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Revised plans for pensions tax reliefs have been welcomed by the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). The body has said the new strategy is an improvement on the blueprint devised by the Labour government before it lost power, suggesting the original idea had been too bureaucratic. However, the C...

The level of gross mortgage lending by mutuals has hit its highest level so far this calendar year, it has been revealed. Data from the Building Societies Association has revealed the sector collectively lent £2 billion in July, an 11% rise on June's figure of £1.8 billion. Director ...

The short-term prospects for the UK have improved, according to one organisation. It comes after the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) released its latest economic forecast, which increased UK gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 1.7% for this year and to 2.2% for 2011. However, over the medium t...

A reduction in the confidence of landlords has been reported for the first time in almost two years, it has been revealed. The National Landlords Association (NLA) Landlords' Optimism Index second quarter results have been published today (September 1st) and it has dropped from 51 to 47. A total...

Mortgage lending approvals in the UK are currently "subdued", according to one expert. Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), advised the UK is experiencing a restrained "level of activity" in the mortgage market, despite the stamp ...

Pensions tax relief restriction plans have been welcomed by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF). The British government is currently planning to limit pensions tax relief for high earners in the hope of raising revenue and targeting it away from the highest earners. However, while the N...

Companies are considering reducing the benefits offered in their pension schemes in order to mitigate the affect of upcoming rules that will require then to auto-enrol millions of extra employees into pension plans. This is according to new research from the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA)...

House prices rose by 0.4% in July from the previous month, figures released by the Land Registry have shown. The average price for a property in England and Wales now stands at £166,798, after year-on-year costs increased by 6.7%. Data compiled by the agency's House Price Index revealed th...

The lettings market has retained its buoyancy as rent continues to get higher, it has been discovered. This is according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Lettings Survey. It discovered 26% more chartered surveyors reported a rise in demand for property rather...

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are becoming more confident as business activity picks up in the UK and across Europe, the managing director of UKTI has stated. Rosa Wilkinson, speaking ahead of the European Business Awards, suggested the firms that are set to thrive in the aftermath of th...

Purchase mortgages are growing in popularity, it has been revealed. Research published by John Charcoal found more than six-in-ten mortgages that were accepted in July were of this nature. Early signs also seem to suggest this pattern is set to continue for August, with the potential for the percent...

There was good news for retail businesses as high street sales increased for the second month in a row. According to the Confederation of British Industry's quarterly Distributive Trades Survey, sales volumes were higher in August than they were 12 months ago. Over 50% of those questioned said v...

Graduates are facing a number of challenges as they try tot get onto the job ladder, one expert has claimed. Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), noted there is going to be more competition for places in the future. Describing the curre...

The decision of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to think about its long-term prospects "in a transparent way" is a positive step forward, one expert has claimed. Joanne Segars, chief executive of the National Association of Pension Funds, noted the ambition of the organisation is to be a...

Businesses are less confident as the economic recovery slows, a survey has found. The Institution of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)/Grant Thornton UK Business Confidence Monitor discovered the second half of 2010 will see the upturn reduce. Nearly a fifth are less certain about t...

Employer motivation can only be improved by enhancing lines of communication, one expert has claimed. Petra Wilton, director of policy and research at the Charted Management Institute, noted it is an "absolutely critical part" of the model promoted to ensure employee engagement. With stati...

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still struggling to get credit from banks, one expert has claimed. Chris Gorman, spokesman for the Forum of Private Business (FPB), noted the institutions have been "very restrictive" in how they have given credit across. He added the governmen...

There is still a major challenge facing the UK in terms of public finance, one expert has claimed. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, observed although the figures released by the Office for National Statistics point to an improvement, more work is still needed. Busines...

There was an increase in house building starts in England in the June quarter of 2010. Statistics released by the Communities and Local Government highlighted the figure of 28,590 is 13% higher than the previous three-month period. It is 84% above the trough in the March quarter 2009, but 42% below ...

Gross mortgage lending has increased in the month of July, one organisation has revealed. According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), there was a 5% increase as it totalled £13.6 billion. This builds on the figure of £12.9 billion for June, but it is a 3% drop for the findings fr...

There is a continuing demand for UK-made goods, one organisation has revealed. Figures released by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) through its Industrial Trends Survey found 21% of manufacturers said total orders were above normal. With 34% reporting them to be below the average, the res...

Cuts in capital expenditure are hurting the construction industry, one expert has claimed. Brian Berry, director of external affairs at the Federation of Master Builders, noted the sector have also suffered due to the austerity drive introduced by the coalition government. Businesses need more gover...

Interest rates have to stay low for the foreseeable future, one expert has observed. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, was commenting after it was revealed headline consumer price index (CPI) inflation fell slightly in June. He urged the authorities no to "overrea...

The sale of annuities is not being regulated properly by the Financial Services Authority, one expert has claimed. Dr Ros Altman, a pensions specialist, noted that consumers have been "badly let down" by the system. She added that individuals may be sold this product when...

The availability of mortgages offered at discount rates has dropped in the UK, consumers seeking cheap home loans may be disappointed to hear. According to research conducted by Defaqto, the number of such products currently on the market has fallen by 72% compared with three years ago. ...