Points to Ponder

[SteveH]

Who is running the asylum ........................?

Some 12,000 asylum seekers to the UK are to be considered for refugee status without face-to-face interviews.

A 10-page Home Office questionnaire will decide the cases of people from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen who applied before last July.

The move aims to reduce the asylum backlog which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to end this year.

The Home Office says this is not an asylum amnesty - but it will streamline the system for five nationalities.

Applicants from these countries already have 95% of their asylum claims accepted, says the Home Office.

The usual security and criminal checks will still be conducted and biometrics taken, but, for the first time, there will be no face-to-face interviews, say officials.

Instead, eligible asylum seekers must fill out a form and answer up to 40 questions.

The questionnaire must be completed in English and returned within 20 working days, or the Home Office may consider the asylum application has been withdrawn.

However, officials say there will be a follow-up notification if no reply is received, and every application will be considered on its own merits.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64736123

[Hugo]

It's not an important matter as most people seem to park their cars on the drive when they have a garage to park their car in.    I pass a fairly newish estate every day and the cars are parked outside their garages as the cars will simply not fit into them.     Yes some cars may be able to be driven in but the drivers will not be able to exit the vehicle because there is simply no room to do so
Why are developers and councils not ensuring that the garages are fit for purpose?

[mull]

Trouble is Hugo cars have grown big over the years and builders have not moved with the times.

Our problem on the island is our ferry MV Isle of Mull was built over 30 years ago and at that time the car deck could hold 90 cars. They are now lucky if they can fit 70 on. During the summer season we need 2 ferries on the service to try and cope.

OK for the folks coming on holiday when they can book well in advance. Gives us islanders a problem if we need to get off in a hurry to attend hospital etc.

[Hugo]

I know cars have got bigger over the years but what's the point of calling it a garage if the car can't fit in it.    It's just not fit for purpose and I can understand why some people convert the garage in to another room
Everyone is aware of it apart from  it seems Councils and building developers
It's not a new thing because it was on a news idem many years ago and they filmed a guy reversing his car in to his garage and the only way he could exit his car was to climb over the back seat and get out through the tailgate,    It's just doesn't make sense at all

I don't envy you one bit up there Mull because apart from all those issues you have to overcome you've also got the weather too, not to mention those issues with the tourists and their driving and parking habits

[Helig]

I could never understand why people living in Scotland didn't receive more help with their energy costs. This is because the climate is very much colder and wetter. The winter days are shorter than the rest of the UK too. There are long hours of darkness. It didn't seem fair to pay the same amount for people in Scotland to those living in the south of England. There is no comparison in energy usage as I can testify.

[Hugo]

I quite agree with you Helig there should be more support for people in those coldest areas     Even here in Wales there are stupid things going on with Winter fuel payments.     Take Llanberis for instance, it's a cold spot in Winter, nestled at the foot of a mountain range and in a very cold valley.    It qualifies for those extra fuel allowances when the temperature is below a certain level for so many days.     The only trouble is that the qualifying temperature gauges for the town is in Anglesey airport in a much milder climate.     It's just crazy

[SteveH]

I think they are unsuitable for urban areas, also fuels used are not monitored enough, and I dread to think what is being burned during this financial crisis.

Calls for wood burning stoves to be banned by 2027 - but not everyone is happy about it
Research has revealed that wood burning stoves can cause health and environmental issues

Campaigners are calling for an urgent review of wood burning stoves, which cause pollution in urban areas.

It comes after the appliances were linked to health and environmental issues. And despite smoke control zones and restrictions on what can be burned, campaigners claim wood burning is still a significant emitter.

LeicesterLive reported that since 2022, new wood-burning stoves have had to meet emissions targets, which means they are cleaner to burn and have the 'Ecodesign' label. The fuel that may be used in devices is also strictly regulated, with only wood that has a moisture content of 20 per cent or less and has been certified by Woodsure and HETAS being permitted for burning.

However, a new perspective on the severity of the issue has been provided by pressure groups and academic papers. The European Environmental Bureau claims that 'Ecodesign' models can emit a startling 750 times more tiny particle pollution than a contemporary HGV truck.

According to a report written by England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, home 'Ecodesign' models generate about 450 times more emissions than gas central heating. Following research, the advocacy group Mums for Lungs has called for a ban on wood stoves.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/clean-air-campaigners-are-calling-for-wood-burning-stoves-to-be-banned/

[mull]

About time they had a good look at Drax Power station who burn wood pellets that have been shipped into the UK, by CO2 emitting ships.

The world has gone mad, it is more polluting than burning coal as it used to do.

[Hugo]

The world has gone mad Mull and despite all our efforts to control emissions China is still opening coal fired power stations like there is no tomorrow.       Well one day there may be no tomorrow because of countries like China

Some years ago I read in the National Geographic magazine that the USA was opening up a new Power Station.    It was powered up by burning car tyres!    I never found out how successful that venture was



 

[Hugo]

I came across this link today and the short video is about burning rubber tyres at Power Stations.     From my early teenage years I can still remember the pong when we burnt car tyres on the bonfires,  I just hope that in the intervening years they have done something about the smell and the black smoke


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYOrN3rupbg

[SteveH]

We see private developers building estates etc, but where are the government housing projects, the country had to rebuild after the war, it helped both those who needed housing and put a lot of people to work, am I being naive, is this to simple an idea.

Entire generation of young people 'screwed' as they struggle to find somewhere to live in North Wales
For many, getting a foot on the housing ladder is almost impossible and renting is just as bad

Affordability ratios for housing are now at their lowest since 1876, with the average property costing around nine times average earnings. For thousands of young people across North Wales, it?s left them trapped in long-term rentals with long-abandoned dreams of getting on the property ladder.

Others are relying on the goodwill of friends, some are living with their parents well into their 30s. Homelessness is soaring. Everywhere there are horror stories.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/entire-generation-young-people-screwed-26386509

[Hugo]

As you say Steve "the country had to rebuild after the war, it helped both those who needed housing and put a lot of people to work, Steve"      Don't forget that it was the Labour Party's policies that made that happen but then along came Thatcher and allowed the Council properties to be sold at discounted prices along with all the nationalised industries
Even in the 1960's and 70's they were still building large private estates in North Wales.  They were 1, 2 or 3 bedroom properties then unlike the 4 or 5 bedroom properties they are building now. 
Affordable housing which they harp on about is just a joke and the developers are pulling the strings like one developer who made a planning application in Colwyn Bay to build a number of houses, none of which were affordable.    The developer's excuse was that it was not viable to do so, well if that's the case let the developer look elsewhere and the further away the better
 

[SteveH]

I sympathise with those affected, I rely on Mrs H. if it was down to me ............  

Call for action to help vulnerable people being excluded by 'cashless society'
There are concerns that some people are being digitally and financially excluded

The trend towards digital banking and a "cashless society" has been accelerated by Covid-19, particularly as consumers were directed to cashless and contactless payment methods. This has prompted concerns that vulnerable adults in Wales, who may be disabled or live in rural areas, are being digitally and financially excluded.

A particular concern, as highlighted by a Financial Conduct Authority survey in 2020, is the challenge of access to a physical bank, building society or credit union branch by those with a long-term health condition. According to the results, people in Wales fared the worst for this compared to England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/call-action-help-vulnerable-people-26474955

[Helig]

One of my gripes is the tendency for some shops to make paying with cash difficult. I won't name names but have found that certain shops have only one till where you can pay with cash and these have a long queue invariably. The self service tills also have more that take cards only than those that allow payment in cash. I can see the time when payment with card will be mandatory and there will be no option to pay with cash. By the look of it we aren't far off from having central bank digital currency forced on us, heaven forbid.

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/the-digital-pound

[SteveH]

Private firms are making increased profits as the government pays millions of pounds a day to put up asylum seekers in the UK, the BBC has learned.

BBC News has been told 395 hotels are being used to house asylum seekers, as arrivals to the UK rose last year.

Documents show one booking agency used by the Home Office trebled its pre-tax profits from ?2.1m to ?6.3m in the 12 months up to February 2022.

The Home Office says the asylum system is under "incredible strain".

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64991234