5 h. ago Welsh councils warn of massive council tax rises or 13,000 job losses

Filling a gap from Welsh Government funding could see 20% rises in council tax, they have warned

Events

10 h. ago High streets 'face critical moment' amid chilling warning of shop closures and huge job losses

Small shops 'part of the social fabric of Britain'

Events

14 h. ago Young people are biggest victims of UK’s fragile jobs market

Firms too scared to take a chance on youngsters when taxes and minimum wages are higher, expert saysUK labour market shows signs of stabilising after job lossesBusiness live – latest updatesSo much about the UK jobs market is influenced by Rachel Reeves. Without overdoing the blame, say many experts, the chancellor’s tough budget last year and the likelihood of a repeat next month hangs over employers and how they recruit and pay staff.The latest official figures show a rising number of young people out of work in the three months to August. More broadly, unemployment rose to a four-year high and the number of vacancies fell. And then there was the stubborn increase in the public sector wage bill, which outpaced the much more modest increase in private sector wages. Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago Wage growth slips back as jobless rate hits highest since 2021 – ONS

The ONS said there were signs of the jobs market downturn ‘levelling off’, with a rise in UK workers on payrolls, up 10,000 between July and August.

Events

33 h. ago Desperate Reeves 'could combine monster Budget tax hikes with council tax overhaul'

The IFS think-tank said Rachel Reeves should make fundamental changes - such as abolishing council tax and replacing it with a property tax.

Economics

34 h. ago Desperate Reeves 'could wrap monster Budget raid into council tax overhaul'

The IFS think-tank said Rachel Reeves should make fundamental changes - such as abolishing council tax and replacing it with a property tax.

Economics

59 h. ago Scottish Parliament unites in call to block STV North news service axe decision, in letter to Ofcom

The company has been accused of financial mismanagement since news of some 60 job losses.

Politics

60 h. ago 'I followed Martin Lewis tip and got £3,000 council tax refund'

Up to 400,000 homes are estimated to be in too high a council tax band - if this is you, then you may be able to challenge it and get a refund worth thousands of pounds

Economics

66 h. ago Thousands of UK households could get council tax discount and save hundreds

The Disabled Band Reduction Scheme is meant to help disabled people who may be in larger properties because of their needs

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Our job is to maximise their losses’: how Ukraine’s forces attempt to claw back against Russian advances

Along Donetsk’s frontline, a small counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops aims to help change perceptions about the war among Kyiv’s western alliesAs Donald Trump prepared to meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August, Russia launched an offensive in eastern Ukraine. Small groups of soldiers pushed forward near Dobropillia and, meeting little resistance, they advanced 15 to 20 km and seized a chain of villages.It is a small pocket of land, but one that has driven perceptions of the war in the last months. At the time of the Alaska summit, it was seen as proof that Russia had momentum; as Ukraine had taken back territory – albeit in the context of Russian advances elsewhere – it may have contributed to Trump’s dismissive assessment of Moscow’s military as a “paper tiger”. Continue reading...

Society

5 d. ago Two major fault lines on the West Coast are in ‘sync’ and signal possible massive quake on horizon, scientists warn

The impact would be doubly as devastating as predictions for the impending ‘Big One’ and leave millions in harm’s way from California to Canada

Events

5 d. ago The council tax house price lottery: How some homes worth MILLIONS pay just 0.03% of their value

The system, based on house prices from 1991, has long been criticised because residents of some wealthy areas pay far less proportionally than those in more deprived ones.

Economics

5 d. ago West London council tax change may see bills shoot up for some

West London council tax change may see bills shoot up for some - what's happening and who's affected  MyLondon

Economics

5 d. ago East London council pays out £572,000 in compensation to residents after record rise in complaints

The number of housing complaints sent to Hackney council has nearly trebled in four years

Economics

5 d. ago Sir Jim Ratcliffe doubles down on brutal Manchester United cost

Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has opened up on the savage job losses and brutal cost-cutting measures he claims were necessary to keep the club financially viable

Politics

6 d. ago Overflowing bins in Welsh town 'unable to cope' after council changes, say residents

Vale of Glamorgan Council started removing some litter bins across the county to stop them from being abused and to tackle the issue of fly-tipping

Politics

6 d. ago Tory plan to abolish stamp duty ‘will benefit London and the wealthiest the most’ – UK politics live

The Social Market Foundation thinktank says council tax reform and a property-based tax would be more sustainable and fairerVoting in the Labour deputy leadership election opens today. Lucy Powell, the former Commons leader, is seen as the favourite and, as Jessica Elgot reports, Powell told supporters yesterday that, if she is elected, she will use the post to argue for changes in the way the government is operating. “We can’t sugarcoat the fact that things aren’t going well,” she said.Powell is no longer a government minister and, if she is elected deputy leader, she will do the job from the backbenches. In an interview on Newsnight last night, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary standing against Powell, said a Powell victory would be “destabilising” for the party. She said:[Electing Powell] risks destabilising the party we best achieve what we need to do together when we have those fierce conversations, including disagreements, behind closed doors.Members need to understa...

Politics

6 d. ago Check for Council Tax discount of up to £850 to help bring down payments

Nearly half a million households in Scotland are receiving a Council Tax Reduction on their annual bill.

Economics

6 d. ago Spot gold rises above $4,000 for the first time; car dealer Vertu Motors warns of £5.5m profit hit from JLR disruption – business live

Gold has doubled in two years and extends 50% rally so far this year amid central bank buying and political turmoilPeter Hargreaves, the billionaire co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown, is retiring from the UK’s largest personal investment site, seven months after its £5.4bn acquisition by private equity firms. Hargreaves, 79, who set up the business in 1981 in the back bedroom of his house in Clifton with Stephen Lansdown, is handing his board position to his son Robert and said this “marks a proud new chapter in the family legacy”. His firm pioneered “DIY” investments, allowing people to invest directly in shares via its website without costly financial advisers.The Bristol-based company said he had rejoined the board earlier this year to “provide continuity and support through a period of change” following its takeover by a private equity consortium of Jersey-based buyout giant CVC Capital Partners, Sweden’s Nordic Capital and the Abu Dhabi wealth fund, which completed in March.Har...

Economics

6 d. ago Gold price tops $4,000 for first time as investors seek safe haven

Precious metal having biggest rally since 1970s amid political uncertainty in US, France and JapanBusiness live – latest updatesThe price of gold has risen above $4,000 (£2,980) per ounce for the first time as investors continue to seek a safe place to put their money at a time of global political and economic uncertainty.The spot price of gold – the real-time market value of gold and viewed as the global benchmark – reached $4,031.54 at 8am in London on Wednesday morning, after climbing 1.2% during early trading. Continue reading...

Economics