Third of UK audits fail accounting watchdog’s quality tests July 14, 2020 Britain’s accounting watchdog today said that a third of audits by the UK’s seven main accounting firms failed quality tests this year, amping up pressure for widescale reform in the sector. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said 29 of 88 audits carried out by Deloitte, PWC, EY, KPMG, BDO, Grant Thornton and Mazars this year [...]
More than 1,000 Deloitte consultants working on Test and Trace programme October 8, 2020 More than a thousand Deloitte consultants are reportedly working on the NHS Test and Trace programme, further highlighting the government’s reliance on the private sector through the pandemic. Department of Health documents released under a Freedom of Information request by Sky News reveal there are currently 1,114 consultants working on the scheme, equivalent to the [...]
Intu falls into administration after lender talks fall through June 26, 2020 Retail landlord Intu has fallen into administration after lenders failed to agree to last-minute relief on the company’s debt obligations today. Intu’s failure to raise new capital means KPMG will now step in to handle its administration. Adminstrators James Tucker, Michael Pink and David PIke will lead the process. Intu’s shares have now been suspended [...]
Dyson to cut 900 jobs globally due to virus impact July 23, 2020 Vacuum cleaner firm Dyson said it will cut 900 jobs from its global workforce, as the coronavirus pandemic impacts consumer demand for its products. Approximately 4,000 of Dyson’s 14,000 staff are based in the UK. “These proposals would regrettably result in around 600 redundancies in the UK and 300 in the rest of the world,” [...]
Eddie Stobart drives logistics group GWSA back to profitability October 12, 2020 The holding group behind logistics firm Eddie Stobart today said it had swung back to profitability in the first half of the year as it cashed in on higher demand for transport services during the Covid-19 crisis. Green White Start Acquisitions (GWSA), which also controls iForce, The Pallet Network and The Logistics People, reported revenue [...]
City Moves for 31 March – Who’s switching jobs at Quantuma, Medica and FRP? March 31, 2020 Today’s City Moves includes Quantuma, Medica and FRP Quantuma Business advisory firm Quantuma has announced the appointment of Philippa Robinson as a director in its corporate finance team. Philippa joins Quantuma after qualifying with KPMG to become a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. In her role at KPMG, she [...]
UK businesses plan to cut jobs and investment, survey shows October 8, 2020 UK businesses expect to cut staff levels and investment over the next year, according to a new survey, with the outlook “stuck in the doldrums”. The Institute of Directors’ (IoD) survey showed that bosses’ optimism about the economy plateaued in September, having risen since the coronavirus-induced lockdowns of the spring. The UK economy shrunk by [...]
Ban EY from public contract bids following professional misconduct, urges charity November 17, 2020 The government should consider banning big four auditor EY from bidding on public contracts for three years following a number of recent scandals, charity Spotlight on Corruption has said. The charity has written a 17-page letter to government that accuses EY of “grave professional misconduct” that “renders its integrity questionable”, and suggests there should be [...]
UK factories grow at fastest pace in six years but continue to slash jobs September 1, 2020 The UK manufacturing sector’s output grew at the fastest pace in more than six years in August as factories continued to recover from the coronavirus lockdown, a survey has shown. However, the sector was far from its pre-coronavirus size and firms laid off workers at a rapid rate as they adapted to the new economic [...]
BP to sell London headquarters as work patterns shift August 30, 2020 BP is reportedly planning to sell its headquarters in central London, becoming the latest employer to signal a permanent shift in its working patterns. The oil giant employs 6,500 staff across its offices in the capital and in Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey. It plans to rent back the building from the new owner for up to [...]