Bank of England group of grandees to seek new face for £20 note January 29, 2015 Who knew it would be so difficult to choose the next face to adorne the £20 note? From hereon, Bank of England deputy governor Ben Broadbent will head a group of grandees, with outgoing National Portrait Gallery boss Sandy Nairne and author Baroness Lola Young. They will pick a topic to focus on and choose [...]
Fed up with London’s insane property market? A houseboat could be the answer to your prayers January 29, 2015 Young couples faced with the daunting task of establishing a foothold on the property ladder can be forgiven for wanting to jump on a boat and sail as far as they can from the glittering circus of estate agents, sky-rocketing prices and penury caused by endless saving. Anyone who follows through with this escapist urge [...]
Focus on Beckenham: Rising London house prices make this a south east hotspot January 29, 2015 Moving out to the sticks to start a family is hardly a new phenomenon, but the rapid rise of inner city house prices means more people are re-evaluating where the sticks start and the rat race begins. As a result, areas like Beckenham, once the preserve of the affluent suburban family, are starting to appeal [...]
High hopes for 250 City Road as Berkeley unveils new tower at Tech City hub January 29, 2015 Anyone following the current spread of new developments cropping up around London could be forgiven for thinking the market on City Road is over-saturated. This long stretch off of Old Street roundabout has attracted a seriously impressive number of developers, which is partly a success story for Tech City (the government-backed initiative to create a [...]
Living the high life in Montmartre January 29, 2015 Green space is pretty scarce in Paris, especially when compared to London, so here’s an unusual pocket of privacy in the city of love In our increasingly over-populated cities, there are few things more valuable than green space. It’s seen as a luxury in many of the world’s cities, but nowhere values it more highly [...]
Shared parental leave: How should business prepare for its effects? January 29, 2015 The countdown has begun: employees expecting or adopting a baby/child on or after 5 April will be entitled to the new shared parental leave right, which for the first time gives parents genuine flexibility as to how they divide their caring responsibilities. The government sees the new right as an essential tool in the [...]
Advertising has an image problem: Apprenticeships will help us boost diversity January 29, 2015 With 98 days to go until the general election, David Cameron has pledged to reduce the annual benefits cap to fund 3m new apprenticeships. Is this what business wants? It is clearly a good thing, economically and socially, to spend less on welfare and to encourage more people into work. To date, however, the creative [...]
Greeks eye new deal as markets tumble January 28, 2015 Greece's new political leaders struck a note of defiance yesterday as they began scrapping measures that had been planned as conditions of the struggling country’s bailout packages. Investors in the country panicked as the new Syriza-led government said it would reverse privatisation plans and re-hire some public sector workers. Strong rhetoric from the new [...]
Cyber London: Startup scheme hopes to make UK the centre of cyber security technology January 28, 2015 A new scheme called Cyber London (CyLon) has been set up to help the UK become Europe's centre for cyber security startups. The not-for-profit accelerator programme, which will provide funding to 10 teams this year over a 13 week period, plans to give professional advice and training to young companies. It is hoped that [...]
OnTheMarket will need to win the Google battle before it can really challenge Zoopla and Rightmove January 28, 2015 OnTheMarket.com, the new property website from the Agents’ Mutual group of estate agents, launched with much fanfare this week with an apparent threat to the “duopoly” enjoyed by Rightmove and Zoopla. Zoopla, as the less well-visited of the two property portal giants, seemed in particular danger as one of the requirements of OnTheMarket.com meant [...]