but not fast enough to keep up with price rises. our economics correspondent, andy verity, has more details. all good? business has been challenging, up and down. it has been consistently inconsistent. one day we are super busy, we can t keep up. the next day we don t have any work on. a year ago, construction companies like this builder of grand design style renovations, based near heathrow airport, were struggling to cope with the surge in demand for new projects as the economy bounced back from the pandemic. there was no lack of work, but profits were squeezed by the rocketing cost of raw materials and the shortage of skilled staff that sent wages soaring. it is difficult to meet demand when there is also less money in the jobs because the cost of labour has risen so much. so we have labourers earning the money which plumbers and carpenters were earning, like, two and a half, three years ago. but everybody wants the job to be cheaper because they have no certainty and the
Being rescued on the front line as fighting rages around them. Calls for Energy Companies to stop making their customers use Prepayment Meters because theyre struggling to pay their bills. Bumper christmas sales for some of britains biggest retailers, despite the cost of living crisis. And tributes for the legendary rock guitaristjeff beck, who has died at the age of 78. And coming up on the Bbc News Channel. Great Britains Jack Draper will hope to be the Headline Maker in the first round of the Australian Open on monday. Hes been drawn against the defending champion, rafael nadal. Good afternoon and welcome to the news at one. Theres more evidence of the crisis in the nhs in england. Ambulance response times reached their worst level on record in december. Category 2 emergency calls, which include strokes, took more than an hour and a half on average. The target is 18 minutes. The highest priority calls, with an immediate threat to life, took almost 11 minutes on average. The target i
in russia, one of president putin s main critics is sentenced to 25 years in prison. main critics is sentenced we ll have the latest from moscow. main critics is sentenced for main critics is sentenced vladimir kara murza, the possible for vladimir kara murza, the maximum possible punishment, a quarter of a century behind bars which it sends a chilling message to anyone here thinking of taking on the kremlin. the prime minister under investigation after allegations of a possible failure to declare his wife s financial interest in a business that could benefit from government policy. the un calls for an immediate ceasefire in sudan where a power struggle between two military leaders has led to days of fighting. and the rise of the low traffic neighbourhood in england. we report on the heated local debates for and against. and coming up on bbc news, drama at the crucible as a protester vandalizes one of the tables during a match at the world snooker championship. good evening