Business confidence in South West has slipped in the last six months, partly due to renewed concerns on global growth, according to the latest Business in Britain report from Lloyds Bank.
The twice-yearly report, now in its 23rd year, gathers the views of more than 1,500 UK businesses and tracks the overall “balance” of opinion on a range of important performance and confidence measures, weighing up the percentage of firms that are positive in outlook against those that are negative.
Since the last report in July 2014, the Business in Britain report’s key confidence index...
As much as £300 million worth of gift vouchers bought this year could go unspent according to research by the UK Gift Card and Voucher Association (UKGCVA).
Consumer Affairs Minister Jo Swinson is urging consumers to spend and enjoy any vouchers they get for Christmas before they expire.
Every year 6% of vouchers bought by consumers go unused as they lay forgotten in people’s wallets and drawers.
In 2013 some £2.5 billion worth of gift cards and vouchers were sold in UK retail stores as gifts and £2.25 billion were purchased by businesses as staff or customer...
Rail union RMT has pledged an all-out fight over rail investment in the South West after the Transport Secretary cast doubt on the scale of investment in the Plymouth region’s railways by admitting that just £40million has been promised – despite calls for a £7 billion package. RMT has branded the move a “complete and utter betrayal of the South West despite all the posturing and promises after the resilience of rail services was exposed in last year’s floods and storms.”
A spokesman added: "The line into Plymouth continues to be beset by delays and cancellations as the failing...
Devon County Council will receive £220m to spend on repairing potholes and improving roads, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced today.
The cash is part of a record £847 million that will be spent on improving local roads between 2015 and 2021 in the South West.
It is the first time councils have been given locked-in funding over this length of time, which will help them plan ahead and save money for the taxpayer. Patrick McLoughlin said: “Roads play a significant part in everyday life. Poorly maintained local roads, blighted by potholes, are a menace to all...
Landlords in the South West are least at risk of rent arrears, according to research from the UK’s leading landlord association*.
Those in the South West were found to be less at risk with a quarter (25 per cent) of landlords experiencing rent arrears in the last 12 months, compared to 29 per cent of landlords in the South East.
The research shows that a typical landlord in the South East with rent arrears faces £1,551 of outstanding rent, while those in the South West have £2,157 of outstanding rent, well about the UK average of £1,649.
Which? has teamed up with independent mobile coverage experts OpenSignal to reveal the best and worst mobile phone networks for across the UK, and found that the South West was the second worst region we looked at for coverage and some providers were much better than others.
The analysis of the different networks in the South West found a variation of 40% between the top and bottom 3G provider:
Highest average time on 2G, 3G or 4G: Vodafone (94.4%)
Lowest average time on 2G, 3G or 4G: Three (91.8%)
An image of seal on a pebbled beach glistening in the first hints of morning sun has scooped first prize in an RSPCA photography competition that focuses on young talent.
Owen Hearn, 16, from Stewkley, Leighton Buzzard, was named the overall winner of the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2014 (YPA14) for his atmospheric ‘Seal at Sunrise’ (pictured right) photograph taken on the Norfolk coastline on New Year’s Day during a morning out with his grandfather. It wasn’t just a one off for Owen as he also won the 12-15 years category for the same photo and had another two commended photos...
House prices in the UK will see an average increase of three percent over the course of next year, bolstered by recent changes to Stamp Duty, continuing demand and lack of supply of property, according to the RICS housing forecast for 2015. The forecast looks ahead to the next 12 months, across all parts of the housing market, from house prices, sales, rents and housing starts and repossession levels.
Across the UK, RICS expect all parts of the country to see modest price rises during 2015, at an average of three percent. Meanwhile, the South West, Wales and London will experience...
There must be further roll out of badger culling to other areas where bovine TB is rife as soon as possible following the Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice that the results of this year’s cull shows that culling can be carried out safely, humanely and effectively, the NFU said today.
Welcoming today’s announcement, NFU President Meurig Raymond also said the model of culling needed to be looked at to make it more difficult for operations to be disrupted by illegal activity by protesters
Mr Raymond said: “We welcome the fact that the Chief Veterinary Officer has said that...
Schools in some of the least fairly funded areas across the South West will soon benefit from a £68 million cash boost in the biggest step towards fairer schools funding in a decade, Schools Minister David Laws has announced.
A vital part of the Government’s plan for education is ensuring schools are properly funded, so that all pupils regardless of background can reach their full potential.
In July, the Government published estimates of how an extra £390 million would be allocated to increase the budgets of the least fairly funded areas across the country, while ensuring...
