Latest articles
- End of an era as café at Cheshire visitor attraction closes suddenly
Local News
It's closed with immediate effect
- Profits up billions at both UK's biggest mortgage provider and major oil producer
Finance
The UK's largest mortgage lender has seen profits nearly double as customers pay higher interest rates.
- ‘Scattergun’ budget will still leave Britons facing higher energy bills, says thinktank
Finance
Healey’s attempt to provide ‘breathing space’ gives rich almost as much as poor, says Resolution Foundation Business live – latest updates Budget 2026: what it means for your walle
- How will John Healey’s energy support package affect you?
Finance
Chancellor’s ‘new course’ includes a £100 one-off payment, low-carbon upgrade loans and an end to standing charges John Healey has unveiled a package of support for households bein
- Plans now in for major 495-home development on farmland on edge of desirable village
Local News
PLANS have gone in for a huge new 495-home development on farmland just to the west of leafy Hartford.
- Budget 2026: Healey hikes taxes on banks and landlords to fund £100 handouts to 20m households
Finance
Few surprises as chancellor uses low-key speech blaming ‘global economic storms’ for stoking energy prices and cost of living crisis Budget 2026: key points at a glance Briefing: k
- Budget 2026: what it means for your wallet, your mortgage and your pay
Finance
How the chancellor’s measures on tax, benefits and pensions will affect your personal finances Healey offers £100 payment to households to help navigate ‘global economic storms’ Bu
- Microsoft profits soar days after announcing thousands of layoffs
Business
The week, the Windows developer said it would offer buyouts to 60,000 workers as it looks to curb costs.
- 'I live with a ghost': Japan's haunted homes attract bargain hunters
Business
Properties where someone has died in tragic circumstances can have big reductions in price.
- Plans submitted for 52 new homes in Wrenbury countryside
Local News
By Belinda Ryan, local democracy reporter Plans have been submitted for 52 homes in the open countryside at Wrenbury.
- Cost of Cheshire East garden waste subscriptions rockets by 7.25%
Local News
Cheshire East Council chiefs have apologised to residents for disrupted garden waste collections - but is still hiking up 2027 collection costs by 7.25%.
- Your pay, energy bills and savings: How the Budget affects you
Finance
Changes announced by Chancellor John Healey in his first Budget will affect your finances directly. Here's how.
- Budget 2026 calculator: find out if you are better or worse off
Finance
Use our interactive tool to see how you have been affected by John Healey’s tax and spending announcements Healey keeps income tax thresholds frozen. How much more will you pay?
- Halton councillor urges councils nationwide to help families find lost babies answers
Local News
Halton councillor Carol Plumpton Walsh urges UK councils to support Sleeping Babies Reunited and help families uncover answers about historic stillbirths.
- Change to carer’s allowance cliff-edge rule is not enough, victims say
Finance
Digital taper system for benefit expected in budget, but those already hit with overpayments will still have to pay “On the surface it sounds really positive – and I really hope th
- Landline switchover could cut people off in emergency, minister warned
Business
Plans to switch to digital landlines by January could leave remote areas of the UK vulnerable, MPs say.
- The Papers: 'Budget for a difficult moment' and Netanyahu's 'fate in balance'
UK News
Most of the papers focus on the Budget, ahead of its delivery at lunchtime on Wednesday.
- Homes across UK to get low- or no-interest loans to fund solar panels and heat pumps
UK News
Government-backed Warm Home Loans scheme to help households cut energy bills by hundreds of pounds Households across the UK can now cut their energy bills by hundreds of pounds a y
- ‘It’s a better experience’: shoppers praise Oxford Street pedestrianisation
Finance
Many punters say inconvenience of bus rerouting is small price to pay for more space, but not everyone is happy To the east of Oxford Circus, there is chaos.
- UK and EU officials to discuss freedom of movement
UK News
Officials are expected to begin discussions on a range of options for the future UK-EU relationship before a summit next month.
- Former Dexter & Jones owner launches new Cheshire permanent jewellery business
Local News
Davenham entrepreneur Karen Murray, who previously owned Dexter & Jones in Knutsford, launches LINX Permanent Jewellery.
- Humanity can't afford not to spend $800B on AI, Anthropic insists
Tech
Anthropic has warned that its artificial intelligence ambitions could require commitments of up to $807 billion, as the company prepares for a proposed stock market listing.
- Japanese virtual desktop cloud hacked so hard it asks to be banned
Tech
Japanese internet provider GMO Internet has admitted that security weaknesses in its Onamae.com Desktop Cloud service allowed attackers to gain unauthorised access and remove custo
- ‘This gadget could genuinely replace your tumble dryer’: the best heated airers – tested
Finance
Heated airers claim to dry your clothes without costing the earth in energy.
- Healey is expected to shield low-income pensioners from income tax – but how will it work?
Finance
Retirees will get a personal allowance aligned with the new state pension, but experts say it could get complicated Retirees in the UK on low incomes are expected to be given a new
- Use your own car or van for work? You could get extra tax relief worth £100s as mileage rates rise announced
Finance
Workers who use their own car or van for business journeys could receive more tax relief from April 2027 after the Government announced changes to mileage rates.
- Knutsford town councillors fight plans to close Church Hill for five months
Local News
Knutsford town councillors and businesses fight plans to close Church Hill for five months.
- ‘Local services are vital’: Former rough sleepers on what helped them off the streets
UK News
As Andy Burnham hosts a rough sleeper summit, frustration mounts over ‘ridiculous bureaucracy’ and lack of hostel places Martin Fletcher had been homeless for more than 20 years af
- No 10 appears to backtrack on PM's freedom of movement referendum suggestion
UK News
The PM says he wants to start a conversation about potential options for the UK's future relationship with the EU.
- Anthropic's blockbuster share listing - 5 surprising things we now know
Business
Anthropic’s IPO prospectus is 355 pages and full of never before disclosed company information.
- Chester student reaches national final with platform to beat AI job screening
Local News
A CHESTER woman is celebrating after reaching the final of a prestigious competition for students in STEM.
- Consultant doctors in England to strike next month
UK News
Senior doctors to stage 48-hour walkout, beginning on 25 November, in dispute over pay and pensions.
- Bayeux tapestry becomes pop culture hit as young people more keen to see exhibition than top films
UK News
Monzo says 55% of cardholders’ British Museum payments in first hour of latest ticket release were by people under 35 A 1,000-year-old embroidery may be an unusual candidate for a
- Labour urged to plug predicted £400m shortfall in overseas aid funding in 2027
UK News
Official forecast indicates shortfall below 0.3% of national income in promised official development assistance The UK is on course to miss its target of spending 0.3% of national
- Tesco replacing VMware with Proxmox in its stores and on the edge
Tech
Tesco is planning to replace VMware with Proxmox across parts of its store-based technology estate, according to a job advert reported by The Register.
- The Papers: 'Budget tax reprieve for pensioners' and 'Meghan dad net to widen'
UK News
Stories about the Budget and the investigation into the father of the Duchess of Sussex feature on Monday's front pages.
- Storm Boelo: warnings in place in Scotland, Northern Ireland and north of England as high winds batter UK
UK News
Met Office reports gusts of 80mph in exposed coastal spots and advises people in affected areas to stay indoors Strong winds have battered Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern E
- Retail leads the way on paternity leave as government urged to improve offer
Finance
M&S and Tesco are among employers offering six weeks, highlighting gap with construction and agriculture “Being able to take six weeks’ paid paternity leave, flexibly, made a huge
- Burnham open to 'honest discussion' on EU free movement
UK News
The PM says he wants a "factual" and "evidence-based debate" about returning to free movement between Britain and Europe.
- Meghan broke contact with father in letter citing abuse claims
UK News
Sources close to the duchess said she warned her father last year that he would never meet his grandchildren.
Useful guides
- Virtual office options for UK small businesses: address services and mail handling
Business
- Best mattress deals in the UK (2026): bed-in-a-box, comfort and value
Finance
- Best online GCSE and A-Level courses in the UK (2026): flexible study, adult learners and recognised qualifications
Business
- Best mobile SIM deals in the UK: data, coverage and contract flexibility
Finance
- Best parcel and courier services for small businesses in the UK (2026): delivery, cost and reliability
Business
- Best tax software in the UK (2026): self assessment, VAT and small business tax returns
Tax
- Best payroll software in the UK (2026): PAYE, pensions and small business payroll
Business
- Best small business insurance in the UK (2026): public liability, employers’ liability and professional cover
Business
- Best explainer video software in the UK (2026): whiteboard animation, demos and marketing videos
Business
- Best company formation services in the UK (2026): packages, support and registered office options
Business
- Best removal van services in the UK (2026): moving house, furniture delivery and man-and-van options
Finance
- Best oral care products in the UK (2026): electric toothbrushes, whitening and daily dental care
Finance
- Best accounting software in the UK (2026): Xero vs QuickBooks vs FreeAgent
Business
- Best online will writing services in the UK (2026): solicitor-checked wills and simple estate planning
Finance
- Best self-storage services in the UK (2026): moving house, decluttering and business storage
Finance
- Best email marketing tools for small businesses in the UK (2026): newsletters, automation and value
Business