A room with a view? A house in a national park could cost you 93 per cent more than the average June 5, 2015 How much would you pay for a room with a view? House prices in Britain’s national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) are commanding up to 125 per cent more than the average house price in their host counties, according to research from Knight Frank. In 10 of the country’s 13 national parks, [...]
Fears for UK economic recovery as slowing job growth puts more pressure on the service sector June 5, 2015 Not great news for the UK's jobs market: research from REC and KPMG has revealed that the rate of hiring had slowed to a four-month low, with the bullish service sector carrying the majority of the load. The data comes just two days after a report showed growth in the UK’s service sector slowed at [...]
One chart showing which government departments will face the biggest cuts June 4, 2015 The government on Thursday announced it will be making £4.5bn in cuts in an effort to bring down the nation’s debt. Part of the savings will be made by selling of the remaining 30 per cent of Royal Mail, but much will come from departments. £2.7bn (and a further £345,000,000 from the Kings cross property [...]
governmnet budget test June 4, 2015 #cam-d3-unembub {margin:0px;} #cam-d3-unembub .h,.v{stroke:black;stroke-dasharray:4 4;stroke-width:1;stroke-opacity:.5;} #cam-d3-unembub .axis path, #cam-d3-unembub .axis line { fill: none; stroke: black; shape-rendering: crispEdges; } #cam-d3-unembub .axis text { font-family: source sans pro, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } body div.tooltip { position: absolute; text-align: left; padding: 5px; font: 12px source sans pro, sans-serif; background: lightsteelblue; border: 0px; border-radius: 8px; pointer-events: [...]
UK house prices drop in May: Tug of war as high price-to-earnings ratios and a lack of supply affect market June 4, 2015 UK house prices dropped for the first time in three months this May, according to data from Halifax. The market is feeling the effects of a tug of war as a lack of supply drives prices higher, stretching finances and affecting sentiment. The figures On a monthly basis – the most volatile measure – house [...]
A third of all new businesses will be pop-ups by 2017 June 3, 2015 It seems the pop-up revolution has well and truly begun, after new research showed 11.6m people plan to start their own business ventures within the next two years and 29 per cent of those plan to start out with pop-ups. The study, by EE, showed pop-ups, shops that open short-term businesses in available retail space, [...]
Pound down against the dollar as UK service sector’s growth slows at the fastest rate in four years, hitting four month low June 3, 2015 The UK services sector has suffered the biggest dent in its growth since 2011 in what could be a sign of a weakening recovery, causing the pound to drop 0.4 per cent against the dollar. This took the exchange rate to $1.5275 for every pound. The Markit/CIPS purchasing manager’s index, a measure of growth in [...]
UK house prices: The proportion of house buyers shunning mortgages for cash purchases has hit a record high June 3, 2015 More people than ever before are buying houses without the need for a mortgage, according to new figures. Almost four in 10 people (38 per cent) paid for their properties in cash during the first quarter of the year, Nationwide has said. This mitigated subdued mortgage lending data to some extent. There are signs that [...]
3D printer from Sheffield University can print products in less than a second using “high-speed sintering”. June 2, 2015 Sheffield University is building a 3D printer that should be able to spit out plastic products as quickly as a production line. The machine should be available in 2017 at a cost of £1m. It uses a new technique that uses less heat – meaning products are ready within seconds rather than hours. A single [...]
UK house prices: Mortgage approvals have their biggest spike since April 2009 June 2, 2015 The number of mortgages granted in April for new homes grew at its fastest rate since April 2009, according to data from the Bank of England. The figures Some 68,076 mortgages were granted in April for house purchase, compared with 61,945 in March – an increase of 9.9 per cent – the biggest monthly percentage change [...]
