Points to Ponder

[SteveH]

Research has found nearly half of those surveyed have been somewhere recently that has discouraged or not accepted the use of cash.

In a survey of more than 2,100 across the UK by YouGov between March 8 and 9, some 45 per cent of people said they had been somewhere in the previous eight weeks that wasn't actively accepting cash. The research, commissioned by ATM network Link, saw one in five (20 per cent) found this fairly or very inconvenient.

Restaurants, caf?s and car parks were among the locations where people said they had been unable to pay with coins and banknotes.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/paying-with-cash-discouraged-or-not-accepted-at-venues-visited-by-45-per-cent-of-people/

[Helig]

I fear this is just the beginning. Car parking is rarely available to pay in cash now. Many of the shops make paying in cash difficult and this will be impossible before long. I bought a new purse recently and when I was looking round noticed that none of the ones available had a place to put cash. All the pockets were for cards. I wondered just how many cards people carried on them nowadays?

[SteveH]

While Welsh Government is pressing on with its plans for a visitor levy in Wales one part of the UK is well ahead when it comes to implementing a tourism tax. Manchester has become the first city in the UK to introduce a tax on overnight stays.

The Manchester Evening News reported that this will see visitors have to pay ?1 per room, per night, for their accommodation. This is a number of years ahead of Wales where Welsh Government have said they will introduce legislation by 2026 - although the actual implementation by local authorities could come a year or two later.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/uks-first-tourism-tax-not-26618094

[SteveH]

Ministers are facing the prospect of a legal challenge if they go ahead with plans to house asylum seekers on a barge off the Dorset coast.

The Home Office is reportedly looking to use the Bibby Stockholm for the migrants to reduce reliance on hotels.

Portland Port said it had been selected to provide accommodation, but the government has not yet commented.

Local Conservative MP Richard Drax told the Times "all legal routes" were being looked at to try and stop the proposal.

The government says more than ?6m a day is being spent on hotels for migrants. But charities say military bases and boats are "wholly inadequate places" to house people fleeing war and persecution.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65172368

[SteveH]

Interesting reading..............A PR sob story, or a load of BS

Mansion owner 'disappointed' over asylum seekers U-turn and reveals long term plan for site
Grade-II listed Marle Hall, near Llandudno Junction, had been on a list of Home Office sites for a potential migrant facility

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/mansion-owner-disappointed-over-asylum-26631652?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Helig]

I came across this when looking for interesting questions on What Do They Know?

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/payments_made_to_france_for_them#incoming-2282493

The information they have provided shows we have paid a total of ?300.4 million to France in the period 2016/17 to 2022/23. This was designed to get the French to do more to stop the migrants getting over the Channel in boats. Quite honestly, I don't see why we should be paying them such huge amounts of money and question whether we are getting value for money. I don't see any reduction in the numbers to date. In fact, it is the reverse. I think the French are taking the **** The UK should either sue for the return on this money, or ask for a detailed explanation of exactly how it has been spent.

[Hugo]

If the money paid to France stopped all the migrants coming to the UK then it would be worth it as these migrants are costing the UK over 2,190 million pounds a year to support them in the UK.
The trouble is that the French are not doing enough to stop the migrants  from coming here.    The technology exists to pin point the small boats and the people smugglers but the French are reluctant to use the technology or allow the UK Police or Army to do the work for them
The truth is that the French don't want those migrants there any more than we want them here
I wonder if the French supply the migrants there with free accommodation, free Health service, money to live on, free mobile phones, free bus passes etc?
If they don't then you can see why they want to come over to the UK

[SteveH]

Not local but................

Homeowners would need to get planning permission before converting properties into short-term holiday lets in tourist hotspots, under government plans aimed at easing housing problems.

There could be exemptions based on how often a home was available to tourists.

Ministers have launched a consultation on the plans, which would only apply in England.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove said too many people were being "pushed out of cherished towns, cities and villages".

Announcing the consultation, he said tourism brought economic benefits but added: "I'm determined that we ensure that more people have access to local homes at affordable prices, and that we prioritise families desperate to rent or buy a home of their own close to where they work."

The plans could help out residents struggling to find suitable housing in popular holiday destinations, including Cornwall, the Lake District and Norfolk.

In Cornwall, short-term listings are expected to have increased six times over in the last five years, according to government research.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65258629

[Helig]

There was a report in the Independent this week about proposals to house illegal immigrants in Northop Hall. It said that a dispute had broken out over plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers in a local hotel. This would increase the village's population by a quarter. Residents of Northop Hall, which has a population of c1500, argue it is wrong for asylum seekers to be accommodated in the village due to the lack of infrastructure. Plans are underway to convert a disused hotel near the village into accommodation for roughly 150 asylum seekers, while a further 250 could be housed in prefabricated accommodation to be built on the hotel's grounds. Last month the hotel's owners, Payman 3 Holdings, launched a public consultation on the proposals ahead of submitting a full planning application for permission for this to Flintshire County Council. Residents say that the village has one corner shop, there are no medical facilities, no GP, dentist, or health centre. The local MP Rob Roberts wrote to the Home Office at the end of last month asking it to agree that it would not use the hotel to house asylum seekers. He has yet to receive a reply.

[Hugo]

I'm afraid that the Conservative Government haven't got a policy or any clue on how to stop these illegal migrants coming in small boats to the UK.     It's as if they are doing nothing so that the next Government will inherit the problem caused by the Tories  and then blame the Labour Party for the mess
The Tories keep going on about Rwanda being a safe place to send the illegal migrants to but it was only as recent as 2019 that the Rwanda Government shot dead 12 refugees who took part in a riot

[SteveH]

Majority of drivers want hard shoulders put back on smart motorways, says survey
The RAC poll saw nearly seven in 10 drivers declaring they want them back, despite government objections

Around 69 per cent of motorists want hard shoulders reinstating on smart motorways, according to a new survey of 1,843 UK drivers.

The poll, commissioned by the RAC, saw most drivers believe the lanes should be restored on all-lane running (ALR) versions of smart motorways. Downing Street said on Monday that it would prove 'too disruptive' and cost a 'significant' amount to reinstall the hard shoulders, despite the building of new smart motorways being cancelled due to safety concerns.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/majority-of-motorists-want-hard-shoulders-put-back-on-smart-motorways-says-survey/

[SteveH]

The boss of a major UK manufacturing firm has told the BBC he is considering moving investment to the US or Europe due to new subsidies offered there.

John Neil, who runs parts and logistics giant Unipart, said he wanted to invest in Britain but UK companies could not "compete on a level playing field".

The US is spending billions to help electric car firms, green energy and microchips via loans and tax breaks.

Europe is also planning to ease state help rules for firms in green sectors.

But the UK has yet to announce its strategy, with the chancellor telling the BBC that he would wait to see what the EU did before making any decisions.

Based in Oxford and employing more than 8,000 people, Unipart makes vehicle parts, components and manages supply chain logistics.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65393337

[Ian]

And yet another Brexit 'benefit'...

[Ian]

Things could be worse - although not much, I suspect. Here's a cheery little Public Information film from 1964.

[SteveH]

Jolly days, my father being in the Fire Service at that time, trained as a CD air observer, various pamphlets around the house etc, but I cannot recall being very worried, the joys of being young.

PS
A number of jobs will be lost at Iceland's Deeside headquarters - with contact centre staff told they would have to relocate to South Africa to keep their roles. The frozen food giant has told staff in the contact centre that telephone and email work is being outsourced to contact centre firm Ascensos and workers transferred to them.

The work for Iceland will be carried out in South Africa. They said that Ascensos plan to make UK staff redundant due to this and have started a consultation with affected workers.