Expensive Bikes To Be Banned From Cycle To Work Scheme
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Rachel Reeves is said to be targeting rich commuters by limiting the amount you can claim for bike gear through salary sacrifice
These two paragraphs add some detail.
Workers could be banned from buying ultra-expensive bikes through salary sacrifice schemes amid government concerns that they are being exploited by “high earners in the Surrey Hills”.
The Treasury is understood to be considering limiting the generosity of the government’s Cycle to Work scheme, which allows employees to buy bikes and accessories through an interest-free loan from their employer.
Over the years, I’ve worked with many, who have cycled to work and in the early 1970s, I regularly cycled to my clients in London.
Rachel from Accounts seems to have a death wish for the electoral chances of the Labour Party.
EV Owners To Pay London Congestion Charge From January 2026
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
I asked, Google AI, who will pay the Congestion Charge and received this answer.
Most drivers of petrol or diesel vehicles must pay the London Congestion Charge when driving within the central zone during charging hours. Exemptions apply to those with specific vehicles, such as motorcycles, emergency vehicles, and breakdown service vehicles, as well as individuals with disabilities who have a Blue Badge and are in the “disabled” tax class. Some groups, like residents who applied before August 2020, also receive a significant discount.
Note that the Congestion Charge will increase from £15 a day to £18 a day on January 2.
I can’t see the Labour Party winning the next London elections.
Conservatives Would Scrap Stamp Duty, Badenoch Announces
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The next Conservative government would abolish stamp duty on the purchase of main homes, Kemi Badenoch has said, in a surprise announcement at the end of her first conference speech as party leader.
These two introductory paragraphs add more detail.
Badenoch received a standing ovation from Tory activists in Manchester as she declared: “That is how we will help achieve the dream of home ownership for millions.”
She said scrapping stamp duty – a tax paid by home buyers in England and Northern Ireland – will “unlock a fairer and more aspirational society” and help people of all ages.
Note.
- I have a degree in Control Engineering at Liverpool University and graduated in 1968.
- Badenoch has a degree in Systems Engineering at Sussex University and graduated much recently.
Our degrees are both very mathematically-based and probably surprisingly similar.
My feeling as a Control Engineer, is that to selectively remove stamp duty could be a good idea, as you are affecting the derivatives rather than the rates.
Only time will tell, but some thorough mathematical modelling will probably show the validity of the idea.
It is unlikely that I will move, but given the state of the buses, there is a small chance that I might.
- My current house is probably worth about a million.
- If I bought a similarly-priced house, I would pay tax of £43,750.
- But, if I bought a house at double the price, I would pay tax of £153,750.
Given the progressive nature of the tax, I think I’ll be staying put, occupying a three-bedroom family house with a garage, all by myself.
If the tax is removed, I would be more likely to move into a house, that suited me better!
Yesterday In Whitehall And The Battle Of Cable Street Compared
I asked Google AI “How many Tommy Robinson supporters were in Whitehall yesterday and received this answer.
London’s Metropolitan Police said the march, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, drew an estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people, far surpassing expectations.
The Times has a similar figure.
Sky News says this about the counter protest.
An anti-racism counter-protest, attended by about 5,000 campaigners, also took place.
This is backed by other reports.
The Times also said this paragraph about the Police.
More than 1,600 officers were deployed to deal with the demonstrations as well as several football fixtures in the capital. At least 500 police had been drafted in from forces outside London, including the Merseyside, Humberside and Avon & Somerset forces.
So what was it like in the 1930s, when Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts tried to march through the East End of London?
Google AI gives this account of the numbers.
At the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, there were approximately 3,000-5,000 fascists attempting to march, protected by 6,000-7,000 police officers, who were met by a larger, determined counter-protest of tens of thousands of locals, with estimates for the anti-fascist crowd ranging from over 100,000 to as many as 300,000 people.
My father, who was proud of his part-Jewish heritage and very much an anti-Fascist was there.
It looks like numbers were more the other way yesterday. I don’t think that’s a good thing.
Farage Faces Questions Over Who Funded £885,000 Clacton Constituency Home
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faces pressure to account for how his partner paid for a £885,000 home after a BBC investigation raised further questions about his previous explanation.
These two introductory paragraphs, give more details.
The Clacton MP has denied avoiding more than £44,000 in additional stamp duty on the purchase of the constituency home by putting it in his partner Laure Ferrari’s name, saying that she bought it with her own funds.
He suggested that she was able to afford to buy the four-bedroom home, which was bought without a mortgage, because she comes from a wealthy French family.
The BBC appears to have fully investigated the deal and doubt the veracity of some of the tale, that Farage told.
I notice, that the house in question is in Frinton.
My late wife was a barrister and once acted for the Co-op to get an off-licence in the town.
- Up until this action the town had been dry.
- C told me, that the Co-op had appointed a charming Asian gentleman as a manager.
- She used all her legal charm to get the action through.
- She also joked afterwards about hate mail, but I don’t think it was serious.
It appears that you can still buy alcohol in Frinton.
Almost One Million Smokers Are Too Ill To Work
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Smokers are three times more likely than non-smokers to be out of work owing to poor health, and numbers are rising fast
These three paragraphs give more details.
Nearly a million people who smoke in England are out of work due to illness, research has found, with the figure rising by nearly 80 per cent in the past decade.
As a proportion, almost three times as many working-age smokers compared with non-smokers were out of work due to ill health, with 11.3 per cent of smokers and 3.3 per cent of non-smokers not working for health reasons.
As of March, more than a fifth of UK working-age adults were not in work, with 8.7 million having a condition that limited their ability to sustain employment.
As the research comes from University College London, I think we can be sure, it has been properly peer-reviewed.
Nigel Farage
You rarely see NF without a cigarette in his hand.
That would not be the sort of image, I would want in my representative or heaven help me, my Prime Minister.
NF is the Member of Parliament for Clacton.
This paragraph is from the Wikipedia entry for Clacton-on-Sea.
As common with many English seaside towns, unemployment has remained stubbornly high in Clacton.[14] In 2023, Clacton won a £20 million government levelling-up grant to improve the town centre.
I asked Google AI what is the percentage of smokers in Clacton-on-Sea and received this answer.
The smoking prevalence in Clacton-on-Sea (within the Tendring district) rose to 20% in 2023, bucking the UK-wide trend of declining smoking rates and representing a significant increase from 14% the previous year. This figure is considerably higher than the national average, which was 11.9% in the same year, but similar to rates observed in other areas.
Now there’s a thing!
Similar data for the other Reform UK MPs are as follows.
Lee Anderson – Ashfield – Ex-Smoker
Specific smoking percentage data for the Ashfield area isn’t readily available in the search results, but Nottinghamshire’s smoking rate was 15.4% in 2020, which is above the England average, with rates varying significantly by district. For instance, in 2020, the rate in Mansfield was higher at 23.1%, while Rushcliffe had a lower rate of 3.6%.
Richard Tice – Boston & Skegness – Non-Smoker
While a precise percentage for Skegness isn’t available, the local area has a higher-than-average smoking prevalence, with some reports indicating Lincoln and Boston (both in the same county) have some of the highest rates in the East Midlands, and the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board noted a 16% prevalence for Lincolnshire in March 2024, an increase from previous years.
Sarah Pochin – Runcorn & Helsby – Unknown
There is no exact percentage for smokers specifically in Runcorn, but for the wider region, an overall adult smoking rate of 11.34% was recorded by Cheshire West and Chester Council in 2021. Higher rates were seen in adults aged 18-64, where the prevalence was 22.9% in the same area.
Rupert Lowe – Great Yarmouth – Appears to be against more smoking bans
The smoking prevalence in Great Yarmouth was 17.6% in 2022, which is the highest in Norfolk and significantly above the national average of approximately 13% for adults in England. This data comes from a Norfolk Insight report using Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) data from the Annual Population Survey
James McMurdock – South Basildon & East Thurrock – Unknown
There is no specific data available for “South Basildon” regarding the percentage of smokers; however, national data for the UK from 2023 shows that the overall proportion of current smokers was 11.9%. More granular data from a 2022 Office for National Statistics (ONS) report indicates that smoking prevalence can vary significantly by location, with local rates like Basildon (13.3%) and other areas of England showing different figures than the national average.
The pattern is very mixed
I also asked Google AI, if Reform UK has a policy on smoking and received this answer,
Reform UK does not have a published, comprehensive policy on smoking on its website, and has not taken a stance on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which includes a phased smoking ban. However, public polling by The Health Foundation in late 2024 indicated support for public health measures to prevent ill health from tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food, though specific results for Reform UK voters were not broken out in that instance.
It would appear that they are firmly sitting on the fence.
Powering The Humber Energy Revolution
The title of this post is the same as this story on the Centrica web site.
This is the sub-heading.
From the UK’s largest industrial carbon emitter to a clean energy powerhouse, the Humber is ready to be transformed.
These are the first two paragraphs, which add more detail.
We’re prepared to invest £2 billion to keep Rough open and transform it into one of the world’s largest hydrogen storage facilities. This bold move is vital for the UK’s energy security, accelerating the energy transition and unlocking thousands of green jobs. But to make this vision a reality, we need strategic support from government.
We’ve spent time in the Humber, speaking with local communities and industry leaders to understand how this region’s infrastructure shapes lives and powers the nation.
It looks to me, that Centrica have got fed up with our useless, squabbling politicians and decided to act.
There is also a video to watch.
Starmer Appoints Octopus Energy Tycoon As Cabinet Adviser
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Telegraph.
This is the sub-heading.
Greg Jackson Will Help Modernise Whitehall In PM’s Efficiency Drive
These are the three introductory paragraphs.
The founder of Octopus Energy has been appointed to an influential role advising the Government, weeks after Ed Miliband rejected his recommendations on energy pricing.
Greg Jackson will become one of three non-executive members of the Cabinet Office board, providing him with a platform from which to challenge the thinking of ministers and officials.
The entrepreneur said he intended to press departments to embrace the kinds of technology central to Octopus’s success in order to implement policies more rapidly and efficiently.
I certainly, agree with the last paragraph, but I feel that steering the supertanker of government, might need quieter rules on the tiller.
Do Hitachi Battery Electric InterCity Trains Have Problems?
I asked Google the question in the title of this post and got this answer.
While Hitachi’s battery-powered intercity trains have shown promising results in trials, particularly regarding fuel savings and emissions reduction, there are some potential challenges and considerations. These include safety concerns related to lithium battery fires, especially in the event of a crash or derailment, as well as range limitations for longer journeys. However, the technology is continuously evolving, and Hitachi is actively working to address these issues.
That seems fairly positive.
There is also this article on the BBC, which everybody should read, which is entitled Will New Battery-Powered Trains Replace Diesel, And Are They Safe?.
In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I look at the data sheet, that Hitachi published in late 2023.
These were my conclusions about the data sheet.
These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains, which were written in November 2023.
- The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
- A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
- A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
- The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
- The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.
As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.
Hitachi have seen my figures.
They also told me, that they were in line with their figures, but new and better batteries would increase range.
125 mph trains with a 120 mile range on batteries, would revolutionise UK train travel.
LNER’s Class 897 Trains
In the Wikipedia entry for LNER, this is said about LNER’s new ten CAF tri-mode trains.
In November 2023, LNER placed an order for 10 ten-car tri-mode (electric, diesel and battery power) Civity trains from CAF. In August 2024, it was announced that the units will be designated Class 897 under TOPS.
According to their Wikipedia entry, it appears the Class 897 trains will be delivered from 2027.
Can I Build A Schedule For The Introduction Of New Trains, Services and Batteries?
I think that I can from the information that is out there.
- East Coast Main Line – December 2025 – Introduction of Lumo between London King’s Cross and Glasgow
- West Coast Main Line – Spring 2026 – Introduction of Lumo between London Euston and Stirling
- Midland Main Line – 2026-2027 – Introduction of EMR Class 810 trains between London St. Pancras and Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
- East Coast Main Line – From 2027 – Introduction of LNER Class 897 trains between London King’s Cross and Yorkshire.
Note.
- The two Lumo services use trains already in service.
- The Class 810 trains for EMR are being debugged and introduced at the present time.
- The only new trains are the Class 897 trains for LNER.
- The introduction of the Class 897 trains will allow LNER to withdraw some trains for refurbishment and fitting of batteries.
This would mean that before the next general election, almost the full timetable between London and the North of England and Scotland would have been implemented using diesel-electric technology.
Is it a low-risk start to the full electrification of services to the North?
The second-phase would see battery-electric trains introduced.
I believe that Grand Central’s new trains would be brought into service first.
- The new trains are scheduled to be introduced in 2028.
- Grand Central will still have the diesel trains for backup.
- Their new trains would be similar to the other Hitachi trains.
- It looks like they could be doing some splitting and joining.
After the Grand Central trains had been introduced successfully, the trains for the other Hitachi operators would have batteries fitted.
I suspect short routes like Lincoln would be electrified with battery-electric trains first.
There would also need to be short lengths of electrification erected, so that trains could be charged to send them on their way.
Other routes could also be electrified in the same way.
- Basingstoke and Exeter
- Birmingham and Aberystwyth
- Bristol and Penzance
- Cardiff and Swansea
- Crewe and Holyhead
- Edinburgh and Aberdeen
- Edinburgh and Inverness
- Reading and Taunton
- Swindon and Gloucester
If this technique could work for main lines, surely a scaled down version with smaller trains would work for branch lines.
Conclusion
Consider.
- It looks to me, that someone has planned this thoroughly.
- It all fits together extremely well.
It could be the first phase of a cunning plan to use battery-electric trains to electrify the UK’s railways.
Passengers will also see benefits, from when Lumo runs its first train into Glasgow Queen Street station.
I don’t think Hitachi’s trains have any problems, but there is enough float in this plan to make sure, it can be implemented on time and on budget.
The Anonymous Widower 