Brexit is hitting the UK export market, according to data from HMRC.

This comes just as Kwasi Kwarteng has told Treasury officials to adapt to a new approach focused on boosting annual economic growth to 2.5 per cent.

One might ask what contribution overall government policies are supposed to play in this dash for growth – Owl

Joe Mellor www.thelondoneconomic.com 

The number of UK businesses exporting goods to the EU fell 33 per cent to 18,357 in 2021, from 27,321 in 2020.

Michelle Dale, a senior manager at accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, pointed out the fall is due to the extra red tape UK businesses must now comply with when exporting to the EU.

“Businesses are not getting enough support from the Government to navigate the post-Brexit trading minefield,” she said, reports City A.M.

“A lot of SMEs can’t afford professional advice to cope with Brexit-related red tape. Many are likely to have decided trading with the EU is not worth the cost,” Dale added.

“Fewer UK companies exporting to the EU will result in lost opportunities for growth and expansion in Europe.”

EU receives UK’s response to legal threats

Meanwhile, the European Union is considering its next steps after receiving the UK’s response to legal threats over the failure to comply with the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.

Despite politics as normal being paused while the nation mourns the Queen’s death, the Government responded to the action ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

The bloc had requested a response to its raft of infringement proceedings over the UK’s failure to comply with the rules before the end of the day.

European Commission spokesman Daniel Ferrie said: “I can confirm we have received a reply from the UK. We will now analyse the reply before deciding on the next steps.”

What the UK’s response contained was unclear, but the Government was expected to set out how it believes that no operational changes on how the protocol works are required.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will be in Westminster for the Queen’s funeral on Monday.

It is unclear if she will be meeting Prime Minister Liz Truss while in London, although Ms Truss is expected to hold some talks with political leaders during their visits.

There have been unconfirmed suggestions that Ms Truss will speak to Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on the margins of the funeral amid tensions over the protocol.

Housebuilder Redrow’s revenue has climbed above pre-Covid-19 levels, as it continues its withdrawal from the London market.

(To concentrate on the regions – Owl)

By: Millie Turner www.cityam.com

Revenue grew 10 per cent to a record £2.14bn in the year to 3 July. While profit before tax hit £246m, down from the £314m, it reported a year prior due to one-time fire safety costs of £164m.

The group is expected to have completely exited the capital’s property market, except the Colindale development in north west London, by the end of the year.

“In addition to the record revenue achieved, the group still ended the year with an order book of £1.44bn,” non-executive chairman Richard Akers said in a statement.

“Excellent progress has been made during the year executing our strategy to grow in the regions. The new Southern business, based in Crawley, officially opened at the end of June but the team has been active in the land market for some time. This division is expected to make a positive contribution to profits in the current financial year.”

The London-listed company, like most housebuilders in the UK, has been boosted by rising house prices and demand.

Charlie Huggins, head of equities at investment firm Wealth Club, cautioned: “Make no mistake – the biggest reason for Redrow’s success is high house prices, and the general strength of the housing market.

“That is something over which it has no control, and the big bad wolf of recession could be about to blow away the good times.”

A former pub landlord who has been jailed for sexually assaulting women at his bar has been stripped of his licence by East Devon officials.

Local Democracy Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk 

Peter Hayball had his personal licence revoked and will be unable to reapply until long after his release from prison, writes local democracy reporter Philip Churm.

The decision made by East Devon District Council’s licensing and enforcement sub-committee on Wednesday, August 24 was only disclosed this week (Wednesday, September 7).

Members agreed to revoke Peter Hayball, 56, of his licence after he was jailed in May for 18 months and placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years for offences committed between 2016 and 2018.

During the trial, the court heard how Hayball, who was running a pub in Devon at the time, would pull open women tops and push money into their cleavage.

He touched the breasts of at least one woman and was stopped from doing so by another.

Hayball claimed he was just using ‘Carry-On humour”, saying it had been misunderstood as sexual advances and never went beyond a joke.

He was prosecuted on 13 charges relating to four women and was found guilty of three sexual offences.

Independent Councillor for Cranbrook and chair of the licensing sub-committee Kim Bloxham said: “The licensing authority takes matters such as this very seriously.

“All licence holders are required to promote the ‘licensing objectives’ – including maintaining public safety and preventing crime and disorder.

“The committee considered whether the holder of the licence remains a ‘fit and proper’ person to continue to hold a personal licence with these two objectives in mind.

“The committee considers that the revocation of the personal licence on this occasion is a necessary and proportionate decision to ensure that the public remain safe where alcohol is being served, either in East Devon or wherever the holder might be operating in the future.”

All sales of alcohol must be made by, or under the authority of a personal licence holder.

The council’s legal advisor Giles Slater explained the long-term impact of Hayball’s conviction.

“Obviously if he applies for personal licence again, that will come up on his application that he’s debarred for the next 10 years and he will be unable to apply until 2032,” he said.

Mr Slater also said, under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, Hayball’s conviction would affect other areas of employment.

“A custodial sentence of 18-months imprisonment means that the rehabilitation for most other jobs is four years from the date on which the sentence is completed. So, he won’t be rehabilitated until 2026.”

A new tourism strategy has been approved by Cabinet.

eastdevon.gov.uk 

Beach walking. Image credit: Jay Cross

Building on East Devon District Council’s support for the tourism industry with the EastDevonly campaign, a new tourism strategy has been approved by Cabinet.

The new 5-year strategy aligns with the new East Devon Cultural Strategy and will help the tourism sector to grow sustainably and bring prosperity to the area. The vision is for “East Devon to be the leading, year-round tourism destination in Devon, whose diverse ecosystem of outstanding natural environments, distinctive, high-quality businesses, towns and villages, all thrive and grow through a commitment to Net Zero, accessibility and collaboration”.

Councillor Nick Hookway, East Devon District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Leisure, Sport and Culture, said:

I am delighted that this new strategy has been approved by Cabinet as it aligns perfectly with the Council’s vision for a clean and greener future, improved accessibility, good quality employment and higher wages across the area.  Tourism plays an important part of this work and brings many economic and social benefits, helping support our local cultural activities within our vibrant towns, villages and hamlets. 

The tourism strategy builds on the quality of the existing tourism offer and encourages growth through an increased focus on sustainability and inclusivity.

The strategy is based on strong evidence including existing strategies, stakeholder engagement, national analysis and trends. The strategy is achievable but ambitious, identifying a direction, actions and the role for East Devon District Council as an Enabler that will create lasting impact for the area’s tourism sector.

The strategy has already helped shape EDDC’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund Investment Plan.  Next steps include securing tourism data for 2021 to act as a baseline for future measurement and procuring a partner to run an East Devon Tourism Network to facilitate collaboration and sharing of best practice. In addition, the tourism strategy will inform relevant policy within the district’s new Local Plan, due later this year.

Read the full tourism strategy.