6:50 am, October 26, 2021
Millions of workers set for Budget pay rise as public sector freeze ends
Millions of workers are in line for a Budget pay rise as the Chancellor announced the UK’s economy is ‘firmly back on track’ after the coronavirus pandemic.
Rishi Sunak has confirmed he will scrap the year-long public sector pay freeze in his fiscal statement on Wednesday, paving the way for a possible wage increase next year for those such as teachers, nurses, police and armed forces personnel.
According to the latest available data from the Office for National Statistics, there were 5.68m public sector workers registered June.
National Living Wage to rise to £9.50 an hour
Around two million workers will get a pay rise next year when the National Living Wage is increased from £8.91 an hour to £9.50.
The Treasury confirmed on Monday ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget this week that the increase for all over-23s will take place on April 1.
The 59p hourly boost will mean a full-time worker on the living wage will get a pay rise of more than £1,000 per year, according to the government.
Rise in police facing action over claims they abused position for sexual purpose
The number of police officers and staff facing disciplinary action over allegations they abused their position for sexual purposes has ‘risen sharply’ over the last three years, according to a watchdog.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct issued a warning that such individuals have ‘no place in policing and will be found out’, as it revealed the figures.
Last year there were 70 IOPC probes of police officers and staff over allegations of abuse of position for a sexual purpose, as opposed to 10 in 2016.
PM must act now to avoid Christmas crisis, warn haulage bosses
UK haulage industry bosses have told the prime minister to ‘act now to prevent a Christmas crisis’ as a result of continuing lorry driver shortages.
In a letter to Boris Johnson, more than 1,600 haulage sector bosses, led by the Road Haulage Association, warn that without decisive action there is a ‘risk of further damage to not only our businesses and livelihoods, but the UK’s integrated and finely balanced supply chains’.
The letter calls for HGV drivers to be added to the shortage occupation list for at least 12 months, for reform to driver certification to help the return of retired drivers, and an HGV taskforce.
Deadline set for evidence in Andrew’s civil sexual assault case
Depositions in the civil sexual assault case against the Duke of York must be completed by mid-July of next year, a judge in the US has ruled.
While not specified in the court papers, both Andrew and his accuser Virginia Giuffre are expected to answer questions under oath.
And depositions must be completed on or before July 14, district judge Lewis Kaplan, who serves in the Southern District of New York, said.
Injunction granted against Insulate Britain protesters blocking key roads
A new nationwide injunction has been granted against Insulate Britain protesters which means they could be jailed if they block any motorway or major A road across England.
The Department for Transport on Monday said the High Court had granted the interim injunction against climate change demonstrators who cause disruption on ‘any part of the strategic road network in England’.
It comes after the group renewed its roadblock campaign on Monday, bringing traffic on the streets of the City of London and Canary Wharf to a standstill.
Met to apologise to the family of murdered sisters for ‘below standard’ response
The Metropolitan Police will apologise to the family of two murdered sisters for its response when they were reported missing which was ‘below the standard that it should have been’.
Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death in Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north London, last June, while out celebrating a birthday.
Danyal Hussein, 19, was convicted of their murder in July after a jury found him guilty of the savage attack.
Monday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Used Car Awards 2021: The Shortlist
- SECOND Cheeky Girl working in Hyundai showroom as pair plan their very own dealership
- Average used car prices up almost 25 per cent on same point last year, says Auto Trader
- Bentley dealers in USA commission special models from manufacturer
- London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) is 18 times larger from today, impacting thousands of motorists
Net zero push ‘will bring biggest peacetime changes to global economy’
The push to make the global economy green will need the biggest economic transformation ever seen in peacetime, but is possible while maintaining economic growth, an influential economist is set to say.
Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, will say decarbonising and growing the economy do not need to race each other and that cleaner investment can drive sustainable growth.
The economist is best known for his Treasury-sponsored review into the costs of climate change 15 years ago.
Housing market set to record its strongest year since 2007
The housing market is set to record its highest level of sales this year since 2007, according to a property website.
Around 1.5m sales will have taken place across the UK in 2021, Zoopla predicts.
It added that housing transactions are expected to decline to 1.2 million in 2022, in line with the long-run average, but still relatively high compared to the past decade.
UK businesses borrow £800m in recovery loans
Only a little over 5,000 businesses have tapped into a government scheme to help them recover from the pandemic, in a slow take-up of new support compared with what was offered in the early days of lockdown.
The British Business Bank said £822.8m had been borrowed by 5,137 businesses across the UK since the Recovery Loan Scheme was launched in April.
About 1,000 more firms have been told they can borrow up to £200 million, but have yet to tap into the money.
Tesla Model 3 becomes Europe’s best-selling car in September
Tesla’s Model 3 was the best-selling car in Europe last month – the first time that an electric car has taken the top spot.
Some 24,591 units were registered during the month according to data from JATO Dynamics – a 2.6 per cent market share – and it meant that it was the first time that a vehicle manufactured outside of Europe had topped the rankings.
JATO says that the Model 3’s strong performance can, in part, be put down to Tesla’s end-of-quarter sales push, with September providing to be a historically strong month for the US firm.
Toyota testing hydrogen combustion engines in race cars
Toyota has said it is testing hydrogen combustion engines in race cars as it works toward using the technology in commercial products.
Such engines burn hydrogen as fuel instead of petrol, much like rockets.
The Japanese carmaker said testing the technology in race cars will allow it to collect data and try to fix problems on-site.
Hertz order for 100,000 Teslas ranks among largest electric vehicle purchases
Hertz has announced it will buy 100,000 electric vehicles from Tesla, one of the largest purchases of battery-powered cars in history and the latest evidence of the US’s increasing commitment to EV technology.
The purchase by one of the world’s leading rental car companies reflects its confidence that electric vehicles are gaining acceptance with environmentally minded consumers as an alternative to vehicles powered by petroleum-burning internal combustion engines.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mark Fields, Hertz’s interim chief executive, said that Teslas are already arriving at the company’s sites and should be available for rental starting in November.
Cloudy but mild day ahead for many
Today will be a largely cloudy but mild day, with a band of rain moving eastwards across Scotland and northern England. Further areas of rain will arrive in western Scotland later. The BBC reports it will be ‘breezy’.
Tonight, Scotland and Northern Ireland will see a band of rain move south-eastwards, reaching north-western England later. Further south, it will continue largely cloudy and dry. A very mild night.
Tomorrow, north-western England and southern Scotland will be cloudy and wet. There will be sunny spells and showers or spells of rain for northern Scotland and Northern Ireland. Mostly dry but cloudy elsewhere.
