Latest news with #costincrease
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Tamworth garden waste collection charge set to increase for 2026
The cost of having garden wasted collected in Tamworth looks set to increase for Borough Council has proposed to raise the charge from £41 to £42.50 per year in line with inflation, according to a report from the new charge would come into effect when applications open to residents in October, covering up to 23 fortnightly collections between the end of January and mid-December next report said raising the price in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) would ensure it maintains "quality services" while "ensuring financial sustainability". "By adhering to the CPI, we can continue to provide valuable services to our community without compromising on standards or efficiency," it would be the second time garden waste prices have increased in Tamworth since they were introduced in 2017, following a raise from £36 to £41 for 2025.A decision on the proposed increase will be made during a meeting of the council's cabinet on Thursday at 18:00 BST. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- The Independent
Revealed: The increasing cost of summer holiday childcare
The cost of childcare for the six-week summer holiday is projected to rise by at least four per cent across Britain, with parents facing an average bill exceeding £1,000 per child. A report found the average weekly cost for a holiday childcare club has increased to £179, with Wales recording the highest weekly price at £210, followed by England at £178 and Scotland at £168. Families in the UK pay an average of £1,076 for six weeks of holiday childcare, which is £677 more than the cost for six weeks in an after-school club during term time. Councils have reported a significant shortage of holiday childcare places, particularly for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with some English regions having no adequate provision. The Coram Family and Childcare charity is calling on the government to provide more funding, training, and support for holiday childcare providers, and to maintain the holiday activities and food programme.
Irish Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Plan to hike personal injury awards will lead to higher premiums, warns Aviva
Plans by Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan to hike personal injury awards by 16.7 per cent will only drive-up costs for consumers and businesses, one of the country's leading insurers has said. Mr O'Callaghan is preparing to bring a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday to pave the way for draft legislation that would give effect to a proposal by the Judicial Council to hike personal injury awards by 16.7 per cent. The planned blanket hike has been met resistance from insurers and business lobby groups, who say that the increase will be passed directly on to consumers and companies. Aviva Insurance said on Monday the proposal 'can only be seen as a short-sighted political manoeuvre that will only drive-up costs for consumers and businesses, many of whom are already struggling with cost-of-living challenges'. READ MORE It said the move would 'disproportionately benefit the legal profession', with the financial burden 'falling squarely on consumers and small businesses'. Declan O'Rourke, the group's chief executive, said the approach 'risks undoing years of hard-won progress in stabilising the insurance market'. [ Insurers and businesses call for injury guidelines reform as 17% rise planned Opens in new window ] 'It is the wider public who will ultimately pay the price through higher insurance premiums, rising legal costs, and the potential unravelling of hard-won reforms designed to bring stability and fairness to the personal injuries system,' he said. Mr O'Rourke said 'immediate and decisive action' is required from the Government, or there is 'a real risk of sliding back into a claims culture that benefits only those who profit from legal complexity and inflated awards'. 'It is not too late to take action to stop this increase and move forward with meaningful reform, starting with a more transparent, balanced, and evidence-based approach to reviewing personal injury guidelines,' he continued. How the wealthy are buying up land to avoid inheritance tax Listen | 22:03 Mr O'Rourke said a proposal to extend the review period from three years to seven was welcome, but that locking in a 16.7 per cent increase for seven years would 'inflict far greater damage, delivering a serious blow to consumers and businesses alike'. 'Benchmarking must come first,' he said. 'We need to get this right before imposing such a long-term burden on the public. 'The suggested proposal to benchmark damages against EU norms raises serious concerns, particularly as the public was led to believe this was already embedded in the original guidelines. If such benchmarking was conducted, why was the research never published?' He added that the Government should ask the Judicial Council to benchmark awards, particularly for minor injuries, across other European Union (EU) jurisdictions, 'where the awards are up to 10 times lower than in Ireland'. The Department of Justice said Mr O'Callaghan has 'consulted extensively' with his colleagues in Government and has also considered the latest reports on claims from the Central Bank. 'He is acutely aware of the impact that any such amendments to increase damages for personal injuries will have on insurance premiums, competitiveness and the business community,' the department said. It also said any decision taken 'must provide' for the effective operation of the Personal Injuries Resolution Board, which has 'resulted in significant reductions in damages for personal injuries in recent years'. The Department said a decision will be taken by Government 'shortly' on the proposals.
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Will British holidaymakers have to pay more than £120 for a passport? Officials say the cost of renewing travel documents should RISE
British holidaymakers could see a major rise in the cost of renewing their passports under plans put forward by government officials. The National Audit Office says that the current £94.50 cost of a new travel document should increase because the Passport Office is losing so much money. The department, which has been credited with reversing a huge backlog of delays in issuing new passports, has racked up a deficit of almost a billion pounds over the past five years, including £223million last year alone. The NAO argued that without increasing the one-off payment made every 10 years taxpayers more generally would have to cover the shortfall. It did not give a figure for the rise but the Telegraph suggested it would have to rise £32 to £126.50 to recoup the lost money. A Home Office spokesperson said there were no 'immediate plans' to increase fees and any changes would almost certainly not come into effect this year. But it would be an additional financial burden for Britons at a time when the cost of living remains high. Gareth Davies, head of the National Audit Office said: 'Government bodies provide important services for the public and businesses, including issuing passports and driving licences, and filing company information. 'But many are not consistently recovering their costs - posing risks to the financial resilience of these services and fairness between users. 'HM Treasury should strengthen how it oversees cost recovery processes and provide more comprehensive guidance to charging bodies.' The cost of renewing passports has already risen significantly in recent years. The department drastically hiked prices for adult passports in February 2023 - from £75.50 to £82.50. Fees then rose again by 7 per cent last year - before an inflation-busting increase of 6.7 per cent in April to the current level for digital renewals. Renewing an adult passport using a paper form already costs £107, while fast track services will get you your passport in a week for £178 or a day for £222. The Home Office previously said the new fees were necessary to ensure the cost of passport operations is met without relying on taxpayer funding. It added that fees help cover passport processing, consular services for lost or stolen passports, and border operations. Nearly seven million new passports were issued last year. Adult passports are valid for ten years, while passports for children are valid for just five. The call for higher passport renewal fees came in a wider report by the National Audit Office into government services. A total £340million shortfall was found across all the services looked at - including UK Visas and Immigration, the Court and Tribunals Service and the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency. The National Audit Office's report concluded: 'Many government departments rely on charging fees to recover the costs of providing services to people and businesses. 'But none of the services we looked at recovered costs consistently, and the charges for the services may not accurately reflect the costs.' 'The government is missing opportunities to deliver efficiencies and share good practice,' it added. 'This poses risks to the financial resilience of public services, the costs of which are likely to be borne by future fee payers.'
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Energy bill fears mount amid transmission cost blowout
A blowout in costs to build poles and wires could trigger an increase in household power bills, according to The Australian. Australia's Energy Market Operator reports overhead transmission line costs have surged by 55 per cent and substations by 35 per cent. The rises are attributed, in part, to the decision to avoid 'particularly complex areas' as the Labor government attempts to win over rural communities in the transmission rollout. A final price hike for 2025 to 2026 will be signed off by the energy regulator today.
