Coronavirus UK: Utility bills and council tax may be SCRAPPED

[DGRossetti]

Coronavirus UK: Utility bills and council tax may be SCRAPPED

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8120341/Rishi-Sunak-unveils-massive-package-stop-UK-going-bust-amid-coronavirus.html

distincttoday.net/2020/03/17/coronavirus-uk-utility-bills-and-council-tax-may-be-scrapped/

readsector.com/coronavirus-uk-utility-bills-and-council-tax-may-be-scrapped/

They've done this in France.

I hope they do it here, and if they do I hope they have some way of forcing landlords to pass savings on to tenants, if they're renting somewhere where bills and/or council tax are included in the rent.

“hope they have some way of forcing landlords to pass savings on to tenants, if they're renting somewhere where bills and/or council tax are included in the rent.”

Can you even include council tax in the rent? Never heard of that. Curious.

If I have to live on 94 quid a week for several weeks, they better do something about house insurance, life insurance, pet insurance and my mobile phone bill too.
Oh and water.

Yes, council tax can be factored into rent. It's more common in HMO settings where council tax is the responsibility of the landlord. This charge is then passed onto residents who are under a 'room' only agreement.

They won’t do this here as our utilities are owned by private companies. Can’t force companies to lose out on millions. How would the rich shareholders stay rich?

I hope not. The government will absolutely need to do something major in terms of financial aid, but it should be targeted to those most in need. There are plenty of people who won't be impacted financially to any great extent and/or have savings to weather the storm. Why give them (and that includes me, for now at least) an unneeded handout when there will be lots of people in absolute dire straights?

I'm of an age (and house ) old enough to remember when Gordon Brown abolished stamp duty on houses under £125,000 in 2001 (just after 9/11 ). It came completely out of the blue.

Just to let people know what can be done at very short notice.

I don't see how this could even work for people who have pay-as-you-go electricity/gas meters they have to physically top up every couple of weeks.

Life insurance and pet insurance are luxuries that many people don't have. To some extent the same is true of house contents insurance. And I bet you could cut your mobile phone bill.

I don't see how this could even work for people who have pay-as-you-go electricity/gas meters they have to physically top up every couple of weeks.

Are you suggesting this entire covid thing is just a spectacualarly inefficient attempt to encourage the uptake of smart meters ?

They've done this in France.

It's not a blanket scrapping of utility bills for everyone in France, just certain customers ( as I understand it mainly business)

There are plenty of people who won't be impacted financially to any great extent and/or have savings to weather the storm. Why give them (and that includes me, for now at least) an unneeded handout when there will be lots of people in absolute dire straights?

I agree the most in need should be prioritised but I think it is unfair to penalise people on similar incomes and with same cost of living who have scrimped and saved by only helping those who lived beyond their means. It rewards the non frugal over spenders for not saving for any emergency. Eligibility for help should be by income adjusted for locality regardless of whether the person has a bit saved up.

pay-as-you-go electricity/gas meters
They can credit every account with a credit balance.

It’s the mortgage I’m worried about. Sick pay for both me and my husband would leave us £300/month in the hole and that doesn’t include any food we need to buy. Defer mortgage payments for a while and we could survive (just) my temperatures going up. My work aren’t even offering sick pay (statutory or otherwise) for self isolation only confirmed cases, which you can’t confirm because no where will test you. I’m 30 weeks pregnant with a two year old. I don’t want to be bankrupt, we’ve worked so so hard to buy our house. We’re facing losing everything.

@DGRossetti are you confusing smart meters with pay as you go meters which you take a physical fob to the shop to top up?

Only reason we don’t have any savings is because last year we bought our first house, got married and bought a new car all at once, we had the savings and didn’t think it would matter since we could save back up. Unfortunately the TV breaking down just before Christmas and the fact we had a borderline high risk result for Down’s syndrome meant another £600 on a new TV and £400 on a NIPT test, wiping out our remaining ‘rainy day fund’

I agree the most in need should be prioritised but I think it is unfair to penalise people on similar incomes and with same cost of living who have scrimped and saved by only helping those who lived beyond their means. It rewards the non frugal over spenders for not saving for any emergency. Eligibility for help should be by income adjusted for locality regardless of whether the person has a bit saved up.

But there is no magic money tree. Whatever aid the government gives out will have to be borrowed and paid back by the taxpayer some time in the future. We are looking at people losing their jobs and having no money to pay for basic essentials, small businesses (and a fair few large ones) going bust in their droves and laying off their workers. We are facing an economic crisis potentially on a par with the great depression and you don't think it's fair that some people might have to dip into their savings?

@DGRossetti are you confusing smart meters with pay as you go meters which you take a physical fob to the shop to top up?

No. But one of the "advantages" of smart meters is that they can be remotely controlled. So if you top up online, you don't need a key/card.

I say "advantage" because I'm not sure that energy providers currently implement it. but it's certainly possible and intended. As is remote disconnection that they never quite fit into their puff pieces.

When you have to explain what you thought was a witty remark, it always seems to lose something

I recently tweeted Eon to ask them about what us customers who use key meters should do if we need to self isolate. They told me that we were to go to the shop to top up before we isolate.

So if we have coronavirus symptoms, we're to go to the shop.

They did suggest that we get someone to top up for us, but not everyone has that luxury, particularly now whole household isolation is a thing. My household certainly doesn't.

And not many people can afford to top up gas and electricity for a fortnight in one go anyway.

But it's the bit about leaving the house while ill that I'm most gobsmacked by. How utterly, completely irresponsible.

The government should scrap HS2 and use the money to support those people and businesses worst affected by CV.

I also wonder how they will do pre pay meters as I have to go to the shop with a card and key.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3849474-Issue-of-those-on-key-meters

Take note of whats in bold.

I hope they do this for those who need it. I thankfully don't need it at the moment, my DH is military so his job goes on regardless. I am now WFH for a large international company with no mention of job losses (infact CEO sent out reassurances today). I would rather continue to pay, and let those who need the assistance have it.

Life insurance and pet insurance are luxuries that many people don't have. To some extent the same is true of house contents insurance And I bet you could cut your mobile phone bill
Okaaay my mobile bill is 7 quid a month. The insurances are luxuries I do agree. My life insurance is set up to run for 30 years or something. If I just stop paying, I will have to restart which will cost more than it does now. Also losing out on the money I've paid in up to now
The easiest option here is to pay my full wages not ssp.
Don't give me any mortgage holidays or pay my bills, just give me my full wages. Easy.

Where's that money supposed to come from?
The country is in dire financial trouble, and you expect tax payers to pay you your full wage for not working?