UK News and Discussions

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

Britain’s troubling trends in life expectancy

APRIL 9 2023

The fact that people were living increasingly long lives used to be a reliable good news story. Not so any more. The UK government has delayed plans to raise the state pension age to 68 from 2037 because something has started to go awry with life expectancy trends in Britain. After decades of rapid improvement, progress has slowed to a crawl since 2011. In the poorest parts of England, it has actually started to fall. Similar trends are evident in “healthy life expectancy” — an estimate of the amount of time people can expect to live in good health.

Hopes for future improvements have also dimmed. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a think-tank, a man born in 1971 who made it to age 50 would, under projections made in 2006, be expected to have a life expectancy of 86.3. Under the 2020 projections it had fallen to 83.9 years. The equivalent figures for women have dropped from 89.3 to 86.7.

The UK is not alone. Life expectancy is on an even worse trajectory in the US, where drugs, guns and road deaths are killing swaths of young people. In western Europe, improvements in life expectancy have also slowed since 2011, but the UK’s performance is below that of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Read more: https://www.ft.com/content/3d25b1c9-33b ... 0fc3a8a603

[Time_Traveller]

Government reveals exactly what will happen in the first-ever nationwide emergency alert system test

7 hours ago

The government has revealed the details of the UK’s first-ever nationwide public alert system test scheduled for next Sunday.

Millions of mobile phones across the UK will receive the message alongside a loud alarm at 3pm on 23 April. The system is intended to be used in life-threatening situations, such as flooding and wildfires.

Set to be tested on 4G and 5G mobile phones, the sound and vibration will last for up to 10 seconds even if devices are set to silent.

The message will say: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.

“In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 20603.html

[Time_Traveller]

UK pensions: how much do you need to retire as the cost of living soars?

Sat 15 Apr 2023 07.00 BST

The cost of living crisis is turning into a cost of retirement crisis as rising food and energy prices mean the amount of money you need to retire at a minimum living standard has increased by almost £2,000 in the last year.

In 2022 the minimum required to survive as a single pensioner jumped by 18% to £12,800 a year. Meanwhile, a retired couple now need a minimum of £19,900 a year – up £3,200, an even bigger rise of 19%, according to a study funded by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) at Loughborough University.

While this month the full new state pension rose from £9,627 a year to £10,600, the figures from the research suggest that millions of people will not have enough money to cover their day-to-day living costs.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/ ... ion-income

[lechwall]

UK pensions: how much do you need to retire as the cost of living soars?

Sat 15 Apr 2023 07.00 BST

The cost of living crisis is turning into a cost of retirement crisis as rising food and energy prices mean the amount of money you need to retire at a minimum living standard has increased by almost £2,000 in the last year.

In 2022 the minimum required to survive as a single pensioner jumped by 18% to £12,800 a year. Meanwhile, a retired couple now need a minimum of £19,900 a year – up £3,200, an even bigger rise of 19%, according to a study funded by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) at Loughborough University.

While this month the full new state pension rose from £9,627 a year to £10,600, the figures from the research suggest that millions of people will not have enough money to cover their day-to-day living costs.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/ ... ion-income

The real key to retiring comfortably is to own your home outright which will be true for less of the current generation than previous generations.

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[Xyls]

Labour working to let the Conservatives win again?

Labour suspends Diane Abbott in attempt to stifle fresh antisemitism row

MP loses party whip after writing letter suggesting Jewish, Irish, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people had not experienced racism

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -to-racism

[Time_Traveller]

Labour working to let the Conservatives win again?

Labour suspends Diane Abbott in attempt to stifle fresh antisemitism row

MP loses party whip after writing letter suggesting Jewish, Irish, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people had not experienced racism

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -to-racism

Indeed and you wonder why most people don't vote either of them.

[Time_Traveller]

Government website error causes UK emergency alert confusion

Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 2:20pm

A post on the government website has caused widespread confusion after it appeared to notify people of a second emergency alert test taking place today.

In an official post wrongly published online, it said a "service test" would be conducted on Tuesday 25 April, but most mobile phones and tablets would not be getting an alert.

It left people questioning whether or not they might receive another notification, especially considering some mobile phone users didn't get them when a nationwide test of the new system was carried out on Sunday.

But a Cabinet Office spokesperson confirmed to ITV News that it was "a website error" and the information has since been removed from the site to avoid any more confusion.

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-04-25/gov ... -confusion