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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Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport
Emily Sergeant
A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.
Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.
At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.
Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.
He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.
#JAILED | A man who deliberately drove into a police officer in Stockport has been jailed.
Harvey Bell (12/08/2005) has been sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute and was disqualified from driving for two years.
— Stockport Police (GMP) (@GMPStockport) June 4, 2025
Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.
The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.
“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.
“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”
She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.
“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”
Featured Image – GMP
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IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site
Emily Sergeant
It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.
The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.
The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.
IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.
IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.
Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.
IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.
Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.
The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.
“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.
“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”
Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester.
Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.
Emily Sergeant -
6th April 2022 
