In financial truth, if you find bills are hard to cover during the coming summer, longer bright days, it will be as winter approaches that inflation issues will really more kick on. Darker nights means lights on earlier. Colder days/nights means greater attempt to keep warm. While you might say to yourself “I will cut everything down as best possible” – in truth, you will still be hit with higher bills. After all, there is only so much you can cut down to the bare minimum.
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Hotels, bars, shopping centers, supermarkets, suppliers, etc, have their own heating/lighting bills. As their costs will far larger rise, so will the prices of their products, each going up in effort to pay those increased bills. Add on increased transport fuel costs too. The price of basics for you will rise.
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Many will try buy less in local shops. Totally understandable. The knock-on of that in some cases will be less items sold. Less sold, less money by employers for paying staff wages – cue more unemployment. Those unemployed with now even lesser money, will then have even far less to spend locally – which means more less items sold by struggling businesses – cue more unemployment… On and on the vicious circle will go.
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We cannot deny it any longer. Europe is possibly heading towards a genuine recession. I take no joy in stating what’s possible.
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My point is this: if we as a nation are to try stave off the worst effects of what’s more winter coming, our government must more act NOW,
1. To introduce needed legislation changes – including price controls, etc,
2. Reduce or postpone national spending on luxury projects (example: €20 million bike paths),
3. Stop exporting our money billions on the likes of #PESCO (EU army setup) and other external to state ventures,
4. Reduce various imposed state taxes on smaller SME’s to begin with.
5. Increase supports for local SME’s, elderly and disabled/ill.
6. Introduce far more ways and levels, of accountability.
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And much more.
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Local councils MUST see to it that shops that are monthly raped by charges just because they exist, getting no further direct benefits in return for rates imposed, gain financial reductions in their council rates. Local authority rates are ready stifling local businesses. Local business rates are already crazy in places. They MUST be reduced if local economies are to try better survive what’s coming.
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Councils must more realise that getting something out of a still surviving local business, is far better than getting zero out of far more businesses closing down. They must also act to help keep people employed.
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Times are going to be tougher this coming winter. That’s a given. The time to prepare is NOW by national government and local authorities. There is no debate about this. There cannot be. All must play their part – and not leave it too late to act!
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Our national announced, government budget is many months away – and even then, announced measures then, will mean even later changes further rolled out. That’s far too late. Our government must act and prepare right now. It makes plain sense to do this.