Latest news with #NorthWest
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Monthly rents rise £221 over three years – here's how much they've gone up in your area
The cost of renting in the UK has seen a sharp rise over the last few years, new data shows, increasing by an average £221 a month in just three years. This makes the cost of renting 21 per cent more expensive than three years ago, the analysis by Zoopla finds, far outstripping inflation. The average monthly rent in spring was £1,283, figures from the property website show. London continues to be the UK's most expensive city for renters, at an average £2,101 a month in 2025. This is followed by Oxford (£1,747), Brighton (£1,640) and Cambridge (£1,600), the data shows. Meanwhile, northern areas Burnley (£625), Hull (£652) and Grimbsy (£656) have the cheapest rents. However, rental growth has varied across different areas of the UK in this time, with some surprising areas seeing prices rise much faster than others. Over the last three years, renters in Rochdale saw the highest relative increase, with average costs rising 34.3 per cent per. This brought the average rent from £668 in 2022 to £897 in 2025. This was followed by Bolton (31.5 per cent), Wigan (31.1 per cent), and Blackburn (29.1 per cent), pointing to a trend of quicker rising rents in the North West. However, annual growth in average rents for new tenancies in the UK is actually now slowing, Zoopla reports. Its report shows that growth has shrunk from 6.4 per cent last year, to 2.8 per cent in the year to April. But the growth in rental prices since 2022 means that private tenants have seen a greater increase in their monthly housing costs since 2022 than mortgaged homeowners, the property site adds. Its figures also show that mortgage repayments for an average outstanding loan currently sits at £1,154 per month – £129 more than the average rent. Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: 'A shift to higher mortgage rates raised alarm over how mortgagees would be able to afford higher repayments over the last three years. The sales market has been resilient thanks to mortgage regulations that ensured borrowers could afford higher mortgage rates. 'Renters have faced similarly steep increases in the cost of renting in recent years with rents pushed higher on string demand and limited supply of homes for rent which has hit lower income renters hardest. 'The quickest way to alleviate high rents is to grow the stock of homes for rent in both the social and private rented sectors. Growing housing supply is a key Government target and its vital that the stock of rented homes is expanded across all tenures.'
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stuart century sees Social Circle close gap at the top
A win for chasers Farnworth Social Circle and defeat for leaders Read returned some jeopardy to the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League Premiership title race on Saturday. Star displays from Bajan professional Jameel Stuart with the bat and Lewis Whittle with the new ball - 136 off 106 balls and 6-42 respectively - helped second-placed Social Circle brush aside defending champions Blackrod for a 10th win in 13 games. Stuart scored his third league century of 2025 and became the first man in either division to pass 900 runs this summer, underpinning 247-9 from 44 overs. In reply, Whittle was the chief protagonist in bowling hosts Blackrod out for 162, an 85-run win. Read, meanwhile, lost only their second league game - this at home to mid-table Salesbury, whose sixth win was set up by a more eye-catching century than Stuart's. Salesbury's South African pro Garnett Tarr, batting at number three, crashed 12 sixes in 164 off 104 balls as they posted 263-8 in only 35 overs. Read, who lost their Hamer Cup semi-final to Padiham last Sunday, were set a revised 198-target in 24 overs but slipped to 50-6 and 123 all out. Tarr's outstanding day continued thanks to 5-44 with off-spin. Mid-table Salesbury's sixth win - this by 74 runs - means leaders Read (126 points) and Farnworth SC are separated by only 11 points with nine games left. They play each other a week on Saturday. The majority of rainy Saturday matches were subject to reduced overs. But there was only one game which failed to finish - the battle between two teams at the wrong end of the Championship, Earby at home to Brinscall (7-0 after two overs). Both teams took five points apiece. The Premiership clash between Lostock and Tonge was the only game not reduced. Lostock won by seven wickets chasing 152, their fifth win in 13. However, they remain in ninth place. Mid-table visitors Tonge were bowled out for 151 as new-ball seamer Reece Gray picked up three wickets. Opener Matt Lamb top-scored with a patient 46 in reply. Like the Premiership title race, the Championship promotion battle is fascinating. The top five teams are separated by only 28 points. Ribblesdale Wanderers (119, 15 games) are top but were beaten at second-placed Whalley (115, 13) by three wickets. After limiting Ribblesdale to 117-5 from 26 overs, Whalley chased a revised 128. Despite losing regular wickets, they were always in control. Whalley pro Levi Wolfenden impressed with two wickets and a sharp 50 in win number nine. Mid-table Baxenden put a spanner in the works of third-placed Cherry Tree's (101 points, 12 games) progression, claiming a 33-run win on the road in defence of a 145-target in 29 overs. Baxenden's seventh win in 14 games came despite being bowled out for 144, including Matthew Austin's tail-end 33. Pro Ben Gorton then struck five wickets as Cherry Tree slipped from 59-1 to 111 all out, losing for the fourth time. Barnoldswick (99, 12) kept themselves in the Championship promotion conversation with a landslide eighth win, this one by 148 runs at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel. Openers Abdul and Amir Saddique contributed 75 and 62 respectively - the brothers shared a 104-partnership - to a 210-4 total from 31 overs before the former also claimed five wickets in mid-table Oswaldtwistle's 62 all out. Overseas amateur Deron Greaves, from St Vincent and the Grenadines, also had a good day for Barnoldswick with 50 and four wickets. Fifth-placed Astley Bridge (91 points, 13 games) were winners by 73 runs at Walkden in a 42-over game which saw the visitors post a commanding 249-5 thanks largely to Rick Northrop's fine 97 off 94 balls. In reply, captain Syd De Silva claimed four wickets with spin as Walkden were bowled out for 176. Bridge won for the seventh time this summer. Back in the Premiership, third-placed Padiham's seventh win came by 23 runs at home to Atherton, who dropped into the bottom two as a result. Padiham's 195-5 in 29 overs was led by Callum Clarke's well paced 59 before Atherton, chasing a revised 208 in 26, finished on 184-5. They had been usefully placed at 93-1 in the 14th over, but home captain Toby Burrows spun his way to four wickets. Padiham have 93 points, 22 adrift of second-placed Farnworth Social Circle and 33 behind leaders Read. Farnworth (60 points) leapfrogged Atherton (59 points) out of the bottom two to 10th place. They dented Kearsley's bid for a top-four finish with a 35-run home success, their third win of the summer. Farnworth posted 150-9 from 37 overs, captain and opener Tayler-Jay Heyes top-scoring with a patient 62. In defence, sub pro Anuk Fernando (Rawtenstall) and new-ball partner Yasir Rashid equally shared eight wickets in Kearsley's 115 all out. Farnworth also jumped above Eagley, who fell to bottom of the table despite a thrilling win at mid-table Little Lever, by two runs defending a revised target of 147 in 27 overs. Harvey Seigne's brisk middle-order 52 underpinned Eagley's 146-5 before Little Lever moved to the verge of victory, needing nine to win off the last two overs at 138-5 with Pakistani pro Muhammad Junaid unbeaten on 86. But Junaid fell for 87 to James Richards in the penultimate, and Seigne then defended six off the last over as the hosts finished on 144-7. Eagley won for the fourth time in 13 and have 58 points.
News24
17 hours ago
- News24
Search continues for two missing Klerksdorp men
North West police are looking for two men who went missing on Monday last week from their place of work at Afrikaner Plot, Wessel Street in Meirings Park, Klerksdorp. The men, Christiaan van Blerk and Donovan van der Walt are believed to be colleagues, police said. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh said the men left their work place in a white Toyota Hilux Raider bakkie, registration number KWF254NW, to collect spare parts in Klerksdorp Industria, but never returned. 'A search was conducted and all leads followed, but it did not yield positive results,' said Myburgh. Police said the 34-year-old Van Blerk is 1.8m tall, slender in build, with long brown hair and brown eyes. 'He has a scar on the right side of his face (cheek), a tattoo of a cross on his upper arm and a horse shoe tattoo on his upper leg,' said Myburgh. Van der Walt, 25, is 1.6m tall, slender in build, with brown hair, light blue eyes, a black moustache and a beard. 'He has various tattoos on his body, with a lion tattoo on the left arm and hand,' said Myburgh. By Tuesday morning, police said there were no updates on the men's disappearance. Anyone who has information can contact the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Louis Harmse of the Klerksdorp Detectives on 083 607 1395 or the South African Police Service Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Kim Kardashian posts then quickly deletes bikini photo from Idaho lake getaway and fans think they know why
KIM Kardashian posted, then quickly deleted, a bikini photo from her Idaho lake getaway - and fans think they know why. Reality star Kim, 44, shared a sun-soaked photo dump from the staycation, which featured her kids - minus North, 12 - and a group of glam mom friends. 7 But eagle-eyed followers noticed that one particular picture vanished shortly after it went live, sparking rampant speculation in the comments. The now-deleted shot showed Kim soaking up the rays in a lilac bikini at the edge of a wooden boat, striking a pose that highlighted her famous curves. She captioned the post: 'Lake 2025.' Other pictures saw her children Saint, Chicago and Psalm enjoy boat trips out to sea and playing with sparklers. While the rest of the gallery remained intact, fans believe the missing photo was pulled due to a photoshop blunder. Some claimed Kim forgot to adjust her proportions, leaving her bum looking bigger than usual compared to her cinched waist. One commented: 'Not enough photoshop," while another added: "She forgot to make her bum smaller!' A third said: 'She looks hippy here. Nothing wrong with that,' while a fourth pointed out: 'She has a crazy expression on her face!' It's not the first time this year she's been accused of a Photoshop fail. Back in May, fans spotted a clue that she had edited her body in some social media shots. Taking to Instagram to share a slew of sizzling snaps, Kim looked amazing as she donned a tiny silver string bikini. Posing up a storm in a series of mirror selfies and other snaps, Kim could be seen putting her svelte curves on display for all to see. In the caption, the TV personality declared it "spring break", while many fans swooned over her appearance. "Most envied woman on earth," penned one. "Still sexy as hell," swooned a second. While a third added: "Sweeter than honey hotter than fire." But not everybody was complimentary. Some fans on Reddit were quick to critique the SKIMS founder. PHOTOSHOP FAIL? In a thread dedicated to the Kardashian family, one person shared Kim's new snaps and said: "Why is her bra strap always so tight?" They then noted: "She's made a permanent dent there." One fan weighed in and said: "Because she's wearing a size small top when she should probably be wearing a medium, cup size looks too small." But another fan pointed out something suspicious. "Kim's torso is not that long," they said. To which someone replied: "Or thin. It's clearly been Photoshopped to hell and back." A Quick Look at Kim's Business Empire SKIMS is just one part of Kim Kardashian's multi-million dollar business empire. The reality TV star makes money from a multitude of jobs. The Kardashians on Hulu - 2022 to present SKIMS - an underwear, loungewear and shapewear brand founded in June 2019 SKKN - skincare and makeup line Kim has also acted on American Horror Story, received endorsements from numerous companies, and more making her net worth a little above $1 billion 7 7 7 7 7 7
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Skipton reappoints Dan Grainger to lead SME growth
Skipton Business Finance has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the North West with the appointment of Dan Grainger as its new regional sales director. In his new role, Grainger will focus on expanding Skipton's reach by providing working capital to businesses across the region. He will work alongside a trusted network of introducers and brokers, as well as the company's relationship management and risk teams. The appointment marks a return to Skipton for Grainger, who previously worked with the business from 2017 to 2021. He brings with him considerable experience in commercial finance, having held senior positions at institutions including Lloyds Banking Group and Praetura Invoice Finance. Speaking about his return, Grainger said Skipton's 'strong reputation in the market' and plans to enhance its product suite made the decision to come back an easy one. 'I've received such a warm welcome,' he added, 'and it's been great to reconnect with some familiar faces while making new connections. I'm really looking forward to helping even more businesses thrive across the North West.' Jim Furey, Skipton Business Finance's sales director for the North West and Midlands, welcomed Grainger's return, describing him as 'an invaluable asset' to the business. 'Dan's deep understanding of the SME landscape and impressive business development experience make him a strong fit for our growth plans,' said Furey. 'His client-first approach and extensive network align closely with our ethos of building strong, supportive partnerships.' Skipton Business Finance is part of the Skipton Building Society Group and specialises in funding SMEs across the UK. "Skipton reappoints Dan Grainger to lead SME growth" was originally created and published by Leasing Life, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. 登入存取你的投資組合
