Too early to call the bottom for builders

by Katerina | Dec 13, 2023 | News

The UK’s construction industry has been at or near the top of insolvency statistics in 2023. The sector has seen record levels of businesses folding – more than 4,000 in Q3 2023, or 18% of all cases in an identifiable industry – amid surging inflation and a...

Loan fraud bounces back on builder

by Katerina | Dec 6, 2023 | News

In case anyone needed confirmation that the Insolvency Service is stepping up action against businesses which have abused the government’s Bounce Back Loan (BBL) Scheme, look no further than the 20  month custodial sentence (suspended for two years) meted out in...

Council crashes magnify the misery of inflation

by Katerina | Nov 28, 2023 | News

Britain’s local councils are going bust – or getting close to it – left, right and centre. Literally, since the parlous state of local government finances is being revealed almost daily in councils controlled by all three major political parties. Early examples of...

Letter from London: Autumn Statement 2023

by Katerina | Nov 23, 2023 | News

The sands of time are fast draining away towards the date of the next General Election. Arguably only this Autumn Statement and the Budget next March provide a beleaguered government with set-piece economic events that have the potential to change the political...

November 2023 Newsletter: One cheer for lower inflation

by Katerina | Nov 19, 2023 | News

Two cheers would be a stretch, let alone three. Core inflation remains hard to shift, meaning UK interest rate cuts are some way off. The only surprise in October’s fall in the Consumer Prices Index was the size of the decline from 6.7% to 4.6%. It was always going to...