From 7 April 2025, families receiving Child Benefit will see an increase in their payments. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced that the weekly rate will rise to £26.05 for the eldest or only child and £17.25 for each additional child. This means an annual payment of £1,354.60 for the first child and £897 for each subsequent child. These payments, usually made every four weeks, are automatically into claimants’ bank accounts.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivered her Spring Statement last week in which she outlined the government’s economic plans, including spending decisions, tax policies and efforts to boost growth while managing public finances.
The Health and Safety Executive are reminding employers about their responsibilities to protect workers from the health risks that come from working with display screen equipment (DSE), including PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
The Plan 1 student loan interest rate reduced to 6% (from 6.25%) from 30 August. This rate change applies across the UK with the Department for Education (DfE), the Welsh Government and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland (DfE NI) all confirming the change.
Barratt Developments, the UK's largest housebuilder, has reported a significant decline in pre-tax profits, down by three-quarters for the year ending June 2024. This comes as the company completed just 14,000 homes, a sharp decrease from 17,000 the previous year, with forecasts suggesting even lower figures of 13,000 to 13,500 homes for the upcoming year.
