Shambles.

I have been watching the shambles over the abolition of the 10p tax rate over the past couple of weeks and am unconvinced by the compromise that has been hacked together in order to save further government embarrassment days before the local elections.

The winter fuel payment is not the appropriate method of reimbursing pensioners, some pensioners are very wealthy and are not hit by the 10p tax issue. How are poorer elderly people going to cope until the Government sort this all out?

Increasing the minimum wage to help younger people will mean that industry and commerce will foot the bill, harming Britain's competitiveness in the global market and affect inflation. This is simply the wrong tool for the job.

I am still unconvinced that families will be compensated through tax credits. I have had families locally telling me they are still worse off .

The simplest thing would be to reinstate the 10p rate, though that would be a U Turn, even if it would have avoided what has become a rather messy road accident.

Better Off under Gordon Brown.

Well some of us are at least. This morning I got my first payslip since the new tax rates started. I am paying less tax now than I was about 7 years ago, so thank you Gordon!

Of course those on lower incomes and young people already being hammered by student loans and no prospect of being able to buy their own homes are worse off.

The new tax regime that came into effect this weekend removes the lower 10% tax band and reduces the basic rate. This means that people on incomes lower than £18,500 a year are worse off.

New Labour can no longer cling onto the claim that they are the party standing up for ordinary hard working people. It is not the Labour party that my Grandfather worked for.

I will be using my tax cut to help campaign for a fairer government.

Snow in Warwick.

I got up this morning to about 3 inches of snow over the whole town, It looks stunning. I had a pleasant time wandering round the town with my camera before it all melted.
A lot of other people had the same idea and I bumped into many people I know out and about.
I've posted a few of my favourites here, though the small pictures do not really do it justice.

New Refuse Collections - But for some Rubbish Piling up in the Street.

The controversial new refuse collection started this week in Warwick District. Most residents will get new Grey and Green wheelie bins to put their household refuse and garden waste. Collections will be alternate weekly, with one week collecting garden waste and recycling (from the red box) and the other week collecting household waste.

Residents in terraced streets have been able to request a supply of bags if they are unable to store a wheelie bin.

Roads in Chase Meadow left off the list and refuse is piling up in the streets.

A council blunder has left roads in the Chase Meadow development in West Warwick off the list for the new refuse collection. Now that the new service has started rubbish is piling up in the street and residents do not know when it will be collected.

I visited the road on Monday to see for myself and talked to some of the residents.

Residents have received no information about the new service and have put their rubbish out on Tuesday morning as usual. It has not been collected and people are very worried and confused. One resident I spoke to with young children is worried about health risks with the bags outside in the sunshine.

I cannot understand how the council has overlooked these streets. Cllr Kinson who is responsible for the whole scheme is one of the Conservative councillors for this area. Refuse has been collected under the old scheme since homes were occupied in November, people are paying their Council Tax and are even on the electoral roll so its not as if no one knows they exist.
When I contacted the council I was told that bins will be issued shortly though they did not tell me when. Collection in this area will be on a Friday, starting with recycling. This means that refuse will be outside in bags for almost two weeks in the heat. It is simply not good enough!