Commuting from Berwick Upon Tweed to Edinburgh?

[TheEvening]

DH and I both work in Edinburgh and live in a commuter town in Scotland. I commute once a week and DH twice a week - the rest of the week we're at home.

I'm not saying we're about to up sticks and move, we have family and community ties here, but I'm just musing about the practicality of living in England and working in Scotland...

Trainline claims its 42 minutes on the train from Berwick to Waverley. That seems incredibly quick? It would be quite useful to live on the London trainline tbh so would have that benefit too.

Does anyone do this? What's it like?

I used to regularly travel between Berwick and Edinburgh (and all around the Borders) for work. The A1 is a good road and yes, the train is about 45 minutes and very regular. I can’t think of any particular impracticalities of the arrangement, when I worked in Edinburgh several colleagues commuted in from the Carlisle/Penrith area; Berwick is close enough to the border that it really has the feel of just another Borders town.

I know a couple of people who did this. I guess some of the social policy differences would be pertinent (or might be in the longer term) - would you be paying higher Scottish income tax rate but not getting benefit of (eg) prescriptions, tuition fees, etc?

Thanks. It feels very far away but it's not really in the grand scheme of things! It's such a lovely area of the country too.

DH will pay more than £6k extra per year in tax under the new budget - possibly more next year as he's about to have his pay reviewed.

I work part time and earn less than £43k.

We've never been fans of the SNP, hate the idea of independence, and not a fan of their policies such as blanket free prescriptions, free school meals and the madness of the gender agenda. My children are very young so not banking on free tuition being in place when they are of university age - we've got university funds started for them.

I don't want to move to be honest but feel very ground down by the relentlessness of shit I feel the SNP throws our way.

How much does travel cost compared to the tax changes?

Looking at the Trainline app, it's about £50 for a day return - so that would be £150 a week x 3 weekly for you & your DH = £6k

That's true. It's currently about £14 return from where we are so a lot less, but not nothing.

I am just scunnered with Scotland and the SNP and the tax changes feel like a final kick in the teeth. The only thing that keeps us here is family.

Have you looked into which country you would be resident in for tax purposes I'd living in England but salaried in Scotland?

Do you honestly think the Tories are any better?! I wouldn't live in England for anything.

I think @champagneandsparkles is right - you would be taxed where you work not where you live unless your employer has a clever way around it.
but if you’re that scunnered with the govt it might be a reasonable price to pay! am a higher rate tax payer too but am personally in favour of universal policies so there isn’t that particular discomfort for me.

If you can have some choice about which one and two days respectively it is, so for example can avoid Monday mornings when it seems some engineering works don't finish on time, seems reasonable. Trains also are not the kind of ancient life expired cattle trucks found on some lines in the north of England.

Whilst I support Scottish independence, I am with you about the SNP. The best argument in favour of keeping the union in my opinion.

You’re taxed where you live not where you work - so very possible to work in Edinburgh and live in England and pay tax on English rates. I know this as I’m the reverse (unfortunately).