News

A national expansion of WorkWell, a health-and-employment support service, is set to take place across England, following a successful pilot that helped more than 25,000 people stay in or return to work.

Small Business Britain is set to roll out its Small and Mighty Enterprise Programme, a six-week online course designed to help sole traders and micro businesses unlock growth opportunities.

With just 10 weeks or so to go until the new tax year, many businesses are preparing for the changes that Making Tax Digital (MTD) will bring. From April, sole traders and landlords with an income of over £50,000 will need to submit quarterly updates to HMRC.

Amazon is set to close all 19 of its UK Amazon Fresh grocery stores less than five years after launching the till-free sites in London. Five of the stores may be converted into Whole Foods outlets, another grocery brand owned by Amazon.

Cyber incidents continue to feature in the news headlines, with airports now joining large UK retailers and manufacturers in experiencing serious disruption to supply chains and services.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, hosted US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at Downing Street recently for a joint industry roundtable. The meeting reaffirmed the close ties between London and New York as leading global financial centres and announced the creation of a new Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported last week that the annual inflation rate for August 2025 was 3.8%, unchanged from July.

From April, people drawing the state pension may see an increase of more than £500 a year, thanks to the government’s triple lock guarantee. The policy means the pension rises each year by whichever is higher: 2.5%, inflation, or average wage growth.

Small businesses looking to expand premises could soon find it easier following new government commitments to make business rates fairer. An interim report from the Treasury says that the Chancellor will examine ways to tackle “cliff edges” in the system - sudden jumps in rates that can discourage investment.

From October 2025, businesses that fall under the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme will receive their first invoices, covering the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.