LondonMix

It's a sliding scale. You start partially losing it at 50k and its fully withdrawn at 60k. It does apply to any one parents earning rather than joint household earnings.

Yes, but reinforcing the idea that those suffering mental illness "can't" work only strengthens the prejudice employers and society has against them-- which those who can and want to work find particularly galling and why there is still so much shame and secrecy surrounding these issues. A better way forward is needed.

Agree with ???. We had kids at our wedding (lot's of them) but I've been to weddings without kids and its a different atmosphere and that's what some people want (its not always about budget). Some people want a grown up celebration where they know their friends can really let loose as the kids are taken care of. People stay out later, party harder etc.

Agree, Admin?

Yes, it doesn't take much for employers to discriminate-- any woman in her 30s who employers think might get pregnant knows that well enough, much less someone suffering from a serious mental illness. Discrimination is really at the heart of the problem as is affordable housing in London-- neither of which have easy solutions.

Osteoporosis is often not painful (it relates to bone density) and many women have some form of the disease, particularly post menopause. Again, the OP might be in pain, but osteoporosis is not something that makes you unable to work automatically (though obviously the increased risk of fracture means certain types of jobs aren't suitable). Whether someone can function with bi-polar depends on a whole host of factors. One of my best friends is bi-polar and works as an architect for one of the leading international practices. Its a complex disease. david_carnell Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Champ Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Why would a bipolar disorder or osteoporosis > > prevent someone from working? Undeniably there > > will be some occupations that won't be suitable > > but not all. > > Can you think of a job suitable for someone > suffering from severe depression and mania on a > regular basis and high levels of physical pain > upon movement? I'm struggling but I'm sure you can > enlighten us.....

It depends on the specifics (which of course we don't know). I have friends with bi-polar and they hold down jobs. There are many famous people with bi-polar disorder in various professions. I think its important not to inadvertently stigmatise all people dealing with bi-polar disorder as unemployable (or osteoporosis for that matter). Whether the OP can work or not is not something any of us can determine. We do know ATOS have been far too aggressive in their assessments, have been over-turned on appeal, and have financial incentives to incorrectly assess people. That is a disgrace and if the OP really is not fit for work, then hopefully the organisations doing very good work that have already been mentioned can help him or her. With that said, to the extent that its possible, I hope the OP can stay in her local area but the shortage of social housing is acute and overcrowding is a real concern. Unless it would really cause undue mental strain (more than it causes anyone to move!) her home should be made available to family that needs both rooms in my opinion and she should be put in a one bedroom property. With that said, I hope the OP gets whatever help he or she needs. Champ Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why would a bipolar disorder or osteoporosis > prevent someone from working? Undeniably there > will be some occupations that won't be suitable > but not all.

Again agree with red devil. Its more expensive but within the context of total project costs is not that significant if you have to pay for your neighbours party wall surveyor. Within the context of buying a house its peanuts.

Agree, but not-state run does not mean better either. Oversight for academies was centralised with the DfE rather than left with the LA. Now the DfE realised continued expansion plans are too much for centralised monitoring. The record of academies has been very patchy so I cannot understand how the conintued expansion without gov't oversight can make sense. With that said, Harris is the exception to the rule performance-wise.

Wow! Gove has lost the plot. The admin burden of of monitoring academies (since it is with the DfE rather than the Local Authority) is too onerous so his solution is the remove oversight and make them private! I can see the some of the benefits of free schools etc but his approach is totally ideologically driven and bad policy.

Red Devil's post is the only accurate one. While you need a partywall agreement (this is a technical document prepared by structural engineers) your neighbours do not need to be supportive if you are extending under PD rights. A typical ED terraced dormer conversion needs less than 40 cubic meters. If the roof is hipped end of terrace / semi detached, you'll need to convert to a gable in addition to the rear dormer which will use more of your volume allowance. You need to make sure your loft is suitable for conversion (has enough height). You can search for Southwark Planning Portal to see what has been done on the road (even when converting a loft under PD rights, many choose to get a certificate stating it's lawful from Southwark which helps when selling and you can see their architects plans for the loft and the volume calcs). Good luck.

That's interesting. I sometimes daydream about a large garden when we move but I wonder if in London its actually more of a burden than an asset most of the time.

As promised some information on Southwark Primary admissions etc that can help you get an idea of recent furthest distances that I posted on a thread for someone living around Mamora road-- I suggest using two great resources for parents that can help you understand what's likely. In Southwark's brochure "Starting Primary school in Southwark" at this link [www.southwark.gov.uk] you can find the furthest place offered on distance (ie excluding care and sibling offers) for the previous year. Academies and faith schools don't provide that detail but I have found that if you email the schools directly, they can provide you with that stat within a couple of hours as they get the request so often! The brochure highlights if there was a bulge at a school as this will distort things and under those circumstances, I would again suggest you ring or email the school in question and find out what the distance was in the last year where there was no bulge. Once you have that you can enter your postcode and the postcode of your closest 6 schools at the link below to see exactly how far away you are as the crow flies, which is almost always the distance measurement used for primary admissions. [www.freemaptools.com]. The schools postcodes and email addresses are in the brochure at the first link. Good luck (it's so stressful). And remember, there are plans for permanent expansion of some of the local primary schools in the western part of ED / Dulwich Village etc. While you won't likely get into those schools, it might ease demand and therefore increase the catchment of some of the popular schools nearer you like Goodrich. Not sure what your timing is but Renata is usually really helpful and providing information about what's happening in primary education locally including where bulges are likely to occur next.

Alimc, unfortunately, it's possible and it does happen. The council try to deal with it by creating special bulge classes but sometimes people are sent out of area (up to 2 miles away). I'll repost some info regarding how to judge your currently likelihood of getting into a school but things change very quickly. Southwark have plans to address the shortages (contact Cllr Renata who is very helpful and primary schools issues and active on the forum). If its the kind of thing that keeps you up at night, just move as close to a primary school as you can (well within the furthest place most recently offered). In Honor Oak, the state primaries are clustered quite close to each other and are all very good so you'd likely be okay if you plopped yourself around the cluster including Stillness, Fairlawn, Dalmain, and St William of York which are all very strong schools. Good luck and try not to stress out about it. For the vast majority of people, it works out just fine- kids attend a local primary school. Given that pretty much all the primary schools in the area are good, even if you don't get your first choice, you are unlikely to end up with a dog. I'm an expat too so I understand your concerns!

Do a search on the forum using the school's names. Part of the reason for few responses is a very similar thread was started on Goodrich last week for example. There are many recent parent views on all the schools that you can look up. SE22 and SE23 have different strengths. I (living in ED :)) like Dulwich and Peckham Rye Park more than the green spaces of SE23 though the Horniman Museum and Gardens in FH are outstanding as are the Dulwich / Sydnahm Woods, One Tree Hill and the Nature Reserve in Honor Oak. I am just more of a park with a cafe person. I think Lordship Lane is a terrific high street and Bellenden Rd in Peckham is easily accessible from ED and has more and more interesting shops and restaurants on offer. There are more places opening up in Honor Oak and FH is part of the Portas scheme to regenerate the high street so things look positive though it's not as good as ED / Peckham Rye yet. Transport links are probably better in Honor Oak than most places you could live in ED- Victoria / London Bridge / ELL and City-Thameslink-Blackfriars (Crofton Park is nearby) trains all within a short walk. On the objective academic stats, the schools in SE23 are better on average than in ED (including value add) but both areas offer quality primary education so neither area is a bad choice. SE23 is also still quite a bit cheaper than SE22 and with larger / grander hosuing stock so if you go there you'll not just pay less but you'll probably be able to find a much grander place. It's really what's most important to you as both areas have a lot to offer.

Do a search on the forum using the school's names. Part of the reason for few responses is a very similar thread was started on Goodrich last week. There are many recent parent views on both schools that you can look up.

Somewhere between 25% and 40% of people's post tax income goes on housing (rent or mortgage) in this country. If you pay off your mortgage by retirement, the amount of pension / savings you need is much lower than if that is an ongoing expense. Also, like you mention, you can downsize and release some of the equity. However, even without that, home ownership makes sense. Yes, I am remembering the same psych principle you are but can't think of it right now!

If you don't own your own home, the savings you will need in retirement will be higher. If rent is cheaper than owning (including repairs / insurance etc!) then you can achieve that additional savings. However, if that's not the case, then financially you'll be worse off. Psychologically, people seem to like a kind of security (no one can move me on) that comes with home ownership. Alternatives exist (tenure rights) but in London where rents can rise so quickly, not owning your place when you have kids can feel disruptive / insecure. From a societal perspective, apparently home-owners are more involved and invested in their communities (there have been studies I think) but I'm not sure that bit is really the cause. It might just reflect that people who like to put down roots (and can afford to) tend to be community minded rather than having a house making you community minded as such.

60ft is plenty big (by my standards at least)! There are plenty of 25ft gardens in ED and that size combined with being north-facing would be a deal-breaker for me unless the east and west aspects were pretty open so that you could have some morning and afternoon sun. I hope it works out that its got enough sun for you to live with nikki.

Sorry, the house is on the southern aspect of the garden. I meant to say, east or west but confused myself! nikki73 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks londonmix.large tree is in northwest.will > check again for others.

That's funny. I'm sure a south facing garden before fridges were commonplace was considered a bit of a health hazard! My mother in law remembers her mum making jellies by leaving them out in the side return to set. Even in the summer this worked as their side return was always in the shade... Now most people see side returns as wasted space. How things change.

Agree with Katgod, oimissus and northlondoner. The Herne Tavern has good outside space and is very child friendly if its not too out of the way for you.

It depends on how large the garden is. If its long, then a portion of it (far from the house) will still get the sun. If the southern aspect of the garden isn't blocked by trees then you also might get the sun. However, if its small and surrounded by large trees on the southern side, at least for me, it would be a deal breaker. It won't ever get any direct sun, and most likely will be damp and muddy.

Yes, I've heard the building where the cannabis farm was is also owned by some old guy who refuses to lease the place to anyone who won't live above it or something weird which is why its remained vacant. There is tons of demand from businesses who want to open but that doesn't mean they will all be a hit. Some will fail and new ones will replace them- it happens all the time. It's not a sign of anything except that not every business is well run / viable / tastes change and that our economy is capitalist!

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