Points to Ponder

[SteveH]

The import of foods that we could quite easily produce ourselves, has always annoyed me, as an example..........May 2023: Imports of shell eggs increased 276% to 6.9 million dozens, while imports of egg products increased 10% to 9.6 million dozens.

Only 6% of vegetables served in Welsh schools are grown in Wales - with the rest imported.
Charity Food Sense Wales, external is trying to increase that figure to 10% sourced locally and organically by 2028, warning far more growers need to be found.

It said issues such as climate change and global instability are pushing up prices of food from abroad, meaning action is needed now for the benefit of future generations.

The Welsh Veg in Schools project, co-ordinated by Food Sense Wales, has Welsh government funding until March 2025, with a spokesman saying it will also be considered for support during the 2025-26 financial year.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62m1pn2ypvo

[SteveH]

Fear that winter fuel payment cut will cost lives

More pensioners will die because of the decision to withdraw the winter fuel payment, Wales' older people's commissioner has said.

Rhian Bowen-Davies said UK ministers needed to reverse the decision that will see 90% of pensioners between 66 and 79 lose the payment.

The Labour-run UK government said cuts were necessary to address what it called the financial "black hole" it inherited from the Conservatives.

"People will feel the impact of this," said Ms Bowen-Davies. "We know that this could impact on 4,000 additional deaths this winter."

Shelia Burgess from Magor, Monmouthshire, began working at 15 and thought she would be able to claim her state pension at 60, but was then caught out by government changes to the rules.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62ryyl57vno

[SteveH]

The UK is sick. It’s much sicker than other similar countries, and the situation is getting worse, snowballing into a health, social, medical, economic, and potential budgetary crisis.

We are heading to an all-time record for health-related benefits, according to recent forecasts, and the Treasury is worried. The rise in the bill for working-age health-related benefits has surged from £36bn before the pandemic to £48bn in the last financial year, and the official Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast is that it will reach £63bn per year in the next four years, with all these numbers accounting for inflation.

The big fear is that this could lead to a post-pandemic cohort of younger workers who will permanently drop out of the labour market.

New data shows that benefit claimants are trending younger, and suffering more with mental health problems. This has created a new set of problems for the state.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99vz4kz5vzo

[SteveH]

Thames Water has been thrown a cash lifeline that will tide the troubled utility giant over until October next year.....Who's next?
The UK's biggest water group has secured a loan of up to £3bn following fears that it would run out of funding by Christmas.

People close to the deal said it was signed on Thursday evening and shows there is confidence that new and existing investors can reach

an agreement to secure the company's future...https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704wzx38p1o


The water industry is in crisis. Can it be fixed?
Our loos flush and water comes out of our taps. In that sense, the water industry in England and Wales works. In just about every other way, it’s a mess.

The most visible sign of that mess comes after those loos have flushed. Last year England’s privatised water firms released raw sewage for a total of 3.6m hours, more than double the amount recorded the year before.............https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0qdev4vyl5o

[SteveH]

'Should've been done 20 years ago' - Hopes Welsh Government law will stop 'house hoarding'

North Wales Live readers have taken to our comments section to discuss a warning from an experienced estate agent that a significant shift in the rules around second homes and Airbnbs could lead to "unintended consequences". Legislation from the Welsh Government allows each local planning authority to decide if planning permission is needed to convert a home into a holiday property.

The 'Article 4 Direction' removes the automatic right to make this change, meaning permission must be sought. This has already been implemented in Gwynedd, with other authorities considering doing the same.............https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/news-opinion/shouldve-been-done-20-years-30243893

[SteveH]

There could be more spending increases and more tax rises to come over the next two years, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), a respected economics think tank.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted on Wednesday that her huge revenue-raising Budget was a one-off move to "wipe the slate clean" and not something she "would want to repeat".

But Paul Johnson, head of the IFS, told the BBC that pressures to keep spending on public services would be hard to resist.

"I suspect we’ll end up with even more spending, possibly considerably more spending than is currently planned," he said.

"That will probably mean, unless she gets lucky with growth, more tax rises to come next year or the year after," he told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme........................ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj72wxw8jxo

[SteveH]

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is to announce an extra £75m to tackle people-smuggling gangs.

The cash boost takes funding for the UK's new Border Security Command (BSC) to a total of £150m for new tech hubs, as well as extra enforcement, intelligence and prosecution staff.

In a speech to the Interpol general assembly in Glasgow later, Sir Keir will call on global leaders to "wake up to the severity" of the challenge smuggling presents to border security.

But former immigration chief Kevin Saunders said the changes would not deter illegal migrants from coming to the UK and stop small boat crossings................ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy1n2nwnyjo

[Hugo]

It's right that we should know the number of illegal migrants that  have been coming in to the UK but I can't recall the Government openly telling us how many of these migrants have been deported
The present system is unsustainable

[Meleri]

There is one simple solution to weed out illegal immigrants from genuine asylum seekers who really need our assistance & that is a DNA swab. It's cheap enough & doesn't take long, giving you a full profile of where your from. If there is no conflict in the country they are from return them back. It would be a whole lot cheaper to pay for flights than putting them up in luxury hotels.

[Hugo]

Meleri. shouldn't the UK Government be doing that anyway?      It seems obvious that if anyone enters the UK illegally and without identification then perhaps they have something to hide.
I would imagine the do gooders and the Human Rights activists may not be happy but the UK Government should respect the rights of the UK citizens too and protect them from any undesirables wanting to come here
Why do they really want to come here?    They don't like the western way of life, don't integrate with the British people, some don't even speak English so why have we got this invasion of illegal migrants?         Perhaps it's more to do with all the perks that they get once they arrive here

[Meleri]

Apparently not Hugo, most probably due to their human rights. Think you have hit the nail on the head regarding the perks being the draw. I will be interested to see what happens when Labour throws in the next lot of millions at stopping it, can't do any worse than all the money wasted previously.

[SteveH]

Donald Trump vowed on his campaign that he would tax all goods imported into the US if he won back the White House. Following his victory, businesses and economists around the world are scrambling to work out how serious he is.

In the past, Trump has targeted tariffs at individual countries such as China or certain industries, for example steel.

But his election campaign pledge to impose taxes of 10% to 20% on all foreign goods could affect prices all over the world.

Last month, he appeared to single out Europe...................... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw0n7jvlzxo

[Hugo]

North Wales man keeps driving licence despite having 229 points
More than 50 drivers in Britain can still legally drive despite having at least 30 points
Just Bonkers!


https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-man-keeps-driving-30378277

[SteveH]

Waiting lists are at record highs, emergency departments often overloaded with patients and the injured complain of waiting hours for ambulances to arrive. People could be forgiven for thinking there was a staffing crisis in the Welsh NHS post Covid.

But the most recent update on staff numbers show that there are now 21% more workers in the nation's health service than in June 2019, before the pandemic hit. The total number of NHS staff is now just under 97,000. As well as being significantly up on 2019, that's 2,489 more than in June 2023................ https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/surprising-staffing-figures-welsh-nhs-30345953

[Hugo]

I've read the planning application from Anwyl Homes to build 135 affordable homes near New Brighton by Mold.   These affordable homes will consist of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes.     Since when has a 4 bedroom house been affordable for local people?     Perhaps the Trades Description department wouldn't agree the firms statement?
Anwyl Homes have also put in a planning application to build 152 homes in Penrhyn Bay of which 54 properties are alleged to be "affordable"    but still no mention of any application for their Penmorfa eyesore