Points to Ponder

[Hugo]

Is the Government just giving lip service to it's determination to building more affordable homes?     Why doesn't the Government insist on developers building more affordable homes and by that I mean affordable at the prices that local people can realistically afford?
As an example in my previous posting Anwyl Homes has alleged that they propose to build affordable 4 bedroom homes in New Brighton, that's just pie in the sky.

[Hugo]

New weather warning as snow and ice shuts schools
With the first snowfall and Storm Bert forecast for the weekend can we expect an influx of ill prepared walkers descending on Snowdonia?      I hope that the services of the Mountain Rescue teams are not called upon so that everyone can stay safe


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj01rn4q9zo

[Hugo]

Walkers on snowy Eryri peaks at -9C following Strava 'heat maps' very lucky to survive
Rescue teams said one pair had no warm clothes or torches and were 'very cold and wet'
I hadn't realised that the loonies had already arrived in the area.     Thank goodness they all survived thanks to all the rescue services.     I've often wondered if these type of people make sizable or any donation to the rescue services that have probably  saved their lives?

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/walkers-snowy-eryri-peaks-9c-30428787

[Hugo]

Young people who refuse to work to lose benefits - minister
On the face of it, it sounds a positive idea and hopefully will help the young people to obtain employment.It would be a good thing also if they introduced a similar scheme for those people of a working age and are physically and mentally capable of doing work.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp35r0v7q95o

[SteveH]

I have a friend who teaches at Coleg Llandrillo, they are considering retiring, due to the lack of interest in over 50% of their classes,
they feel a lot of students? are time wasters or staying in education so parents continue to receive benefits.

[Hugo]

Should you pay more for parking if you have a big car?
It’s a controversial topic that divides opinion: should people with bigger cars pay more for parking?

Cardiff has become the latest council to ponder the question. As part of a public consultation, it’s asking for views on whether residents with larger vehicles should pay more for permits.
There are always two sides to an argument and I'm sure that everyone at some time has had difficulty finding a parking space.   Was in due just to bad parking or the fact that the width of the parking bays haven't kept up with the size of the new cars?

On some airlines, obese passengers taking up two seats are charged for those two seats and that is fair enough but if a car is taking up two parking spaces shouldn't the same rules be applied?





https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx28wr7lge1o

[SteveH]

On a similar note, Mrs H has questioned the size of parking spaces, cars are a lot wider now, especially noticeable on Llandudno Prom, exacerbated in the evenings with blinding headlights, and even though the cars are parked against the kerb correctly, the road width is reduced.

[Ian]

Not only is it true, but being watched: "New research from Transport & Environment (T&E) has found that cars in the UK are getting too big for British roads, exceeding the 180cm minimum for on-street parking. On average cars were found to be getting 1cm wider every two years."

This is quite worrying.

[SteveH]

Good to hear it is being monitored, I will tell Mrs H. ..........

[Hugo]

Still on the theme of cars getting larger has anyone else noticed that on housing estates the sizes of the garages, especially integral garages are not keeping up to date with the increased size of the cars.
Not far from where I live all the cars are parked in the driveway as they are too big to fit in the garage so the garages are no more than a shed for storing things.      It's time the builders and the Planning committees addressed this problem

[DVT]

My car is 189cm wide, so would not fit into the minimum width stated above (180) ... it's just a family saloon - Honda Civic.
I have been told that the standard width for a car park space is 3 metres, or 3.5 for disabled spaces.

[Hugo]

According to Google the width of an unobstructed parking space must be at least 2.30 m  (230 cm )  In the case of obstacles such as posts, panels, walls, etc., the width of the parking space must be at least 2.60 m (260 cm )
 That would only give you 8 inches on either side so in reality it would make it difficult to even get out of your car if someone was already parked next to your parking bay.       It's bonkers and should be reviewed

[mull]

You want to try a Calmac ferry especially the little one we are having to cope with this winter, Loch Frisa only 34 cars or less if carrying the Spar/COOP lorries or livestock floats.

Good job I have got a Sun Roof !

[Hugo]

I thought that you were being optimistic when you bought a car with a sunroof in Bonny Scotland but now I know the reason why.     

[SteveH]

Perhaps this might help the countries work ethic, or lack of........

The UK does not have enough construction workers to build the 1.5 million homes the government has promised, industry leaders have warned.

Tens of thousands of new recruits are needed for bricklaying, groundworks and carpentry to get anywhere near the target, they told the BBC.

The Home Builders Federation (HBF), along with the UK's largest housebuilder Barratt Redrow said skills shortages, ageing workers and Brexit were some of the factors behind the shrinking workforce.

The government confirmed there was a "dire shortage" of construction workers but said it was "taking steps to rectify" the problem.

................ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yg1471rwpo