Latest news with #PostcodeLottery
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Energy giants have questions to answer over zonal pricing
For the Highlands, the proposal ticked boxes. In a region with a colder climate, in which an estimated 33% of households in Highland experience fuel poverty, and have higher costs of living and lower incomes, the possibility of lower energy bills was attractive. Especially given that costs for those in the Highlands and Islands are higher, because of greater dependence on electricity and heating oil than mains gas. Even the unstinting efforts of Changeworks, Home Energy Scotland, the Energy Saving Trust and other advice services can only partially mitigate the difficulties faced by many. But now Energy and Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband has rejected Zonal Pricing, asserting that 'a fair, secure, affordable and efficient electricity system' can only be achieved through a reformed pricing system. Read more: The way to escape from dependence on 'fossil fuel markets controlled by dictators' is through a single national (UK) wholesale price. The dreaded 'Postcode Lottery' had to be avoided. And there was no guarantee Zonal Pricing would bring lower bills for anyone. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray praised the decision, citing a 'predictable climate for investment'. Consumers will, he insisted, 'feel the benefit of Labour's clean energy mission.' Bigger energy players agreed: Centrica have called it 'common-sense' and SSE's Martin Pibworth has said zonal pricing would have slowed the clean power transition, 'making energy bills more expensive.' The Inverness Courier responded with alacrity and condemnation: 'Labour's Ed Miliband has ruled out zonal pricing that could have cut Scotland's soaring energy bills because it would be 'unfair' to areas like the Midlands and South of England that consume the most power … the move could have a significant impact on next year's Holyrood election … over-charging Highland residents for electricity that is generated in the region.' Ed Miliband has come under fire over the decision. (Image: Newsquest) It's also worth noting that the SNP has carefully avoided backing zonal pricing – Kate Forbes and John Swinney, while predictably critical of Miliband, have steered clear, after the mess they made of Scotwind leases for offshore wind rights, underselling by, some say, £60 billion. While co-operation between UK and Scottish Governments is essential, criticism of Ed Miliband's statement is hypocrisy. All the same, UK Labour will need a good wind in its sails if it wishes to persuade voters with its reformed national pricing regime, changes to transmission charging and more planned infrastructure development. For starters, it must reassure the thousands already unconvinced by the bitter contrast between talk of a 'just transition' and the 150-metre-plus wind turbines marching implacably through their glen, trailing substations behind. Except these are not Labour Government developments. Among Mrs Thatcher's many gifts to us was a Wild West Energy marketplace, and the very corpulent corporations currently invading rural Scotland are not bringing power to the glens for the nation, like Tom Johnston, but seeking profit with a greenwashed prospectus. And the UK Government is not the major player here, its partnership with Big Energy looking a bit uneven. Ed Miliband's department is promising eligible households within 500 metres of electricity transmission infrastructure discounts on their bills, with further compensation to come. Read more: Will this be enough? I want to see UK Labour deliver its proposals for 'a transformative Community Energy programme' – community-led renewables and a 20% community share of large-scale projects. I want an end to Constraint payments adding to consumers' bills, when the Grid infrastructure isn't up to the job and turbine sails move uselessly around like Tories canvassing at elections. The challenges of rural living remain, and must be addressed. One of the most authoritative studies is the 2023 report by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, The cost of living: impact on rural communities in Scotland. And the Scottish Human Rights Commission's 2024 report on life in the Highlands and Islands stands in stark judgement on all levels of government. Energy costs loom large in these important documents. But the biggest questions should be asked of those corporate giants of Scottish energy, whose lobbying is ever on behalf of shareholders and profits. Their campaigning and threatening have worked so far, but their cynicism, seeing communities as anonymous cattle to be milked, must now be lessened by more realistic community shares. Zonal pricing, Big Energy claimed, risked hindering investment, diverting time and resources, bringing volatility, market instability and probably plagues of frogs. Well, SSEN (profits £2.4bn.) E-ON (£3bn) EDF (£8.5bn) and Scottish Power (£1.2bn) now have to walk the walk, and deliver on their promises to help consumers and build an age of clean power. Michael Gregson is a Labour councillor for Inverness Central
North Wales Chronicle
5 hours ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Anglesey residents celebrate £400K Postcode Lottery windfall
The LL60 6NF (Llangaffo) area of the island was revealed as one of Saturday's (July 19) £402,860 prize draw winners. It means that players of the People's Postcode Lottery living within that postcode will all be £402,860 richer. The following Anglesey postcodes also won £2,279 each: Matt Johnson, Postcode Lottery ambassador, said: 'We've had the Prince of Wales living and working on Anglesey, now we have the wins of Wales. "What an incredible surprise for our big winner. And what a lovely bonus, too, for hundreds of neighbours in the wider community to share in this wonderful Welsh win.' The Postcode Lottery manages lotteries for 20 Postcode Trusts and one-third of tickets are donated to charity. Players pay £10 a month to enter the daily draw - with each one shelling out £1,000 to residents on 20 lucky UK streets. There is also a weekly draw on a Thursday, which awards £10 each to players in 1,000 postcodes. Since 2005, People's Postcode Lottery players have raised more than £950million for various good causes.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
The area of Scotland most likely to win Postcode Lottery revealed
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WINNING some extra cash in the Postcode Lottery is a dream for most of us. But people who live in certain areas across Scotland actually have a higher chance of winning than others. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 A Lanarkshire town came in at the top of the list for lucky Scots Credit: Alamy This is because new research has found that some locations are luckier compared to others. Experts at Casino Deps have revealed that you might have better odds of winning some extra cash if you live in one of these lucky areas. And they shared the ten locations in Scotland that are most likely to win the Postcode Lottery. The team analysed the total number of Postcode Lottery wins in each of Scotland's 16 postal areas between January 2011 and June 2025. The total number of wins was divided by the number of postcode districts in each area to reveal those with the highest average number of wins. And these numbers showed the postcode areas that are actually the luckiest when it comes to winning some money. Whatever the reason for their luck, residents in these top-ranking areas will be hoping it continues in the future Amanda Wilson Coming in at the top of the list were those that start with ML, which is the Motherwell postcode area in Lanarkshire. The area had an average of 32.42 wins per postcode district, and, in total, there have been 389 wins across the 12 postcode districts over the last 14 years. This was closely followed by those with a DD postcode, which covers the Dundee area. The city has an average of 29 wins per postcode district, with a total of 319 wins over the 11 districts. I almost died after freak surgery accident AND bus crash, now I've won £65k in lottery win The KY postcode in Kirkcaldy, Fife, rounded out the top three places with an average of 22.25 wins across its 16 postcode districts. The town has had 356 wins overall. G postcodes, which cover Glasgow, came fourth with an average of 20.47 wins per postcode district. The city's 49 postcode districts have accumulated 1,003 wins in total. In fifth spot was the EH postcode area, which is in Edinburgh, with an average of 14.72 wins per district. The city's 54 postcode districts have had 795 wins in total. While the winning postcodes are chosen using a random algorithm, it seems that these top-ranking areas might be in with a bigger chance Amanda Wilson THE KA postcode, in Kilmarnock, takes sixth place, with an average of 14.53 wins. The town's 30 postcode districts have seen 436 wins in total. Following close behind in seventh place is the AB postcode in Aberdeen, where there have been 501 wins across the area's 35 postcode areas. This means it has an average of 14.31 wins per postcode district. The FK postcode, in Falkirk, is eighth on the list, with an average of 13.14 wins per postcode district. The town's 21 postcode districts have won 276 times overall. While the DG postcode, which covers Dumfries and Galloway, ranks ninth. The area has an average of 12.47 wins per postcode district, with 187 wins over the 15 districts. The TD postcode, which covers Galashiels, rounds out the top ten, with an average of 10.67 wins per postcode district. The area has had 160 Postcode Lottery wins across its 15 postcode districts. How People's Postcode Lottery works People's Postcode Lottery costs £12 a month to play and there are guaranteed winners every day. People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws. A minimum of 33% from each ticket goes to charity. Every Saturday, £1 million will be shared by one postcode as part of the lottery's Millionaire Street prize. Players of People's Postcode Lottery have raised more than £1.2 billion for thousands of charities and local good causes. This prize was promoted on behalf of Postcode Animal Trust which supports organisations including Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, PDSA and Medical Detection Dogs. To play the People's Postcode Lottery, you have to sign up on the website and enter your bank details. You're then automatically entered into a variety of different draws and prizes are announced every day At the opposite end of the scale is the KW postcode in Kirkwall which has just an average of 3.75 wins per postcode district. This is closely followed by the HS postcode covering the Outer and the PA postcode in Paisley, with averages of 4.89 and 5.09 wins per postcode district, respectively. Amanda Wilson, CMO of Casino Deps, said: 'Winning the Postcode Lottery is a dream for many people, and while the winning postcodes are chosen using a random algorithm, it seems that these top-ranking areas might be in with a bigger chance. 'Motherwell is by far the luckiest, with its average number of wins per postcode district almost 12 per cent higher than the second-ranking area. "This could simply be down to more people in Motherwell being signed up to the Postcode Lottery. "More sign-ups mean more chances to win, as only postcodes with active players are eligible. 'Whatever the reason for their luck, residents in these top-ranking areas will be hoping it continues in the future.'
Scottish Sun
10-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scottish Sun
Scottish town named UK's unluckiest place to live
Read on to discover where Scotland's luckiest spot is located OUT OF LUCK Scottish town named UK's unluckiest place to live Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SCOTTISH town has been named as the UK's unluckiest place to live, new research reveals. A new study has compiled data including lottery wins, sunshine, tax rises, and flat tyre searches to find the unfortunate spot. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 New research has found that a Scottish town is the UK's unluckiest place to live Credit: Alamy And it's bad news for locals living in Kirkwall, Orkney, according to the Daily Record. Google searches, researched by SlotMatrix, for flat tyres on the island town came out with the lowest overall score of just 28.5 out of 100. The average daily sunshine is thought to be just over three hours and the town was slapped with the second-highest council tax increase in the UK this year at a whopping 15 per cent. Orkney's capital also had no Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? winners and a below-average number of lotto jackpot holders. The UK's most northerly town also had just 17 Postcode Lottery winners. A spokesperson for SlotMatrix said: 'It's fascinating to see how factors like sunshine, lottery wins, and even flat tyres can paint a picture of how lucky or unlucky different parts of the UK are. 'While luck means something different to everyone, Kirkwall's little sunshine, lack of Postcode Lottery wins and hefty increase in council tax really does stand out. "We hope this research sparks a bit of fun debate about which UK location is truly the luckiest.' Elsewhere, Glasgow was crowned as Scotland's luckiest location and ranked in 28th place with an overall score of 55. The country's biggest city boasts 158 Lotto millionaires and 1,004 Postcode Lottery winners. Inside the cat-inspired 'WW1 prison workout' that's loved by celebs and promises a 'new body in 30 days' And in another unlucky announcement, Kirkwall's annual bonfire and fireworks display was axed. The community event has been a November tradition for the past three decades. The decision was made after concerns were raised over its impact on local wildlife. Organisers called off the popular display at a community council meeting, as reported by BBC Scotland.
Daily Record
09-07-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Scottish island town with just 3 hours of daily sunshine named UK's unluckiest place to live
A new study ranked 121 UK postcode areas by luck, using data on lottery wins, sunshine, tax rises, and flat tyre searches A new study has named the UK's 'unluckiest' place to live - and it's bad news for residents in one of our island's capitals. Locals living in Kirkwall in Orkney have the dubious honour of being the most unfortunate in Britain. Kirkwall, which was established by Viking settlers in the 11th Century, has officially been ranked bottom of the list in new research by SlotMatrix, which analysed 121 UK postcode areas using a variety of 'lucky' indicators. These included the number of lottery and game show winners, council tax rises, sunshine hours, and even Google searches for flat tyres. Kirkwall, which has a population of around 10,000 people, came out with the lowest overall score of just 28.5 out of 100. Kirkwall's average daily sunshine is just three hours and ten minutes, a full 52 minutes less than the UK average of four hours and two minutes. On top of that, the town has seen the second-highest council tax increase in the UK this year at a whopping 15 per cent, far above the national average of 5.7 per cent. When it comes to luck on the lottery, the town fared little better. Kirkwall had the fourth-lowest number of People's Postcode Lottery winners in the country, with only 60 locals taking home a prize. Scotland overall has performed well on the lottery front, with 692 National Lottery Millionaire winners and 3,859 people winning more than £50,000, placing it fifth and sixth, respectively, in those categories. But despite this, Kirkwall's individual stats dragged it down in the overall rankings. Orkney's capital also had no Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? winners, something that it has in common with the rest of the towns in the unluckiest list. Coming in just ahead of Kirkwall was Llandrindod Wells in Wales, ranked second-unluckiest with a score of 28.9. Despite having more sunshine than the UK average, the town only has 52 Postcode Lottery winners, and Wales as a whole trails behind in National Lottery success with just 2,698 winners. Third place went Lerwick in Shetland, with a score of 29.8 out of 100. It's the darkest place in the UK, which is unsurprising given its location far north of the mainland, with just three hours and five minutes of sunshine on average. The UK's most northerly town also had just 17 Postcode Lottery winners, the second-lowest in the country. But the fact that the latest council tax rise was 10 per cent ensured it didn't drop below its Orcadian neighbour in the rankings. Belfast ranked fourth with a score of 31.5, partly due to the fact that the Postcode Lottery is not available in Northern Ireland. The nation also has the fewest National Lottery winners of all UK regions. Completing the top five was Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, with a score of 32.5. The town was hit by a 10 per cent council tax rise and averages just three hours and 35 minutes of sunshine each day. Durham took the title of the unluckiest place to live in England, placing sixth in the overall UK rankings. It was followed by Motherwell, Sunderland, Perth and Llandudno. At the other end of the scale, Birmingham was crowned the luckiest place to live in the UK, scoring 73.6 out of 100. The B postcode boasts the highest number of Postcode Lottery winners, with 1,414, and the most National Lottery Millionaires at 205. Glasgow also performed well, coming in as Scotland's luckiest location and ranking 28th in the UK overall with a score of 55.2. The city has produced 158 National Lottery Millionaires, the third-highest in the UK, and 1,004 Postcode Lottery winners. A spokesperson for SlotMatrix said: 'It's fascinating to see how factors like sunshine, lottery wins, and even flat tyres can paint a picture of how lucky or unlucky different parts of the UK are. 'While luck means something different to everyone, Kirkwall's little sunshine, lack of Postcode Lottery wins and hefty increase in council tax really does stand out. We hope this research sparks a bit of fun debate about which UK location is truly the luckiest.' The top 10 unluckiest places to live in the UK Rank Location Council tax rise National Lottery winners Postcode Lottery winners Average sunshine per day WWTBAM? winners Average 'flat tyre' searches Total score 1 Kirkwall 15% 4,551 60 3h 10m 0 10 a month 28.5/100 2 Llandrindod Wells 8.9% 2,698 52 4h 13m 0 10 28.9 3 Lerwick 10% 4,551 17 3h 5m 0 10 29.8 4 Belfast 5.44% 1,170 0 3h 30m 0 20 31.5 5 Galashiels 10% 4,551 160 3h 35m 0 10 32.5 6 Durham 4.99% 2,717 279 3h 52m 0 10 33.9 7 Motherwell 10% 4,551 389 3h 17m 0 10 35.3 8 Sunderland 4.49% 2,717 254 3h 52m 0 10 35.5 9 Perth 9.5% 4,551 225 3h 41m 0 10 35.6 10 Llandudno 8.95% 2,698 643 3h 41m 0 Article continues below 10 36
