Business News Articles

RBS and Natwest commit extra £1bn to small firms
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Natwest have signed up to lend an extra £1bn to small businesses under the government's Working Capital Scheme. The agreement with RBS and NatWest is the first deal for the Working Capital Scheme, which was launched in January. Under the scheme the government will provide banks with guarantees covering 50% of the risk on bank lending for the day-to-day c... more

Small firms in London can claim for business lost due to G20 protests
Small companies in London that had to shut yesterday due to the G20 protests can claim money back for any damage on their property and for any loss of business if operations were interrupted after damage was caused. The insurance company Axa have estimated that between £300m to £500m will be lost by business in London this week due to the disruption caused by the protests. "The vast majori... more

Internet advertising increases 17%
Advertising spend on the internet rose 17% in the UK last year, according to figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). The total amount spent by advertisers on the internet in 2008 was £3.35bn - accounting for one fifth of the total UK spend. Online advertising sales overtook newspaper and magazine advertising in the second half of 2008. "These are really tough time and advertisin... more

House prices increase for first time since October 07
House prices increased 0.9% in March compared to the previous month - the first price rise since October 2007, according to a survey by Nationwide. "While the rise in prices in March is welcome, it is far too soon to see this as evidence that the trough of the market has been reached," said Fionnuala Earley, Nationwide's chief economist. This rise reduced the annual rate of house price falls... more

FPB warn that 2p fuel duty rise will harm businesses
Many small firms will struggle to pay the government's recent 2p rise in fuel duty, according to the Forum of Private Business (FPB). The FPB has warned that at a time when many small firms are struggling financially the 2p rise means that the cost of fuel has increased 6% in less than 18 months. "Cost increases of this scale are not sustainable at the best of times, let alone in a recession... more

Over 850 small firms failed in last quarter due to lack of planning
Over 850 small businesses that failed in the last quarter of 2008 could have stayed afloat if they had sought expert advice and implemented management initiatives, according to research by Tenon Recovery. The research found that approximately one in eight small businesses fail to carry out any business forecasting and one in three only carry out forecasting once a year. It is estimated that a c... more

Darling announces delay to 5% business rate rise
Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced that the planned rise in business rates of 5% will be staggered over the course of the next two years and that business will only have to immediately pay a 2% increase. "This measure will help businesses to smooth their rate payments over the next few years to deal with the effects of the recent spike in inflation," said Mr Darling. The announcement ... more

Event at University of Hertfordshire offers free business advice
Free business advice and guidance is being offered by Hertfordshire Univeristy in Hatfield at their Positive Action event, held on April 2nd. The event will offer business support and advice, information on training, re-training and personal development and also help to those who want to start their own business. Positive Action will include a keynote speech from Sahar Hashemi, co-founder of... more

Mortgage approvals rise at fastest rate for three years
Mortgage approvals rose by the biggest margin for three years in February, according to official figures releases by the Bank of England. There were 38,000 approvals in the month, up from 32,000 in January - meaning that this is the biggest month-to-month jump since 2006 and the highest level of mortgage lending since May 2008. Business owners will hope that the increase in mortgage lending ... more

Cost of regulation for British businesses rises £10bn
The cost to UK businesses of regulation has increased by £10bn over the past year, according to research by the British Chambers of Commerce's (BCC). The BCC's Burdens Barometer shows that the cumulative cost to business of new regulation since 1998 has risen to £76bn - a jump of over £10bn from last year. In the last year alone companies have been hit by 19 new regulations that have cost... more