The temporary VAT reduction for children’s meals, admissions and family attractions could lead to a summer of disruption for businesses, says accountancy firm Azets. Aimed at families, it is being introduced by the government as part of a wider initiative to support household spending during the summer holiday period.

In boardrooms and conference halls across the UK and beyond, the phrase 'death by PowerPoint' has become shorthand for a common and excruciating experience, the dull, overwhelming, and often tedious business presentation.

ONS data continues to suggest the jobs market held steady in Spring, with the unemployment rate falling again to 4.9% from 5.2% over the latest three months.The employment rate was very slightly down to 75.0 % from 75.1% Redundancies fell by 13,000 to 113,000 in the latest three-month period.

Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has appointed creative communications agency Platinum Live as the official media partner for Conference Cumbria 2026. The event, a key date in the regional business calendar, will be held on Thursday 1 October 2026 at the Pencil Factory in Keswick. This year’s conference, themed “Be Bold. Be Courageous,” seeks to attract up to 350 delegates from across the UK.

ONS data showed GDP shrinking by 0.1% in April 2026, here is the response from business.

Young people in the North West are increasingly turning to AI tools and social media to guide their careers, and in some cases replacing advice traditionally provided by parents and teachers, according to a new report published today by accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.

Partington’s Holiday Parks, a family-owned leisure operator in the North West of England, has introduced a corporate training initiative to develop its next tier of management staff. The Hospitality Associates Programme offers structured operational training across the company’s portfolio, which spans caravans and holiday parks in Lancashire, the Lake District, and the Yorkshire Dales.

Yorkshire-based firefighter PPE manufacturer FlamePro has been awarded a place on the UK’s biggest framework to supply life-saving kit to fire services. FlamePro has been named on the National Firefighter PPE Framework, overseen by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).

A long-standing tax levied on businesses donating to charities has now been removed, an accountancy and advisory firm in the North East confirmed. Azets wants to remind firms in Cumbria and the North East that they can now give goods to registered charities without paying VAT.