Main political parties’ housing pledges
By Bea Patel, Property Editor and Director of Shop for an Agent, the estate agent comparison site It's not surprising that the political parties' are including housing as a key policy in their manifesto for the upcoming election tomorrow. We're in the midst of a housing crisis, with half the number of homes being built each year, supply has exceeded demand. The general election results will have a huge impact on the housing industry, buy-to-let and first time buyers. Peter...
Southampton’s Top 5 Moments of the Season (so far)
By James Mackney @JimMackney @TLE_Sport Ronald Koeman’s appointment after a summer of upheaval was met with approving nods from Southampton fans. Koeman had steadied the ship at Feyenoord and taken them to new heights in his tenure there. He had won everything as player and been a part of Louis Van Gaal’s management team at Barcelona. The future seemed bright and in truth, more often than not this season, it has been. 1: Southampton 8-0 Sunderland Koeman’s side had started...
Future bright for British skiing
Sport News 24/7 By Milly Cooper @MillyCooper @TLE_Sport One of the final events of the 2014/15 British Alpine snow sporting calendar was the Delancey British Alpine Children’s Championships, an annual race that brings together young athletes from all over the UK as well as international entrants, in order to compete for the top prizes in their age groups. This year’s event, which took place in the popular French resort of Tignes, saw each junior compete in Slalom, Giant Slalom and...
Southampton Player of the Season: José Fonte
Sport News 24/7 By James Mackney @JimMackney @TLE_Sport When José Fonte arrived from Crystal Palace in January 2010 for a sum in the region of £1.2 million it was with an air of bemusement; after all Fonte had decided to step down from the Championship with Crystal Palace to join Southampton in League 1 midway through the 2009/10 season. He scored his first goal for the club the following season in an emphatic 4-0 over Bristol Rovers, when he opened...
TLE Meets…Lee Stafford
By Amy Sharpe Over the last eight years I have veered between two hairstyles: overly-straightened, and a Russell Brand bird nest. Despite many a woman telling me they ‘would kill for curly hair’ all my life, I’ve yet to embrace my curls. Mainly because I haven’t got a clue what to do with them. But, sitting in Lee Stafford’s apartment as he flexed his fingers through my spirals, I sensed I was about to be made to embrace them. “Do...
Eurozone: Springing into recovery
By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent Europe is getting back on track, according to Schroders' Senior European Economist Azad Zangana, who believes the unclogging of the banking sector along with falling oil prices and quantitative easing is prompting better-than-expected results. Despite Greece being nowhere nearer to agreeing the terms of its next bailout, raising the likelihood of a forced exit from the eurozone, peripheral markets have seen little contagion and there is even room for optimism in Europe. Firstly, Zangana argues, the weaker euro...
Where do the Main Parties Stand on Freedom of Expression?
By David Binder With the election mere days away, and with all manner of policies, arguments, counter-arguments, slogans, tweets and hashtags swamping us, you could be forgiven for not knowing who to vote for. One way to help navigate this dilemma is to ask ‘what matters to me/my family/my dog/my community/town/country/universe (delete as appropriate), and then look at what each party seems to be saying on that issue/s and proceed on that basis. I’ve written before (here and here on why I believe...
Pension changes sees interest boom in the buy-to-let market
By Simon Westwell, Lettings Manager for Petty Estate Agents With the pension regulation changes that have taken effect in April 2015, Petty’s is already seeing a boom in interest in the buy-to-let market across East Lancashire. The new regulation allows people aged 55 and over to access part or all of their pension pot, and as this comes at a time when stocks remain volatile and interest rates remain low, the prospect of owning a rental property becomes all the...
Shared Parental Leave – what does it actually mean for you?
By Zoe Sinclair The new offer of shared parental leave looks simple enough. New mums take the first two weeks off after the birth, but the remaining 50 weeks can be shared between mum and dad. Finally the UK has caught up with Scandinavia, where shared leave has been working well for decades. But what does it really mean for you, your partner and your jobs? Despite all the supportive noises from employers, a major worry is what their real...