School closures due to crumbling concrete

[HoliHormonalTigerLillyTheSecond]

JFC you are kidding me?!

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/31/english-schools-told-to-close-buildings-made-with-crumble-risk-concrete]

@LlynTegid

"SUVs could be taxed much more (say tax PCPs) as about 99% of people with them have no need at all, never go off-road or carry large items"

++++

SUVs already are taxed more through vehicle excise duty. Besides even if you did create an additional tax for SUVs again it would raise bugger all in taxation.

To make any real difference you need to be looking at some really unpopular measures like:

Capital gains on principal residence
Abolish the inheritance tax threshold- ie tax is applicable to all inheritance

On cuts the unpopular measures would be:
Transitioning the NHS to a private insurance model in a two tier model.
Increasing the retirement age sooner
Get rid of the triple lock

The reality is that the UK cannot raise enough revenue in the short term given existing economic and political constraints. A US style property tax would make the most sense but that is dead on arrival (NIMBYs and OAPs would block it).

Its the classic problem of what can be accomplished relatively quickly vs long term when it comes to tax revenue.

What I outlined would give enough revenue for:

1. Extra capital investment (buildings, hospitals, bridges, roads etc)
2. Childcare investment (nurseries)
3. A bit for the NHS (for wages mostly)
4. Tax bands could be altered slightly

(to make work pay)

Thats all that can be accomplished in the short-term and would improve productivity (thus incomes would increase and standard of living).

Thats the only way out now. Smaller positive changes that in the cumulative sense improve productivity and incomes.

The other changes:

1. Adjusting the triple lock to make it more sustainable
2. Increasing the retirement age
3. Revaluing council tax bands from 1991 levels
4. Planning permission overhaul

Will involve huge political fights and its not something easily done in the short-term. This is at least a 10 year plan given the scale of the economic damage.

Wales gave up charging for prescriptions because so many were exempt the admin costs were higher than the prescription costs.

Realistically the NHS will become a two tier system. All employers will be encouraged to set up healthcare insurance. Which to be honest is cheaper when you buy in bulk and gets your employees back to work sooner.

The others will pay X £ per month to access services.

The poor will then be able to access whatever is left of the NHS.

NI contributions aren't just handed over to the NHS

The Spire in Wrexham have a brand new hospital which is much smaller than our NHS one up the road. They're converting another unit not far away for 5.5 million.

These private hospitals are following the old cottage hospital model. Small but specialised. Less risk of cdif MRSA which is another bonus.

Our big hospital built in 1980 spent four years getting rid of asbestos. I'm wondering now if they have RAAC

Social housing now. The same social housing that was good enough for us to lock down in.

https://twitter.com/Kwajotweneboa/status/1698973802275770573?s=20

Possibly. We'll just have to wait and see where else it was used.

Hospitals now as well.

With climate change, the severity of rainfall has increased (rains are more intense) which then correlates to increased levels of moisture (from heat). Its that effect that is now also making Raac even more dangerous (as it can experience catastrophic failure due to moisture getting in).

We are now in banana republic territory.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/05/nhs-england-tells-hospitals-to-be-ready-to-evacuate-if-buildings-crumble-concrete-raac

@justasking111
And
@TheThinkingGoblin

Regrettably in the current economic circumstances I have to agree with the both of you. However no party is ever going to get elected on a policy of creating a two tier NHS, increasing the retirement age and getting rid of the triple lock.

So instead at best we face a managed decline and at worst a disorganised decline.

There is criticism of the Tories about the lack of funding for the concrete crisis but the reality is that the money is just not there.

And in other news, Birmingham City Council has filed a section 114 notice, prohibiting any new spending.

While, I think a General Election is overdue... I would struggle to do anything other than spoil my ballot paper right now.

"Birmingham City Council declares itself effectively bankrupt - BBC News" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-66715441.amp

They won't be the last.

Did Hackney go bankrupt due to people refusing to pay the Poll Tax?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2000/nov/13/lifeandhealth.foodanddrink

No, it went under in 2000, long after the poll tax had gone but the resistance to paying it hadn't helped.

Reading through it, it sounds not dissimilar to the present day.

Poisonous politics, inept administration. Sums up political failure really.

https://capx.co/raac-rage-why-concrete-could-be-the-new-cladding/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=05%2F07%2F23

This doesn't make comforting reading either.

On our travels (here, there, everywhere) it's very noticeable that most modern housing is built for the short term. New Zealand has very little old housing stock (and most of the new stuff is fairly rubbish: attractively designed but poorly insulated and finished). Ditto Canada and the USA, and I believe the same is true in Australia. Never buy a new build, unless you're buying from a builder/architect who built his own house.

I was told decades ago that concrete has a finite life and will one day fail. Scared me as a young woman. Back then he was talking about sick concrete syndrome

"What is “sick concrete syndrome”? Every engineer’s nightmare! | Infrastructure news" https://infrastructurenews.co.za/2017/06/05/what-is-sick-concrete-syndrome-every-engineers-nightmare/

This problem has been known for sometime now:

amp.theguardian.com/education/2023/sep/05/more-than-half-of-dilapidated-english-schools-were-refused-rebuilding-money

The problem is that pre 2019 when it might have been possible to fund this, spending on education was a lower priority because young people don't vote.

Now that it is a very real problem there isn't the funds available.

There is money, but only if you reduce spending in a few non-critical areas.

Universal pensioner benefits will have to go.

And local authorities cannot keep funding free stuff for pensioners anymore.

They are broke as well.

UK has hard choices to make now.

What free stuff do you mean?

Why only pensioners? Why not foreign aid?

• Free TV Licence.
• Council tax reduction.
• Housing benefit – for those who pay rent.
• Cold weather payments
Bus pass and other public transport concessions eg trains

Cost of state pension in 2022 was c. £120 billion. Cost of foreign aid in 2022 was £12.8 billion of which a third was spent in the UK on refugees/ asylum seekers/ illegal migrants.

Housing benefit – for those who pay rent

Which is being paid towards properties likely to have RAAC. HB is not paid to rich pensioners Its paid to the poorest ones like my disabled DH who live in social housing. Thanks for the heads up though. Cos this kind of attitude will cause me to think about how co operative i will be if RAAC is found. I was actually concerned about this school RAAC issue despite being child free by choice. But if parents dont give a shit about us then i will return the favour. Just cut the HB for poorer pensioners to fund it eh. The usual dig against social housing tenants.

And i can see a repeat of this on the horizon.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4637160/Camden-tower-residents-say-won-t-leave-tower-block.html

Thats their choice. They are adults.

But if the roof falls on their heads, thats on them.

We all make our own choices. There is no money left now to cushion poor decision-making like staying in a building that can be a critical risk to life if not repaired.

OAPs will not be receiving excessive universal benefits anymore for the simple reason that there is no money available to pay for it all now.

The UK is poor now. The delusions of some people in the electorate about it being the 5th or 6th wealthiest country in the world are just that..delusions.

UK remains (very) rich by international standards

Also I think it is very wrong to make the next generation of pensioners significantly poorer (there will be barely any effect on those at or close to pension age) but major - and detrimental - effect on younger people, and I think there has been enough inter-generational damage done already.