Proof cash machines can boost business: A brand new free ATM was installed last month - and local shopkeepers say it s already increased trade
Thanks to requests from local firms and residents along Bishopthorpe Road, a high street just outside York s city walls, a new cash machine was installed
Since October 2019, any community where there are at least five shops and no free access to cash within one kilometre can request a free-to-use ATM
Link has had 3,800 requests from members of the public so far, and has installed more than 50 machines
I hope I am not mistaken, but I see light at the end of a very long tunnel. Although we ve been here before – most notably last summer – it looks as if the UK is at last emerging from the horror that has been coronavirus. Hallelujah.
Huge swathes of the country have now been free from Covid deaths since the beginning of last month, infection rates are at their lowest since the pandemic began, and the slick nationwide vaccination programme has been extended to the over-40s.
So far, 48million jabs have been given. All hugely welcome trends although, of course, there is no room for complacency.
But for a brief window every year, shareholders are given the tools to gain control.
Over the next few weeks, most UK-listed companies will be holding their annual general meetings and an annual vote. Here, every shareholder from the biggest pension fund to the smallest individual investor has a right to have their voice heard.
Have your say: AGMs are open to all investors and even if you have just one single share, you are entitled to vote
AGMs are open to all investors and even if you have just one single share, you are entitled to vote.
Anyone can stand up and ask a question of the board or the chief executive. It s a right well worth using to help shape the companies you are relying on to grow your long-term wealth.
Will you come to the opticians with me at lunchtime? my friend Anna texted on Friday. I m thinking of splashing out £220 on a pair of sunglasses and want your opinion.
In normal times, I would have wondered if Anna had totally lost the plot. After all, she s extremely financially prudent and I ve never known her to be this extravagant.
But these are not normal times.
Shopping spree: I ve seen plenty of signs this week that spending will be considerably higher than has been forecast, says Rachel Rickard Straus
Over the past year, stuck at home with little to spend their money on, UK households have managed to pile up an extra £180billion in savings. Not everyone has been so lucky, but people like Anna, who have kept their incomes, have seen their savings grow.
RACHEL RICKARD STRAUS: Shoppers may know what experts don t thisismoney.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thisismoney.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.