Fall in inflation points towards interest rate cut

The prospect of interest rates being cut at the end of the month is edging closer, following a 0.2% drop in the UK's inflation rate last month. The Office for National Statistics said the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation dropped from 1.5% in November 2019...

Pension tax report due imminently

A report on the tapered annual allowance is expected to be published ahead of the upcoming Budget on 11 March 2020. Prior to last month's election, the Government's election manifesto vowed to fix the tapered annual allowance. The issue is particularly prevalent in...

Retailers suffer ‘worst year on record’

Struggling retailers experienced their worst year on record for annual sales in 2019, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Total sales among the UK's beleaguered retailers decreased 0.1% last year, compared with 1.2% growth in 2018. The figures take into...

‘Increase access to flexible working’

The average employee loses five days a year commuting to and from work, according to a study. The Confederation for British Industry (CBI) polled 2,000 workers and found the typical respondent lost 2.7 hours a week to travel disruption or delays. Adding up that weekly...

Economy stagnates in Q4 2019

Statistics released by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) suggest that the last quarter of 2019 was tough for UK businesses with "protracted weakness across most indicators of economic health". The BCC's Quarterly Economic Survey suggests that the service sector...