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NOVEMBER 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
UK house prices set to
rise 17% by 2018
CBRE forecasts that national
house prices will rise 17%
during the next five years
as the economic recovery is
underway.
The news follows an increase in
optimism, which has fed through to
the national housing market, with
mortgage approvals at their highest
level since 2008, leading to over
62,000 requests approved during
August 2013.
The market will be boosted by
help to buy, low interest rates and
improvements in the mortgage
market. With most favourable
economic conditions in Southern
England, CBRE expect house prices
in London, the South East and East
of England will witness the most
significant growth throughout the
next five years.
Jennet Siebrits, Head of Residential
Research at CBRE, comments: “The
continued improvement in lending
conditions has been a significant
factor in the increased demand
across the UK property market. Notably, the Funding for Lending and
Help-to-Buy equity loan schemes
have proven particularly successful.
“The first phase of Help-to-Buy
has achieved its objective of stimulating the UK property market,
through delivering over 15,000 res-
Deputy prime
minister
launches £300
million regional
growth pot
Launch of first
legal comparison
site for businesses
A new round of the Regional
Growth Fund has opened as the
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
called on businesses across the
country to bid for a share of
the £300 million cash pot.
LawyerFair matches businesses in need of legal advice with pre-screened and
market reviewed lawyers.
There is no cost to use the
service.
It’s the first comparison
site in the UK dedicated
to SMEs, providing choice,
quality and complete transparency.
The Deputy Prime
Minister praised ‘home
grown and British-based
businesses’ for their
crucial role in Britain’s
economic recovery.
‘£2.6 billion
from the first
four rounds of
the Regional
Growth Fund has
supported over
400 projects and
programmes’
So far £2.6 billion from
the first four rounds of the
Regional Growth Fund has
supported over 400 projects
and programmes, which
will create and safeguard
hundreds of thousands of
jobs over the long-term and
stimulate £14.7 billion of
private sector investment.
Round 5 will be open to
private sector bidders seeking £1 million or more. The
government is calling for
companies planning high
quality projects that will
generate significant private sector investment and
sustainable jobs. Businesses will be able to submit
their bids until noon on 9
December.
For more information,
and further details of the
expression of interest
events in your areas
please go to www.gov.uk/
understanding-the-regionalgrowth-fund or email
[email protected].
A new legal comparison
site that connects businesses with lawyers
has been launched.
CEO Andrew Weaver
says: “Research indicates
that businesses are really
unhappy with the current
legal services market and
want something different.
“Traditionally, finding a
lawyer is a lottery based
on local recommendations or the firm you
always use, whether or
not they’re experts in
the field of law you need
today.
‘It’s the first comparison site in the UK
dedicated to SMEs, providing choice,
quality and complete transparency’
Businesses post their legal
requirement online and
within 24 hours, receive up
to three fee proposals from
pre-approved lawyers, all of
whom who have signed up
to the LawyerFair customer care charter. Users can
check reviews on each lawyer left by previous users.
LawyerFair was created
by an experienced management team of lawyers
and owner managers, all of
whom with vast experien ce
of providing and procuring
legal services for SMEs.
“LawyerFair provides a fantastic alternative. Our efficient
and competitive tendering
process is changing the way
that businesses procure legal
services. Our unique and
independent service charter
is providing businesses with
the confidence that they’re
receiving the best advice, at
the fairest price.”
Businesses should visit
www.lawyerfair.com,
email contact@lawyerfair.
com, call 0800 233 5636
or follow on Twitter.
ervations since April of this year. We
expect the second phase of Helpto-Buy to become a ‘game changer’
and therefore anticipate it will help
in the region of half a million prospective buyers who are seeking to
enter the property market.”
Source: CBRE Group, Inc.
Private sector
employment
indicator for may
to July 2013
The Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills published the
latest Private Sector Employment
Indicator figures, covering May
to July 2013. The Indicator shows
whether, over time, dependency on
the private sector for employment
is increasing and how this
rebalancing varies by region.
Business Minister Michael Fallon said:
“The figures published
today show our efforts to
rebalance the economy
toward the private sector
continue to bear fruit, with
private sector employment
for this quarter now at its
highest level since 2009.
This is welcome news but
we must not be complacent.
Through the industrial strategy we are working with
businesses across the country to put in place the best
conditions to foster growth
and create jobs. And from
next April the new £2,000
Employment Allowance will
effectively remove the tax
on jobs for around 450,000
businesses.”
Today’s figures show
private sector employment
has risen to an estimated
59.1%, an increase of 0.7
percentage points (ppts)
on the same period a year
ago. This is the highest level
for Q2 (May to July) since
2009.
‘private sector
employment
has risen to an
estimated 59.1%’
All regions showed a fall
in public sector employment
for the Q2 2013 compared
to the same period the previous year.
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