‘Housing sin taxes’ – levied on vacant homes, ‘house flipping’ and foreign buyers – could be a useful source of revenue, a think tank argues today.

The UK should learn from successful planning policies that have deliberately prioritised affordable housing and are ambitious in nature, such as those implemented in the American city of Minneapolis.

Recent restrictions to international students coming to the UK haven’t addressed universities’ dependence on them for core funding, and risk worsening outcomes for all students, think tank says.

More people (48%) would prefer their child to get a vocational qualification after leaving school instead of attending university (37%) or starting work (8%), a think-tank has found.

Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) SMEs say that recruiting and developing adequately skilled staff is their biggest barrier to growth, a think tank reveals today.

Tax-free ISA allowances should be cut so money can be used to reward saving by younger people on low incomes, a think-tank says today.

Homeowners selling or letting property should produce a “Flood Performance Certificate” to show how prepared their home is for possible flooding, a think-tank has suggested.

Happiness is more important than money in deciding how someone votes, new research suggests today.