Neil Macdonald

Widnes

Customer Loyalty Editor at NationalWorld

Writer at Freelance

Husband, dad, runner, science fiction geek. Here to make friends. DMs open

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Articles

US will be ‘main victim’ of Trump’s trade war, IMF warns

1 day ago | channel4.com | Neil McDonald |Neil Macdonald

The International Monetary Fund has warned that the UK’s economy will be among hardest hit by the trade war sparked by Donald Trump. It has downgraded UK growth forecasts by a third. But in a bitter, if somewhat ironic twist, the Washington-based organisation has also warned that the main victim in terms of stifling growth and rising inflation of the US tariffs would be the US itself.
Pope Francis obituary: Modernising leader who sought to bring the Catholic church closer to its followers

3 days ago | thenationalnews.com | Neil McDonald |Neil Macdonald

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Ipswich council leader Neil MacDonald on keeping town clean

3 days ago | ipswichstar.co.uk | Neil McDonald |Neil Macdonald

Neil MacDonald with Nick from the town centre team (Image: IBC) The April meeting of the Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) Executive brought senior councillors together to cover three important issues: recycling in the future, town centre cleanliness and IBC’s response to the government’s consultation on Norfolk and Suffolk devolution.
UK Economy: Inflation drops but fears of rises on horizon

1 week ago | channel4.com | Neil McDonald |Neil Macdonald

UK inflation slowed down for the second month in a row, to two-point-six per cent in March – on the back of falling petrol prices. The Office for National Statistics said a drop in the price of computer games also contributed to the lower inflation reading. Thatâ€™s the good news, but there are fears of immediate rises in the coming months.
OPINION: 300 new homes pave the way to building brilliant communities in Ipswich

1 week ago | ipswichstar.co.uk | Neil McDonald |Neil Macdonald

Mayor Elango Elavalakan and Neil MacDonald at the handover of 78 flats at Bibb Way. (Image: IBC) I was really pleased to visit Bibb Way last Wednesday for the handover of 78 new flats to Ipswich Borough Council (IBC). The flats are a conversion of the former BT office block off Handford Road. The properties look good from the street and the building is an impressive sight from across Alderman Park.
Opinion: Variety is the spice of life, says council leader

2 weeks ago | eadt.co.uk | Neil McDonald |Neil Macdonald

Neil MacDonald at Ipswich Academy (Image: Neil MacDonald) I started the week as the guest of Maled Akhlak, the applied learning coordinator at Ipswich Academy. You may remember that the school became an academy school sponsored by a Swedish educational company, Kunskapsskolan. This means the school has a lot of open, big spaces, but these are not useful teaching spaces. The school is now under Paradigm Trust, who have made changes to move it forward.
‘Awful April’: how much are your bills rising?

3 weeks ago | channel4.com | Neil McDonald |Neil Macdonald

While the government has to wait to find out the impact of president Trump’s new tariffs, UK consumers are already facing a series of price rises. A whole host of essential household bills – from water to stamps and TV licences – are going up this week. So, could it tip the country into a new inflationary crisis?
OPINION: So many great businesses being started in Ipswich

3 weeks ago | ipswichstar.co.uk | Neil McDonald |Neil Macdonald

Lee Walker of Ipswich Central talking to attendees (Image: Ipswich Borough Council) The Ipswich Thrive: Business Week was hosted in Ipswich this month. The town’s first business festival, led by Ipswich Borough Council (IBC), was a celebration of collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship in the town. In collaboration with several local businesses, there were 42 events put on.
Thames Water win legal battle to secure £3 billion bailout | Expert explains

1 month ago | channel4.com | Neil Macdonald

Thames Water will be allowed to go ahead with its plan to borrow another 3 billion pounds to keep the company afloat. The Court of Appeal today dismissed moves by environmental campaigners to block the deal. Thames is the largest UK water company with 16 million customers across the South East, but it is struggling under £16 billion pounds of debt.
OPINION: When Suffolk met Norfolk to drive better future for all

1 month ago | ipswichstar.co.uk | Neil Macdonald

Neil MacDonald at Eastern Gateway (Image: IBC) Getting Britain working is key to getting Britain growing, says Keir Starmer, and that is the Government’s top priority. At a national level, the key to growing the economy is building a thriving labour market, by reducing economic inactivity, increasing the number of people in work and providing more better paid jobs. At a local level, the Suffolk Business Board (SBB) has been running for about a year now.