Rishi Sunak bans new smart motorways amid safety concerns April 16, 2023 The building of new smart motorways is being cancelled as prime minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged concerns about safety and cost. Fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 that are already paused and three earmarked for construction – will be removed from government road building plans, given financial pressures and in recognition of the lack of [...]
UK economy stalls in February but is just about on track to dodge recession in early 2023 April 13, 2023 Britain is just about on track to dodge a recession in the first half of this year, defying gloomy predictions from experts heading into 2023 that the economy would suffer the largest slump in recent memory, figures out today show. Gross domestic product (GDP) – which measures the value of all goods and services produced [...]
Beleaguered Edinburgh Fringe responds to financial struggles of key London festival April 12, 2023 The future of the Edinburgh Fringe festival is hanging in the balance due to rising costs, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s chief executive Shona McCarthy has said. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that this festival is under existential threat,” said McCarthy, speaking on Barry Fearn’s Leading Conversations podcast. “We’ve come into 2023 with a [...]
Retail sector pins hopes on King’s coronation to lift sales April 12, 2023 Shoppers put cost of living fears behind them as they splashed out on Mother Day gifts in March, helping to slightly boost retail sales, but damp weather and soaring inflation has left the sector holding out for the King’s coronation in May to see a “larger uptick” in sales. According to data by the British [...]
IMF: UK economy to toy with recession this year – and fall to the bottom of global growth leaderboard April 11, 2023 Britain is steering toward the bottom of the G7 economic growth table this year and will toy with a recession for most of 2023, the world’s economic watchdog warned today. UK gross domestic product is tipped to shrink 0.3 per cent per cent in 2023, the weakest performance of any economy in the group of [...]
Edinburgh Fringe could be forced to close due to rising costs, warns chief executive April 11, 2023 The head of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has warned the annual Edinburgh Fringe event is under “existential threat” due to rising costs faced by companies and venues. Speaking on Barry Fearn’s Leading Conversations podcast, Society chief executive Shona McCarthy said the lack of support had left the Fringe “cracking at the seams” before the [...]
Gender pension gap: Women trail men by thousands – and the gap could widen April 11, 2023 Women’s pensions are on average £17,014 smaller than their male counterparts, per a new study by pensions consultants TPT. The research found that among those who knew how much they had put aside, the average man in his 50s would retire with far more money than a female counterpart. Women workers, by contrast, fear that [...]
Cost of living fears outweigh mental health and climate change as biggest concern for parents – poll April 7, 2023 Fears about the cost of living outweigh those of mental health, climate change, social media and bullying for a third of UK parents, a survey suggests. Almost a quarter of parents (24 per cent ) said finances and savings were a key concern for their children’s futures but just 9 per cent said they were [...]
Gas prices: How long before they return to pre-energy crisis levels? April 5, 2023 Gas prices will not return to pre-crisis levels for another three years despite the recent drop-off, warns investment group Stifel.
Homebuyers in London forced to wait it out as UK housing market slows down April 5, 2023 The average time to sell a home jumped by 15 days year-on-year in March as the UK’s housing market was impacted by increased living costs and soaring inflation. Estate agent Zoopla said homes in London took the longest time to sell with property taking an average of 44 days, likely fuelled by the soaring prices [...]