A Good Work plan was released last week by the government, accepting almost all of Taylor’s recommendations outlined in his report into working practices with a raft of consultations being released. Croner-i Human Resources outlines the key recommendations for worker rights, pay, sick pay, employment status and agency workers

A flagship Scottish government policy to double early learning and childcare hours by August 2020 has come under fire from Scotland’s Audit Commission, which says the plans have ‘significant risks’ because of insufficient staffing levels, poor preparations and an estimated £160m funding shortfall

Nicky Morgan, chair of the Treasury committee, has written to over 30 firms in the financial services industry challenging them to sign up to the women in finance charter or explain the reasons why they have not done so, in a bid to increase the pressure to improve gender diversity in the sector

CIOT has announced its team of officers for the coming year, with Ray McCann becoming the institute’s new president, marking the first former HMRC appointment to the post, with Accountancy contributor Peter Rayney among those taking the helm from May

Armstrong Watson has acquired Haines Watts Glasgow office as part of plans to expand the business across Scotland and the north of England

The Big Four have been accused of ‘feasting on what was soon to become a carcass’, after the joint select committee inquiry into the collapse of Carillion found the accountancy firms had billed for £71m of work with the outsourcer since 2008, amid claims the relationships became too ‘cosy’

Companies registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) own more property in England and Wales than those based in any other country, according to analysis of Land Registry data on overseas property ownership carried out by the BBC

Neil Gostelow and Mark Orton, partners from KPMG restructuring have been appointed joint administrators to Oyster Marine Holdings Ltd, the holding company for the Oyster Yacht group of luxury boat builders, which has run out of funds

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has announced a new charge against Barclays Bank in relation to loans made to Qatari investors during the bank’s fundraising in the aftermath of the financial crisis, following on from earlier charges brought against the holding company, Barclays plc, and four individuals in June 2017

The Praxity Alliance of independent accounting and consulting firms has reported record global revenues of $5.2bn (£3.7bn) for the year ended 31 December 2017, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.5%

The new year has seen job-seeking accounting professionals showing strong resolve to find new positions, with application rates in the sector rising by 88% in January 2018, compared to the end of 2017, according to job market data from CV-Library

Finance workers in the UK are among the most stressed in the world, and very few expect the situation to change over the next two years, according to a study by Robert Half UK