DEBATE: Is the proposed ban on plastic drinking straws a good idea? April 20, 2018 Is the proposed ban on plastic drinking straws a good idea? Helen McGeough, senior consultant at PCI Wood Mackenzie, says YES. Michael Gove has called plastic waste a global emergency – Brits alone throw away 8.5bn plastic straws a year. There is a need to illustrate symbolism among single-use plastics, where functionality may be regarded [...]
Nationwide blames low interest rates as profits drop – but building society’s results were still ahead of expectations February 10, 2017 Nationwide profits dropped during the nine months to 31 December, with the building society blaming continued low interest rates. The figures Underlying profit before tax dropped by 23 per cent to £866m from £1.13bn in the same period of last year. Statutory profit before tax was down 16 per cent to £946m from £1.12bn – [...]
Halfway through Sadiq Khan’s mayoral marathon, the capital is in desperate need of a leader May 21, 2018 Ifo you listen carefully in the direction of City Hall, you can hear Sadiq Khan gasping for breath as he reaches the halfway point of his mayoralty marathon. It’s been a struggle for the past two years since his election, during which living in London has become increasingly difficult. The cost of living is going [...]
The Hundred: Why sponsors will like English cricket’s controversial competition proposal June 10, 2018 “Embarrassing and shambolic – a total mess.” No, not the England team’s performance against Pakistan in the First Test at Lord’s last month, but former skipper Michael Vaughan’s verdict on the England and Wales Cricket Board’s proposal for a new eight-team city-based tournament, dubbed “The Hundred”. It is fair to say that the announcement of [...]
Sex work bans are an affront to both safety and freedom July 6, 2018 You might have missed it this week, in the midst of open warfare in the cabinet over EU customs arrangements and a nationwide celebration of the adored NHS, but MPs on Wednesday had a new target: sex workers. Following a parliamentary report on prostitution, a cross-party group of MPs called for a ban on adult [...]
Wanted: Tory candidate who gets London June 19, 2018 Nominations for the Tories’ London mayoral candidate open this month, reminding us that London elections have been unkind to the Conservatives lately. The 2016 mayoral election, when Labour’s Sadiq Khan defeated Tory Zac Goldsmith 44 to 35 per cent on first preference votes – 57 to 43 with second preferences for other candidates counted – [...]
Positive thinking on negative equity: What to do if your home is worth less than your mortgage July 4, 2018 Less than a year ago, it was all talk of bubbles in the UK housing market. But we all know that what goes up must come down, and the first signs that the market was losing steam came at the start of this year. The market continues to look skittish, with the most recent figures [...]
London house prices set to fall again this year as buyers struggle to save for a deposit February 8, 2018 London house prices look set to fall again this year as would-be homeowners struggle to save for a deposit. Chartered surveys expect house prices to fall in London over the next 12 months, according to a survey released this morning by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). Last year, Nationwide recorded a 0.5 per [...]
These are the top development hotspots in London for 2018 February 19, 2018 House prices may have fallen in London last year, but there are still parts of the capital which have potential for developers. Knight Frank has analysed the parts of London which are likely to outperform the market in terms of price between 2018 and 2021, and have room for development. Read more: The risers and [...]
Winter chill on house prices after second consecutive fall says Halifax February 7, 2018 House prices in the UK fell for the second successive month at the start of the year, pulling annual growth to its lowest level since June last year. The 0.6 per cent fall in house prices reported by Halifax came as a surprise to analysts, who had expected the index to edge up in January. [...]