Author Archive
-
Small business owners innovate to stay ahead
Small business owners are increasingly diversifying and innovating as they look to capitalise on various summer events in the UK and improve their bottom line, according to Aviva’s bi-annual SME Pulse survey. The research also reveals that one quarter of SMEs expect to enjoy a boost to their business from summer events and while businesses in London are most confident in this respect, SMEs in the Midlands, Yorkshire and the North East are similarly optimistic. However, there ...
-
Superfast broadband for Wales by 2015
First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones, has announced a new deal with BT which aims to deliver Next Generation broadband to 96% of homes and businesses in Wales by the end of 2015. Outlining details at his monthly news conference, Mr Jones explained how the project will use public and private funds to deliver fibre broadband to parts of the country not covered by commercial plans. On completition, more than 1.3 million premises in Wales will have ...
-
Dairy farmers blockade Wiseman plant
Between 600 and 700 dairy framers blockaded the Robert Wiseman Dairy processing plant near Bridgwater in Somerset on Thursday night, the BBC has reported. The protest over milk prices also saw gatherings in the Midlands and Yorkshire backed by Farmers for Action, which has given the UK's leading milk processors an August 1st deadline to reinstate cuts in the milk price forced upon British dairy farmers since April of this year. The campaign has recently gathered celebrity ...
-
Government unveils infrastructure and export finance guarantees
The Government has today unveiled a new £40 billion guarantees scheme aimed at increasing investment in UK infrastructure projects. The first guarantees are expected to be awarded in the Autumn and will encourage institutional investors, such as pension funds, to invest in projects across a range of sectors including transport, utilities, energy and communications. In addition, HM Treasury has announced that a £5 billion export refinancing facility will be made available later this year to support British ...
-
New scheme bolsters lending to UK business
CMM Rural has noted two developments this week that should benefit rural businesses. Firstly, the Bank of England and HM Treasury have launched the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS), which is designed to boost lending to both firms and households. Under the scheme, banks and building societies can secure cheaper funding. In addition, for every pound of additional lending achieved, an additional pound of FLS cash will be made available to lenders participating in the scheme. So as banks ...
-
English farmland prices continue to firm
English farmland prices rose on average by 3.7% in the three months to the end of June, according to Knight Frank. The increase takes 12-month growth to 2.3% following a marginal rise in the first quarter of 2012 and a drop of 2% in the second half of 2011. The real estate agent estimates the current value of English agricultural land at £6,295/acre, almost £140 above the previous record high of £6,156/acre reached in summer 2011. Andrew Shirley, ...
-
FFA and NFU set August deadline for reinstatement of milk prices
Farmers for Action (FFA) is calling on UK milk processors to reinstate all price cuts that have taken place since 1st April 2012. Throwing down the gauntlet to processors, FFA says: "They have until 1st August 2012 to confirm that this will be done, if not they will need to notify their retail customers that milk distribution will be seriously disrupted." Falling milk prices have led to calls to FFA from a number of large scale dairy ...
-
New developments among rural business lenders
CMM Rural has recently seen some interesting developments and new opportunities among lenders that service the UK's diverse rural economy. Firstly, a leading bank has appointed a national agricultural specialist who is tasked with providing agricultural expertise across the country and increasing his firm's market share in the sector. The move has a ring of authenticity about it because the person taking up the post was brought up on pig farm and has previously worked as a ...
-
Test Items
Test goes here!
-
New Rural and Farming networks announced
Rural businesses in the North West and Southern England are to have a hotline direct to government, as three new Rural and Farming Networks are announced by Environment Minister, Richard Benyon. Fourteen Rural and Farming Networks were set up at the start of the year to identify and feed back local issues and concerns, straight to government, in order to make policies more rural-friendly. The networks announced today (4th April 2012) are: The Wessex Rural and Farming Network. Cumbria & North ...
