When Government Headlines Don't Match The Small Print
News that Carlisle City Council are in line for a £100 million government handout for new housing builds has been well received in the city after the recent flood left many areas of the city in ruins. However, the announcement by Housing Minister Caroline Flint is maybe not as generous as it sounds if you check the small print.
True, there is £100 million for the council to use but they will only receive a fraction of that immediately in order to allow a review of the city's needs and planning applications. The minister has revealed that it could take more than a decade for the new homes to be completed, with many speculating that the £100 million announcement is very much a public relations stunt.
Carlisle has been a city crying out for help for the past two years with many homes hit by the flood still not fit for purpose. Many people were able to claim off their insurance but this has not solved the shortage of property in the region. Quite how, when and where these proposed new homes will be built remains to be seen but if the pace of local government / central government action in the past is anything to go by those unable to return to their homes will not have to repack their belongings for some time yet!
Share this..
Related stories
Brokers cautious on FTSE 100
The FTSE 100 index is down today amid concerns expressed by a number of brokers regarding the UK economic outlook and the level of the FTSE 100 at the moment. There is no doubt that the ever darkening economic clouds are now starting to impact on investor sentiment although there have been a number of brighter periods over the last few days. So which way will the FTSE go in the short to medium ter...
Read MoreUK trade gap widens in April
The UK trade deficit for April increased from £7.259 billion in March to £7.279 billion in April although the figures were overshadowed somewhat by the volcanic ash saga which grounded planes for over a week. While the figures are slightly disappointing, in that many experts had expected imports to increase, these are probably figures we can discount because of the unknown entity which was the v...
Read MoreShould we be forced to pay for NHS healthcare?
There was a rather alarming piece in one of the Scottish newspapers earlier this week which seemed to suggest that the Scottish government, or at least the Scottish NHS, is actually considering charging patients up to £200 a night for staying in hospital! While there is no doubt that the cost of the NHS and other public services has increased dramatically over the last 20 or 30 years, surely o...
Read MoreUK government looking to take control of the online arena
We recently covered a report by the Office of Fair Trading into information farmed from the Internet by various UK retail sites. In some cases this information, which has been collected anonymously, has been used to try and predict customer requirements, customer activity and also to pitch items and services at "acceptable prices". In essence, many Internet users are having their activity recorded...
Read MoreRMT union forced to call off rail strike
The RMT union has today been forced to call off a planned strike next week which could have coincided with Gordon Brown calling the date of the next election. The strike has been suspended after a court ruling regarding alleged irregularities and the alleged unlawful nature of the strike action. This is a bitter blow to the RMT union and while Network Rail management may be feeling a little happie...
Read More