And the squeeze cometh!

Well, we finally had our letters..............only two months late, but as they say, better late than never and I have to say, that probably the wait was worth it. Many of the people who had their letters on time had mistakes; groups of people who work the same shift pattern all had different amounts, as their allowances were based on what they had worked last year, with no consideration made for holidays or shift changes that were done to help the organisation out. I am pleased to say that all my group have been given the same allowance, and based on what they said my allowance was last year, I have actually got a small pay rise. Now unfortunately it is not enough to actually make a difference as it will all be taken by the taxman, but at least it is not a pay cut!!!

So, no pay cut and I still have a job............for the time being! But the noose is being tightened from all directions. Petrol is now over £1.30 a litre, added to which, as of the 1st April, the Park and Ride sites in Oxford are going to be charging for parking. Only £1 a day, but as the whole idea is to keep cars out of the city centre, I think that county council are shooting themselves in the foot. Now I don't pay for the bus, but if I did, it is a minimum of £2.20 a day return, add a £1 to that and it soon adds up. People in this country are surgically attached to their cars, and the only way to pry them away from them, is to make it cheap and convenient for them not to use them. Oxford pioneered the Park and Ride system - first place in the country (bit if trivia for you), and it works very well. There are five sites on the edge of the city, with over 4,000 spaces and from about 7am to 7pm, the buses run every 15 minutes. Aside from the people that work in the city (and there are lots of us who use the Park and Ride because parking in the city centre is none existent and phenomenally expensive), there are all the many, many tourists who visit Oxford on a daily basis.

I know the councils are now getting less money, because basically the country is broke. I know we have to make savings, and in the great scheme of things £1 a day is not massive, though if you work five days a week, allowing for four weeks leave, that is £240 a year, on top of all the other price rises. I am already spending more and more on getting to work without this as well. Now, when I applied for the job I knew it was in Oxford, and I knew I lived in High Wycombe, and therefore I would have a 50 mile round trip. I did consider the costs, but since then petrol had shot through the roof and is continuing to rise and now I am going to have to pay for parking too.

Now here's a thought, perhaps I should give up work and claim benefits...............but isn't that what has got the country in the mess it is in, in the first place?????