KPMG gave ‘untruthful defence’ in tribunal over £13m Silentnight fine October 13, 2021 The UK accounting watchdog has today denounced KPMG for knowingly giving an “untruthful” defence over its conflict of interest in the 2011 sale of Silentnight, for which it was fined £13m. The verdict of the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) disciplinary tribunal marks the first time ever that the body has found an accountancy to have [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile today? October 13, 2021 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Riverstone Property developer Rivertsone has hired a new Chief Experience Officer who will help ensure a smooth experience for its over 65s residents in Kensington and Fulham. Greg Mace joins as the firm readies itself for new developments, [...]
Audit reform: FRC asks for power to cap Big Four’s audit clients October 12, 2021 The chief executive of the UK’s accounting watchdog has asked ministers for the authority to enforce a cap on the number of large companies that any one accountancy firm can audit, in an attempt to break up the dominance of the Big Four firms. Sir Jon Thompson went on to question the likelihood of the [...]
Wednesday’s GDP figures will remind Brits of sunnier economic times October 12, 2021 The economic mood at the moment is not upbeat. Households are facing an acute cost of living crisis, businesses are warning of shortages at Christmas, inflation is likely to run hotter and for longer than the Bank of England initially expected. Doom and gloom. However, on Wednesday, positivity will be partly revived as the Office [...]
Unemployment drops by 0.4 per cent to 4.5 per cent October 12, 2021 The number of UK workers on payrolls rose by 207,000 between August and September to a record 29.2m, returning to levels seen before the pandemic struck, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The unemployment rate in the UK shrank 0.4 per cent to 4.5 per cent. Though unemployment fell, the number of job vacancies [...]
Customers hesitant to buy bulky furniture amid fuel worries October 12, 2021 Brits were hesitant to purchase larger goods like furniture last month amid damp weather and fuel shortage concerns. September marked the slowest retail sales growth since January, when the UK was subject to lockdown measures. UK retail sales decreased 0.6 per cent on a like-for-like basis from September 2020, when they had increased 6.1 per [...]
Starting salaries see biggest jump on record amid staff shortages October 8, 2021 UK employers are being hit hard by labour shortages giving new starters the upper hand when it comes to negotiating pay. A September survey by the Recruitment and Employment Commission (REC) found that nine in ten employers, some 88 per cent, said their biggest concern for the rest of the year was labour shortages. Amid [...]
Worker shortages threaten to derail London recovery October 8, 2021 LONDON is among the worst areas in the country being plagued by worker shortages. The volume of part-time workers available for work across the capital plunged at its quickest pace since records began, according to research by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG. A paucity of overseas talent and workers who were previously in [...]
CA Summit 2021: Speakers announced October 4, 2021 Join free · Online · 5 – 7 October If you’re working in or around the field of finance or accountancy, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Split into three chapters – Learn, Grow and Inspire – with a day devoted to each, the CA Summit 2021 is packed with talks, presentations and interviews. [...]
Shortages are a devilish dance with Covid and Brexit September 28, 2021 There’s an old cartoon that has Satan outside a church, crying. A passer-by asks him what’s wrong and he responds “They blame me for everything in there!”. For the past 18 months, Covid has been the folk devil of almost every business issue. Look at what’s happening now, with fears of a further “winter of [...]