Business Secretary Vince Cable is to address delegates at the annual conference of the GMB union today and is expected to warn them that co-ordinated strike action may lead to tighter union laws. The warning comes after union leaders said strike action could take place at the end of this month as 750,000 teachers, civil [...]
A survey conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has revealed half of public sector workers would consider strike action in the event of pay cuts or changes to their pensions. The CIPD said 49% of workers surveyed agreed with the statement “workers have to do what’s necessary to protect their jobs [...]
New government legislation on credit card debt does not go nearly far enough, the director of a financial management charity has claimed. Chris Tapp, director of Credit Action, said new laws that stop credit card providers increasing interest rates and limits on credit cards are merely “a baby step in the right direction”. Prime Minister [...]
Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman, is calling for a major shake-up in the retirement law which will see workers no longer forced to retire at 65. Miss Harman believes a radical change in the law is needed in order to smash the notion that people are ‘past it’ once they hit 65. The [...]
Courts Minister Bridget Prentice has announced that the Government intends to publish a consultation by the end of the year on tightening up the law so that no lender can sell the home a borrower lives in against their wishes, without first going through the court process. The consultation follows a particular case in 2008, [...]
Despite the Government’s declared intention to simplify planning regulations for home extensions and the like, parents erecting tree houses for their children’s play may now need to apply to their local authority for permission. According to a report in The Telegraph, changes in planning law from last October have jeopardised the position of the tree [...]
New government legislation on Home Information Packs (HIPs) will cause home sellers ‘significant delays’ in getting their property to market, The Nottingham warned this week. The East Midlands-based building society warned that the new legal status of HIPs will make home-selling a ‘major logistical exercise’. From 6 April, all home sellers will be required to [...]
Lloyds Banking Group launched a new campaign this week to reunite customers with £100 million held in dormant bank accounts. The banking group – created this month by a merger between Lloyds TSB and Halifax Bank of Scotland – said it is paying for a national advertising drive that will encourage customers to check if [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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