Water Charges

Parisien

"I believe Northern Ireland is still subsidised from the mainland"

But this isn't the point in contention....it always will be...because of political decisions made by UK government.....in the last century !!!..........so Ivan you want them to renege on this too.....eeemmm.....not really......

"leave it in the hands of a bloated inefficient civil service that has allowed the system to be run down through no investment"...but that isn't the fault of rate payers here...this has been going on for 20+ yrs through direct government, T Blair....et al....again......using funds to preserve the statelet at the expense of a failing infastructure.


Who said the part that provides the water service is bloated etc......its a lack of structural investment.......!!...not a few dozen water officials.

Still amounts to institutional mugging in my opinion.......fed up!

IvanOpinion

ginger_nuts wrote:

is there anything we can do to reduce the water charges or the water useage

Unfortunately despite this governments (thinly veiled ultra week lip service paying) attiude towards the environment thy do very little worthwhile. By basing it on the rateable value of the house there is no incentive for anybody to act in an environmentally friendly manner by reducing their consumption

Ivan

IvanOpinion

Parisien wrote:

"I believe Northern Ireland is still subsidised from the mainland"

But this isn't the point in contention....it always will be...because of political decisions made by UK government.....in the last century !!!..........so Ivan you want them to renege on this too.....eeemmm.....not really......

The most important bit here is the words 'last century'.. we are now in the 21st century and the global economy and effects of internationalisation are moving at an ever increasing speed. We either stick with outdated policies and ideas from 'last century' or we adapt and become more innovative and progressive forming an economy suitable for the 21st century. I have been loking at some of things happening in Scotland ... they (currently) appear to be moving in the right direction.

"leave it in the hands of a bloated inefficient civil service that has allowed the system to be run down through no investment"...but that isn't the fault of rate payers here...this has been going on for 20+ yrs through direct government, T Blair....et al....again......using funds to preserve the statelet at the expense of a failing infastructure.

Who said the part that provides the water service is bloated etc......its a lack of structural investment.......!!...not a few dozen water officials.

You are probably right to a certain degree ... part of the fault lies with those who do not even pay rates but demand various services, investments in their areas etc. etc. All I ever hear on the news is £x million for regeneration in thi area, £y million for reeneration in that area ... I want to know where my millions are coming from ... I may live in a nice area but it would be nice to also get a slice of the cake .. remember governments do not build ghettos .. it is the people in them that turn them into ghettos. Instad of money going into infrastructure it was being wasted on security and rebuilding/repair.

We can either carry on with the 'poor little us attitude' or we can move forward ... and to move forward some hard decisions have to be taken in the short term that will (hopefully) provide long gain benefits. It is our (and the previous) generation that has turned this little part of the UK into what it is .. herefore maybe it is up to us to put it back on the right footing for the next generation. We have to stop living in the past.. and I really do not think that local or central government will make that much of a difference.

Still amounts to institutional mugging in my opinion.......fed up!

I don't disagree with you on this ... We have alll been mugged for our pensions, mugged for any inheritance, mugged on a daily basis for other taxes ... we have got away lightly with local taxation ... we have demanded tier after tier of government .. we have got it .. we have to pay for it. I would however like to see as much of this being paid for by a much more streamlined civil service .. it is vastly over bloated at the minute (I think the last census said some 58% of the working population was employed by the civil service and another 17% worked indirectly for it ... that is 75% of the working population not actually "generating revenue" ... that is unsustainable).


There are plans over education, health, infrastructure, rural, sports etc. however all these need to be funded... in the main people are 'for' thse ideas, however nobody seems to want to pay for them. One of my first posts on this board back in 2004 was elated to local taxation doubling over the subsequent 5-6 years ... I still believe it will .. so if you paid £1000 in your rates in 2004 expect to pay £2000 in 2010 (possibly plus water, possibly inc. water). If we want good services and good infrastructure then we now have to foot the bill ... and I am as !!!!!! off about it as the next person.

Ivan

leftieM

Did anyone get the propaganda leaflet through the door? Only pensioners will get a meter installed and all new builds will have them. There was no mention of privatisation so it musn't be happening after all (!!!!)
Few other people seem to have a fundamental problem with privatisation here. For me that is the major issue.
Also I'd be interested to see the figures on our subsidy from the mainland. I would imagine a chunk of that was accounted for by the heavy security presence which has been scaled down considerably in the last few years.

Parisien

Leftie (going by your name as well) and excuse my naivety, but since when did you last believe a word that came out of the governments mouth?......

Or its printed propaganda?

And why do they call it a "subsidy"....think about...all it is, is a term used as a put down.

After all haven't they been subsidising Scotland too....til they forgot that they underestimated the value of N Sea oil to the UK by a factor of ten......????!!!

The basic fact is, as region and a separate "country" its been a failure on ALL fronts, deprived of the cost reducing link that is a land link.

Why are we victimised for lots of things not under our control?

Ivan....being pi55ed off aint enuf!....:)

leftieM

I was actually being sarcastic about the privatisation bit. Of course they're going to privatise! They are guilty by omission in their leaflet I reckon.
A friend said that in Wales the water is managed by a not-for-profit business. Anyone know anything about this before I trawl the internet?
It will be interesting to see how non payment goes. I reckon there'll be a lot of support. I think there have been so many lies told that it has alienated a lot of people who generally pay up for a quiet life.

IvanOpinion

Parisien wrote:

After all haven't they been subsidising Scotland too....til they forgot that they underestimated the value of N Sea oil to the UK by a factor of ten......????!!!

.. and they were similarly accurate with their estimates of immigrants

Ivan....being pi55ed off aint enuf!....

I have my blood pressure to think off

Ivan

marksimpson

In 2004 the average Northern Ireland household had a population of 2.65 (Office of National Statistics).

Given that they appear to be refusing to fit a meter to my property (because I am not a pensioner) and the fact that I live alone, I will pay the standing charge, and for the remaining amount I will pay 38% of what is billed (1 being approximately 38% of 2.65).

skintharry

Sorry----change of subject

Look at page 11("other formats") of the new domestic guide @ bottom.

If you live in Ballymena you can request this info in your own language/format.

HA HA HA...

kellya_3

I feel aggrieved by all taxes. I already pay a fortune in tax through my salary, then each year they sting me £1100 for rates (adding 15% increases each year and I can't object) and now water will be £600 in a few years. This sucks.

The Government don't need to charge for water in NI. They want to!!! It is a step toward privatisation. Once privatised, water bills will be here for good!!!

We have 20 billion to waste on nuclear weapons, when looking after health and providing free water must be a low priority.......