Gospodarka

The UK faces nearly 20 years of lost pay growth, a think tank which focuses on low and middle earners says. The Resolution Foundation said that, after taking account of rising prices, the average wage will not regain its 2008 level until 2026.more

British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt yesterday presented the budget for the 2024/25 financial year. Although this is the last budget before the House of Commons elections, it does not contain any unexpected promises that could allow the ruling Conservative Party to reduce its poll losses.more

5,500 Wellington boots symbolizing the 5,500 jobs that will be lost in the countryside were placed yesterday in front of the Welsh Parliament by local farmers in another protest against the proposed new rules for granting agricultural subsidies.more

New laws that will restrict health workers from bringing family to the UK and require care providers to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if they are sponsoring migrants come into force on March 11. more

Towns within commuting distance of major cities have seen some of the biggest rent rises of the last three years, new research suggests. The cost of new lets rose by more than a third in areas such as Bolton and Newport between 2020 and 2023, property portal Zoopla said.more

Britain’s sharp regional divide is on track to deepen with London’s economy pulling further ahead despite the government’s levelling up promises, according to a report.more

British teenagers believe their generation will have a worse life than their parents, according to a new poll. Money, jobs and climate change were named among the concerns of 1,001 teenagers aged 14 to 17 who were questioned by YouGov for children’s charity Barnardo’s.more

A council boss has said more than 70% of budgets are being used up by “very few people” as it emerged a number of authorities could become effectively bankrupt in the next five years.more

Irish GDP contracted by 3.2 per cent in 2023. - The country's statistics office CSO reported on Friday. This is the worst performance in Europe last year and a significant drop from the 9.4 per cent growth the year before.more

One in three Poles is worried about whether they will be able to pay their bills, and one in two will not be able to handle an unexpected expense, according to Deloitte's "Consumer Signals" survey. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they would not have enough money at the end of the month - a 3 percentage point increase from December 2023.more

The extension of child benefit payments for all children under the age of 19 has been passed by the Dáil, with the planned extension being brought four months from September to May 1. Currently parents only get child benefit for each child up until their 18th birthday, but under plans announced in the Budget this was to be extended to every dependent child up to the age of 19 in September.more

Sadiq Khan has hailed his Night Time Enterprise Zones programme as having “dramatically” boosted high street spending in three London neighbourhoods. more

Immigration restrictions imposed on international students threaten to damage the UK economy, according to university leaders, with the number enrolling from overseas falling by a third.more

The rivers of Britain and Ireland are in a desperate state from the impact of pollution, with not a single waterway in England or Northern Ireland listed as being in good overall health, a report said on Monday.more

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is conducting a thorough review of its cost of living payments to determine if more are needed, reports BirminghamLive. Charities, campaigners, and MPs have been urging for another round of financial aid as daily costs remain high, but the government has so far stated that no further payments will be made after the recent £299 sum.more

Labour is being warned by a powerful alliance of thinktanks and charities that poverty will soar if it comes to power and then fails to spend many billions of pounds on welfare reform to help those struggling most with the cost of living.more

Around 250 banks are set to close this year or have already shut - as financial services continue to be stripped from the high street at pace. Twelve major bank branches closed in January alone and another 38 will have been shut down by the end of this month. They are among 245 banks set to close in 2024, with another six branches also due to shut but with no end date yet announced.more

The majority of councils across England and Wales have introduced measures to dim or cut street lights altogether over the past 15 years, some saving millions of pounds a year. Now cash-strapped local authorities have increased the cuts in an effort to plug gaping holes in budgets, with Croydon, Cornwall, Havering and Hampshire the latest to declare plans to switch off lights.more

The energy price cap in Great Britain will fall by £238 to £1,690 this spring thanks to a mild winter and lower gas prices, easing pressure on household finances. Set by energy regulator Ofgem, the cap reflects the average annual bill for 29 million households in England, and takes effect from April. It is a 12.3% reduction from £1,928 in the current quarter.more

Russia's denunciation of its agreement with the UK on fishing rights in the Barents Sea will not cause shortages of cod and haddock - fish that are used for the most typical English dish, fish and chips - the UK government and industry body NFFF assured yesterday.more

Unemployment in Poland rose for the second time in a row. In January, the registered unemployment rate amounted to 5.4 per cent, meaning that the number of unemployed exceeded the 800,000 mark, Confederacja Lewiatan expert Mariusz Zielonka reported yesterday in a commentary on the CSO data.more

Divorces granted in England and Wales reached their lowest level for 50 years, according to the latest statistics. Legal experts have cited the cost of living crisis as a possible reason, with couples holding off due to the financial challenges of legal separation.more

After three years of double digit rent rises, the rental market finally appears to be cooling. Rental prices in the UK have dropped for a third consecutive month, according to the HomeLet Rental Index. This index uses tenant referencing data from more than one million renters every year. It shows that in January average rents fell by 0.6 per cent, following a 0.9 per cent fall in December. Sincemore

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday announced a package of measures to help farmers, although they believe these are insufficient and there is not really any new money in it beyond what has already been promised before.more

Nearly all top-tier councils plan to raise council tax by the maximum permitted to avoid financial distress, new analysis shows. Of the 136 authorities which have declared their proposals, 128 (94%) are looking to increase bills in April by 4.99% – the biggest amount allowed by the Government without having to hold a local referendum.more