How to find out how much a job pays

The prime minister has defended a proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff. "What we have done is try to give them as much as we can at the present time," Boris Johnson said during a visit to a COVID-19 vaccination centre in north London. "The independent pay review body will obviously look at what we've proposed and come back. Are other public sector workers in line for an increase? "Don't forget that there has been a public sector pay freeze, we're in pretty tough times. "We've tried to give the NHS as much as we possibly can and that means, in addition to the £140bn of annual money, we've got another £62bn we've found to help support the NHS throughout the crisis." Advertisement The PM - who spent time in intensive care with COVID and said the NHS "saved my life" - added that he was "massively grateful" to health service staff and social care workers for their "heroic" efforts throughout the pandemic. But the proposal has … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Boris Johnson defends proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff

Boris Johnson has left the door open to U-turning over the paltry 1% pay rise for NHS staff after fury from thousands of nurses. The Prime Minister stressed the process was still ongoing as he was grilled on a visit to an NHS vaccine centre in north London. It now means Mr Johnson and Gavin Williamson have both failed to rule out U-turning - and implementing a higher pay rise - after an independent review body reports back later this year. Asked if he could look nurses in the eye over the paltry sum, or whether a U-turn was possible, Mr Johnson told reporters: "I’m massively grateful to all NHS staff and indeed social care workers who’ve been heroic throughout the pandemic. “What we’ve done is tried to give them as much as we can at the present time. The independent pay review body will obviously look at what we’ve proposed and come back.” Nursing unions have set up a fighting fund for possible strike action after the below-inflation rise emerged in government documents on … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson opens door to NHS pay rise U-turn – as even Tory voters demand it

The UK should prepare for a "difficult autumn" due to the threat of new coronavirus variants emerging and a potential surge in other respiratory viruses, a senior health official has warned. Dr Susan Hopkins, Public Health England's strategic response director for COVID-19 , said the population may have less immunity to respiratory viruses such as flu due to the coronavirus pandemic. She told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that it was "highly unlikely" that a new COVID variant would derail the plan to start easing England's lockdown "for the next three to five weeks". Live COVID-19 updates from the UK and around the world But Dr Hopkins added: "We'll need to monitor carefully as new strains come into the country from around the world. Advertisement "We'll need to be very ready for an autumn that could be challenging as these variants are there. "We're working very closely with vaccine manufacturers to see what they could do to develop … [Read more...] about COVID-19: UK should prepare now for ‘difficult autumn’ and ‘hard winter’, warns Public Health England official

If you're in the process of buying a home, then chances are you'll have been nervously waiting on Chancellor Rishi Sunak's every word last Wednesday to find out if the stamp duty holiday was being extended. In the end it turned out the leaks were true. The Chancellor extended the stamp duty holiday by three months . This matters because over 300,000 people were said to be stuck waiting for their home purchases to go through before the end of March. If the extension hadn't happened, then they could have been out of pocket. In fact, the stamp duty holiday was extended to the end of June, with further reduced discounts available to the end of September for people living in England and Northern Ireland. This has led to loads of readers contacting me to ask if this is a good time to buy a property. House prices are unpredictable at best – and for every optimist there's a pessimist with a different view. Here’s an overview so if you’re thinking about making a move, you have all … [Read more...] about Is the stamp duty holiday the right time to buy a house? Pros and cons explained

HOUSEHOLDS who claim Universal Credit and other benefits can use free online calculators to work out how much money they should get. The number of people claiming Universal Credit has soared because of the coronavirus crisis. Latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show six million people were claiming Universal Credit, as of 14 January, 2021. This is a staggering 98% increase since 12 March, 2020. But in a boost for people who claim, the amount you receive from benefits is set to rise from April when new rates come into force. You can see what benefits are rising and by how much in our guide. What to do if you have problems claiming Universal Credit IF you're experiencing trouble applying for your Universal Credit, or the payments just don't cover costs, here are your options: Apply for an advance - Claimants are able to get some cash within five days rather than waiting weeks for their first payment. But it's a loan which means … [Read more...] about Free tools to work out how much Universal Credit and benefits you should get