Train pain for season ticket commuters November 28, 2012 COMMUTERS should brace themselves for season ticket price hikes of up to six per cent in January, despite the government’s intervention to stem inflation-linked fare rises. Passengers from Canterbury will be worst hit in percentage terms, with the price of an annual season ticket to London rising 5.9 per cent to £4,860 in the new [...]
What the other papers say this Morning December 10, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Warning on cost of shares for rights George Osborne’s “shares for workers’ rights” initiative could end up costing Britain £1bn a year in lost revenues, the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned, at the same time as the government battles to clamp down on tax avoidance schemes. The long-term potential cost of the [...]
Think tank says Britain should prepare for no growth this year November 1, 2012 THE UK should not expect economic growth this year, despite a surprise one per cent expansion in the latest quarter, according to research out today. The National Institute for Economic and Social Research predicts a 0.1 per cent contraction during 2012, as the Olympics boost is subsumed by a broader slump. However, this is slightly [...]
Sainsbury wins shoppers over with coupons November 14, 2012 J SAINSBURY boss Justin King said the supermarket’s Nectar data and coupon-at-till scheme would give it the edge over rivals ahead of another competitive christmas, as it reported a rise in half-year profit. Britain’s third largest supermarket beat forecasts with a five per cent rise in first-half profit to £373m, driven by convenience store growth [...]
UK is facing a lost decade for growth December 3, 2012 CITY leaders yesterday raised new concerns about the pace of growth in the Western economies after experts warned countries were facing more than a decade of economic stagnation. The gloomy warnings will send a stark reminder to chancellor George Osborne ahead of tomorrow’s Autumn Statement of the growth challenges facing Britain and its debt pile. [...]
More Yuletide misery for the City December 3, 2012 DECEMBER signals the advent of Christmas: a time for celebration, relaxation, and over-indulgence. But less so this year. The last 12 months have been terrible for those plying their trades in London’s Square Mile. Those who still have a job should be grateful. The City has been butchered this year, and more than a few [...]
Charities take the burden as parties harden on welfare December 13, 2012 ONCE upon a time, we had to read the old classics to hear about the two kinds of people in need – the labouring poor and the undeserving poor. Dickensian scenes of the hard-working Bob Cratchit, abused by his employer Scrooge, contrasted with the feckless, drunken Bill Sykes. But is it too far fetched to [...]
Osborne to slash spending in 2015 December 6, 2012 CHANCELLOR George Osborne will be forced to find £27bn in further spending cuts starting in 2015, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said yesterday. This came after Osborne admitted in Wednesday’s Autumn Statement that austerity would be extended for a further year to 2018. The IFS calculates that, on the chancellor’s current plans, achieving these [...]
The chancellor has a plan for growth – despite disappointment for banks December 5, 2012 HE HAS been criticised for taking too long to find the button marked “growth”, but yesterday George Osborne finally pushed it. Hard. With other business groups, the banks had been writing “Dear chancellor” letters, demanding measures to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and this year’s Autumn Statement was his answer. This isn’t pure altruism [...]
Rapid responses November 12, 2012 Open for business? [Re: Will the City struggle to retain its position as the world’s financial centre? Friday] It is important that London retains its status as a major international financial centre, but it faces many challenges. London has always been seen as an automatic choice of location for foreign banks, but there are concerns [...]