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No savings at 50 and worried about retirement? Here’s how I’d double my State Pension.

Alan Oscroft | Friday, 13th September, 2019

Retirement saving and pension planning — Image source: Getty Images

The State Pension currently pays a maximum of £8,767 per year, and the age we’ll be eligible for it is increasing. I won’t get mine until I’m 67, and those younger than me are likely to have to wait even longer.

It’s not a lot of cash to live on, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could double your income to £17,534 or thereabouts? That still wouldn’t be enough to live a life of luxury, but by the time you retire, presumably without the burden of a mortgage and without any work and travel expenses, it could make life a good bit more comfortable.

How much would you need to accumulate to get that kind of return? The traditional way to provide for a private pension is through an annuity. In fact, until the UK’s pension reforms, it was obligatory to invest a pension fund in an annuity — there was none of this freedom to invest as we please that we enjoy today.

Annuity?

Checking this week’s best single life annuity rates at Hargreaves Lansdown, to get an inflation-proofed income of an extra £8,767 I estimate you’d need to build up a pot of around £320,000 to retire at age 65, or £260,000 at age 70. These days, working beyond 65 is becoming more and more common, and though you might not want to, it’s an option you really might have to consider.

But how to achieve these sums? The only way I’d go is to invest in top UK shares.

Long-term data from the Barclays Equity Gilt Study shows that shares have returned 4.5% above inflation, per year, over the very long term. That means if you start at age 50, you’d need to invest £1,250 per month for the next 15 years to reach £320,000, or £675 if you choose to work until 70 and only need £260,000. That’s a lot of money, there’s no hiding that, but at least we’re taking inflation into account.

Stick with shares?

But why choose an annuity at all? Why not leave your money in shares after retirement instead, and see what income you could get from that 4.5% above-inflation return?

I reckon you’d need £195,000 to generate the equivalent of a second State Pension. That looks to me like a significantly more achievable target, so how much would you need to start investing now to achieve that goal? It works out at £765 per month if you’re 50 now and want to retire at 65. But if you choose to work on for the extra five years until 70, your monthly savings would drop to £510. That’s £118 per week, and for many 50-year-olds that will certainly be achievable.

Risky?

Now, I can’t just leave it at that without considering the risk of trusting your retirement income to the stock market. That return of 4.5% above inflation is an average and is not guaranteed, and there will be bad years as well as good. So you do need to go into this approach fully aware.

But someone in good health retiring today could easily have another 20 years ahead of them, and I think that’s long enough to stick with shares. And I reckon the best way to protect against the ups and downs of share prices is to go for companies paying top dividends — and that’s what I plan to do.

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Boris Johnson confronted by woman: ‘People have died because of austerity and you’ve got the cheek to come here’

Doncaster voter tells prime minister he is spinning Brexit ‘fairy tale’

Boris Johnson has been confronted by an angry voter during a walkabout in Doncasterwho said he had “a cheek” to come to her town. The woman accused the prime minister of telling the public a “fairy tale” over Brexit.

She told Mr Johnson: “People have died because of austerity. And you’ve got the cheek to come here and tell us austerity is over and it’s all good now and we’re going to leave the EU and everything’s going to be great – it’s just a fairytale.”

After telling Mr Johnson she would rather have a Labour Brexit than a Tory Brexit, he claimed: “If you look at it, the Labour Party have decided that they don’t even want to do Brexit after all.”

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.

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She responded by telling him: “They’re going to give everybody a vote on an actual deal – that’s more than what you’re going to do.”

Mr Johnson was surrounded by excited shoppers as he visited the South Yorkshire town, which voted by 69 per cent to leave in the EU referendum but is regarded as a Labour stronghold.

As he walked around stalls inside the market’s indoor Corn Exchange on Friday morning, the prime minister stopped to speak to a fish seller.

Mr Johnson was heard remarking: “Look at that… lobster claws. We’ve got to take a few claws out of that Withdrawal Agreement.”

After stepping outside into the packed marketplace, Mr Johnson reassured one shopper: “We’ll get you out, we’ll get us out.”

Boris Johnson shops at a fruit and veg stall in Doncaster (Getty Images)

He also told a trader “we’re going to get a deal”, adding: “That’s the plan, anyway. And if we don’t, we’re coming out on October 31. That’s what we’re going to do. Here we go, that’s a democracy.”

The prime minister showed no reaction as one man told him: “Find a deal here? This is Doncaster, not Europe.”

The prime minister also stopped off at a “cob shop”, smiling as he bought a loaf of bread and scones from the stall.

Watch more.

Live: Bercow vows to ‘get creative’ to stop Johnson

As he visited a fruit stall, Mr Johnson moved towards some Belgium strawberries, before eventually buying English Victoria plums.

The prime minister is visiting South Yorkshire after northern politicians made a joint call for more help in their regions from his government.

In a speech later on Friday, he is expected to say: “It is time that we gave more people a say over the places where they live, and it is time that we gave you the proper ability to run things your way.

“We are going to maximise the power of the North. And we are going to make sure that it is people here who are in control over the things that matter to them.”

Additional reporting by PA

Stripe launches a corporate credit card!!

New Visa offering coming to 45 countries

By Mike Moore 12 September 2019

The new Stripe Corporate Card looks to simplify business spending for those companies that are mainly internet-based, cutting down on lengthy applications or the need for complex integrations.

Stripe has revealed it will be launching a corporate credit card as it looks to further its business offerings.

The Visa offering promises no associated fees, with the company declaring, “the Stripe Corporate Card is free – full stop” with no annual fees, late fees, or cost for foreign transactions.

Spending!!

Available from today Stripe says that the card makes business spending easy to manage for internet businesses.

It says that creating a card is simple and fast, with companies just needing to upload their logo onto the Stripe Dashboard to receive an instant virtual card, with a physical one arriving a few days later.

Spending limits can be set online for individual employees, specific days, or per category, with the ability to block certain kinds of purchases, and customers will also receive two percent back on its top two spending categories each month.

Stripe also says the card will integrate with a number of popular financial software tools including Quickbooks, and customers can get real-time expense reporting to make sure there are no nasty surprises.

The best business credit cards in September 2019

DCMS Committee recommends UK Government regulates loot boxes under the Gambling Act.

And ban the sale of loot boxes in games aimed at children.

By Wesley Yin-Poole. 12/09/2019

It also recommends the Government order publishers to strip loot boxes out of games aimed at children, and tell PEGI to slap games with loot boxes with an appropriate age rating.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee has recommended the Government regulates loot boxes under the Gambling Act.

In a stark report following the Committee’s inquiry into the growth of “immersive and addictive technologies”, the DCMS issued a raft of recommendations for Government, which marks a step-change in the thinking around loot boxes in the UK.

While the DCMS Committee’s recommendations are not law, industry members have told Eurogamer they will be taken seriously, and pointed to Labour deputy leader Tom Watson as a prominent politician who has a keen interest in loot boxes and other publisher practices.

Digging into the detail, the Committee said the Government should bring forward regulations under section six of the Gambling Act 2005 in the next parliamentary session to specify loot boxes are a game of chance.

According to the Committee, if Government determines not to regulate loot boxes under the Act at this time, the Government should produce a paper clearly stating the reasons why it does not consider loot boxes paid for with real-world currency to be a game of chance played for money’s worth.

Previously, the Gambling Commission said current laws don’t see loot boxes as gambling, largely because there’s no real-world cash value to the items received in a loot box.

Elsewhere, the Committee recommends the Government should advise PEGI, the European video game age ratings organisation, to apply the existing ‘gambling’ content labelling, and corresponding age limits, to games containing loot boxes that can be purchased for real world money and do not reveal their contents before purchase.

The current PEGI descriptor for in-game purchases does not specifically differentiate between loot boxes and other items.n

Crucially, the Committee said in the absence of research which proves no harm is being done by exposing children to gambling through the purchasing of loot boxes, a precautionary principle should apply and they are not permitted in games played by children until the evidence proves otherwise.

This brings into question the future of loot boxes in games such as FIFA, which is played by millions of children in the UK and makes billions from the sale of a virtual currency which can be used to buy packs of Ultimate Team cards.

The Committee said the DCMS should immediately update its areas of research interest to include gaming disorder, and games companies should be required to share aggregated player data with researchers and contribute financially to independent research through a levy administered by an impartial body.

Addressing a loophole in the rating of PC games sold on digital platforms such as Steam, the Committee recommended the Video Recordings Act should be amended to ensure online games are covered by the same enforceable age restrictions as games sold on discs.

The Committee’s recommendations come following a number of PR disasters for the video game industry in relation to loot boxes and their link to gambling.

Back in June, representatives from EA and Epic were sent to answer questions from MPs on the difficult issues with video games, and it did not go well. At the meeting, the rep from EA stepped in to say “we don’t call them loot boxes – we call them surprise mechanics” – a turn of phrase that turned out to be a lightning rod for renewed discussion around the business practices of the publisher.

“We do think the way we’ve implemented these kinds of mechanics is quite ethical and quite fun,” Kerry Hopkins, vice president, legal and government affairs at Electronic Arts said. “They aren’t gambling and we disagree that there’s evidence that shows they lead to gambling.”

Tonight’s report suggests the Committee was not convinced.

What happens next? Dr Jo Twist, CEO of UK Interactive Entertainment, issued the following statement in response to the report’s findings:

“The video games industry has always, and will continue to, put the welfare of players at the heart of what we do. We will review these recommendations with utmost seriousness and consult with the industry on how we demonstrate further our commitment to player safety – especially concerning minors and vulnerable people.

“It is important that we keep engaging constructively with a range of stakeholders, including MPs, regulators and law enforcement agencies because we support an evidence-based approach to modern policy making. We have consistently been in dialogue with government and other key partners about establishing an appropriate research framework and will continue to do so.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BY CLICKING THE LINK.

Bercow warns Johnson against disobeying Brexit law.

13 September 2019
UK Politics

John Bercow has vowed “creativity” in Parliament if Boris Johnson a law designed to stop a no-deal Brexit.

The Commons Speaker also said in a speech that the only possible Brexit was one backed by MPs.

A new law passed before the suspension of Parliament, forces the PM to seek a delay until 31 January 2020, unless a deal or no-deal exit is approved by MPs by 19 October.

The PM has said he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than ask for a delay.

Responding to Mr Bercow’s comments, Tory Brexiter MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said the role of the Speaker had become “irretrievably politicised and radicalised”.

Delivering a lecture in London, Mr Bercow said: “Not obeying the law must surely be a non-starter. Period.”

He said it would be a “terrible example to set to the rest of society”.

“The only form of Brexit which we will have, whenever that might be, will be a Brexit that the House of Commons gives birth to explicitly endorsed,” he said.

“Surely, in 2019, in modern Britain, in a parliamentary democracy, we – parliamentarians, legislators – cannot in all conscience be conducting a debate as to whether adherence to the law is or isn’t required.”

He called it “astonishing” that “anyone has even entertained the notion”.

If the government comes close to disobeying the law, Mr Bercow said that Parliament “would want to cut off such a possibility and do so forcefully”.

“If that demands additional procedural creativity in order to come to pass, it is a racing certainty that this will happen and that neither the limitations of the existing rule book nor the ticking of the clock will stop it doing so,” he added.

boris johnson on Thursday — Image captionBoris Johnson has said he would rather ‘die in a ditch’ than seek a further Brexit delay

The new law could force a Brexit delay beyond the current 31 October deadline by requiring the prime minister to request an extension to the UK’s EU membership.

This would be done by making him write to EU leaders to prolong talks under Article 50 – the part of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty which sets out what happens when a country decides that it wants to leave the EU.

The law forcing the PM to seek a delay unless MPs vote for a deal or no deal received royal assent on Monday, the final day that MPs sat in this session.

Parliament was suspended – or prorogued – in the early hours of Tuesday and is not scheduled to return until 14 October.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the government would abide by the law, but would “test to the limit” what it requires of ministers.

Mr Bercow said: “One should no more refuse to request an extension of Article 50 because of what one might regard as the noble end of departing from the EU as soon as possible, than one could possibly excuse robbing a bank on the basis that the cash stolen would be donated to a charitable cause immediately afterwards.”

Sir Bernard, who chairs the constitutional affairs select committee in Parliament, said the Commons should “adapt itself” to a new role for the Speaker.

He accused Mr Bercow of launching a “personal attack” on the prime minister, insisting this would have been “unthinkable 10 or 15 years ago”.

The current position allows the occupant “unregulated and untrammelled power”, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“It’s a kind of majoritarian dictatorship position,” he added.

Another Leave-voting Conservative MP, Michael Fabricant, said Mr Bercow had brought the office of Speaker into disrepute:

More on the related article – click the link above.

Fraudsters helped 900 migrants stay in the UK in Britain’s biggest fake visa scam.

The group laundered millions of pounds through 53 businesses, including ‘Immigration4u’ and ‘Mo’s Spice Inn’, to make their clients look like well-paid employees

By Phoebe Southworth

12 SEPTEMBER 2019 • 5:20 PM

A gang of fraudsters who set up bogus companies to help 900 illegal migrants stay in the country in Britain’s biggest ever fake visa scam have been spared jail.

The group laundered millions of pounds through 53 businesses, including ‘Immigration4u’ and ‘Mo’s Spice Inn’, and made temporary transfers into clients’ bank accounts.

They also created fake payslips and provided false information on around 900 applications for general and entrepreneur visas between 2008 and 2013.

Their aim was to make the migrants look as if they were well-paid employees, as applicants for entrepreneur visas must show they have access to at least £50,000.

One of the gang’s customers was working at a fast food restaurant, but his accounts showed he had a £50,000 salary.

The scam, which could have cost the taxpayer £16.6m if undiscovered, was described as “immigration fraud of industrial scale” and a “highly organised, sophisticated attack on the UK’s immigration system”.

Taxi driver Mohammed Jillur Rahman Khan, 43, Shaheda Roxsanna, 47, and married couple Mazharul Haque, 46, and Maksuda Begum, 45, were all convicted of conspiracy to defraud the Secretary of State and conspiracy to cheat the public revenue.

But they walked free from Southwark Crown Court today after a judge decided to suspended their prison sentences.

Judge Martin Griffith said: “This case was part two of an immigration fraud of industrial scale.

“For many people who come to this country which must be for economic reasons, there is a time-table because there comes a time where you must prove that you have substantial income to stay in the country.

“Unfortunately the solution for some people is that they go to some services that prove income that just isn’t there – they pay through the nose.”

Some of the migrants in the UK on temporary visas paid the gang at least £700 in cash to help them remain in the UK.

Khan, of Goldsmith Road, Peckham, southeast London, was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years.

Roxsanna, of Felixstowe Road, Edmonton, north London, was given a 19-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Haque and Begum, of Olive Road, Dartford, Kent, were handed prison sentences of 16 and 10 months respectively, suspended for two years.

Maryam Arnott, of the CPS, said: “This is believed to be the largest ever visa fraud that the CPS has dealt with and it is staggering the lengths these individuals went to in order to exploit the UK’s immigration system.”

Dave Fairclough, from Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation, added: “This was a highly organised, sophisticated attack on the UK’s immigration system.”

The UK announces 2-year post-study work visa for international students.

In a major boost for Indian students, the UK government has today announced a new two-year post-study work visa, expanding opportunities for talented international students to build successful careers in the UK.

The new ‘Graduate’ route will be open to all international students – including those from India – who have valid UK immigration status as a student and have successfully completed a course of study in any subject at undergraduate level or above at an approved UK Higher Education Provider. The visa will allow eligible students to work, or look for work, in any career or position of their choice, for two years after completing their studies.

This builds on UK government action to help recruit and retain the best and brightest global talent, as well as opening up opportunities for future breakthroughs in science, technology and research and other world-leading work that international talent brings to the UK.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

The new Graduate Route will mean talented international students, whether in science and maths or technology and engineering, can study in the UK and then gain valuable work experience as they go on to build successful careers.
It demonstrates our global outlook and will ensure that we continue to attract the best and brightest.

Sir Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India, said:

This is fantastic news for Indian students, who will now be able to spend more time in the UK after completing their degree, allowing them to gain further skills and experience.
The UK is home to some of the best higher education institutions in the world and continues to welcome international students. I’m delighted that numbers of Indian students coming to study in the UK are constantly increasing, having doubled over the last three years. Last year alone we saw a massive 42% increase.
This exciting announcement will help ensure that the UK remains one of the best destinations for students across the world.

The UK welcomes genuine students from India and the rest of the world for the positive contribution they make to the UK. Indian student numbers have significantly increased over the last three years, reaching almost 22,000 in the year ending June 2019. This was a 42% increase on the previous year – and almost 100% higher than three years ago. In addition, 96% of all Indians who apply for a UK visa are successful – meaning the vast majority of those who wish to come to the UK are able to do so.

This announcement follows the creation of a new fast-track visa route for scientists and the removal of the limit on PHD students moving into the skilled work visa route, which collectively aim to cement the UK as a science superpower and a world-leader in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) sector. Almost half of all Indian students (almost 130,000 since 2008/9) heading to UK in the last ten years chose a STEM subject.

Further information

Often referred to as a ‘Post-Study Work visa’ in India, the new Graduate route will launch for the 2020/21 intake of students to university. After the two years, they will be able to switch onto the skilled work visa if they find a job which meets the skill requirement of the route. Further details will be announced in due course.

The visa will offer opportunities to work or look for work after graduating. However, unlike the route which closed in 2012, this new route will also include safeguards to ensure only genuine, credible students are eligible.

The status of each higher education institution will be shown in the register of licenced sponsors, which is publicly available on the GOV.UK website.

This follows a shake-up of immigration rules announced by the Prime Minister in August to encourage the world’s top scientists to move to the UK.

The UK has seen a strong increase in Indian student numbers in recent years. The latest available statistics are on the Home Office website. Specifically, in the year ending June 2019:

Almost 22,000 student visas were granted to Indian nationals – a 42% increase on the previous year and almost 100% higher than the year ending June 2016.

In addition, over 500,000 visit visas were granted to Indian nationals – more than 1 in 5 of all visit visas.

More than 56,000 Indians received skilled work visas – a 5% increase compared to the previous year, which is also the largest increase for any country.

The numbers of Indian students studying STEM subjects in the UK were provided by British Council from the HESA Student record 2007/08 – 2017/18. Data in original format is available on the HESA website.

Media

For media queries, please contact:

Sally Hedley, Head of Communications
Press and Communications, British High Commission,
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
Tel: 24192100; Fax: 24192400

Published 11 September 2019

Boris Johnson asks critics calling him undemocratic – To give him a break!

Oliver Milne

1 hour ago

Britain's new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to be deployed to the South China Sea in 2021

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DOMINIC CUMMINGS BLAMES BREXIT CHAOS ON ‘RICH REMAINERS’ IN SNAP AT TV JOURNALIST

Dominic Cummings blames Brexit chaos on ‘rich Remainers’ in a snap at TV journalist

Mirror

I don’t give a flying flamingo! Speaker John Bercow gets loose-lipped during late-night Commons session

‘We need a Queen’s speech’ Boris tries to justify the suspension of parliament

MPS VOTE TO ORDER BORIS JOHNSON’S TOP-AIDES TO PUBLISH SECRET SHUTDOWN TEXTS

UP NEXT

I don’t give a flying flamingo! Speaker…

Boris Johnson has branded claims that he is undemocratic for suspending Parliament for five weeks in the middle of a constitutional crisis “a load of nonsense”.

The Prime Minister was speaking after MPs rejected his call for a second election decisively last night – and he prorogued Parliament until October 14.

Speaking after protests in Parliament last night he added that he had wanted an election.

“All this stuff about it being anti-democratic – donnez-moi un break,” he continued.

“This is not a normal Prorogation. It is not typical. It is not standard,” Mr Bercow proclaimed as Black Rod watched on steely-eyed.

“It is one of the longest for decades, and it represents, not just in the minds of many colleagues but for huge numbers of people outside an act of Executive fiat.”

Boris Johnson et al. in a room: Boris Johnson attended a year four history class during a visit to Pimlico Primary school © PA Boris Johnson attended a year four history class during a visit to Pimlico Primary school As Tory MPs protested he cried “I could not give a flying flamingo what your view is!” and “I couldn’t care less!”.

Mr Johnson insisted his priority was not on running down the clock to a no-deal Brexit, as opposition MPs claim but he was focussed on getting a deal.

Speaking during a visit to a school in London, Mr Johnson said: “There are loads of people around the place who really want this thing [Brexit] done.

John Bercow wearing a suit and tie: John Bercow had announced his plans to quit as Speaker of the House just hours earlier © Provided by Reach Publishing Services Limited John Bercow had announced his plans to quit as Speaker of the House just hours earlier “That includes the British people but also in Brussels and our friends and partners across the EU.

“They want us to get on with this, it’s been dragging on for three years.

“I can see the policy of some opposition parties, Labour included, is to delay, dither beyond 31 October.

“But nobody can see what that achieves – it’s just another £1bn per month to stay in the EU.”

a group of people sitting at a desk: Mr Johnson said it was 'a load of nonsense' to say he was undemocratic © PA Mr Johnson said it was ‘a load of nonsense’ to say he was undemocratic Asked why he had suspended Parliament he claimed it was to make sure Parliament could debate his domestic agenda.

The PM added: “There’s a massive, massive agenda. We need a Queen’s Speech, that’s why parliament is in recess now – because you always have a recess before a Queen’s Speech.

“Anybody who says all this stuff about it being anti-democratic – donnez-moi un break. What a load of nonsense

“We were very, very clear – if people wanted a democratic moment if they wanted an election, we offered it to the Labour opposition and mysteriously they decided not to go for it.

a group of people sitting at a table: Mr Johnson repeated his calls for a general election © PA Mr Johnson repeated his calls for a general election “So we’re going to get on. More free schools, more police, better hospitals – upgrading our hospitals – and coming out on 31 October.”

This morning a group of MPs came together to say there is time to secure a Brexit deal in Parliament with a “sizeable voice building across the House” to achieve it by Halloween, a cross-party group of MPs has said.

Related: Leave vs Remain: Brexit demonstrations around the UK (Photos)

Slide 1 of 54: LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 28: Pro-EU supporters protest outside the Houses of Parliament on August 28, 2019, in London, England.

Follow the full article from the link below.

British Prime.me Minister Boris Johnson has written to Cabinet colleagues telling them that his government has requested the Queen suspend parliament for longer than the usual conference season.

Parliament will return for a new session with a Queen’s Speech on 14 October 2019. Some Remain-supporting MPs believe this move to be a ploy to hinder legislation preventing a No Deal Brexit.

HMRC “crusade against contractors” to generate £27.7m | ICAEW Economia

Investigations into the employment status of contractors could generate almost £30m for HMRC, as enhanced scrutiny into “disguised employment” persists, according accountancy group UHY Hacker Young

HMRC is continuing to look into employment status “extremely closely” according to Mike Crellin, director at UHY Hacker Young.

The latest estimates, from data related to tax under consideration “show that HMRC thinks there is more revenue that could be squeezed out of the compliance work in this area,” said Crellin.

“Tax under consideration is not tax owed or unpaid, it’s an estimate of what might be at stake if we didn’t investigate,” an HMRC spokesperson said, adding that at a given time the Revenue is actively investigating about half of large businesses.

According to Crellin, “Contractors can expect HMRC to continue to take a very tough line”.

He highlighted the controversial loan charge policy, which aims to reclaim backdated taxes from businesses as well as contractors who had previously reduced their tax liabilities through tax planning.

Crellin also highlighted that the proposed extension of IR35 into the private sector next year “will likely create more confusion about the employment status of contractors,” suggesting this would lead to more fines.

The existing off-payroll working rules (IR35) were introduced in 2000 to stop taxpayers avoiding employment taxes by working through their own companies. They were toughened up for the public sector in April 2017 when responsibility for deciding whether the rules apply and for deducting the appropriate taxes passed from the individual contractor to public authorities.

“We enforce the UK’s tax rules impartially, irrespective of the size or structure of the business. We subject the largest businesses to an exceptional level of scrutiny,” the HMRC spokesperson said.

In September last year, ICAEW argued for a delay in deploying IR35 in the private sector, suggesting the complex system was not yet ready to be launched.

In the wake of TV presenter Lorraine Kelly winning a £1.2m tax case against HMRC, the Revenue lost another high-profile IR35 case against Loose Women presenter Kaye Adams in April.

In the case of Adams, it had argued that she was a BBC employee and not a freelancer and should be taxed under IR35. This was ruled against by the First-tier Tribunal.Topics

Related articles to follow. Click the link!

Taxation

What happens if assault charges are dropped according to UK law?

8TH FEBRUARY 2017 |Serious Violence & Assault

Nick Titchener

DIRECTOR & SOLICITOR-ADVOCATE

Have you been accused of assault? What are the possible consequences of a conviction under UK law?

If you are found guilty of assault the consequences are severe, but what happens if assault charges are dropped? Nick Titchener, director and solicitor advocate at London Criminal Defence Solicitors, Lawtons, discusses this complex area of the law and its implications.

There are a number of reasons and scenarios whereby an assault charge could be dropped by the police or the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

If you are involved in a police investigation relating to one of the degrees of assault, then it is vital to understand how and why these charges could be dropped.

Can the CPS drop charges?

It is important to understand that it is not for a complainant to drop the allegations. The decision to drop a case or pursue it is one that is taken by the police or CPS, often in conjunction and having taken into account a range of views, including those being expressed by the original complainant.

It is important to note that dropped charges and an acquittal by a not guilty verdict are two very different things. Dropped charges occur when either:

The police cannot compile enough evidence to secure a realistic prospect of a conviction
The CPS deems a case to not be in the interests of justice to pursue

The prospect of an assault charge being dropped is a goal for many accused individuals, one which may provide a huge source of relief. However, the process behind charges being dropped isn’t straightforward.

Whilst it does sometimes require the cooperation of the accused person, the amount and type of cooperation can be a careful tactical balance, weighing up the advantages of cooperating and disclosing matters to the investigating team as opposed to the disadvantages of possibly giving information which may actually strengthen as case against the accused person.

To cooperate effectively whilst protecting your rights, it is recommended that the accused individual seeks expert legal advice as soon as possible, which will heighten the chance of a positive outcome being achieved.

What are the degrees of assault in the UK?

There are several degrees of assault in the UK:

https://www.lawtonslaw.co.uk/resources/what-happens-if-assault-charges-are-dropped/

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Impact of Brexit and the 3% Stamp Duty surcharge!

by Malcolm Jones

9:59 AM, 26th July 2019
About 5 days ago

Following on from the previous discussion around the withdrawal of interest relief, we look at the impact of Brexit and the additional 3% stamp duty

Brexit Jitters?

Over three years ago, on 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom voted on “remain a member of the European Union” or “leave the European Union” with the leave votes winning by 52% versus 48% voting to remain.
Just less than a year later, Theresa May called for a snap election saying she hoped to secure a larger majority in order to “strengthen her hand” in the forthcoming negotiations. The result was that the Conservative Party made a net loss of 13 seats.
The Prime Minister made three unsuccessful attempts to convince MPs to support the Withdrawal Agreement, that she had agreed with the European Union and failed which led to her resignation on 7 June 2019.
Three years on from the referendum on July 24^th2019 and still in the European Union, Boris Johnson is appointed as Prime minister. In his first speech following his appointment he said “We will come out on 31 October, no ifs or buts…the British people are tired of waiting”.

Malcolm– What has this done to the rental market?

Kate- So, as far as Brexit is concerned, and as far as landlords and investors are concerned, it has been quite good news, because in September last year it was incorrectly reported that Mark Carney had said Brexit would crash house prices by 35%. What he actually said was, “If Brexit happens, I have stress-tested the banks, and they can cope with a fall in prices of 35%” and of course we’ve never had that. So, actually this should have been a good news story that was turned into a negative one.

But, the beauty of it for landlords, or people investing is that from a landlord’s perspective, this means people rent for longer, because people are nervous of buying and think Brexit might crash property prices, so it’s worth waiting. For those that want to invest this results in less demand in the market, so you’ve got less competition and, in theory, you can get better deals.

The only people that have really suffered from this, and it wasn’t necessarily because of Brexit, but because post the Brexit vote the pound fell and migrant workers started going home, or started to go and work in countries like Germany. As a result, we do know that there’s quite a lot of vacant rooms, especially in HMOs. It’s anecdotal, but I’ve spoken to landlords who’ve got quite big HMO portfolios, and for the first time in ten years they’re now renting to English people. They’ve never done that before. As a result, some of them are really struggling to fill the rooms.

Additional 3% Stamp Duty

The government states there are currently over 2.5 million landlords in the UK and collectively they own nearly 5.5 million properties.

Stamp duty liability for second home purchases has increased substantially from April 2016.

Man confined to wheelchair for life refused benefits by DWP 15 months ago still waiting tribunal!

John Hinds, who suffers curvature of the spine, has blasted the waiting time.

A man facing life in a wheelchair is heartbreakingly still waiting for a tribunal 15 months after the DWP refused his benefits.

John Hinds, who suffers curvature of the spine, has blasted the waiting time.

Mr Hinds has branded it “ridiculous” – after he was left furious by the Department for Work and Pensions’ decision.

The County Durham man has received Disability Living Allowance (DLA) benefits for a number of health problems.

Heartbreakingly, these include osteoarthritis, anxiety, depression and curvature of the spine.

The mixture of health issues will eventually result in him being confined to a wheelchair.

Our sister title the Chronicle , based in Newcastle, reports the 53-year-old underwent a mandatory reassessment to move to Personal Independent Payment (PIP).

Tenant Fees Act 2019: What you need to know!

Hidden fees and extortionate deposits can

turn what seems like an affordable rental into a pricey deal.

With the overall cost being raised with these additional fees, it’s hard to know how much renting will really cost you.

Luckily for future and current tenants, the government has introduced a ban on unnecessary fees, a move that is estimated to save tenants around £240 million a year. Introduced from 1st June 2019, here’s everything tenants need to know about the new letting fees ban.

What can landlords charge tenants after the letting fees ban?

Rent, which should be agreed before the contract is signed.
A deposit, but this now can’t exceed the total amount of six weeks’ worth of rent.
A fee if the tenant wants to end the tenancy early.
Payments required when there is a default from the tenant, such as if they don’t pay their rent.
Holding deposits but these will be capped and no more than one week’s rent can be charged.
Changes to the tenancy agreement, as requested by the tenant.

What can’t landlords charge tenants after the letting fees ban?

Overcharging tenants for extra services, such as reinstalling smoke alarms.
Admin work, including inventories and contract renewals.
Overcharging on deposits, holding or otherwise.
Credit checks, which often cost very little for the landlord or agency to do.

According to a report from Letting Fees, a two-person household can expect to pay £386 on top of their deposit and rent before moving in.

The study also found that many of these costs are hidden on their website or were listed in a non-compliant way, such as not including VAT.

Cutting these costs can save tenants a significant amount of money.

What happens if your landlord breaks the ban?

If you believe your landlord is breaking the ban, you should remind them of your rights. If they continue to ignore the act, you should report them to your local council.

The punishment for breaching the letting fees ban is a fine of £5,000. If the same offence is committed again within 5 years, there will be an unlimited fine.

What else will change after the letting fees ban?

There will be new requirements about the way a holding deposit is returned by the landlord.
The cost of making changes to the tenancy agreement is capped at £50 unless the landlord can prove it came at a greater cost.
Payments requested by the landlord must be reasonable and made in writing.

When will the ban come into place?

It’s believed that the letting fees ban will come into action on the 1st June 2019. Any agreements signed on or after this date will have to follow the above guidelines when it comes to additional charges or fees.

At the time of writing, the Tenant Fees Bill has worked its way through the House of Commons and House of Lords, although it’s subject to amendments as it’s in its third reading. From there, the bill will go back to the House of Commons where the amendments will be assessed by MPs. Finally, it will be granted royal assent before being put into action.

Looking for a new tenant, or seeking the perfect pad? Badi offers a variety of easy to use features to make the journey a whole lot easier.

Reckless or negligent?’ DWP’s decade-long failure to assess universal credit impact.

By John Pring on Category: Benefits and Poverty.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted an “extraordinary” failure over nearly a decade to carry out any detailed calculations on how universal credit will affect different groups of disabled people.

DWP has always admitted there would be winners and losers among disabled people as it gradually introduced its delayed and much-criticised new system, while it claims that any savings would be reinvested into supporting those it calls “the most severely disabled”.

But it has repeatedly refused to provide clear details of how universal credit (UC) is likely to affect different groups of disabled people, particularly those currently receiving the various disability-related premiums.

Disability News Service (DNS) has been trying for nearly 18 months to obtain calculations showing exactly DWP believes different groups of disabled people will be financially affected by the introduction of UC.

When DWP failed to provide these figures, following a freedom of information request, DNS lodged a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Now DWP has been forced to admit to the information commissioner that throughout the nine years since it announced its plans to replace six income-related benefits with the new UC, it has not once carried out and recorded any calculations to show how different groups of disabled people would be affected financially.

DWP told ICO: “We do not hold this information because the variables involved are too numerous to enable us to conduct an analysis with case comparisons.

“In addition, as the calculations and methodologies are different, no meaningful direct comparisons can be made between Universal Credit awards and awards of benefit from a legacy system.”

A spokesperson for the Benefits and Work website, which provides advice and information on benefits, said: “It seems extraordinary that such basic calculations weren’t carried out and shared with representative organisations before such a fundamental change in benefits for disabled people was imposed.”

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) said DWP’s failure to make the calculations was either “callous and reckless or negligent”.

And Disability Rights UK said it was “disingenuous for the DWP to say that it could not provide case comparisons”.

Instead of providing DNS with the examples it requested, DWP sent ICO links to equality impact assessments it carried out in 2011, which include some figures showing the overall, generalised, predicted impact of UC.

An equality impact assessment in November 2011(PDF, page 13) suggested that 27 per cent of “disabled households” would gain by an average of about £33 a week under UC, while 27 per cent would lose by about £37 a week, although it claimed that DWP intended to “reinvest all savings from the disability reforms back into support for the most severely disabled”.

Seven years later, in a report from January 2018, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) noted that “there will be winners and losers from changes in the way UC supports disabled people”.

OBR also noted (main report, page 135) that the net cost to disabled people on incapacity benefits such as employment and support allowance in the transition to UC would reach £0.8 billion by 2020-21.

In its decision notice on the complaint, ICO pointed out that DNS had argued that it would be “logical… that before embarking on such a major change [as the introduction of universal credit], the DWP would wish to have some understanding of how individuals and families might be affected”.

DNS had also said it was “implausible that the DWP had not carried out any indicative case studies to see how a ‘typical’ claimant might be affected”, said ICO.

DNS first asked DWP for information nearly 18 months ago, after its press office said the government had “simplified and rationalised the various, complex disability premiums that exist in the legacy system”, but was unable to say how this “rationalisation” would work and how disabled people would be impacted financially by the change to UC.

DNS asked DWP to describe the exact financial impact universal credit would have on disabled people who would previously have received these premiums.

DWP was asked to provide comparisons both for those making a new UC claim and for disabled people transferring across from legacy benefits such as employment and support allowance.

But after DNS complained that DWP was refusing to release this information, ICO has now ruled that, “on the balance of probabilities”, DWP “holds no further information within the scope of the request”, although it said it had breached the Freedom of Information Act by failing to respond to the DNS request within 20 working days.

The information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, added: “It is not the role of the Commissioner to determine what type of information a public authority should (or should not) hold within the scope of an information request – only what information is as a matter of fact, held.

“The Commissioner recognises that the DWP has put out, into the public domain, a great deal of information about its methodology for modelling the impacts of UC and that this has been highlighted to the complainant.

“Having pressed the DWP on this point, the Commissioner is satisfied that the data being used in the Model is not of the level of granularity that the complainant is seeking.”

Bob Ellard, a member of DPAC’s national steering group, said: “Either the DWP did do these calculations and they are hiding it, or they didn’t do them at all.

“In the first instance, the results must be bad, or they would have published them.

“In which case the DWP have been negligent pressing ahead with a system they know will cause harm to disabled people

“In the second instance, pressing ahead without knowing what the effects would be is sheer callous recklessness.

Follow the full article link below.

“Callous and reckless or negligent. Take your pick.

“What is certain is that we need an independent public inquiry into what has been going on at the DWP all the way through welfare reform.

Terminally ill Universal Credit claimants forced to attend work assessments if they have more than six months.

Patients declared to be terminally ill are being forced to attend work assessments if they are expected to live more than six months.

The shocking policy means they can’t get benefits such as Universal Credit without DWP interviews to see if they are fit for work.

It’s said to be causing distress and significant financial hardship to people who are diagnosed with an incurable disease.

Care organisation Marie Curie said: “People with a terminal illness may live for days, weeks, months or sometimes years.

“It can be difficult for doctors to predict how long someone will live for. This can depend on their diagnosis and any treatments they may be receiving.”

But the Government defines terminal illness as “when a person’s death can be reasonably expected within six months.”

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This has been slammed as “outdated, arbitrary and not based on clinical reality” by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Terminal Illness (APPG).

The truth about India government modi.

Open rape in public all commissioned by modi On Sikh women.

Mayor, doctors and social workers arrested in scheme to brainwash children into believing they had been abused and sell them!

Network fabricated evidence and made children believe they had been abused in adoption scheme worth hundreds of thousands of euros.

Italian police have arrested 18 people, including a mayor, social workers and psychologists for allegedly “brainwashing” children into believing their parents had abused them, in a scheme to take them away from their families and sell them to foster parents.

Authorities in the central Italian city of Reggio Emilia revealed how a network of carers allegedly used hours of psychotherapy sessions and electroshocks to convince children their parents had sexually abused them and “alter their memory ahead of the trials”, Italy’s Ansa news agency reports.

They then allegedly sold the children on to friends and acquaintances in a scheme worth hundreds of thousands of euros.

The investigations, codenamed “Angels and Demons”, started in the summer of 2018 after police received a series of reports of wrongdoing that initially proved false.

The 18 arrested include Andrea Carletti, mayor of Bibbiano, a town of about 10,000 near Reggio Emilia, as well as politicians, doctors, social workers and psychologists.

The network initially fabricated false reports to take children away from disadvantaged families. Then they proceeded to convince the children that they had indeed been abused.

In an episode reported by Italian newspaper La Repubblica, a girl said she couldn’t remember why she couldn’t see her father anymore.

Follow the full article link here and related articles.

“But don’t you remember you said you didn’t want to see him? I remember this,” a psychologist told her.

Older homeowners in Capital losing £1,000 equity a month from Brexit fallout!

Retired mortgage-free homeowners in London have lost more than £12,000 over the past year while over-65s in the South East and East Anglia have also seen property wealth values drop, according to research.

However, London and the South East still accounts for a third of all property wealth despite tumbling property values, according to Key Retirement’s pensioner property equity index, which revealed that Scottish retired homeowners also saw their property wealth slip slightly.

Will Hale, CEO at specialist equity release adviser Key said: “The ongoing uncertainty in the property market and the economy as a whole is having an impact on house prices but overall retired homeowners have still gained an average of more than £1,000 from their houses in the past year.”

Total property wealth owned by mortgage-free over-65s who have paid off mortgages is valued at £1.096trn – down from £1,118trn recorded earlier in the year as the impact of the market slowdown starts to be felt across the board.

Winners and losers.

However, the biggest winners are over-65s in the West Midlands who are nearly £7,500 better off than a year ago with strong gains of £6,560 in Wales and the North West at £6,297.

Hale said: “Increasingly equity release customers are able to help their adult children or even grandchildren to pay for house deposits while also being able to sort out their own finances whether it is clearing debts or even paying off mortgages.

“Equity release is not right for everyone but it is clear that if your home is your largest asset you should take some time to assess what role property wealth can play in retirement planning.”

More over-65s in the North West have paid off mortgages with 671,000 owning their homes outright compared with 656,000 in the South East.

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Universal Credit claimants forced to rely on loans to survive, survey reveals!

Those on the new welfare scheme saw debts increase and many turned to foodbanks

Universal Credit claimants have revealed they rely on loans from family, friends or private firms to survive.

They are forced to find sources of extra cash while waiting for their first payment of the new benefit.

According to a survey by a housing association, more than three quarters of those quizzed had to borrow money.

The Riverside Group, which manages 55,000 homes across the UK, carried out a survey of 350 of its residents.

Call to scrap ‘cruel’ Universal Credit two-child limit as ‘scale of suffering’ revealed

It found that more than three quarters (78 per cent) relied on loans from family, friends or a private firm.

The Department for Work and Pensions insists claimants can get advance payments of their Universal Credit

But such advances must be paid back over 12 months and can lead to further debt mounting up – prompting some campaigners to say the upfront money should instead be treated as non-repayable grants

Are you on Universal Credit, about to apply for it, or being moved across to it from existing benefits?

We want to hear YOUR stories.

We are especially interested in talking to an individual or family from the West Midlands to follow your Universal Credit experiences from the beginning.

And if you’re already on Universal Credit and having problems, we want to hear from you too.

Get in touch with your name, location and contact information to:

david.bentley@reachplc.com

newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk

or send a message to our social media pages:

Birmingham Live on Facebook

Birmingham Live on Twitter

Some 63 per cent of those who took part in the housing group’s survey have experienced an increase in debt and 41 per cent turned to foodbanks.

And the average arrears for its residents on Universal Credit was £666 – compared to £185 for those claiming other benefits, reports the Mirror.

Riverside Group strategy director Hugh Owen said: “Our findings clearly show that our tenants are experiencing increased financial difficulty because of the wait for Universal Credit .

More: On this and related articles below.

“The five week wait means that many people are going without food or heating and are getting into debt to cover their bills.”

The housing association is the latest to demand an end to the five-week wait.

Universal Credit – 7 things you need to know!

Housing should be affordable, period!

EVAN SIDDALL

CONTRIBUTED TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL.

Evan Siddall is president and CEO of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. and an advocate for housing affordability

Matthew Desmond summed it up in his book, Evicted: “without stable shelter, everything else falls apart.” People who live in safe, secure homes have better lives: better health care, more stable employment, better education for their kids, and on and on.

However, the wealthier a city gets, the more expensive its housing becomes. A Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) study found that economic growth and immigration strongly influence demand for housing. When they exist together with slow housing supply, the problem compounds even further. Opportunistic investors – both domestic and foreign – seize an investment opportunity and prices climb higher still.

Housing affordability has become a headline issue in Canada. Young people can’t afford to buy homes and seniors can’t afford to keep them. People are clamouring for governments to help.

However, price is a function of supply and demand. Making home-buying easier, by easing mortgage eligibility requirements for example, can increase demand; but unless supply keeps up, prices rise even higher. The federal government has therefore made deliberate investments in housing supply.

Yet, residential real estate represents a staggering 7.5 per cent of the Canadian economy, compared with 4.9 per cent in the United States and 4.1 per cent in the United Kingdom; even Australia’s debt-fuelled housing boom comprises only 5.9 per cent of gross domestic product. Simply put, building more single-family homes is not the foundation upon which our economic prosperity will be built.

If we aren’t careful, housing will eventually eat our economic future from within. Canadians spend 50 per cent more on real estate transaction costs (broker fees, land-transfer taxes and legal costs) than we do on research and development. In comparison, our American friends spend 25 per cent more on research and development than they do on real estate transactions.

Besides, we offer lots of help to home buyers already. Government-supported mortgage insurance helps people buy houses with almost no equity. On top of that, people can borrow from their RRSPs and access provincial down-payment programs.

Counterintuitively, if we focus housing programs only on helping people buy homes, we make it harder for people to afford places to live. If more people can afford to spend more to buy houses, prices increase. And higher-priced housing leads to higher rents.

Follow the full article link here below.

Renters are generally less well off and some face hard choices about whether to pay rent or skip a meal or have warm clothes for their children.

Leasehold axed for all new houses in move to place fairness at heart of housing market!

Press release

All new-build houses will be sold as freehold in bold move to tackle unfair leasehold practices

Pernicious ground-rents on new leases to be reduced to £0 – preventing leaseholders being charged soaring fees for which they receive zero benefit
All new houses to be sold on freehold basis unless there are exceptional circumstances – ending unscrupulous practice of unnecessary leaseholds
Immediate action to ban Help to Buy being used to support leasehold houses – stopping taxpayers’ money being used to fund unjustified sale of leasehold houses

All new-build houses will be sold as freehold in a bold move to tackle unfair leasehold practices and prevent future home-owners from being trapped in exploitative arrangements, the Communities Secretary said today (27 June 2019).

In a wide-ranging speech to the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in Manchester, the Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP confirmed plans to abolish the selling of new houses as leasehold properties and reduce ground rents for new leases to zero – putting cash back into the pockets of future homeowners.

To stop freeholders and managing agents taking as long as they want – and charging what they want – to provide leaseholders with the vital information they need to sell their home, ministers will introduce a new time limit of 15 working days and a maximum fee of £200 to make the home buying process quicker, easier and cheaper.

The Secretary of State has also instructed Homes England to renegotiate Help to Buy contracts to explicitly rule out the selling of new leasehold houses, other than in exceptional circumstances, to protect new home buyers from unscrupulous charges.

And where buyers are incorrectly sold a leasehold home – saddling them with a property that could ultimately prove difficult to sell – consumers will be able to get their freehold outright at no extra cost.

The measures announced today demonstrate the government’s commitment to ensure decent and fair housing for the people and communities that need them, as it strives to deliver 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s.

Other important proposals unveiled include new proposals to make it easier for renters to transfer deposits directly between landlords when moving; extra funding for 19 new garden villages; and radical new measures to speed up planning applications.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP told the Chartered Institute of Housing conference:

We have long recognised that we have a responsibility to confront unfairness in the leasehold market. Last year we consulted on proposals including the leasehold house ban and ground rent reduction.

Today I can confirm we will go ahead with our original plan to reduce ground rents on future leases to zero, as opposed to a cap of £10 per year.

And we will legislate to ensure that in the future – save for the most exceptional circumstances – all new house will be sold on a freehold basis.

We are committed to taking bold action to reform the sector and will be pressing ahead as soon as parliamentary time allows – helping us delivery our promise to make the home buying and selling process quicker, cheaper and easier.

The government’s proposals have already had a fundamental impact on the housing market since they were unveiled, with the sale of leasehold houses falling from 11% to just 2% this year.

Plans for deposit pass-porting.

More than 4 million people live in the private rented sector, yet when moving home, some tenants can find it a struggle to provide a second deposit to their new landlord – risking falling into debt or becoming trapped in their current home.

Follow the full article link here below.

Ministers want to understand the scale of this problem.

12 dead as rare bacterial infection spreads through Essex!!

The bacteria can be found in the throat and on the skin and can be spread through people sneezing, kissing and skin contact.

Twelve people have died of a rare bacterial infection that has spread in Essex.

There have been 32 reported cases of the disease, called invasive Group A streptococcus (iGAS), the NHS Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group has confirmed.

It said the outbreak started in Braintree and has since spread to the Chelmsford and Maldon areas.

The bacteria can be found in the throat and on the skin and people may carry it without displaying any symptoms.

It can live in throats and on hands for long enough to allow it to be spread between people through sneezing, kissing and skin contact.

In a report, the clinical commissioning group said the “sometimes life-threatening GAS disease may occur when bacteria get into parts of the body where bacteria usually are not found, such as the blood, muscle, or the lungs”.

It said that “most of the patients affected are elderly and had been receiving care for chronic wounds, in the community, either in their own homes and some in care homes”.