Newspaper round-up

LONDON (Reuters) - Here are the business headlines from Friday's newspapers.

BUSINESSES PUSH FOR STRONG LEAD ON CLIMATE CHANGE

A group of 18 UK businesses, including household names such as Lloyds TSB (LLOY.L) and Vodafone (VOD.L), wrote to Gordon Brown and leaders of the opposition parties on Thursday arguing that turmoil in the financial markets should not distract the UK from taking a strong lead on tackling climate change. Neil Carson, chief executive of Johnson Matthey (JMAT.L), said: "Public procurement drives about one-third of the UK economy. The public sector should be setting bold, new and sustainable specifications for the products and services it buys."

CRUNCH HITS PENSIONS SAVINGS

A new survey from GE Money, the financial services arm of General Electric (GE.N), indicates that a combination of student debt and the credit crunch are to blame for the decline in pension savings among young adults. According to the study, fewer that a fifth of 17 -24 year olds have pensions. Of those who do, the majority do not believe their pensions savings will provide them with a reasonable income in retirement.

HOUSING SLUMP CREATING VICIOUS CIRCLE, SAYS BOE

The plummeting UK housing market has started a downward spiral in the wider economy, according to Bank of England chief economist Spencer Dale. "The deterioration in the housing market is likely to impact banks' balance sheets, leading them to tighten further the supply of credit," he said. "This type of so-called adverse feedback loop already appears to be operating to some extent."

KIER TO PUT FOCUS ON SOCIAL HOUSING

Kier Group (KIE.L) is set to ditch private home development to concentrate on its construction business and social housing. John Dodds, chief executive, said: "There's a sea-change in how we're running the business. The traditional model of housebuilding -- buying land, putting up a house, selling it on spec -- is something that will disappear from our business." Kier will now focus on working as a contractor for public agencies on a "partnership housing" model.