Poll: The Budget

[MacRS4]

It's not really - filling stations in and around Westminster are obviously quite expensive but once you get more than a few miles from Tower Bridge it's pretty competitive. A quick look on Petrolprices.com reveals that even the really nice London suburbs like St Albans have access to fuel thats amongst the cheapest in the country.

What? Since when is St. Albans a London suburb? It's a City in it's own right with a population of some 70,000 people. It's commuter belt, sure, same way places like Richmond in Surrey are, but most Londoners wouldn't consider that to be a suburb I don't think.

Understand your point on fuel costs though - there's loads of fuel stations around me and it does make the price of fuel competitive.

It's the same price here as it costs to fill up when I'm up in the midlands.

On the other hand, there are some fuel stations that make you

 

[[TW]Fox]

Gah it was just an example, the point was finding competitively priced (we dont get cheap fuel in the UK ) around London isn't difficult.

 

[MacRS4]

Oh god, have we gone from budget to 'my area's better than yours'

Love the Lake District, but would drive me absolutely potty to live there.

 

[MacRS4]

Gah it was just an example, the point was finding competitively priced (we dont get cheap fuel in the UK ) around London isn't difficult.

Ha, yeah, would agree with that. I don't readily see pricing differences in fuel unless you're an idiot and fill up in the City (1.46 last time I looked) or in Victoria (1.51 ).

 

[Hatter The Mad]

It's not really - filling stations in and around Westminster are obviously quite expensive but once you get more than a few miles from Tower Bridge it's pretty competitive. A quick look on Petrolprices.com reveals that even the really nice London suburbs like St Albans have access to fuel thats amongst the cheapest in the country.

I should have clarified - I don't mean 'Greater London' as a whole. Also, while the 'lowest' prices on petrolprices.com are competitive and almost nationally similar, the average price is not.

 

[kibblerok]

I love this idea, some spending transparency at last...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...-be-told-how-Government-spends-their-tax.html

Wow that is good, I don't think people realise how much things cost. It also let's the rest of us know the break down.

Tycoon tax purposal, so much for Tories protected their chums

It's nothing more than a pointless gimmick . Christ knows why they need to send letters or personalise this information that's widely available or could be published more clearly at a higher level.

Government takes tax, spends it on various items - the percentage stays the same regardless. If the Government spends 5% tax income on policing, then 5% of my tax paid will also go on policing.

What about VAT, fuel duty and other taxes? Where do they go? Will I get a statement for that too? What's the point of displaying where my tax goes if it doesn't include all my tax paid?

The Government can already display this information more clearly should they desire showing where each % of your tax goes.....

 

[[TW]Fox]

I should have clarified - I don't mean 'Greater London' as a whole. Also, while the 'lowest' prices on petrolprices.com are competitive and almost nationally similar, the average price is not.

The average is skewed by the presence of ripoff garages, services etc. You soon get to know where to fill up.

Having just checked though the London average is not appreciably more anyway.

 

[rossk26]

On average, fuel is more expensive in London than out. To say otherwise is stupid.

Evidence?

EDIT: Beaten to it by fox

You should learn to back up your points before calling people stupid!!

 

[Hatter The Mad]

The average is skewed by the presence of ripoff garages, services etc. You soon get to know where to fill up.

Having just checked though the London average is not appreciably more anyway.

True, we're talking by no more than about a pence difference outside of the ripoff garages.

But without getting bogged down in petrol pedantics, it is still more expensive as are most things in London due to commercial pressures (demand, rents, general costs of doing business).

 

[[TW]Fox]

Cheapest garage I ever filled up at was just off the M25

 

[MacRS4]

true, but then there's a lot more competition too.

 

[rossk26]

True, we're talking by no more than about a pence difference outside of the ripoff garages.

But without getting bogged down in petrol pedantics, it is still more expensive as are most things in London due to commercial pressures (demand, rents, general costs of doing business).

So now you are back on track, my original point that in general the only greater expense for (the average person) living in London is only really a greater housing cost. And by that you decide to live in London, you are fully aware of the higher premiums attached to living in London.

I would like to see you get further on a metro up here than you can on the London Underground for the same money!!

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Evidence?

EDIT: Beaten to it by fox

You should learn to back up your points before calling people stupid!!

Fox is right that the differences are small, but they're still higher on average.

petrolprices.com

North London: Highest 145.8p Lowest 135.9p
South West London: Highest 144.9p Lowest 137.9p
Brixton: Highest 144.9p Lowest 135.9p
...

Leeds: Highest 139.9p Lowest 134.9p
Newcastle: Highest 143.9p Lowest 132.9p
Glasgow: Highest 141.0p Lowest 134.8p
Lancashire: Highest 145.9p Lowest 134.7p
Essex: Highest 146.9p Lowest: 135.9p
...

 

[rossk26]

Fox is right that the differences are small, but they're still higher on average.

petrolprices.com

North London: Highest 145.8p Lowest 135.9p
South West London: Highest 144.9p Lowest 137.9p
Brixton: Highest 144.9p Lowest 135.9p
...

Leeds: Highest 139.9p Lowest 134.9p
Newcastle: Highest 143.9p Lowest 132.9p
Glasgow: Highest 141.0p Lowest 134.8p
Lancashire: Highest 145.9p Lowest 134.7p
Essex: Highest 146.9p Lowest: 135.9p
...

My nearest prices according to petrol prices.com:

Highest 142.9p, Lowest 137.9p

Similar to the most expensive in London! Do I deserve to be on a higher income through the public sector?

Or do I get penalised because I am able to buy a 2 bedroom house for £130k as opposed to a higher cost in London?

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Christ on a bike.

 

[MacRS4]

Christ on a bike.

 

[wildman]

Implementing any kind of pay variation in public sector jobs is very hard. London / Big City Weighting should come into the equation but this should be done on a local level and not implemented through some half baked national policy

Base pay for public sector jobs should be the same everywhere, and then a local top up should be applied which is calculated by local government based on numerous factors for the area.

 

[MrMoonX]

To be honest I have been pretty solidly behind the con/lib coalition and the difficult decisions they have had to make to keep this country away from becoming another Greece.

sorry but LOL

As you said they are cutting middle and low earners everywhere yet tax breaks for the top earners, plus cost of living going through the roof, yet you support them?
the whole debt thing is spin to push through tory policy and privatise everything, they haven't got any money to help the poor, but wait heres £2bn for nuclear weapons or a few million to bomb Libya

 

[rossk26]

Base pay for public sector jobs should be the same everywhere, and then a local top up should be applied which is calculated by local government based on numerous factors for the area.

This sound like a more promising idea, dependant on what the factors would be.

e.g. I wouldn't be happy with a factor being how much Mr X pays on his mortgage. He decided to get that 2 bedroom penthouse in the city centre while Mrs Y was happy to settle on an upstairs flat in a small town. Does she deserve to be on a lower wage because of that factor?

I think it's going hard to justify why someone should be paid more than another because of certain criteria. Like Fox has already pointed out, if the aim is to have everyone on the same amount of disposable income then surely the population will all shift to the nicest possible areas they can, leaving the less popular areas deserted and those left living there without a good public sector service...

 

[wildman]

This sound like a more promising idea, dependant on what the factors would be.

e.g. I wouldn't be happy with a factor being how much Mr X pays on his mortgage. He decided to get that 2 bedroom penthouse in the city centre while Mrs Y was happy to settle on an upstairs flat in a small town. Does she deserve to be on a lower wage because of that factor?

I think it's going hard to justify why someone should be paid more than another because of certain criteria. Like Fox has already pointed out, if the aim is to have everyone on the same amount of disposable income then surely the population will all shift to the nicest possible areas they can, leaving the less popular areas deserted and those left living there without a good public sector service...

Mortgage levels whoul dnot be in the equation as it is not compulsory to buy a house. It should be things essentials like rent/month, and basic costs of living for essentials like transport to and from work / food prices / utilities as a lot of these can vary from region to region