Archive for April, 2009
NI plans to prune structure: Public Finance
The number of government departments and Assembly members in Northern Ireland could be cut as part of an efficiency review announced this week.
Reducing the 11 departments and 108 MLAs was a manifesto pledge of the Democratic Unionists, the largest party, and was allowed for under the St Andrews Agreement, which led to the DUP and [...]
Questions of Cash: ‘I no longer have the money to fight my case’: The Independent
Q. I was divorced in 2005, when I was also off work because of ill health. This led to arrears on my mortgage with the West Bromwich Mortgage Company. At the final divorce proceedings the judge said that as the house was up for sale and to avoid further hardship I only had to make [...]
Time to break-up the big banks: Co-operative News
The collapse of the Dunfermline Building Society is the event we feared in recent months. Nor is it necessarily the only major building society that will cease trading before the global crisis passes at some point in the next few years.
Rumours persist of more societies that have loaned excessively on commercial properties and buy-to-let, particularly [...]
An expensive Cinderella: Accounting & Business
Social care is frequently described as the ‘Cinderella’ service – unglamorous, out-of-sight and never given enough love and affection. But this Cinderella certainly isn’t cheap these days. Costs have risen to such a degree that they are the single biggest inflationary factor pushing at the budgetary doors of local authorities.
Something must be done about the [...]
Dunfermline blow to mortgage market: Primelocation
The collapse of the Dunfermline Building Society does not shake the foundations of the global financial sector in the way that the problems of RBS, Halifax and Citigroup did. Yet it could have serious implications for UK mortgage lending.
For story go to: http://www.primelocation.com/news/Dunfermline-blow-to-mortgage-market/
A hint of recovery?: Primelocation
Mortgage lending jumped 19% in February, giving hope that the property market might now begin a slow recovery. However, the latest figures must be treated cautiously as lending remains at less than a third of the level at its peak in mid-2006.
For story go to http://www.primelocation.com/news/a-hint-of-recovery/
Accountancy news for April: Accounting & Business
Fast facts
£4bn – amount lost annually to UK taxes through tax havens
$100bn – amount lost annually to US taxes through tax havens
26% - the world’s capital held in tax havens
1.2% - the world’s population living in tax havens
G20 catches tax havens
The future of tax havens seems in doubt, with G20 countries forcing the main tax [...]
Joint working: Local Government Chronicle
The Conservative Party’s green paper is big on empowerment for local government. It is also – but less noticably - big on joint working by councils and the amalgamation of back office functions.
Perhaps it was fear that the message of ‘freeing local government from central control’ would be overshadowed that meant the Tories’ proposals on [...]
View from the front line: Accounting & Business
The view from: George Black FCCA, chief executive, Glasgow City Council
What challenges do you face at Glasgow City Council?
Like other cities - improving levels of academic attainment and achievement, making the city cleaner and safer, improving the health and wellbeing of residents, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of services, preparing for a public expenditure squeeze [...]
Questions of Cash: Confusion over pension protection: The Independent
Q. I have a stakeholder pension with Aviva/Norwich Union which I am no longer contributing to. What protection is there for pension holders in case Aviva goes bankrupt? NL, Sheffield.
A. There is serious confusion over the level of protection for people like you with stakeholder pensions. Your fund is guaranteed by the Financial Services Compensation [...]
