March 27, 2023
Barclays is to shut 14 more branches – on top of the 55 closures already announced across England and Wales in 2023
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> Barclays has revealed plans to shut 14 more branches across England and Wales in June. These closures will be in addition to the 55 branches the bank already planned to shut this year, meaning at least 69 Barclays branches will shut in 2023. The decision from Barclays is in line with other […]
March 27, 2023
Cost-of-living crisis: The benefits of supporting local and how to make an impact
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> The cost-of-living crisis and rising energy prices have caused problems for many people, and businesses aren’t exempt from these financial struggles. In fact, in PayPal’s Business of Change Report 2022, 78% of business ownersclaimed they were worried that the cost-of-living crisis would be the biggest threat to their businesses this year. As […]
March 27, 2023
HSBC agrees to delay closure of a last branch in town until alternative banking arrangements are in place
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> HSBC has become the first bank to agree to delay the closure of a last branch in town until alternative banking arrangements are in place. The bank’s move means a number of communities will now not spend months bankless while a new banking hub is opened – or a cash deposit service […]
March 27, 2023
Head of International Monetary Fund warns of increased risks to stability of financial system after weeks of banking sector turmoil
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned of increased risks to the stability of the financial system after weeks of banking sector turmoil. It comes as markets brace for another week of volatility following panic over the health of Deutsche Bank. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said uncertainty in the […]
March 27, 2023
Ovo launches energy deal below government price cap
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> Energy giant Ovo has launched its first deal for customers cheaper than the government’s cap on household bills. The firm will offer a fixed 12-month tariff of £2,275 for existing customers, at a time when the government is limiting typical household bills to £2,500. It comes as falling wholesale gas prices start […]
March 27, 2023
UK and Albania outline £4bn ambition for closer export ties
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> The Chief Executive of UK Export Finance (UKEF), Tim Reid, meets with the Albanian Prime Minster, Edi Rama and Finance Minister, Delina Ibrahimaj, to cement their £4bn ambition for a closer UK-Albania export relationship. This £4bn marks a doubling of the previously published market risk appetite for UKEF support for Albania and […]
March 27, 2023
UK recession still on the cards after aggressive Bank of England interest rate hikes
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> A recession is still on the cards in the UK despite the economy performing much better than experts predicted just a few months ago, new forecasts out today project. Higher interest rates and households responding to the cost of living crunch gripping their finances by trimming spending is tipped to push GDP […]
March 27, 2023
Two-thirds of UK workers with long Covid have faced unfair treatment, says report
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> UK ministers should act to ensure long Covid sufferers receive the support they need from employers, with as many as two-thirds claiming they have been unfairly treated at work, a report argues. The report, from the TUC and the charity Long Covid Support, warns that failing to accommodate the 2m people who, […]
March 27, 2023
Businesses in battle to find skilled staff
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> Most British businesses are struggling to plug gaps in their workforces amid a shortage of skilled talent. About 80 per cent of companies reported difficulty filling jobs, according to the latest talent shortage survey by ManpowerGroup, the American recruitment giant. That marks the highest percentage since 2006, while the proportion of businesses […]
March 27, 2023
Two thirds of UK consumers say personal finance doesn’t add up for them
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> Almost two thirds of consumers cannot answer basic questions about their finances correctly, according to a survey from PwC and YouGov. Asked how much they would expect to pay for their mortgage if interest rates suddenly went up, only 37 per cent gave the right answer and only 31 per cent could […]
March 27, 2023
Windfall for group that sacked 800 P&O workers
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> The Dubai-owned company that admitted it had broken employment law by dismissing 800 British crew at P&O Ferries last March and replacing them with cheap foreign labour has been awarded a multimillion-pound windfall under Rishi Sunak’s freeports scheme, in what unions condemned as an “appalling” decision. DP World, the ports and shipping […]
March 27, 2023
Four-day working week requests to come ‘flooding in’
<?xml encoding=”utf-8″ ??> Businesses across the board have been urged to prepare for requests from employees to offer a four-day working week, after 7 in 10 of workers said they intend to ask their employer to embrace the initiative. The results from the world’s largest four-day working week trial were published recently, and 56 of the […]