NEW RESEARCH REVEALS NORTHERN HOUSEPRICES WILL CONTINUE TO SOAR

THE average house price in England will break the £300,000 barrier in five years and the traditionally more affordable Northern regions will have average house prices of around £200,000 according to new research released. 

Produced by social housing pressure group the National Housing Federation, Home Truths: the case for 70,000 new social homes a year includes new projections from Oxford Economics showing that prices will rise by 40% over the next 5 years. A housing market crash is unlikely even though home ownership will move even further out of the reach of many 1st time buyers. 

There will be an initial slowdown in the housing market as interest rate rises start to bite: property inflation will ease to around 2% over the next 2 years.  But from 2009 house price inflation will shoot to 10% a year, as lower mortgage rates and a continuing housing shortage trigger another boom. This will leave the average house price in England at a staggering £302,400 by 2012.

The North West and Yorkshire and Humberside will have average house prices of more than £200,000, homes will cost just below this level in the North East at an average of £187,200.  This is likely to put increasing strain on social housing, as more and more people turn to housing associations to help them find an affordable home. It is vital that the Government stands by its promise, outlined in the recent Housing Green Paper, to deliver 70,000 new social homes per year.

David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said:- "Our projections show that it isn't going to get any easier to buy a house in this country. A growing number of people will find that their only hope of finding a decent affordable home is through a housing association. That's why it is absolutely vital that we are able to deliver 70,000 social homes a year.  House prices will break the £300,000 barrier by 2012. Home owners might see this as good news, but most will only benefit if they can sell up and move to a smaller property. If fact, soaring house prices are having a disastrous impact on the country. We are seeing families squeezed into poor housing; employers struggling to recruit key staff who cannot afford housing costs; communities being torn apart as people move away in search of cheaper homes.

Unless we do something radical about housing supply we will see more overcrowding, more grown up sons and daughters unable to move out of the parental home, more households living in unfit homes - more housing misery and ruined aspirations."

Home Truths about housing in England:-

- the average house price in England last year was £206,594, nearly 11 times average earnings, following property inflation of 7.5% last year;

- house prices have risen by 135% since Labour came to power in 1997; incomes have gone up by 35% in the same period;

- in only 7 areas across England do the cheapest homes cost less than four times average earnings (broadly what a mortgage lender will now lend): Barrow, Burnley, Hartlepool, Kingston Upon Hull, Pendle, Stoke on Trent and Wansbeck;

- in 2 areas - Kensington & Chelsea and South Buckinghamshire - house prices are now more than 20 times local average incomes; repossessions rose 65% last year to 17,000 homes;

- social housing waiting lists have grown by 57% over the last 5 years to 1.6 million households - the Federation calculates this is around 4 million people.

Latin Lounge Music Nights... Update..

THE very talented Southport singer Sherie preformed on the night of the 11 August 2007 at the Post Office Ave. Venue.  

The next live act will be  held on 26 August 2007 (Bank Holiday).  Playing will be the fantastic Southport based Jazz Classique and a large Buffet will be served.  This one will be a ticket event only so book now by visiting the venue!

AGE CONCERN GIVES AWAY FREE FRIDGE/ FREEZER THERMOMETERS

THE number of salmonella infections in North West rose by 23% last year to 1296. Risk of infection with the food borne bacteria almost doubles during the summer months as warmer temperatures help it multiply and spread.  In these conditions, it is vital to store foods at the correct temperatures to combat the risks of food poisoning, so Age Concern Wirral is giving away free fridge/freezer thermometers to help people ensure that the contents of their fridge are kept at the required 3 to 5°c and their freezer at the required -18º c. People who drop by Age Concern Wirral and obtain a quote for gas or electricity will be given a fridge/freezer thermometer, free of charge.

Mark Cheeseman from Age Concern Wirral said:- "While people of all ages suffer from salmonella food poisoning, infection can often be more severe for older people. There are many precautions that people should take to help prevent food poisoning - for example, washing your hands when preparing food, separating raw meat from ready-to-eat food and washing chopping boards, knifes and utensils after use."

These measures will help protect against a variety of other infections that cause food poisoning such as campylobacter and e.coli Bacteria and viruses cause a staggering 5.5 million people to suffer from food poisoning each year, but most cases only cause mild, temporary discomfort and do not prompt a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, people with lower resistance to disease such as older people, children and those who already have another illness are more likely to suffer worse symptoms.

The Health Protection Agency advises people to be aware of the '4 Cs' Cleaning, Cooking, Chilling and Cross-Contamination and to take common-sense precautions in all of these areas.

Top tips to protect yourself from food poisoning include:-

Make sure you store food in the right place, for the right time at the right temperature

Raw meat and poultry should be stored in the fridge and kept separate from other foods, especially cooked and ready-to-eat foods

Your fridge should be no warmer than 5ºC and your freezer should kept at -18ºC or below

Avoid overloading your fridge and freezer if you do overload it, it is harder to keep the temperature down

Clean and defrost your fridge/freezer regularly

Check use by/best before dates carefully and look out for advice on how long food can be kept after the packaging has been opened

Cleaning kitchen surfaces, chopping boards, knifes and utensils after use

Wash your hands before you prepare food and after you have handled raw foods like meat, poultry and fish and wash them thoroughly! It is easy to miss spots

Bins can be a breeding ground for germs make sure you empty them regularly and be careful that the contents don't spill out.

Never re-freeze food once it has started to thaw

Cook all foods until they are piping hot this is an extremely effective way of killing bacteria

Take extra care to cook food through, especially when using barbeques

Measures like making sure the fridge/freezer door is sealed shut, not overfilling a fridge to ensure that the cold air can circulate freely and never allowing more than 6mm (1/4") of ice to build up in your freezer are not only important ways of ensuring that your food is stored at the right temperature, but are also great ways of improving energy efficiency, saving money and being more environmentally-friendly.  A lesser known method of improving energy efficiency is simply keeping the back of your fridge/freezer dust-free. People should also note that newer appliances tend to be more energy efficient than older ones look out for rated models if you are considering making this purchase.

By visiting Age Concern Wirral and asking for a quote for Age Concern Energy Services, people of all ages can claim their fridge/freezer thermometer, free of charge.  Offered together with Powergen, Age Concern Energy Services is an electricity and gas service that is dedicated to meeting the needs of older people. Customers who joined the scheme could have saved around £600 compared to British Gas standard tariffs since 2000 and all profits made by Age Concern Energy Services help fund the good work of Age Concern.

To find out more about the Age Concern Energy Services package call free on 0800 404 5010 or visit:-

Age Concern Wirral at Unit 2, 142 Claughton Road, Birkenhead, CH41 6EY.

You can also call them on 0151 649 1760.