Your Local Information Microportal

1. How to write clearly. Readers and audiences treasure concise writing. Concise sentences and paragraphs grip your reader’s attention and help them focus on your main point. More concise writing will also help you, the writer, organise your ideas and streamline your overall writing process. READ MORE

2. Work 'shift' revealed. Unprecedented numbers of people in their 50s and older are in part-time work, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. The study revealed that 3.6 million older people are working part-time in the UK: a record high and a 12% increase since 2021. This is also a 26% increase in the past decade and a 56% increase in the past two decades. The findings have been hailed as a "paradigm shift in how we view work and retirement". The Guardian

3. Slowdown cost estimated. The UK economy's slowdown has cost households the equivalent of £1,400, according to the Resolution Foundation. The think tank said the economy has suffered from a prolonged productivity slowdown and stagnant business dynamism, with the private sector seeing the worst pace of economic change in nearly 100 years. The British economy has "spent the past 15 years struggling from one major crisis to another", said the Resolution Foundation’s research director. The Times

4. Rates held for the first time in ages. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee met to set interest rates in one of the most finely balanced decisions since it began raising rates in December 2021. Markets had factored in a 15th consecutive rise: from 5.25% to 5.5%. But lower than expected August inflation figures led the committee to pause. Forecasters said that the fall in headline CPI inflation to 6.7% meant the rate of price rises could drop to around 5% by year end – ensuring the Chancellor and PM are on course to meet their goal of halving inflation by Christmas. Financial Times

5. The values we want in our children. When asked to consider 12 qualities that children could be taught at home, and to pick five that are especially important,12% of British adults chose obedience, down from 42% in 1990. The proportion of people choosing “thrift” also fell, from 26% in 1990 to 19%. By contrast, 48% chose “hard work”, up from 29%; 37% valued “imagination”, up from 18%; and 53% selected “independence”, up from 42%. As in 1990, “good manners” (selected by 85% of respondents the World Values Survey) remained the most valued quality. The Times

6. Sunak eyes inheritance tax. Rishi Sunak is preparing plans to slash inheritance tax. Cutting what his officials have called "the most hated tax in Britain", before eventually abolishing it entirely, is one of a "raft of crowd-pleasing announcements" being considered before next month's Tory conference. Sunak would frame the policy as an "aspirational offer to voters" ahead of the general election, said the paper. This would make inheritance tax an "election issue" and "put Keir Starmer on the spot" about whether he was prepared to make the same cuts, said the paper. The Sunday Times

7. Are you a high street hypocrite? Many factors have contributed to the ongoing struggle of British high streets, from inflated retail rents to changing work practices. But how much responsibility should an increasingly online-dependant consumer take? An opinion piece suggests that despite many of us expressing nostalgia towards traditional shopping experiences and mourning the loss of much-loved high-street businesses, UK consumers are not willing enough to part with the convenience of e-commerce. The Observer

8. Smaller population 'positive'. Population growth will lead to a decline in living standards, said the chief forecaster of the government’s spending watchdog. Although the Office for Budget Responsibility has previously said that lower birth rates and longer life expectancy would create a £250bn hole in government finances by the mid-2070s, the OBR has now said that dwindling populations could be positive for leading economies. Forecasters said that by 2070, the total population figure will be around one million lower, at 66 million. The Telegraph

9. Can you learn a new language in weeks? Would you love to learn a new language, but feel overwhelmed by the complexity and time commitment it requires? You're not alone - according to a 2023 British Council study, 26% of UK adults regret never learning another language fluently. Research has revealed how long it takes to learn various languages based on a US State Department categorisation. Some take 24-30 weeks [Spanish and Swedish], others 36 weeks [German and Swahili], others 44 weeks [Hindi and Ukrainian], but the most difficult languages are estimated to take 88 weeks [Mandarin and Japanese]. The Economist

10. The bottom line. Six thousand. That’s how many of Britain’s high-street shops have closed in the past five years: one out of every seven high-street premises now lies vacant. Moreover, 48% of voters think the economy will get worse over the next 12 months. 22% think it will get better. Only 27% think the Tories are managing it well. The Observer