Latest news with #workingfamilies
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Homes in Kildare affordable housing scheme above price limit for State-backed mortgages
Houses for sale in an affordable housing scheme in Co Kildare are priced above the threshold of what the State deems affordable in its local authority home loan scheme. Eight new homes at Lattin Place, on the Rathasker Road in Naas, went on sale on Wednesday with prices ranging from €295,000 for a two-bed house, €365,000 for a mid-terrace three-bed house and €370,000 for an end-terrace three-bed property . As of 3pm on Wednesday there had been over 100 applications for the eight homes . The house price limit for State-backed mortgages under the local authority home loan scheme is €360,000 in Co Kildare. Two working families with two children each and who have approval for the local authority loan are locked out of these affordable purchase homes, because the price of the three-bed homes is above the purchase price limit of the loan scheme. READ MORE Sandra Rowe says she and her husband are 'really, really frightened for the future' and is calling on the State to increase the threshold on the loan scheme. The couple, who both work full time, were refused a traditional mortgage through a bank because their income was too low. They are currently renting a house in Naas with their two children – a 12-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl. 'The rent is crazy, and we have no stability here. The biggest thing you want as a parent is stability for your children, and we thought the local authority loan and the affordable housing scheme would be our pathway,' Ms Rowe says. Aishling Conway with her husband Shane and their two children, Ella May (6) and Jack (2). Similarly Aishling Conway and her husband have also been locked out of the scheme, with Ms Conway saying 'it's quite strange that they're advertised as affordable housing, but then on their own mortgage, you can't even get it'. The couple, who both work full time and have two young children, a six-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, were unable to secure a traditional mortgage from a bank because of their ages – they are both in their mid-forties – and so applied for the local authority home loan scheme. They have been house hunting for almost four years and had been hoping to avail of the affordable homes at Lattin Place. [ How much can I earn and still qualify for social housing? Opens in new window ] 'It's quite frustrating, especially with the way the market's going. At the moment, you bid on a house, and it just shoots up. One house we bid on jumped €9,000 in eight minutes, and it kept going up and up because two parties were bidding against each other,' Ms Conway says. The couple have very recently gone sale-agreed on another three-bed home in Naas for €320,000, and acknowledge they are 'very lucky' to get a house in the town for that price. Cllr Bill Clear at Lattin Place, Naas Local Independent councillor Bill Clear has been assisting local families in securing schemes to help them on to the property ladder, but says this situation is particularly frustrating. 'There is a silo in operation here, this is a Department of Housing loan, and a Department of Housing affordable purchase scheme – but the two aren't talking to each other. It is another abject failure of this Government,' Mr Clear says. Both Ms Rowe and Ms Conway are 'stuck in the middle', he says. 'They are all working, so they're locked out of social housing, but yet they're on too low of pay for the house prices in Naas. They are the working poor.' The homes at Lattin Place are a 'small drop in the ocean' of what is needed in Naas, Mr Clear says. There is another affordable housing scheme coming up at the former Devoy Barracks site in the town, which will have 219 units when completed. Prices for the first phase of the Land Development Agency project, due to launch in 2025, have not yet been released. Mr Clear, however, believes the project will be 'massively oversubscribed'. He says he is 'so frustrated and angry' at the situation. [ 'Without people to build homes, it won't happen': Construction workers decry shortage of tradespeople Opens in new window ] 'There is no data on people like this stuck in the middle. There are some homes in Kildare now with three generations living together, it's not only children living at home, but grandchildren are there now too. It's not right,' Mr Clear says. Ms Rowe will be one of those waiting on the Devoy Barracks scheme and calls on the Government to either increase the threshold of the local authority loan scheme, or to ensure the affordable homes fall within their price range. 'The one thing that we need as a family is either the threshold to be made higher or the affordable homes to come in at the threshold that has been set. That's what we need and what we're hoping for. We're putting all our eggs in the basket for this one,' Ms Rowe says. Without that, the future is uncertain for Ms Rowe and her young family. 'Myself and my husband are really, really frightened for the future. We know these houses [at Devoy Barracks] are coming up soon but we're just petrified now that if the prices are higher than what Lattin Place is, or if they come in at the same price, and the threshold isn't made higher – then we're in big, big trouble. Our hands are completely tied.'
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Cuomo Proposes $20 Minimum Wage for New York City
In his return to the campaign trail, Andrew M. Cuomo has made no secret of what he thinks is one of his greatest achievements as governor of New York. 'The first state to pass the highest minimum wage in the United States of America, right here,' he said in a speech last month. Now, as Mr. Cuomo runs for mayor of New York City, he is invoking his past as a political prologue. Mr. Cuomo on Wednesday will propose raising New York City's minimum wage to $20 an hour by 2027 if he is elected, which would put it among the highest in the nation. Mr. Cuomo, the front-runner in the Democratic primary next month, will announce the proposal at a campaign rally with several unions that are endorsing him. 'New York City needs to be a place where working families can afford to live and thrive, and right now that's out of reach for far too many in what is supposed to be the greatest city in the world,' he said in a statement. His proposal would need support from Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers. They raised the minimum wage to $16.50 an hour this year in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island; it is $15.50 in the rest of the state and is expected to rise in the future based on inflation. Many states have moved to raise the minimum wage as inflation has worsened. Washington, D.C., has one of the highest minimum wages at $17.50 per hour; several communities in Washington State have a minimum wage above $20. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Mr. Cuomo said his proposal would raise wages for roughly 800,000 workers in New York City. He is calling for the new rate to start on Jan. 1, 2027, the one-year mark of his first term if he wins. The proposal may help Mr. Cuomo combat assertions from his Democratic rivals that he is more attuned to the needs of the business class than to those of the working class. Many of the other Democrats who are running for mayor also have announced plans to address affordability and income inequality. Zohran Mamdani, a progressive state lawmaker who is in second place behind Mr. Cuomo in polls, proposed raising the city's minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030. Mr. Cuomo will appear at the rally with several unions, including the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and the Amalgamated Transit Union. Most major unions in the city have endorsed Mr. Cuomo. The former governor said in the statement that the best way to address affordability was to build new housing and raise wages. He called the proposal 'an aggressive, progressive action that will help hourly workers and stimulate the economy.' As governor, Mr. Cuomo signed a law in 2016 to raise the minimum wage to $15 for most workers. Mr. Cuomo had pushed for the change for years, starting with fast-food employees, after facing pressure from unions and workers. That increase put the state at the forefront of a national movement to raise wages, but New York later fell behind other states. His campaign said that the proposed minimum wage was similar to what it would have been if the 2016 increase had been indexed to the Consumer Price Index rate for the Northeast. At a compound annual growth rate of 2.7 percent, the minimum wage would have reached $19.57 after 10 years, his campaign said. Under Mr. Cuomo's proposal, the wage would not automatically continue to rise with the cost of living, but he called for a study to be completed by the city by Jan. 1, 2027, to inform further increases. He also suggested creating a tax credit for small businesses to help them adjust to the higher wage. The credit would be available to businesses with 10 or fewer full-time employees and would cover up to 30 percent of the wage increase per employee. It would decrease over time. Mr. Cuomo, a moderate Democrat, has centered his campaign message on how his experience as governor makes him best suited to better New Yorkers' lives. He often talks about improving public safety, but he has also sought to address the city's affordability crisis, embracing some of his rivals' ideas like making free preschool for 3-year-olds universal and expanding a free bus program. Some Democrats are skeptical of Mr. Cuomo's campaign pledges. They argue that he will prioritize his wealthy donors and that he did not do enough to address affordability as governor — a position he resigned from in 2021 after a series of sexual harassment allegations that he denies. Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent in the general election in November, said at his weekly news conference on Tuesday that Mr. Cuomo was making many promises, such as changing his stance on cuts to pensions for public employees. 'He would say anything to get elected,' the mayor said.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Warning for 800k parents missing out on benefit worth £2,000 a year – it could be a lifesaver for the school holidays
A WARNING has been issued for 800,000 parents who risk missing out on a benefit worth £2,000 a year. Tax Free Childcare is a benefit which helps working families with the cost of paying for nursery or after school clubs. 1 Children up to the age of 12 are eligible, and this extends up to 16 if they live with a disability. To qualify, you or your partner (if you have one) need to be either employed or self-employed. In some instances, if you are not currently working you may still be able to claim if you are on incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. If you are eligible for the benefit, you will set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your provider. So it is important to remember that you do not get the money as a lump sum. Instead, parents get up to £500 each month paid towards the childcare your child is attending. It is worth noting that you only get the top-up when you pay in. So you must pay the £2,000 every three months (a quarter of a year) to receive the full £500. And the allowance does not roll over, so if you claim £300 in the first quarter, you can still only get £500 in the next quarter — even if you pay in more. I'm a mum of two and get a £1.7k Universal Credit payday each month people hate me as they work 40 hours a week for the same This is a little-known benefit, with MoneySavingExpert warning that 800,000 parents are unaware the scheme exists. You must also make sure that the childcare your little one attends accepts Tax-Free Childcare. To avoid disappointments, check with your provider to see if they're signed up. For more information on setting up an account, you can visit the government website. Parents on Universal Credit with one child under 17 can claim up to £1,015 a month. Meanwhile, parents of two or more children or more eligible for up to £1,739 to help pay for childcare costs - up from £950 and £1,630 respectively. CHANGES TO TAX FREE CHILD CARE From September 2025, children aged nine months to two years old will get 30 hours per week of free childcare. To qualify, the vast majority of parents will need to earn more than £9,518 but less than £100,000 a year. Your two-year-old can also get free childcare if you live in England and get any of the following benefits: Income support Income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA) Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) Universal Credit and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments The guaranteed element of pension credit Child tax credit, working tax credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax WHAT OTHER HELP IS AVAILABLE? You get child benefit if you're responsible for bringing up a child who is under 16 or under 20 if they are in approved education or training The payment is used to help parents cover the costs of childcare. It is paid at two weekly rates - £26.05 for your eldest or only child and £17.25 for any additional children. Payments are usually made every four weeks, on a Monday or Tuesday, but sometimes are made weekly. If you are claiming child benefit for a child under 12, you also receive National Insurance (NI) credits. NICs count towards your State Pension so claiming the benefit can be useful if you are missing any. Parents can also get help with free food vouchers through the government's Household Support Fund. What help is available for parents? CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help. 30 hours free childcare - Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours free childcare a week. To qualify you must usually work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. Tax credits - For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs. Childcare vouchers - If your employer offers childcare vouchers you can get up to £55 a week in tax and national insurance savings. You pay for your childcare before your tax contributions are taken out. This scheme is open to new joiners until October 4, 2018, when it is planned that tax-free childcare will replace the vouchers. Tax-free childcare - Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Labour turn fire on Farage ahead of Reform UK leader's speech
Update: Date: 2025-05-27T08:45:02.000Z Title: Bridget Phillipson: Reform UK are 'just not serious people' Content: Bridget Phillipson has said Reform UK are 'just not serious people' when asked about the expected announcement from Nigel Farage later today that it would be their policy to make winter fuel payments universal. She told viewers of Sky News that 'I don't think anybody would seriously believe that millionaires should be getting it.' Broadening her attack on Reform UK, which has been leading in recent polls, the education secretary said: On the wider question of Reform, look, they're just not serious. They're just not serious people. It's not credible. This is a party, after all, that doesn't believe in the NHS. That would dismantle the NHS as we know it. That has consistently opposed the measures that Labour has brought in to back workers through the employment rights bill, making sure, for example, that more workers can have access to sick pay. Those are the kinds of decisions that Reform are interested in making. The one policy that they have in education is to reintroduce tax breaks for private schools, which would massively undermine our ability to deliver free breakfast clubs, the kinds of measures that working families are benefiting from right now. That's Reform. That's who they are. They're not on the side of working people. They're not serious about how they deliver change. And every time they get the opportunity to back working people, for example, with better rights at work, they oppose it. Update: Date: 2025-05-27T08:42:52.000Z Title: Ellie Reeves: Farage 'has only ever cared about his own self-interest and personal ambition' Content: Labour party chair Ellie Reeves has launched an attack on the 'self-interest' of Nigel Farage ahead of the Reform UK leader making a speech today in which he is expected to label prime minister Keir Starmer 'unpatriotic'. Reeves said: Nigel Farage, a private-educated stockbroker and career politician, has only ever cared about his own self-interest and personal ambition, never about what is good for working people in this country. Farage wants to abolish the NHS, praised Liz Truss' disastrous mini-budget, opposed Labour's landmark employment reforms and said Jaguar Land Rover, a huge employer, deserves to go bust. His Reform manifesto included billions of pounds worth of unfunded spending pledges but did not commit to the triple lock. Farage must urgently clarify whether he will cut the state pension to pay for his reckless tax cuts. Keir Starmer's Labour government is delivering real improvement to working people's lives through our plan for change that has seen NHS waiting lists fall, wages rising faster than prices, and four interest rate cuts in a year, turbo-charged by a trio of trade deals that are good for jobs, bills and borders. Nigel Farage is expected to give his speech at 11am today. Update: Date: 2025-05-27T08:42:52.000Z Title: Welcome and opening summary … Content: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of UK politics for Tuesday. Here are the headlines … Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said that removing the two-child benefit cap is 'not off the table' as she defended Labour's record on introducing measures to tackle child poverty Labour party chair Ellie Reeves has said that Nigel Farage cares only about his own 'own self-interest' ahead of the Reform UK leader giving a speech this morning in which he is expected to call Keir Starmer unpatriotic Nearly half of all 'red wall' voters disapprove of the way Starmer's government has dealt with benefits-related policy, a poll has found, as ministers faced continued pressure over winter fuel and disability payments, and the two-child benefit cap More than 100 of the UK's most high-profile disabled people have called on the prime minister to abandon 'inhumane and catastrophic plans to cut disability benefits' It is Martin Belam with you today, and you can reach me at via email if you spot typos, errors, omissions or have a question.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
More working families accessing Canadian food bank supports: report
The Calgary Food Bank found that more than a quarter of its clients last year said they worked full-time. Food Banks Canada also says the number of working families seeking support have been increasing.
