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[Zaph]

Hahaha, you don't know how good you've got it mate

ahh weekly bin collections, how I miss thee.... ours is moving to a 3 weekly collection later this year, absolutely ridiculous, I am jumping in my bin to fit it all in for the 2 weekly collection as it is

Yeah, but after two weeks the bins don't half hum.

You guys only get your rubbish picked up every 2 or 3 weeks? God damn, that is close to becoming a serious sanitary issue.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Fuck no on sales tax, we already pay a ridiculous 20% VAT, thats another tax that affects the poor far more than the rich

Sure.

But if you replace the council tax the money needs to come in somewhere. If 80% of the extra revenue is from income taxes and 20% from sales tax, it would be an improvement for the poor over the current system

 

[frankie_baby]

This has been the case for YEARS where I live, although I have no idea how much we pay per month.


Surely all this does is hand more control of local funding to the government? With this current government, not sure that's good for anyone.

You do have a point but perhaps a system could be brought in that central government cant meddle with, a fixed formula that each council gets money on its population and demographics or something

 

[H.Protagonist]

You guys only get your rubbish picked up every 2 or 3 weeks? God damn, that is close to becoming a serious sanitary issue.

Two weeks is fine, three might be stretching it, especially if you have kids, but I think these days we waste a lot, so we should probably work on that rather than push for more bin days.

 

[DiGiKerot]

You guys only get your rubbish picked up every 2 or 3 weeks? God damn, that is close to becoming a serious sanitary issue.

I figured that was normal at this point. We get weekly pick-ups here, but it's alternates between general and recyclable waste each week, so general stuff is only fortnightly.

 

[Robin64]

£180?!

I pay £95 and feel mugged. Fortnighly black bin collections, bad roads, shit street lights..

Mine just started a shitty new thing with our black bin.

We get tiny thin bins round our way that are supposed to encourage recycling, I guess, but even doing that I fill up my black bin. You can fit two bags in there, assuming you haven't filled them fully. So we used to put extra bags at the side of the bin on collection day, or squeeze one on top of the two already in there.

Now they won't take away any loose bags, and they won't even empty the bin if the lid isn't 100% closed.

 

[frankie_baby]

Sure.

But if you replace the council tax the money needs to come in somewhere. If 80% of the extra revenue is from income taxes and 20% from sales tax, it would be an improvement for the poor over the current system

I honestly think that council tax, vat and business rates should all be scrapped, they are all regressive taxes that disproportionately effect the lower end of society and stiffle the economy
Just simple income tax and corporation tax (and capital gains tax could be just counted as income)

 

[frankie_baby]

You guys only get your rubbish picked up every 2 or 3 weeks? God damn, that is close to becoming a serious sanitary issue.

We have fortnightly rubbish and recycling but weekly food waste (garden waste is taken with the food too but you have to pay 30 quid a year for a big green garden bin if you want that)

 

[Tak3n]

Two weeks is fine, three might be stretching it, especially if you have kids, but I think these days we waste a lot, so we should probably work on that rather than push for more bin days.

The logic for 3 weeks (and I still can not see it) was apparently my area has a 46% recycling error rate, which means that 46% of recycling is incorrect items, so the solution is to make black bin collection go to 3 weeks? I just for the life of me can not see the link, as to me it will make that 46% go higher as people will be forced to put more into the recycling bins...

 

[Number45]

How much shit do you throw out that a wheelie bin every week isn't enough space?

We have two kids still in nappies, and we manage perfectly fine with a collection every other week (recycling weekly).

How bizarre, we're the opposite (normal bin every week, recycling every fortnight). Probably explains why we often get leaflets for our area being poor for recycling performance (although it's entirely possible most people just don't give a fuck).

 

[Tak3n]

Mine just started a shitty new thing with our black bin.

We get tiny thin bins round our way that are supposed to encourage recycling, I guess, but even doing that I fill up my black bin. You can fit two bags in there, assuming you haven't filled them fully. So we used to put extra bags at the side of the bin on collection day, or squeeze one on top of the two already in there.

Now they won't take away any loose bags, and they won't even empty the bin if the lid isn't 100% closed.

I end up walking up and down my road looking on bin collection day looking for spare space in peoples bins, not my proudest moment in life, it has to be said

 

[frankie_baby]

The logic for 3 weeks (and I still can not see it) was apparently my area has a 46% recycling error rate, which means that 46% of recycling is incorrect items, so the solution is to make black bin collection go to 3 weeks? I just for the life of me see the link, as to me it will make that 46% go higher as people will be forced to put more into the recycling bins...

To be honest there's litterally no excuse for doing your recycling wrong, its so simple a kid could do it

 

[QuicheFontaine]

I meant fortnightly. My b.

I could cope fine with weekly pick ups. I'd pay an extra tenner a month for them.

Ah, makes sense

You guys only get your rubbish picked up every 2 or 3 weeks? God damn, that is close to becoming a serious sanitary issue.

Well, ours is fortnightly black bin collection, everything else (food waste, recyclables, garden) weekly. It's not so bad, as it does make you more mindful of whether you really need to chuck something in the non-recyclable rubbish, but I think it's as far as they could really push it, and I wouldn't be surprised if the service was not really acceptable for larger families.

The food waste bin was a bit of a revelation for me. I didn't have one at my old flat, and it's surprising how much of the black binbag is really leftover food.

Edit:

it was, and the system was/is fundamentally broken, for example we are currently moving and when looking around the it was amazing the difference in 'bands' when the houses were very similar in size etc.... some people won and some lost...

Are they ever going to go around and 'revalue' houses at their current rate? I'm pretty sure our bands are based on an evaluation carried out in the 90's...

 

[Kareha]

We seem to be lucky with our bins, we get a pickup every Friday but it alternates between the rubbish and the recycling. However for garden rubbish we have to pay a yearly sub of around £20.

 

[Tak3n]

Ah, makes sense



Well, ours is fortnightly black bin collection, everything else (food waste, recyclables, garden) weekly. It's not so bad, as it does make you more mindful of whether you really need to chuck something in the non-recyclable rubbish, but I think it's as far as they could really push it, and I wouldn't be surprised if the service was not really acceptable for larger families.

The food waste bin was a bit of a revelation for me. I didn't have one at my old flat, and it's surprising how much of the black binbag is really leftover food.

Edit:



Are they ever going to go around and 'revalue' houses at their current rate? I'm pretty sure our bands are based on an evaluation carried out in the 90's...

Not unless you ask them to.... or one of your neighbours is on a higher band, and complains, then they will reassess, also wish the UK would adopt the waste disposal units under sinks, we lived in a house with one once and it was fantastic, throw it down a hole turn it on...job done

 

[TuckingFypo]

I don't make an awful lot of money so I only have to pay £53. At the full rate, I guess it would be double.

 

[PJV3]

They have cut medical waste collection, so now we have a massive pile of the in-laws nappies brewing in the extra wheelie bin for a fortnight.

This summer should be interesting.

 

[frankie_baby]

Not unless you ask them to.... or one of your neighbours is on a higher band, and complains, then they will reassess, also wish the UK would adopt the waste disposal units under sinks, we lived in a house with one once and it was fantastic, through it down a hole turn it on...job done

Encourage people to put food waste down the sink? You are aware we have enough problems with that already

 

[frankie_baby]

They have cut medical waste collection, so now we have a massive pile of the in-laws nappies brewing in the extra wheelie bin for a fortnight.

This summer should be interesting.

You have/had a medical waste collection? Not heard of that one before

 

[nekkid]

Not unless you ask them to.... or one of your neighbours is on a higher band, and complains, then they will reassess, also wish the UK would adopt the waste disposal units under sinks, we lived in a house with one once and it was fantastic, through it down a hole turn it on...job done

It's only "job done" if you don't consider the work to the infrastructure required to deal with that at water treatment facilities.

 

[Tak3n]

It's only "job done" if you don't consider the work to the infrastructure required to deal with that at water treatment facilities.

it blends it up, is that not ok? it is literally a blender under your sink, we were told it took everything from chicken bones to soft food etc

 

[Zaph]

We have fortnightly rubbish and recycling but weekly food waste (garden waste is taken with the food too but you have to pay 30 quid a year for a big green garden bin if you want that)

Well, ours is fortnightly black bin collection, everything else (food waste, recyclables, garden) weekly. It's not so bad, as it does make you more mindful of whether you really need to chuck something in the non-recyclable rubbish, but I think it's as far as they could really push it, and I wouldn't be surprised if the service was not really acceptable for larger families.

Ah, didn't know there was a separate food waste collection, that makes it more tolerable. Was thinking about all that food rotting for 3 weeks and attracting pests.

 

[Daffy Duck]

Mine is £163 per month (obviously this is only over 10 months) but it sickens me to pay it each month.

That's for a standard three bedroom home.

 

[frankie_baby]

it blends it up, is that not ok? it is literally a blender under your sink, we were told it took everything from chicken bones to soft food etc

Its yet more sludge going into the sewerage system, really not a good idea, you ever seen a fatberg?

 

[PJV3]

You have/had a medical waste collection? Not heard of that one before

It was a good weekly service, the orange bags were really thick plastic and good quality with proper bag ties.

It was a joint effort between the council and the NHS, I'm pretty pissed off to see it go and now I have the biggest wheelie bin I have ever seen in the front garden.

 

[Nevasleep]

So for a council I used to live in, apparently council tax only contributed to 14% of their overall budget

 

[frankie_baby]

So for a council I used to live in, apparently council tax only contributed to 14% of their overall budget

All the more reason it needs scrapping

 

[Maledict]

This thread illustrates my point re funding quite well actually.

Waste disposal isn't even 10% of your councils budget and spend. But it's what 90% of the residents see and think of the councils main service. The disconnect between what you pay for and what you are getting is so massive, I don't think it can be fixed by tinkering with the current regime.

 

[nekkid]

it blends it up, is that not ok? it is literally a blender under your sink, we were told it took everything from chicken bones to soft food etc

And where do think that goes? It doesn't just get pumped back into the water table, it obviously has to be filtered out and disposed of.

 

[Maledict]

So for a council I used to live in, apparently council tax only contributed to 14% of their overall budget

Yep.

For my council it's a third council tax, one third government grant and one third retained business rates. Council tax hasn't been the primary funder for local authorities in decades.

The Uk has an incredibly centralised form of government in England and Wales. Central government collects the vast majority of taxation paid, and then doles it out to local authorities on a formula based on population and need. Or at least it used too - those grants are ending now and councils have to self fund through business rates, council tax and community infrastructure levies on new buildings.

 

[Tak3n]

This thread illustrates my point re funding quite well actually.

Waste disposal isn't even 10% of your councils budget and spend. But it's what 90% of the residents see and think of the councils main service. The disconnect between what you pay for and what you are getting is so massive, I don't think it can be fixed by tinkering with the current regime.

+1

I have spoken to roughly 10 people at my sons school, and the increase comes up as part of conversation (as it is the local paper) and easily 7 or 8 of them said, what a rip off just to have my bin collected, and one moaned about street lighting (he did not have any so why did he have to pay towards other peoples street lighting)

 

[Deaf Spacker]

We have very recently moved to a fortnightly black bin collection (cans and cardboard alternates still) and there has been a massive increase in fly tipping already.

Not to mention complaints about bin men not emptying bins if they are not fully closed etc, I honestly don't see the logic in that - leaving it for another two weeks means that the lid won't be shut at all by the next collection day.

 

[Bananajama]

£100 a month - but that includes water too.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

+1

I have spoken to roughly 10 people at my sons school, and the increase comes up as part of conversation (as it is the local paper) and easily 7 or 8 of them said, what a rip off just to have my bin collected, and one moaned about street lighting (he did not have any so why did he have to pay towards other peoples street lighting)

Does... does he think it's somehow possible to single out street lights for people who've paid their taxes as they walk home? Or does he just never go out at night?

 

[CadetMahoney]

I just hope the workers report if their wages actually increase.

 

[Theonik]

When are they going to adjust the income tax thresholds to reflect the current value of the £?

Lol. Current income tax brackets don't reflect minimum wage as they are meant to, Tories did promise they'd increase the tax free allowance to £12,500 by 2020 after which point it would be tied. Next year they are increasing it to £11,500 and the tax bracket from £30,000 to £33,000. I think the intention is to tie to tie it to the minimum wage by the end of this.

Though I find minimum wage to be a pretty bad metric for many places in the UK. You couldn't live on the minimum wage in say London so further tax relief would come a long way in adjusting for that.

 

[Daffy Duck]

We have very recently moved to a fortnightly black bin collection (cans and cardboard alternates still) and there has been a massive increase in fly tipping already.

Not to mention complaints about bin men not emptying bins if they are not fully closed etc, I honestly don't see the logic in that - leaving it for another two weeks means that the lid won't be shut at all by the next collection day.

That happened here when the new bins rolled out, bin men were instructed to only take completely closed bins, that has since changed not long after that ruling and now they do take bins that are not fully closed and now take recycling like large cardboard boxes broken down next to the recycling that doesn't fit in the recycling bin.

I know it's only a few pounds here and there but over the years those increases start to add up, and then the pressures of beong able to afford to pay it soon impact on wages that aren't rising at the same rate as everything else, yet you can't get help for council tax payments because you earn too much. It's such a viscious circle.

 

[Deaf Spacker]

That happened here when the new bins rolled out, bin men were instructed to only take completely closed bins, that has since changed not long after that ruling and now they do take bins that are not fully closed and now take recycling like large cardboard boxes broken down next to the recycling that doesn't fit in the recycling bin.

I know it's only a few pounds here and there but over the years those increases start to add up, and then the pressures of beong able to afford to pay it soon impact on wages that aren't rising at the same rate as everything else, yet you can't get help for council tax payments because you earn too much. It's such a viscious circle.

We've not had an increase in a while but we probably will this year.

I'm actually querying our tax band now, I'm not holding out much hope but it'd be sweet if we were paying too much and got a rebate (a few grand).

 

[JoeNut]

currently pay £84 or something like that.

Inevitable that council tax was going to go up, nobody should be surprised.

 

[Daffy Duck]

We've not had an increase in a while but we probably will this year.

I'm actually querying our tax band now, I'm not holding out much hope but it'd be sweet if we were paying too much and got a rebate (a few grand).

Do you mean we as in you, or we as in general public?

My council tax bill has risen every year since I moved to this area.

 

[Jezbollah]

We've not had an increase in a while but we probably will this year.

I'm actually querying our tax band now, I'm not holding out much hope but it'd be sweet if we were paying too much and got a rebate (a few grand).

It's always worth querying your council tax IMO. A friend of mine went three bands to the better because the council had got their valuation wrong - it saved them around £800 p/a....

 

[plagiarize]

Pretty much your point really, just pointing out the lie from Osbourne and that services have not and will not be improving and I also agree the wages are a disgrace, there is a real disconnect in society where people will pay more for someone to look after their dog than they would their child/elderly relative

There's a good argument to be made that people tend to do a better job when they're more fairly compensated for their time. So the quality of social care will probably improve, and that will be a good thing.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

There's a good argument to be made that people tend to do a better job when they're more fairly compensated for their time. So the quality of social care will probably improve, and that will be a good thing.

Again, disconnect between what people think their council services are, and what they actually are. When people think 'council', they think bins, street lights, housing - that's the sort of thing Osbourne promised would be balanced for by council tax increases. Instead it's going to a vital but largely invisible service, while the highly visible stuff will largely remain the same.

 

[CS_Dan]

£0 per month

Spoiler

Being a PhD student has to have some perks

 

[Tak3n]

£0 per month

Spoiler

Being a PhD student has to have some perks

don't worry, you are about to pay a boat load of tax for the rest of your life once qualified

 

[milanbaros]

I honestly think that council tax, vat and business rates should all be scrapped, they are all regressive taxes that disproportionately effect the lower end of society and stiffle the economy
Just simple income tax and corporation tax (and capital gains tax could be just counted as income)

Do you even need corporation tax if you properly tax capital gains and dividend income?

I'd also scrap NI.

I'd be for having just two taxes:

1) Personal income - tax on salary, dividends, capital gains, imputed rent from land/property ownership. All at the same rate e.g. 25% for first £20k, 35% for next £40k and 45% >£60k

2) Health tax - duty on cigarettes, harmful drugs, petrol etc. Could also be called externalities tax.

The imputed rent tax would replace both council tax and stamp duty. It would be rated at 4% per annum of house price.

Taxes would be payable by all, no exceptions.

 

[Nevasleep]

Does... does he think it's somehow possible to single out street lights for people who've paid their taxes as they walk home? Or does he just never go out at night?

Depends on your council but many residential street lights are turned off during the night now. I can't remember the exact hours but its like 11pm to 5am

 

[Lego Boss]

My wife works for the LCC / NHS, and they are treated and paid terribly.

Something has got to be done about it.

No, fuck that! Let's blame the living wage, which just about pays enough to get by on, whilst the people that do it have the worst jobs of clearing up human piss, shit and blood.

OP is not thinking this through . . .

 

[Maledict]

No, fuck that! Let's blame the living wage, which just about pays enough to get by on, whilst the people that do it have the worst jobs of clearing up human piss, shit and blood.

OP is not thinking this through . . .

OP was making the post to highlight this exact issue (see his later posts). Just comes across a bit antagonistic in the first post.

 

[mercenar1e]

Do you guys pay rent on top of the council tax? Or is that for people that own real estate? I'm an American so I have no idea lol