From April First we can all expect to find increases in cost of; Council tax; Water rates; Mobile phone bills; Internet provider bills; Car tax; Insurance; Bus fares; Train fares, Petrol, Diesel and so it goes.
We’re all fools for continuing to let capitalism, it’s elites, and its shills, carry on plundering resources, and plundering us.
Rachel Reeves is concerned that workers will demand higher wages.
What of those on fixed incomes and benefits?
A 2022 political campaign Enough is Enough, called for ‘A real pay rise, A cut in energy bills, An end to food poverty, 'Decent' homes for all, Higher tax for the wealthy, Nationalisation of Certain Industries.’ Fabianesque aspirations that even in the unlikely event of being implemented would do nothing to change the underlying cause of the problems sought to resolve – capitalism.
‘The consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation rose to 3% in January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported, up from 2.5% in December.
The ONS said a jump in the cost of meat, bread and cereals pushed up food bills, while higher private school fees after the government’s withdrawal of VAT exemption increased the cost of education services.
Rachel Reeves said: “Getting more money in people’s pockets is my number one mission. Since the election we’ve seen year on year wages after inflation growing at their fastest rate – worth an extra £1,000 a year on average – but I know that millions of families are still struggling to make ends meet.”
The chancellor is understood to be concerned that a rise in inflation through the spring and summer will spur public sector workers to demand more than the 2.8% wage increase the government has agreed can be paid from existing budgets.’
‘Millions of households face a greater than expected increase to their energy bills of about 5% from April after a slump in Europe’s gas storage levels caused market prices to climb, according to analysts.
The average gas and electricity bill for a typical household in Great Britain is expected to rise by £85 from April to £1,823 a year under the energy regulator’s price cap.
The latest energy price increase would mark the third consecutive quarterly rise in costs for households, in a blow to the government’s election promise to bring down energy bills by “up to £300 by 2030”.
About 9 million households that use variable tariffs linked to the price cap will see an immediate impact on their bills from April, while it will be delayed for others on fixed tariffs.
The energy regulator for Great Britain, Ofgem, will confirm the figure for the energy price cap covering the three months from 1 April on Tuesday 25 February. The regulator increased the cap in January by 1.2% to a rate equivalent to £1,738.
Adam Scorer, the chief executive of National Energy Action, a fuel poverty charity, said the third consecutive price cap rise would hit households “after three years of abnormally high energy bills”.
“There is no getting used to this new normal for the people we try to help. Millions of the most vulnerable households are struggling with debt and severely rationing their heating,” he said.
Although a further rise was widely expected, the increase is expected to be steeper than first anticipated after cold, still weather across Europe forced many countries to rely more heavily on gas power plants as wind power dwindled. As a result gas storage levels dropped across the continent, causing wholesale market prices to rise sharply.’
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/feb/18/ofgem-forecast-increase-energy-bills
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