Dave Dribble 2
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Posts posted by Dave Dribble 2
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In Wales, schools sometimes set a deficit budget, accompanied by a 3 year recovery plan agreed by the Local Education Authority.
This can be for a whole myriad of reasons such as a particularly small year group coming through the school (meaning reduced funding) yet the school knows (from its partner primary schools) that a bulge of pupils (large year groups) is to follow.
Things are tough in Welsh schools - they get about £530 less per pupil that schools in England.
The problem lots of sixth form schools have had in Wales, was that last year, at the last minute, after schools had set their budgets, agreed option choices with children/parents and created the timetables for the year ahead, the Welsh Assembly Government announced a 6% reduction in funding for sixth form students. Although some of the schools in the list aren't sixth form schools. RAISE funding has also been drastically reduced.
Schools are in a difficult position. They have to deliver the curriculum. They are required to do so and in Wales have to provide 20 odd pathways (curriculum entitlement) too.
In Swansea, schools are in real trouble due to the Lib Dem council taking £5 million out of the schools budget. They are reducing the payment per pupil by 0.9%. They aren't passing on the 1.9% increase that the Welsh Assembly Government have given them for education and they aren't funding the final year of the teachers' pay award. There's a lot of redundancies being made. Hasn't hit the local press yet - anyone would think the local newspaper was run by Lib Dems.
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For the most part I read this forum out of amusement. The generally uninformed and illogical posts do make me smile. However the above statement is just out there with the faries. £2.50 is spent on not taxing someone?
For some people that post on this forum, not taxing somebody is considered government spend.
Just astonishing, I hope that said person is not in a position of influence, or a profession requiring insight, logic and intelligence.
Ahhhh... so that's a no, then.
I shall re-phrase it then.
For every £1 spent on public sector pensions the government doesn't collect £2.50 as a result of providing tax relief for the top 1% of earners.
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I think some people mistakenly think a final salary pension means the worker ends up with a pension paying an annual amount the same as the salary. There are a lot of ill informed people around and a lot of people who believe anything they're told by the right wing think tanks and politicians. There doesn't seem to be any informed debate on the issue or any attempt at "fairness".
Teachers (who often come in for a lot of criticism on this site) have a final salary pension scheme. For teachers who joined the scheme before 2006, the pension is a 40/80ths pension. A teacher has to work forty years in order to receive a pension of half his/her final salary. So, starting at 22 that means s/he needs to work until 62. The average annual pension for a public sector worker is just over £5000. The average annual pension for a teacher is £9000. The retirement age is 60. Teachers retiring before 60 have their pensions actuarily reduced - by roughly 5% per year. So a teacher retiring at 55, only receives 75% of the pension s/he would get for the years of service (and contributions made) - a punishment for retiring early.
In 2005 teachers' pensions were reviewed and a new agreement made with the government that led to increased contributions. Teachers and employers do contribute to pensions. In total it amounts to nearly 20% of salary. It isn't teachers fault that the government hasn't invested these contributions into an investment fund. Had this been done, teachers would have benefited from higher pensions.
For every £1 the tax payer spends on public sector pensions, £2.50 is spent on tax relief for the top 1% of earners.
One of the newspapers (might have been the Telegraph) recently reported that public sector pension liabilities amounted to (I can't remember the exact figure but it was something very high such as) 95% of GDP. A scary thought. But that was if the government had to meet pay all the pensions (for those that have retired and those currently paying into the scheme) in one year. They don't - I for instance won't be claiming my pension for another 22/23 years, will be continuing to pay into the scheme for hte next 22/23 years and even when I do retire will receive my pension over (I hope) many years. Again, I don't remember this precisely but I think the actual annual cost of making public sector pension payments is something like 3% of GDP.
Yes, I'm a teacher.
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Article in today's Evening Post (available in shops from 8am - "Evening" my ****).
Chris Hope from Dawsons talking about how the interest from buyers has risen by 80% maybe 100% on last year (or something like that).
People are buying and selling houses he reckons.
Spring is a good time with nicer weather and lighter evenings apparently.
Bumper Property Post (80 pages) in tomorrow's paper.
Evening Post are clearly taking hints from the BBC - I remember they used to lead the news on Breakfast with the story that that evening's Panorama would be about.
Not on their web site yet so no link yet.
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wonder why in the design of this development they didn't put some retail units on the seafront promenade side overlooking the sea.
have some cafes, restaurants, ice cream parlours overlooking the sea and pull in the passing trade of walkers and cyclists along the prom, like a verdi's type place.
I'm sure that's exactly what they said they were going to do.
I'm sure I remember, when Meridian Quay was first muted, reading something along those lines in the paper.
I'm sure I remember something about "high class shopping" or "boutiques" - that sort of thing too.
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My regular check of the EA websites has shown quite a few new properties for sale with Dawsons since Christmas (in my target area).
Asking prices of those new to the market properties seem pretty much like 2007 prices.
This last week, a few of them have been listed as Sale Agreed or Under Offer - a sudden burst of activity. Will be interesting in a few months (if the sales complete) to see what the sale prices are.
There are other properties that have been for sale for a year or two. The prices for some have dropped, for others have stayed the same and for a couple have actually gone up in price the longer they've been on the market!
Did the two EAs just volunteer that information (about their rival) or did you initiate the discussion? Just interested as to whether they were having an honest moment or whether they were trying to get on with you and build a relationship with you by telling you what they think you wanted to hear (sales people)?
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They compared Gower to South Pembrokeshire.
Some Llangenith residents were filmed sitting in a pub talking about how expensive it had become and how upsetting it is their children won't be able to afford to live there.
I think there was some reference to Gower being expensive whilst the rest of Swansea is much cheaper.
One man couldn't afford to buy in Rhosili (I think although it could have been Llangenith), bought a terraced house in Mumbles, did it up and then was very upset that the only people who made an offer were English rather than locals. He then went to live in a cheaper suburb of Swansea.
A few scenes were shot of EAs working in a Dawsons office and Chris Hope was intereviewed.
That was about it really. It was a dumbed down approach to discussing rising house prices in Gower.
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Quite a few agents have these cars now.
Sales or rather viewings have shot up over the last few months. Problem with my company is that nobody will really see what happens.
The guy that puts my signs up is useless and I don't have time to do anything with my websites.
I'm not looking for business here, but if you give me a run down of criteria you are looking for Dave I can keep an eye out for you before some enter the market or of course repossessions and/or investment opportunities.
Hey Andy,
That's very kind of you.
To be honest, I'm not desperately looking for a property at the moment. I'm not really willing to pay the inflated prices that are being asked at the moment. Really, I'm waiting to see what'll happen after the General Election. I think if prices don't start to be more realistic (drop) by the Winter then I will buy a home anyway. It's a bit of a balance between not wanting to pay too much and at some point wanting to get on with my life. Ideally, I'm looking to stay in the Killay, Dunvant, Sketty area (or if I win some money on the lottery then the Derwen Fawr, West Cross, Norton area - so no chance of that). If the right property came along at a reasonable price (less than 200K) then I would snap it up and just accept that prices will fall soon and I'll have paid too much. Would be happy to buy a house needing updating/upgrading and I'd enjoy doing it up but anything needing building work would be out of my league.
Took a look at your web site earlier today. I like the photographs you've got on there (of Swansea/Gower).
Is there a way of searching for properties for sale?
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The fact the tower gained planning permission is something that really should be questioned.
It is far too tall in comparison with neighbouring buildings. It puts the bottom end of the Marina into shade in the early afternoon, even in the height of Summer.
The whole Meridian Quay development just doesn't match the development further along - the green coloured terrace (by the Observatory). Although it does look nicer than the brightly coloured blocks of flats (that are ten a penny in any British city now) even further along that look like some sort of cheap modula/prefrab buildings that should really only be seen on University campuses.
Have you noticed how the slightly sloping roofs on the smaller Meridian Quay blocks don't look as if they actually take rainwater off the roof. They seem to slope backwards towards a wall - suppose there must be some sort of internal drainage to deal with the water?
The problem with planning is you have qualified experts working in the planning department but for most decisions they are only allowed to make recommendations and a sub committee of local councilors make the decisions.
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Bump.
Did you watch it?
I did.
I think Chris Hope (Dawsons) said that in the last couple of months 60% of their buyers have been from outside Wales and of those 60% were cash buyers.
Did I hear that correctly?
It was quite ironic that the man who was upset he couldn't live in Llangenith (where he'd been brought up) and bought a house in Mumbles, then sold his Mumbles home to an English couple.
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Hi Jezza
Im sorry to hear about your experiences - but none of it surprises me.
I think (but not an expert) that the edit button is only available for a short time after postiing after which it cannot be ammended.
If Im wrong maybe someone else can suggest something.
Ive just edited this post now but cant edit older posts.
Ah, yes, the Edit facility is time limited.
Perhaps clicking Report and asking the moderators to remove the post is an option?
Article regarding theft at the restaurant on the Evening Post's web site.
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Hi Jezza C.
I feel very sorry for you having been caught up in all that.
Since your business relationship seems to have turned sour, I think it could be wise to delete your post (click Edit and then delete the contents) to avoid any potential legal issues. You could be setting yourself up for a problem or weakening your position.
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Just wondering what other people are noticing about the market in Swansea.
I've noticed a lot of properties that have been for sale for a year or so in the Sketty, Killay, Dunvant areas.
Having said that, one property that's been for sale near me for a few months has suddenly started to generate some interest. I've seen people arrive for three viewings this week. I hadn't noticed any viewings before that. The asking price is around the 170,000 mark.
I see that Dawsons now have 'ickle cars with "Dawsons" written on.
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Gee.
Well the fact he/the restaurant is in trouble isn't very surprising for those of us that read this forum.
Always a shame when a business fails and people lose their jobs.
Wonder what will become of the restaurant. If it does fail, I wonder if anyone else would want to take it over as a restaurant or whether it'll just lie empty.
Surely, it must be a typing mistake in the article where it says £186,92 interest per day - surely it is £18,692.
For someone like me who's scared of having even a medium sized mortgage for a modest home, I just can't imagine what owing nearly a million pounds must feel like.
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Today we read about Mark Broadbent pulling out of the venture before Christmas.
"just before Christmas he pulled out of the venture and claims he is still owed around £13,500 in unpaid wages".
But on January 12th, Peter Way is quoted as saying "Mark is still a big part of the business here. He's in charge of designing the menus, selecting produce and choosing suppliers. He's very talented and used to running big operations."
Before Christmas, wasn't there a quote in the paper claiming Broadbent was on holiday and hadn't walked out?
It's a tangled web.
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Spending money on pension contributions for its staff seems a much more appropriate use of public money than some of the other ways Swansea Council has spent money over recent years (e.g. a failed ICT system (did it cost over £80 million?), moving the Central Library to County Hall (which isn't in the centre of the city) and remodelling the road system to accomodate bendy buses).
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I've just opened a savings account with Scottish Widows at 3%.
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Typical.
I went to all the effort of typing that article in because it wasn't on their web site.
Check the website again five minutes later and now they've put it online.
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Of the tower restaurant?
Very slim property post - 8 pages mainly of large ads - in the post today. Can't read anything into that. Ironically, we probably want thousands of houses to go on the market in coming weeks to drag down prices with a glut of properties and a dearth of buyers.
Yes, the Property Post has been very slim/non existent since the start of December, I think.
I know it usually gets reduced in size for a couple of weeks over Christmas, but this year it seems to have been longer.
I'm not seeing any Sold signs. But then, I'm not seeing many new For Sale signs either.
Maybe estate agents have decided it's not worth their while to advertise at the moment.
I'm getting fed up of waiting for prices to slide to where they should be.
The sooner it happens the better.
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The front page has a picture of Mark Broadbent standing in front of the tower. The heading is "Mystery over Penthouse Chef".
Full story on page 9.
Quote:
Mystery surrounds the future of a celebrity chef linked to one of Swansea's most high profile restaurants.
TV chef Mark Broadbent is rumoured to have left the Penthouse, which opened with a glitzy celebrity launch on the 27th floor of the Meridian Tower in the marina.
But a spokeswoman for the venue said no decision has been made over the association with the star, who was a finalist in tV show the Great British Menu, with the restaurant which is owned by his long-time business collaborator Peter Way.
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The Penthouse spokeswoman said yesterday the chef is currently on holiday in India. She said "Should there be any further information on Mark's future with the restaurant, I will get back to you as soon as possible."
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The Penthouse spokeswoman said: "Mark has other business interests in London and his association has always therefore been on a part-time basis and in this capacity travels to Swansea on a regular basis. Mark's holiday plans do not affect the business at all. We have been open throughout Christmas and the new year and it has been business as usual and continues to be the case. " She said the Penthouse was now going to start focusing on an a la carte menu and would gradually be introducing a host of new menus including lunchtime options and corporate events. The spokeswoman said "we first want to get the restaurant firmly established and up and running for diners in Swansea and further afield".
So, What Now For Welsh House Prices
in Wales
Posted
Who are the two EAs you think are pricing to sell?