nightrider

9 hours ago, 26b-6 said:

Reliable good honest tradesman are always busy and are mostly found in the EU migrant communities. And understandably they don't prioritise folk who actively discriminate against them.

I've never even come across a tradesman around here who was not Sheffield born and bred. Where would I find one of these EU tradesmen?

13 hours ago, Fudbeer said:

Old thread but still relevant.

 

Have been getting some work done on the house including new kitchen and getting tradesman has been a nightmare. 

 

Everyone saying they have huge amounts of work on and really hard to get even one quote let alone more.

 

All done now but not been easy.

 

I actually dont usually bother with multi quotes if someone comes and it seems fair will give them the work. just as well really!

 

If I had my time again would defiantly go into one of the home improvement related trades!

 

Anyone else had the same recently?

 

 

for some things. Builder was hard to get for repointing.

But my regular plumber is always available at short notice(but he doesn't advertise for new work so unless a friend recommends you, then you ain't getting him). Had no problems getting an electrician (again he does not advertise and we were recommended to him by a regular client of his - I think a lot are like this, won't take random customers and only take recommendations. Apparently a lot of customers are considered "difficult"in that they complain too much, don't pay on time etc...)

Got a plasterer for a 30 minute patch job no probs this week (3 local guys all were able to fit me in around their bigger jobs this week) though, all ones I contacted without an introduction from an existing client.

Gardener I used last summer was so busy we could not pay him (had to keep asking him to come and collect the cheque for months!)., He said he could not believe how much work he has nowadays.

19 hours ago, speleo1 said:

Smart meters don't save you money you know if you are using to much energy,

Ours lost its signal to the meter so I called the energy company which replied move it nearer to the meter, then said just put it in a draw and don't use it it's only a Gimmick for customers to use.

I wish I'd never had it installed. Worked fo 6 months or so and has been broken ever since - can't even take a manual reading because the reading has stopped incrementing entirely. At some point we are going to get a huge backdated gas bill since we are not being charged. Company has zero interest in fixing the meter.

16 hours ago, Anna B said:

When was that? Did it happen? 

In my experience the Conservatives are very good at saying all the right things, making promises etc, but very poor when it comes to actually delivering.

There is a price cap and it was introduced by the conservatives.

20 hours ago, Bargepole23 said:

If we need the unemployed to pick up litter, then they should be employed on a decent wage to do so.

 

As for using kids as labour to litter pick, supervised by teachers, why is the responsibility of schools to get children not to litter? That's the responsibility of the parents, that's what we did, my children don't drop litter.

 

Who's supervising these classes split into smaller groups? There aren't teachers milling about in school looking for something to do. There is no time or money to do what you suggest. You could, of course, volunteer to take groups of kids out yourself, each school day.

If we want to get someone to pick it up how about the council catch people in the act and then make them spend the weekend picking all the litter up to teach them a lesson? If thats not possible perhaps a new law is needed so it can be done.

1 hour ago, petemcewan said:

Cyclecar.

Your last paragraph is spot on.

The rest  you describe, I'm aware of.

 

However,as we have been warned.Vaccine passports for Cov-19  will give rise to, a new digital health surveillance infrastructure (that endangers privacy rights) and create vaccine holder elites.

And once your medical history is out in the ether. Every ,Tom,Dick  and Mary will be able to get it.

Restriction on travel will not be an individual choice. It will be imposed on you-by all kinds of agencies.

 

The Lancet does a good job at highlighting the social issues involved.

 

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31034-5/fulltext

so why not use the tried, trusted and tested method in use for decades for yellow fever? No need for any fancy digital system.

On 23/02/2021 at 14:30, edensor said:

If the scheme is at all predicated upon 20mph zoning, then I hope that no positive  claims about improving road safety are being made by the council

I've never seen a car doing less than 20 on or around Crookesmoor Road - nobody seems to comply with such 'zoning'

Needs enforcing then. A few high profile examples might help deter.

14 hours ago, anncoleman said:

My brother lives on Firth Park Rd just down from the woods so not far from Page Hall. He’s been there all his life. A few days ago - in broad daylight - while he was at work, he was burgled and some power tools were taken. This afternoon - again while he was at work - all his back windows were smashed.  I’m in North Wales so cant do anything but I am worried sick that something else may happen. Is anyone from that area that may have seen something or heard something? Or even that would be willing to just keep an eye out? I know it’s asking a lot but I’m at a loss. The police have been informed. Thank you. 

is there a local facebook group? I know in Walkley a burglar was caught recently because people were collating information via a neighbourhood watch group and passing it onto the police which eventually allowed them to catch the burglar (though sadly there are many more still roaming the area, but fingers crossed they will be receiving a visit in the near future).

On 23/02/2021 at 09:44, Padders said:

It seems to me the only way to get a return on your savings is to invest in Bit coin.

Don't really know how it works, but people have made a lot of money out of it.

Currently valued at £58,000. A new record high.

Now down to £35000 today....need nerves of steel to ride that with large scale investments!

46 minutes ago, Resident said:

Working from home ISN'T better. It should never be a full time option when a business would usually work from an office outside this pandemic. The odd day or two here and there is fine but full time, no. There is no separation between home and work life as it's all in the place you live. 

The only people benefitting from WFH as a full time option is the employer. You, the employee are paying for some of their operating overheads. You're the one paying your mortgage/rent & utilities. 

speak for yourself. I prefer working at home - I have a large office that is properly heated, not a pokey office that is freezing cold in winter even with the heating on. Some like WFH, some don't.

24 minutes ago, andingmen said:

In contrast to other people's experience,  I have found the Manchester Airport direct  train extremely useful, popular and reliable.
I have used it on business for a number of years on different days of the week, mostly in the early mornings.
I for one would be extremely disappointed if it were to be removed.
Firstly,  for the inconvenience caused to so many travellers, especially those with significant amounts of luggage or with disability and secondly, for the message sent out that, once again, Sheffield is not considered important enough to have a direct rail link to its nearest major air hub.
I'm also sad that this possible proposal appears to be so meekly accepted by many.

I don't think it is. The issue is that no matter how loud Sheffield shouts, we are just not considered important by the nation.

15 hours ago, Jeffrey Shaw said:

But the Footsie measures only the top 100 shares, weighted by market capitalisation, as far as I know. This might make it unrepresentative of market trends generally and also excludes 'special situation' share price changes.

Thats why you should also buy trackers targeting other regions of the world, and perhaps smaller UK companies too. 

16 minutes ago, Bigal1 said:

I have never caught the early morning trains and have always gone by car for the early mornings

 

To be honest I have always preferred to be at the airport early and as I fly business class then I have the lounge to sit in and relax have a shower and a meal etc

Yes for early morning flights I have always driven....because you cannot trust the train to turn up. Oh well with no train at all at least we would know where we stand in future!

13 hours ago, Westie1889 said:

Hope this doesn’t happen as the direct train is a godsend, especially coming back at busy times as it guarantees you a seat whereas changing at Piccadilly makes that much less likely.

 

 

Yup. Have lost count of how many times I had reserved seats on both trains and then found the second train was cancelled and I had to jam in another like a sardine! Thats why I try to use direct trains as much as possible. This is not just about manchester, this is a direct link from a major city to its major airport. Will likely drive and pollute the peak district instead.

5 minutes ago, Anna B said:

The housing being built in Loxley will be very nice, but unaffordable to a large proportion of the population.

Contracts often stipulate that building projects should include 'affordable' housing, but all that means is they can stick on one cheaper house, (usually a two bedroom or a couple of flats,) and they've fulfilled their obligation. 

The more expensive the house, the more profit the builders make, so it's no surprise this is what they prefer to build, but what is needed is a lot more affordable housing, and dare I say it, Council housing. 

but where will the buyers of these more expensive houses come from? Presumably they will be moving up the housing ladder thus freeing up starter homes elsewhere nearby.

52 minutes ago, Anna B said:

STC ? - forgive my ignorance, I've just googled it and come up with Saudi Telecom Company, is this who you mean? 

Are they setting up in Sheffield? Or did you mean somebody else?

 

As for the London lot with plenty of cash coming north, I have heard of this, but thought they were after the big country houses, farms etc, I wouldn't have thought they'd be interested in your average terrace, unless they want a second home (and this causes different problems.)

 

Actually, you've highlighted another concern, that Sheffield is quite a divided city, with an affluent side and a much poorer side living within a few minutes drive of each other. You're suggesting that as always, the wealthier side will be OK, but those with more modest property/means or living in a 'crappy' area will struggle. Well that's always the way of it, isn't it?

A lot of perfectly nice people live in 'not nice' areas. Time was that you started out in these homes and traded up as your prospects improved, and newcomers onto the property market would buy in at the bottom by buying your house, but with insecure working and poorer job prospects that upward mobility seems to have ground to a halt.  

 

This means the divide will become more pronounced,  and 'ghettos' will form, which helps no one.    

STC = sold Subject to Contract

Not everyone can afford a country mansion, seems plenty are happy with a terrace in Walkley/Crookes both of which are near very nice countryside. Terraced houses seem to have gone up from average asking price of 140k to 180-200k in less than a year!

I am not saying the wealthier side will "be ok". I am saying no house owners there need worry about not being able to sell their house and ending up taking a loss. OTOH people who traditionally buy in these areas are being priced out and consequently moving to other areas, no doubt forcing house prices to increase there and so on. No-one really wins from increasing prices. OTOH maybe e.g residents in Loxley should stop blocking new housing developments if they want their kids to be able to afford a house nearby....

15 hours ago, Anna B said:

What if Dennis and Doris' tenants can't afford to pay more weekly, never mind with the added burden of paying back arrears?

This is going to be all too common too. Don't forget Universal Crediit generally does not cover all of the rent payment anyway. So yes evictions are going to rocket.  But Doris and Dennis aren't out of the woods either, particularly if they are still paying a mortgage on said rental houses. Nevermind the loss of the £4,500 debt, they may well find it difficult to find dependable new tenants at all as their particular demographic might all be in the struggling catagory with insecure jobs etc.

Doris and Dennis may also now be in debt, and the only people willing to take the houses off their hands are the big companies who can ride the losses, but they only pay the minimum because there's now a glut of buy- to- let on the market. Their companies grow and the bottom drops out of the buy to let market for the small guys. The big companies want more money from the houses they bought for a song and start to gentrify the houses, and put the rents up accordingly. 

Doris and Dennis now have to rely on their state pension which doesn't cover their costs, so they too begin slipping down the ladder and into poverty. 

 

Homelessness can be catching....

We are thinking of moving house this year and believe me - they won't have any trouble selling if its in a good (or even just ok) area. As far as we can tell houses are almost all going to STC within weeks of being marketed in all the desirable areas currently. Plenty of people with money want to buy houses in Sheffield (have heard some say many are from London with huge pots of cash to splurge on a new home for remote working).

Might be different if their BTL is in a really crappy area that no-one would want to buy to live in though.

38 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

The majority of the Netherlands are somewhat flatter than a large part of the UK - wonder if that might be part of the reason?

https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/7/it’s-too-hilly-here

1 hour ago, Bargepole23 said:

Its some bus gates and one ways, which will create a much more pleasant place to live, eat, drink etc, all of which benefits the businesses in the area, and all of which will still have motorised access.

 

The purpose is to push traffic onto the main roads/ring road, rather than cutting through Kelham.

 

Other cities have done exactly the same, both in the UK and abroad, with great success.

 

If I'm sat outside a bar or cafe I want to be surrounding by trees and pedestrians, not parked and moving cars.

All the same arguments Sheffielders make against this were the same arguments made in the Netherlands in the 70's against cycling infrastructure.

Looks like there is a plan to "improve" Manchesters rail service:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/consultation-launched-to-improve-manchesters-railways?fbclid=IwAR1Y-NwT0iaYIVZHcYkMTTtHdMwyfi6_qrMM4GS3a8qL4cH5XRrAJ4Oo9pw

two of the option "means there is no longer a through service from Sheffield to Manchester Airport", the third retains it.

Given this is the major airport for Sheffield, its a bit disingenuous to present these plans as relevant to Manchester only!

Seems like as with HS2, Sheffield is not considered important enough to have rail links.

36 minutes ago, L00b said:

YouGov poll data, based on the same question asked every week, about how well or badly the government is negotiating/handling Brexit, shows that this propaganda is working:

Very Well/Fairly Well December average: 27%

Very Well/Fairly Well January average: 39%

Very Well/Fairly Well February 3rd poll: 42%
 

Clearly, more and more people believe the government is doing a good job of managing Brexit, with the undecideds continuing to hover about the same 12% as always.

 

So the only thing you should expect, is more of the same propaganda.

 

Seeing as the EU27 is done with negotiating anything (there's just no appetite left now that the deal is signed, and the EU has plenty other stuff to do), and isn't going to engage English rethoric any time soon(-er now, than it ever did before), that propaganda should continue to work fine for Johnson (since the teething problems are anything but, and aren't going to improve anytime soon - in fact they'll get far worse by summer when the full-fat customs checks kick in).

Its plausible 42% of people don't know anyone personally whose livelihood has been affected by brexit, so for them it all looks good.

On 06/02/2021 at 13:35, frigate said:

 

 

Xi has already made several strategic blunders, namely; alienating his South East Asian Neighbours by appropriating islands that do not belong to China; by mishandling corona virus outbreak in Wuhan, China and destroying its international credibility; if he made the ultimate strategic mistake of invading Taiwan that could well  bring down the Communist regime.

The battle for Taiwan would be a  proxy battle for the China Sea.
Victory over Taiwan would  transform the China Sea into a Chinese lake and leave the sea-lanes from Singapore to Korea and Japan under Chinese control.
 

Some years ago there were two million Taiwanese living in China. Now about 400,000. Foxconn a Taiwanese company in China makes Apple products etc has more than one million workers.

Thus in spite of all the tensions there is still a lot going between China and Taiwan in business.

 

 

Was there not a lot of business going on between the UK and Germany right up until the outbreak of war?

2 minutes ago, the_bloke said:

Well that's 4 people unemployed then. They only had four years to prepare for Brexit.

Not sure they could have prepared. Leaving the SM and CU is a major restructuring and obviously (as we now are seeing) many businesses are simply unviable outside it.

On 07/02/2021 at 00:04, catmiss said:

Perhaps we should personally be prepared for the odd peculiarities of the British winter.

It would help. It snows almost every year at least once (often much more than once) Every time this happens people slide their cars down hills into walls etc. Can't possibly be a surprise to them that this has happened based on it being a well known phenomenon on Sheffields hills almost every year!

On 31/12/2020 at 12:51, Pkingy said:

Had a survey done on a property we were interested in buying. The survey came back saying there was ASBESTOS and DAMP present. We got a quote from a two builders and the cheapest quote was just under £10,000 so we pulled out telling the reasons to the estate agent . What i would like to know is will the estate agent tell any future buyers about  the asbestos and damp.    Thanks

 

I doubt it. I don't think they have any obligation to tell you anything and obviously they want to sell it. They will be waiting for a mug to come along...

12 minutes ago, Magilla said:

You know, you can check this stuff... right?

 

There were actually lots and lots of people saying precisely that!

 

A significant proportion of the Conservative party at the time contested it, citing the closeness of the result, and subsequently voted to ignore the referendum result by voting against the legislation that enacted the assembly...

 

...including Theresa May!

 

The Conservative Party manifesto of 2005 called for a further referendum on the assembly, that included the option of abolishing it.

 

 

Just goes to show many Tory politicians don't actually have any principles.