Tired of London: Why is the capital losing hope? February 12, 2025 City dwellers tend to be more optimistic about their neighbourhood than those who live in town but, worryingly, London is bucking the trend. We all have a stake in our capital’s success. So what’s going wrong? Asks Simon Clarke “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”. Samuel Johnson’s famous aphorism [...]
If we want growth, we should listen to the small businesses that create it February 12, 2025 Small business owners are creative and impactful entrepreneurs, adept problem-solvers with a natural optimism. If we want answers on driving growth, it’s worth asking: what would they do? Says Charlotte Keenan It’s no secret what this government is focused on: achieving growth. It’s a mission that is essential but challenging to put into practice, and [...]
Apprenticeships: Relaxing maths and English rules welcomed by firms February 11, 2025 Firms have welcomed the government’s plans to relax rules around maths and English requirements for apprentices as improving “flexibility and inclusivity”. Apprentices aged 19 and above will no longer be forced to complete English and maths functional skills qualifications in order to qualify, which the Department for Education (DfE) said would allow some 10,000 more [...]
Growing with the Vision February 11, 2025 Tasnee is one of Saudi Arabia’s industrial giants. Its chief executive officer Fawaz Al Fawaz tells how the Saudi Vision 2030 is propelling Tasnee’s growth. Fawaz Al Fawaz is the Chief Executive Officer of Tasnee (National Industrialisation Company), the first fully owned joint stock industrial company in the Saudi private sector. It is now one [...]
Sadiq Khan: Home-working risks London ‘hollowing out’ February 11, 2025 Sir Sadiq Khan has raised the alarm on working from home, saying London “cannot afford” to be a city where “the centre has been hollowed out”. The London Mayor urged employers to consider the post-lockdown effect on commuters across the capital, as first reported by the BBC. Khan added unease regarding the amount of young [...]
Dear Gen Z, put down the mini golf clubs and get to the pub February 11, 2025 Gen Z, our pubs are depending on you - so stop playing mini golf and get to your local, writes Katie Perrior in today's Notebook.
AIM-listed companies stall on gender diversity February 11, 2025 AIM-listed companies have been accused of having their “head in the sand” when it comes to ensuring gender diversity on company boards after new research revealed representation to have stalled. The number of women holding directorships in AIM companies remained at one in six over the last year, according to an annual gender diversity report [...]
The end of stamp duty relief isn’t the only cost going up for first-time buyers February 11, 2025 First-time buyers (FTBs) are facing higher costs across the board as they grapple with not only high stamp duty fees, but a low stock of affordable houses, more stringent lending requirements and higher upfront costs. First and foremost, stamp duty relief is set to end on March 31, which has driven a significant boost in [...]
Surrey to keep majority as Mumbai Indians owners confirm Oval Invincibles stake February 10, 2025 Surrey have confirmed that they will remain majority owners of the Hundred franchise Oval Invincibles after taking investment from super-rich Indian family the Ambanis. The family, through Reliance Industries Limited, have agreed to purchase a 49 per cent share in the south London side in a deal that values them at around £125m. It was [...]
Lloyds partners with ‘Duolingo of money’ to target Gen Z February 10, 2025 Lloyds Bank has partnered with fintech platform Doshi to improve young people’s financial literacy through “gamified learning”. The Big Four bank is launching a six month pilot, targeting 18 to 24 year-olds to make financial education “fun and accessible”. Doshi’s founder Daniel Rose told City AM high street banks do not have “much time left” [...]