Finanse

Birmingham City Council owns an artwork collection valued at almost half a billion pounds, a BBC investigation has discovered. But none will be sold off to help tackle the financial challenges at the council which declared it was effectively bankrupt last year.more

The Treasury expects the new full state pension to be boosted above inflation by more than £400 a year in cash terms.more

LSE report suggests chancellor should downgrade projects such as Lower Thames Crossing in favour of services, writes "The Guardian".more

The Resolution Foundation has warned of a ‘weak’ living standards outlook for middle-income households, which is ‘even worse’ for poorer families..more

The prime minister has scrapped a government helicopter contract - thought to be worth £40m. Rishi Sunak was criticised for his use of helicopters during his time in No 10.more

Raiffeisen Bank (Kyiv) opened its first underground branches in Kharkiv and Dnipro, the bank’s Telegram channel reported on Friday. As specified, the underground branches will operate on the basis of existing ones and serve clients in the event of an air raid alarm. Customer service is already available through a separate entrance leading to the underground premises.more

Some of the UK's government-funded development aid to poor countries actually goes to regions with a higher GDP per capita than large areas of the UK, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) think tank pointed out in a report published yesterday.more

The "red-hot" rental market is starting to cool, exclusive data provided to the BBC reveals, but tenants say they are still caught in a price trap. The cost for renters who move home and take on a new tenancy has risen at its slowest rate for nearly three years, according to property portal Zoopla.more

Domestic energy prices are expected to rise in the run-up to winter, according to consultancy Cornwall Insight. The forecaster, which is widely regarded for its accurate predictions, said a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity would pay £1,714 a year from October.more

Britain’s economy has extended the recovery from recession after growth of 0.6% in the three months to June, handing a boost to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in the run-up to the autumn budget. Britain’s annual inflation rate rose to 2.2% last month – its first increase since December last year – and is expected to remain above its 2% target for the rest of the year.more

Due to the fact that he's a casual Prince and whatnot, Prince Harry is...rich. And he's about to get even richer thanks to a pretty major inheritance coming his way when he turns 40, which happens to be in just a few weeks on September 15. more

The UK jobs market bucked predictions of a further weakening in June after official figures showed unemployment fell but wages growth slowed to its lowest for two years. Unemployment unexpectedly dropped to 4.2% from 4.4% in the three months to June from the previous three months, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).more

The rising cost of living has been a dominant theme in many Polish homes in recent years. Those who complain about the ever-present cost of living can console themselves that they do not live in Geneva, Zurich or New York. This is where the cost of living is the highest, as a recent study shows.more

Pharmacies across England are unable to provide critical NHS and public health services owing to the overwhelming financial and operational pressures they are facing, according to research.more

The Bank of England (BoE) today announced that it has cut its main interest rate from 5.25 per cent to 5.0 per cent, the first interest rate cut since March 2020. The Bank also markedly raised the UK's economic growth forecast for this year - from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent.more

The government will probably have to increase some taxes in the budget report presented in October, admitted Rachel Reeves, finance minister in the new Labor government of Great Britain.more

On Monday the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced a package of measures designed to close a £22bn hole in the public finances she said was “covered up” by the Conservative government. Among them was a surprise removal of winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners and the abandoning of a long-delayed cap on what people pay for social care.more

The UK's budget deficit in 2024 is £22bn (over £110bn), Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced yesterday as she presented the results of an audit of the public finances. The head of the department announced decisive steps to reduce the hole in the national budget.more

The UK science secretary has warned Britain is “desperately exposed” to cyber-threats and the upheaval of another pandemic, claiming that national resilience suffered “catastrophically” under the previous government.more

Government ministers are set to announce a major change to the minimum wage in the UK. Officials will factor in the cost of living when calculating the lowest amount employees can legally pay workers, with the gap between minimum wage for younger and older workers reduced.more

Around 320,000 people in the UK have fallen below the poverty line due to soaring mortgage rates putting a strain on household budgets, according to a think tank report published yesterday.more

No orders for new coins intended for general circulation have been sent by the Treasury to the Royal Mint this year, the Standard can reveal, in a historic first for the UK’s money maker.more

King Charles III is in line for a £45 million payday after record-breaking profit from the Crown Estate, which part funds the monarchy and has major plans to update prime London real estate, not least Regent Street.more

Two in five pension savers face a “miserable” retirement as rising living costs outstrip incomes in old age, a report has found. Around 14 million working age people risk not having enough money to cover their basic needs when they retire, according to research from Scottish Widows.more

The number of people mainly using cash for day-to-day spending hit a four year high during the cost of living crisis, research suggests. Some 1.5 million adults mainly used cash in 2023 - marking the first rise since 2019, according to UK Finance.more