherry said: “The government urgently needs to come forward with a [...]
Pubs left in the dark again as government fails to deliver thousands of lifeline grants January 19, 2021 The British Beer and Pub Association has today revealed that 3 in 4 wet-led pubs have still not received the Christmas grant promised to them by Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister personally announced the £1,000 one-off payment at the start of December to help drink-driven pubs that were forced to close during Christmas. However, as [...]
UK tightens rules on big businesses to get £23bn in late payments owed under control January 18, 2021 UK tightens rules on big businesses to get £23bn in late payments owed under control
250,000 UK small businesses may fail in 2021 unless they get help to survive lockdown January 11, 2021 With the new year starting in lockdown, at least 250,000 UK small businesses could fail in 2021 without further help, a new study warns. The Small Business Index (SBI) from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows confidence is at its second lowest ebb in the report’s ten-year history. The London Small Business Index stands [...]
Investments climb back to pre-pandemic levels with cash reserves playing key role January 5, 2021 Despite economic pressures and a recession looming, nearly half of corporates and large SMEs expect business investment to return to pre-crisis levels by the end of this year as business gets back to normal. According to a new survey shared exclusively with City A.M. today, just 16 per cent expect to take three years or [...]
CBI deputy: A no-deal Brexit on top of coronavirus is ‘very, very worrying’ November 2, 2020 For a while in the summer it looked as though the CBI’s annual conference – a highlight of the business calendar which kicks off today – could be celebrating an economy on its way back to health. But a surge in coronavirus restrictions and new lockdowns across the country mean it is likely to be [...]
FSB: banks must ‘step up’ support for new Bounce Back Loan applications October 30, 2020 The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called for the government to introduce further support measures and for banks to “step up” to ensure small businesses can access the financing they need. The organisation said it was “particularly concerned” by the number of small businesses that were struggling to access government-backed Bounce Back Loans (BBLs) [...]
Coronavirus: Daily cases in England rise to 27,900 October 16, 2020 Daily coronavirus cases in England have rocketed to 27,900, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), marking a 10,000 increase since last week’s average. The estimated number of coronavirus cases for the week to 2 October was 17,200, while the average for the week before was 12,600. The ONS said this [...]
UK slammed for ‘light-touch’ approach to gender pay gap October 14, 2020 The UK has a “light-touch” approach to gender pay gap reporting compared to other countries, according to a new report. New research by the Fawcett Society and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London (KCL) found that Britain is vastly behind other nations, which have “much more robust systems” for reporting gender [...]
Rishi Sunak extends furlough scheme for businesses facing lockdown October 9, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the furlough scheme for six months for businesses across the UK required to close under local lockdowns, as further restrictions loom ahead for parts of England. Sunak today said the government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to businesses forced to shutter under fresh lockdown measures. Firms whose premises [...]