January’s Good News

There’s an abundance of really bad, depressing news out there, and it’s really easy to find. What if you’re looking for something better? Something to cheer you up at the end of the month? You’ve found it… Here’s the January round-up.

    The biggest fall in a decade! 121,000 less people were shown to be looking for work than this time last year – 99,000 less than the same 3 month period a year ago.
  • As a result, it was the biggest ever quarterly increase in employment. A total of 280,000 jobs were created in the period, meaning a total of 30.15 million people are now in work (ONS Statistics)
  • GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is at it’s highest since the first quarter of 2009. We’re currently looking at a growth of just under 2% for 2013
  • The rate of inflation has hit the 2% Government target for the first time since the end of 2009.
  • Cameron claims his government will be the first in history to end a term in office with less regulation on the statute books than when it came into power.
  • Alongside his pledge to reduce red tape, cut business rates, and scrap the jobs tax from April 2015, Cameron insists that more than 3,000 rules will be dropped or changed, resulting of a saving of more than £850m a year.
  • Interest rates are sitting at 0.5%,  the lowest interest rates ever in the 300 year history of the Bank of England
  • House prices have increased by 8.8% – the biggest jump since May 2010 and it follows an 8.4pc year-on-year rise in December.
  • Ian Duncan Smith is acting like a blessing in disguise on a benefit cutting rampage. Firstly he believes in cutting housing benefit for under 25’s, in order to allow them to get into work before receiving a welfare-supported home.
    Secondly he wants to cut benefit allowances for families with a third child – however the rule only applies to those who have the 3rd child after the ruling.