Surprise broadband demand leads to an extra £440m of telecoms infrastructure investment December 22, 2016 Better than expected demand for fibre broadband in Britain's hard to reach areas has provided a £440m boost to the public purse. In 2013, the government launched its £1.7bn Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) project. The initiative included a series of aims culminating in ensuring 97 per cent of the UK's households could connect to superfast broadband by 2020. BT were [...]
Pensions Regulator racks up external costs of £1.4m on probe into BHS and Sir Philip Green December 21, 2016 The pensions watchdog has so far incurred external costs of at least £1.4m from its investigation into BHS and Sir Philip Green, City A.M. has learned. The money, nearly £400,000 of which is in legal expenditure, is in addition to internal costs for the Pensions Regulator (TPR), which has 16 staff working on the probe, [...]
JCB keeps staff happy by adding a Christmas bonus to recently agreed pay deal December 21, 2016 There may be a wave of industrial action sweeping across the country, but one of Britain's best-known companies has headed-off similar problems by promising a festive bonus to staff. Digger-giant JCB revealed it will treat its employees to an extra £400 in their Yuletide pay packets. Employing 5,000 staff in the UK across 11 plants in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and [...]
Netflix Twitter account is hacked by group gloating at lack of cyber security December 21, 2016 Netflix's US Twitter account has been hacked by an organisation infamous for breaking into the social media accounts of high profile individuals and companies. After gaining access to the social media account, OurMine sent a series of mocking tweets from the online media firm's account, boasting about the inadequacies of cyber security. "We are here to prove this," [...]
Tax clampdown leads to spike in VAT registrations December 21, 2016 The number of online retailers registering for UK VAT has increased tenfold after the taxman introduced new powers to crackdown on a £1bn loophole used by overseas traders. In rules announced in March and coming into force in September, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) can force overseas retailers using UK online marketplaces to either appoint a UK-based [...]
Buses for trains? Unions say government plans will boost Go-Ahead revenues December 21, 2016 Unions have once again accused the owners of Southern rail of cashing in on the industrial action that has blighted the network. During Parliamentary questions yesterday, rail minister Paul Maynard revealed officials were working with the bus and coach body, the confederation of passenger transport, to "determine how bus and coach operators can best assist with providing [...]
Cross party MPs want to amend key bill and have tax clampdown extended to overseas territories December 20, 2016 A cross-party group of MPs will today up the ante on the UK's overseas territories, hoping to force them to adopt the same transparency laws as the rest of Britain. 80 MPs from across seven parties will support adjustments to the Criminal Finances Bill stipulating the UK's overseas territories, such as the British Virgin Islands and Cayman [...]
Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford reveals package contained the decongestant Fluimucil December 19, 2016 Team Sky boss David Brailsford relented following weeks of doping speculation and finally revealed what was in a mysterious package delivered to a team doctor at the end of a race in 2011. Responding to questions from MPs, Brailsford divulged the package contained Fluimucil, a decongestant not included on a banned list of substances by [...]
Capita helps to maximise BBC licence fees and is awarded contract extension until 2022 December 19, 2016 Support services firm Capita has sealed a contract extension with the BBC to ensure the broadcaster maximises TV licence collections. The two-year add-on means the FTSE 100 firm's partnership with Auntie will run until 2022, by which time it will have administered TV licensing for 20 years. Read more: Capita share price at 10-year low as it issues [...]
Three become one: Experts welcome government’s pension advice simplification plans December 19, 2016 The government has revealed plans to overhaul its financial advice services, consolidating three bodies down into one. Under proposals released by the department for work and pensions, the Money Advice Service, the Pension Advice Service and Pension Wise will be replaced with a yet-to-be-named single new body. "This new single body will be a place people can [...]
