Over the past year, we have seen some of the most challenging conditions for living standards on record. Not only has the price of essentials such as food and fuel soared, but on top of this many households have also faced significant increases in their housing costs - either due to rising rents or increased mortgage payments linked to higher interest rates.
The cost-of-living crisis has left over two-in-five working age households struggling with or falling behind on their housing costs, compared to just over a quarter of households at the peak of the pandemic, according to new Resolution Foundation analysis published Saturday 28 January 2023). The Foundation's latest Housing Outlook uses data from a new YouGov survey of 10,470 UK adults to examine how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting people's ability to meet their housing costs, how it varies across tenure, and the implications for households' financial resilience and personal wellbeing in the months ahead.
Letters have been published today outlining the view of the special adviser Sir Lawrie Magnus and the Prime Minister to Nadhim Zahawi. Letter from Sir Laurie Magnus to the Prime Minister, 29 January 2023 Dear Prime Minister, 29 January 2023 Introduction You have asked me to review the circumstances and facts concerning certain tax affairs of the Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi, Minister without Portfolio, and that I assess these circumstances in the context of Mr Zahawi's obligations under the Ministerial Code.
Latest update from the Fraser of Allender Institute. This week, there were a number of business surveys out trying to capture the sentiment of the business base as 2023 kicks off.
A visitor levy was already on the cards before the pandemic. The Scottish Parliament has already started the process.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on Friday set out his vision for long-term prosperity in the UK, calling on businesses in key growth areas to invest in the UK and expressing his desire to make the UK an attractive site for innovators and entrepreneurs. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt called on businesses to invest in the UK and promised long-term thinking to make the UK the next Silicon Valley.
TaskHer, the online booking platform helping homeowners book professional tradeswomen, today announced that it has raised £200k in a pre-seed funding round from a trio of UK impact investors. The investment from Bethnal Green Ventures, Resolution Foundation and Ufi Ventures will be used to develop the platform and to support and build the growing community of tradeswoman using TaskHer to access well paid, secure work.
Small traces of many pathogens, such as viruses we may be infected with, are excreted when we go to the toilet. Ultimately, these agents find their way to municipal wastewater treatment plants where sewage samples can be taken and the levels of these pathogens measured.
UK food prices soared by more than 16% in 2022 as record inflation pushed up the prices of everything from bread to beans. Tesco chairman John Allan recently suggested that suppliers could be using this situation to boost prices.
When most of us think of exercising, images of long runs on the treadmill or picking up heavy weights often come to mind. But although these are both great ways of keeping fit, they aren't for everyone.
At a meeting in Edinburgh on Friday 27th January 2023 Scotland's Council Leaders expressed their extreme disappointment that the Cabinet had decided to make interventions in relation to minimum learning hours and pupil teacher ratio. Council Leaders were clear that given the Scottish Budget for next year, there is a crisis in Local Government funding like never before and the reaction from Scottish Government so far does not reflect the crisis councils, and our communities are facing.
This chapter looks at what we know about why Scotland's tax base has grown more slowly so far since devolution. Since the partial devolution of income tax to Scotland, revenues have disappointed.
Families across Scotland will benefit from a £1 million investment in charities specialising in mental health and wellbeing support in pregnancy and early years. The support - provided by the Scottish Government's Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund - will go to 34 charities that help new families take their first steps in raising babies and young children.
It's no secret that retail runs on data. But as brands fight for market share in the critical Golden Quarter, predictability is this year's most critical focus.
The social care sector, as well as playing a vital role for many people and for our society, is an important employer, with 1.7 million social care jobs across the UK in 2022. Jobs in social care have many positive aspects of working in the sector, including the ability to form deep personal connections with clients, job security, and greater levels of flexibility and autonomy than are possible in many low-paid jobs.
Social care workers have higher levels of job satisfaction and stronger job attachment than those in other low-paying sectors, but many have to contend with unsafe working conditions and unlawful under-payment of the minimum wage, according to new research published on Thursday 26 January 2023 by the Resolution Foundation. The Foundation's report Who cares?, supported by Unbound Philanthropy, combines new statistical analysis with findings from a series of focus groups with frontline social care workers, to shine a light on the nature of the jobs they do, the challenges they face, and the priorities for improvement.
This report summarises the key results from the latest Fraser of Allander (FAI) Scottish Business Monitor, published in partnership with Addleshaw Goddard. The cost of doing business crisis remains the overriding concern for Scottish firms according to the latest Addleshaw Goddard Scottish Business Monitor report, which showed a glimmer of hope with overall business sentiment returning to positive territory after slipping into the red last year.
It has been obvious for along time that many care workers receive low pay for their efforts. The Scottish government has announced a recruitment campaign to try and fill gaps but that does not address the main issue of low pay in the care sector.
Social care workers were unequivocal about why the sector is so short-staffed despite the many positives of the job: low pay relative to the skills required. And the figures bear this out.
Businesses have been warned to check the quality and availability of broadband connections before agreeing new office deals. Experts from telecoms specialists telephonesystems.cloud have warned firms to verify claimed broadband speeds before signing contracts for new premises.
