What are the biggest consumer finance issues for the election?

soco1

Another issue I have is how GBR passports are given out so freely.

As far as I'm concerned you should remain the nationality you were born with. By all means, if you are here legally and are working, contributing to society, paying tax etc be granted Indefinite Leave to Remain but keep your own nationality. Why should the fact you've lived here for so many years or married a UK citizen mean you can become British?
Think of how much we spend in state pensions alone to 'new' British citizens.

As for refugees/asylum seekers that are granted GBR Travel Documents and can again after a qualifying period apply to become British they should either keep their own nationality or maybe be issued with a new type of document such as a NATO or UN Travel Document that allows them to live here and to travel but so that ultimately we aren't issuing 1000's of GBR passports every year and therefore all the benefits that go with them.

carol01

i would like to ask (know) which party is big enough to grow a spine and a set of balls and take on these energy companies as gas, electricity prices and petrol are crippling and need to be regulated a.s.a.p especially when you see the profits these companies are making i am not into politics but i would support the party that can put these greedy B@!&ards in their place

pamela_frances

As part of the government's £37 billion bailout package, Gordon Brown said that banks would be expected to help struggling home-buyers by restoring the availability of mortgages to more generous levels. The banks have chosen to ignore this;instead, using the money to help pay off their own debts -failing to give the housing market the kick-start it so desperately needs.
If first- time buyers cannot obtain affordable mortgages, then those further up the chain cannot sell their property thus creating a stale-mate in the housing market.
What are the government going to do to remedy this?

glossyhair

soco1 wrote: »

I'd like to see less alienation of singles. . . . given that single households are said to be the fastest growing type of household in the UK. The way we are treated smacks of profiteering and should be outlawed. In this respect the Poll Tax/Community Charge was far fairer.

Well said!!

ALL PARTIES COULD START BY STOPPING THE CONSTANT BLAMING OF EVERYONE ELSE. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND START TAKING POSITIVE, RESPONSIBLE ACTION. THERE FAR TOO MUCH MUD-SLINGING AND NOT ENOUGH POLICY. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHOSE FAULT IT IS . . . JUST SORT OUT THE MESS !!!

Petrol, energy and water costs are spiralling out of control and much of it is generated by corporate/company greed. I am surprised that there have not been riots yet. I believe it is only a matter of time before people take to the streets as these rises are making life very tough for a lot of people. It is not right to have to worry about the cost of putting the oven on to cook dinner, assuming you can still afford the increasing food costs of course.

I'd like to see the MPs (or whoever sets the figures) actually run a household and live on £60 per week for anything longer than a couple of weeks without sinking into crippling debt.

Employ relevant, experienced professionals with people skills at the DWP and in Job Centres. Target support for Job Seekers rather than expect everyone to be suited to cleaning, driving or retail jobs (respect to those people who do those jobs but they are not for everyone). Realise that there are a lot of unemployed people who are senior professionals and managers; belittling, humiliation and bullying tactics are not appropriate.
Stop wasting money and resources by sending all people on compulsory yet pointless courses. Does a graduate with 25 years work experience really need a 2 day course on how to make a phone call and fill in an application form?? Yes, I had to attend one of those; it cost almost £20 in travel alone! Yet funds are not made available for appropriate training that would be relevant or useful to the individual. The service needs a huge overhaul to be more cost effective and efficient. For example, I can claim £4 for return bus fare if I have to go to the job centre on a non-signing day but I cannot claim for parking / petrol @ £1.80. Do the math!! We are people, human beings, with real lives and feelings, with genuine problems to face. We are not just numbers to be de-humanised and processed.

Child benefit etc should be means tested and not given to those who clearly do not need it. As an example, I know a very well off family, who live in a luxurious house in Surrey, the parents both have well-paid jobs, drive expensive German cars, employ a nanny for their three children and use their child benefit to pay for extra skiing holidays!! How can this be right?

Put a sensible cap on total benefit levels payable to families . . . if neither parents work and they have several children, they will be receive several types of benefit, have their rent and council tax paid, with a substantial disposable income left over. This money could be more fairly distributed amongst the growing single people category to bring their benefit levels closer to or even above the poverty line.

Get rid of child trust funds. Why is the Govt rewarding people for having children when the UK is already overcrowded? Perhaps a tax credit to reward people who choose not to have kids and therefore don't add to the problem!

Subjects very close to my heart . . . so apologies if a little "ranty".

PS: Get rid of 0845 number for the DWP office as it isn't included in any free/inclusive (daytime) minute plans I know of. The call is connected, so the charging begins, and then you have to wait an age (50 minutes is my record to date) before you are put through to an operator. It's immoral profiteering on the back of desperate people who have no choices. Wrong on SO many levels.

DarkConvict

Talking about marriages, a another potential 'extreme' idea is high rates of child support available to those in marriage/civil partnership than those that are couples/divorced. Might be shooting myself in the foot if that happens as im still young, but i think split families is causing a difficult time for children leading to some of the problems we have today.

There is the argument that if to people hate been together is it better to split up the home rather than have a hostile environment, but then the only way to fix that is do a sci-fi style license requirement for pregnancy and we aren't that draconian.. yet.

This leads to, complusary parenting classes for both parents. Some parents don't under basics of child safety and discipline, keep young kid away from fire to me is a simple concept i've seen go wrong, thankfully the injuries healed without scars.

2. Why also, given that single households are said to be the fastest growing type of household in the UK, should a single householder have to pay 75% of the Council Tax bill for that property when next door may have 4 adults all sharing the bill. There is no way a single householder generates 3/4 the rubbish that a family of 4+ does. Nor does a single householder utilise the local amenities to the extent a family does.
Yes I appreciciate the facilities are there for all and if a person doesn't use them that is their choice but I see no reason why a single householder should effectively subsidise larger households.
A demonstration of this inequity is where a couple split, and for ease of demonstration both move into a property the same band as their joint home which cost £1000/yr in council tax.
Now instead of the council getting £1000/yr it is getting 2 x £750 = £1500/yr but the same two people are no doubt utilising the amenities in exactly the same way

So have a basic rate for one person, then for each person added rather than double it goes up by say 75%?

i.e.
1 Person = £100 average = £100
2 people = £100 + £75 (£175) average =£ 87.5
3 people = £100 + £75 + £65 (£240) average = £80
4 people = £100 + £75 + £50 (£290) average = £72.50
5 people = £100 + £75 + £50 + £50 (£340) average = £68

chalkysoil

key consumer finance issues

low interest rates for ISA savers, worse than government bonds.

Retailers/manufacturers indifference to the costs and time lost when a purchased product fails. A day off work to be told the van driver never carries that spare part etc. Computer sent away for a month or two for repairs.

Rural householders can't benefit from dual fuel discounts if they are on oil. In fact only one company delivers to us, no competition there.

juicyjude

Really just reiterating what a couple of posters have already said. No-one seems to care about the appauling rate of interest on savings accounts. Seems if you are careful with your money you are penalised by this government!
Been told it could take up to 60 days to transfer my ISA over to new provider by which time the interest rate on my new bond will no doubt have gone down again! Sick of chasing poor rates for even poorer ones.

Why dont they raise the compensation limit to £100K, it would give more confidence in the banks.

Petrol prices are a joke Martin! Please mention this hot potato. Thank you so much

Deedee9

Simplify the benefits system and take a lot of it away.
I know we need more children - we hope that they will work when they grow up and support the next generation of pensioners - however if they are bought up in a world where parents collect benefits rather than work and help pay in we will come to a point where we will all get nothing!
You have to pay something in to get something out - so if you have never worked then you should not get benefits.

Bring back the old style apprentice system of learning on the job and doing day release at college to get a trade, making it easier to check out genuine tradespeople who take pride in knowing their job.

Can we also look at the benefits paid to people claiming asylum? I believe the only reason most come here is because we seem to offer more than other European countries - why can't we have a standard package across the whole of the EU?

Bring down the cost of commuting in this country - but I think if everyone tried to use the train and bus system it would collapse!

mavis_nye

Sort out the high cost of Calor Gas and make the price uniform as different prices are charged all over the country.

Dont pay the Heating allowance until people are retired as they pay it at 60 whether you are retired or not

Dont let banks pay Bonus's to their Key men until they have payed back the money we bailed them out with.

rowansway

Either abolish or give all students EMA. It's not fair that some children (like my own!) do not qualify for this benefit yet their friends do. From experience, many of the children who receive EMA spend it on cigarettes, alcohol and drugs and NOT educational books, trips etc. The purpose of EMA was supposed to be to help finance their studying, yet those who receive it also qualify for free school/college trips and, in some cases, free fares.