Financial news

• UK households in 8 areas face huge Council Tax increases with one area seeing 25% rise

  21-01-2025 19:46 via express.co.uk
  
  UK households in 8 areas in the UK could be forced to pay as much as an extra 25% Council Tax overnight.
  
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• Martin Lewis issues warning to mobile phone customers over 'massive rip off'

  21-01-2025 19:45 via express.co.uk
  
  Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis says mobile firms are hitting customers with a 'massive rip-off'.
  
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• Digital passports among IDs to be available in UK government app

  21-01-2025 18:52 via theguardian.com
  The app announced by Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for technology, will launch in June with driving licences and veteran cards the first available IDsUK citizens could soon be able to carry their passports in a digital wallet on their phones along with their driving licence, universal credit account and marriage and birth certificates.The plan was announced by Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, as part of a new smartphone app to simplify interactions
  
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• Former pensions minister warns triple lock could soon end with cheaper replacement

  21-01-2025 17:26 via express.co.uk
  
  The future of the state pension triple lock has been cast into doubt, with one former pensions minister warning that it may not "last forever"
  
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• 'I'm an inheritance tax expert - these are three effective ways to reduce your bill'

  21-01-2025 17:07 via express.co.uk
  
  Certain inheritance tax strategies can lead to "significant" savings, an expert has said.
  
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• 'I'm a pensions expert - four ways completing a tax return can help boost your savings'

  21-01-2025 16:50 via express.co.uk
  
  Completing a tax return could unlock unexpected pension benefits, an expert has said.
  
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• DWP hands up to £69,260 to people with one of these 7 conditions

  21-01-2025 16:28 via express.co.uk
  
  Workers who have one or more conditions from a list of 7 condition categories could get up to £69,260.
  
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• Homebuyers warned of 'important' mortgage factor to consider - 'don't act with haste'

  21-01-2025 15:25 via express.co.uk
  
  Mortgage rates have increased by 8.1% year-on-year, new research shows.
  
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• What may happen to Santander customers and mortgages if bank quits UK? Expert explains

  21-01-2025 14:16 via express.co.uk
  
  A potential take-over could "harm" competition and reduce choice for consumers, analysts warn.
  
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• DWP claims AI system called 'Humphrey' can streamline the benefits process

  21-01-2025 13:59 via express.co.uk
  
  Humphrey is one of a number of AI systems that will be deployed across the government
  
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• Workers and employers: share your experience of the current UK job market

  21-01-2025 12:54 via theguardian.com
  
  We’d like to hear from those looking for work in the UK as well as from UK employers about their recent experiences of the labour marketBritain’s unemployment rate has risen unexpectedly and the number of workers on payrolls has fallen by the most since the height of the pandemic, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).It estimated that the number of payrolled employees had shrunk by 47,000 in December, the biggest drop since November 2020. The jobless
  
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• The best coffee machines for your home: your morning brew made easy, according to our expert

  21-01-2025 12:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Discover your perfect coffee maker with our tried-and-tested recommendations, from top-rated brands like Sage and Nespresso to capsule and manual espresso machines• How to choose the right type of coffee machine for youWhen it comes to something as earth-shatteringly important as coffee, everyone has an opinion. Some crave a single perfect shot of espresso, while others seek the milkiest latte; some love Starbucks and others, well, don’t. This is why the idea of there being a single b
  
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• How to challenge a parking fine or penalty charge notice and win

  21-01-2025 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Not all tickets are the same - if you think a fine was issued unfairly, what you need to do depends on who issued itParking tickets can be confusing as the two main types are both often abbreviated to PCN and are yellow chequered in appearance, says the British Parking Association (BPA), one of the main trade bodies.A penalty charge notice is usually issued by a council and is given for a parking infringement on public land such as a high street or council car park. Continue reading...
  
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• Davos day one: Von der Leyen, Zelenskyy, Ding and Scholz to speak as Trump looms over WEF – live updates

  21-01-2025 08:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsChancellor Rachel Reeves is heading to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos later today in a push to win new investment for the UK economy.Reeves will be emphasising the UK’s political and economic stability and promoting the government as pro-business.“Business leaders and investors need to know that the UK is where their businesses will flourish, so I’m meeting them face to face in Davos to make our case.” C
  
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• UK pay growth rises, adding to pressure to hold interest rates

  21-01-2025 08:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Annual growth in average weekly earnings increases by 5.6% in three months to end of NovemberUK pay growth rose in November, official figures show, keeping pressure on the Bank of England to hold interest rates amid concerns over lingering inflationary pressures.With the government under pressure on the economy, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said annual growth in average weekly earnings rose by 5.6% in the three months to the end of November, up from 5.2% in the three months to Octobe
  
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• My mother has Alzheimer’s but O2 won’t refund unused phone contract

  21-01-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  A reader argues that her parent should be reimbursed for past four years of inactivity since diagnosisLast year I discovered that my mother, who has Alzheimer’s, had been paying £21 a month for a mobile contract she hasn’t used since her diagnosis in 2020. That’s more than £1,000 for a phone she hasn’t used.When my sister first tried to cancel it in February 2024 we were told we couldn’t. It had to be done from her phone even though we have power of atto
  
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• Centrica may close UK’s largest gas storage site. Is the energy system really ready? | Nils Pratley

  21-01-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The risks need accessing as a renewables-heavy set-up would make demand for gas more volatile and unpredictableMonday was another of those dunkelflaute days when the wind barely blows, the sun doesn’t shine and it’s cold. At times, gas-fired power stations were generating 70% of the UK’s electricity while windfarms and solar facilities were contributing as little as 7% combined.It was a reminder of why, even under the government’s rapid programme to decarbonise the electr
  
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• Robot packers and AI cameras: UK retail embraces automation to cut staff costs

  21-01-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From electronic shelf labels to more self-service checkouts, automation is coming to your local supermarketElectronic shelf labels, returns machines, robot bag packers and yet more self-service tills – just some of the many technologies that UK retailers are embracing as they try to solve the problem of rising labour costs.Investment in automation was a constant drumbeat amid the flurry of festive trading updates from big retailers in the past few weeks, as they face higher staffing bills
  
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• ‘It’s a nightmare’: couriers mystified by the algorithms that control their jobs

  21-01-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From pay shortfalls to being dropped by apps, drivers face a range of issues – often with no way to fix themMost days a thicket of couriers can be seen around the McDonald’s in Northern Ireland’s Ballymena, waiting for orders and discussing the mysteries of the systems that rule their working lives.This week gig workers, trade unions and human rights groups launched a campaign for greater openness from Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo about the logic underpinning opaque algori
  
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• Belfast harbour plans £90m upgrade to serve wind energy projects

  21-01-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Move is part of £300m investment that includes deepwater quay and building of hundreds of homes near city centreBelfast harbour is to invest £90m to upgrade its port to serve a wave of wind energy projects and cruise ships as part of a £300m investment plan.A new deepwater quay capable of supporting wind projects will be the largest part of an investment plan that also includes the construction of hundreds of homes at a site near the city centre. Continue reading...
  
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• UK ‘second most attractive country for investment’, survey finds

  21-01-2025 01:54 via theguardian.com
  
  The survey of chief executives, published ahead of the World Economic Forum, follows an upgraded growth forecast from the IMFThe UK is the second most attractive country for investment behind the US, signalling a climb up the rankings, according to an annual survey of global business leaders by the consultancy PwC.Published at the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the survey of almost 5,000 chief executives from 109 countries puts the UK in second place, a
  
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• Work-life balance more important than pay for employees worldwide

  21-01-2025 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Annual survey finds workers have ‘multifaceted expectations’ after changes cause by Covid pandemicWork-life balance has soared in importance for workers around the world, becoming their top motivator and pushing pay into second place, according to an annual international survey of thousands of employees.It is the first time that finding or keeping a job that fits in with the rest of their lives has outranked salary in the 22-year history of the international recruitment company Rands
  
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