Open an account Help & support Register Account summary Log out
Skip Header
Home Stock market news

Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Tuesday newspaper round-up: City & Guilds, water companies, home ownership

Tue 20 Jan 2026 07:20

(Sharecast News) - The new owners of the vocational training body City & Guilds appear to have more than tripled the pay of its top six executives right at the moment the company is cutting £22m of costs and shrinking its UK workforce. The large increases to salary and bonuses have emerged during a scandal over the sale of the qualification awards business by its former owner, the UK charity City & Guilds London Institute (CGLI), to the international certification company PeopleCert. - Guardian Water companies could be let off fines for polluting the environment under changes announced in the government's new white paper. The environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, hailed the changes as "once-in-a-generation reforms" featuring "tough oversight, real accountability and no more excuses". Campaigners called the proposed move to soften the approach to fines "desperate", and said the government was letting companies off the hook. - Guardian

At least 1.5 million people have been locked out of homeownership because of Britain's housing crisis, developers have warned. The scale of declining homeownership has been laid bare in a new report from the Home Builders Federation (HBF), which has blamed a lack of affordability among first-time buyers. - Telegraph

The UK has retained its ranking among global chief executives as the second most important market for international investment, beaten only by America, but international rivals are "gaining ground". Last year, Britain also secured second place in the annual global CEO survey, the highest position secured by the nation in the 29-year history of the research by PwC. - The Times

More than 10,000 businesses in Britain may save time and money as a result of plans to scrap 33 outdated restrictions, the competition regulator has claimed. The Competition and Markets Authority has set out proposals to ditch so-called "remedies" that were introduced to restrict monopolists or curb other anti-competitive behaviour. - The Times

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

Thu 22 Oct 2026 07:18
Thursday newspaper round-up: AI companies, Waitrose, gas standing charges
(Sharecast News) - AI companies have told ministers they have 12 months to head off public opposition to datacentres in the UK or risk US-style protests that could threaten their construction. Successive dry summers and rising energy bills are increasing public scrutiny of plans for the huge computer warehouses that are used to train and run AI models, says a submission to the Labour government from a group including the AI infrastructure companies Nvidia, Microsoft and Cisco. - Guardian
Wed 21 Oct 2026 07:24
Wednesday newspaper round-up: SpaceX, NatWest, Anthropic
(Sharecast News) - The UK government has approved the controversial Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, a widely expected move that will nonetheless dismay environmental campaigners and a number of Labour MPs. While Labour's 2024 election manifesto committed to a ban on new drilling licences in the North Sea, the companies behind Jackdaw and the Rosebank oilfield project, which is being decided on separately, have sought environmental approval for existing licences. - Guardian
Wed 21 Oct 2026 07:24
Wednesday newspaper round-up: SpaceX, NatWest, Anthropic
(Sharecast News) - The UK government has approved the controversial Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, a widely expected move that will nonetheless dismay environmental campaigners and a number of Labour MPs. While Labour's 2024 election manifesto committed to a ban on new drilling licences in the North Sea, the companies behind Jackdaw and the Rosebank oilfield project, which is being decided on separately, have sought environmental approval for existing licences. - Guardian
Tue 20 Oct 2026 07:13
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Thames Water, North Sea workers, tobacco companies, John Lewis
(Sharecast News) - Andy Burnham has told officials to rip up their plans for how to fix Thames Water and present him with more radical options for what to do with the stricken company. In an early test of his promise to bring "the essentials of life" under public control, the prime minister is urging his advisers to go back to the drawing board and create a new list of policies for the utility. One option being looked at is to convert about £100m of outstanding fines into a government stake in the company, saving its creditors money but giving ministers some say in how it is run. - Guardian

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Awards

Award 1
Award 2
Award 3

Policies and important information

Accessibility | Conflicts of interest statement | Consumer Duty Target Market | Consumer Duty Value Assessment Statements | Cookie policy | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Reports | Doing Business with Fidelity | Investing in Fidelity funds | Legal information | Modern slavery | Mutual respect policy | Privacy statement | Remuneration policy | Statutory and Regulatory disclosures | Whistleblowing programme

Please remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance, the performance of investments is not guaranteed, and the value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. When investments have particular tax features, these will depend on your personal circumstances and tax rules may change in the future. This website does not contain any personal recommendations for a particular course of action, service or product. You should regularly review your investment objectives and choices and, if you are unsure whether an investment is suitable for you, you should contact an authorised financial adviser. Before opening an account, please read the ‘Doing Business with Fidelity’ document which incorporates our client terms. Prior to investing into a fund, please read the relevant key information document or Product Summary document which contains important information about the fund.

This website is issued by Financial Administration Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (FCA Register number 122169) and registered in England and Wales under company number 1629709 whose registered address is Beech Gate, Millfield Lane, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6RP.

© FIL Limited 2026