Points to Ponder

[Hugo]

More than a fifth of UK working-age adults are still not in work or actively looking for work, official figures suggest.

Sir Keir Starmer is saying that those who can work, should work.      So what is wrong with that?      I entirely agree with him and it's ridiculous that we have 1.9 million 16 to 24 years olds who can work but are not effectively looking for work.     Yet at the same time in the UK  we have 1.8 million job vacancies.
Why doesn't the Government make the people take the jobs that are available with the alternative of losing their benefits if they fail to take the job?

[Hugo]

'Affordable homes' planned for David Lloyd George's boyhood village
Five dwellings could be developed on land at Maes Llwyd
This full application has been submitted by Tŷ Gwynedd, as part of a housing plan by Cyngor Gwynedd. The homes would be developed and sold on the basis of a shared equity model to provide "affordable" homes.

The proposals describe the development and provision of "intermediate quality housing" of a different type of affordable housing to that provided by housing associations. The properties would be available on a "shared ownership  basis" which allows eligible occupiers to buy most of the value of the dwelling by fixing a mortgage at a discount from open market values, plans say.
I'm all for affordable homes but in this instance they should only be for local people living in the area
--

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/affordable-homes-planned-david-lloyd-31252235

[Hugo]

Isle of Man assisted dying bill passes!
The upper and lower chamber of the Isle of Man’s parliament agreeing on changes to the Bill. My Death, My Decision, whose local Isle of Man branch has been campaigning strongly for a law, welcomes this compassionate move.

Today, Members of the Legislative Council, the upper chamber, discussed amendments which had been rejected by House of Keys, the Isle of Man’s lower house including an amendment to cut the residency criteria from five years to 12 months before a patient can access the scheme.

I watched the ITV news tonight and a 93 year old lady whose husband  had been suffering with severe MND        It was quite emotional listening to her story and the husband   told her "I'm breathing but I'm not living"      Together they made the decision and they flew to Switzerland where he had a dignified end to his life.
The wife said that  when her time came she would do the same
It's a very controversial topic but if I let my dog die in agony then I would quite rightly be prosecuted for animal cruelty.    It's barbaric to let anyone suffer 


https://www.mydeath-mydecision.org.uk/2025/03/25/isle-of-man-assisted-dying-bill-passes/

[SteveH]

Why am I surprised by this story, I should be used to this BS by now...........


Cost of tourist tax in Wales could top quarter of a billion pounds in first decade.............   
It will be up to each of Wales’ 22 local authorities to decide whether to roll out the levy

The staggering cost of launching and running a visitor levy in Wales have been revealed as ministers fine-tune the controversial policy. In its first 10 years of operation, the levy and associated registration scheme are forecast to cost at least £313.9m – and as much as £576m.

Levy benefits are estimated at £264m over 10 years - or £211.8m just using current prices, according to the Welsh Government’s own Regulatory Impact Assessment. Based on the latter figure, the "net present value" benefit over the first eight years of levy operation is between -£41.9m and -£257.5m. So potentially the scheme could result in a net loss of more than a quarter of a billion pounds in a worst case scenario.............  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/cost-tourist-tax-wales-could-31287632?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

I think it has been said on here before, that there is a report stating the present system is not being used despite costing millions of pounds......... why continue spending more?

Campaigners have warned that changes to the Welsh government's cycling policies are putting efforts to get people on their bikes at "risk".

The Welsh government has spent millions on encouraging people to walk and cycle, with councils bidding for cash to build new infrastructure.

But Transport Secretary Ken Skates has made his priority inclusive travel - including fixing pavements to ensure they are suitable for people with disabilities and implying less of a focus on bike routes...........  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx208jlr575o

[Hugo]

Warning bill rises hit single parents hardest

Unless you have a smart meter how do the energy companies know exactly how many units someone has used at the lower rate?         

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly1vwd57y2o

[SteveH]

Most lessons in English to be phased out in Welsh county

Gwynedd, one of two counties where Welsh is spoken by the majority of residents, plans to phase out English-medium streams from the vast majority of secondary schools.

The new draft policy from the council - Cyngor Gwynedd - would expect pupils to follow at least 70% of the curriculum in Welsh. The current arrangements expect a minimum of 60% of pupils to do so.

The council said the proposals would "remove bilingualism and bilingual teaching" as Welsh becomes "the principal language of education".

One Gwynedd councillor said while children's English skills "develop quite naturally" due to the influence of largely English-speaking media, many needed extra help with their Welsh due to a "changing world".

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8epk2lxjp8o

[DaveR]

Seems rather an insular approach to me.

[SteveH]

The UK government has taken control of British Steel's plant in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, to prevent it from closing.

Ministers say they have secured the raw materials needed to keep the plant's blast furnaces working in the "coming weeks", while they look for a long-term solution.

Why is British Steel Chinese-owned?
In 2016, Tata Steel sold the loss-making part of its business that made "long products" like transport rails and steel sections for construction.

Private investment firm Greybull Capital bought it for £1 and renamed the business British Steel.

However, following financial collapse in 2019, British Steel was taken over by the government's insolvency service.

It was sold to Chinese steel-making firm Jingye the following year..............   

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y66y40kgpo

[SteveH]

Most lessons in English to be phased out in Welsh county
Gwynedd, one of two counties where Welsh is spoken by the majority of residents, plans to phase out English-medium streams from the vast majority of secondary schools.

The new draft policy from the council - Cyngor Gwynedd - would expect pupils to follow at least 70% of the curriculum in Welsh. The current arrangements expect a minimum of 60% of pupils to do so.

The council said the proposals would "remove bilingualism and bilingual teaching" as Welsh becomes "the principal language of education".

One Gwynedd councillor said while children's English skills "develop quite naturally" due to the influence of largely English-speaking media, many needed extra help with their Welsh due to a "changing world".

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8epk2lxjp8o

Seems rather an insular approach to me.

Phasing out teaching in English in one county could worsen a "crisis" in recruiting and retaining teachers, an education union has said.

Gwynedd, one of two counties where Welsh is spoken by the majority of people, laid out plans to phase out English-medium streams from the vast majority of secondary schools in a new draft policy.

Cyngor Gwynedd said it was part of an effort to bolster the use of Welsh in schools.

But a council meeting has heard it was already difficult to attract staff to the county and, nationally, teachers were leaving the profession "in droves".

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly8d8plmepo

[Hugo]

Welsh Government accused of 'self-made' housing crisis after damning build stats
There were just 760 dwellings started in the last quarter




https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/welsh-government-accused-self-made-31479123

[Hugo]

Seems rather an insular approach to me.

There are always two sides to an argument as anyone who knows about the "Welsh Not" can say
The "Welsh Not" was a wooden token, often with "WN" (Welsh Not) carved on it, used in some Welsh schools  to punish students for speaking Welsh. Students caught speaking Welsh would be given the token and wear it around their necks, and the student holding it at the end of the day would face physical punishment.
Welsh children not being allowed to speak Welsh in Wales is beyond words

[SteveH]

The nationalities of foreign criminals in the UK are due to be published for the first time under plans being unveiled later.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is understood to have ordered officials to publish the data, including crimes that have been committed, by the end of the year.

There were more than 19,000 foreign offenders awaiting deportation at the end of last year, up from almost 18,000 when the Conservatives left office, figures show.

A Home Office source said the government wanted the public to be better informed about foreign criminals, including where they come from.

cont  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjln7zzz8eo

[SteveH]

Energy secretary Ed Miliband is "considering" plans to introduce regional pricing for power that would give discounts to homes near infrastructure.

On Thursday, the Daily Telegraph reported, external the government was "poised" to implement zonal pricing, which would split the country's single national power market into different regions and ultimately raise bills for southern England households.

Miliband dismissed the story as "nonsense," saying he would not approve a plan that led to an energy price "postcode lottery".

But he did confirm that the government was looking to shake-up the energy market, which he said could involve "zonal pricing and reformed national pricing"......... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp91md1lj92o

[SteveH]

I over heard a comment recently, which frankly shocked me, bearing in mind, if we travel we need insurance to cover costs etc...

NHS trusts in the UK spent at least £113.9 million on interpreter and translation services between 2019-20 and 2021-22. This translates to an average of £725,953 per responding trust. The most common languages needing translation were Polish, Romanian, Chinese, and Arabic.

Key Spending Points:
Total Spend: £113,974,561 over a three-year period.
Average Spend: £725,953 per responding trust.
Highest Spender: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (£8.85 million).
Most Common Languages: Polish, Romanian, Chinese, and Arabic.
Estimated Total (if all trusts responded): £174.2 million.

https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/nhs_trusts_spend_over_113m_on_interpreters_and_translation_services_in_three_years