11 April 2023
Rural communities set to benefit from funding to support business and create jobs
Communities across rural England are set to benefit from an extra £110 million in local authority funding to support rural business and community groups.
Eligible local authorities in England will receive the funding, which they can invest in initiatives such as farm diversification, projects to boost rural tourism, and community infrastructure projects including electric vehicle charging stations. The funding will also help people start up local businesses to supercharge growth and create employment opportunities for rural areas.
Time set for UK Emergency Alerts test
A UK-wide of the life-saving public Emergency Alerts system will take place at 3pm on Sunday 23 April.
Following successful pilots in East Suffolk and Reading, the test of the new Emergency Alerts system will see people receive a message on the home screen of their mobile phone, along with a sound and vibration for up to ten seconds.
For the test, the public does not need to take any action - the sound and vibration will stop automatically after ten seconds. All people need to do is swipe away the message or click ‘OK’ on their phone’s home screen - just like for a ‘low battery’ warning or notification - and continue to use their phone as normal.
HMRC late payment interest rates to be revised April 2023
The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee announced on 23 March 2023 to increase the Bank of England base rate to 4.25% from 4%.
HMRC interest rates are linked to the Bank of England base rate.
As a consequence of the change in the base rate, HMRC interest rates for late payment and repayment will increase.
These changes will come into effect on:
- 3 April 2023 for quarterly instalment payments
- 13 April 2023 for non-quarterly instalments payments