Consumer News Mon Feb 08 2010
Mon, 2010-02-08
1. CONSUMER DEBT: Bankruptcies hit record high - households drowning in debt.
The Mirror reports that a record number of people went broke last year as the Credit Crunch worked its way through the economy. Almost 135,000 went bankrupt or insolvent in England and Wales in 2009, figures out Friday showed. It is a 26% rise when compared with 2008 but experts warn it's only the tip of the iceberg with households drowning under £1.5 trillion of debt and another one million people with serious money worries suffering in silence. Chris Nutting, of accountants KPMG, says: "While the UK is technically out of recession, the harsh reality is that many people are still living beyond their means". FULL STORY (mirror.co.uk)
2. Soft drinks rip off at the pub - a pint of beer is £2 but a pint of juice is £2.60
Pubs are charging up to 60p more for a soft drink than a pint of beer, a Sunday Mirror survey has discovered. A pint of standard bitter is cheaper than an equivalent amount of non-alcoholic drink such as cola and lemonade in almost HALF of Britain’s pubs. One city centre bar was charging £2.60 for a pint of orange juice – when its bitter was just £2. The massive mark-ups on non-alcoholic drinks were last night condemned by health campaigners. Alcohol Concern’s Don Shenker said: “It’s grossly unfair that drivers and non-drinkers should have to pay the same – or even more – for soft drinks as alcoholic ones when they’re simply trying to have a responsible night out.” FULL STORY (mirror.co.uk)
3. UK Consumer confidence rose in January, says Nationwide
U.K.consumer confidence rose in January as the economy has apparently started to emerge from its worst recession on record, Nationwide Building Society has just reported. Their index of sentiment increased 3 points from the previous month to 73, the customer-owned lender said. The result is almost double the level of 39 measured in the same month last year. Services industries expanded at a slower pace in January, a separate report showed. FULL STORY (Bloomberg.com)
4. Freedom of speech: Scrap "farcical" Press Complaints Commission, says ex DPP
The former Director of Public Prosecutions is leading calls for tougher regulation of the press and the abolition of the "farcical" Press Complaints Commission. Sir Ken Macdonald, who is visiting professor of law at the London School of Economics, says it is "long overdue" for credible media organisations to "withdraw from the PCC and refuse to take part" in its pretence at self-regulation. "The press may think the PCC works, but nobody else does," he told an audience at Gray's Inn. The Commission was living in a "dream world". FULL STORY (timesonline.co.uk)
5. How the Telegraph's Kara Gammell halved her energy bills
Average household fuel bills have doubled since 2003 and we are all dreading the next quarterly bill which takes us through one of the coldest quarters on record. But the Telegraph's Kara Gammell says there is no need to suffer in silence. Simple steps can cut hundreds of pounds off annual fuel costs. In May, she realised their home was extremely energy inefficient. But eight months on, their gas bills have been cut from £69 a month to £25 a month – a saving of £528 a year. Here's how. FULL STORY (telegraph.co.uk)
END
These news items have been provided by James Menzies