Perfect energy storm: Do the gas price hikes mean your bills will rise? September 20, 2021 Government ministers and energy companies are in crisis talks today, as the price of gas has soared in recent weeks, putting several energy suppliers out of business and forcing some factories to stop production altogether. The price of wholesale gas has surged by 250 per cent since the beginning of the year and added 70 [...]
How worker shortages are cleared will determine UK economy’s trajectory September 4, 2021 You would be forgiven for forgetting we are currently amid one of the best runs of economic growth in living memory with all the negative news about supply chain snarl ups, worker shortages and soaring inflation flying around. A slew of data published this week, alongside a raft of announcements from supermarket, retail and food [...]
E-naira: Digitising Nigeria, improving lives, and advancing national infrastructure August 25, 2021 Nigeria is more amazing than the world realises, and the nation deserves far more attention, says Alex Lightman.
Indy Hothi CA: “You cannot witness the devastation around you and not feel compelled to do something.” August 19, 2021 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. ICAS Deputy President Indy Hothi CA says his work at Khalsa Aid International is just one example of how accountants can use their skills to support their chosen causes. Back in 2014, parts of Bosnia and Serbia suffered their worst floods since records began some 120 years ago. [...]
Net zero must be at the heart of Britain’s taxation system if we want to meet our carbon commitments August 17, 2021 If there was any doubt about the urgency of the climate crisis, this summer of extreme weather events – from “heat domes” in the US, to devastating forest fires across Europe and flash flooding closer to home – has surely put paid to it. The latest stark assessment from the IPCC leaves no room for [...]
Can you really afford a puppy? Britain is facing a petcare crisis after a lockdown boom in demand for dogs July 24, 2021 Even the Chancellor of the Exchequer has succumbed to the lockdown-induced rush for puppies. It’s easy to do when one of those furry little faces is staring up at you, especially after the dreary year we’ve had shut up in our homes. While Rishi Sunak can probably afford to look after his new pup, there [...]
Universal Credit uplift end may hit 660,000 low-paid key workers July 24, 2021 More than 660,000 low-paid key workers, including nurses, supermarket staff and social carers, will be among the millions of people affected when the Universal Credit uplift ends in the autumn, new figures suggest. The Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) said its research shows that London, the South East and the North West [...]
London needs to overhaul its transport system to meet Sadiq Khan’s net zero ambitions July 18, 2021 We have less than a decade to become a zero-carbon city if we’re to meet the Mayor of London’s ambitions. Sadiq Khan has committed to using his second term as Mayor to tackle the climate emergency by setting a target for London to be carbon-neutral by 2030. City Hall is not alone. Twenty-eight of London’s [...]
Britain is running out of new ideas and it’s killing productivity July 16, 2021 It is no secret that Britain is in a productivity slump. The statistics should be familiar. In the decade before the pandemic, productivity grew at just 0.3 per cent per year. Before the financial crisis, it grew at 2 per cent. That might sound like an abstract or wonkish concern, but it is the difference [...]
So we’re going back to the office – now we need to fix childcare July 14, 2021 As July 19th draws nearer, so too does the end of the official guidance to work from home if you can. The predicted move back to offices (for a few days a week at least) is much anticipated by central London’s shops and restaurants, desperate for footfall to increase. But for London’s working parents it [...]