money

New reforms, banning Bailiffs and Councils from ‘heavy-handed behaviour’ when collecting debts, will come into force next April.

The reforms will prevent bailiffs from entering people’s homes at night or when only children are present as well as how and when they can take property.

Last month national charity Citizens Advice accused some councils of allowing bailiffs to get away with aggressive and threatening behaviour when recovering council tax debt. Commenting on the report, Steve Bariball, CEO of Exeter CAB said: “In Exeter, we are not seeing the same issues that are...

Small businesses in Exeter are set to receive tax breaks of up to £1,000 on their future bills.

The discount which comes from business rates payments is only available to business with a rateable value of £50,000 or below and will be automatically discounted by the Council.

Moreover the discount is only available to certain types of business with pay day lenders, betting shops among those businesses prohibited from the discount.

Aside from those businesses specifically excluded from the discount the City Council will be able to decide which businesses are eligible...

The Chief Executive of the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust will leave the NHS next April.

Jac Kelly, leaves after 8 years as chief executive of the Trust coming into the position as a turnaround director in 2006 to combat the trust’s financial issues.

Under Kelly the Trust has returned a financial surplus for the last four years, despite making £12million a year in efficiency savings.

The Trust will begin seeking a new Chief Executive but in the interim, Andy Robinson, Director of Finance and Deputy Chief Executive, will cover the role.

Roger French,...

The UK economy has had its fastest growth since 2007,with UK GDP growing by 1.9% of in 2013 according to a report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). GDP used as the primary measure of a country’s economic growth, grew by 0.7% in the last quarter of 2013, down slightly on the 0.8% growth seen in the third quarter. While growth is at the highest it has been for several years it is still below pre-recession levels. Most of the main industrial areas of the UK also saw increased output in the last quarter with only the construction industry, which accounts for less 8% of GDP,...

The average level of debt among clients of Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has risen by over £1,000 according to figures released by the local charity today.

The average clients’ debt now stands at £13,450 up by £1,091 on the previous year.

Some commentators have warned that high levels of personal debt in Britain may bring problems in later life with new research from Bristol University showing a strong link between financial problems and poor mental well-being in older people.

David Hayes, Research Associate at the Personal Finance Research Centre and author...

People in the South West are struggling to pay their rent or mortgage, but hiding their problem by taking out risky loans or saying they would keep it secret from family and friends, says Shelter.

New research commissioned by the charity found that nearly one in four rent or mortgage payers in the South West has borrowed money to cover their housing costs. Alarmingly, across the country two per cent of rent or mortgage payers – the equivalent of nearly a million people in Britain – said they had taken out a ‘payday’ loan to help pay the rent or mortgage.

The YouGov survey...

Exeter City Police have warned that scammers who use shoddy jewellery to cheat people out of cash have arrived in the area.

The scam typically sees scammers flag down motorists by the side of the road beside supposedly broken down cars claiming to need cash for fuel.

Often jewellery is offered as security against for a loan of the money with claims that the value outweighs the money lent.

But in most cases the jewellery turns out to be worthless and sees the victims holding shoddy jewellery in place of their money.

Recent years have seen a spike in the...

A warning has been issued after a woman was flagged down in Devon by a man claiming to have run out of fuel who then demanded cash.

The woman was on the flyover at Whiddon Down when she was stopped.

The man, who was stood near a dark grey car, said he needed money to buy fuel and that his credit card wasn't working.

But when the woman handed over some cash he demanded £300 and an accomplice got out of the car.

The woman returned to her vehicle and drove off, shaken by the ordeal.

The woman's daughter, Sandra Cork, took to Facebook to issue the...

The Money Come and Play.

There will be money on the table. Not fake money, real money. It’s up to the group what to spend it on. You have two hours to come to a decision.

How to play:

Become a Benefactor by donating as much as you can. Work with other Benefactors to decide what to spend the group’s money on. You have two hours to come to a decision. No rules. If you don’t decide unanimously in the allotted time you relinquish your privilege to spend the money and the money rolls over to the next group of Benefactors. If you’re the quiet observing type you can...

Business secretary Vince Cable has passed a report that claims RBS has put some “good and viable” businesses into default financial regulators. Government advisor, Lawrence Tomlinson has released a report today which focuses on the way that RBS has been operating its Global Restructuring group (GRG).

The GRG is the ‘turnaround’ division of RBS which takes loans viewed as risky. The GRG is understood to have the power to scrap loan deals and charge penalties.

This has proven to be a profitable system as the fees bring in further money to the bank and if the business goes...