PRESS DIGEST-British Business - March 17

March 17 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

Britain's 16 biggest regulators will be given performance reviews by ministers and set targets for cutting red tape and growing the economy.

- Britain is overdiagnosing mental health conditions and people are being "written off", health minister Wes Streeting has said as the government prepares to cut disability benefits for a million people.

The Guardian

Most households in England will be charged the maximum increase in council tax for the third consecutive year after local authorities confirmed their plans before the 2025-26 financial year.

- The UK government’s employment rights bill has made “important strides” to stop another P&O Ferries scandal happening – but more must be done, according to trade unions.

The Telegraph

- Welsh space start-up Space Forge is planning to use robotic factories in space to make rare materials will launch into orbit after securing approval from the airspace regulator.

- Air Astana AIRA.KZ CEO Peter Foster says Kazakh flag carrier is not preparing to resume flights over Russia and said he is keen to restore flights to Ukraine should the conflict end.

Sky News

OakNorth, the British-based digital bank, will on Monday announce that it has agreed to acquire Community Unity Bank (CUB), which is based in Birmingham, Michigan, in an all-share deal.