UK property prices: Have renters given up on owning their own home? Just 40 per cent of renters are saving for a house April 7, 2015 The UK's renters have given up on graduating to property ownership, it seems – after new research suggested just 43 per cent of renters aged between 20 and 45 are saving to buy a home. The figure has fallen by six percentage points since last year, Halifax's Generation Rent report showed. More than half [...]
UK House prices: Generation rent downbeat on buying outlook April 6, 2015 A generation of Britons still fear that they will never be able to buy a home despite the number of first-time buyers reaching a seven-year high in 2014, a survey reveals today. Some 79 per cent of 20- to 45-year-olds believe banks do not want to lend to first-time buyers, while 21 per cent think [...]
Aim sees listing drought as oil rout continues April 6, 2015 GENERAL Election jitters and crumbling commodity prices led to a slump in new listings on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) during the first quarter, according to UHY Hacker Young. In a study released today, the accountancy firm said the Aim had seen just 10 initial public offerings (IPO) in the three months to the end [...]
With pensions freedoms now in effect, will Britain see a revolution in savings? April 6, 2015 Carlton Hood, customer director at Old Mutual Wealth, says Yes. The pension freedoms have done two things; they have put pensions in the public consciousness like never before, and given people the opportunity to take complete responsibility for how they use their own wealth. Eighty-one per cent of consumers have told us they are aware [...]
General Election 2015: Osborne promises to get 2.4m first-time buyers onto housing ladder with property “revolution” April 5, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne has pledged to bring about a “property revolution” in the UK, helping 2.4m more first-time buyers to get on the property ladder. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, he said he intended to double the number of first time buyers to 500,000 a year over the next five years, should the [...]
Pillow Fight Day 2015: Hundreds of people gather in a feather-filled Trafalgar Square April 4, 2015 There really is a day to celebrate everything. Hundreds of Londoners have gathered in the center of the capital to celebrate national Pillow Fight Day – and it ended up rather feathery. Scenes at Trafalgar Square saw young and old bracing themselves for a feather-filled fisticuffs along with hundreds of other cities around the world [...]
David Cameron courts first-time buyers as 50,000 sign on to home discount scheme April 3, 2015 Over 50,000 people have signed up to the government's programme to give first-time buyers a 20 per cent discount on their new home. An extension of the controversial Help to Buy initiative, the programme means new properties up to £250,000 and £450,000 in London will be subject to deep discounts. However, only those under the [...]
Which party is the most expensive to campaign for? (Spoiler: If you’re a Ukip candidate, you’re going to be out of pocket) April 2, 2015 Ever thought about going on the campaign trail for the general election? Campaigning costs money, and parties are seeking cash from their grassroots supporters. We looked into how much it costs to buy a couple of pieces of party-themed merchandise – a rosette, a t-shirt and a mug. The Labour party is the cheapest party [...]
Liquid Spaces: A new book explores the way our perception of space can be altered April 2, 2015 Korean artist Jee Young Lee’s installation pieces transform 3x6m boxes into fantastical, surreal dreamscapes. In some, scores of painted fans form psychedelic clouds, or a swirling ocean sucking the artist into its centre. Others, inspired by childhood memories, feature the artist in nostalgic or frightening environments, filled with giant insects, sinister tentacles, or startled crows [...]
Review: Fast & Furious 7 is still one hell of a ride April 1, 2015 Cert 12a | ★★★★☆ Fast & Furious 7 – or as the Japanese call it, Wild Speed: Sky Mission – is quite possibly the dumbest movie of the year so far. But it’s also an absolute blast. All the expected elements are here in furious abundance: cars, family, bromance, explosions, criminality, loyalty and [...]