Details of the new flat-rate state pension will be unveiled next week by the Government. In last month’s Budget, it was announced that the new pensions system should make pension planning easier to understand – stripping out the current complex means-tested payments system and will move towards a flat-rate payment for men and women. The [...]
In today’s Budget, Chancellor George Osborne confirmed that the new flat-rate state pension will be brought in but will take many years to come into force. According to the Government, the new pensions system should make pension planning easier to understand – stripping out the current complex means-tested payments system and will move towards a [...]
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has today revealed a slight rise in the number of homes sold in February in the UK. According to HMRC, 57,000 homes worth at least £40,000 or more were sold in the month – 4,000 more than January‘s levels. The figures come as the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) revealed a [...]
The Markit Household Finance Index has revealed that households are at their most pessimistic about their finances since March 2009 - when the country was in the midst of recession. The gloomy report comes ahead of Wednesday’s Budget - when Chancellor George Osborne will unveil the Government’s 2011/12 tax and spending plans. Meanwhile, Markit’s household [...]
There is speculation that the Government may delay the 1p rise in fuel duty - planned for next month. The move is believed to be announced in this week’s Budget and comes as the price of petrol has surged to more than £1.30 a litre, due to concerns about the ongoing civil unrest in Libya [...]
The latest survey from the Nationwide Building Society has revealed a severe decline in UK consumer confidence for the month of February. The building society’s consumer confidence index plunged to 38 in February - a fall of 10 points and the lowest level since records began in May 2004. The latest fall means confidence is [...]
Figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed a rise in UK car production for the month of February. UK car production rose 15.1% versus the same month a year ago, the SMMT said, with the total number of cars produced at 111,983. For the year-to-date, car production is 12% [...]
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is urging Chancellor George Osborne to provide a “relentless focus” on economic growth and job creation when he presents his annual budget later this month. In a letter to the Chancellor, the business lobby group said action must be taken in order to boost the economic recovery. Over recent [...]
The Greek parliament has today approved its 2011 austerity budget, which includes further spending cuts and tax hikes. The budget, which is part of the condition of its bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is an attempt to trim the country’s deficit to 7.4% of GDP next year, down from [...]
As part of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, it is understood that the social housing budget will be slashed by more than 50%. The Spending Review, which will be unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne tomorrow, will provide details of how the Government intends to slash spending by £83 billion by 2014 as it endeavours to [...]
Despite the government’s rhetoric on big society, it has announced £11 million of spending cuts to the department responsible for social enterprise. The Office for Civil Society has had its 2010/11 budget cut to £136.9 million, down from £147.9 million. Nick Hurd, minister for civil society, said: “Every area of government is looking at reducing [...]
The Children’s Mutual has suspended all new business to its most basic Child Trust Fund (CTF) accounts following the government’s decision to scrap the CTF scheme. CTFs were one of the first things to face the coalition’s axe as they seek to make massive cutbacks to tackle Britain’s national debt. David White, chief executive of [...]
Proposed cuts to public spending could see Graduate unemployment surge to record levels, according to the Higher Education Careers Service (HECSU). The HECSU said Graduates will be badly affected by the cuts since so many of them are recruited in the public sector. The body said if a fifth of the 39,000 graduates joining the [...]
Last week’s tough budget is expected to result in the loss of more than one million jobs by 2015, according to a leaked Treasury document. The Guardian has reported that while there will be an estimated 2.5 million jobs created in the next five years, 1.2 million will be lost in the same period. Last [...]
UK house prices managed a 0.1% rise in June, compared with a month earlier, taking the average value of a home to £170,111, according to Nationwide. A flurry of new instructions following the abolition of Home Information Packs may have slowed the rate of gain, which fell back from 0.5% in May. The smoother three-month-on-three-month [...]
In a bid to boost circulation of the £5 note, ATMs which only dispense fivers have been installed across Britain, following a two-year trial in London. Almost two dozen machines, run by the ATM operator Bank Machine, have been installed in various locations, including Manchester, Stroud, Oxford, Cardiff and Portsmouth. The 21 new £5-only machines [...]
Respected think tank, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), has commented on this week’s budget and said low-income families will be hard hit due to changes to child benefit and tax credits. Robert Chote, IFS director, comments: “Osborne and Clegg have been keen to describe the measures as progressive in the sense that the rich [...]
A Saving Gateway scheme, aimed at encouraging low-paid workers to save, has been axed by the coalition Government. The scheme, proposed by Gordon Brown to help lower-income families, was due to be launched next month via the Post Office and would have contributed 50p for every £1 saved. It was designed to help up to [...]
Today’s budget, currently being delivered by Chancellor George Osborne, has bought with it many painful cuts. Firstly, VAT will be increased from 17.5% to 20% from 4 January, 2011 - this is expected to raise £13 billion a year, according to Osborne. However, “essentials” such as food, newspapers and children’s clothing will remain exempt from [...]
Today’s budget, which represents the tightest in 3 decades, is likely to bring painful tax hikes and harsh spending cuts. The tough measures are designed to deal with Britain’s record deficit of £155 billion and will be delivered today by Chancellor George Osborne at 1230 BST (1130 GMT). According to Mr Osborne, the massive spending [...]
European equities markets were higher Tuesday as banks came back from big declines on Monday, helped by a statement from Societe Generale’s (Euronext: GLE) CEO that his bank is healthy. The FTSE 100 was up 0.87 percent to 5,174.25 in London, while the FTSE 250 added 0.27 percent to 10,011, with banks the best performers [...]
Rics: Housing market remains in the doldrums
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has today reported that the UK housing market remained weak in August with house prices falling further. According to the Institution, homeowners remain reluctant to put their properties up for sale, while buyers continue to struggle to secure a mortgage and remain uncertain about the economic climate. The [...]
CML: Mortgage lending edges higher in July
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported the number of loans for house purchase rose in July. According to the Council, there were 48,400 loans advanced for house purchase in the month – up by 1,000 from June’s figure but almost 7,000 lower when compared with July 2010. Commenting on today’s figures, Paul Smee, [...]
UK inflation edges higher in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to annual rate of 4.5% last month from July’s rate of 4.4%. However, the figure was in line with analysts’ expectations. Higher inflation continues to be led by rising food costs but the main reason behind last month’s rise was a 5.1% [...]
Fresnillo down on silver prices
European equities markets were lower Monday on the possibility that Greece could default soon and on speculation that Moody’s Investors Service could cut its rating on several big banks with holdings tied to Greece. The FTSE 100 was down 1.63 percent to 5,129.62 in London, while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.65 percent to 9,983.75 as [...]
IFS warns of tough times for UK households
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that households will be squeezed for the next decade as they suffer from the harsh spending cuts introduced by the Government. It said households are suffering one of the worst attacks on their finances since the Second World War and that the impact of [...]
ICB final report recommends ring-fencing
The Independent Commission on Banking’s (ICB) final report has been published today and is recommending that UK banks should ring-fence their retail banking operations. According to the report, ring-fencing would protect banks from riskier investment banking divisions and would “make it easier and less costly to resolve banks that get into trouble”. The ICB, which [...]
Tullow Oil leads 100 in London
European equities markets were significantly lower Friday on an increased possibility that Greece could default on its debt as soon as this weekend, raising the concern level over the European region’s debt problems and ratcheting up worries that the economic recovery is faltering. Additionally, markets reacted to the resignation of European Central Bank board member [...]
SMMT: UK car sales rise in August
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed UK car sales saw their first rise in 14 months in August. According to the trade body, car sales rose by 7.3% in August compared with the same month in 2010, with sales of smaller cars rising by more than 30%. The Ford Fiesta remained [...]
Factory gate inflation higher than expected in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK producer output prices held steady in August – remaining at the highest annual rate since October 2008. According to the ONS, output prices (factory gate) annual inflation for all manufactured products held steady at July’s upwardly revised reading of 6.1% in August. The figures were [...]
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