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Two councils in England have announced plans to introduce city centre charges for drivers with the older, more polluting cars. Birmingham and Leeds councils have proposed Clean Air Zones (CAZ) that will charge motorists up to £10 a visit from 2020. Birmingham's proposal will target private drivers, however, Leeds' will only charge older, heavy vehicles, such as lorries and buses and taxis. The proposals follow in the footsteps of London's £10-a-day T-Charge which applies to mainly pre-2006 petrol and diesel vehicles - and applies every weekday until 6pm. That's on top of the existing Congestion Charge. It also bears resemblance to the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) which will kick in across central London on 8 April 2019 as part of efforts to tackle the UK's 'crisis-level' air pollution. It means most vehicles - including cars and vans - will need to meet new, tighter exhaust emission standards or pay a daily fee to travel within the area of the ULEZ. Clean Air Zones … [Read more...] about New charges coming for drivers in Birmingham & Leeds

The country's largest construction company Fletcher Building has revealed its five-year plan to turn the business around. Multi-million dollar losses on constructions like the Sky City convention centre have seen the firm change tack to a simpler business model. Fletcher Building shares tumble 13 percent after chairman steps down Fletcher Building disaster: How it will affect you It's complex contracts that got Fletcher Building in trouble, so now they're getting back to basics. The company is digging itself out of a $1 billion hole in three stages. "It's about stabilising the go-foward businesses, exiting the non-core business and continuing to focus on acting on inorganic and organic adjacencies to the core as they present themselves," says chief executive Ross Taylor. "Done well, this should set us up for a solid FY20 and beyond that market growth in FY21." So what does that actually mean? Firstly, there's an executive team shake up. Fletcher will also sell Formica and the Roof … [Read more...] about Fletcher Building’s plan to turn business around

Whether you're trying to be healthy or just can't face a full size one after the rest of your Big Mac meal, there's now a new mini-me McFlurry in town. Half the size of standard McFlurrys, the adorable 75g pots are perfect for moments where you want a little sweet treat, without having go to for all out indulgence. Set to launch later this month on the 27th June, the newest addition to the McDonald's menu will come in two limited edition flavours: flake chocolate and flake raspberry as well as the usual McFlurry flavours (Oreo, Crunchie and Dairy Milk). As well as being smaller in size, the new ice cream tubs are also a lot smaller in price, setting you back 59p compared to the regular McFlurry's 89p. Just like the standard size McFlurrys, there's also some special edition promotional flavours too, which will set you back 89p a pop for the mini-me version, rather than the regular sized ones' £1.29. Perfect for those who are watching what they eat, the news follows the fast food … [Read more...] about McDonald’s have just made a massive change to their McFlurrys

High street discounter Poundworld is set to launch a UK wide "closing down" sale on Thursday, despite bosses claiming stores aren't shutting down. Staff at the budget superstore have been told the clearance will begin today - on a same week 100 redundancies were announced . However, administrators Deloitte, who have been called in to save the troubled chain, said no stores are "definitely" closing and that the search for a buyer continues. Deloitte also revealed it had appointed retail consultants Hilco to help with the management of the stores. On 11 June, Poundworld entered administration placing around 5,100 jobs at risk. On Monday, it revealed a number of head office roles have been cut as part of the shake up . “The retail trading environment in the UK remains extremely challenging and Poundworld has been seeking to address this through a restructure of its business," said Clare Boardman, joint administrator. "Unfortunately, this has not been possible. We still believe a … [Read more...] about Poundworld to start closing down sales today across 355 stores

Bank cards that allow you to pay using chip and pin could soon be phased out as part of plans to introduce a safer way to make purchases. The new method will allow consumers to buy goods using their fingerprints - similar to Apple's Touch ID for the iPhone. Banks are working behind the scenes to roll out a new breed of "biometric" bank cards, according to The Sun . With built in fingerprint scanning tech, it could make life tougher for fraudsters to hack into accounts. It comes after a collective £1 billion was stolen by criminals last year. "What we're talking about is a normal-shaped credit or debit card," said Howard Berg, who works at digital security firm Gemalto. "The big difference being on the right-hand side is a little sensor, and that's designed for you to place your finger or thumb," he told The Sun. "Rather than having to use a PIN, you put your finger on the card and it authenticates the use of the card. It's the same for contactless." The end of chip and pin? … [Read more...] about Bank cards as you know them are being replaced by a new ‘biometric’ way to pay