News Articles

EU mobile phone costs reduced
Mobile phone tariffs have been reduced across all 27 of the EU states. The maximum charge for outbound calls to another EU country is now 37p and receiving call costs are also down to 17p per minute. Additionally calls will now be billed by the second after a duration of half a minute. The cost of sending a text is also reduced to 10p. The new reduced tariffs will be particularly good ne... more

Credit card cheques are banned
Banks will no longer be allowed to send out unsolicited credit card cheques or raise credit card limits without the prior written permission of the account holder. The ban is part of the government’s plans for consumer protection to stop inappropriate selling of financial products. According to a survey by Uswitch, 20% of account holders have had their credit card limit increased without t... more

Heatwave causing staff problems
Britain's heatwave is expected to continue until the weekend, raising problems for small business owners, particularly those who operate from offices without air conditioning. Tuesday was the hottest day of the year so far with a temperature of 31.8C, and with staff having to work in uncomfortable conditions business owners must ensure that they do everything possible to assist their staff in s... more

CBI: Red tape must not increase
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) have warned the government about the dangers of over-regulation in the current economic climate. Mr Lambert, director-general of the CBI, cited the axing earlier this year of plans for regulatory budgets to curb red tape across Whitehall as an alarming indication that ministers could add to the high regulation burden already felt by companies in the U... more

House prices rise 0.9% in June
House prices increased by 0.9% in June, the third rise in the last four months, according to data published by Nationwide. This rise in house prices brings the annual rate of decline down to 9.3% from 11.3% from May's figures, and has led to hopes that the housing market is beginning to recover. "House prices have now risen in three of the last four months, suggesting that the improvement th... more

Economy falls at fastest rate in 50 years
The UK economy contracted by 2.4% in the first quarter of 2009 - the fastest rate of decline since 1958, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The data also revealed that economic output fell 4.9% during the first quarter of this year compared to the first quarter of 2008 - the largest year-on-year fall on record. Despite the poor figures, economists are str... more

Staff working longer hours in recession
Almost half of workers in the UK are putting in extra hours in order to keep their jobs in the recession and cope with a growing workload, according to research by BT Business. The research revealed that 43% of employers expect their staff to put in overtime, with many now working so many extra hours that they are effectively doing a six-day week. Almost half of respondents admit to being mo... more

FSB: Small firms slowly recovering
Small businesses that were hit hard by the worst of the credit crunch a year ago are starting to experience a tentative recovery, according to research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). FSB data revealed that 23% of FSB members saw a rise in trade last month, compared to 16% that reported this in February. A quarter of the firms surveyed cited the cost of finance as a major problem -... more

Government to raise £1bn for technology start-ups
The government have unveiled plans to provide £150m worth of funding for technology start-ups this year. The funding will be provided by the government alongside private sector investors, and a target to reach £1bn within 10 years has been set. The UK Innovation Investment Fund has been set up to address a lack of funding for venture capitalist groups, which have warned that hundreds of UK... more

Sir Alan Sugar taken to employment tribunal
Sir Alan Sugar is being taken to an employment tribunal for alleged sexual discrimination and bullying by a senior female executive at one of the Apprentice star's flagship companies. Hanna Sebright, managing director at Amscreen Healthcare, is taking the government's recently appointed enterprise Tsar to court. Mrs Sebright is also claiming that former Apprentice winner Lee McQueen subjecte... more