Penguin68

This links to the process document which describes the procedures that BT is obliged to follow to remove a public phone box. It is non trivial, complex (costly) and can readily be blocked by 'interested parties' who don't want to see the box go. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0035/47879/removing_callboxes.pdf At least one argument which could be made is that there are schools around it where pupils, without or deprived of their mobile phone could summon help or assistance. I suspect that this may be a reason why BT is reluctant to 'do anything' about it.

This seems prima facie to be criminal activity and should be reported. As a rule of thumb if you choose never to give at the door under any reason (except, perhaps, to someone known to you, although many years ago I did have a neighbour who used this to scam her own friends and acquaintances - she was also in a position of trust!) you will find it easier to make decisions and immediately turn away people begging or scamming. Giving to charities of your choice through recognised routes (directly to the charity etc.) also allows the charity, if you are a tax payer, to claim back the tax on your donation, boosting it by 20%.

Agree that Paul & Reg are fair and trustworthy. I always follow their advice (over close to 30 years) and have not regretted it. Reg is a very good mechanic.

All retailers are charged for everything they do with bank, not just independent ones, and as you point out the charges apply to everything, including means to deal with cash. The larger the commercial relationship is with a merchant, the lower the charges tend to be. Independants are thus the merchants that are likely to pay most per transaction, as they have the lowest transaction footprint with banks and card companies. The big boys have much better negotiating power.

This is probably the only area which doesn't yet have cpz! A CPZ gives you NO rights to park outside your house, or to reserve space there. Indeed, someone who has paid for a CPZ ticket will feel they have a greater right to park anywhere in that CPZ. In general CPZs reduce the available parking space (in the way the are marked out) and certainly do not 'create' sufficient spaces (necessarily) to allow all the cars registered to addresses in CPZ roads to be parked in that CPZ. And of course these won't be able to park in other CPZs either.

How are the shop's fees structured? Do they have to pay a fixed (or minimum) amount per transaction, or is it always a percentage? Different cards have different deals with different merchants - but I think it is common to have a %fee with a minimum charge which, for small transactions, means virtually a fixed fee. There may also be a maximum charge as well in some deals. The more business you generate the better the deal you can get. Charges for use of debit cards (where there is no issuer risk) are generally lower than charges for credit cards - where there is an issuer risk of card-holder default. But I think there is always some transaction charge.

As someone who is wealthy enough to pay a few extra pence on everyday items, I say shops should certainly increase their prices to take account of their card transaction overheads - poor people who aren't issued cards by their banks must just realise that is a reasonable burden on them for being poor - if all they can manage is cash then they should certainly be happy to pay my transaction costs - or perhaps just choose to eat or wash less. Simples. Amended to add:- please switch irony circuits on now!

Small shops in particular pay a large fee for credit card transactions. On small purchases that will destroy their margin.

I think the issue is less the depth of snow but that any snow, once it has been compacted and frozen, without treatment on the hills around us makes the roads too slippy for normal vehicles. Bus routes and major (A) roads must be kept open. There is no evidence of gritting (snow was all white) on the first day around ED - hence the Dog Kennel Hill debacle. There was very clear warning that this snowfall would be accompanied by very low temperatures, when ice formation was thus almost guaranteed at any snow depth. I have no problem with the council, in straightened times, concentrating on key routes. I don't believe, at least in the south of the Borough, they did that soon enough. And other boroughs (i.e. Lewisham) clearly went further than Southwark did.

Precisely

James Driving back through Lewisham yesterday I saw several dumps of grit on pavements - clearly left to allow locals to use it to grit their paths/ outside their houses. I saw none (what a surprise) as soon as I entered Southwark's boundaries. For an area without tubes, and whose train service (outwith the Overground) is derisory, we are more reliant on road based public transport than others; and we are hilly. Southwark's actions (or rather lack of action until shamed on national television) is shameful. The apparat will of course continue to be handed power by the north of the borough, flat, tubed and cosy. Southwark is not (just) way too big. It is also still ony really interested in its 'old' self - Camberwell can (and does) go hang. I can see no remedy.

The key issue must be to grit roads which take public transport or are major routes - minor and side roads are simply too expensive to grit. Providing dumps of sand to allow self-gritting of pavements would be called for if these conditions weren't now as rare as hen's teeth. I am annoyed about the failures to effectively grit major routes at the start of this (now mainly remedied) - but side roads are a different issue, unless perhaps they serve key locations (schools, hospitals, clinics etc.). - and then only if we are into a 1962 situation. Which we aren't. Hopefully we will be clear of snow by the end of the weekend. Now is the time (see what I am doing here?) for some True Grit in coping with this.

I suspect a car sliding down Dog Kennel Hill on The BBC London News programme may have reminded Southwark that we exist, and as a potentially damaging story unless they got their act together. Power of the press eh? What's not to like?

I can confirm that part at least of the Underhill pavement (West Side, along the cemetery - opposite pavement and going South) was gritted yesterday. But actually the part not in your ward. Don't know how, didn't see it being done, just the result. Gritting just one pavement is fine, walkers can cross to the gritted side.

There was reduced pressure in Underhill this morning, but still a flow.

Don't forcefully break ice in ponds if you have fish in them, this will damage or kill the fish. Crack it gently - or leave e.g. a tennis ball in it so that it can be lifted out. Things living in your pond will need air so a long-term ice cover will also damage them.

If it is true that Southwark is claiming it did grit, I wonder where - North of the old Borough of Camberwell possibly? Around Tooley St?

I would, genuinely, like to know whether the relatively flat north of the borough has been gritted, leaving the hilly south to suffer. Or whether there is equal (well, hill effects apart) pain for all Southwark's residents (and electors). If anyone has penetrated past the DKH road blocks into upper Southwark, how are things faring there?

Can I remind everyone that there are elections coming up in May. Just saying...

shosntosh:- 1. There are no 'official' signs - although some Neighbourhood Watches do have printed decals you can use. But any sign of your choosing expresses your legitimate wishes. You are being bullsh*tted here. 2. You have described being the victim of abusive and threatening behaviour. This is illegal - in future, should this happen, call the police. 3. The chances of this being a legitimate charitable collector I would think are slim (but not, sadly, impossible). Because I can, and do, make use of Gift Aid I never give to random collectors at the door or street. Or to beggars, choosing to direct funds to legitimate charities who are best placed to make most (and most effective) use of them, and who can benefit from the tax contribution.

It'll be a Conways contract - they are using the Emperor's New Grit - you simply show your lack of culture and intellectual appreciation by not being able to see it. I suspect most of the bus routes are actually Southwark rather than the Highways Agency (that might be the South Circular) - anywhere which is rated at 30mph is Highways, I'd guess, the other is Southwark. And yes, in the case of one of the most heralded 'cold snaps' of all time to miss out on gritting must veer into a criminal lack of responsibility. Although of course the north of the borough may have been fully gritted.

More importantly, perhaps, Overground rail networks and signalling are run by National Rail - so TfL is simply a train operator over these lines. As National Rail is the source of information on services run over its lines, it should be able to provide stations on their network with service information. 'First hand' information comes via National Rail I believe.

I think you may find that UK cars are tuned so as to be optimised running at 30mph (on the flat) in 4th gear. You could re-tune them to optimise around 20mph, but that wouldn't make sense where most built-up areas (outside Southwark) still have a 30mph limit. At 20mph you either have to run in 3rd, or accept slightly rough running in 4th. Clearly running in 3rd all the time in built-up areas is not very economical on fuel use. The car 'wants' to (is tuned to) run quicker than 20mph, hence the problems some people feel at maintaining that speed. For an experienced driver the car doesn't 'sound' or feel right at 20mph, so they unconsciously drift up. I suspect that's also why the experienced Top Gear drivers found it easy to drive at a constant 30mph, as the car felt right (was tuned to feel right) at that speed.

When I was young most shops sold groceries loose, rice, sugar, dried pulses, raisins and currants etc. all spooned out of sacks, weighed and put into blue paper bags. Two things. The bags were of course unmarked, so what was in which was always a bit of a lottery, and you needed to check for dirt and mouse droppings. We then welcomed pre-packed, clean, dry goods when they came - and for that matter supermarkets where you didn't have to queue behind each counter to get served. There is, of course, way too much packaging now, but in addressing that, do be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. 'Modern' ways of doings things came in for a reason.

I have just seen a post and pictures from a friend in Kent - v. heavy snow there, so anything trying to come through that is likely to be late/ cancelled. He'd taken an hour to go two and a half miles, ironically stuck behind a snow plough!