Day: February 16, 2018

    A council is planning to offer free school meals 365 days a year to children from low income households to help tackle holiday hunger. North Lanarkshire Council proposes expanding its free meal entitlement beyond the school gate to cover the 175 days of the year when pupils are not at school during weekends and school holidays. The local authority’s leisure and culture facilities and community facilities could be used to help deliver the service which would cost around £500,000 a year. Councillor Frank McNally, convener of education, said: These proposals to tackle weekend and holiday hunger are the most ambitious in the country. Groups like the Trussell Trust are struggling to cope with demand from parents and research has suggested that pressure on food banks do...

    A new report calls on the government to give £10,000 to everyone under 55 years of age as part of a move towards a national universal basic income (UBI). The Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) said the £10,000 Universal Basic Opportunity Fund" would "address an increasingly concerning reality of people cycling in and out of poverty, being subject to employment and financial insecurity and without adequate opportunities to reconfigure their lives as they wish. The RSA believes the money would help UK citizens through the 2020s, "as automation replaces many jobs, climate change hits and more people face balancing employment with social care". Payments would not be means tested and would come from a British sovereign wealt...

    Prince Harry may have just hinted on Prince William’s important role during his May 19 wedding to Meghan Markle. During his trip to Edinburgh, one fan asked Prince Harry what he will be doing for his stag party. The 33-year-old prince said that he’s sure his older brother is already planning something. Organizing the groom’s stag party is typically done by his best man. Last month, Prince William revealed that his brother has not asked him to be his best man yet. While speaking with U.K. radio host Roman Kemp (via People), Prince William said that his role at Prince Harry and Markle’s wedding is a sensitive subject. After all, the couple’s wedding will take place on the same day as the F.A. Cup Finals. When asked if he will miss the F.A. Cup so he could be at Princ...

    It started with a holiday. Five years ago Tori Gabriel and her husband went to Florida. The plan was one last big trip together before they started a family, so they took out an affordable loan to cover it. A £7,500 loan turned into a £10,000 loan, then there were the credit card costs on top. The couple found themselves with £11,000 of debt and an income of just £22,000 after tax. Our payments for the loan were about £200 a month we didn't have a lot left over at the end of each month but it was okay, Tori told The Sun But then my hours at worked were reduced and Jessica was born and it was a real struggle. Beating their debt On top of their existing debts and new childcare costs, Tori and Steve were hit with a new expense at the end of 2016. Their landlord d...