No change to Bank of England base rate
The Bank of England held its regular meeting to discuss interest rates last Thursday.
They voted to hold interest rates at 4.5% as had been widely expected prior to the meeting.
The Bank targets an inflation rate of 2% and has already predicted that inflation will rise this year before dropping at the end of the year. However, inflation for the 12 months to January 2025 increased to 3.0% from 2.5% in December, a much higher and faster increase in inflation than had been expected.
The Bank have been taking a cautious approach to reducing the rate, and more cuts are expected during 2025. However, with the increases in the amount of national insurance paid by employers and national minimum wage rates taking effect in April, the Bank is having to tread a fine line between slowing price rises and risking damaging the economy by having rates too high.
A national expansion of WorkWell, a health-and-employment support service, is set to take place across England, following a successful pilot that helped more than 25,000 people stay in or return to work.
Small Business Britain is set to roll out its Small and Mighty Enterprise Programme, a six-week online course designed to help sole traders and micro businesses unlock growth opportunities.