Joe Wright

Senior Money Writer at The Telegraph

Senior money writer @Telegraph

Articles

University staff walk out over calls to return to the office three days a week

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

But the changes have come in for criticism from the 340 staff members poised to walk out on Friday. One staff member said: "It takes me 15 minutes on the train, but 45 minutes walking to get to campus. Now I'm hybrid working, I have to carry a backpack with all my work gear which can weigh up to 10kg due to laptop, headphones, lunch and anything else required for a day away from home.
Labour welfare reforms threaten to backfire as benefit claims hit record high

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

The bill has alarmed ministers and officials, who are poised to introduce a £5bn welfare cut on Wednesday in the face of mounting criticism from backbench Labour MPs.It comes after it emerged face-to-face assessments for disability benefit claims have collapsed to a record low under Labour. Official figures show that more than 80pc of Pip assessments conducted before the pandemic were in person.
Winter fuel payment confusion leaves pensioners at risk of scams

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

Consumer expert Martyn James said that the complex eligibility criteria gives fraudsters an opening to exploit. He said: "Because the system is so complicated, people genuinely don't know what their rights are. "So if someone contacts them and it looks official, people who in the back of their mind are thinking 'maybe I'm entitled to this' get lured in.
Winter fuel payment confusion leaves pensioners at risk of scams

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Joe Wright

Thousands of pensioners are at risk of being duped by fraudsters amid confusion over winter fuel entitlements. Scammers have sent a wave of bogus messages to pensioners across the country after Labour loosened eligibility rules for the annual heating allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has warned that any texts regarding winter fuel are a scam and should be reported.
Five loopholes wealthy pensioners can use to claim winter fuel payments

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

By making use of this tactic, you wouldn't lose any income, as the money not taken as a monthly payment will remain in your pension pot for drawdown further down the line. Ms Haine said it would make most financial sense for pensioners to reduce their regular drawdown in February and March in the run-up to the end of the tax year.
How entry fees took over Britain's countryside

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

Reacting after news broke of the potential £1 charge, Telegraph reader, Lee McLoughlin, commented: "Here begins the monetising of outdoor spaces. Hell awaits society." Mike Ross, who labelled the proposal "ridiculous", said "soon we won't be able to visit any part of the country without paying fees. What is life coming to?".
The little-known alternative to trusts that could help you dodge inheritance tax

3 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

Day-to-day management of the company remains in the hands of its directors, while children and other family members can become shareholders. When setting up one of these companies, it's important to bear in mind that ultimate control will lie with shareholders, who will have the power to take key decisions such as winding up the company.
the ultimate commuter town that never was

3 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

Just a fraction of the thousands of homes promised have materialised after 30 yearsOn paper, Ebbsfleet should have been a huge success story: thousands of affordable homes built on a high-speed rail link into central London. But 30 years after the grand plan for 43,000 homes in north Kent was hatched, just 10pc have been built. Its huge train station, which Eurostar abandoned, is the 308th busiest in the country - little more than a ghost town even in peak commuting times.
Electric car tax trick costs Treasury £48m

3 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

Sam Sheehan, motoring editor at Cinch, said: "Such a big increase in renewals shows just how many EV drivers might have got themselves another year of road tax-free motoring."Those who sidestepped the bill were able to renew regardless of how many months were left on their previous year of car tax. An EV owner due to renew in May, for example, was able to do so free of charge before April, prolonging their tax bill until 2026.
Porsche halts sale of EV over battery fire fears

3 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Joe Wright

A Porsche spokesman said: "Enhanced battery monitoring software is anticipated to become available for first generation Taycan models towards the end of June. With its imminent arrival, we've advised our retail partners not to sell a small, specific batch of first generation Taycan models until the software update is live."A slump in salesIn September 2023, a £200,000 Taycan was reported to have burst into flames in the middle of a busy street in the city of Chongqing, south-western China.