Follow the real estate gentleman and see what big and small things are happening today:
- According to The Telegraph, the best private schools in the United Kingdom for A-level results in 2024 have been announced. Among them, Westminster School ranked second, with 87% of students receiving the highest scores.
- According to The Guardian, the Labour government's "change of attitude" on immigration since the election has rekindled international students' interest in United Kingdom universities.
- United Kingdom regulators have pointed out that small businesses are responsible for the vast majority of tax evasion in the United Kingdom, but United Kingdom Revenue and Customs has no strategy for this problem. £4.4 billion in losses every year.
- According to the Financial Times, the number of rental e-bikes in London has surged this summer as private operators such as Lime and Forest expand their role in London's public transport network. This has made it difficult for operators and Transport for London to deal with traffic in London due to issues such as random parking and increased density of electric vehicles.
- Remote work from home frustrated: Santander insists that United Kingdom employees must be physically present at least three days a week on average.
【2024 United Kingdom Best A-level Results Private Schools Announced】
According to The Telegraph, the best private schools in the United Kingdom for A-level results in 2024 have been announced.
This year, private schools continue to significantly outperform public schools in the proportion of students achieving the highest grades at A-levels.
Almost half (49.4 per cent) of all A-level enrolments from private schools achieved A or A*, compared to 22.3 per cent of those admitted from comprehensive schools – the largest gap on record outside of the pandemic.
Based on data from 214 schools published by the Independent Schools Council (ISC), The Daily Telegraph analysed the private schools with the highest percentage of high scores. The rankings are as follows:
Cardiff Sixth Form College retains its position as the highest independent school with A-level results. This co-educational boarding school has 90.7% of students achieving A or A* in 2024.
威斯敏斯特学校(Westminster School)排名第二，87%的学生获得了最高分。 该校校友包括尼克·克莱格(Nick Clegg)、路易斯·塞鲁(Louis Theroux)和安德鲁·劳埃德-韦伯(Andrew lloyd - weber)。
St. Michael's School in Lanelli ranked third with 86.8% A* or A. With an annual tuition fee of £15,225, the school has one of the lowest tuition fees in the UK. In The Telegraph's price-performance analysis for the past two years, the school has consistently ranked at the top of the list.
[Labour's 'change of attitude' on immigration issues rekindles interest in international students]
According to The Guardian, the Labour government's "change of attitude" on immigration since the election has rekindled international students' interest in United Kingdom universities.
Principals and admissions officials say the number of enquiries about courses and feedback from overseas admissions agents suggests that the change in the government's stance has received a lot of attention from prospective international students and their families since the July 4 general election. This is welcome news for United Kingdom universities.
Principals and admissions officers stated:
This shift in attitudes has come at a timely time to avoid the worst-case scenario, which is a significant drop in the number of international students.
In his speech two weeks after taking office, Professor Max ·Lew, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, praised Minister Bridget · Philipson for welcoming international students to United Kingdom:
We have received feedback from our agents in China, India, and South and Southeast Asian markets. The feedback from all the agents has been very positive and the response has been excellent!
Earlier, United Kingdom Secretary of State Bridget · Phillipson noted in his speech:
While the government is committed to prudently managing immigration, international students are always welcome in this country. United Kingdom would not be the same without them. Their contribution to the United Kingdom economy is also enormous. Each international student contributes around £100,000 to the United Kingdom's economic prosperity.
Small businesses are responsible for the vast majority of tax evasion in the United Kingdom]
According to the Financial Times, United Kingdom regulators point out that small businesses are responsible for the vast majority of tax evasion in United Kingdom United Kingdom, but HM Revenue & Customs does not have a strategy to address the issue.
In a new report focusing on tax evasion in the retail sector, the National Audit Office noted:
Some businesses understate their income or file for bankruptcy to avoid paying taxes, and then reopen in a different capacity to do the same business.
Gareth Davies, Director General of ·United Kingdom Taxation, said:
Although tax evasion by small businesses has been on the rise, the United Kingdom Tax and Customs Administration has so far lacked an effective strategic response.
The Labour party, which came to power in July, has pledged to add £5 billion a year to public coffers by 2029-2030 by cracking down on tax evasion.
The United Kingdom Revenue & Customs estimates that tax evasion by small businesses rose to £4.4 billion in 2022-23, accounting for 81% of the total, compared to 66% in 2019-20.
Regulators have highlighted this type of tax evasion, in which retailers use software to reduce the value of transactions and artificially drive down revenues.
Next, the United Kingdom government will focus on tackling tax evasion by small businesses.
[London's e-bike boom sparks conflict with city government]
According to the Financial Times, the number of rental e-bikes in London has surged this summer as private operators such as Lime and Forest expand their role in London's public transport network.
But the increasing density of e-bikes on London's streets has made it difficult for operators and Transport for London to deal with issues such as casual parking and increased density of electric vehicles, which are affecting London's traffic.
Charity CoMoUK reported in March 2024 that there were 37,694 rental e-bikes on London streets, compared to 27,694 in 2023. Trips during peak commute times in London have increased by 91% so far this year to almost 11.5 million, compared to 6 million trips in the first three quarters of 2023.
In August this year, the total number of monthly trips on Forest e-bikes has increased to more than 1 million, an increase of more than 200% over the same period last year. The company says 60 percent of passengers use it twice a day.
The EV boom has caused great concern for local governments, with Brent City Council warning Lime that it will begin removing e-bikes unless the company addresses the "traffic disruption" it has caused.
Transport for London also said it was considering a London-wide regulation and an agreement with the local government to penalize electric vehicles parked indiscriminately.
[Remote home office frustration]
Santander insists that United Kingdom employees must be physically present at least three days a week on average.
In the memorandum, the bank stated:
Starting at the end of 2024, the current two- to three-day weekly rule for working in the office will change to a formal attendance requirement of 12 days per month.
About 1,000 of the affected employees are based in London and 4,500 are based at the bank's new headquarters in Milton Keynes.
Meanwhile, PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the Big Four accounting firms, has warned that it will crack down on remote work, while Deloitte has said it will no longer conduct remote interviews for graduates.
The Times noted that the change was intended to allow employees to return to their desks, but with more flexibility than the formal three-day workweek.
Hybrid working is still prevalent in the United Kingdom. According to recent research by the City Think Tank Centre, Londoners work an average of 2.7 days a week in the office, lower than Paris, Singapore and New York.