The New Year may not be very happy for hundreds of thousands of people in the South West, as research by Shelter reveals a fifth of rent or mortgage payers in the region are cutting back on winter heating and clothing to meet their housing payments. This is the equivalent to 500,000 people.
The study by housing and homelessness charity Shelter and YouGov shows the strain people in the South West face this January, with one in eight rent or mortgage payers fearing they will be unable to meet their housing costs this month.
This is despite the fact that many have already cut...
New research by Alzheimer’s Society shows that 39% of people in the South West mistakenly think that once a person with dementia stops recognising loved ones, they don’t benefit that much from spending time with them.
In a separate survey of 300 people affected by dementia, the charity also found that 64% of those living with the condition felt isolated from friends and family following a diagnosis. Today, Alzheimer’s Society is calling on people to make a positive New Year’s resolution to spend time with people with dementia and help them take part in activities they enjoy to keep...
House prices in the South West will see an increase of 5% over the course of next year according to the RICS housing forecast for 2016. This is lower than the national average increase of 6% but the same as London and Northern Island. The North East is likely to see the most modest price rise with a predicted increase for 2016 at 3%. Transactions nationally will edge up to between 1.25 and 1.3 million (from 1.22 million in 2015). In the South West transactions are expected to rise to 101k in 2016 from 97k in 2015. Although housing has climbed the policy agenda with supply issues dominating...
The RSPCA is appealing for information after a young, female Staffordshire Bull Terrier type dog was left tied to a gate in a secluded spot on Old Tiverton Road in Bampton, Devon, last Thursday (10 December).
The small, mostly black and white dog, who is thought to be around two to three years old, was initially discovered by a member of the public at around 6am on the morning of 10 December.
Thinking the dog must belong to someone the person left the spot but when they returned later on at 11am, they were shocked to find her still sitting there tied to the gate and...
The festive season is almost upon us, and office workers around the South West may face some disappointment in the workplace, as 28% of people are doubtful they’ll be able to get the time off work they need to enjoy the Christmas holidays.
Office supply company, Viking, surveyed 1,500 office workers to investigate one of the most contentious aspects HR departments have to face: taking time off at Christmas. It seems that the South West is the fourth meanest area of the country when it comes to granting time off for the holidays, with the North East being the stingiest.
2015 has been another fantastic year for Crediton based agents, Helmores, and now a national award sees them crowned Best Single Office Estate Agency in the South West at The Sunday Times Estate Agency of the Year Awards - for the third time.
Hosted by TV news reader Penny Smith and ex England rugby player/TV personality Matt Dawson, the glittering awards were held on Friday 4th December at the Lancaster Hotel in Hyde Park London, where 700 leading agents from throughout the UK gathered to find out who has been judged to be the best of the best.
Businesses in Devon are being urged to do more to reduce the hundreds of millions of pounds lost to fraud in the county each year. With procurement fraud now recognised as the second most frequently reported form of economic crime, analysis of figures from the National Fraud Authority carried out by Devon-based blur Group, reveals that £126m a year is lost to fraud by businesses in the county, including £52.6m to procurement fraud. The scale of the wasteful spend means firms are less profitable, have less money to invest in their business and are at risk of losing out to competitors who...
More than 10,000 days of additional imprisonment were imposed on prisoners in the South West region who were found to have broken prison rules last year, a report published by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveals today (Monday 23 November). Punishment in Prison: The world of prison discipline looks at how jails in England and Wales operate disciplinary hearings called adjudications, where allegations of rule-breaking are tried. Nationwide, the total number of additional imprisonment imposed during 2014 was almost 160,000 days – or 438 years.
In November, 40% more chartered surveyors saw house prices rise rather than fall in the South West according to the latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey.
The general mismatch between supply and demand continues to drive growth in prices and 45% more respondents expect prices to rise further over the next three months (as opposed to a fall) – this is higher than the national balance of 33% projecting a further increase in prices.
New buyer enquires picked up over the month, with 9% more respondents seeing an increase (rather than a fall) in demand during November....
The first quarter of 2016 has seen a boost of confidence within the jobs market in the South West with hiring intentions of +9% according to Manpower, the world’s workforce experts. This is a jump of seven percentage points from the last quarter.
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,102 UK employers. It asks whether employers intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter. It is the most comprehensive, forward-looking employment survey of its kind and is used as a key economic statistic by both the Bank...
