u/Impressive_Trust_798

I don't have kids myself, but you'd have to be living under a rock not to see how much the six-week summer holiday absolutely batters the wallets of parents across the country. Between the price of food, keeping them entertained, and just getting them out of the house, my mates with kids spend half the summer completely stressed out.

So I was actually really glad to see the news this morning about some practical financial help kicking in for the holidays. There is a new "summer savings" rollout focusing entirely on the basics:

• VAT slashed on days out (UK-Wide): They are dropping the tax from 20% down to 5% on things like soft play, kids' cinema tickets, zoos, and children's meals in restaurants everywhere from Croydon to the Highlands. Taking the kids to the local soft play on a rainy Tuesday won’t feel like it requires a second mortgage.
• Free buses for kids (England): For the whole of August, kids aged 5 to 15 get free bus travel across England. (And a nod to anyone up in Scotland—your kids already get this year-round anyway!). This means teenagers can actually get themselves into town or over to the parks without needing to tap their parents for a fiver every single time they step out the door.

Regardless of where you normally stand on the news, it’s genuinely a relief to see some practical changes that actually understand the daily graft working families face across Britain. Anything that makes the six-week break a bit less stressful (and cheaper) is a win in my book.

Anyway, thought this was worth sharing for anyone who was stressing about how to afford the next few months!

Tomorrow is polling day for local elections in England and national elections in Wales and Scotland. In case it helps anyone: 

 ·       you’ll need a photo ID to vote tomorrow.

·       Polling stations are open from 7am-10pm.

·       You can double check your polling station here: https://wheredoivote.co.uk/

·       This might help if you want to check the tactical vote choice to keep Reform out: https://stopreformuk.vote/

Tomorrow is polling day for the local elections. In case it helps anyone: 

·       you’ll need a photo ID to vote tomorrow.

·       Polling stations are open from 7am-10pm.

·       You can double check your polling station here: https://wheredoivote.co.uk/

·       This might help if you want to check the tactical vote choice to keep Reform out: https://stopreformuk.vote/. 

Tomorrow is polling day for the local elections. In case it helps anyone: 

 ·       you’ll need a photo ID to vote tomorrow.

·       Polling stations are open from 7am-10pm.

·       You can double check your polling station here: https://wheredoivote.co.uk/

·       This might help if you want to check the tactical vote choice to keep Reform out: https://stopreformuk.vote/

 I am voting Labour. 

With voting happening this Thursday (May 7th), I've noticed a real theme lately – lots of people seem to feel that it is genuinely really difficult to decide which party to actually vote for this time around. I think for lots of people, all the leaflets coming through the door have started to completely blur together, and it’s easy to feel a bit lost on what the different parties are actually fighting for.

I did a quick browse on my local council's website and found the candidate list for each ward really helpful just to see exactly who is running in my ward, but it still leaves the bigger question.

For me, the number one issue this time around is simply trust. Over the last few years, it feels like people have completely lost faith in the local government's basic capability to bring about any real, practical change for local citizens. We desperately need local leadership that actually knows how to govern and fix things, not just manage decline.

Personally, I’m not too keen to vote for the Greens, and I definitely want to keep Reform out because I don't think protest votes or more division will actually fix the massive systemic issues we're dealing with. The more I look at it, the more Labour seems like the only practical choice this time around, because their approach actually seems rooted in getting things working again. Things like the new rules stopping the sell-off of social housing, alongside the recent increases to the minimum wage and work to keep down the cost of living, actually feel like the kind of sensible, structural changes that helps regular working people get ahead.

What was the main issue that tipped the scales for you?

>Woops, I meant to put this in - sorry! Really glad to see shop workers finally getting some proper protection in the new crime bill.I was reading through the details of the new Crime and Policing Bill today, and it is honestly just a relief to see some practical, common-sense solutions being put forward for community safety.

Over the last few years, it feels like our local high streets across the country have just been left to fend for themselves. Seeing retail staff constantly facing abuse or people walking out with baskets of goods because of that old £200 shoplifting loophole has been incredibly frustrating to watch.

It’s just great to see a shift back toward protecting normal people. The fact that assaulting a shop worker is finally going to be a specific criminal offence is a massive win for staff who are just trying to do their jobs safely. I was also really glad to see they are making "cuckooing" a specific crime, which will do so much to protect vulnerable people in our communities from being exploited by gangs.

It just feels like a really positive, supportive step towards getting our neighbourhoods feeling safe and looked after again.

If the police actually have the proper backing to tackle anti-social behaviour and community issues again, what’s the one low-level nuisance in your town you’d want them to sort out first?

As someone who usually takes national media coverage of Croydon with a massive grain of salt (because they usually just come to take photos of the Nestlé building and leave), the piece in The Times was actually quite an interesting read. They sent a reporter down to walk the town centre with Rowenna Davis and Jason Perry.

What stood out to me is that even a traditionally centrist paper pointed out that Rowenna’s manifesto is actually "heavy on detail" compared to the usual vague political promises. They specifically highlighted her plan to go after the "corporate squatters" who are just land-banking the vacant shops in the town centre.

I also really appreciated that she didn't shy away from the previous council's bankruptcy. She was pretty blunt with the reporter about how she "kicked out everyone who was in denial" to completely refresh the local party. It feels like she’s actually running to fix the town, not just defend a political brand.

For those who have read her plans to force developers to either build or sell (using a new Land Commission), do you think the council actually has the legal teeth to pull that off against big developers?

You can read the full piece here if you haven't seen it: 🔗https://www.thetimes.com/article/f409b3b2-e716-4028-bf0e-0beb1395fd74?shareToken=b004b15ead033c762231dbd45410b798