Osborne breathes a sigh of relief over borrowing figures
Figures show public borrowing has fallen slightly fulfilling a key pledge made by the Chancellor. But that is not the end of his troubles.
Busy streets, but shoppers are spending less
Weakening consumer confidence has led to a much worse than expected October for retailers. Retail sales volumes dropped 0.8% month-on-month.
Hope for the High Street: a dispatch from Horley, Surrey
The traders and locals on Horley High Street are determined to fight the seemingly endless tale of decline.
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UK drops 7 places in comparison of household income
The UK has dropped from 5th to 12th place in a international comparison of household disposable income, according to a new report by the Office for National Statistics.
The UK was ranked fifth in 2005 but has since dropped by seven places to 12th in 2011, in a comparison of household actual disposable income per head.
The report suggests that the figures reflect the experiences of households since the recession began in 2008.
The increasing price of goods and services, as well as the devaluation of sterling during this period are cited as key reasons for a reduction in disposable income.
Value of UK exports increases by 3.5 percent
The value of UK exports increased by 3.5% between February and March of this year, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics.
The report on UK trade also revealed that the UK’s deficit on trade in goods and services was estimated to have been £3.1 billion in March, compared with a deficit of £3.4 billion in February.
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Osborne breathes a sigh of relief over borrowing figures
Figures show public borrowing has fallen slightly fulfilling a key pledge made by the Chancellor. But that is not the end of his troubles.
Read the full storyPublic sector borrowing was £120.6 billion in 2012/13
Public sector net borrowing fell slightly to £120.6 billion in the year to March 2013, the Office for National Statistics announced today.
The figure is just below net borrowing in the year to March 2012, with was £120.9 billion.
This is after removing the effects of the transfer of the Royal Mail Pension Plan and the transfers from the Bank of England Asset Purchase Facility.
Public sector borrowing fell to £15.1 billion in March
Public sector net borrowing fell to £15.1 billion in March, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
This was down £1.6 billion from March 2012 when net borrowing stood at £16.7 billion.
New figures reveal snapshot of family life in the UK
The Office of National Statistics has released figures that give a snapshot of family life in the UK. The statistics showed that in 2012:
- There were 7.7 million families with dependent children in the UK, 1 in 7 of which had three or more dependent children.
- Married couples had a higher average number of dependent children in their family than other family types, at 1.8 children per family compared with 1.7 on average.
- The UK has a higher percentage of households with three or more children than three-quarters of European Union countries.
- Nearly 9 in 10 couple families with three or more dependent children had either one or both parents working.
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Full facts and figures on the UK's labour market
The facts and figures behind today's rise in the jobless total have been pulled together into a video by the Office For National Statistics.
Union: Young bearing the brunt of UK 'jobs crisis'
– Frances O'Grady, TUC general secretaryToday's figures confirm our fears that economic stagnation has finally caught up with the jobs market.
Young people are bearing the brunt of our jobs crisis, with the number of unemployed youngsters up 48,000 and approaching a million again.
The news for those in work is not much better, with the gap between wages and the rising cost of living getting even wider.
We won't see a proper recovery in the jobs market until we get growth back into the economy. That's why the Chancellor must change course and prioritise jobs, growth and living standards in his Budget today.
Employment increases by 131,000
#Unemployment was 2.52m in Nov-Jan, up 7k on Aug-Oct. #Employment was 29.73m, up 131k http://t.co/KlgNsYOslK
From @statisticsONS on Twitter:Public sector employment down by 20,000
UK public sector #employment down for the 13th quarter running, by 20,000 to 5.722m http://t.co/tUPWOqKckn #ons
From @statisticsONS on Twitter:Today's top stories
