Controversial Help to Buy policy to boost home ownership to end tomorrow March 30, 2023 A flagship policy to boost home ownership among young people will come to an end tomorrow. The Help to Buy Scheme, launched in 2013, will be wound up, after more than 350,000 people used it to buy their first home, with more than £2.2bn of support last year. But some property experts have warned the [...]
Labour and Tory governments shun £500bn of investment for UK economy since 2000 March 30, 2023 Britain has missed out on £500bn of public investment this century as a result of successive Labour and Conservative governments trimming capital spending to balance the books, a new report out today claims. Since the turn of the millennium, the UK has injected around 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) of public investment [...]
Britain’s big government is a winning hand in incentivising green technology March 30, 2023 The US might have the financial heft, but Britain benefits from a centralised government with the ability to make sweeping decisions to incentivise renewable technology across the country, writes Will Cooling.
As help to buy winds down, caps on savings schemes will only hinder home ownership March 30, 2023 Help to Buy, an equity loan scheme, helped hundreds of thousands of first time buyers get on the housing ladder, as it ends, it makes lifting the cap on Lifetime ISAs all the more important, writes Annabelle Williams
Mortgage approvals snap back following mini budget chaos, but net lending at lowest since 2016 March 29, 2023 Mortgage approvals have improved for the first time since August, as the market begins to shake off the stress of the mini-budget, however experts have warned that the housing market will “remain price sensitive”. According to the Bank of England’s Money and Credit report for February, net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased to 43,500 [...]
End of the road: Why More Than will no longer sell car insurance as insurer RSA quits market March 29, 2023 RSA has set out its plans to exit the car insurance business in the face of “extremely competitive” market conditions. In a statement, RSA said it had struck an agreement to “introduce” car insurance customers held through its More Than business to UK rival Swinton, with a view to boosting its business, home and [...]
UK’s ‘Green Day’ plans in doubt as reports suggest they could be watered down March 29, 2023 The UK’s response to America’s mammoth subsidy package for renewable projects has been thrown into doubt today, after reports suggested that the planned energy policies could be watered down or pushed back to later this year. The government was set to unveil a host of new policies tomorrow, in what has been coined ‘Green Day’, [...]
Grain and a grape: Chapel Down sparkling wine sales fizz as Kent company sloes down gin and vodka focus March 29, 2023 Winemaker Chapel Down has reported a jump in sales and profits with drinkers snaffling up record numbers of it sparkling wine. The Kent-based company said sales of traditional-method sparkling wine – which includes its brut and sparkling bacchus – surged by more than 50 per cent over 2022, as the business took steps to become [...]
Next shares plummet as retailer braces investors for a ‘difficult’ year March 29, 2023 Next share price fell 7.44 per cent this morning as it assured investors that it is prepared for a “difficult” year ahead, as soaring inflation looks set to rattle the high street powerhouse. The FTSE 100 listed retailer said that it was budgeting for full price sales to be down slightly by 1.7 per cent [...]
Warning NHS dentistry ‘approaching the end of the road’ as Bupa to shut 85 practices impacting 1,200 jobs March 29, 2023 Bupa Dental Care is set to cut 85 dental practices in a move that will affect 1,200 staff across the UK, amid a national shortage of dentists and “systemic” challenges across the industry. The healthcare group said patients at the affected practices have not been able to access the NHS dental service they need. Bupa, [...]