The role of smart government in the UK’s post pandemic recovery August 4, 2021 Picture this: a country where 99% of public services are online, citizens vote via digital ID cards over the web, welfare and financial support are provided only to those who need it, with fraud dealt with swiftly, and transparency, trust and efficiency lie at the heart of government. This is a far cry from the [...]
COVID-19 and the economic impact on UK businesses July 23, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lot of business struggling, but how bad is the overall outlook for them? We’ve spoken to Michelle Elliot CA, partner at FRP based in Glasgow, about whether we can expect a tsunami of insolvencies or if UK businesses are coping better than expected. Michelle is a Chartered Accountant and [...]
Small shops face £1.7bn debt, says report by ex-boss of Iceland July 16, 2021 Small shops are struggling under £1.7bn debt, the former retail chief of Iceland, has warned. Independent businesses’ borrowing increased fourfold during the pandemic, according to the report. While the money borrowed has allowed small shops to survive, the task of paying back the loans still looms over them, said Bill Grimsey, the author of the [...]
City of London Corporation chief says 19 July will ‘restore vibrancy’ in capital July 13, 2021 The City of London’s local authority welcomed the government’s announcement that “Freedom Day” will go ahead next week, helping the capital to bounce back from the pandemic. Catherine McGuinness, the City of London Corporation’s policy chair, said: “This is a light at the end of the tunnel for the many City businesses desperate to return [...]
UK banks bolster debt collection teams ahead of first Covid loan repayments July 6, 2021 The UK’s leading banks are bolstering their debt collection teams as the first repayments of emergency Covid loans fall due. Britain’s four largest banks have hired over 750 workers in their debt collection units in an effort to manage a wave of potential defaults. NatWest has taken on 150 extra staff to handle chasing Covid [...]
Taxpayers could lose billions through pandemic support schemes June 30, 2021 Taxpayers could lose tens of billions of pounds through support schemes set up to limit the impact of Covid-19, the committee that is responsible for overseeing government expenditure has warned in a report published today. A lack of scrutiny within Covid-19 loan schemes has “significantly increased” taxpayer exposure to fraud and error, the Public Accounts [...]
HMRC launches 13,000 investigations into potential Covid support scheme fraud June 28, 2021 The UK tax authority has opened almost 13,000 probes into businesses that may have abused the government’s coronavirus business support schemes. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is investigating potential fraud and other non-compliance with the rules for the use of the government’s furlough programme, self employment income support scheme, and the “eat out to help [...]
Exclusive: CEO of Britain’s newest bank on the long road to recovery June 23, 2021 The pandemic forced the entire economy to move online, with Zoom and Skype usage skyrocketing. London’s financial services space was no exception, leading to a vast uptake in online banking services. One online lender that obtained its UK banking licence in June of last year, at the height of the pandemic, is Zopa, bringing a [...]
Ranked: London constituencies have highest demand for Covid borrowing in UK June 15, 2021 London constituencies make up the top four UK regions which have seen the highest demand for Covid support loans, according to a new study. Business Rescue Expert collated the amount each devolved UK constituency has borrowed under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). The City tops the [...]
4 in 10 small businesses will struggle to pay Covid loan repayments, research shows June 7, 2021 Nearly 40 per cent of small businesses could be at risk of closure when repayments of the government’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme start this month. Of the businesses surveyed by Mazuma Accountants, 39 per cent said they will struggle to meet payments, while more than a quarter are downbeat about how their firm will fare [...]