With austerity the name of the game, should the UK’s public sector be holding onto £3.5bn-worth of art? September 4, 2015 Nobody begrudges the public sector owning a certain amount of art. However, the size of the collection is itself staggering. TaxPayers’ Alliance research released today shows that it consists of some eight million pieces, worth more than £3.5bn, with local authorities alone owning more than two million pieces. Most concerning, however, is that [...]
The UK’s skills shortage is getting worse: It’s time for a shake up in the classroom and the boardroom September 3, 2015 There’s an elephant in the boardroom. According to a survey of the finance directors of many of the UK’s largest companies, it casts a greater shadow than China or Brexit or the hacking horrors of cyber attacks. It’s the new number one at the top of Britain's risk registers – the difficulty of recruiting [...]
Pizza Express bows to pressure on tips September 3, 2015 Pizza Express has bowed to growing pressure over its tipping system and agreed to remove the eight per cent administration fee it charges for customers paying their bill with card. The move, which workers and unions have been calling for over the last few months, means staff will receive the full amount left for [...]
Britain’s skills shortage: Train your temps – it’s a win-win for both business and employee September 3, 2015 A flexible workforce is key to 21st century businesses success. The UK economy has evolved since the recession and we have seen a new dynamism emerge emphasising employee flexibility. In fact, there has been a more than 20 per cent increase in the number of temporary workers in the past five years. Businesses know success [...]
Fine wine scam: Director of Capital Bordeaux Investments banned from running businesses for 11 years September 3, 2015 A man who scammed £60,000 claiming he ran a fine wine investment firm has been banned from being a director for 11 years. Scott Andrews – the sole director of Capital Bordeaux Investments Limited – used false and misleading advertising material to “induce” customers into paying for wine, which never materialised. The company [...]
PMIs: Services boost in Germany and Spain as Russia and France falter September 3, 2015 Germany and Spain's services industries appear increasingly healthy, after both countries posted better-than-expected purchasing managers' index (PMI) figures for August this morning – but things are looking less rosy for France and Russia. Germany experienced its strongest rise in business activity since March, with the services business activity index rising to 54.9 in August, [...]
Boozy Britain? When it comes to tax, drinkers are not only paying their way, they are subsidising teetotallers too September 3, 2015 There is a persistent belief that drinkers are a burden on the British taxpayer. In the narrative of ‘Booze Britain’, Accident & Emergency departments do little else but patch up the victims of drunks and it is often claimed that taxpayers foot a bill of around £20bn a year to deal with the effects of [...]
National living wage: All businesses will end up paying it – but time is running out to reap the rewards of good publicity September 2, 2015 Another big name has increased pay and got the press coverage that it deserves. Oliver Bonas is the first high street retailer to commit paying its employees and third-party contractors the Living Wage. This is an optional rate (£9.15 an hour in London and £7.85 an hour elsewhere) set by the Living Wage Foundation. [...]
Travel chaos to disrupt South West Trains between Waterloo and Wimbledon until 4pm September 2, 2015 Commuters are being told to expect “major delays” between Waterloo and Wimbledon throughout the entire day. The South West Trains services are being taken down by a signalling problem between Wimbledon and Earlsfield, affecting a number of lines into the main London terminus. Lines between Waterloo and Wimbledon were closed, but have since [...]
London mayoral elections: Tower blocks are no place to bring up families – it’s time for Londoners to reclaim their horizon September 2, 2015 "We believe most of the wave of proposed towers now hitting the city will do permanent damage to its public spaces and views, without answering London’s real housing and employment needs. There is a lack of evidence for the benefits of these buildings, of planning that can direct them well, and of genuine public consultation." [...]
