News Category
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FRC to review the UK corporate governance code
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is to undertake a fundamental review of the UK Corporate Governance Code. The review will take account of work done by the FRC on corporate culture and succession planning. It will also take into account the issues raised in a recent Government Green Paper which proposes linking executive remuneration with performance, and extending the FRC’s enforcement powers to ensure that disciplinary action can be taken against all directors where there ...
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Leicester and Loughborough Enterprise Zone confirmed
Plans for a new Enterprise Zone to support the UK’s space science industry have been confirmed. The project will cover three sites across Leicester and Loughborough, and aims to deliver 6,500 new jobs by building on the local area’s expertise in the sector. Leicester is already home to the National Space Centre and the new Zone will offer specialist research and development facilities to bring innovative ideas and products to market. New and expanded businesses located there are ...
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Small business commissioner to address late payment
The Government is about to appoint the UK’s first Small Business Commissioner in a move aimed at supporting small businesses in payment disputes with their larger customers. The role includes giving general advice and information, handling complaints about payment issues and directing small businesses to existing dispute resolution services.
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New approach to great crested newt licensing
A fresh approach to the conservation of great crested newts is to be rolled out across England, having been piloted by Woking Borough Council in Surrey. The move is aimed at improving the licensing process for housing developers by surveying areas where the newts are most prevalent, mapping the potential impacts of development, and proposing local conservation strategies for the species, in partnership.
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Fall in sterling double-edged sword
The recent fall in the value of sterling is squeezing domestic sales margins, and increasing the cost base of UK businesses, according to the results of the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) latest International Trade Survey. The results, which are based on the responses of nearly 1,500 businesses, indicate that the recent devaluation of pound is having a negative ...
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Call for urgent infrastructure investment
British business leaders fear that UK infrastructure is lagging behind the rest of the world and feel less confident about global economic conditions over the next 12 months, according to new research from Lloyds Bank. The study, which canvassed the views of boardroom-level executives from leading UK companies and global corporates, shows that two thirds of respondents believe that UK national ...
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Manufacturing makes strong start to 2017
The UK manufacturing sector made a strong start to 2017 with output rising at the fastest rate since May 2014. New order intakes expanded at a robust pace and, according to the Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), price pressures intensified - input cost inflation surged to a survey record high and output charges also increased at one of the steepest rates in the series' history.
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Hedgerows and boundaries grant applications invited
Applications are being invited for the Countryside Stewardship hedgerows and boundaries grant which opens today (1st February 2017). The grant, individually worth up to £5,000, is designed to help farmers and other land managers improve important farmland boundaries and the application window for the £5 million scheme closes on 28th April.
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New data highlights fragility of micro businesses
New research from Begbies Traynor shows that more than 275,000 companies were showing signs of “significant” financial distress at the close of 2016, representing the thirteenth consecutive quarter that corporate stress has risen on a year-on-year basis. According to the recovery specialist’s Red Flag Alert data, 276,518 businesses were experiencing “Significant” financial distress at the end of 2016; ...
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UK economy set for a “hard rebalancing”
The recent slump in sterling should prompt a significant readjustment of the UK economy away from consumer spending towards exports, according to the EY ITEM Club winter forecast. But while economic growth will be better balanced it is also likely to be slower. The respected economic forecaster says that the impact of sterling in increasing import costs will see inflation ...