Rural communities are increasingly turning to Junior ISAs invested in stocks and shares as a tax-efficient way of protecting wealth and combatting inflation. The number of new stocks-and-shares Junior ISAs opened with leading rural insurer NFU Mutual increased by nearly 10% in 2021 compared to 2020, and the rural community are investing more than the national average too.

The construction industry needs to capitalise on the collaborative atmosphere created by this year’s MIPIM in order to meet the key challenges it faces, according to Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of Constructing Excellence Midlands. Speaking in the wake of this year’s event – which was attended by more than 20,000 delegates from around the world – Carpenter says that while a collaborative spirit is alive and well in Cannes, it risks being wasted if not capitalised on at home.

Businesses are being urged to ensure their cyber security is up to scratch after latest figures revealed that 39 per cent of firms reported breaches or attacks in the past 12 months. Government figures released this week revealed that cyber attacks continue to pose a serious threat to all types of UK businesses, with one in five of the businesses affected reporting a sophisticated attack such as denial of service, malware or ransomware attack.

The Scottish Government has launched a new retail strategy, which aims to encourage fair work and improve skills in the sector. Usdaw, the trade union for retail, has been involved with the Scottish Government’s Steering Group, ensuring that the views and concerns of Scotland’s 240,000 retail workers were heard in the formulation of the strategy.

XPO Logistics, Inc., a leading provider of freight transportation services, has been awarded VETS Indexes Recognized Employer status for 2022. The designation honors XPO’s strong record of hiring members of the military community.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is showing its commitment to helping residents and businesses through the global energy crisis, with several initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions and slashing ever increasing energy bills.

The region had already been experiencing high levels of fuel poverty before Covid and the Ukraine crisis, and with energy prices expected to continue to rise for households in the months ahead the WMCA’s Energy Capital team has been focusing on securing government funding for new initiatives that could help lessen the impact.