Yes there are employers reporting staffing shortages. Even warehouses are now struggling and starting to pay weekly bonuses. With 600k net migration, makes you wonder what is happening. Perhaps Government needs to be thinking of allowing more work visas for migrants ?

I speak to quite a few people every week about different employment sectors. From what I am being told, we are in for a bumpy ride for a period, due to costs being faced by businesses. But it is similar story in other countries. One of my nephews is a business owner in Australia and he is facing tough battle to increase income, to cover the increased costs of running the business

Noticed this locally, that houses have stopped selling and prices are being reduced. BBC News - House prices fall at fastest pace in nearly 14 years, says Nationwide https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65774620 Might be a negative issue for Government.

Yes that would be my hope, that there is another referendum on PR. Last referendum offered AV+ and that was rejected. Older generations still believe first past the post enables stronger Government and better local representation. Sadly not enough Labour MP's are in favour of PR or they won't admit to it.

Well I can see it from the Tories point of view. They have won 3 elections since 2015 the 2019 election giving them an 80 seat majority. They have implemented Brexit ? They dealt with Covid pandemic, helping to deliver largest vaccinations programme the UK has ever seen. They have provided billions of pounds of support to Ukraine to help them defend against the invasion by Russia. The last 6 year or so, have probably been one of the most difficult periods the UK has faced. According to opinion polls, the Tories look like they will lose the next General Election. If they keep feeling bitter about the current level of criticism, this will guarantee they lose the election. There is still a chance Labour will implode before the election, as some of the Corbynistas have not signed up fully to Starmers version of the party.

Lack of MOT, just means damage to own car is not covered. Which is why it is reasonable to repay the 3K it cost to repair the car Under Road Traffic Act law Insurance company still liable for damage to third party property and injuries. And the lack of MOT does not provide grounds to ask your father to cover these additional claim amounts. The MOT is a legal requirement, but does not mean the car was not roadworthy. And the lack of MOT does not appear relevant to the cause of the accident.

Ah ok

I wonder if there are messages which are embarrassing to Government? Boris may not be bothered, as he may think he can talk his way out of any situation. But Rishi may be thinking that the Tories cannot afford negative media coverage, a year before a General Election. In the Civil Service, staff are subject to disciplinary actions, if they have broken rules on use of social media. And I am aware of several Civil Servants who have been dismissed, due to breaking social media rules, as they had posted messages critical of Government policies.

They should still have same National Insurance number, so DWP Debt Management should still see new claim. Fred will just need to confirm with Debt Management that they want deductions from the new claim.

All that has happened here, is that for some reason a UC claim was closed, with an advance loan amount outstanding. The advance amount is then automatically sent to DWP Debt Management and the letter received is a standard letter. Once DWP Debt Management are made aware of new UC claim, they can start applying deduction to UC awards.

Yes after 6 months of nil awards, the UC claim will automatically close. If a claim is closed for any reason within 6 months amd reclaim made, an appointment may still be required to agree claimamt commitment.

I still see people wheeling out pretty full shopping carts out of local Supermarkets. And there is still quite a lot of food wastage, which given the increased cost of the food, must mean that UK consumers are throwing out a huge value of food, that could have helped feed many people who currently rely on food banks. Reduce the amount of packaged items and go back to market style provision of loose foods for people to weigh up what they need. World human population is expected to increase from the current 8 billion to 10 billion by 2050. So another 2 billion people competing for the resources available. So more pressure on farmers to produce more. Price controls may work for some produce, if it guarantees producers a minimum amount.

If you have a Universal Credit claim still active, they will simply deduct an amount each month. These letters DWP Debt Management issue are standard, so I would not be concerned by it. Just advise them that they can make repayment deductions from your UC claim.

They don't do these in person, always a phone call. And just because you have been asked to attend an interview, does not mean that there is anything wrong with the claim. They select a percentage on a random basis for these interviews. Just make sure you have your phone switched on and available to take the call. When they call, the number displayed could be an 0800 number, so don't automatically think this is a sales call and ignore it.

Carers Allowances does affect ESA, so you will not be better off by claiming Carers Allowance. "If you get any of the following benefits, the DWP will take the amount you get off your ESA: contribution-based ESA – this means you’re only paid once if you get both types of ESA contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance Working Tax Credits Carer’s Allowance Maternity Allowance Widow’s Pension They won’t take any money from your ESA for: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Attendance Allowance Housing Benefit or Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) Child Tax Credits or Child Benefit" How much ESA you can get WWW.CITIZENSADVICE.ORG.UK How much ESA you could get - whether you're about to start a claim or are currently being assessed for ESA.

Carers Allowance would be taken into account when ESA was calculated. The basic allowance under each of these would be overlapping. Get advice before claiming CA And if you do claim CA, you need to inform ESA. Helpline and other support | Carers UK WWW.CARERSUK.ORG

Legally not sure there is much you can do. The fact you are a sole trader and they might be a ltd company does not make any difference, as far as I know. If you were known as for example, Jones the Builder and the new company for sake of argument, were called Jones The Builders Ltd, then anyone with the surname Jones would be entitled to set up company in that name. Of course a business would be in trouble if the business name was already trade marked. e.g.,. McDonalds Burgers of Burnley, might lead to litigation from Ronald McDonald. Rather than get into any legal dispute that would cost you money, I would suggest that you contact the other business owners to see if you can reach an amicable resolution. And in your business advertising, you should ensure that you note how many years you have been trading. You may be able to get local advice from council Trading Standards, if you start having issues with the other company.

So yes Carers Allowance needs to be informed first, so they can cancel this. Then ask about reinstatement of SDP. I think amount related to SDP is only allowed on initial transfer to UC. If it is removed, it cannot be reinstated, but it is worth asking.

You should send written complaint to the Insurance companies head of claims and send a copy to loss adjusters. Advise that regrettably you will be looking to issue County Court claim, due to loss adjusters lack of performance. When you issue any claim, it will be against the Insurance company you had the contract with.

Worrying isn't HB! When those with money use it to pursue political aims, then use the Courts to go after anyone who has questions about them.

For a lot of companies, they only allow 2 weeks annual leave to be taken at a time. For more than 2 weeks leave, they will sometimes allow this, if the staff resources enable this. Companies don't like all annual leave being taken, as this could mean that the member of staff does not have a break away from work, at different parts of the working year. So not great for health and wellbeing. Not a great idea to go to HR manager. Ok if you were a Trade Union official and wanted to clarify the companies HR policies. Suggest that you apologise and seek to foster a better relationship with the manager concerned. Otherwise you may well be managed out of the business and they may not be bothered by any grievance appeal you started.

Tories preparing for opposition period, where they can work out which political direction they are heading. Some want to turn right and go back to traditional old fashioned Conservative values and some want to stay closer to centre Liberal modern based politics. Sounds like the start of the break up of the Tory party. Just unusual to do this about a year before a General election.

If Labour wins the next election and forms the Government, they say they will try to make Brexit work. But you do wonder whether they will start asking questions about the practical realities, if it looks like the UK is continuing to struggle outside of the EU. And if there is then a majority of people and businesses wanting to have a closer relationship with the EU , I can see Labour looking to enable this, without formally rejoining EU.

Amazing! IT worker off sick for 15 years sues employer for not giving him a pay rise WWW.MSN.COM Ian Clifford tried to sue a tech giant for disability discrimination.