What small change do you want from the new government?

kboss2010

Force companies to only use recyclable packaging.

kboss2010

Stop people from being eligible to buy their council house and encourage saving to buy a house whilst living in very cheap council accommodation to try to reduce the 'council house for life' tenants and free up houses constantly.

It only benefits the initial owners. After that, it becomes part of the expensive housing stock and permanently reduces the availability of social housing for those who need it.

kboss2010

King_Drax_I wrote: »

At present, parking in the UK is generally by pay and display. Make it free everywhere, not just in Scotland.


Apologies if duplicate idea, but how are we supposed to find them? Tried searching, and there were hundreds of hits across all forums.

Public parking is NOT free in Scotland!! I wish it were!

I live in Aberdeen and my partner & I have to pay £180 a year to park outside our own house. Our city centres are all pay and display, often at eye-watering rates (£8 per hour to park in George Square in Edinburgh, for example) and even residents who pay for permits aren't guaranteed a space as it's first-come, first-served on cramped streets, much like the rest of the UK.

kboss2010

JenniferK wrote: »

Food vouchers would be exchangeable for food anywhere, utility vouchers for gas and electric, etc.

At least a voucher system would ensure that children are fed rather than their parents spending the money on cigarettes, alcohol and as recently reported a boob job.

I used to work in a supermarket and I second this benefits-as-food-vouchers idea!

The amount of people who would try to buy cigarettes and booze with their toddler's milk & fruit vouchers was a real eye-opener to me.:mad: What's wrong with people??

bmf53

Utility companies should incentivise energy and water saving. Low users pay less for their energy and metered water, obviously, but why not reward them, too. A starting point for eligibilty might be 'average consumption' for each service, which already takes into account size of household etcetera.

bmf53

Applied without discrimination, standing charges penalise the low user and help conceal the true cost of electricity. Scrap standing charges.

Inflicted_Loss

Cheaper Conveyancing by mutual Lawyer People lose big time thru delayed or failed Conveyancing. The government needs to fall into line with the rest of EU and introduce our version 'Notars'. Allow lawyers to act for BOTH parties. They are professionals with a code of ethics - trust one firm to act fairly for both sides.

gozaimasu

• Make the English property system like the Scottish
• Regulate the rental market so that tenants stop getting messed around and are instead left to live in peace
• Adopt the Scottish healthcare system with free eye tests, dental check ups and prescriptions
• Scrap the TV licence or make it an optional purchase for people who want to access BBC channels
• Get rid of standing charges for gas and electricity - maybe the government should take over energy supplies

We're not really a united kingdom as things are so different across the country. Local taxes etc are just going to cause an exodus people trying to move to areas where they aren't charged as much tax.

upstaged

Love most of these suggestions so far. Some are so sensible you wonder how it can possibly be any other way.

Mine is perhaps a little contentious: change the credit score system.

Credit scoring looks at past debts to judge a person's ability to manage their finances. Someone who has paid rent, council tax and utilities on time for decades can have a mediocre credit score, while a young adult still living with their parents who has no financial responsibility but spends a few pounds a month on a credit card can have a glowing credit score. This seems bonkers: why should people need debt to prove they can manage their finances? Isn't rental payment a better indication of one's ability to pay a mortgage than, say, a £15 mobile phone bill? And while paying your council tax will have no positive impact on your credit score, you can be sure you'll get a big black mark if you fail to pay on time. Furthermore, if for whatever reason you have a lower credit score, the ways to build it back up become increasingly costly. Why make people faff around with risky high interest credit to prove they've sorted out their financial situation?

I'd like to see a positive financial scoring system, which takes into account regular payments as well as debts. This would also provide a more comprehensive and accurate picture to prospective lenders, reducing the risk of defaults. Rental payments may be difficult to implement because it would rely on landlords to report, but council tax and basic utility payments surely could be recorded.

MLW

REALLY? INTRODUCE THE POLL TAX AGAIN?
It costs exactly the same to send a refuse collection vehicle to a property containing 1 inhabitant as it does to a property housing 5 - proportionately the single dweller costs more (granted this would be offset by the larger household disposing of more waste and therefore increased costs at the processing end BUT be careful what you wish for).

pepperty wrote: »

It seems that those of us that live alone and work hard are relied upon to finance the rest of society's benefits, through council tax, income tax and national insurance. All we are entitled to is 25% reduction on our council tax. Or, to put it another way, if four people lived in the house, they'd only have to pay 25% more than someone living on their own.
To make this a more fair society I believe every individual should pay a local authority tax, rather than it based on the property. I other words - a poll tax. This would mean that each person would pay their fair share towards their community and services.