In 2022, Poland spent 6.4% of GDP on healthcare, well below the EU average of 10.4% of GDP, according to Eurostat data published on Friday. On average, Poland spent €1,137 per capita, with only Romania and Bulgaria behind.more
Rachel Reeves’s tax raid risks turning high streets into “ghost towns” for much of the week, as pubs, restaurants and shops prepare to shut earlier and open on fewer days.more
The Bank of England governor has urged ministers to “rebuild relations” with the EU, warning that Brexit has undermined the UK’s economy.
Speaking at the Mansion House dinner in the City of London on Thursday evening, Andrew Bailey said he took no position on Brexit “per se”, but added: “I do have to point out consequences.”more
Hundreds of schools in England are still at risk of collapse from crumbling concrete, according to previously unpublished figures.
Official data, which the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found had been wrongly withheld by the Conservative government, confirmed the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) at 235 Department for Education (DfE) sites.more
The UK’s jobs market has shown further signs of cooling after a rise in unemployment in September while pay growth slowed, as business leaders warned the budget could hit hiring demand and lead to higher prices.more
Top pub and restaurant bosses have warned the chancellor that tax rises in last month's Budget will "unquestionably" cause closures and job losses. In a letter, more than 200 signatories have said the hospitality industry is disproportionately impacted by an "unsustainable" hike in the amount employers pay in National Insurance contributions (NICs).more
NatWest's mobile banking app has crashed, leaving customers locked out of their accounts during the weekend. More than 1,000 customers have reported problems on outage tracker Down Detector as they scramble to access their money.
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The average UK house price reached a record high last month, according to Halifax. The UK's largest mortgage lender said the average price hit £293,999 in October, surpassing a peak of £293,507 that was reached in June 2022.more
Shoppers could face higher prices as a growing number of big British firms warn about the cost of the National Insurance (NI) tax rises on employers announced in last week's Budget.more
Millions of households in England and Wales will struggle to pay their water bills when they go up, a consumer watchdog has warned. The water regulator, Ofwat, has provisionally said bills would rise by an average of £19 a year - or 21% - between 2025 and 2030.more
Around 20% of Poles have heard of cryptocurrencies, and 6% declare they own them, according to a study by Kantar commissioned by zondacrypto, one of the largest regulated crypto exchanges in Europe.more
This Talk Money Week (4 – 8 November), taxpayers are being urged to “Do One Thing” and get on the HMRC app to save time and simplify managing their money and tax.more
Chancellor Rachel Reeves tells the BBC it's likely her tax-raising Budget may affect pay for workers, as businesses will have to absorb the costs of paying more National Insurance or give out smaller pay rises. more
Regulated train fares in England are to increase by 4.6% next year, while the price of most railcards will rise by £5, the government has announced.
The increases were not mentioned by the chancellor in her Budget speech to the House of Commons earlier on Wednesday, but it was instead noted in the Treasury's budget document. more
Santander is cutting more than 1,400 jobs across its UK business this year as part of its efforts to reduce costs. The Spanish bank’s chief executive officer, Hector Grisi, confirmed the cuts as its UK division delayed publication of its latest financial results to consider the impact of an influential court ruling linked to commission on car finance.more
Minimum wages will rise in April, with hourly rates for over-21s set to go up to £12.21 an hour, the chancellor has confirmed ahead of Wednesday's Budget. Rachel Reeves said the pay boost marked a "significant step" towards achieving Labour’s promise of a "genuine living wage" for workers.more
800 plus will be paid for every child as long as I am in charge of the work of this government. There will be no criteria, there will be no limits, Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared yesterday.more
The bus fare cap in England will be raised to £3 in the upcoming Budget, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced.
It is an increase on the current limit of £2 which was introduced under the previous Conservative government to help with the cost of living. The existing cap was due to expire at the end of December.more
The chances of a fresh cut in interest rates from the Bank of England next week have been boosted by a report that shows shop prices falling at their fastest pace in more than three years.more
The Budget will embrace the "harsh light of fiscal reality" but "better days are ahead", Sir Keir Starmer has said in a speech ahead of Wednesday's announcement. Speaking in Birmingham, the prime minister said his government would take "tough decisions", opting to raise taxes in order "to prevent austerity and rebuild public services".more
Pubs face widespread closures unless the chancellor announces an extension to business rates relief in next week's Budget, the UK's biggest pub company has warned.more
One in four English councils could go bankrupt unless they are bailed out by the government in the next two years, a survey has revealed.
Councils are warning of a “worsening crisis” that could result in cuts to vital public services amid a funding gap of more than £2bn next year, according to the survey of chief executives conducted by the Local Government Association.more
More than 140,000 Londoners will get a pay boost of 5.3 per cent as it was revealed on Wednesday that the capital’s “real living wage” has increased to £13.85 per hour. more
In Poland, 45 per cent of respondents use only one bank, which is below the European average (55 per cent), 37 per cent have an account with two banks and 16 per cent with three to five banks, according to a report by Kearney. Six per cent of Poles have their main account in digital banking.more
Water bills will go up by more than initially expected over the next five years to fund higher costs and more investment, the BBC understands. The regulator, Ofwat, is in the process of deciding how much customer bills will be allowed to rise.more
