Brown's Budget

[JonC]

- Free bus travel for all pensioners.
- £200 council tax rebate to pensioners.
- Increase in Winter Fuel Allowance.

Good budget. I wonder who he's aiming for though?!

 

[dougdeep]

What age does the free bus travel come in then? That might help some on here,

 

[Gazwag]

All pensioners - its limited to local services - whatever that is

 

[JonC]

All pensioners - its limited to local - whatever that is

I'd imagine within the same region as they live. IE - you can't use it to go to London or summat.

Michael Howard's on - what a prick he is.

 

[Gazwag]

I'd imagine within the same region as they live. IE - you can't use it to go to London or summat.

Yes but what will class as local, within your own town, within a set number of miles ?

 

[Hiney]

Classic comment from Henk Potts on Talk Sport:

"Unless you are a cider-drinking pensioner looking to buy your first home, the budget was RUBBISH".

Cutting edge economic comment

 

[Simster]

I actually BOUGHT a Standard yesterday and in it, they were trying to convince the readers that Howard really does have a chance because he was winning all the politial arguments.

What a crock of shit.

 

[Knightsworld]

It's only free for pensioners if they get on the bus with their parents.

 

[Gazwag]

Watching it online I notice the amount of MP who walked out as soon as the Budget finished, didn't even wait to hear the two leaders of the opposition parties give their pieces, if I saw my MP walk out I would not be happy - bunch of w**nkers

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Yes but what will class as local, within your own town, within a set number of miles ?

As far as Sussex is concerned, there is a Sussex-wide concessionary fares scheme (called "Countycard") which currently offers half-fare travel throughout the area of the scheme.

This is Brighton & Hove, the whole of West Sussex and the whole of East Sussex, including any bus journeys that start or finish within Sussex.

Every local authority in Sussex (with the exception of Hastings Borough Council) issues bus passes that are part of the Countycard scheme. Hastings has its own Borough scheme (with concessionary travel only available on buses in Hastings).

The Chancellor's proposals will simply change the half-fare arrangement to a free travel arrangement.

Bus passes are issued free of charge to people aged 60 or over (which includes men of lower than the current pension age). This won't change (thanks to a decision of the European Court some years ago, which removed age discrimination from concessionary travel schemes).

Free travel will be available on all bus services, except before 9.30am on working Mondays to Fridays.

How do I know all this? When I worked for East Sussex County Council, I was responsible for making the arrangements to set up the East Sussex Countycard scheme in 1986, and extending it to the whole of Sussex in 1997.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Free senior citizens' bus travel has, of course, been available for years in London, and in Scotland and Wales since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.

So it's only pensioners in England (outside London) who will benefit from this change.

 

[LANGDON SEAGULL]

So McGhee can drink pints of whisky at the same price. Does the bus concessions include the Park and Ride?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Does the bus concessions include the Park and Ride?

No. It's not a "Local Service" within the definition of the Transport Act, because it's not available to the "General Public", only to holders of Albion match tickets.

 

[Pevenseagull]

doubled up the lowest threshold on stamp duty for property - now 120K - helps out studio flat purchases around here

should be more useful where someone is being added to a property deed - that's a stinker of a tax

he's decided not to f**k around with ISAs anymore, which is a relief