It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

ginnyknit

That was a happy accident then Kittie. Sounds very nice too.

So good that they put the idiots name on the news piece - I bet he still thinks he is right and is standing his corner with anyone who comments. Personally it makes me sad when I go to a former fishing village and see an empty harbour.

Had a NSD - yay! Only because I went in Mr M and decided that if I wanted to buy meat I would have to flog the cat, the car and anything else worth any money. Off to the local market tomorrow for ham shank to make a huge pot of pea soup. We have been living on potato hash for 3 days because that was what OH felt like eating. However I didnt pad it out as much as usual so 1 1/2 lbs of mince only did 7 portions - bad ginny.. must do better!:rotfl: Right off to make those cakes I have been meaning to make for 3 days. OH has the munchies and I am not buying chocolate from the corner shop 60p a bar :eek:

Gingerbiscuit_2

ceridwen wrote: »

Personally - ie in that position - I would be writing in a nicely-worded letter to the Housing Association concerned and saying summat like:

"I note your proposal to rent out carpark space for £49 per month - and assume that this is applicable only to those using carpark space for "personal/leisure" type purposes. I do not require a carparking space personally - but do need the use of one sometimes for a carer. I have to have a carer come in x number of times per week to deal with various care requirements for myself and presume that no charge will be payable for this in the circumstances. I can provide a doctors letter, if required, to confirm that I do have a medical need for a carer. Looking forward to hearing from you that no carparking charge will be required from me for the purposes of my carer parking their car whilst dealing with my requirements."

Chances are that that alone will be sufficient to deal with the matter and there will be no further question of paying carparking fees. Should this not "work" - then time to "go higher" and contact the M.P. for the area and ask him/her about this.

It is understandable why anyone (housing association or otherwise) would wish to charge for use of carparking space - ie because it is land and land is a scarce resource in an overcrowded country such as ours. So - I would agree personally with them charging for use of this for "personal" purposes - BUT where it was a case of absolute "necessity" to use that bit of land for carparking then allow it to remain free of charge (which is where the "making it plain" to the Housing Association that the use of a bit of land in these circumstances wasnt because of some personal "wish" to do so - but because of a medical necessity for myself alone iyswim).

My estimate is that this will "work" - provided that people with no actual "need" for a parking space dont manage to get some sorta "proof" that they have a "need" when they dont. There will always be some who will "try it on" just because they want to/can. BUT ....I think one has to assume that there will be very few (if any) people who will try and plead "necessity" when there isnt one for themselves - and put in that letter stating that you can prove that there really IS a "necessity" for you to have the occasional use of a bit of land (aka parking space).

Thank you so much! Yes I have emailed them but no reply yet. There are 4 wheelchair adapted flats here and 4 wheelchair car spaces and we have been told we have priority in booking them but not much good if cant afford them!

If I did have car I still couln't park on road as could not push self miles or down middle of road if no dropped curbs which surely puts me at disadvantaged in able bodied who can walk 2 streets to park and "only" pay the £65 year for council street permit. Big difference between £65 and £650.

Council said get no discount in buying visitor permits and unless housing association give some discount and relax the rules on it being my car and registrated here (cant even get her to change as would ring alarms with benefit people etc) then I probable have to loose carer and its taken 4 years to find a half decent one!! If she came on bus/or used public carpark still means an extra £40-50 per month and she not earning huge amount as it is.

It seems fair and sensible to offer discount to disabled residence who need care so of course its not done!

Seakay

purplelila-2007 wrote: »

We're still waiting for 'recovery' out of the recession though . As an adult this will be my first recession ,as I was a child through the 1990s and a baby in the 1980s.
I get the impression having spoken to people who have experienced recessions in the past that this one is longer , and deeper? And just worse all round ??

Not really - 1920s-30s you had job shortages as some returned from war, one of the worst winters on record coinciding with fuel shortages, then even more adults killed off by virulent flu virus and then the stock market collapsed leading to mass unemployment in America and very hard times over here

1970s there was a three day week (and you were only paid for when you worked) power cuts, fuel shortages leading to empty petrol pumps, unheated schools and offices etc. strikes leading to train stoppages and even more power cuts and rubbish all over the streets,

1980-90s interest rates weree through the roof - I got a mortgage in 1991 and the interest rate increased about every 3 months for the first two years

A lot of people like to blame Maggie Thatcher for a great deal of the most recent hardship; I prefer to blame the people who voted her into power and allowed her to do all the things that she had promised to do. Perhaps they didn't bother to read the manifestos?
One thing she didn't do was pose as a left wing leader, get a huge majority and then curtail civil liberites, misuse the legal system and break all manifestio promises.

Seakay

redlady_1 wrote: »

And if you need any confirmation as to what is wrong in the country then this link pretty much sums it up! What a prat!!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8743065/Tourist-complains-about-sight-of-fish-in-harbour.html

Those poor children - imagine the embarassment of having him for a father!

ceridwen

Seakay wrote: »

Not really - 1920s-30s you had job shortages as some returned from war, one of the worst winters on record coinciding with fuel shortages, then even more adults killed off by virulent flu virus and then the stock market collapsed leading to mass unemployment in America and very hard times over here

1970s there was a three day week (and you were only paid for when you worked) power cuts, fuel shortages leading to empty petrol pumps, unheated schools and offices etc. strikes leading to train stoppages and even more power cuts and rubbish all over the streets,

1980-90s interest rates weree through the roof - I got a mortgage in 1991 and the interest rate increased about every 3 months for the first two years

.

Not forgetting those descriptions from Nella Last's book that she wrote after the 2nd World War about a tired, dispirited Nation and rationing continuing for years after the war. Also problems finding jobs for the returning soldiers.

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I remember those high interest rates on mortgages - they were :eek: to deal with I DO recall. All that extra money to what I had bargained on going out on mortgage payments each month:eek::(. Or - to be more exact - all that extra money I had to earn to cover the higher payments:eek::(.

I recall there was a 3 day week - but I dont actually remember anything about it other than the fact that I read about it in the newspapers. I dont have any memory of thinking "Agh - they've cut my pay" - so my salary must have continued on as normal - though I dont recall whether I was actually at work or no all 5 days as normal (cant have been - as my workplace of the time was far too dark to manage without artificial light on....:cool:). The only recollection I have (which I think must have been from that time) was going and doing someone else's shopping for them from elsewhere in the country (ie because they couldnt get it in their own area).

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Now wondering if anyone has any links to good websites that give a good history of the 1920s/30s period? (summat along lines of both the facts and the inner motivations and feelings of people of the time in dealing with the times).

Cannae recall the name of a book that has just come out about the Elizabethan period in England - but it gives details of the motivations/etc of the queen of the time and other Elizabethans (ie to explain a mindset that is rather different to that of nowadays - leading to different actions to what a 20th/21st century person would do) = something written along those lines about the 1920s/30s would be good:) (bearing in mind I'm becoming pretty aware that a lot of the "societal mindset" in 2011 is rather different to that prevalent earlier in my own lifetime - so 90/100 years ago it will be different again...).

Arapa1ma

Gingerbiscuit wrote: »

Had some bad news yesterday housing assocition want to flog off our carpark or let us rent a space for £49 month!!! I nearly fell over, I don't have car but carer uses and the council are bringing in permit for the road, we are long road in between lots of parking zones already. So it will cost me £3.50 per day for visitors permit for her. Either way I am mega screwed!!!! I don't pay her huge amount as it is so don't know if she will stay as local carpark are about the same cost (London) how they suggest you cope if you have carer few times a day I don't know!!

Wow, I only have to pay £5 a week for a privately-owned, secured, off-road space (not London, mind). Surely the council will let you get a resident permit for a cater though, would have thought you just need to speak to the right person (the right person probably doesn't work in the "parking enforcement division", or whatever they call themselves.)

paidinchickens

I was only little in the 70s and lived in London at the time. I remember the constant power cuts!! I also remember my mum taking me to Victoria station to see Maggie. This was before she became PM. The crowd was huge and hanging on her every word. I will admit the atmosphere was electric even though I was too young to know what it was all about.

Peoples attitudes are getting worse. If you are struggling financially people assume it is your own fault. The worse offenders are the people who think their jobs are secure.

I went to a jumble sale last weekend and was told by a regular (who makes a living doing car boots) that I would not have to be here if we did not have four children. Four children is too many. I should have had less children and get a job :eek: I met my DH four years ago and we both had two children each so I asked this bloke what would be the fairest way to decide which two to keep. Names in hat? draw straws? who eats the least :rotfl:

Just to set the record straight I have always worked and only stopped last year as when I paid for fuel, childcare etc I was working for £100 a month which I have cut back on other things and saved so we are the same financially.

DH is in the forces and this week has been the first round of redundancies. There has been people in tears. A lot have been living in quarters so will lose their home as well as their jobs

mardatha

Peoples attitudes are getting worse. If you are struggling financially people assume it is your own fault. The worse offenders are the people who think their jobs are secure.
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Absolutely. Just read some of the other forums in this site & you'll find that. People need to be more like us in here - and realise that we are all doing our best for our families, we all share the same worries and fears.

paidinchickens

As regards to parking my friend is a plumber and he never ever pays for parking. He has a cardboard sign (hand written) saying "Emergency plumber on call" and has never had a ticket and I have watched traffic wardens and police read the sign and walk off!!!! Never tried it myself though as maybe the child seat in the back of my little car and lack of tools would give the game away :rotfl:

salome

paidinchickens wrote: »

I went to a jumble sale last weekend and was told by a regular (who makes a living doing car boots) that I would not have to be here if we did not have four children. Four children is too many. I should have had less children and get a job :eek: I met my DH four years ago and we both had two children each so I asked this bloke what would be the fairest way to decide which two to keep. Names in hat? draw straws? who eats the least :rotfl:

That is funny. What would he say to me then, I had 10 children. Better not show my face at that sale lol.

I was about 14 during the three day a week/power cut time. That was mainly due to miners striking. My brother and I loved it, having days off of school. At night we'd all have family games (telly didn't work, no electric) and have candles everywhere :-) Because we cooked with gas, my mum helped out with meals and boiling kettles for neighbours who cooked with electric, so our house was a busy hive of activity during those days :-)

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