Rural Business Category
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Private sector growth picks up
Private sector growth picked up pace in the three months to December, according to the CBI’s latest Growth Indicator, the final one of 2016. The survey of 788 respondents across the manufacturing, distribution and service sectors showed that growth climbed to a balance of +17%, its highest in a year.
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CMA demands greater transparency from legal service providers
Having undertaken a year-long study into the legal services sector, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that competition in legal services for both small businesses and individual consumers is not working well. In particular, there is not enough information available on price, quality and service to help choose the best option. The CMA has set out a package of measures which challenges providers and regulators to help customers better navigate the market and get ...
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Business conditions show further improvement
Businesses across England and Wales reported another month of solid growth in November, with output levels and employment both rising at faster rates, according to the latest Lloyds Bank Regional Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). The PMI for England rose to a ten-month high of 55.8 up from 54.9 in October. A reading greater than 50 signifies growth in business activity, and the greater the divergence ...
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Expansion of UK Registered Traveller Service
Business travellers and frequent visitors from a host of countries will be able to benefit from faster entry to the UK as the Government’s Registered Traveller Service is expanded. From 21st November, frequent travellers to the UK from 16 new countries will be eligible to apply for membership of the scheme, which provides the ...
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Firms won’t have to list foreign workers
Government proposals to oblige UK companies to disclose details of the foreign workers they employ have been abandoned. Speaking to the BBC, Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, said: "This is not going to happen" but added that firms could be asked "simply to report their numbers" as this could help identify skills gaps in the UK workforce. According to the BBC, a briefing note was distributed following Home Secretary, Amber Rudd's, speech ...
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Business confidence falls into negative territory
New research from The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows that UK small business confidence has continued to fall, dipping into negative territory for the first time since 2012. Business owners feeling confident are outnumbered by those that feel the opposite. However, FSB found many immediate economic conditions improving, with small firms reporting greater access to finance, a rise in new employment and reduced spare capacity in their businesses. In the first data gathered ...
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Asian hornet identified in Gloucestershire
The UK's National Bee Unit has confirmed a sighting of the Asian hornet in the Tetbury area of Gloucestershire – the first time the hornet has been discovered in the UK. The Asian hornet is smaller than the native hornet and poses no greater risk to human health than a bee. However, they do pose a risk to honey bees.
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UK services sector contracts
The UK service sector registered a fall in business activity in July, according to the latest PMI survey data from IHS Markit and CIPS. Output and new business both declined for the first time in over three-and-a-half years and at the fastest rates since early-2009. Consequently, employment in the sector was unchanged since June, ending a three-and-a-half-year period of uninterrupted job creation. The 12-month outlook for activity weakened sharply to the lowest since ...
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Natural England launches south east costal path
Walkers can now enjoy 66 miles of new and improved National Trail between Camber and Ramsgate. The route represents the first section of the England Coast Path to open in the south east - it permits unbridled views of coastline including the White Cliffs and the unique areas of Dungeness and Pegwell Bay, popular for bird watching, their landscape and their summer flowers. Natural ...
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Bluetongue vaccine now available
Bluetongue vaccines for sheep and cattle are now available across Britain, with supplies approved for use in vet practices. There is a high risk of an outbreak of Bluetongue (BTV-8) towards the end of the summer as a result of infected midges being blown across the English Channel from France - the disease affects all ruminants, but particularly cattle and ...
