Chunk

Quite clearly it's those blue lights that make all the difference

Surely this should negatively impact house prices... maybe not. 'But the Bank said January's figure had been "erratically high," and the fall did not indicate a slow-down.' Yeah, yeah - keep propping up the market

I live in Chapel en-le-frith which is only 5 minutes away by car. The area is lovely, the locals are friendly, the train link into Manchester is ok and there are some great pubs but... I have the luxury of working from home 3 days per week. On the two days I have to travel, I avoid the A6 into Manchester between 7.30-10am and then again late afternoon. The main road from Hayfield into Glossop is fine but about 25% of the time I get stuck behind a truck/tractor doing 25mph in a 50 zone. We moved to Chapel in January this year and haven't really experienced a hard winter yet but I believe that Buxton is the area where you can get snowed in. The barn conversion is nice but way over priced in my opinion. For 65k less you can have an extra six acres with this property My link Personally, I'm renting and will do for a while longer as house prices still haven't normalised. I don't know your family situation but this rental property in Marple Bridge is 1450pcm and I believe falls within the catchment area for Ludworth primary school (rated outstanding). Marple bridge itself is nice and relatively close to the motorway. My link

The catchment area for Whaley is apparently Chapel-En-Le-Frith high school which is rated as 'good' ofsted. After living in Chapel since January, I'm getting fed up with the A6 being gridlocked every time I go into Manchester so it looks like buying in Whaley is off the table too. I'm watching the proposed new housing development at Woodford with great interest...

I'm seriously considering Whaley. Good schools, decent train service into Manchester, nice community feel, gorgeous scenery and you get a bit more for your money. Houses like this sell for 350k http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22279341.html?premiumA=true

Apparently the Poynton bypass has the green light My link I'm currently renting in Chapel so if the bypass went ahead, the commute from high peak to the airport wouldn't be so bad.

My husband and I are selling up and moving back to the UK. We bring with us a little boy and two English Bulldogs. Agent after agent I call automatically say 'no pets' even though we are replying to adverts that don't mention pets. I know dogs are smelly and some chew furniture but I'm willing to increase my deposit and have the carpets professionally cleaned when I move. Only two agents (Rowcliffes and Ryder Dutton) have asked the landlords if they would make an exception and funnily enough both Landlords said they would. I get the feeling that a lot of agents just can't be arsed. I'll be buying a house in a couple of years and there are a number of agents that I won't be arsed to deal with I guess the rental market in greater Manchester is so good that these agents don't have to do sweetFA

I broke a pane of on my balcony door to gain access to my apartment- I'd locked myself out and my downstairs neighbours kindly let me use their ladder in the back garden. Anyways... I replaced the glass myself after getting a local glass cutter to cut a piece to size. That cost me 10 quid. good luck

Utrecht and Amsterdam are very pricey for renters. I live in South Holland which is relatively cheap - especially as I get a tax break on my mortgage. Most companies in Holland pay for public transport costs which is a big plus if you have to commute. A few downsides to living in Holland is that the income tax is high (52% for me), health insurance is compulsory (about 130 eur per month) and general food/consumer goods are far more expensive than in the UK. The grass isn't always greener. I'm coming home next year.

Entrepreneurs like yourself are sadly in the minority.

I agree that schools should not be holding pens. Schools should be a safe learning environment and the focus should be on kids that want to learn- not on some disruptive kids. The majority of disruptive kids in my school went on to be career criminals so I don't buy into the idea that they should leave school early. You're making an assumption that 14 year olds would actually want to leave school and work. We all know the UK has a problem with teenagers skipping school and hanging around the streets drinking and misbehaving. If kids were allowed to leave school early then social problems would only get worse. Sure, some kids are not academics and would like to pursue manual work but IMO 16/17 is a good age to start an apprenticeship.

I can't believe some posters on here actually back this concept. The reality is that if a child (and at 14 they are still a child) is disruptive at school, they are not going to be a model employee - that's if there is even work for them. Disruptive behaviour stems from different complex issues outside of the classroom and to write these kids off would be a pity. I'm all for youngsters learning blue collar skills if they choose but it should be part of an education system and not just as an excuse for cheap labour.

Fantastic, let's go back to Victorian times and divide the class system even more. Introducing national service for teenagers that don't pursue further education, now there's an idea...

an EA in Glossop told me that most of the houses there are LH. Apperently it dates back to a time when Mill owners owned the surrounding land and had houses built for their workforce.

you could probably have some very interesting house parties there. I can imagine the adams family living in a house like that