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CONTENTS 12
10 The Pension Doctor By Charlie Reading
11 Mark Francois
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Political Update
Rev. Mike Lodge
17
Nature Notes
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28
EWT Volunteer Neil Sumner
18 Martin Lewis
Money Saving Expert
22 Rotary Club / Lions Club Organisations Around Town
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Cloudy2Clear Announce Trusted Trader Partnership Consumer champions Which? have now joined the thousands of customers who recognise that Cloudy2Clear Windows really are a business that you can TRUST. The company which specialises in repairing windows which are steamed up, broken or damaged by replacing the panes – not the frames has received the coveted ‘Which Trusted Trader’ status after going through a rigorous accreditation process entirely focussed on customer service. Group Managing Director Marcus McGee believes that Which? have endorsed Cloudy2Clear’s long standing company
policy of delivering the highest standards possible at all times. ‘Our service is simple. If your double glazing has misted up we can replace the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 25 year guarantee. But it’s not just about saving people money, although that obviously helps. Whilst a number of tradespeople perhaps don’t focus on customer care as much as they should do, we make sure we turn up when we say we will, do the job the customer requires and leave their house as clean as a whistle. Locally Cloudy2Clear service the Rayleigh & Eastwood areas and
manager Chris Miller agrees that this approach is a major factor in his success. ‘The truth is that it’s not just the personal satisfaction that I get from doing a good job but also it makes good business sense. I get a huge amount of business from friends and family of people I’ve done work for, which just goes to show how much a little bit of effort is appreciated as both my customers and, obviously a body as nationally important as Which? now recognise.’ So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Chris a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!
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9
The
Pension Doctor
By Charlie Reading
The Best Income Strategy As you approach your retirement, you can use several strategies to boost your income. Most people make their way through their working life with little strategic planning for their retirement. They collect a series of different pensions and investments, each of which seem sensible at the time but often don’t take into account where they already are or where they are going. To be able to plan your retirement from a financial perspective, you first need to understand what is important to you. Only once you know what is important to you in the future can you ensure your finances can deliver exactly that. The Wedding Car of Your Finances Most people move companies several times during their working life. Each one of these companies will probably give you a different pension, so by the time you get closer to retirement, you will have collected a diverse array of different schemes to your name, which you will drag behind you like a wedding car does cans and streamers. Even those of you who run your own businesses will often have the same as a result of previous jobs, previous financial advisers or encounters with your bank. Some of the older pensions you might collect may have some quirky guarantees and features that you will want to keep. Guaranteed annuity rates, for example, are usually really valuable, so you’d want to keep most pensions that employ them. Many will offer to pay you an income of 10% or more of the capital when you get to retirement. You don’t want to let go of this feature. Some pensions will have minimum growth guarantees which might be valuable too. The important thing to do is to check. Ask the provider if you have these guarantees, and if not, you know you aren’t giving up valuable benefits by transferring.
Charges are important to assess, but only when assessed with the likely difference in growth can they be quantified. Whilst past performance is no guide to the future, over a five-year time frame or possibly longer, it can be a useful guide. Better, however, is to anticipate what a particular portfolio is likely to deliver in the future. When it comes to charges, some of these older pensions do not make clear how much money they take off from likely future growth. The biggest culprits are ‘With Profit’ funds, where the company does not indicate the charges and often doesn’t tell you the underlying fund performance unless you do some serious probing. This theory would also work if you could take your money out unaffected. However, the company can impose a penalty at any level the moment you want to take your money out. This situation is known as a ‘Market Value Adjustment’; if the fund administrators want to impose a 50% penalty on your money, they can. Avoid the smoke and mirrors of the ‘With Profit’ life company funds. It is much better to select an investment level of risk that is appropriate for you than to leave it all in the hands of a company whose sole purpose is to make money for shareholders! Paying For No Advice Another question to ask when looking at in these older schemes is, ‘Are you still paying commission to some adviser you haven’t seen for years?’ If you are not getting an ongoing service from an adviser, then you should no longer be paying them. You should only be paying for advice and a service if you are getting it, and if you were promised an ongoing service that you aren’t getting, you should put a stop to it. Consolidate For Clarity There are some important considerations to take into account with your old trail of pensions that you drag behind you like the cans behind a wedding car. My recommendation is that you seek the advice of an Independent Financial Planner with advanced pension qualifications because there can be other aspects of pensions that would affect this advice.
Either way, assuming you don’t give up valuable benefits or increase the charges more Eliminate Smoke and Mirrors than the likely investment improvement, There are a whole variety of ways that older-style it is a good financial planning exercise pensions can charge you. There can be initial charges, to consolidate your pensions into one exit charges, different units where higher charges are centralised solution. This allows you to imposed on some but not others, ongoing charges, manage your pension with much greater charges, flat charges and switching charges, to Bestadmin Income Strategy flexibility and clarity. name but a few. As you can see, it can be complicated to compare the charges of one pension to another. That’s why you, or a Financial to simplify ou approach your retirement, youAdviser, can useneed several strategies Charlie Reading was recently rated by the Sunday Telegraph as one of the process. First look at the effect the charges have on oost your income. Most people make their way through your money by picking a set growth rate (for example,theirthe UK’s top financial planners. To read more about how to positively king life strategic planning their retirement. 5%)with andlittle seeing what you end upfor with at age 65 from They both schemes. ct a series of different pensions and investments, each of impact your wealth, health and happiness in retirement, h seem sensible at the time but often don’t take into account download your FREE copy of We look at a critical yield when comparing the two re they alreadyWhat are orthis where they are going. Toatbewhether able to Charlie’s book, ‘The Dream schemes. means is that we look Retirement: How to Secure Your money in an alternative has toyou grow at need a youryour retirement from a financialscheme perspective, first Money and Retire Happy’ by visiting higher rate or a lower rate to achieve the same amount nderstand what is important to you. Only once you know what www.dream-retirement.com of funds.
ension Doctor
portant to you in the future can you ensure your finances can
boasts over 500 players, organised into some 50 teams, five of which are for girls. This makes Rayleigh FC the largest youth football club in Essex and indeed one of the largest anywhere in the country.
mark francois conservative Parliamentary mP for rayleigh & Wickford
Rayleigh Football Club, which was formed back in 1976, has come a long way in it’s forty year history. From humble beginnings the club, which is actively celebrating its fortieth anniversary year, now
I first came across the club some years ago when I became involved in trying to settle a dispute between the club and Rayleigh Town Council over the use of King George’s Field for training and matches. Fortunately it was possible to reach a solution and, under the leadership of its Chairman, Martin Shields, the club subsequently moved its “headquarters” to the playing fields opposite The Chichester Hotel in Rawreth. I can remember playing football at school and also for a local youth team when I was growing up in Basildon. I still have my end of season medals at home as a fond reminder of those days (albeit back
in the last century!). Having played as a boy I recall the fun of playing but also the value it develops in terms of discipline, team spirit and character. As such, I am a firm supporter of the club and what is has achieved for the young people of our town. Because of the large number of teams in Rayleigh FC it now takes two days to present all of the end of season prizes. In the past the club have kindly invited me along for an afternoon to help present some of the awards and I am pleased to say that l will be doing the same again this year. Some people like to knock youngsters these days but I believe that organisations like Rayleigh FC help our young people to show what they are really capable of. I am proud to have a club like this in my constituency and I wish them a very successful fortieth anniversary year.
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A journey of discovery… The Friends of Holy Trinity, Rayleigh, 18th Annual Garden Trail takes place this month, with extended hours over two days on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July, moved from the August Bank Holiday,that gardens may be shown at their best and hopefully enjoy better weather!The aim in opening these gardens is to raise funds to support the preservation of Rayleigh’s 600 year old Parish Church. Founded in 1996 andcelebrating its 20th anniversary this year, The Friends organisation is open to all who would like to help in maintaining and preserving this beautiful mediaeval building for present and future generations. We hope that you will find this garden trail a very pleasant way to help with that aim and if you would like to become a member of The Friends, application forms are available from Holy Trinity Church and Rayleigh Parish Centre.Over the twenty years The Friends have been in existence they have raised £383,000 through a mixed programme of events. Last year the Garden Trail event raised £3000, with thanks for the generous support that continues to be given.The gardens you will see this month are very different in character but are united by the pleasure they give to both you the visitor and their owners. With Trail Guides available from Rayleigh Parish Centre it is hoped that during your trail, which can be undertaken in any order, you will gather ideas and tips, share experiences with other gardeners and
Before I took a step towards the church and into a life of Christian belief, back in my mid20s, I always wondered at God’s creation, the beauty of the earth and everything in it, the animals; fish in the rivers and seas, birds of the air, and all that grows on the earth; plants, trees and flowers, all a rich provision for our lives.My journey of Christian faith is not too dissimilar toone of the journeys we read about in the Bible(Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 24, verses 13-35), that of two disciples, one of whom is named Cleopas, who were travelling on a quiet road leading from Jerusalem to Emmaus, in a troubled and confused frame of mind. They are not sure what to make of the past few days events they have just left behind; the trial, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. As these two men talk, a third man joins them, although they don’t recognise him! The stranger, as he is to them at that moment, explains how Jesus had to suffer and die, which was no accident, but to buy freedom and forgiveness for all people. He unpacks what is written in the Old Testament part of the Bible and draws parallels with the events the disciples have witnessed for themselves. It’s through the sharing of a meal, as they arrive in Emmaus, that everything falls into place and they realise who this stranger is; the risen Jesus Christ himself! Two things happen as a result; they understand who he is, making sense of all they have been told and they begin to share all they have discovered with others. This was and is my experience in my journey and life of faith over the past thirty seven years for which I thank God… May you also discover the love of God expressed through His creation and through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, as you journey through life… Yours in the love of Jesus, Parish Office 01268 742151 info@parishofrayleigh.org.uk
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Then there is the contentious issue that some sites identified for possible development are on Green Belt land, designated to prevent urban sprawl and protect the landscape, not just for wildlife. One such area I looked at recently had some pleasant surprises: farmland birds, owls and Brown Hare. In one special moment a Yellow Wagtail ventured from the field margins to collect insects on the edge of a cricket pitch. But not all Green Belt sites have this diversity and interest. A large arable field, for example, may have less wildlife than can be found in a nearby housing estate. Conversely there are many ‘Brownfield’ sites, areas of current or former industrial land, that are good for wildlife. According to the RSPB, 15% of all the scarce invertebrates in the UK have been recorded on Brownfield sites. Some of us local naturalists are currently surveying a National Grid site near Rayleigh. We have found Bullfinches, bats, newts, wintering flocks of thrushes, summering singing warblers and learnt of sightings of Adders and Barn Owls. Many nature reserves have been created from Brownfield sites, including Thurrock Thameside Nature Park and Canvey Wick. Wherever the wildlife habitat, in July there is a kind of hush as the birdsong fades. It is a time for insects, when bees and hoverflies buzz around plants and flowers which may also be adorned with spiders webs. Butterflies peak and in grassland we can enjoy of the flutterings of many of our commonest, including Meadow Browns and Ringlets and the bright orange Gatekeeper.
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What about the wildlife? That’s a question we often hear in the face of planning applications. National guidelines state that a development should aim for no net loss of wildlife (biodiversity) and possibly achieve a net gain. Often this is only possible if you look beyond the development site. It may have little in the way of resident wildlife but may be used by some species to move to and from a local nature reserve. Or it may have some important species but protecting and improving neighbouring land may compensate for the loss. We really need to know about the wider area: the important habitats and corridors so that the impact of a planning application can be assessed and we hope, mitigated.
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17
COUPLES PERKS Love is…a financial advantage! I’ve been swamped with successes after my last column on the marriage tax allowance, which gives many couples a free £212. And it got me thinking…what are theother financial boons to being in a relationship you can make work for you?
You can pass on your inheritance tax allowance
So I’ve pulled together key twosome perks. With some you need to be married, but most allow anyone to, ahem, do it together.
Yet, there’s never tax on what you leave to your spouse if they live in the UK, and if you die, their allowance rises by the amount you didn’t leave to others. So if you left them everything, they could leave £650k tax-free. Also if you die, ISAs can be passed over and stay ISAs too.
Must be married or civil partners For my first batch of tips, cohabiting doesn’t do it, only marriage (including civil partners) counts. One of you a non-taxpayer, the other paying basic 20% tax? FREE £212 3 million couples are missing out on an easy, but under-publicised, tax break launched last April. It lets the non-taxpayer give £1,060 of their tax-free allowance to the taxpayer. This means £1,060 of income they were taxed on at 20% is now tax-free - a £212/year gain. After my last column on it, a rather flattering Debbie emailed: “Easy, we’ve a backdated refund and saving of £200+/yr. Who needs to win the lottery when you’ve Martin Lewis?” To do it, the non-taxpayer just needs to register atwww.gov.uk/marriage-allowance. Apply now for this tax year, and you get it for every year going forward. Full service breakdown cover, £42 for two AutoAidBreakdown.co.uk gives home start and onward travel for £42/year – a corking deal. Yet this covers any car you drive, and any your spouse drives too, at no extra cost. It’s a pay and reclaim policy, so a recovery operator is sent out, and you pay them, then send your receipts in to get the cost back. A joint policy can also be cheaper than two single policies with the AA and RAC. e.g., a joint RAC basic policy is £80, but a single is £50 per person. Go towww.mse.me/breakdown for more.
While not a nice thought, when you die everyone can leave an ‘estate’ (all property, savings, valuables) worth up to £325k without inheritance tax coming off it.
LOVE IS… 33% OFF TRAIN FARES For ALL couples - married or not These work for all couples (and sometimes even just friends), but most need a trusting financial relationship. Get a £6,000 boost toward your first home together If you’re a first-time buyer, save in a Help to Buy ISA and you’ll get a 25% bonus on top towards a mortgage deposit, up to a maximum £3,000. And if you’re buying together, get one each, so that’s a maximum £6,000. If one of you has owned before, the one who hasn’t can still get one. You’re allowed to save £1,200 in month one and £200/month after. Even if you’re buying soon, it can still be worth it, as Laurence emailed: “Thanks to MSE, me and my partner both opened Help to Buy ISAs in December. Now we’re buying, we’ve got the min £1,600 each, and will get a total £800 bonus.” For my full guide to whether it’s right for you, and all the best buys go towww.mse.me/helptobuyisa. Get a YEAR’S 2for1 cinema together for £2ish Those darling TV meerkats (or annoying little pests depending on your view) run a promotion
where, if you become a Comparethemarket.com customer, you get access to 2for1 cinema tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a year. Yet it isn’t always your best deal. So here’s a trick. Get yourself a one day, UK-only travel insurance policy and even if you choose not to travel, technically you qualify. The cheapest I’ve found them at is £2. And then you’re due the 2for1s. Together, you can save up to £60,000 tax-free at 3% interest Easily the best-paying savings vehicle for a decent whack is thewww.Santander.co.uk 123 bank account. It pays 3% interest if you’ve £3,000 to £20,000. On your own you can only have one account, but couples can have THREE - one each, one joint, covering up to £60,000. Plus, from 6th April, the new personal savings allowance means tax-free interest for most people. The account does have a £5/mth fee, but for most that’s covered by the cashback it pays on bills. As Andy emailed: “Took your advice. Got a Santander 123 joint account then opened individual accounts for my wife and me. Estimate I’ve generated £2.5k per year. RESULT.” You need to ensure you pay £500/mth in to each, and set up two direct debits set up (if necessary, you could do £1/mth to a charity). For more tricks to max your interest, seewww.mse. me/topsavings Love is... 33% off train fares The Two Together Railcard gives the two people
martin L E W IS Money Saving Expert
named on the card a third off fares if travelling together (after 9.30am weekdays). It’s £30, so spend more than £45 each, even on one journey, and you save. If you have kids and buy tickets for them, the Family & Friends Railcard is an alternative. It gets you a third off train tickets for up to four adults when travelling together with up to four children aged 5-15 getting 60% off. Buy both atwww.railcard.co.uk. Unmarried? Your partner has no status under law - if you die they may not get the house or even the kids Just a warning before I go. Even if you’ve been together 37 years and have 6 kids, if you die will-less, in some circumstances your partner may have no rights over the home. So it’s worth checking out if you’re in that situation. Plus, unmarried fathers may not automatically have ‘parental responsibility’ if the mother dies, unless the right forms have been filled in. (Fathers may have this if they were put on the birth certificate since 2003.) Check atwww.gov. uk/parental-rights-responsibilities Martin Lewis is the Founder & Editor in Chief of Money Saving Expert. To join the 10 million people who get his Martin’s Money Tips weekly email, go to www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips
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ROTARY CLUB OF RAYLEIGH MILL Summer is the time of a number of our sports events in the club. Early in the month we held our club golf championship at the Rayleigh Golf Club and on 4th July we have our charity golf day at Rochford Hundred Golf Club. This was a great success last year and we hope for fine weather and a good day again this year. At the end of June we had our “hand over” when we change our President and council members. For most weeks in the year, we meet on Mondays as a club, with our members enjoying a meal at The Rayleigh Club near Hullbridge, Essex. It is followed by a particular kind of meeting such as ‘committee’, ‘business’ and ‘speaker’ - the latter gives us an opportunity to invite a well-known personality or charity organisation to keep us informed about their work or life. To see what we do, look up ‘Rotary Club of Rayleigh Mill’ on Google or Facebook or give Carl Watson a call on 01268 778376.
RAYLEIGH LIONS CLUB After reading an appeal The Lions Club of Rayleigh were delighted to hand over a cheque for £250 to the Hamelin Trust Hydrotherapy Campaign to enable much needed equipment to be bought for the local community. To learn more about the wonderful work Hamelin Trust do please visit http://hamelintrust.org.uk/services/ hydrotherapy/ The Lions Club of Rayleigh is part of the International Association of Lions Clubs, and our primary aim is to raise and distribute funds within our local area. The Lions Club of Rayleigh was chartered in 1974 and serves the Rayleigh, Hockley, Hullbridge and areas. Our club is a Voluntary Service Organisation and a registered charity, we are always looking for people willing to help make their community a better place to live.
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EURO 2016 Not a crime of passion! I say we sum up England’s performance up how an old Nan would. “Dear, oh dear. Oh well, life goes on, want a cup of tea!?” But instead, of course every football fan becomes a preacher of hate toward everything to do with English Football. Every facebook status has something funny (kind of like those statuses) or something scathing about how footballers have no passion, are paid too much and aren’t trying. However, I have to disagree with everyone who says it is a question of passion or effort. Those who know what it is like to get a taste of semi professional or professional football knows that effort and passion cannot come into question. Professional sports people would be competitive playing a game of Monopoly on Boxing day with the family, so to think they would not feel passionate and would not put in the effort is laughable. Some people will say that Paul Ince and Terry Butcher played with more passion than a Jack Wilshere or a Wayne Rooney. Passion is something that cannot be measured and most certainly can be questioned, so why bother using it as an argument. It is impossible for professional players not to feel passionate, millions of fans across the nation cheering in unison making a town in a France feel like a home game in Wembley. The other “p” word is a different story and it separates the world class players from the good players. Pressure has not been something that England players have been able to handle for years. Players will have bad games and that comes down to ability, however games like the Iceland game is completely down to pressure.
Going 2-1 down so quickly, every minute that ticked by made every player scared of want to making a mistake. The natural act of controlling the ball became a chore and something that every player was having to concentrate on and therefore making routine mishaps. A 5 yard pass became difficult, so they stopped trying the harder passes and stopped trying to penetrate. It was a on-going spiral and it was not pretty! However, the media will have their jobs to do, and that job is to sell papers and what the people want is blood and to see the England team grovel. A huge mistake, but an inevitable one. These players are young, they aren’t going anywhere and no footballer was left at home that would have made a difference to this infamous crop of players. So crucifying them makes no logical sense. A bigger problem though, is that International football is now under threat more so than ever, as it is no longer the pinnacle of football. The World Cup still has the appeal, but even the Euros and the South American Copa America is struggling to hold people’s attention, so by crucifying the players are we simply pushing them away from the International game?! Jack Wilshere, Delle Alli, etc will all go back to their clubs earning a crazy amount of money every week playing in the best league and in the best European competitions. Is playing for England attractive knowing what has happened since the team crashed out!? If we want the England players to lose their passion, we are going the right way about it! It is very easy to retire from international football nowadays, perhaps younger retirements will happen. We have already seen the world’s best retiring in Lionel Messi and I expect these “people” (let’s not forget they are just people) may choose the easier life of club football.
Put the spotlight on your local sports team, contact Zaki Hasan, via email, zaki@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk
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• Domestic Re-Wires • Fault Finding • Heating Systems • Condition Reports • Nest Installer • EV Chargers • CCTV • DATA
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UTILITIES Anglian Water 0345 145145 Electricity – Power Supply Problems 0800 7838838 Gas – Urgent Calls / Gas Escapes 0800 111999 Minicom – Transco 0800 371787 Thames Water (Supply or Wastewater Services) 0845 9200800 Three Valleys Water 0345 823333 Water – Essex & Suffolk Water 01245 491234 VETS YourVets Vets4Pets Rochford Veterinary Surgery Downes Vets Medivet LIBRARIES Rayleigh
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MEET THE MINI RANGE AT FAIRFIELD. Experience a real breath of fresh air with the new MINI Convertible. As well as top-down go-kart handling, this innovative model can feature cutting-edge technology, including the parking camera and Rain Warner app. The MINI range also includes the MINI Clubman, MINI 3-door and 5-door Hatch, and MINI Countryman. For more information or to book a test drive†, please contact us on 01702 429 429 or visit www.fairfieldmini.co.uk Fairfield Arterial Road, Eastwood Leigh-on-Sea SS9 4XX
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