BSL Financial Services

Food banks supported 800,000 UK children in 2021-22, data shows

One-fifth of UK population was in relative poverty after first year of pandemic, when support measures scrapped Families including 800,000 children were forced to turn to food banks to feed themselves as poverty levels started to rise again after the first year of the pandemic, the first official figures on UK food bank use show. […]

Bank of England raises UK interest rates by quarter-point to 4.25%

Monetary policy committee votes to increase base rate after February’s surprise rise in inflation Business live – latest updates Analysis: Is this the end of interest rate rises? What the interest rate rise means for you The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25% in response […]

UK interest rate rise: what it means for you

How the new base rate of 4.25% might affect mortgages, house prices and credit cards Business live – latest updates Analysis: Is this the end of interest rate rises? Bank of England raises interest rates to 4.25% The Bank of England has yet again raised interest rates, this time by 0.25 percentage points, taking the […]

UK shoppers: which item in your basket has gone up most in cost?

We would like to know about the key product that has risen in price the most in your shopping basket over the last year The UK’s annual inflation rate rose to 10.4% in February as prices continue to rise for a wide range of goods and services. If you live in the UK, we would […]

Why does the UK have highest inflation in G7 and is Brexit a factor?

Britain appears to be an international outlier after the shock reading in double digits this week Live coverage: Inflation jumps as cost of living crisis intensifies UK inflation rate in surprise rise to 10.4% Inflation calculator: find out how much price rises affect you Britain has the highest inflation rate in the G7, as the […]

Jeremy Hunt’s ‘stealth’ income tax rise: here’s how it will affect you

Millions of people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland face paying basic or higher-rate tax for first time. We look at how much it will cost and what you can do The government’s decision to freeze income tax thresholds means nearly 3 million low- and middle-income people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will have […]

Central banks must keep interest rates high to combat inflation, says OECD

Organisation also says UK will be only G20 economy apart from Russia to shrink this year Central banks should maintain the fight against inflation with high interest rates despite fears of a global banking crash, according to the OECD, which said the UK will be the only economy in the G20 apart from Russia to […]

Budget: UK on track for ‘disastrous decade’ of income stagnation

Thinktank says taxes as share of GDP are on course to reach 70-year high but public services are being cut Budget 2023: key points at a glance The UK remains on track for a “disastrous decade” of stagnant incomes and high taxes, despite cuts to public services, the Resolution Foundation has said in its analysis […]

‘Disappointing’ – housing chiefs slam lack of property measures in Budget

Landlords, estate agents and surveyors have all given yesterday’s Budget an unqualified thumbs down after the Chancellor chose to focus on economic growth but ignore several problem threatening to engulf the housing market. All have said the budget was disappointing and a ‘missed opportunity’ to invest in the UK’s housing market and head off some […]