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REMEMBER YOU’RE A WOMBLE
HELP
the Aged is enlisting the help of The Wombles to spread a ‘green’
message and encourage more people to ‘make good use of the things
that they find’ around their homes. The Charity is asking
members of the public to donate any unwanted clothes, books and
other household items to their local Help the Aged charity shop
during National Recycling Week which starts on 2 June.
The Charity’s network of 365 shops depends upon members of the
public to donate items which when sold, help to raise vital funds
for disadvantaged older people. However, for the past few years,
donations to the shops have fallen which means that Help the Aged is
now in desperate need of more stock. Help the Aged hopes that
by highlighting The Wombles mantra in-store during National
Recycling Week, people will be inspired to think of its shops as
useful local recycling hubs, somewhere to off-load unwanted
household goods knowing that shop donations will be recycled and
sold to raise money to support the Charity’s work. Shop
donations can include anything from clothes, books, bric-a-brac,
CDs, DVDs to used stamps, toner cartridges and old mobile phones.
Furthermore, to reinforce the ‘green’ message, during
National Recycling Week, Help the Aged will also become the first
charity shop retailer to ban plastic bags in its high street stores. To ensure that customers are not left inconvenienced by this move,
the Charity will be offering a stylish, reusable shopping bag made
from sustainable jute material, as one alternative. The bag will be
available to buy from 9 June 2008 for just £1.95 from any of the 365
Help the Aged shops throughout the UK and all profits from sales
will go to the Charity.
Helena Brett, Head of Trading and
Development at Help the Aged said:- “During National Recycling
Week we want to motivate people and remind them that our charity
shops, as well as being hidden treasure troves, exist as fantastic
local recycling centres with an added feel-good-factor. So whether
you’re looking for some vintage summer fashion, a page turner for
your holiday, or have simply de-cluttered your home and need
somewhere to take all your old things, come and visit us on your
high street!”
Help the Aged charity shops also provide free information and advice
leaflets on issues affecting older people, their families, carers
and friends and actively support the Charity's national campaigns.
To find out where your nearest Help the Aged shop is or more about
recycling through the Charity visit:
www.helptheaged.org.uk/shops. |
REPOSSESSIONS RISE IN SOUTHPORT
THE North West
has the unwelcome accolade of being the region with the highest
increase in home repossessions since last year – a hike of 24%
compared to the national average of 16%. The latest Government
figures show that County Court mortgage repossessions in Southport
are up by 61% from last year.
Chris Davies claims this is a visible indicator of the stress felt
in many over-borrowed households and is backing his Party’s calls
for more government help for those affected.
Recent research by the Liberal Democrats show that 60,000 homes in
the UK are at high risk of repossession. The study focuses on
homeowners that are spending 75% of their disposable income on
mortgage repayment and the number of households is double the amount
that had their homes repossessed last year. The Liberal
Democrats believe a housing crash could be averted through a
national network of financial advice centres. The Citizens Advice
Bureau (CAB) usually provides financial advice for those already in
debt difficulty but comprehensive support is needed to help people
before their debt becomes a crushing burden.
Mr Davies said:- “Lack of preventative advice for people is
needed before it becomes too late. Although there is some financial
education and help for people when they are in difficulty the focus
should be on tackling this problem before it occurs. As living
costs rise and the credit crunch starts to bite, families are forced
to cut back on essentials in order to keep a roof above their heads. All too quickly a small debt grows out of control and people don’t
know where to turn.”
The Party is also calling for the government to work with the banks
to ensure that as many families as possible can stay in their homes,
either through payment holidays or part ownership schemes.
Chris Davies said:- “Repossession must only ever be a last
resort. Lenders must seek all possible alternatives before taking
such action.”
MEPs MUST KEEP THEIR RECEIPTS
A decision by
senior members of the European Parliament to reject calls for all
MEPs to account for the €50,000 per year allocated to them for
office expenditure has been strongly criticised by a local Euro-MP.
Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat MEP who earlier this year
revealed the existence of a secret auditors' report on the abuse of
MEP expenses, described the decision by the Parliament’s ‘Bureau’
as “outrageous”.
If confirmed it means that MEPs will not be officially required to
keep receipts to justify their expenditure. However, all the main
political parties in Britain have now introduced private rules
requiring them to do so.
Chris Davies, who has for some years published his office accounts
annually, said the decision would enable MEPs from some countries to
pocket thousands of Euros intended to help them perform their
parliamentary duties. He said:- “These plans show
disregard for the interests of citizens who pay our bills.
There is no justification for the arrogant claim that MEPs are too
important to keep records of their spending. US Congressmen are
quite important too but they find the time to do their bookkeeping
and publish their accounts in full.”
The Bureau did confirm proposals to ban the employment of family
members by MEPs, a decision said to have been heavily influenced by
German practice.
Mr Davies said:- “Undoubtedly some MEPs abuse the
arrangements, but in other cases a husband or wife does a proper
job. The solution lies not with bans but with proper auditing of
accounts and complete transparency.” |
