UK immigration: International students put £2.3bn into the London economy The contribution of foreign students to London’s economy is “overwhelmingly positive,” according to a report by London First. The report, entitled “London Calling: International students’ contribution to Britain’s economic growth,” goes some way to debunking fears about international students overstaying their welcome and their cost to the national coffers. What is more, the report contradicts [...]
Alberto Contador interview: El Pistolero sets sights on Chris Froome and aims for Tour de France victory in his final season It seems like an incomplete comeback. On paper, Alberto Contador is the best grand tour rider of his generation. The Spaniard has won seven, including two Tours de France. Those numbers jump to nine and three if, as Contador does, you count the titles he was stripped of after failing a drug test. Yet El [...]
London’s prime rental property prices have grown 22.2 per cent since Lehman Brothers: Faster than New York, Hong Kong and Singapore December 2, 2015 London's prime rental properties have gone up 22.2 per cent since the Lehman Brother's collapse of September 2008: faster than New York (15.4 per cent) while avoiding the falls seen by other cities such as Hong Kong (-14.4 per cent) and Moscow (-14.9 per cent). But despite this growth, prime rents in the capital have actually [...]
UK house prices: Who’s building Britain’s houses and can we really build 200,000 homes a year? November 26, 2015 How can the UK build more houses? [custom id="102"] Source: Data.gov all housing completions 1949 – 2013 The Conservatives came to power on the back of an improving economy and with the promise of more improvement to come. One area of the UK’s financial future that is far from secure is the housing sector. [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne boosts spending on housing, but can the government really build 400,000 more homes? November 25, 2015 Britain’s housing supply crisis isn’t a new problem – but today George Osborne made another government pledge to increase the stock. Osborne’s plans include selling off prisons and offering more capital to affordable housing. To top it off, there is to be a new help-to-buy scheme for London, to give residents a leg up onto [...]
Autumn statement 2015: Osborne declares war on potholes with new £1bn pledge. How many potholes are there in your area? November 25, 2015 George Osborne has launched a bid to rid Britain's roads of potholes, with a promise to spend £1bn more on the scourge over the course of this parliament. The UK has 18m potholes on its roads, according to the Department for Transport (DfT), already enough to warrant a fund of £4.7bn, to be spent between now [...]
Children in Need 2015: Will the money raised this year mean Pudsey’s in for a record-breaking night? November 13, 2015 Children in Need might be a man down (and not just any man – Terry Wogan himself) but this year's fundraising marathon promises to be yet another huge event, with stars lining up to take part in tonight's live show. Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton, Rochelle Humes and Nick Grimshaw will be taking it in turns to host, alongside [...]
London house prices: Is the property supply crisis on the rebound? Here’s the top five spots for homes on the market with Wandsworth and Westminster top of the list November 11, 2015 When it comes to London house prices, you have to throw out your notions of supply and demand: it’s all about location, location, location. That’s no huge surprise of course, but what is surprising is the extent to which that’s the case. Wandsworth, the most expensive borough in the capital, actually had the largest number [...]
The UK’s ageing population in numbers: Seven charts showing what’s about to happen to the UK’s workforce November 9, 2015 The UK economy seems to be on an upward curve, rising from the ashes of the financial crisis and back towards something like its former glory. But while for the last 40 years the proportion of the UK’s population considered "of a working age" has been stable, it's likely it will decline in the future. Here are seven charts [...]
