Wonderful Wefinda weekly news (Week ended 17 December 2010)

Inflation rises again
The latest Inflation figures for November showed rises for food, clothing and household goods all leading to an increase in CPI to 3.3% and RPI to 4.7%. At 3.3% CPI inflation stays well above the government target of 2%. A slight fall is expected in December as a result of retailers slashing prices in pre-Christmas sales before the VAT rise hits in January and pushes prices still further upwards.

Postage costs to rise
The Royal Mail has announced a rise in the cost of first class stamps to 46p and second class to 32p from next April. The cost of franked mail is also going up by 3p to 39p and 28p. Businesses who rely heavily on postage might want to take some time out before April to revise their postage policies and review alternatives.

CBI reports difficulties for SMEs who export
A CBI report has revealed the headaches faced by SMEs when it comes to exports. 48% of those asked have problems with currency fluctuations whilst 32% are challenged by red tape. If you are looking to export, start by talking to the Department of UK Trade and Investment which offers assistance to exporters. (http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export.html?guid=none ) Meanwhile the EU has proposed a single Europe market for payments within the Eurozone, making payments simpler and cheaper.

Localism Bill could change the face of planning
The proposed localism bill will put greater planning control in the hands of local authorities and communities. According to Regen this could feed through into energy management and affect the implementation of the Government’s renewables targets with some areas allowing massive expansion and others restricting infrastructure growth.

So, what do we have to look forward to?
Parliament breaks up on Tuesday 22nd until 10 January so the political arena will quieten down for the festive season. On Tuesday we see questions on Treasury matters in the main chamber whilst the select committee on science and technology sits on Monday.

Otherwise with schools on holiday and large areas of the country paralysed by snow and ice, business news becomes largely restricted to talk of late deliveries and missing staff. If you have an employee who has gone beyond the call of duty to serve your clients in these snowy conditions let us know.

And finally
As the cold weather bites and we look for ways to stay warm without facing exorbitant fuel bills, an aquarium in Finland has come up with a possible solution. They have harnessed their Christmas lights to the electric eel tank and report that at feeding time the lights shine brightly.

Our next news roundup will be in the New Year so from all at Wefinda may we wish you a peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.