Autumn Statement 2015: Business rates regime scrapped by chancellor George Osborne in “revolutionary” move November 25, 2015 George Osborne has delivered a much-needed fillip to struggling town centres and bricks and mortar retailers by abolishing uniform business rates. Under plans announced during the Autumn Statement today, the much-hated regime will be ditched in favour of letting councils decide whether to cut rates to make their town centres "more attractive to businesses". "Elected [...]
How the Northern Powerhouse could boost SMEs – Investec Comment November 8, 2015 Critics of the chancellor's ambition to create a Northern Powerhouse often dismiss the idea as a gimmick. The challenge of rebalancing the UK economy is certainly immense. A recent report by the Centre of Cities showed that gross value added per worker in 2013 in the areas covered by the Northern Powerhouse was 13 per [...]
Forget speed bumps and cycle lanes: Why Britain’s roads should be more like ice rinks January 26, 2016 Over the festive period, many of you would have ventured to Somerset House or Winter Wonderland to ice-skate. Taking to the rink, you would have seen children skating for the first time while clasping their parent’s hand, as other adults whizzed round at high speed. Each individual, including you, moved at their own speed, judging [...]
London’s population soars to an all-time record, new data shows February 2, 2015 LONDON is now home to more people than at any time in its history, with the capital’s population set to grow by more than a quarter by 2050. There are 8.63m people living in the capital now, compared with 8.61m at its previous peak in 1939, according to figures published yesterday by the Greater London [...]
India holds rich opportunities for the City – if we sustain reform momentum January 19, 2016 The deep cultural, economic, political and social bonds between the UK and India are longstanding. But this week the partnership between India and the UK will reach another significant milestone, as chancellor George Osborne and the finance minister of India meet in London for their latest bilateral Economic and Financial Dialogue to discuss priorities for 2016. [...]
Army of consultants marches towards the City as regulation pushes compliance and risk wages up January 14, 2016 Waves of increasingly tough legislation from financial regulators will push City firms to shell out on an army of compliance consultants in 2016, figures seen by City A.M. have suggested. The Salary Survey, by City recruiter Robert Walters, suggested lenders and other institutions are so desperate to hire for senior roles in compliance, they are willing [...]
Mipim 2015: Tech takes its toll on the property sector March 12, 2015 I was up early on the third day of Mipim to chair a panel of Sir Eddie Lister, chief of staff at the Greater London Authority; Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council; and Bernstein's counterpart in Birmingham, Mark Rogers, all of whom made a powerful case for further devolution of power to [...]
UK National Lottery: Four ways science can increase your chances of picking the winning Lotto numbers for this Saturday’s £57.8m jackpot January 8, 2016 The National Lottery jackpot on Saturday has rolled over to a record £57.8m after Wednesday's jackpot went unclaimed. It's a must-win prize, meaning that if no one matches the six numbers drawn, the prize will be shared by the next tier of winners. You might stand more chance of being struck by lightning – but put your your [...]
Russian no-show – but Mipim 2015 shows the UK property sector is back on form March 10, 2015 It's that time of year again: Mipim is the European networking event and conference for global property investors. Sound dull? Well, after the film festival it's the largest event held in Cannes, with over 25,000 attendees. Three years ago, it reached the front pages when investigators arrested the Tchenguiz brothers on board their private [...]
Firms to Osborne: Don’t leave the capital behind September 8, 2015 BUSINESSES in the capital have urged the government to remember London when pushing for greater devolution of decision-making powers to local authorities. In an official submission to the Treasury ahead of November’s comprehensive spending review, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said that London should not be “overlooked”. LCCI chief executive Colin Stanbridge [...]