Everyone's got a hand in my pocket.

[Manks]

In the course of my work I employ a number of different self-employed tradesmen and have often used the same blokes for years. I am finding an increasing number of them are struggling for work again after a brief period of being busier.

The problem with this is that I used to be able to ask a tradesman just to get on with something and I could trust him not to take the mick on the price. Not so now. I have received some silly invoices of late and had to knock them back. It is simply because they have little other work and they are trying it on with me because they perceive that I can afford it.

The same seems to be true of the local council. Any of the revenue generating functions it normally performs have been ramped up noticeably in the past year and they are looking for any opportunity to raise a charge.

It seems that everyone has got their hand out for something on an unprecedented scale at present. Has anyone else found this?

Manks

[DangerousMike]

I'm happy to share my opinion with you, 10p per word.

[Magog]

I'm fairly convinced that there is some pretty rampant inflation out there that's being covered up, whitewashed over etc.

[emicen]

The local council have decided to pay and display our entire street because they've suddenly twigged roughly 1000 2 and 3 bedroom flats with only 1 space per flat will have a load of people that need to park on the street. Thats on top of charging us the second highest council tax band available to live in an area where there are 3 heroin/crim hostels within spitting distance and you cant walk a dog on the grass across the road because there's used hypodermic's from the local junkies everywhere.

I'm trying to gather a collective local voice to tell them to poke it.

[DangerousMike]

you could always pay the junkies 50 quid to smash up the parking machines when they are installed.

[10 Pence Short]

DangerousMike said:

I'm happy to share my opinion with you, 10p per word.

I'll do it for that price, less 10p.

[Puggit]

10 Pence Short said:

DangerousMike said:

I'm happy to share my opinion with you, 10p per word.

I'll do it for that price, less 10p.

[Halb]

DangerousMike said:

you could always pay the junkies 50 quid to smash up the parking machines when they are installed.

That's initiative.

[Mojooo]

its the market, isn't it?

[5unny]

DangerousMike said:

you could always pay the junkies 50 quid to smash up the parking machines when they are installed.

Then pay for the repair of the machines through a council tax increase. Can't win against the gubberment

[br d]

Manks said:

In the course of my work I employ a number of different self-employed tradesmen and have often used the same blokes for years. I am finding an increasing number of them are struggling for work again after a brief period of being busier.

The problem with this is that I used to be able to ask a tradesman just to get on with something and I could trust him not to take the mick on the price. Not so now. I have received some silly invoices of late and had to knock them back. It is simply because they have little other work and they are trying it on with me because they perceive that I can afford it.

The same seems to be true of the local council. Any of the revenue generating functions it normally performs have been ramped up noticeably in the past year and they are looking for any opportunity to raise a charge.

It seems that everyone has got their hand out for something on an unprecedented scale at present. Has anyone else found this?

Manks

+1 mate.

I have also had to lose a few good subbies over the last 6 months because of overcharging. My company is existing in a strange limbo at the moment, although work is holding up and superficially things feel ok everybody is actually feeling very uncertain and trying to make hay as it were. I also contract to several local government authorities and ALMO's and there finally seems to be a (long overdue) reality check creeping in.

I've been running a business a long time and I'm comfortable with either 'flying high' or 'tightening belts' but the atmosphere at the moment is very unsettling and ambigous.
To dive or leap?

[ShadownINja]

I was thinking... when the government say cuts, what it means is that cuts are not made but the feckless council just increase local taxes to cover the shortfall thus the law-abiding tax payer pays more for the same st services. Greedy bankers are everywhere.

[AJS-]

They have been hiding inflation for years with the ingenious method of looking at the RPI and removing anything that's gone up in price. Housing, petrol, taxes. Well that's where most people's income goes genius!

[emicen]

ShadownINja said:

I was thinking... when the government say cuts, what it means is that cuts are not made but the feckless council just increase local taxes to cover the shortfall thus the law-abiding tax payer pays more for the same st services. Greedy bankers are everywhere.

Law abaiding citizens foolish enough to work would be more accurate.

As per my post above on the parking meters outside my street. All the asylum seekers, dole bludgers and junkies in social housing wont be affected. They either dont own cars or own cars so st they could leave them open and they wouldnt get broken in to no matter how dodgy the area. Its those of us already stuck with consequences of living with them that are going to pay, those of us who have worked to own a car and actually pay our council tax.