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Lowest British
savings levels for 12 months
NS&I’s latest Quarterly Savings
Survey, shows savings levels have dropped over the last year, with a
growing number of the population saving nothing each month.
37% of savers don’t have enough savings to cope in an emergency.
This spring Britons saved an average of £87 each month. This has
fallen from £95 in winter and £100 this time last year. As a
percentage of income the drop in monthly savings was from 8.31% in
spring 2011 to just 7.08% this quarter, despite income levels
remaining broadly stable.
The findings also show that there are a growing number of people who
don’t save anything each month. 23% of Britons admitted they saved
nothing during the spring months, up from 17% this time last year,
an increase of 2.96 million people.
John Prout, Retail Customer Director, NS&I, said:- “When times
are tough it can be difficult to save but even putting away a few
pounds each week will help act as a financial cushion, should you
face an emergency. It is worth everyone taking another look at their
finances to make sure their money goes as far as possible. Why not
start a log of all incomings and outgoings to help you work out a
budget? This can be a useful way to keep on top of your money
management.”
Last spring (2011) 32% of Britons with savings goals were motivated
to save for an emergency, but this fell to just 24% in winter.
Perhaps as a result of this, 37% of savers now don’t have enough
savings to cope in an emergency.
The outlook for Britain’s savings levels is not optimistic. 25% said
they’re less likely to save over the next three months and 49% of
Britons said the amount they’re able to set aside won’t change over
the same period.
NS&I’s research has identified that people in their late 30's and
early 40's (35 to 44 years) particularly struggled to save this
quarter. The amount that this age group saved fell significantly,
with people saving 5.82% of their income this spring compared to
7.58% in winter. 28% didn’t make any savings at all. Perhaps as a
consequence of this, just under half of people in this age group
(47%) do not have enough savings to cope in an emergency.
Southport Market Launch Day Is
Days Off!
Photographs by Patrick
Trollope
THE new and old traders are still getting
ready, but the countdown is on! The grand launch day is on 7 July
2012, but as an added boost to the festivities, celebrity chef,
Simon Rimmer, local restaurateur and BBC Masterchef finalist, Jay
Tinker will also visit 14 July 2012, demonstrating his extraordinary
culinary talents with cookery demonstrations. So 2 good reasons to
visit the historic market over the next few days! To read the report
about the opening we did last week, click
here now.
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NORTH WEST
DANCERS TO TAKE OVER LIVERPOOL ONE!
A
show stopping season of dance comes to a head next month when the
Big Dance North West Link Up hits Liverpool ONE; bringing 1275
dancers with it!
Since a dance world record attempt kicked off the fun on 18 May 2012, Big
Dance has had the nation on its feet, celebrating dance in unusual
places for all ages and abilities.
Now groups from Merseyside, Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire and
Greater Manchester are coming together on Sunday, 15 July 2012, from 2.30pm,
for the Big Dance North West Link Up, when dancers aged 6 to 86 will
perform choreography representing the history and landmarks of their
region.
Streaming down the steps of Liverpool ONE’s Chavasse Park and
spreading along the length of Thomas Steers Way, the performers will
provide a spectacle of mass movement never seen before in the North
West. (See notes to editors for a list of groups and artists
representing each sub region of the North West).
Big Dance is the UK's biggest ever celebration of dance and is one
of the highlights of the London 2012 Festival, the culmination of
the Cultural Olympiad. Big Dance 2012 features work on television,
in the streets, in theatres and schools and right into the heart of
communities all over the country.
Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI) has led on Big Dance in the North
West, with regional partners Ludus Dance (Lancashire), DiGM
(Manchester), Dance Cumbria and DARE Dance (Cumbria) recruiting
people in their own areas for performances across the region,
including the Olympic Torch Relay celebrations.
The project culminates in the mass performance in Liverpool ONE,
with the Olympics’ Mass Movement Coordinator Jeanefer Jean Charles
chosen as choreographic consultant and Liverpool based artistic
director Lisi Perry working with 25 North West artists to deliver
the dance extravaganza.
Karen Gallagher MBE, Director of Merseyside Dance Initiative said:-
“Big Dance 2012 in the northwest is a chance to shine a light on our
region and show the rest of the country and the world what wonderful
dance activity goes on here. Along with our partner organisations we
have brought dance into the heart of local communities, and bringing
all the boroughs together in Liverpool ONE will unite the whole
North West in dance.”
Donna Howitt, Marketing Director at Liverpool ONE said:- “When
Big Dance 2012 in the North West asked Liverpool ONE to host this
event we didn’t hesitate to say yes. This will be a true spectacle
and we're delighted to be involved."
Liverpool ONE includes over 160 stores, bars and restaurants, a
fantastic 14 screen cinema, an indoor adventure golf course and a
5 acre park so when the dancers have finished their performance
they will then have the opportunity to relax and enjoy a day with
their friends and family. Built around the existing streets of
Liverpool, the 1.65million sq ft contemporary open-air complex is a
stylish must-visit for those who love to shop, eat, drink and relax.
For more information on all Big Dance events taking place across the
region, check out:-
bigdance2012.com.
Almost half of people are storing
more entertainment items online
41% from the North West are now storing more
of their books, music and films online according to new research
from British Heart Foundation (BHF) shops who are urging people to
donate their unwanted hard copies this July.
As part of the BIG Entertainment stock appeal this month, North West
BHF shops are encouraging people to take a look through their
collection and lose the things they don’t love anymore. BHF North
West shops love the things you bring and are always looking for
saleable items of books, CDs and DVDs.
BHF Retail Director, Mike Taylor, says:- “If you haven’t
touched your book collection for months or you’ve replaced your CDs
with MP3s, it’s time to have a clear out and donate. BHF shops love
the things you bring; your donations are the lifeblood of our shops
and every item in the North West will help us continue our
lifesaving work.”
So delve into your collection, have a clear out, and play your part
in the BIG Entertainment appeal today. For more information and to
locate your nearest BHF shop visit:-
bhf.org.uk/entertainment.
Government could miss 2015
broadband deadlines, says CLA
THE CLA has warned that the
Government could miss deadlines to provide superfast broadband of at
least 24 megabits per second (mbps) for 90% of rural areas and its
commitment to deliver 2 mbps to all rural areas by 2015.
Ahead of a Department for Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
evidence session on Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), the CLA said it
was concerned the slow funding process and a reliance on fibre optic
networks were prolonging the rural-urban digital divide.
CLA President Harry Cotterell said:- “We recognise that
delivering this type of infrastructure is not easy but it is
unlikely the Government will meet these objectives. The BDUK process
is too bureaucratic and the allocation of the £530million funding
too slow. It would be much simpler if the funding was allocated
centrally rather than giving it directly to local authorities
because they do not have the resource to plan for a superfast
broadband network. An over-reliance on fibre optic is also a factor
in the Government’s poor chance of meeting these deadlines. The CLA
advocates a patchwork quilt model that uses the most appropriate
technologies for a certain area, rather than using a single
technology, so everyone can benefit from broadband.”
Mr Cotterell said the CLA and NFU were engaged in discussions to
produce a national broadband wayleave agreement which would create a
more stable platform for those infrastructure providers willing to
develop superfast broadband networks in rural areas. |
