London is crying out for more homes –here’s how the next mayor can build them March 5, 2024 It will take a young couple on a normal income 30 years to save a deposit to buy the average property in London, but there is a way to change that, writes Sam Richards London is in a housing crisis. The boom the city has experienced over the past three decades has seen the number [...]
Klarna closes losses and touches monthly profit as cost-cutting drive bears fruit August 31, 2023 Buy-now pay-later giant Klarna has slashed its losses and touched profitability for the first time this year after rolling out a hefty cost-cutting programme and driving down the amount of customers defaulting on payments. In its half year report today, Klarna revealed it had closed its losses to SEK 2.115bn (£153m) from SEK 6.37bn last [...]
Hunt announces civil service hiring freeze as he aims to shrink the state October 2, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt today announced a freeze on civil service recruitment and pledged to shrink the size of the state.
Build, Baby, Build: Why stamp duty is Britain’s worst tax June 18, 2024 Stamp duty isn’t just unpopular, it’s gumming up the housing market and leaving people stuck in properties totally unsuitable for their needs. The next government must raise the threshold or ditch it altogether, says Emma Revell The housing crisis is, at its heart, about supply. For decades, we simply have not built enough homes to [...]
British businesses most optimistic in over a year but London firms sweat over inflation June 30, 2023 British business optimism has climbed to its highest level in over a year despite consumers retreating in response to rising prices and the Bank of England’s aggressive interest rate rises, a survey out today reveals. UK business confidence climbed nine points to 37 per cent in June, taking it up to its highest level since [...]
Give councils more tax flexibility amid financial strain, ministers urged February 8, 2024 Councils should be given more free rein to raise local taxes to shore up ailing finances and then “suffer the consequences” at the ballot box, MPs have heard.
Shock record wage growth amplifies risk of 14th straight Bank of England interest rate rise July 11, 2023 Workers’ pay is rising faster than expected and at among the quickest paces on record in a sign that the Bank of England will deliver a 14th straight interest rate rise next month, official figures out this morning reveal. Pay excluding bonuses rose 7.3 per cent over the three months to May on an annual [...]
Make recycling simple and efficient February 14, 2023 It’s no exaggeration to say that the climate crisis is more urgent than ever. While the vast majority of us have introduced a variety of eco-friendly habits into our personal lives, implementing the same changes into your business operations is often easier said than done – especially without the help of an expert. Bywaters helps [...]
US Federal Reserve will slash interest rates in March 2024, Morgan Stanley bets July 17, 2023 The US Federal Reserve will in the early part of next year slash interest rates for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, Wall Street analysts are betting, Researchers at Morgan Stanley have said they expect the federal open market committee (FOMC) to bring rates down in the first quarter of 2024, [...]
Falling inflation helps government borrow much less than expected in boost for tax cut hopes January 23, 2024 The latest round of figures come as the government lines up its latest round of tax cuts, which are likely to be announced in the Spring Budget.