The Nifty 250

Everybody out
MORE than 40 key civil service jobs are to move from Liverpool to Manchester.

The Government Office North West will surrender the lease on its offices in the Cunard building in 2011 and move staff to Manchester, leaving just eight behind in new premises.

Last night, GONW said it had a responsibility to deliver “best value” for the taxpayer.

Everybody in
THE Council of Mortgage Lenders said it was likely to drop its prediction that house repossessions in 2009 would match that during the last recession of the early 1990s.

Its announcement came on the back of news of a surprise fall in the number of families on the brink of losing their homes across Merseyside and Cheshire.

County courts reported 967 repossession orders against householders unable to pay their mortgage bills in the first three months of this year, a 38% fall on a year earlier.

Everybody's doing it
WIRRAL South MP Ben Chapman today insisted he was “open and above board” over £15,000 claimed from the taxpayer for mortgage interest he no longer paid.

Mr Chapman became the latest MP to become caught up in the row over expenses when his details were revealed in the Daily Telegraph.

He said he sought and was given permission to reclaim the interest payments on the full value of his original mortgage, despite paying off £295,000 of the loan in 2002.

He benefited by £15,000 over 10 months from the arrangement.

He said: “I do not believe I have done anything wrong. I am very distressed about what has happened."