December 2011
4 posts
Our response on the Autumn Statement →
The UK is in dangerous economic straits. The deepening crisis in the euro area, and significant homegrown problems, have conspired to create an uncertain medium-term future for Britain. Small…
Internship crackdown begins - Today's small... →
By Josh Hall Spiralling agency fees, internship crackdowns, and wavering EU credit ratings - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
Tenants are paying as much as £2,000 in agency…
Business rate relief promise 'to be broken' -... →
By Josh Hall Rate relief promises broken, sluggish retail sales, and a deepening European debt crisis - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
The Chancellor’s business rate relief…
Royal Mail hit by glitch - Today's small business... →
By Josh Hall Royal Mail glitches, construction contraction, and European union - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
Royal Mail has been hit by a technical glitch at the start of…
November 2011
7 posts
Housing market 'may never recover' - Today's small... →
By Josh Hall Employment rule rows, housing market concerns, and National Freelancers Day - here’s your need-to-know news roundup.
The government has faced criticism over new employment plans that unions say would make it more difficult for employees to bring tribunal claims.
Business energy switching to be simplified -... →
By Josh Hall New housing plans, energy switching, and City pay hikes - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
The construction industry could receive a small boost under…
More cash for apprenticeships - Today's small... →
By Josh Hall Apprenticeship funding, surprise retail rises, and costly Spanish debt - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
Businesses will be encouraged to bid for new…
UK hit with raft of economic bad news - Today's... →
By Josh Hall Bad UK results, a possible return for cheque guarantee, and fresh euro concerns - here your need-to-know business news roundup.
Over a million young people are out of work and…
MPs consider petrol price move - Today's small... →
By Josh Hall Petrol price debates, worsening UK economy, and free e-commerce seminars - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
MPs are debating a motion to ‘smooth out’ petrol…
Podcast - Building A Social Media Strategy - Part... →
By Josh Hall In this, the first of a two-part episode, we’ll be looking at building an effective social media strategy.
Welcome back to the Simply Business podcast. In this, the first of a…
North-south divide widening - Today's small... →
By Josh Hall Widening north-south divide, expensive management mistakes, and nervous markets - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
The north-south divide has widened since the…
October 2011
11 posts
Royal Mail price hike coming? - Today's small... →
By Josh Hall Retail sales jump, pensions opt-outs, and Royal Mail price rises - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
UK retail sales performed better than expected during…
Podcast - An Introduction To Social Media... →
By Josh Hall In this episode of our marketing podcast, we give you an introduction to social media marketing.
Social media is transforming the way businesses talk to their customers. This new set…
Minimum Wage rises - how to comply with the... →
By Josh Hall The government introduced a raft of regulation changes this month – including an increase in the National Minimum Wage.
As previously reported, the National Minimum Wage (NMW)…
Business rates to jump - Today's small business... →
By Josh Hall Big rise in business rates, online safety tips, and Bank of England warnings - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
Business rates could rise by the biggest margin…
North-south divide growing - Today's small... →
By Josh Hall Quantitative easing woes, a widening north-south divide, and the taxman’s tenuous position – here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
Quantitative easing is likely to…
Home Working - Advice for Employers →
By Jen Smith Working from home is often a great solution for employees who are looking for a more flexible style of working. However, employers need to ensure the home workers are properly…
Sole traders on the rise - Today's small business... →
By Josh Hall Sole traders on the rise, unaffordable rents, and more BlackBerry woes - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
The number of one man bands has increased despite the…
Birmingham more credit-worthy than USA? - Today's... →
By Josh Hall Unemployment up, good news for Birmingham, and a slow recovery - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
UK unemployment is at its highest for 17 years, according to the…
Tory Conference is missed opportunity for small... →
Last week, Britain’s SMEs were looking to the Conservative Party for reassurance. The Tory Conference was the perfect opportunity for the Prime Minister to assuage some of the concerns that the…
Retail sales suffer in heat - Today's small... →
By Josh Hall Retail slumps, cost of living on the rise, and new quantitative easing - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
Unseasonably warm weather hit retail sales in September,…
UK banks in trouble? - Today's small business news... →
By Josh Hall UK bank downgrades, more quantitative easing, and an accounting exemption for small businesses - here’s your need-to-know business news roundup.
A dozen major UK financial…
August 2011
7 posts
Home ownership 'to slump in UK' →
By Josh Hall The rate of home ownership in the UK is set to fall to levels last seen in the mid 1980s.
This is according to new figures from the National Housing Federation, which suggest…
Government faces criticism over tax deal →
By Josh Hall The government has been criticised over an “historic” agreement that will see billions of pounds of unpaid tax written off.
Yesterday the coalition announced a new deal that will…
Survey: firm assesses trust in government,... →
By Josh Hall PR firm 3 Monkeys is seeking views from business on their levels of trust in government, media and financial services.
The company wants to understand the impact of recent events…
Europe 'on brink of recession' →
By Josh Hall Markets tumbled further last week, as investors mull the possibility of a double dip.
Share indices across Europe dipped dramatically during the second half of the week, with…
Landlords enjoy strong rent rises →
By Josh Hall Private residential rents have reached an average of £705 a month, according to new figures.
A survey from LSL Property Services found that rents in England and Wales posted…
Enterprise zone locations announced →
By Josh Hall The locations of the second wave of enterprise zones have been announced.
The zones will be established in locations in Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Gosport, Hereford, Harlow, the…
Rail fares 'to rise 8 per cent' →
By Josh Hall Rail passengers will see fares rise by an average of 8 per cent next year.
The news follows publication of UK inflation figures, on which regulated rail fares are based. The…
July 2011
4 posts
Private rents continue to surge →
By Josh Hall Private rents have risen to over £700 a month in England and Wales.
This is according to new figures from LSL Property Services, which suggest that rents are now 4.1 per cent…
Switching banks 'could be made hassle-free' →
By Josh Hall The process of switching banks will take half as long, and will be made ‘hassle-free’.
This is according to the Payments Council, which is considering ways to improve customers’…
Banks to offer 'SME mentoring' →
By Josh Hall The ‘big five’ High Street banks are set to launch ‘mentoring schemes’ to help SMEs grow.
Santander, RBS, Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays will all provide access to the scheme, which…
Controversial bribery laws begin →
By Josh Hall Controversial new rules regarding corporate bribery come into force today.
The Bribery Act imposes stiff penalties for UK-based firms and individuals who give or accept bribes. The Act also aims to punish those who allow bribery to take place.
June 2011
4 posts
Fall in disposable incomes 'worst for 30 years' →
By Josh Hall UK disposable incomes have suffered their biggest fall in three decades.
This is according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics, which suggest that real-terms…
Controversial EU shopping laws approved →
By Josh Hall New laws designed to strengthen consumer protection have been given the green light by the European Parliament.
The Consumer Rights Directive is designed to unify a number of…
London SMEs hiring again - but wages remain... →
By Josh Hall Recruitment at more than half of London firms has now returned to normal.
This is according to the latest CBI London Business Survey, which looked at almost 200 companies – half…
eFIG raising awareness of being green →
By Coll Smith Late spring and early summer is full of relevant special days and weeks to raise awareness of things close to eFIG members’ hearts.
We’ve seen Earth Hour and Earth Day come and…
May 2011
3 posts
Property prices 'will fall for five years' →
By Josh Hall House prices in the UK will continue to see real terms drops for up to five years.
This is according to new figures from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research…
Construction growth slows →
By Josh Hall Growth in UK construction endured a significant slowdown during April, according to new figures.
The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell by 3.1 points to 53.3 during the month,…
Households 'will be £780 worse off this year' →
By Josh Hall The average UK household will see their disposable income fall by some £780 this year, according to new figures.
A report from Deloitte suggests that disposable incomes will not…
April 2011
1 post
Consumer confidence 'at lowest since middle of... →
By Josh Hall UK consumer confidence is at its lowest point since February 2009, according to a new survey from GfK NOP.
The index fell 3 points to minus 31 during April – significantly lower…
February 2011
7 posts
All change for SMEs - a look at recent government... →
By Josh Hall The last week has seen a number of important announcements for SMEs. A range of issues including bank finance and public sector procurement have come under the spotlight.
But the…
Retailers enjoy January upturn →
By Josh Hall UK retail sales saw a 1.9 per cent rise in January, following disastrous December figures.
This is according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which…
Businesses 'breaking rules they don't know exist' →
By Josh Hall Thousands of small businesses are breaking rules inadvertently, because they are unaware that they must comply.
A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) suggests that every…
Live panel discussion - online marketing help with... →
By Josh Hall In this difficult economic climate, business owners need to get the best result from every penny they spend. So, to help you make the most of your online marketing, we are running a…
Small businesses invited to 'Dragons' Den style'... →
By Josh Hall Small and medium-sized businesses will be invited to attend Dragons’ Den-style panels in order to pitch their services to government.
The panels are designed to offer a new point…
Businesses may be investigated over card charges →
By Josh Hall The “murky practice” of credit and debit card surcharges is to be the subject of an Office of Fair Trading ‘super-complaint’.
The super-complaint, brought by consumer group…
Parliament engulfed by small business bank lending... →
By Josh Hall Parliament has seen angry exchanges and a resignation following yesterday’s announcement on Project Merlin.
In a startling move, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Lord…
January 2011
3 posts
House prices 'fell during 2010' →
By Josh Hall UK house prices fell during the course of 2010, according to new figures released today.
A survey from the Halifax suggests that the average property price dropped by some 1.6…
Small business loan demand 'about to fall' →
By Josh Hall Demand for credit amongst small businesses is about to fall, according to the banks.
In its quarterly survey of lenders, the Bank of England found that banks increased the amount…
