Public sector pay still higher than private March 27, 2012 THE PAY gap between the public and private sector is at its widest since 2001, ONS figures showed yesterday, with state workers now paid an average of between 7.7 and 8.7 per cent more than private sector employees. The data, from April 2011, shows the pay gap has risen sharply from 5.9 per cent in [...]
Price of a first class stamp set to jump to 60p March 27, 2012 THE PRICE of a first class stamp will jump by almost a third to 60p next month, as Royal Mail attempts to offset lower volumes. Royal Mail said it will also hike the price of its second class stamp from 36p to 50p. Yesterday, Ofcom – now the postal regulator – said it would cap [...]
Mad Men fails to attract new Sky subscribers March 27, 2012 ONE of the most hotly-anticipated TV debuts of the year is expected to fail to attract new customers to Sky’s subscription service, which has seen its new customer growth plateau in recent quarters. Series five of Mad Men launched on Sky Atlantic last night, after the broadcaster paid big bucks for the popular US show [...]
Planning rules redrawn to ease development March 27, 2012 THE PLANNING system yesterday received its biggest shake-up in over fifty years as the government reduced more than 1,300 pages of regulations across 44 documents into a single 50 page set of guidelines, with the aim of cutting red tape and encouraging new development. Planning minister Greg Clark hopes that the new guidelines – which [...]
CITY VIEWS SHOULD PLANNING RULES CHANGE TO HELP GROWTH? March 27, 2012 RODRIGO TOCA LIBERATA UK It will definitely help growth; the restrictions at the moment are way too much. There’s an added bonus of financial growth, as it should allow smaller groups and communities to develop projects themselves. CARL BLUNDELL THOMSON REUTERS Any change should safeguard some green spaces, while getting rid of constricting regulations. I [...]
NEW PLANNING POLICY: KEY FACTS March 27, 2012 ■ There is now an automatic presumption in favour of development, as long as it is “sustainable”. This is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. ■ Councils will develop “local plans” that identify possible development sites which fit with [...]
CPP stock falls after FSA probe hurts earnings March 27, 2012 SHARES in the troubled card insurer CPP resumed trading for the first time in over month yesterday, and promptly dropped 36 per cent as investors fled the firm, which has been troubled by regulatory investigations. The decision to re-list was made following the announcement of full-year results that show the firm’s pre-tax profits dropped to [...]
BP raises £250m from sale of its North Sea gas assets March 27, 2012 OIL company BP said yesterday it had agreed to sell its gas assets in the southern North Sea to Perenco UK for $400m (£250.6m) as part of a $38bn disposal programme to pay for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. BP, Europe’s second-largest oil company by market value, has now agreed deals to raise $23bn [...]
Finance regulator gains powers March 27, 2012 ■ The government is speeding up plans to streamline the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), giving the cumbersome auditing and corporate governance watchdog a bigger stick to rein in rule-breakers and help shape European Union laws. The FRC covers a range of supervisory activities from punishing auditors for rule breaches and checking up on accountants and [...]
QinetiQ reaches pension deal March 27, 2012 ■ Defence technology company QinetiQ said yesterday it has reached an agreement with the trustees of its pension scheme to reduce its pension deficit and improve the security of the scheme. QinetiQ, which makes high-tech military equipment such as bomb disposal robots and sniper detectors, yesterday said it had made immediate one-off payment of £40m [...]
