Share Sounds

Half of us overspend in pursuit of creating the perfect Christmas for family and friends, according to new research from TSB. In fact many Brits would sooner get into debt than consider reducing their festive spending. Nick Smith - TSB, Head of Personal Loans told Share Radio Morning’s Melanie Wray what they had found.

Christmas is just over a few weeks away. For many of us...it means spending money we may not have on gifts. But what if you want to reject the pressure to splash the cash and make presents instead? Share Radio Morning's Georgie Frost spoke to Kate Jackson, who is a textile artist who teaches and also makes commissions for books and other crafts.

A new study has found that 77% of us think a smart phone obsession is the most irritating habit a person could have. To find out more, Clinical Psychologist Dr Sue Stebbings and Paul Horlock from Nationwide Building Society spoke to Share's Melanie Wray.

Apparently, a quarter of us are unaware batteries can be recycled resulting in a staggering 10,000 tons of batteries ending up in landfill each year. Once there they can leak toxic chemicals which can contaminate the environment. Our reporter Tom Hill spoke to Chartered Chemist and Environmentalist David Reynolds to find out just how bad the problem is.

Apparently, Britain's agency workers underpaid and exploited. That's according to a think tank probe, which found agency workers are earning hundreds of pounds a year less than employees doing the same job. Half of all agency workers say they work on a permanent basis and three-quarters work full-time. The report says agency workers will rise to one million by 2020 if current growth trends continue. Joining Sue Dougan was the author of the report - Lindsay Judge, senior policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation.

New study suggests we will spend around 1.9 billion minutes on the internet on Christmas Day. Findings from the charity, Save The Children also shows over half of us are more likely to send texts to friends or family than Christmas Cards. But how much social media time is actually over the top? To discuss this further, Sue Dougan was joined by Helena Wiltshire, head of public relation for Save The Children.

The mince pies and Panettone are already in the supermarkets and that can only mean one thing, Christmas is edging closer. But as exciting as it is, paying for the big day can be hard on the pound in our pocket. Nick Hill from independent Money Advice Service is joins Sue Dougan to give us tips on how to keep our personal finances in order.

A new report by KPMG for the Department of Transport suggests privatising the Ship Register would help attract more shipping companies to Britain. UK shipping accounts for less than 1% of global tonnage and the UK-registered fleet has shrunk by 18% in the past five years. The report claims a part-privatisation would give British shipping greater commercial freedom and could help the country compete on the global stage after Brexit. Share Radio's Robert Van Egghen reports on Britain's return to the open waves.

Bermuda is considered the world’s worst corporate tax haven, according to a report released by Oxfam. The report also names and shames three other territories, which, like Bermuda, are under UK sovereignty: Cayman Islands, Jersey and the British Virgin Islands. Timon Molloy, Managing Editor of Money Laundering Bulletin, joined Share Radio to discuss this. We started by asking him if we have learnt anything new from this report.

Head of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde is appearing in court today charged with negligence and misuse of public funds. Lagarde is under fire for a massive government payout to tycoon Bernard Tapie from her time as French finance minister. Share Radio's James Brydges has been finding out more.