Tit for tat trade response risks 1930s mistake July 4, 2018 “Trade wars are good and easy to win”, so says US President Trump who last weekend railed against the EU for being as “bad as China” when it comes to trade practices that he perceives as being disadvantageous to US jobs and business. Over the past few weeks the rhetoric over global trade has been [...]
Mixed record for Balfour as profits soar but project takes hit from Carillion collapse August 10, 2018 Balfour Beatty’s profits soared 69 per cent in the first half of 2018 in the wake of its long turnaround plan, despite additional £23m losses stemming from a project taken over after the collapse of Carillion earlier this year. Underlying profit from operations increased to £66m for the six months to the end of June [...]
Silverstone chiefs admit next year’s British Grand Prix could be the last for the foreseeable future October 4, 2018 The owners of Silverstone have revealed that next year’s British Grand Prix is on track to be the last as they have still not signed a new deal after more than a year of negotiating. The admission is made in a letter sent last month by John Grant, chairman of Silverstone’s owner, the British Racing [...]
Crossrail latest: Tottenham Court Road’s new Elizabeth Line station nears completion as December launch date draws closer July 10, 2018 We've crossed the halfway mark for the year's countdown to the Elizabeth Line launch and new images have been released to show the progress made at the new Tottenham Court Road station. The station will be at the centre of the capital's new railway, which will run from Berkshire and Heathrow in the west to [...]
Housebuilder Berkeley warns UK housing market ‘lacks urgency’ September 5, 2018 Housebuilder Berkeley Group has warned of Brexit “headwinds” harming the UK housing market’s prospects for growth, with London and the south east particularly affected. However, it expects to post strong financial performance for the four months to the end of August, the construction firm said in a trading update it will share at its annual [...]
Reimagining the way we use space could reawaken our deserted high streets October 26, 2018 A group of some of the biggest restaurants in the UK have called on the government to tax web giants in order to save the high street. Since 2008, 11,000 major high street outlets have gone bust, while 1,500 restaurant insolvencies were reported in the UK in 2017, and 15,000 more are under threat. The [...]
Gourmet Burger Kitchen earmarks 17 restaurants for closure as it enters company voluntary agreement October 24, 2018 Famous Brands, the South Africa-based owner of Gourmet Burger Kitchen, has announced the restaurant chain will initiate a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) amid financial woes. The company said it has 17 restaurants earmarked for potential closure, affecting 250 jobs. The company would not comment on which locations may be closed. It will hold a meeting with creditors [...]
Is there any justification for keeping Help to Buy? September 7, 2018 Is there any justification for keeping Help to Buy? David Campbell, group sales and marketing director at Telford Homes, says YES. Help to Buy is a wonderful policy that has enabled around 246,000 people to get onto the property ladder – 81 per cent of whom were first-time buyers. Many of these buyers would not have [...]
Accounting anomaly buries HS2 contract labour costs in government transparency data May 17, 2018 The actual monthly costs for the controversial High Speed 2 (HS2) project have been buried in the government’s transparency data due to an accounting anomaly that one pressure group has called “nonsensical”. The Department for Transport (DfT) uploaded its payroll and headcount data publicly in April, giving a breakdown for costs for staff and non-payroll [...]
Crossrail 2 delays could cost £18bn if Crossrail mistakes are repeated, warns London First boss September 14, 2017 London business leaders will warn today about the risk of losing a “decade to indecision and delay” that could cost up to £18bn if a firm commitment is not made to Crossrail 2. Jasmine Whitbread, the chief executive of London First, will say at the London Infrastructure Summit that without a firm commitment to keep [...]