Builders blame slow planning for homes crisis September 21, 2015 SKILLS shortages, sluggish planning approvals and local opposition are hindering the UK’s builders and exacerbating the country’s housing supply crisis, new research reveals. To revive Britain’s home building, planning experts have today called for a new national approach to housing policy as a “matter of urgency”. In a survey of construction firms, slow planning was [...]
UK space industry heads for the stars with Tim Peake mission and new National Space Policy December 15, 2015 The UK is finally catching up with its European neighbours in the global space industry. Today, its first “official” astronaut was sent up to the International Space Station (ISS) on a six-month mission. Major Tim Peake, a former military man, will use his time there to carry out a series of science experiments. He isn't the [...]
Alibaba agrees $4.3bn merger with Youku Tudou November 6, 2015 Alibaba has bought Chinese online entertainment company Youku Tudou for $4.3bn (£2.8bn) in a bid to increase its presence in China's booming online video sector. The price represents a premium of 35.1 per cent over the closing price of Youku Tudou shares the day before Alibaba signalled its takeover intentions. Alibaba upped its original offer [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: By protecting science, the chancellor has backed business November 26, 2015 In his spending review announcement yesterday, George Osborne said “one of the best ways you can back business is by backing science”. And he’s right. Research shows that every public pound invested in science boosts private sector R&D output by 20p per year, every year. Not only that, but investment in science results in the [...]
Blockchain platform Setl hits one billion daily transactions – 1,000 times faster than Bitcoin’s blockchain October 13, 2015 Blockchain platform Setl claims to be capable of processing one billion transactions per day – matching every electronic payment made globally. Scaling up to this extent makes blockchain an even more attractive rival to traditional financial systems, as the booming fintech sector is increasingly seen not just as a viable but a cheaper alternative. The company [...]
George Osborne facing pressure from UK building societies over ‘perverse’ bank surcharge August 19, 2015 The Treasury is under fire from Britain’s building societies, who say that a new tax will cost them at least £630m over the next five years – and choke off £20bn worth of lending. Mortgage lenders want the government to think again. “As you would expect the sector is positively engaging with HM Treasury,” Building [...]
George Osborne’s damaging bank tax changes are a blow to competition in the sector August 31, 2015 Who is taxed, and by how much, is one of the best windows into the mind of any chancellor. Who does he want to help, who does he want to hit, and why? How you raise the money matters just as much as how you give it out. With that in mind, consider [...]
The Apprentice 2015 final: Five things we learned from winner Joseph Valente (and loser Vana Koutsomitis) December 21, 2015 Lord Sugar’s decision between “fixing broken hearts or broken boilers” underlines the gulf between the business plans – and personalities – of The Apprentice finalists Joseph Valente and Vana Koutsomitis. In opting for plumbing over play dates, Valente over Vana, Lord Sugar showed his trademark no-nonsense approach tinged with an element of risk, as the plumbing sector is new to [...]
Alteri takes step forward with Jones Bootmaker acquisition October 28, 2015 A Mayfair-based investment firm set up last year to invest in challenged retailers has bought UK footwear chains Jones Bootmaker and Brantano. Alteri Partners, which is backed by US-based private equity giant Apollo Global Management, said it has agreed to buy the two companies for an undisclosed sum from Dutch retail conglomerate Macintosh. The deal [...]
Innovative Finance Isa: A guide to the new product and what it means for investors February 18, 2016 In less than two months, the Innovative Finance Isa will be launched, enabling savers to hold peer-to-peer (P2P) loans within the tax efficient wrapper. Hailed as the moment the P2P industry will chassé into the mainstream, research suggests it’ll also be popular with savers. According to research by P2P lending platform ThinCats, one in four [...]