Financial news

• Pension age changes have cost me dearly | Letter

  24-03-2024 18:41
  
  Gill Roberts says that had she been able to retire at 60, instead of 66, she would have been able to spend more time caring for father before he died, and focused on her own healthI am one of the thousands of women who have lost out through pension age changes (Thousands of UK women owed pension payout after ombudsman’s Waspi ruling, 21 March). Contrary to what the government claims, I never received any direct communication from the Department for Work and Pensions telling me that I would
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on rising poverty levels: political attacks on the poor have produced penury | Editorial

  24-03-2024 18:30
  
  Politicians should say how welfare will support claimants with daily living costs rather than stigmatising recipientsPoverty is a political choice – one that Conservative governments have much to answer for. Since 2010, Tory administrations have chosen to have a significant percentage of our population impoverished, including, especially, our country’s children. The Child Poverty Action Group’s analysis of official data last week showed that a third of those between infancy and
  
  Read more

• Tories accused of ditching manifesto pledge to remove ground rents

  24-03-2024 17:03
  
  Michael Gove is losing his battle to reform current leaseholds, Sunday Times reportsThe Conservatives have been accused of ditching their manifesto pledge to reduce ground rents to zero, after reports that Michael Gove is losing his battle to reform current leaseholds.Gove, the levelling-up secretary, has been overseeing plans to overhaul the system in a reform bill, but key provisions to overhaul leaseholds were missing when the legislation was published in November. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Whatever Jeremy Hunt thinks, £100k is by any measure a high income

  24-03-2024 16:09
  
  Median salary is estimated to be just above £35,000 and anything higher than £81,357 is in the top 5%Notwithstanding the struggles of Jeremy Hunt’s constituent, £100,000 a year in the UK is, by any possible objective measure, a high income.The median for working-age households across the country is estimated to be just above £35,000, and anything higher than £81,357 puts you in the top 5%. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Experts predict when interest rates will drop as Bank of England holds rates again

  24-03-2024 16:03 via express.co.uk
  
  EXCLUSIVE: There could be several rates cuts this year, analysts have said.
  
  Read more

• Sadiq Khan rules out bolstering London Ulez scheme if he wins mayoral election

  24-03-2024 14:35
  
  In letter to TfL boss, Khan says plans ‘will not include new pay-per-mile road user charging scheme’Sadiq Khan has pledged not to extend the scope of London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) scheme if he returns to the role after May’s election.In a letter to the Transport for London commissioner, Andy Lord, the capital’s mayor wrote that he had “categorically” ruled out the introduction of a pay-per-mile scheme as well as any tightening of Ulez emissions
  
  Read more

• Neglected, derided and exploited more than ever: why won’t the UK protect those who rent a home? | John Harris

  24-03-2024 13:55
  
  Millions face a perfect storm of rising demand, limited supply and politicians who don’t really care enough to ease their plight Last week, a news story broke about the sheer impossibility of everyday living for millions of people all over the UK. According to the Office for National Statistics, the average monthly rent paid by private tenants rose by 9% in the year to February, which is the largest annual increase since records began nine years ago. The average monthly rent in England is
  
  Read more

• Thousands of London long-term rental properties at risk from holiday lets plan

  24-03-2024 11:00
  
  Government rule changes on Airbnb-style rentals could lead to loss of more than 10,000 long-term rentable propertiesA loophole in government proposals to clamp down on Airbnb-style holiday lets could lead to the loss of thousands of long-term rental properties for families in London.The government scrapped tax breaks for holiday homes in the budget and last month unveiled a registration scheme to help councils control the booming holiday let market, which Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Martin Lewis highlights £185 bank switching offer eligible for 'top pick' account

  24-03-2024 10:59 via express.co.uk
  
  There are several banks who have switching offers to try and entice new customers.
  
  Read more

• 650,000 state pensioners face new tax raid from April - many have already spent the money

  24-03-2024 10:46 via express.co.uk
  
  Hundreds of thousands of pensioners who never expected to pay income tax in retirement are set to receive a shock demand from HMRC. Many won't have the cash to pay, experts warn.
  
  Read more

• Last call to switch broadband and mobile deals as just days remain before price hikes

  24-03-2024 10:29 via express.co.uk
  
  Some providers have committed to not increasing their prices.
  
  Read more

• Energy bill dodgers stealing electricity in record numbers during cost-of-living crisis

  24-03-2024 10:00 via express.co.uk
  
  Data from Crimestoppers found that in 2023 alone there were 11,552 reports of energy theft, the highest number ever recorded.
  
  Read more

• Investment perks for shareholders by company - from free breakfasts to car discounts

  24-03-2024 09:00 via express.co.uk
  
  A new assessment of the perks of share ownerships has identified a number of eye-opening rewards that could entice potential investors.
  
  Read more

• A minimum wage alone can’t fix the UK poverty scandal

  24-03-2024 09:00
  
  The 25-year-old pay floor is justly celebrated but doesn’t tackle issues that mean exploitation and misery for manyNext month will mark 25 years since the national minimum wage was first paid in Britain: a quarter of a century during which what was once seen as a radical leftwing policy has won broad cross-party support.Over the past 14 years, the Conservatives have appropriated and expanded the policy, despite adopting a laissez-faire approach to other aspects of labour market regulation.
  
  Read more

• ‘Black hole’ in China's £107tn real estate market could smash UK economy – dire warning

  24-03-2024 08:00 via express.co.uk
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Tax expert Bob Lyddon believes estate agents in the UK are currently "engaged in an orchestrated attempt to talk the market up".
  
  Read more

• 'I'm a pensions expert - do these three things immediately to prepare for retirement'

  24-03-2024 08:00 via express.co.uk
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Financial planning expert Shona Lowe outlined how people can protect their money as they reach retirement.
  
  Read more

• Poverty data is a mark of shame for Tory rule | Observer editorial

  24-03-2024 07:30
  
  Prioritising tax cuts for the better off while letting children bear the brunt of financial hardship is not only cruel, it makes no financial sensePoverty figures published last week show that in 2023 one in six British children lived in families suffering from food insecurity, up from one in eight children in 2022. And one in 40 children lived in a family that accessed a food bank in the previous 30 days, almost double the proportion the previous year. The growing number of children whose paren
  
  Read more

• April phone bill hike - and how to get the most out of your mobile contract

  24-03-2024 07:00 via express.co.uk
  
  MoneyMagpie offers its top tips on how you can reduce costs while still getting the best out of your smartphone.
  
  Read more

Follow @financialnwsUK on Twitter!