Land Securities NAV slips as markets pause for breath For the year ended 31 March 2017, Land Securities NAV slipped as it said that its markets are pausing for breath. The chairman says that “In the London office market, we expected the occupational balance to shift from demand to supply during the course of 2017. The Brexit vote brought that inflexion point forward“…”Over the next 12 months, we’re unlikely to see rental values grow in London unless we have more certainty...

I have a pen-pal in the Shadow Cabinet, a bond having been forged during the upheavals of the PLP's failed rising against Jeremy Corbyn. Ever since, on a irregular basis I have shared observations drawn from the experience of years spent fighting elections as a Liberal Party apparatchik in Canada. Please do not try playing 'guess the pol.' I am calling my friend Jane, but that is neither a hint as to name or gender. The following began as an...

The ‘cruel’ cap on public servants’ pay is set to cost the East of England economy £1.2 billion by 2020, GMB has revealed. With public sector workers currently subjected to a one per cent pay cap – meaning that their earnings are kept below inflation - the East of England is in line to miss out on billions in lost wages, highlighting how self-defeating the policy is. Between 2017 and 2020, each worker will be an average of £3,300 out of pocket....

Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs are at risk of extinction thanks to the soaring popularity of a rival breed which starred in Downton Abbey, according to a top breeder. Millions of viewers watched Lady Mary take up the 'unladylike' hobby of pig breeding during the final series of the hit BBC drama in 2015. Her pig of choice was the Oxford Sandy and Black - and since then the number of breeding Gloucestershire Old Spot sows has halved. There are now...

A taxi driver who takes pictures of his passengers is set to release a book and exhibition to showcase his work. Ryan Walls began his project after deciding he wanted to combine his love of arts with his work. The Edinburgh-based driver then started taking pictures of his passengers - who signed waivers - and posted the pictures online. He said: "I love taking pictures and I also love interacting and talking to people. I really wanted to find a...

Anarchy! Chaos! Confusion, sex, and booze. Dancing, singing, shouting, swearing, drinking. Subterfuge! Brawls! Danger, and iambic pentameter. I'm either talking about the original Globe Theatre or Shit-faced Shakespeare, and the two are arguably interchangeable; I doubt you'll see a more historically accurate rendition of Elizabethan theatre without a time machine. Shit-faced Shakespeare is a simple concept. Take one abridged play by the bard, marinade one of the actors in a vat of booze, then let them loose in front of...

An international coalition of lawyers are set to draft the first ever legal manual of space warfare. The manual, which will set out the legal parameters for military uses of outer space, will provide guidance on issues such as the legality of attacking satellites and firing lasers from space in time of war. International lawyers from the University of Exeter’s Law School are to join scientists, government representatives and academics to strengthen the rule of law in outer space –...

After Google introduced the world to its wacky slides a decade ago, a new era of interior office design was born. Many companies have since followed and started a kooky office trend, in hope of inspiring their staff and attracting the best talent – from the indoor forests of Fashion brand Misguided in Manchester, to the giant shoe house of Inventionland in the US. So can a kooky office really benefit your staff, or is it counterproductive? Office interior design...

A customer loyalty scheme can be used to build brand loyalty and generate repeat business. Customer loyalty programmes provider, Corporate Rewards explain how customer loyalty sign-up can also be a great way to motivate staff and provide a platform for continued high performance. Incentivise sign up Signing up customers to loyalty schemes allows them to be rewarded for repeat business and allows you to reap the reward of additional sales. Getting customers to sign up can be tricky, they might...