Companies House Crackdown; Skincare Trends; Garden Offices

Available for over a year

Companies House is clamping down on criminals who've been using other people’s names and addresses to register fake companies. For years now, we've been reporting on how thousands of households have had their details unknowingly used by criminal gangs. An investigation by You and Yours in 2022 found that 150,000 had been registered and in some streets, every home had been targeted. Until last week, Companies House had no legal powers to verify or validate a firm's details. We speak to Graham Barrow from the Dark Money Files who advises financial crime investigators. We also hear from the Government Minister for Enterprise Markets and Small Business, Kevin Hollinrake, who is behind the change in the law. More than two thirds of people in the UK want beauty brands to prove the science behind their product claims. That’s according to the consumer analysts, Mintel. Their research shows people are becoming more savvy about the skincare products they’re buying as the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze budgets. We speak to Dionne Officer from Mintel's Beauty and Care Innovation team and Dr Natalia Spierings, a consultant dermatologist, and author of a book called "What you really need to know to get great skin." During the pandemic we saw a huge increase in the number of garden rooms being built as work from home offices. The average cost of installing one can be anything between £9,500 and £30,000. But does installing a garden office really add value to your home? We speak to journalist and author Oliver Franklin-Wallis who tried to buy a property with one of these offices. We also hear from Simon Gerrard, an estate agent and Paula Higgins from the Homeowners Alliance. Presenter: Shari Vahl Producer: Tara Holmes