Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Business Rates

Totally agree

10000sq ft Warehousing ...Rates payable p.a £19000.00
No if or buts ...pay or we will send in the Bailiffs, that is the message from the local Durham Council, i am on an industrial estate, that doesnt get a street light, a bin emptied nor a road sweeped.

Yet 1 mile from me in Seaham habour small non rate payers get lighting, sweepers, entertainment on the Sea front and a £100k grant to buy a figurine ornament to amuse the ice cream buyers who turn up on a Sunday.

I breath fire every time i pay them.

Dean dont talk about those "*^&#@!<"|} I applied for planning permission on an area of land I own and they said no . They had looked it up on google which is about 10 year old so way out of touch . I was on to Solicitor instantly spoke to building boss he said watch it get rubber stamped by the big chief now and it did . I often wonder what they do in the office all day. Also never off the phone about fly tippers they know my voice and details before I start as for street lights one put next to a building I own handy for a thicko to climb into or onto my property . So I covered it with anti climb paint , they never asked my permission to put it their. One gaffer tried to give me hell but instantly lit my fuse shot away when I lost my temper I threatened to shove the lamp post up his ?.

My pretty local high street is being gradually filled with charity shops as business rates are so high. This combined with high parking makes the high street very unwelcoming - not exactly joined up thinking from the council. No wonder internet shopping is so attractive!

That is what has happened in my town. Charity/cash for gold/ replaced the range of shops we had. Parking? Pay to park in limited parking in town with free parking in the out of town shopping centre. £1.60 for an hour in the town centre multi storey. Asda has a carpark with the £2 fee refunded at the till if you spend £5+ in the store. Special parking for "officials" in the council offices and carparks.
There is a town centre regeneration "plan" that is in place but slow to be effective at the moment. Some small businesses have had reassurance/sympathetic help in order to keep them there. Recently some derelict eyesores have been in focus and progress planned so maybe hope for the future.

House prices will fall if people stop buying. In our area second houses have become heavily taxed and there have also been many business closures and quite a lot of unemployment. Since the start of the economic crisis house prices have dropped by as much as 50%. A house that was valued at €900,000 five years ago is now struggling to find anyone to even look at it at €450,000. Perhaps there was a bit of a bubble before the crash but this is much more than a correction.

Why wouldn't anyone want house prices to fall anyway?

An older person with no children who is looking to be able to sell their property to fund long-term care?

An estate agent who makes their money from commission on the value of the house?

A Government who is gaining significant revenue from Stamp Duty?

But generally, yes, I agree that high cost of housing is a bad thing. Part of the problem around here seems to be that people are apparently unable to stay married to each other for more than 20 minutes, there are far more single-occupancy homes than there used to be, I think.

Anyone who has just taken out a huge mortgage and would see themselves in negative equity ?