Falling birth rate

I don't think offering women incentives to have more children, as is happening in France and Hungary is a good thing and it doesn't appear to be working anyway.

The population is already huge. It may be unbalanced with too many of us oldies but I'm sure there'll be a pill I can take......

Grammaretto

I don't think offering women incentives to have more children, as is happening in France and Hungary is a good thing and it doesn't appear to be working anyway.

The population is already huge. It may be unbalanced with too many of us oldies but I'm sure there'll be a pill I can take......

There doesn't need to be a pill, but there needs to be a rethink about funding pensions.

Even pensioners spend their money - it's the spending which is needed to keep the economy going.

My maternal GGM was one of 10, she herself had 6, but one died as a baby. One of hers (my DM) had 4, 2 others had 2 each.
OTOH my paternal GM had just one - from all I gather a very difficult birth was enough to put her off having any more!

My dd1 has 3 (3rd was a ‘surprise’), dd2 won’t be having any, out of choice.

Interestingly, for reasons of space, the reception class at the Gdcs’ primary used to be housed in their pre-school, a 15 minute walk away. But falling numbers have meant that there was room in the main building for reception, when the youngest Gdc started last year.

Not sure why numbers have fallen - unless it’s crazy property prices driving people away! A nice area of outer Oxford but by no means anything like the most expensive.

Witzend It's quite normal for the need for school places to fluctuate at local level. A housing estate gets built, people have children, the children grow up, but the parents stay (without children), their children then go and live somewhere else and there's a need for school places in some other part of the town (or part of the country). Councils plan about 10 years in advance.

growstuff

David49

Whitewavemark2

Blimey the message - immigrants seems to be getting through.

High immigration levels generally means economic growth.

It does if they are actually working, not sitting in hotels costing money.

The vast majority of immigrants are not siting in hotels costing money.

Those that are are costing £8m a day, small change?
Only £3 billion a year , a small trifle.
Give them work permits and a hostel to live in until they are processed.

growstuff

LOUISA1523

Yes, definitely a cause for concern

Why?

The world is running out of resources. Isn't it a good thing that there might be fewer of us?

I'd have thought it was a cause for celebration!

I hope more resources become available to enable women in poorer countries to be able to make the choice about how many children they want to bring into the world, too.

Those that are are costing £8m a day, small change?
Only £3 billion a year , a small trifle.

With respect,*David*, for someone who venerates business your thinking on the national economy is remarkably restricted. £3billion is small change in the context of over all national budget spending; which is estimated to be about £1,300billion in 2025

Give them work permits and a hostel to live in until they are processed.

I expect they would much rather do that than have to sit around doing nothing all day in usually substandard accommodation and with a very small daily allowance.

I can just see the uproar there would be as well, with accusations of potential terrorists and child groomers being let loose on the UK population. Not to mention cries of 'taking our jobs'... Reform would have a field day.

growstuff

Incidentally, I was born in the mid 50s and I don't remember many families with more than two or three children.

I was born in the 1940s, one of three children but most of my friends had one sibling or none.

Many young women now choose to be child-free.

growstuff

Kandinsky

But a demand for fewer school places costs the country less

I’m pretty sure someone from the Labour Party was encouraging people to have more children - might have been dreaming of course.

Very few people will be needed in the future as most jobs will be done by robots / AI.
So let’s just let the human race die out naturally - seems to be what some people want.

That's a bit dramatic! The human race won't be dying out any time soon - unless a massive asteroid lands on the planet.

We do need someone to give birth to the scientist who will stop that happening 😁

Unless they have already!

growstuff

David49

Whitewavemark2

Blimey the message - immigrants seems to be getting through.

High immigration levels generally means economic growth.

It does if they are actually working, not sitting in hotels costing money.

The vast majority of immigrants are not siting in hotels costing money.

Where are they then?

Unless you are not talking about immigrants come in by boat.

fancythat

growstuff

David49

Whitewavemark2

Blimey the message - immigrants seems to be getting through.

High immigration levels generally means economic growth.

It does if they are actually working, not sitting in hotels costing money.

The vast majority of immigrants are not siting in hotels costing money.

Where are they then?

The vast majority of immigrants are living in houses and flats all around the country. My neighbours on both sides are immigrants, for a start - that's four working adults.

fancythat

growstuff

David49

Whitewavemark2

Blimey the message - immigrants seems to be getting through.

High immigration levels generally means economic growth.

It does if they are actually working, not sitting in hotels costing money.

The vast majority of immigrants are not siting in hotels costing money.

Where are they then?

Where are they then?

Many working in the NHS or in private healthcare. Care workers, shop workers, teachers, in the Armed Forces.
Everywhere!

growstuff

LOUISA1523

Yes, definitely a cause for concern

Why?

The world is running out of resources. Isn't it a good thing that there might be fewer of us?

But the world has not run out of any.

I cant think of a single one.

escaped

Unless there is something wrong with the way in which news is reaching me abroad this summer, I heard that the number of births inEnglandandWalesrose last year??
According to theOffice for National Statistics(ONS), some 594,677 live births were registered in 2024, up 0.6 per cent from 591,072 in 2023.

yes you are right, quite a few (not meant to be offensive) migrants have set out to have children for various reasons. My sister, in her area, has been asked to help gather donations of baby items for several of these babies

That phrase has been said for about the last 60 years.

Where are they then?

And running Post Offices.
If they're brave enough to still do that.

Allira

fancythat

growstuff

David49

Whitewavemark2

Blimey the message - immigrants seems to be getting through.

High immigration levels generally means economic growth.

It does if they are actually working, not sitting in hotels costing money.

The vast majority of immigrants are not siting in hotels costing money.

Where are they then?

Where are they then?

Many working in the NHS or in private healthcare. Care workers, shop workers, teachers, in the Armed Forces.
Everywhere!

Yes, everywhere! My neighbours work in a science lab, hospital, engineering company and packaging company.

fancythat

growstuff

LOUISA1523

Yes, definitely a cause for concern

Why?

The world is running out of resources. Isn't it a good thing that there might be fewer of us?

But the world has not run out of any.

I cant think of a single one.

Fossil fuels are running out, as are some elements such as phosphorous, fresh water, fish. The world can only feed itself because we use methods which probably don't do our bodies that much good.

growstuff

Allira

fancythat

growstuff

David49

Whitewavemark2

Blimey the message - immigrants seems to be getting through.

High immigration levels generally means economic growth.

It does if they are actually working, not sitting in hotels costing money.

The vast majority of immigrants are not siting in hotels costing money.

Where are they then?

Where are they then?

Many working in the NHS or in private healthcare. Care workers, shop workers, teachers, in the Armed Forces.
Everywhere!

Yes, everywhere! My neighbours work in a science lab, hospital, engineering company and packaging company.

I realised afterwards he wasnt talking about boat migrants.

We do produce enough food to feed everyone in the world adequately.

growstuff

fancythat

growstuff

LOUISA1523

Yes, definitely a cause for concern

Why?

The world is running out of resources. Isn't it a good thing that there might be fewer of us?

But the world has not run out of any.

I cant think of a single one.

Fossil fuels are running out, as are some elements such as phosphorous, fresh water, fish. The world can only feed itself because we use methods which probably don't do our bodies that much good.

But they never ran out.

Nothing has as far as I know.

MaizieD

^Those that are are costing £8m a day, small change?^
Only £3 billion a year , a small trifle.

With respect,*David*, for someone who venerates business your thinking on the national economy is remarkably restricted. £3billion is small change in the context of over all national budget spending; which is estimated to be about £1,300billion in 2025

Give them work permits and a hostel to live in until they are processed.

I expect they would much rather do that than have to sit around doing nothing all day in usually substandard accommodation and with a very small daily allowance.

I can just see the uproar there would be as well, with accusations of potential terrorists and child groomers being let loose on the UK population. Not to mention cries of 'taking our jobs'... Reform would have a field day.

If they were working they would likely create £2 billion in revenue, but you’re right it is all change and doesn’t matter, as for potential terrorists, quite likely but they are going to be given Assylum anyway because their home country isn’t “safe”..

Allira

We do produce enough food to feed everyone in the world adequately.

Yes

And that is going from 1 billion people to 8 billion. In 60 years.
Something like that.