Author Archives: Editor

                 Parents could soon receive up to £4,500 a year if their teenagers take up an apprenticeship under government plans designed to tackle Britain’s worsening skills crisis. Ministers hope the move will end the unfair situation in which some families are financially penalised when young people choose work instead of benefits. For thousands ofContinue reading “Parents offered £4,500 to back apprenticeships”

                 Three restaurants are closing their doors every single day, and the consequences are spreading far beyond Britain’s kitchens. Every closure means fewer jobs, fewer customers, less money flowing through local economies and another blow to struggling high streets. Restaurants are more than places to eat. They attract visitors, support dozens of suppliers andContinue reading “Three restaurants a day go bust – and our high streets are paying the price”

                 Half of Britain is now officially in drought, and the damage is spreading far beyond parched gardens and shrinking reservoirs. Across the country, small and micro businesses are facing soaring costs, supply shortages, falling customer numbers and impossible choices. Builders are struggling to work safely in extreme heat, cafés and restaurants are payingContinue reading “The great summer squeeze: why drought could sink thousands of small firms”

                 Britain’s independent petrol stations are under siege. Every day, drivers are stealing almost £200,000 worth of petrol and diesel, leaving thousands of small forecourt operators struggling to survive. For family-run garages already battling rising energy costs, higher wages, inflation and fragile supply chains, the losses are becoming impossible to absorb. The consequences couldContinue reading “£200,000 of fuel stolen every day as forecourts face extinction”