Current Affairs Cost of living…

[orchard]

Council tax NEEDS to change. It must be made a percentage of current property value.

In Sefton I'm currently paying £2000 for a band C house (approx. £240k value). A guy I know is just about to buy a £650k house, band F in Lancashire and his yearly council tax is £2150. Its ridiculous.

It needs to be made a percentage, like 0.5%..

My Tax would be 1200 a year and his would be 3250 a year.. The average is the same but he earns much much more than I do.

I think that's fairer.

Well, my point was that the 'Levelling up Secretary' has been there and implemented policies that have seen councils forced to pay private consultancies vast amounts of money, getting them to go way beyond their skill sets and invest future income (read that as a future levy on the populous) in financial vehicles, oversaw their own councillors fraudulently (I believe) redirecting this money to themselves in some cases, stripping assets (both skills and real estate) and here he is helping them avoid a referendum and being accountable to the public and making the general public pay as a so-called solution, even though the only recipients have been finance and dodgy council officials. That's an interesting levelling up, and as the stresses adversely impact finance, picking up the pieces from government's dogma driven ponzi schemes continue to hit the public and business and the ability to recover from the COL.

Yeah, the old 'Street in Kensington' only paying 25 quid issue. It's a can of worms mate. I don't think we get much back from ours personally, excepting limited rubbish and 'recycling' that we need to drive for nearly a couple of km for collection. Miles away from libraries and subsidised recreation etc.. Probably never see a dibble if I needed one, and what are they, around 33pc of it? It's obviously different in an urban environment.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Wales budget, brexit 'payoff'. Look at the cuts.

 

[ArtetaMoney]

Sir Howard Davies: Not that difficult to buy a home, says NatWest chair

Sir Howard Davies faced backlash online and has since rowed back on his comments on home ownership.

www.bbc.co.uk

Easy, peasy.

 

[Rita_Poon]

 

[Rita_Poon]

Easier to get Taylor Swift tickets than to get an NHS appointment with a dentist. Cheaper seeing her than going private I wonder...

 

[Rita_Poon]

Inflation up again. 'putting your money in your pocket'.

Interest rate cuts still expected despite UK inflation uptick

Inflation has fallen sharply recently, but ticked up to 4% in the year to December, official figures show.

www.bbc.co.uk

Depressing.

 

[Kurt.]

Inflation up again. 'putting your money in your pocket'.

Interest rate cuts still expected despite UK inflation uptick

Inflation has fallen sharply recently, but ticked up to 4% in the year to December, official figures show.

www.bbc.co.uk

Depressing.

My local council yesterday announced that we’re looking at a 9.5% rise in council tax this year….. along with many cuts to services

 

[Rita_Poon]

My local council yesterday announced that we’re looking at a 9.5% rise in council tax this year….. along with many cuts to services

I just don't see where the respite could come from, when the country is on fire those that've lit the thing and lined their and their pals pockets will jump ship in a heartbeat.
It's going to end up like the hunger games here yet...

 

[Kurt.]

I just don't see where the respite could come from, when the country is on fire those that've lit the thing and lined their and their pals pockets will jump ship in a heartbeat.
It's going to end up like the hunger games here yet...

It’s genuinely pushing people to breaking point. I left my old job in October to move to my current post, I knew I was taking a significant pay cut but it meant not having to work away from home…. Seriously considering going back purely for the financial security.

 

[Rita_Poon]

It’s genuinely pushing people to breaking point. I left my old job in October to move to my current post, I knew I was taking a significant pay cut but it meant not having to work away from home…. Seriously considering going back purely for the financial security.

There's a lot of fear out there, and those suffering worst are first in line to take the brunt of what's next. It won't be "things can only get better" this time round.
Maybe the plan all along was to make britain in the main so poor that there'll be no holidays abroad and so the tourism sectors abroad will crumble thus making brexit a success by measure of comparative harms. Explains the luster for private yachts.
It's a pretty unlucky generation that got thatcher as young adults in the 80's and then this rabble into their 50's and looking at and never being further away from retirement.

 

[edge]

It’s genuinely pushing people to breaking point. I left my old job in October to move to my current post, I knew I was taking a significant pay cut but it meant not having to work away from home…. Seriously considering going back purely for the financial security.

Try and get through it mate.
I have worked shifts weekends ect for 40 odd years .
Now I have 4 to5 to go
I honestly if I had my time again would never have done a day of it
I havnt got a great deal more than people who didn't and for all the weekends early/lates I have done look at it now as a complete waste of a life .
Worked out the other week I had worked 2 years plus of weekends
Stick with what makes you happy if you can, there isn't a shop you can go to and buy back time.

 

[Kurt.]

Try and get through it mate.
I have worked shifts weekends ect for 40 odd years .
Now I have 4 to5 to go
I honestly if I had my time again would never have done a day of it
I havnt got a great deal more than people who didn't and for all the weekends early/lates I have done look at it now as a complete waste of a life .
Worked out the other week I had worked 2 years plus of weekends
Stick with what makes you happy if you can, there isn't a shop you can go to and buy back time.

Not at crisis point yet thankfully… and without being dismissive of others, I’m still able to keep my head above water for now, I do however wonder if that will continue with increased prices forecast for council tax, fuel, insurance … and that’s without food, heating etc.

 

[edge]

Not at crisis point yet thankfully… and without being dismissive of others, I’m still able to keep my head above water for now, I do however wonder if that will continue with increased prices forecast for council tax, fuel, insurance … and that’s without food, heating etc.

I don't know mate.
Seems every way you turn you are being asked for more money for less in some cases.
Don't know how anyone with a young family manages.
It's got to give soon seems like decades of people's lives not getting any better , just a grind to stay afloat.
I am OK myself , thought I was getting made redundant so build up a bit of a war chest.
But am keeping an eye on my kids to see they are OK, don't want them getting loans or anything.

 

[Simon Buttle]

Easier to get Taylor Swift tickets than to get an NHS appointment with a dentist. Cheaper seeing her than going private I wonder...

They don't exist down here in West Sussex anymore not for about a year now, it's private all the way. If you were on one before its fine but all the ones that do it have now stopped taking on new people yet they are building new houses and even a new village near me, it's madness.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Tata sacks 3k steel makers. When Port Talbot goes the same way as Redcar then the industrial scale manufacture of british standard steel is nigh over.
Electric arc furnaces will recycle scrap steel - but where's that coming from? Vast amounts of scrap steel have been sold for pennies to business abroad, british standard steel - quality - this will lead to a shortfall here and then with a lack of options, import cheap low grade steel to replace it.
It's going to be a very interesting supply chain when it's cheap Chinese steel imported to construct those submarines the uk/us has promised to make and sell to the Aussies to patrol the Pacific with isn't it.... (for instance)