Is it cheaper to live in the Home Counties than London? May 25, 2018 Buyers are often surprised when they discover how much more affordable the council taxes in London are in comparison to what they are paying to live within commuting distance of the Capital. Last month saw these costs increase across the country. On top of this, rail fare rises continue to outstrip wage growth, so the [...]
Look to the green belt: Paper calls for radical changes to land near train stations in bid to solve housing crisis September 10, 2018 Freeing up green belt land near train stations could pave the way for the construction of 1.5m new houses, according to a report which seeks to tackle London’s chronic shortage of affordable housing. Radical proposals that call on the government to loosen development restrictions around green belt areas within a half-mile radius of train stations have been [...]
Autumn Budget 2017 at-a-glance guide: All the announcements by chancellor Philip Hammond you need to know November 22, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond has unveiled the Autumn Budget, saying the UK must “seize the opportunities” for Britain and promised to invest “to secure a bright future”. Now we’ve heard plenty about what was expected from today, from a concerted focus on housing, to a regulatory revamp for driverless cars and a slew of tech spending. [...]
Opinion: Should we be pleased that housing has been promoted to cabinet or should we be taking it out of party politics altogether? January 12, 2018 Take housing out of government control says Glynis Frew The government is beginning to view the importance of housing in the context of national prosperity more so than ever before. Encouraging proposals were announced at the Budget and just this week it was confirmed that housing would at long last have meaningful cabinet representation, for [...]
Why are Premier League clubs being paid in Bitcoin for their commercial deals with trading platform eToro? August 23, 2018 If 2018 has been the year of football dipping its toe into the world of cryptocurrency, then this week saw some teams go a little deeper into uncharted waters. On Tuesday, seven Premier League clubs including Tottenham and Crystal Palace announced that they had signed commercial partnerships with investment platform eToro. What made these deals [...]
How Brexit could help mortgage prisoners break free November 22, 2018 In the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, lenders were dishing out large mortgages and asking for tiny deposits in return. Property values were rapidly outpacing wage growth, and buyers were being allowed to borrow eight times their annual salary. For many homeowners, the problems started after the crash when the regulators forced [...]
BHS buyer Dominic Chappell banned from directorships for 10 years November 5, 2019 Dominic Chappell, the businessman who bought BHS from Sir Philip Green for £1 a year before the company collapsed with 11,000 jobs lost, has been barred from serving as a company director for ten years. Sky News first reported today that the Insolvency Service had handed the the three-time bankrupt the decade-long ban. Read more: [...]
Home sales to first-time buyers hit a two-year high in April as landlords fled from stamp duty charges May 27, 2016 Sales of properties to first-time buyers hit a two-year high in April after buy to let stamp duty changes scared off landlords looking to purchase a second home. There were 32,300 first-time buyer home sales in April, up from 28,100 in March – a rise of 14.9 per cent. The increase year-on-year was 37.4 per cent. The [...]
London startups take the lead in Tech Nation’s fourth Upscale accelerator January 25, 2019 City startups have landed more than two thirds of the places available on Tech Nation’s fourth Upscale acceleration programme, beating out over 100 applicants. The digital entrepreneur network, which also runs a fintech accelerator backed by the Treasury, has selected 30 startups as “ones to watch” in 2019. The fast-growing tech firms will enter the programme’s [...]
Vue Entertainment to postpone IPO after major Canadian shareholder considers selling stake June 14, 2018 The UK's largest cinema chain, Vue Entertainment, may postpone its plans for a stock market float after news that one of its biggest shareholders is considering selling its stake in the company. According to Sky News, which first reported the reshuffle, Canadian company Alberta Investment Management Corporation (Aimco) is seeking a buyer for its ts [...]