Author Topic: Financial matters  (Read 131982 times)

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Offline DVT

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #375 on: August 09, 2022, 02:03:21 pm »
Possibly questioning the value of a pound!

I sometimes get the same thing when replying to e-mails, seems to depend on the format of the incoming message ... also if I use the Welsh letters a and o with the "to bach".

Just to try it ... ? ... ?


Editing after seeing what happened - yes, the letters with "to bach" have been replaced by the question mark.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #376 on: August 11, 2022, 10:00:38 am »
'At what point is it enough to say no I can?t afford it': The stunned reaction to just how high energy bills are set to go
'I don't know how I am going to do this,' one person said

People have spoken of their worries about paying household energy bills this winter as bills could reach ?355 a month - with some calling the rise in prices "criminal." It comes after an energy analyst has said that household energy bills could surpass ?4,200 next year.

cont  https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/at-what-point-enough-say-24724651?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589


More than 13,000 people have signed a petition demanding a guaranteed pension of ?200-a-week in the UK. A group of pensioners is calling for the weekly rate to go up in light of the cost of living crisis

The Silver Voices group, which successfully fought for free TV licences for the over-75s, wants the Government to set a new floor for the amount OAPs receive. It comes as households are engulfed by soaring energy costs, runaway inflation and food price hikes.

 ?The UK provides the worst state pension in the developed world, which is insufficient for life?s essentials, particularly with surging energy and food prices. After a lifetime of tax and national insurance contributions, older people deserve a minimum income of ?200 per week without recourse to the benefits system.?

cont https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/more-13000-sign-petition-calling-24725650?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589


Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #377 on: August 14, 2022, 10:08:31 am »
Could not resist posting this headline......

                            Lowest income households hit hardest by soaring energy bills, says think-tank

Offline DVT

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #378 on: August 14, 2022, 12:08:33 pm »
Makes the think-tank worth every penny - and that's a penny more than they should be paid!


Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #379 on: August 15, 2022, 01:09:52 pm »
Found a BBC page with links to various articles on the Cost of living crisis, maybe you will find something of interest...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cljev4jz3pjt

Offline Ian

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #380 on: August 15, 2022, 04:14:17 pm »
It's worth thinking about when France?where the electricity companies are state owned?is only raising energy costs 4% and we, where electricity is in private hands, are having to  endure raises of 200% plus. Privatisation was Thatcher's 'great idea', and now Truss wants to maintain that.

Combined with Brexit, we're in a mess.

Worth Watching
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #381 on: August 16, 2022, 10:14:48 am »
Excellent find, Ian.

A savvy homeowner was shocked when he discovered how much he had been paying to keep some of his household appliances on standby. In order to conserve energy and save money on his electricity bills, the man bought a usage meter to measure how much power any given device in the home was using.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/man-discovers-staggering-cost-keeping-24759729?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589


Offline Helig

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #382 on: August 16, 2022, 10:18:36 am »
I think there is a very strong case for renationalising all essential public services. This would include energy companies, Royal Mail, water companies and trains. They have all declined to provide a reasonable standard of service at fair prices. I don't see why the government should give people handouts to make them able to pay their bills when the proceeds will fund the profits and dividends of the companies concerned.

The energy companies have ripped us all off for years. Royal Mail has put their prices up and up at the same time service has declined. They are proposing to reduce mail deliveries and want these to be Monday to Friday only. They are looking to cut deliveries to more remote areas. All this at nearly ?1 for a first class stamp. The water companies have exploited the public with high charges and they have treated the rivers etc like a sewage dump. Then there are the leaks which have been with us for years, despite them always saying they will do something to stop them, they do not. The trains are collapsing every time I go to Carlisle the departure board has more cancellations than trains that are running. Avanti has now stopped selling tickets and reduced the service. They had had their chance and wrecked it all. Bring them back to public control.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #383 on: August 17, 2022, 10:02:18 am »
LIVE Cost of food and drink pushes UK inflation to 10.1%

Summary
The UK inflation rate has hit double digits - 10.1% - the Office for National Statistics says
It's a higher rate than analysts were predicting - the last time price rises were in double digits was in February 1982
Rising food and drink prices made the biggest contribution to the change in the inflation rate between June and July
Bread, cereals, milk, cheese and eggs had a particular impact on rising prices
But the cost of living is rising across the board, driven partly by energy costs and the Ukraine war but also factors such as the cost of raw materials

Read more https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/business-62566828

2nd article
UK inflation rate calculator: How much are prices rising for you?
Every month there's a new figure for inflation - it estimates how much prices are rising across all the goods and services in the economy.

In the 12 months to July 2022 the figure was 10.1%. That means things costing ?1 in July 2021 cost ?1.10 the same time the following year.

Our personal inflation calculator, built by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), shows you what the inflation rate is for your household, and identifies the items in your household budget that have gone up the most in price over the past year................

Cont/Calculator https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62558817



Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #384 on: August 19, 2022, 10:10:18 am »
Bills will reach almost ?3,600 from October, experts say in final prediction

It is a forecast that will pile pressure on the Government to take rapid action, and spells out pain for more than 20 million households

Families face a grim winter as experts predict the cap on energy bills will hit close to ?3,600 per year from October. They also expect it to rise again next year.

It is a forecast that will pile pressure on the Government to take rapid action, and spells out pain for more than 20 million households. The observation window ? when regulator Ofgem tracks the market to decide what the cap will be ? slammed shut on Thursday, so the prediction is more certain than ever.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/bills-reach-almost-3600-october-24796937

Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #385 on: August 20, 2022, 10:19:08 am »
Cineworld Group could file for bankruptcy say reports with fears over sites in North Wales
Cineworld has sites in Llandudno Junction and Broughton Retail Park

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/cineworld-group-could-file-bankruptcy-24802796?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #386 on: August 23, 2022, 09:56:55 am »
British Gas confirm how customers can receive ?400 cost of living payment
British Gas said that direct debit customers will get the discount straight into their bank account each month

But instead of households being given the payment directly to pay their bills, it will go to the energy companies to apply a discount to your energy bills over the course of six months. This is set to start from October 2022, and will continue into the new year

October - ?66
November - ?66
December - ?67
January - ?67
February - ?67
March - ?67

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/british-gas-confirm-how-customers-24824185

Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #387 on: August 25, 2022, 10:14:17 am »
Quote from the DP this morning, followed by an interesting BBC article............

A renewal quote for a Michelin Guide hotel and restaurant has highlighted the "staggering" increases in energy prices facing businesses across Wales. The Hand at Llanarmon is an award winning Denbighshire site that pulls in food lovers from across the region and further afield.

But the owners are now facing potentially difficult decisions to make it through the winter after their energy firm's latest renewal quote came through. It shows a 400% increase in the cost of power - taking the monthly bill from ?1,900 to ?9,500
.


BBC Article ..Inflation: Who is benefiting from soaring prices?

Many UK households and businesses are struggling with rising prices, but that's not the story for everyone.

The fastest rise in the cost of living for four decades means people are typically having to spend ?110 to get what ?100 bought them last year.

But some industries are benefiting from higher inflation and posting bumper profits. There are huge sums to be made if you're in the business of drilling for oil, trading wheat, transporting toys or selling fine wines.

So who's gaining from the extra spend?

Saudi Arabia's Aramco posted record profits between April to June, while BP cleared ?6.9bn in that period and Shell topped that with its profits of ?9bn worldwide.

Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has seen profits rise five-fold due to its oil, gas and nuclear assets.

All of these companies will be faced with the government's 25% windfall tax on the profits they make from extracting UK oil and gas - this is intended to go towards helping households with rising bills. Yet for most of the energy giants, domestic extraction is a small part of their operations.

For example, the UK accounts for just a tenth of BP's overall oil and gas production.

Read more https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62634983

Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #388 on: August 29, 2022, 10:05:43 am »
What is the energy price cap and how high will bills go?

Energy bills for a typical household will rise to 3,549 a year on 1 October, when a new price cap is introduced.

With calls for more help with costs growing, plans to reduce bills for households using less energy at peak times are expected soon.

What is the energy price cap and what will I pay?
The 3,549 figure is not a limit on the amount you will actually pay for your energy. It is the annual bill for a typical household, now that the price cap has been increased.

Big energy users will pay more, and people who use less energy will pay less.

Read on......... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58090533

Offline SteveH

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Re: Financial matters
« Reply #389 on: August 31, 2022, 10:15:21 am »
I heard the other day that CAB. the Citizens Advice Bureau, has taken on extra staff, and trained them how to deal with the financial crises.

It is suggested to phone for an appointment, as opening times can change.

Citizens advice bureau in Llandudno, Wales
Address: Eryl Wen, Eryl Pl, Llandudno LL30 2TX

Phone: 0344 477 2020