Criminal gangs stole £350m from Covid support schemes November 5, 2021 Fraudsters taking from Covid support schemes have cost the taxpayer almost £5bn, new analysis has revealed. Organised crime gangs took £350m from schemes including the furlough Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and the subsidised meals initiative Eat Out to Help Out. A remaining £4.6bn was taken opportunistic fraudsters, according to figures [...]
How finance can help forge a cleaner future for all November 5, 2021 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Finance can help forge a cleaner future for all, and the contribution of accountants will prove essential, says James Alexander, CEO of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association Earlier this year, the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) celebrated its 30th birthday by publishing its policy [...]
The Analyst: Pearsona non grata after third quarter update October 30, 2021 Ian Whittaker has been a City analyst for more than two decades, and what he doesn’t know about media, advertising and the creative services industry isn’t worth knowing. Here’s the next instalment of his monthly column for City A.M. Pearson’s shares fell nearly 15 per cent after its third quarter trading update. While the headline [...]
How Fiat will get Minimized or Replaced Leading to Evolutionized Forms of Government October 26, 2021 Modern society runs on databases that are run by TTPs (Trusted Third Parties). TTPs decide, in practice, your rights, from trivial to important such as whether your hotel airline reservation is cancelled, if you can only wire a limited amount to your crypto-exchange, that you are not allowed to use AirBNB and if you are [...]
Why sport is playing against the clock when it comes to the climate crisis October 26, 2021 It is becoming increasingly apparent that the climate crisis touches everything and sport – often played outdoors and shaped by the weather – is, not surprisingly, no exception. Winter sports are in serious trouble. Alpine glaciers and skiing seasons are rapidly shrinking. Not a single event on last year’s biathlon circuit could proceed without using [...]
Just Eat Takeaway urged to sell Grubhub by activist investor October 25, 2021 Just Eat Takeaway (JET) has been urged to sell or spin-off its US arm Grubhub by an activist investor by the end of the year. Investor Cat Rock Capital has said the food delivery firm’s management “failed to fix the deep and damaging undervaluation of its equity by taking tangible action to unlock the value [...]
Strong appetite for takeaway and delivery as sales soar past pre-Covid levels October 22, 2021 Restaurant groups- including Pizza Express and Honest Burgers -more than doubled their delivery and takeaway sales from pre-Covid levels last month. Combined sales were 130 per cent higher than in September 2019, the CGA & Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker revealed. Sales are also 35 per cent higher than in September 2020, with signs that [...]
Home away from home offices: Employees ears are not burning, but the 2-ply toilet roll might be October 19, 2021 Boris Johnson’s recent announcement that “you have got to be able to come in [to the office] … and know what everybody is talking about … otherwise you are going to be gossiped about and you are going to lose out”, has caused a mixed outpouring of bemusement, derision and mirth. “How can anyone [...]
As bills go up, we need to brace for a pretty chilly winter in the UK October 15, 2021 As usual, Destiny’s Child was right. Bills, bills, bills, as the iconic girl group put it, put friction into our relationships and left us acting dumb. This winter they’re going up. As inflation starts to bite we’re going to find it tougher to make ends meet. From groceries to energy, the cost of everything is [...]
Just Eat UK surpasses 1bn orders milestone October 13, 2021 Just Eat Takeaway.com’s financials were boosted in the third quarter of 2021 as Brits swapped home-cooked meals for takeout. The takeaway website processed 266m orders in the third quarter of 2021, representing a 25 per cent jump compared with the same period of 2020 which helped the UK branch of the company reach the milestone [...]