New polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed three in four (75%) blame the Government's budget for higher than expected mortgage rates. The findings reveal even the majority of Conservative voters (68%) blame the expected rise in rates on the Government's budget last month, which sent the financial markets into turmoil. The Bank of England is expected to raise interest rates to as much as 6% next year, adding considerable costs to mortgages. This week Moneyfacts reported the typical two year fixed rate mortgage has topped 6% for the first time in 14 years. Those who own their home ...
An enjoyable trip to the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire as Paul and Whitewick follow the abandoned Cromford Canal. The canal once connected with the wider canal system at Great Northern Basin near Langley Mill, but Butterley Tunnel collapsed somewhere in the middle long ago, so full restoration is unlikely. Oh, and "Erewash" has three syllables. Sounds so much better.
For-profit children's homes provide poorer quality services for children in care than homes run by Local Authorities, according to research from the University of Oxford's Department for Social Policy and Intervention. Based on the use of Ofsted ratings, the research has been published in Social Science and Medicine. The researchers, Dr Anders Bach-Mortensen, Benjamin Goodair and Professor Jane Barlow, analysed more than 13,000 children's home inspections by Ofsted. They found that: For-profit children's homes are generally rated of lower quality than other provision types.For-profit children's homes violate more requirements and receive more recommendations.Local authority Ofsted ratings are negatively correlated with ...
Matthew Pennell explains why our economic situation is seriously bad and why the government's reponse appears absurd. "Nowhere in the world does tradition confer intellectual status as it does in Oxford and Cambridge. Impressionable teenagers (I accuse myself!) grow towards the myth like plants towards the sun - even in this era of pink-haired gender revolutionaries, Oxbridge is filled with preposterous tweed-jacketed 19-year-olds. Many will perpetuate their affectations into adulthood." James Marriott says Oxbridge is to blame for the British affliction of mistaking fusty learning for intellectual heft. Mark Conrad lays bare the brutal reality of county lines: "The grim ...
The best answer to Liz Truss's assertion that the Liberal Democrats (among others) are in some way 'anti-growth' is the truth; our growth policies are better than hers. Fairer, more popular, and more likely to work. Consider these five points: The most fundamental consideration for investment and growth is a stable macro-economic backdrop. Truss and Kwarteng could not have crafted a better way of sabotaging the UK's reputation as a place for investment to thrive. The likelihood of the Tories being out of government may now in itself lead to more positive business sentiment and a more positive outlook for ...
Quite recently, I was sitting in a council chamber when the topic of consultation was brought up by one of my fellow councillors. It made me think! I often wonder what springs to our minds when someone says - 'community consultation'. I often have mixed feelings. On one hand, I am glad that someone asks a question which may be relevant and important to me. However, in too many cases, our actual contribution is not necessarily taken into the consideration. Far too often, the decision is already made and we can't really influence it. It feels like we are fed ...
Wed, 13:43: RT @AdamBienkov: Liz Truss says she is "the first prime minister of our country to have gone to a comprehensive school." Both Gordon Brow... Wed, 14:57: RT @NobelPrize: BREAKING NEWS: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2022 #NobelPrize in Chemistry to Carolyn R.... Wed, 16:05: RT @GradskiMe: Intervencija visokog predstavnika u BiH trebalo je da bude urađena ranije, ne vidim razlog za izmjene u izbornoj noći - kaza... Wed, 17:15: RT @SophiaBesch: If the EPC is what it takes for the UK to reclaim interest in closer exchanges with the EU, I'll take ...
For a Prime Minister who has built her reputation on tax cuts and growth through trickle-down economics, the latest report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies must be quite a reality check. The Guardian reports that millions of households are facing a "stealth" tax raid under Liz Truss's government despite her promise to support workers through the cost-of-living crisis by lowering their tax bills. The paper explains that the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has calculated that for every £1 given to workers by cutting headline tax rates, £2 was being taken away through a freeze on the level at ...
As many will now know, waste and recycling collection days are set to change for many households across Shropshire and here in Ludlow. Across the county, 75% of households will see their day of collection change (77% in South Shropshire). Of the 16,144 households affected in South Shropshire, 2,976 (14%) would face an 18-day gap between collections due to the changes. To prevent overflowing bins, they households will receive an additional collection based on the original collection day. Households in the south (the former South Shropshire and Bridgenorth District Council areas) will also see a change to their recycling collections. ...
We have raised issues about repeated flooding at the south end of Roseangle, often flooding across the road, onto the pavement and flooding basements in the adjacent flats. Issues we have highlighted that are within the locus of both Scottish Water and the City Council include drain capacity and cleaning on the street drains and road edges. Given the downhill incline in Roseangle, unfortunately significant quantities of rainwater builds up at the south end of the street in heavy rain. As we also get flooding issues at other locations in the West End as well, we thought it useful to ...
