UK employment: Over a million more people will be in work by 2020 report OBR after today’s Autumn Statement November 25, 2015 Over a million more people will be in work by the end of the current parliament, the government’s fiscal watchdog has said. Based on its economic growth forecasts and the policies announced in today’s Autumn Statement, the Office for Budget Responsibility believes employment will rise to 32.2m by 2020. Read more: What analysts and business make [...]
Autumn statement 2015: Chancellor George Osborne pledges to spend £600m on mental health November 25, 2015 In his first Autumn Statement as Chancellor since the Conservatives won a majority in May's General Election, George Osborne committed to putting more money into improving mental health in the UK. Praising Alistair Campbell, Andrew Mitchell and Norman Lamb for their mental health campaigning, he said during today's spending review that an additional £600m of government funding would [...]
French consumer confidence shows no early signs of being dented by the Paris Attacks November 25, 2015 One of the earliest indicators of French consumer confidence in the wake of the Paris attacks held steady in November. The household confidence index was unchanged at a score of 96, according to figures released this morning by Insee, the French statistical office. However, only seven per cent of the data was collected after the [...]
New home registrations remain stable over last quarter, as 37,582 recorded between August and October November 25, 2015 New home registrations have remained steady over the last quarter, according to figures released today from the National House-Building Council (NHBC). A total of 37,582 new homes were registered, split between 30,046 in the private sector and 7,536 in the public sector, between August and October. By comparison, 37,707 were recorded in the same period in 2014. The number of [...]
Two-thirds of London SMEs have their sights set on new markets, compared to just over half across the UK as a whole November 25, 2015 Two-thirds (66 per cent) of London small and medium enterprises (SMEs) plan to venture into new markets in the next two years. In a survey of over 1,000 British SMEs released today by Albion Ventures, more than half (58 per cent) of SMEs across the UK as a whole also said they planned to step [...]
Autumn Statement 2015 UK: Here’s how much each London borough makes from business rates November 25, 2015 The much-maligned business rates system could be in for a shakeup during today's Autumn Statement, after retailers held talks with the Treasury to demand urgent reforms to the regime. While some have suggested a major shakeup, including a revaluation of properties to ease pressure on retailers paying rates on properties last valued at the height [...]
UK house prices: Mortgage lending up 26 per cent in October as lending recovery gains momentum – the British Bankers’ Association November 25, 2015 Mortgage borrowing was a giant 26 per cent higher in October than in the same month last year, according to figures released by the British Bankers Association. The amount loaned out reached £12.9bn, with the number of mortgages approved by lenders up 27 per cent on last year. Approvals for house purchase were up 21 per [...]
Seven out of ten London businesses are in favour of National Living Wage, compared to six out of ten overall November 25, 2015 Seven out of ten (71 per cent) businesses in London are in favour of the National Living Wage, according to figures shown exclusively to Morning Wire by Group Risk Development (GRiD). By comparison, in a survey released earlier by the GRiD, only 62 per cent of businesses across the UK as a whole were fond [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Play George Osborne’s interactive buzzword bingo game November 25, 2015 George Osborne is preparing for a "knock at the door" fiscal update in the space of just a year (that's number four) , and that means we get to play another round of buzzword bingo. The chancellor is really spoiling us. Be prepared for the "long-term economic plan" – again – but will he make a dig at [...]
EU referendum: UK property and construction sector does not want Brexit, with only 15 per cent saying it would have positive impact November 25, 2015 The UK’s property bigwigs overwhelmingly support staying in the EU, according to figures released exclusively today to Morning Wire by professional services firm Smith & Williamson. In a survey of 200 property and construction senior executives, just 15 per cent said that leaving the EU would have a positive impact on the industry. “The industry [...]