General News

[leicsmac]

8 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

 

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

 

The cap is rising again but the graph within the article makes interesting reading. Particularly October 2022 to July 2023. Bills were at their lowest since then in May 2024. 

Let's not go adding nuance here, eh?

 

1 minute ago, WigstonWanderer said:

I don’t think the other shysters around Trump have the “charisma” (couldn’t think of another word) that Trump has so maybe the Maga crowd wouldn’t be so easily deluded.

Charisma is the right word imo.

 

And no, I'm not sure anyone could replicate the cult of personality the man has built, but who knows?

[Otis]

9 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

 

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

 

The cap is rising again but the graph within the article makes interesting reading. Particularly October 2022 to July 2023. Bills were at their lowest since then in May 2024. 

"Warmer homes, lower bills"

He shouldn't be making promises he has no control over.

 

 

[CosbehFox]

48 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3d8x3v2re8o

 

I wonder what would happen the average man on the street if he chinned someone and ended up in jail.

About the same. The maximum charge for common assault is 26 weeks. Given the man was being abused and had ready to believe he would be attacked that plays into. 

 

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/disappointing-ps300-fine-for-northamptonshire-hunt-supporter-found-guilty-of-common-assault-4809163 

 

This story here - was just a fine for example. 

 

Just read of someone with 6 counts of common assault + theft get 17 weeks for example. 

 

 

Edited 25 February by CosbehFox

[CosbehFox]

9 minutes ago, Otis said:

"Warmer homes, lower bills"

He shouldn't be making promises he has no control over.

 

 

Nuance

 

A pre qualification of huge investment into renewable energy.

 

The term 'warmer homes, lower bills' directly talks to making the building regulations stronger. Alas today I have just had to my first re-roof require 200mm worth of insulation as opposed to 100mm. 

 

Tories by comparison increased the energy cap by 80% in 2022

Edited 25 February by CosbehFox

[leicsmac]

Tbf what Miliband should have said was "energy bills may rise a little in the short term to bring this technology to maturity, but if we don't do it and also encourage other nations to do it, every single person under a certain age in the UK will pay much, much more in the longer term. In more than money".

 

Because that would be true.

 

(Of course, he's couldn't say that because it's not a vote winner, seeing as a lot of people can't or won't see beyond their own noses and next month.)

[Tommy G]

13 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

About the same. The maximum charge for common assault is 26 weeks. Given the man was being abused and had ready to believe he would be attacked that plays into. 

 

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/disappointing-ps300-fine-for-northamptonshire-hunt-supporter-found-guilty-of-common-assault-4809163 

 

This story here - was just a fine for example. 

 

Just read of someone with 6 counts of common assault + theft get 17 weeks for example. 

 

 

I’m talking about full pay here 

[Otis]

8 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

The term 'warmer homes, lower bills' directly talks to making the building regulations stronger.

Have you just made this up?

 

Building regulations won't change the efficiency of the 30 million existing homes.

 

If that's true he may as well say turn your heating on less will lower your bills.

 

[Dr The Singh]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdel9kxkw53o

 

Shocking, I used to live literally 5 minutes away, shocked at the brutality and violence against an old man.

[Otis]

5 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Tbf what Miliband should have said was "energy bills may rise a little in the short term to bring this technology to maturity, but if we don't do it and also encourage other nations to do it, every single person under a certain age in the UK will pay much, much more in the longer term. In more than money".

 

Because that would be true.

 

(Of course, he's couldn't say that because it's not a vote winner, seeing as a lot of people can't or won't see beyond their own noses and next month.)

This is partly true.

If I'm correct on stating, the price cap is linked to gas prices? Then renewables won't affect energy costs.

[CosbehFox]

4 minutes ago, Otis said:

Have you just made this up?

 

Building regulations won't change the efficiency of the 30 million existing homes.

 

If that's true he may as well say turn your heating on less will lower your bills.

 

No more made up than you making a statement like 'Three times energy has risen under Labour'. There's no background - it's like saying Leicester City won more games last season but zero context of the division they were playing in. 

 

The video loses all context and nuance because it's heavily edited. He never mentions existing homes in the clip. 

[Tommy G]

17 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

Nuance

 

A pre qualification of huge investment into renewable energy.

 

The term 'warmer homes, lower bills' directly talks to making the building regulations stronger. Alas today I have just had to my first re-roof require 200mm worth of insulation as opposed to 100mm. 

 

Tories by comparison increased the energy cap by 80% in 2022

You do realise in 2022 a major worldwide event happened which caused the energy price increase? Are you seriously suggesting a political party caused this? LOL

[Otis]

2 minutes ago, Dr The Singh said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdel9kxkw53o

 

Shocking, I used to live literally 5 minutes away, shocked at the brutality and violence against an old man.

Sickening. 

Feral children. 

[CosbehFox]

4 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

You do realise in 2022 a major worldwide event happened which caused the energy price increase? Are you seriously suggesting a political party caused this? LOL

The worldwide event which has continued to play out?

You do realise in particular weeks become more hostile therefore have a knock-on? (Hence an all party supported announcement today by the UK government) 

 

If you acknowledge that, then you acknowledge that it's a factor for the price cap increase now 

 

Edited 25 February by CosbehFox

[leicsmac]

3 minutes ago, Otis said:

This is partly true.

If I'm correct on stating, the price cap is linked to gas prices? Then renewables won't affect energy costs.

If that's so then the above twitter post regarding Miliband is irrelevant, seeing as if it is true then what is or isn't done in terms of renewable energy infrastructure has nothing to do with the energy price cap.

 

In any case, the necessity of putting it in place to save truly grotesque future costs is clear and obvious.

[Tommy G]

1 minute ago, CosbehFox said:

The worldwide event which has continued to play out?

You do realise in particular weeks become more hostile therefore have a knock-on? 

 

If you acknowledge that, then you acknowledge that it's a factor for the price cap increase now 

 

Yes I do understand it which is why I'm confused you laid blame at a political party then rowed back on your point and it's now due to the worldwide event when I mentioned it. 

 

Everyone understands the price cap will likely go up, especially in winter months due to the market price of gas and availability due to the weather, I think the wider population are gradually cottoning onto plenty of labour pledges which aren't achievable alongside the backdrop of what they have done already which weren't in their manifesto i.e cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners.  

[CosbehFox]

12 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Yes I do understand it which is why I'm confused you laid blame at a political party then rowed back on your point and it's now due to the worldwide event when I mentioned it. 

 

Everyone understands the price cap will likely go up, especially in winter months due to the market price of gas and availability due to the weather, I think the wider population are gradually cottoning onto plenty of labour pledges which aren't achievable alongside the backdrop of what they have done already which weren't in their manifesto i.e cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners.  

Come off it. Yourself and Otis started the political points scoring first. 

 

The pledge is here - https://labour.org.uk/change/make-britain-a-clean-energy-superpower/ 

 

I have picked out the points from which I have written the previous few posts 

 

We will end the chaotic Conservative chopping and changing on policy, harness clean power to boost our energy security, and invest in home insulation upgrades. We will save families hundreds of pounds on their bills, not just in the short term, but for good.

 

The Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in insulation and other improvements such as solar panels, batteries and low carbon heating to cut bills. We will partner with combined authorities, local and devolved governments, to roll out this plan. Labour will also work with the private sector, including banks and building societies, to provide further private finance to accelerate home upgrades and low carbon heating. We will ensure homes in the private rented sector meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2030, saving renters hundreds of pounds per year. Nobody will be forced to rip out their boiler as a result of our plans.

 

The commitment is to a reform of the British energy system and that takes time. That in Labour's opinion is the key to lowering energy bills. You can criticism them for the wording of 'not just in the short term' - although you could argue that well they have compared to the last government. 

 

The Winter Fuel payments is a legitimate criticism. 

 

 

 

Edited 25 February by CosbehFox

[Daggers]

8 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

Come off it Tommy. Yourself and Otis said the below - 

 

They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience

[Tommy G]

24 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

Come off it. Yourself and Otis started the political points scoring first. 

 

The pledge is here - https://labour.org.uk/change/make-britain-a-clean-energy-superpower/ 

 

I have picked out the points from which I have written the previous few posts 

 

We will end the chaotic Conservative chopping and changing on policy, harness clean power to boost our energy security, and invest in home insulation upgrades. We will save families hundreds of pounds on their bills, not just in the short term, but for good.

 

The Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in insulation and other improvements such as solar panels, batteries and low carbon heating to cut bills. We will partner with combined authorities, local and devolved governments, to roll out this plan. Labour will also work with the private sector, including banks and building societies, to provide further private finance to accelerate home upgrades and low carbon heating. We will ensure homes in the private rented sector meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2030, saving renters hundreds of pounds per year. Nobody will be forced to rip out their boiler as a result of our plans.

 

The commitment is to a reform of the British energy system and that takes time. That in Labour's opinion is the key to lowering energy bills. You can criticism them for the wording of 'not just in the short term' - although you could argue that well they have compared to the last government. 

 

The Winter Fuel payments is a legitimate criticism. 

 

 

 

Nope. Look back.

 

I just quoted you in your bicker with Otis, as you blamed the Tories for an 80% increase in the price cap. I was responding to misinformation mate.  

[leicsmac]

4 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Nope. Look back.

 

I just quoted you in your bicker with Otis, as you blamed the Tories for an 80% increase in the price cap. I was responding to misinformation mate.  

... pardon me, but wasn't the first response quoting Otis with the aforementioned sardonic quip regarding foundations?

[Otis]

40 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

If that's so then the above twitter post regarding Miliband is irrelevant, seeing as if it is true then what is or isn't done in terms of renewable energy infrastructure has nothing to do with the energy price cap.

 

In any case, the necessity of putting it in place to save truly grotesque future costs is clear and obvious.

So why did Miliband say he/Labour will reduce energy costs,  when he knows he has no say in it.

[CosbehFox]

9 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Nope. Look back.

 

I just quoted you in your bicker with Otis, as you blamed the Tories for an 80% increase in the price cap. I was responding to misinformation mate.  

So fixing the foundations isn’t a term Starmer used as part of his summer statement ? 
 

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/keir-starmers-speech-on-fixing-the-foundations-of-our-country-27-august-2024

 

 

[davieG]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg18pvz7kko

 

The seven bills due to go up in April

Energy costs are one of a number of bill rises which will come into force at the start of what some commentators have described as "awful April".

The exact amount you pay will depend on your individual circumstances, and where you live.

Although minimum wages will increase from April, and wages on average have been outpacing inflation, household finances could still come under extra pressure.

Here are seven ways in which you could be affected.

 

1. Water bills
Water bills for households are due to go up in England and Wales by £10 more per month on average, but there's a lot of variation depending on the company, external.

For example, the annual Southern Water bill will jump 47% to £703, while Anglian Water customers will pay 19% more, or £626.

Factors including whether households have a meter and how much water used will also impact bills, which are being front-loaded for the next five years, meaning the big increase is coming in April.

Water companies in England and Wales have said the increases are needed to invest in creaking infrastructure, including sewage, and to build more reservoirs.

In Scotland, water bills are set to rise by almost 10%. Scottish Water, which is a public body, said spending was needed to cope with periods of "drought and intense rainfall" brought on by climate change.

Domestic customers in Northern Ireland are not billed for water, with the system funded by the devolved government.

2. Energy bills
The annual energy bill for a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will go up £111 a year to £1,849 from April.

Regulator Ofgem increased the energy price cap because of higher wholesale costs and inflation.

The cap is set every three months and limits the amount suppliers can charge for each unit of gas and electricity, but not the total bill, so if you use more, you will pay more.

It affects 22 million homes in England, Wales and Scotland.

Standing charges - fixed fees to connect to a gas and electricity supply and vary by region - are rising again for gas but dropping for electricity, but it depends on where you live.

Ofgem is suggesting households consider a fixed tariff for a bit of stability, even though there's speculation of prices dropping in July.

 

3. Council tax
It is likely the tax you pay to your local authority will go up from April.

In England, local authorities with responsibility for delivering social care can increase council tax every year by up to 4.99% without triggering a referendum or local vote.

Smaller councils without social care duties can increase bills by up to 2.99%.

For 2025-26, the government is allowing Bradford, Newham, Birmingham, Somerset, and Windsor and Maidenhead to bypass the 4.99% cap, meaning they could raise council tax by more.

Council tax rates in Scotland have been frozen or had limited increases since 2007, but they are expected to go up in April, in some cases by as much as 10%.

The Scottish government says it is offering local authorities an extra £1bn in 2025-26 to help reduce the scale of any rise.

In Wales, council tax rates could jump by as much 15% in some areas. Local authorities were given £253m by the Welsh government in its draft budget, but council leaders say more money needed.

Northern Ireland uses a domestic rates system, external instead of council tax. All of Northern Ireland's councils have reported district rate increases for the next year.

 

4. Car tax
From April, the standard rate of tax for cars registered after April 2017 rises £5 to £195 a year. According to the RAC,, external you may pay less or more if your car was first used before 2017.

The exact amount for your road tax will depend on the year your car was registered and the type of fuel it uses.

One big change is that electric vehicles (EVs) will no longer be tax exempt. EVs registered from April 2025 will pay the lowest rate of £10 in the first year, then move to the standard rate. The standard rate will also apply to EVs first registered after April 2017.

 

5. Broadband, phone and TV licence
Rule changes introduced by the telecoms regulator this year mean that mobile and broadband providers must now tell customers "in pounds and pence" about any price rises, as well as when they occur.

The new rules typically only apply to new customers, so any price rise will depend on when you took your contract out.

For instance, under the new rules, someone with a mobile Sim only contract with EE will see their bill go up by £1.50 a month, or £18 a year.

But for the majority of customers who took their contract out before 10 April 2024, they will face an increase of 6.4%, based on the inflation rate last December, plus an additional charge.

Similarly, most Virgin Media broadband customers will face a 7.5% rise in bills, but for anyone who took out a contract after 9 January this year, their monthly bill will go up by £3.50.

The cost of a TV licence will also go up by £5 to £174.50, and for a black and white TV it will go up by £1.50 to £58.50.

 

6. Stamp duty and house prices
House buyers in England and Northern Ireland will start paying stamp duty on properties over £125,000 in April, instead of over £250,000 at the moment.

First-time buyers currently pay no stamp duty on homes up to £425,000, but this will drop to £300,000.

Anyone starting a search for a property now would likely struggle to move before the stamp duty changes.

 

7. Hidden tax rises
The government has kept in place the freeze on tax thresholds on income tax and National Insurance until 2028, a policy brought in by the previous government.

This is often dubbed a stealth tax - as governments don't explicitly label it as a tax.

But the policy amounts to a tax rise because of a process called "fiscal drag", which sees more people "dragged" into paying higher rates of tax as wages rises.

According to figures from the government's financial watchdog, external by 2028-29, nearly four million additional people will be expected to pay income tax - and three million more will have moved to the higher rate - due to the threshold being frozen.

Related top

[leicsmac]

23 minutes ago, Otis said:

So why did Miliband say he/Labour will reduce energy costs,  when he knows he has no say in it.

Well...

 

- he's not cognisant/not been briefed enough on the genuine state of play

 

- he knows the deal but he's also being the cynical politician and telling people what they want to hear rather than what's true, which makes one despair of the state of political discourse in the UK

 

- he knows the deal but has no idea how to communicate it effectively to people who want short term reassurances right fvcking now

 

- a combination of the above

 

Any way it's sliced doesn't look great, for either him or his audience.

[reporterpenguin]

On the subject of how energy prices are calculated here and why it is in need of drastic reform, I'd highly recommend giving this excellent explainer video a watch

 

[Dahnsouff]

1 hour ago, reporterpenguin said:

On the subject of how energy prices are calculated here and why it is in need of drastic reform, I'd highly recommend giving this excellent explainer video a watch

 

Was aware, and have seen this excellent video before. It’s a scandal basing all prices for electricity off of gas.