Today in Money: a survey has revealed the generation that hates their job the most; an airline has launched a £250 return to New York; and we take a closer look at weekly care home costs around the country.
Thursday 9 October 2025 13:37, UK
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Job advisers will be placed in GP surgeries across several parts of England in a drive to get sick people back into work. 
Advisers will work with healthcare teams and mental health services to support unemployed people under the government programme. 
Nine areas will benefit from the Connect to Work scheme:
The scheme will also offer some places virtual reality immersive classrooms to help people with interview practice, workshops, and funding support to get parents access to affordable healthcare. 
You can see more about the funding each area is getting – and the number of people the government think it will support below…
People with a disability, health condition or who face complex barriers to work can access the assistance. 
They can self-refer or be referred by healthcare professionals, councils or community groups.
You can read more about the scheme here.
By James Sillars, business and economics reporter 
Another lender exposed to the car finance mis-selling scandal is seeing a sharp drop in its share price today.
Just hours after Lloyds warned investors that it was likely to raise its provisions for covering compensation costs, Close Brothers has followed suit.
The FTSE 250 firm’s shares were trading down more than 7%.
The company, which has already set aside £165m, said that sum was now expected to rise. Car finance makes up approximately a quarter of its total loan book.
Like Lloyds, it did not reveal how much more of a bill it was expecting to face, saying it was still studying the Financial Conduct Authority’s proposals released on Tuesday evening.
The watchdog, which found lenders did not disclose the commission paid to brokers, wants millions of customers to get compensation.
The expected total for payouts came in at the lower end of initial estimates, and will therefore limit the size of the cash piles set aside to cover compensation.
Analysts have said they expect Lloyds to raise its provisions by up to £1.5bn.
It costs an average of £1,298 a week to live in a care home in the UK  – but in some parts of the country, the price is even higher. 
In the South East, residential care will set you back around £1,446 per week – £75,192 a year, according to figures from the country’s leading care reviews site, carehome.co.uk. 
While in the North East, the same care costs £1,112 a week – £57,824 a year. 
People with dementia face even higher prices: £1,343 per week for residential dementia support and £1,564 for nursing dementia care.
Nursing care is more costly still, averaging £1,535 per week nationally, rising to £1,759 in London.
The figures highlight a huge North-South divide in the price of care… 
Almost half of older people in care homes are self-funders, according to Office for National Statistics data.
For those who cannot afford fees, local councils step in, but only after a financial assessment.
In England, you are only eligible for local authority support if you have less than £23,250 in savings and don’t own any property.
There is also no maximum limit on care home costs, with plans to introduce a lifetime cap of £86,000 scrapped by the Labour government last year. 
“We have been waiting decades for meaningful social care reform. The government must act to ease the financial burden on families, many of whom are left with no choice but to sell their homes to cover care fees,” said Sue Learner, editor at carehome.co.uk.
If you fancy a trip to New York and don’t mind its frosty weather in February, Norse Atlantic Airways may be a good bet.
The airline is offering direct £256 return flights to New York which, compared with British Airways’ cheapest price of £440 on similar dates, appears to be a bargain.
Norse’s deal under “economy light” doesn’t include any checked in baggage but it does allow passengers to bring a 10kg cabin bag. 
BA’s “economy basic”, its cheapest option of travel, also only includes a personal item and cabin bag.
Premium
If you’re wanting to treat yourself a little bit, Norse’s “premium classic” deal may be tempting. 
For £748, it offers complimentary drinks, including booze, as well as a personal item, a 15kg cabin bag, a 23kg hold bag, two meals and premium boarding.
By James Sillars, business and economics reporter 
This time yesterday, I brought you news of a rally for bank shares.
That lift was sufficient to propel the FTSE 100 to a fresh record high.
But fast-forward 24 hours and Lloyds has lost Wednesday’s gains, which came off the back of investor relief that the car finance mis-selling scandal bill facing suppliers was at the lower end of estimates.
Lloyds shares were down more than 3% at the open today after the group admitted it may now be facing a “material” increase in its provisions of £1.15bn to date.
It did not put a figure on it, but analysts estimate a further exposure of up to £1.5bn on top of that sum.
Lloyds said it was still crunching the numbers.
The FTSE 100 was down 0.3% at 9,522, with Lloyds among those proving the biggest drag.
The biggest loser was another bank, HSBC.
Its stock was trading more than 5% lower after revealing plans to privatise Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Bank – a subsidiary in which it holds a majority stake.
Hang Seng has been struggling due to its exposure to faltering property markets in the city and in mainland China.
For this week’s guide, Anna Bowes, savings expert from The Private Office, reviews the best offers on the savings market…
Savers are finally getting a bit of respite after several weeks of cuts. 
Regular savings accounts are paying some of the best rates, and three of the top five now give you almost unlimited access to your money. 
These accounts normally come with restrictions on the amount you can deposit and how often you can access your cash. 
Progressive Building Society launched the Online Regular Rainy Day Saver Account (Issue 4), which pays 7% (variable) on deposits of £300 a month and allows you to make one withdrawal per day. 
Scottish Building Society has also launched a 12-month Regular Saver account paying a variable rate of 6.5% on deposits of up to £250 a month.
Withdrawals are allowed as long as £50 remains in the account, but the account can only be opened in branch or by post.
“Regular savings accounts are a good option, especially for those who don’t have a lump sum to invest and they are one of the best ways to get you into the savings habit,” Bowes says. 
“Deposit the amount you can afford the day after you are paid, and it becomes like another bill – but one that you can benefit from in the future.” 
Let’s take a look at the rest of the market…
Easy access
While there has not been a new challenger to the top of the tables, Shawbrook Bank has launched an unrestricted easy access account paying 4.31% AER, which includes a fixed bonus of 2.31% for 12 months. 
“That is the only action we’ve seen, but at least there have been no rate cuts,” Bowes says. 
Easy access cash ISAs
The Tipton & Coseley Building Society has launched an unrestricted easy access cash ISA paying 4.3%. 
Although not the top-paying easy access ISA, it is the best rate for those who do not want to be restricted by how many withdrawals they can make.
It can only be opened via a mobile app, which may not suit everyone’s needs. 
If you want an account that can be opened in a different way, Skipton Building Society’s Cash ISA Base Rate Tracker Issue 9 has a rate of 4.16% AER.
“While you can make as many easy access withdrawals as you like, the account has a 12-month term, after which your cash will be moved into another easy access ISA that does not track the base rate and will likely pay a lower rate,” Bowes says.
Fixed rate bonds
In our one-year table, the market-leading accounts have been withdrawn and replaced by a slightly lower rate. 
OakNorth Bank launched a one-year bond paying 4.43% – down from its previous issue paying 4.45%. This small adjustment means the bank is still in our top five but has dropped down into joint 5th.
The good news is that LHV, an app-only provider, has launched a one-year bond paying 4.45% to join First Save at the top, meaning savers still have two market-leading options to choose from.
Fixed rate cash ISAs
Tembo is holding fast at the top of the one-year table with its app-only ISA, paying 4.27%.
Meanwhile, Gatehouse Bank has launched an ISA paying 4.21% – putting it into second place. NatWest Bank’s 4.2% offering is in third place, a good rate with a well-known bank.
Households are facing higher than expected rises to their water bills after five water companies were given provisional permission to raise their prices by up to a further 5%. 
Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, South East Water, Southern Water and Wessex Water disputed limits imposed by the industry regulator, Ofwat. 
The Competitions and Markets Authority was called in to review Ofwat’s decision – click below to find exactly how much each of these providers can now raise bills…
Morrisons has become the latest retailer to make changes to its deals after a change in legislation aimed at tackling unhealthy food promotions. 
The supermarket’s cafes have removed hot chocolates and mochas from their free hot drinks refill offer. 
All other hot drinks, including a cappuccino, latte and flat white, are still included in the deal. 
The government introduced a ban on price or multibuy promotions on unhealthy food and drink last week in an attempt to tackle obesity levels in the country. 
The restrictions apply to supermarkets, large high street chains, DIY stores, garden centres, petrol stations and online retailers. 
Under the rules, free refill promotions for drinks that are high in fat, salt or sugar are banned in restaurants and cafes. 
Earlier this week, Nandos scrapped its bottomless Coca-Cola offer to comply with the new rules, prompting consternation from some customers…
Forget tropes about workshy youngsters – new research reveals it’s the middle-aged who are least satisfied with their job.
In the 2025 Standard Life Retirement Voice, just 65% of Generation X, born 1965 to 1980, said they were satisfied with work, falling to just 52% who were satisfied with their pay.
Compare this with Gen Z, 76% of whom were satisfied with their job and 65% with their pay.
Baby Boomers came out happiest – perhaps unsurprising given most are retired, so those continuing to work have often chosen to do so. 
They matched Gen Z with 76% satisfied overall and slipped behind Gen Z on pay (63%), but took the lead in satisfaction with job flexibility (81%).
Millennials have another reason to be referred to as the sandwich generation, being once again in the middle of the pack.
Almost one in 10 top earners ‘struggling’
Across all generations, 24% say it’s difficult to live on their income, unchanged from last year.
Even among those earning more than £100,000 – the top 4% of earners – there were 9% who said it wasn’t enough.
The figures are a sign that despite inflation being lower in the past 12 months, people are still struggling to recover from the cost of living crisis.
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