Summary: Food inflation has fallen for the fifth consecutive month, albeit not as rapidly as before. Staple items like milk and sunflower oil have seen price decreases, providing some relief for shoppers. Branded goods, including popular items like chocolate slices and cheddar, have witnessed significant price spikes. The Bank of England's chief economist anticipates that food prices may not return to pre-pandemic levels. ...

Summary: Buy-to-let mortgages entering arrears witness a significant increase, raising concerns for renters and the overall housing market . Rental costs are projected to rise in the coming months, further burdening tenants who already allocate a substantial portion of their earnings toward housing. Insufficient housing supply amid escalating demand emphasizes the urgency of addressing the housing crisis and promoting affordable solutions. The state of the housing market is compounded by decades of inadequate investment in social housing , leading to a deteriorating situation for renters and the homeless. Government interventi...

Summary: The government unveils plans to make it easier for people to expand homes upwards and outwards. Increased investment in brownfield sites aims to revitalize urban areas and boost homeownership. The government stands by its commitment to build 300,000 homes annually by the mid-2020s. Local opposition and environmental concerns pose challenges to housing development in certain areas. Addressing the housing crisis remains a significant issue for future elections. After a...

Supermarkets Cleared of 'Profiteering', but Told to Make Their Pricing 'Clearer' Summary: Supermarkets found not guilty of 'profiteering' from rising food prices due to intense competition. Retail grocery sector saw a significant decline in profits and operating margins. Baby formula and some everyday staples experienced higher price increases. Various factors, including geopolitical events and COVID-related disruptions, contributed to price rises. Supermarkets urged to improve price label clarity to facilitate customer comparisons and ensure fair deals. ...

UK Inflation Falls But Still Among Highest of Major Economies Summary: UK inflation remains high, causing financial strain for millions of households. Families face rising prices for essential items, while wages lag behind. Housing costs are adding to the burden, with mortgage rates on the rise. Supermarkets face criticism for not passing on cost cuts to consumers. Government efforts to tackle the cost of living crisis face scrutiny and demand for more action. Millions of hous...

Martin Lewis: Energy Price Guarantee rise would be 'act of national harm' If the price rises in April, it's not firms, it's not regulators, it is the government putting people's prices up. Well, I wrote to the Chancellor three weeks ago, asking him to not increase the rise, the energy price guarantee in April by 20% as planned, for all the reasons that have just been outlined there. And most importantly, what you have to understand is if we do increase it, it would result in an act of national mental health harm. People have been battered by successive rises in energy bills, 14% rises in broadband, 7% in water, 5% in council tax. And for the sake of just three months, and you heard the explanation of why it's just three months there, to send millions of people another letter is bad for people's finances. It's bad for people's state of mental health....

Passengers at London Waterloo react to the 5.9% increase in fares And what's your reaction to the average 5.9% increase in fares today in England and Wales? Well I mean obviously everyone's cost has gone up, the electricity to run the railway and everything else but prices were very very high compared to the rest of Europe anyway. So it does cut a little bit because we've all got changes at the moment. It's not really happy to hear it kind of increasing like that. Yeah I think it's tough times we're living in and considering how much we depend on public transport these days it's not going to be well received I think by many to hear that it's increasing. Considering the current state of the trains as well, this mix with the price increase is probably going to be met with some resistance I would say. It's amazing, it just keeps going all the time you ...