Cheaper rent draws tenants to central London locations February 8, 2021 Lower rents in prime central London locations are grabbing the interest of prospective tenants, suggesting urban living still has strong strength of demand despite the pandemic. The number of new prospective tenants registering in prime central London (PCL) who came from outside the area was 35 per cent between June and December 2020, according [...]
Global investors set to pump £46bn into ‘resilient’ London office market this year February 4, 2021 International investors are gearing up to pump £46bn of capital into London’s office market this year in a vote of confidence in the long-term resilience of the sector, according to the latest research. London’s reputation as a safe haven and leading global city remains attractive to global investors, with the removal of the risk of [...]
Captain Sir Tom Moore dies from coronavirus aged 100 February 2, 2021 Captain Sir Tom Moore has died after contracting coronavirus in hospital, his family has confirmed. The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, passed away with his family at his side at Bedford Hospital this afternoon. In a statement, his daughters Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said: “It is with great sadness that we [...]
Challenger audit firms prep for forced audit separation January 29, 2021 Challenger audit firms are readying themselves for audit separation, a requirement not yet expected of them, but one they see as inevitable in the future. Last summer audit regulator the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) ordered the Big Four firms – Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and EY – to separate their audit units from the rest of their [...]
BEIS audit reform proposals coming ‘in next couple of weeks’ January 28, 2021 The BEIS consultation on reforms to the audit sector is understood to be coming out “in the next couple of weeks”, and is expected to be extensive. The consultation will contain detail on the minimum standards for audit committees, among other things that “UK PLC will gasp at”, Scott Knight, head of audit and assurance [...]
BBC equal pay cases cost taxpayer £1m in legal fees January 22, 2021 MPs have hit out at the BBC over revelations the broadcaster spent more than £1m of taxpayer money on legal fees fighting equal pay and race discrimination cases against its own staff. In a letter to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, published today, the BBC said it had forked out £1.1m between July [...]
Did fewer Christmas parties drive an end of year boom at Keystone Law? January 21, 2021 Keystone Law was surprised by a better than expected Christmas period this year, and is now expecting to report profit before tax of above market expectations. Full year revenues to 30 Jan 2020 were £49.6m, and analysts at Panmure Gordon are now anticipating FY21 revenues of £55m for the law firm, which will issue its [...]
Glastonbury Festival cancelled for second year running due to coronavirus January 21, 2021 Glastonbury has been cancelled for the second year running due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers confirmed today. The iconic music festival was scrapped last year due to the outbreak of Covid-19, with tickets automatically rolled over to 2021. But this year’s event will also not go ahead due to continued restrictions in place to halt [...]
‘We want to be the regional magic circle firm,’ says Knights CEO January 19, 2021 Regional law firm Knights saw revenues jumped by some £14m in the second half of 2020, up to £46.2m from £31.9m in H1, and the positive year has only fuelled the firm’s ambitions. The promising results were in part delivered in part by the successful remote acquisitions of Shulmans, ASB and Fraser Brown, and the [...]
UK house prices: What will happen to property values in 2021? January 16, 2021 The UK residential property market boomed in 2020, with house prices ending the year at a record high, despite the shutdown of the sector during the first coronavirus lockdown. Government measures such as the stamp duty holiday helped revitalise the market, while the lifting of lockdown restrictions prompted a surge in demand. Lockdown also inspired [...]