What's in a number?

In Milton Keynes we are all agreed that it is a city of continued growth with a "can do" attitude where we buck the national trend in the current economic climate - but do we?

I have recently seen figures produced by The Insolvency Service (thank you Peter Windatt at BRI for the details) which cover the period 2000-2009. These show, for instance, that in MK (per 10,000 population) the rate of bankruptcies increased from 5.3 to 17.3, the total individual insolvencies increased from 7.2 to 31.1 and I could go on. The surprising figure for me is that the Milton Keynes average for bankruptcy orders was 21.2 per 10,000. The average for the rest of England & Wales was 17.3. It seems we are not immune.

Out & about

Milton Keynes enjoys a huge variety of networking options and events on most days. We are regular attendees in the area and find it an excellent way to keep in contact with friends & clients. Why not meet us at the Midsummer Breakfast Club on the last Thursday of each month. I have also just come back from The Credit Services Association conference in Leicester. As ever it was very informative with some excellent speakers. The networking evening and opportunities throughout the day are always good value. See CSA.

Where's my turf?

Just before Christmas, I came across my certificate which tells me I am the proud owner of 1 square metre of the pitch at the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes. I bought this when the stadium was built. For those of you that are not keen hockey supporters or based in Milton Keynes, you may not know that in 2009 the stadium site was made available to Network Rail and that the stadium was demolished to make way for their new National Headquarters.

Now this is undoubtedly great news for Milton Keynes, as the new building will house 3000+ staff and brings new jobs to the City, but despite the public consultations with the people of Milton Keynes, I can find no record of what has happened to my turf. Do I now own some concrete?

Milton Keynes to host World Cup?

You may not know that Milton Keynes began celebrating last December when it was named as a host city for the 2018 World Cup should the England bid be successful. If England win the bid, the MK Dons stadium will host World Cup football and one of the teams will be based in the city. This is a huge success for Milton Keynes, placing the city alongside other successful venues such as London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.

The result appears to be narrowing to a choice between England and Russia and we now wait with bated breath for the World Cup decision which will be announced on 2nd December. The Champagne is chilling nicely!

A knock on effect of hosting the World Cup is likely to be a huge increase in the number of attempted frauds and criminal activity. The fraudsters see the games as an opportunity but London House stands ready to help with fraud prevention and the recovery of any losses.