'In his first budget, George Osborne said he wanted to create 800,000 jobs across the country with a national insurance tax holiday for employers taking on new staff. However, figures in the summer showed that in the first year of the scheme only 4,368 posts were created. Last week, unemployment increased by 114,000 to 8.1% of the working population.



'North-south divide widens as public sector cuts hit businesses



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North-east sees highest rise in companies in distress while London and south-east are comparatively unscathed.