Am I being cynical?

I agree that prices are going up and up … also am getting a bit tired of all the people who live in London telling the rest of the UK to use public transport instead of cars , there is nowhere else that has the same massively subsidised reliable, cheap service .

I was amazed when I heard my son telling me London bus fares had increased to £1-55 per trip
which covers anywhere in London, where I live it will cost triple that to travel a mile and there are very few services .

So a car is essential here , I’m thinking our extra costs living in the country are subsidising their city services ….

GrowingOldDisgracefully
I love your explanation ‘clearly be using less water’ when you reach 65. Who knows how their minds work. Our gym did something similar but explained that more people were working longer i.e. not pensioners, so could afford the undiscounted fees. ?

As a cashier told me at an Asda fuel station, they have plenty of fuel it’s just the crazy toilet roll panickers that caused the problem . Next it will be Sprouts !

A PP mentioned car parking fees going up . Our town is so poor and under used that all parking is free! Business is so bad in the shops that the council dare not charge for parking as most people will do their shopping in the nearby larger town or city .

4allweknow, you have exactly stated my feelings about electric cars. Not going to happen for our household, and likewise the now trumpeted heat pumps. The sort of debt those 2 things would raise for us (in the doubtful event we could take out loans for them), wouldn't be feasible to pay off before we die - personally speaking you understand!

As for getting less for your money, today at my weekly swimming session, I enquired why the 50+ plus discount has disappeared all of a sudden, and was told you have to be 65 to get a 'senior' discount now. So it seems it is now more expensive to be a young senior. However, I shall have the last laugh, as I turn 65 very soon, and will therefore then clearly be using less water than I did!

I was reliably informed at the start of the shortage it was a social experiment!!!! ?

As usual you are right, usuallyright, but we like to have a moan about it.

Why has it taken you all so long to realise that every time there is a change, there is a cost increase inherent.

Unfortunately we’re not self-sufficient so we buy at world prices. So the price goes up. Those of us old enough to remember the fuel crises of the 60s and 70s will remember OPEC and how the sheikhs of the Middle East cut back supplies to keep the prices high.

Prices are going up all over the world, so not only in the UK.

To keep fuel costs down at home I've just bought a heated throw, cheap to run, its lovely.

Pension rules changed who knew ? If you defer your state pension for a few years there is no choice to receive a lump sum

katy1950

I'm growing more and more disillusioned every day the media is so full of doom and gloom .Everyone they interview is complaining, it would be wonderful if all the media stations had a major malfunction for atleast a month and I'm sure the world would be a far happier place

Ignorant bliss you mean? Sadly some of us can’t have that luxury.

When fuel goes up , prices go up , it's logical. Unfortunately they never come down again. Almost every business is trying to make up money lost during the lockdowns. As the country gets back to normal the prices never come down. It makes life just that bit more difficult for the young and old alike who are on fixed incomes. Pensions and benefits never rise at the same rate or as quickly as the prices rise. Sorry to state the obvious.

I'm growing more and more disillusioned every day the media is so full of doom and gloom .Everyone they interview is complaining, it would be wonderful if all the media stations had a major malfunction for atleast a month and I'm sure the world would be a far happier place

I noticed the car park fees in my town had also crept up....why???

Didnt we also find out that fuel actually has a shelf life - who knew? So maybe the plot was two-fold; Use up all the old fuel and increase the prices.
With people driving less and less throughout lockdown, there was loads of fuel nearing the 'sell by' date.

Anyone remember when diesel was a lot cheaper than petrol, an incentive to get us to go diesel. Now fuel is being used as the tool to go electric. I would buy electric if there was a choice of vehicles I could afford and that were able to deal with snow and ice and tow a caravan for the holidays I have in mainland UK. Very much doubt fuel costs will return to levels before the driver shortage panic. Too much in the government coffers.

They had to get rid of the millions of litres that didn’t get used threw lockdown some how. So the scare mongering worked.

Their excuse is they purchased oil at his height pricewise but what we are buying at the pumps now was purchased at rock bottom prices 6 months ago.Its just greedy oil companies making more profits.

Disabled drivers on low incomes will suffer with the higher prices. Personally I think the fuel retailers are cynically exploiting us. Every year before the Chancellor announces his budget, the price of fuel shoots up and then falls again gradually after it. It puts pressure on the Chancellor to delay higher taxation.

Petrol stations are often franchises are they not? Which would explain why prices differ.

I don’t think it is cynical to say it as you see it, particularly as this is how it looks. I think you have a valid point.

Our local Texaco turned off their price sign (illegal) during the "shortage" and charged £1.69, back to normal now but they must have made a killing

They forget about people in rural areas with very little public transport what are we meant to do?