Interview: Ovo Energy’s boss bets on green future to cement Big Six status April 20, 2023 Ovo Energy’s CEO Raman Bhatia talks about the sector’s latest challenges, from driving renewable energy to rethinking forced prepayment meters.
Stop pitting home ownership against the rental market, we need both for Londoners April 20, 2023 Slashing private landlord investment in the London rental market was a bad idea, and now we don't have enough properties to rent while people queue for viewings and prices skyrocket, writes Theresa Wallace
Could IFS project help solve the UK’s pensions crisis? April 20, 2023 A two year project which aims to come up with long-term solutions to the UK’s pensions crisis has been launched by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in partnership with abrdn’s Financial Fairness Trust. The Pensions Review will run for two and a half years and “comprehensively assess the consequences of current pension policy, the economic [...]
Credit card market ‘broken’ with as little as three per cent of customers switching, but could open banking provide a solution? April 19, 2023 The UK’s credit card market is “broken” with as few as three per cent of customers changing providers despite the hefty costs that consumers face, a new report shows. According to fintech firm Cardeo, the UK is the European country most reliant on credit card spending with 35 per cent of consumer credit in credit [...]
London rent averages over £900 a month as desperate renters battle over fewer properties April 19, 2023 Private renters in London are faced with the highest costs since 2012 as a sparse and competitive market send the cost of homes in the capital to new highs. Landlords in the capital increased rent by 4.8 per cent in the 12 months to March 2023, up from an increase of 4.6 per cent in [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates to five per cent after inflation tops forecasts to stay in double digits April 19, 2023 UK inflation has smashed expectations to stick in the double digits, in a sign that the cost of living crisis is still gripping families and businesses across the country, prompting markets to bet the Bank of England will hike interest rates to five per cent. The rate of price increases trimmed to 10.1 per cent [...]
Just Eat: Takeaway giant embarks on £132m share buyback scheme after 14 per cent dip in orders April 19, 2023 Just Eat will undergo a €150 million (£132m) share buyback scheme after the takeaway giant posted a 14 per cent loss in orders in the first leg of the year. The Danish company said that it was impacted by a “difficult pandemic comparison” as an end to lockdowns and a tightening on consumer spending pushed [...]
Sadiq Khan slams private landlords profiteering from shoddy London homes April 18, 2023 The Mayor of London has slammed thousands of private landlords who are pocketing the rent and housing benefits from tenants living in housing riddled with mould and damp, branding it “a scandal”. The reaction came in response to New City Hall analysis which shows that across the country, landlords are collecting £9bn a year in [...]
No break for Brits as inflation pushes the cost of kitchen staples by 80 per cent April 18, 2023 Brits are yet to receive a break from soaring food prices as the price of cheddar cheese, sliced white bread and porridge oats are up to 80 per cent more expensive than a year ago. As inflation reached record highs due to the war in Ukraine, consumers were forced to fork out more for kitchen [...]
UK economic outlook: Moving from shaky ground to stability and growth April 18, 2023 Few would argue that UK businesses have had an easy time the last few years. Between the pandemic, cost-of-living crisis, and rising inflation, many had predicted an upcoming recession for the UK economy. Whilst we may have avoided a sharp economic downturn, there is no denying that businesses in the UK are still very much on rocky [...]