Millions of workers in the UK will begin to pay higher contributions to National Insurance (NI) from today.
In what is said to be part of a plan to raise billions of pounds for the NHS and social care, the government announced the 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance as part of its 2021 Autumn Budget last year, and insists it is “necessary, fair and responsible” that the rise still be introduced, despite growing pressure for it to be put off in the wake of the wider cost of living crisis.
From today, annual earnings above £9,880 will be liable for 13.25% NI contributions, and for those above a higher threshold of £50,270, the rate will be 3.25%.
Employers’ National Insurance contributions will also go up by 1.25 percentage points.
The government predicts that the tax rise will raise £39 billion over the next three years to help reduce the COVID-induced backlog within the NHS, and then later reform adult social care for the long-term.
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From Wednesday 6 April, the Health and Social Care Levy will begin to raise funds to help tackle Covid backlogs and reform services.
Over the next three years £36 billion will be invested in the health & social care system to ensure it has the long-term resource it needs.
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) April 3, 2022
It has been confirmed that lifetime care costs will be capped at £86,000 from October next year, and there will also be a change in the assessment of individual assets that people have to be eligible for help with care costs, as currently, only those with assets of less than £23,250 receive help, but this will go up to £100,000
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the levy was the “necessary, fair and responsible next step, providing our health and care system with the long term funding it needs as we recover from the pandemic”.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak added: “This government will not shy away from the difficult decisions we need to take to fix our social care system and slash NHS waiting times.”
Health Secretary @sajid tells @KayBurley the National Insurance rise can only come from two sources, 'directly from people today' or borrowing it from 'the next generation'.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid also defended the move to increase NI contributions in an interview live on Sky News this morning, explaining: “All of the funding raised from it is going to go towards the extra £39 billion we are going to put in over the next three years to health and social care.
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“It’s going to pay in the NHS for activity levels that are some 130% of pre-pandemic, it’s going to be nine million more scans, tests and procedures, meaning people will get seen a lot earlier [but] why is any of this necessary, whether it is for health or social care?
“It’s because of the impact of the pandemic. We know it is unprecedented. It has been the biggest challenge in our lifetime.
“The impact of that is going to continue for many years.”
Leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, has called the NI price hikes “the wrong tax at the wrong time” in an interview on Good Morning Britain this morning, adding that: “The sad reality is a lot of the money gathered through this tax increase, in the end, is going to be filling a blackhole.”
Featured Image – National Insurance (gov.uk)
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Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.
The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.
This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)
The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.
Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.
Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.
For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.
This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)
This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.
The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.
Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”
Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)
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Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
6th April 2022 
