The Good News thread, local jobs, economy etc

[The Year Of The Fox]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23676244

[Guest MattP]

England win the ashes again.

[Rincewind]

Need to be read to see the good part.

 

http://www.porchlight.org.uk/media-centre/real-life-stories/?gclid=CLKTtPDg2bgCFebJtAodw0AAOQ

 

There are some videos too. I've yet to watch them.

[Guest MattP]

What a rather nice lady.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23679967

 

 

A woman who left more than £500,000 in her will to the Tories and Liberal Democrats specified the money should go to "whoever is in government".

[ADK]

That must be the lib dems biggest donation in a while.

[Rincewind]

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Muslims-generously-city-s-needy/story-19646251-detail/story.html#axzz2cJ0OgETI

 

I don't suppose many people knew about this.

[Guest MattP]

Clearly out of date.

[Rincewind]

Clearly out of date.

Monday, August 12, 2013

 

A week is a long time. So much can change.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Its funny how good news seems better after bad news.

 

The people using food banks have trebled in the last six months.

 

Never mind there is this to celebrate. Those in the queues will be delighted.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tories-make-sure-its-a-good-news-week--even-in-the-silly-season-8755960.html

My computer froze when I got on the site. Had to turn it off and start it up again. Is it booby trapped?   

[Rincewind]

Its OK for me. It is a bit of a non story though. I have a weird sense of humour. It does he bad stories are hidden by good news which is often manipulated and compared to a disaster

 

Newsman looking grim -Boeing have announced they have found faults in several of their passenger aircraft landing gear.

Newswoman smiling - Ryanair have announce an increase in travelers using their service.

[Rincewind]

One for Lamby

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-holiday-islands-where-everyones-working-why-are-so-few-people-on-the-scillies-jobless-8773334.html

 

Although the pay is not great.

[purpleronnie]

 

Britain is booming! House prices up £10,000 in a year, new car sales surge by 12.7% and manufacturing beats 1992 record

• House prices rise sharply to 4.6 per cent higher than a year ago
• British-built car sales rise and manufacturing jumps nearly two per cent
• One economist simply sums up the good news with one word: 'Wow'

By Sean Poulter

A stream of good news for the economy yesterday gave hope that Britain is finally emerging from the downturn.

Figures showing that house prices had risen by almost £10,000 in a year were just one part of a wider economic recovery alongside improved orders for manufacturers and a revival on the high street.

It also emerged that new car sales surged by 12.7 per cent in July compared to a year ago, with a total of 162,228 registrations.

And the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said the economy grew by 0.7 per cent between May and July as the recovery picked up pace – double the 0.3 per cent seen in the first three months of the year.

 

House prices rising by almost £10,000 in a year were just one part of a wider economic recovery, say experts

The raft of data led to renewed optimism from economic analysts.

‘Wow,’ said Rob Wood, chief economist at investment bank Berenberg. ‘There isn’t really another way of describing the data coming out of the UK at the minute.’

And Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight, said it was ‘another very good news day for the UK economy’.

 

More...

• Pound on the rise as retail sales and manufacturing show feel-good factor is boosting economy towards take-off
• House prices increase at fastest rate since 2010 as cost of average home hits £169,600
• Luxury villas built on top of shopping mall in China become homes for migrants workers after authorities said they were illegal

 

He added: ‘It is striking that the improved news on the UK economy is coming across a wide range of sectors, which lifts hopes that the recovery is broadening as well as deepening.’

Sales of new cars from Britain’s resurgent motor manufacturers have now risen for 17 months in a row, with Ford’s Fiesta and Focus proving the most popular.

And official figures showed total factory output jumped 1.9 per cent in June with all 13 sectors of British manufacturing – including food and drink, computers and aircraft – expanding in a single month for the first time since June 1992.

Halifax's house price graph index graph shows how prices are rising by above four per cent over last summer (Quarterly annual % change along the top; quarterly year on year price change on the left)

Recent rise: House prices have risen for six months in a row but average house prices to earnings are also on the rise

 

The latest figures reveal that house prices are 4.6 per cent higher than a year ago – and are rising at their highest rate for three years, according to the Halifax.

Months of steady rises mean the national average property price stands at £169,624, which represents a sharp rise on the £160,428 of a year ago.

However, the findings confirm recent studies from Nationwide building society and estate agents which suggested that London and the South are driving the market.

Workshop: A technician assembles a car on the production line at Nissan's Sunderland plant in Sunderland. British manufacturing rose two per cent

Motoring along: New car sales surged by 12.7 per cent in July compared to a year ago, with a total of 162,228 registrations

Many analysts also fear the increase is not justified in terms of what buyers can afford and the state of household finances. First-time buyers, for example, will need to take on bigger mortgages if they are to get onto the property ladder.

House prices now stand at 4.62 times average earnings, which is up from the 4.34 times in 2009 when the market hit a trough following the banking crisis.

Industry experts say two Government schemes, Funding for Lending and Help to Buy, which have cut interest rates and allow people to buy with small deposits, are largely responsible for the increases.

Martin Ellis, Halifax’s housing economist, said: ‘House prices are expected to continue to rise gradually through this year, with only modest economic growth and still falling real earnings constraining housing demand and activity.’

Property economist Matthew Pointon, of Capital Economics, argued that house prices are overvalued. ‘Evidence that house prices are in the midst of a steady recovery continues to accumulate, which is bad news for first-time buyers,’ he said.

‘That said, it is unlikely that house prices will continue to show such strong gains. Poor fundamentals will help keep a lid on demand, as will the fact that the market is still overvalued.

Wider recovery: Economists said the better than expected growth in manufacturing and industrial output in June pointed to a broad based recovery in the economy

‘There are also some signs that the supply of housing is now picking up, which should take some of the heat out of price gains.’

A report from property website Rightmove earlier this week found that six in ten people who rent their home feel ‘trapped’ because they cannot afford to buy.

Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, said: ‘This will be a long, slow recovery. Much ground has been lost and transactions and lending levels are running at a fraction of what they were at the height of the housing boom.’

Alexander Gosling, director of online estate agent Housesimple.co.uk, said: ‘In many areas, prices are still way off their peak, although London remains the star performer with gravity-defying price rises thanks to the influx of foreign buyers.

'Surprisingly, we are seeing strong activity during the summer, which historically tend to be quieter.

This momentum needs to be carried through into September and October if the property market is to continue on the long road to recovery

 

 

[Rincewind]

Its certainly looking good for some.

 

http://www.mydownnotout.org.uk/welfare-cuts-rich-pickings-ahead-for-the-loan-sharks/

[Guest MattP]

Fantastic read that Ronnie, things are really starting to look up.

[purpleronnie]

Fantastic read that Ronnie, things are really starting to look up.

I was really surprised at the improvement in manufacturing, I had just assumed that would continue to fall.

[Zingari]

Very informative too.

I hadn't realised before I read that article that Sunderland's Nissan plant was in Sunderland.

[MooseBreath]

House prices going up isn't particularly good news for anyone but the growth in industry and manufacturing is great news. Should be plenty more to come with large infrastructure projects kicking off. Loads of work for people who want it. Only a matter of time before it starts feeding through into wages. Everything is going the Tories way at the moment. Can see labour really falling away over the next couple of years if they continue to offer nothing.

[purpleronnie]

House prices going up isn't particularly good news for anyone but the growth in industry and manufacturing is great news. Should be plenty more to come with large infrastructure projects kicking off. Loads of work for people who want it. Only a matter of time before it starts feeding through into wages. Everything is going the Tories way at the moment. Can see labour really falling away over the next couple of years if they continue to offer nothing.

It was good for my sister she make 30 grand profit on her house.  And still managed to buy a house for less than its original price.

 

Although it does hurt me a little I agree about labour they seem to be in no mans land at the moment.

Edited 21 August 2013 by purpleronnie

[Zingari]

• One economist simply sums up the good news with one word: 'Wow'

 

I don't know how much more convincing some people need?

[Guest MattP]

Has anyone seen Ed Miliband recently?

[MooseBreath]

It was good for my sister she make 30 grand profit on her house. And still managed to buy a house for less than its original price.

That's good business, but generally if house prices are going up across the board then you can't really get any tangible benefit from it until you no longer need the house.

[MooseBreath]

Has anyone seen Ed Miliband recently?

I think he was last seen thrashing around at his breakfast table banging on in increasingly erratic tones about "quality of life" and aggressively resisting his wife's attempts to spoonfeed him humble pie. He can't resist much longer.

[Zingari]

I get the feeling that house prices are going up for the simple reason that those with healthy bank balances are investing in property rather than getting very little interest standing in risky banks .

[leicsmac]

House prices going up is fantastic for the baby boomers who filled their boots when they had the chance. For first time buyers.. not so much. Also interesting that this recovery seems focussed on the South and London, classical Tory heartlands.

That said, more infrastructure jobs can only be a good thing.

[davieG]

House prices going up benefits, building companies, solicitors and estate agents charging a % fee, anyone left a house in a will and governments/tax payers getting the benefits of death duties.

It doesn't benefit the homeowner unless they're in negative equity other than to pay for their care if the get ill.

It's terrible for anyone starting out and the current incentives which have kick started this increase could prove to be counter productive, maybe if the economy is doing so well it didn't really need this artificial incentive.