Category: Business News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the National Crime Agency (NCA) have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that details how the two organisations will cooperate to improve the UK’s cyber resilience. The aim is that their working more closely together will help organisations and businesses across the country to have better protection from the activity of criminals who steal data and hold it to ransom.

A recent report by the British Chambers of Commerce and Tussell has highlighted the ongoing challenges the public sector faces in meeting its procurement targets for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite the UK government’s commitment to increasing the procurement of goods and services from SMEs, the numbers reveal a persistent shortfall.

In a recent case reported by the Insolvency Service, two connected corporate rescue firms, Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd and Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited, have been forcibly shut down by the UK courts. These companies, trading under the Atherton brand, claimed to offer business owners struggling with debt a legal alternative to formal insolvency procedures.

Last week, Companies House confirmed that their online services will move to the GOV.UK One Login beginning from autumn 2024. The GOV.UK One Login is becoming an increasingly important way of accessing government digital services. It means that you only need one account, one username, and one password to access a range of government services.

Barratt Developments, the UK’s largest housebuilder, has reported a significant decline in pre-tax profits, down by three-quarters for the year ending June 2024. This comes as the company completed just 14,000 homes, a sharp decrease from 17,000 the previous year, with forecasts suggesting even lower figures of 13,000 to 13,500 homes for the upcoming year.

The Plan 1 student loan interest rate reduced to 6% (from 6.25%) from 30 August. This rate change applies across the UK with the Department for Education (DfE), the Welsh Government and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland (DfE NI) all confirming the change. The reduction follows the Bank of England Base Rate changing to 5% earlier in August.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has declared a bluetongue restricted zone across Norfolk and Suffolk following several confirmed cases of Bluetongue virus BTV3 in the region. Since 30 August all keepers of cattle, sheep, and other ruminants and camelids in this area have to follow strict restrictions on animal and germinal product movements.