Rural Business Category
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Reforms to insolvency processes
The Government intends to improve public confidence in the insolvency profession and modernise the insolvency process by introducing a package of measures that come into force on 1st October 2015. In summary these will: reform the way insolvency practitioners gain authorisation to practice simplify when to report to creditors about appointing and releasing administrators strengthen the regulation of insolvency practitioners and the Government’s role as oversight regulator in the sector introduce a requirement to get an ...
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Business activity growth slows
Economic growth in England and Wales lost further momentum in August, as most regions recorded smaller increases in business activity and new work, according to the latest Lloyds Bank Regional Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). The business activity index for England registered a 27-month low of 55.7 in August, down from 56.7 in July, even after accounting for a seasonal slowdown in activity. Growth has now weakened in four of the past five months; however the index ...
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Superfast broadband for 95% of UK
More homes and businesses in Wales have been reached by the nationwide rollout of superfast broadband, according to official figures which show that 482,000 properties are now covered. The rollout is delivering superfast access - internet speeds greater than 24 Mbps - to those not covered by existing commercial networks and is on track to take superfast access to 95% of the UK by 2017. More than four out of five ...
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Restrictions lifted on invoice finance
From early next year, businesses will be freed from restrictive clauses in contracts that prevent them from gaining invoice finance, in a move aimed at providing more funding opportunities for small businesses. Around 44,000 businesses receive over £19 billion of funding via invoice finance at any one time, according to the Asset Based Finance Association, which represents the invoice finance industry ...
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Suspect case of avian flu
A temporary control zone has been imposed at a poultry farm in Lancashire in light of a suspect case of avian flu - all birds at the premises are being culled. The restrictions mean that all poultry farms within the 10 kilometre temporary control zone around the affected premises are not allowed to move poultry and other birds. The decision to take precautionary action has been taken based on the clinical ...
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Lancashire rejects shale gas exploration
Cuadrilla says it is "surprised and disappointed" at Lancashire County Council’s decision to deny planning consent for its application to explore for shale gas at Preston New Road, particularly as the decision follows a positive recommendation by the Council’s Planning Officers. The company is planning an appeal, saying that it completed the most comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessments ever carried out for operations of this kind. The application to drill, frack and test at Preston New Road was ...
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Groceries Code Adjudicator is making a difference
A YouGov survey carried out on behalf of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) shows a drop in the number of Groceries Code related issues in suppliers' dealings with the ten large retailers - down from 79% to 70% in the past year. At the same time a larger proportion of suppliers said they would consider raising issues with the GCA (up 9% to 47%) but concerns about retribution were still the dominant reason for holding back. Adjudicator, ...
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Mobile phone apps the number one way to bank
Banking by smartphone and tablet has become the leading way customers manage their finances, as mobile banking overtakes branches and the internet as the most popular way to bank. New research from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) suggests that customers will use mobile devices to check their current accounts 895 million times in 2015, more than the 705 million branch interactions. By 2020 they are forecasting that customers will use their mobile devices to manage their ...
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Dairy merger faces in-depth investigation
Müller’s proposed acquisition of Dairy Crest’s dairy operations will be referred for an in-depth investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced, unless acceptable undertakings are offered. Müller UK & Ireland Group LLP and Dairy Crest Group are two of the three main dairy processors in the UK. Together they process around 3.5 billion litres of milk per year and account for nearly half of the fresh milk consumed in the UK. And the ...
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Risks to UK growth tilted to the downside
The CBI says it expects UK economic growth to rally in the second quarter of 2015 after a "surprisingly soft" increase of 0.3% during the first three months of the year. Thereafter rates should increase by 0.6% taking the CBI's forecast for 2015 overall to 2.4% (2.7% previously). Nonetheless, the Confederation warns that risks to UK growth are tilted to the downside. A messy resolution of the Greek crisis could spark financial market and exchange rate ...
