New next dates when it is fair to start a new job in the UK public sector

Okay, so this week I've had my first pay slip for my new job. I knew I'd have to pay "emergency taxi" but with an almost £4000 per year pay rise, I expected to come out with roughly what I had done previously with a tax rebate through PAYE in time for Christmas (Yippee!).

However, the pay was roughly £170 less than expected. It turns out that the policy in local government is that, even if you work an entire month (like I have) that you are paid for the % days calendar days in the month after your start date, not the % working days as would be expected. This means for my first month in my new job, I am being paid less than my colleagues on the same pay scale for the same amount of work.

Now, obviously, I don't think this is fair, so I am publishing this list of the next 100 date where you can start a new job in the public sector with it being at detriment to either the employer or the employee.  Fingers crossed this list can help you choose a suitable start date!


2014

• 25-NOV-14
• 01-DEC-14

2015

• 01-APR-15
• 16-APR-15
• 01-MAY-15
• 01-JUN-15
• 16-JUN-15
• 01-JUL-15
• 01-SEP-15
• 16-SEP-15
• 01-OCT-15
• 11-NOV-15
• 01-DEC-15

2016

• 01-FEB-16
• 01-MAR-16
• 01-APR-16
• 21-APR-16
• 01-JUN-16
• 16-JUN-16
• 01-JUL-16
• 01-AUG-16
• 01-SEP-16
• 16-SEP-16
• 01-NOV-16
• 16-NOV-16
• 01-DEC-16

2017

• 01-FEB-17
• 08-FEB-17
• 15-FEB-17
• 22-FEB-17
• 01-MAR-17
• 07-APR-17
• 13-APR-17
• 19-APR-17
• 25-APR-17
• 01-MAY-17
• 01-JUN-17
• 16-JUN-17
• 01-AUG-17
• 01-SEP-17
• 21-SEP-17
• 01-NOV-17
• 16-NOV-17
• 01-DEC-17

2018

• 01-FEB-18
• 08-FEB-18
• 15-FEB-18
• 22-FEB-18
• 01-MAR-18
• 11-APR-18
• 01-MAY-18
• 01-JUN-18
• 21-JUN-18
• 01-AUG-18
• 07-SEP-18
• 13-SEP-18
• 19-SEP-18
• 25-SEP-18
• 01-OCT-18
• 01-NOV-18
• 16-NOV-18

2019

• 01-FEB-19
• 08-FEB-19
• 15-FEB-19
• 22-FEB-19
• 01-MAR-19
• 01-APR-19
• 16-APR-19
• 01-MAY-19
• 07-JUN-19
• 13-JUN-19
• 19-JUN-19
• 25-JUN-19
• 01-JUL-19
• 01-AUG-19
• 11-SEP-19
• 01-OCT-19
• 01-NOV-19
• 21-NOV-19

2020

• 01-APR-20
• 16-APR-20
• 01-MAY-20
• 01-JUN-20
• 16-JUN-20
• 01-JUL-20
• 01-SEP-20
• 16-SEP-20
• 01-OCT-20
• 11-NOV-20
• 01-DEC-20

2021

• 01-FEB-21
• 08-FEB-21
• 15-FEB-21
• 22-FEB-21
• 01-MAR-21
• 01-APR-21
• 16-APR-21
• 01-JUN-21
• 16-JUN-21
• 01-JUL-21

A response to the sad death of Robin Williams

In my second year at university, I had a nervous breakdown after my mum tried to take her own life for the umpteenth time as I struggled to come to terms with the bullying I was subjected to at high school.

To enable me to deal with the crisis, my brain stopped producing enough serotonin naturally. Since then I have struggled on and off with depression as my brain has never actually recovered it's ability to produce the required amount of serotonin naturally.

When I have had my deepest depressive episodes, any rational thoughts have gone out of the window as I struggled to keep my emotions in check, especially as I'm a stubborn passive-aggressive personality type. My behaviour at the time was not normal (even for me) and I hurt people close to me without thinking, and then I felt even worse for hurting them.

I have had suicidal thoughts and once, when I was 22, I did take an overdose. Thankfully, it didn't work and I'm still here to tell the tale.

Today, I am prescribed drugs that help my brain to sustain serotonin levels so I keep things under control. I have resigned myself to the fact I will probably be on said drugs for life. These drugs, as with any drugs working with your brain chemistry, will not suit everyone but they work for me.

The sad truth is whilst I was suffering from depressive episodes, I felt alone as if I was the only person who felt like this. The truth is that about 30% of people will suffer from depression or one of its related conditions at some point in their life. I was not alone - I just was unable to feel I wasn't.

Another sad truth is that I realise that some of my intelligence and creativity have come from my lack of serotonin - low serotonin allows you to concentrate and reflect on things a lot more than normal. That's probably why people like Stephen Fry and Robin Williams have been as great as they are.

It is sad to hear that someone's suicide attempt has taken their life from us. The reason they've taken their life is irrational, but it's based on an irrational feeling that they cannot control and that you cannot understand unless you've been their yourself. So don't judge people harshly for doing what they've done.

However, when we reflect about Robin Williams and other people with a depressive illness, the important thing is to remember what they have given us whilst they've been alive.

Registered to Vote? You Could Become a Victim.

Like the majority of the adult population of the UK, I am registered to vote. However, I recently found that voting was not all I registered for after I became the victim of a crime. I have also found out that I am not the only person in this situation and that potentially any person who is registered to vote in the UK risks being a victim of crime too.

My Story

I was chatting with a friend online about music I write. He used google to search my name to see if anything came up.

It was not just my music he found. He alerted me to a site hosted by a right wing homophobic campaign group who had published a list of people, including me, giving details of their:

• Names
• DOBs
• Addresses
• Partner's Names
• Partner's DOBs
• A list of purchases which suggested they were "gay".

The site included this message: "We do not condone violence, but these are households where homosexuals live".

I did some digging and found out this group had bought databases legally from a company which had purchased the edited electoral registers from my local authority and included this in the suite of databases. It was this register where both mine and my partner's personal details came from. Another of the databases was a "customer profiling" database which gave examples of purchases made by households for marketing purposes. This group they sold the information to simply put the databases together.

An important point to make here is that both my partner and I had ticked the box on the electoral register form asking us to be excluded from the edited register. Hence our details should never have appeared.

4 days later, my partner and I were followed to a petrol station. Whilst my partner was inside paying, the man who had followed us got out of his car and started punching the window of the car where I was sat whilst screaming “fucking puff” and a load of other similar comments. When he saw my partner had paid , this man went back to his car like nothing had happened.

The police have arrested the guy who did this and tracked and taken down the website where my details were published. The guy, who admitted the crime, was given a caution.

Whilst I cannot confirm that the two incidents are related, it is a strange coincidence indeed.

Other Crimes

My example is not isolated. There are a number of people who are in the same situation.

For instance, I have found out that a company which published the edited electoral register online published details of a victim of domestic violence. This person had been moved to this authority as a way to escape her husband who was (and still is) threatening to kill her. Her husband has found her as a result and she has had to be moved again.

Another company which published the edited electoral register online has included details of people who were actually moved for police protection. 2 weeks ago, it was revealed in the media that a similar data breach had lead to the attempted murder of someone.

Finally, there are a large number of people who have been victims of identity theft where it is believed the personal information used came from the electoral registers.

The Government's Stance

The local authority says they are only obeying the Representation of the Peoples Regulations 2001. They also say that they are audited to ensure that at least 95% of records are accurately recorded - this potentially means, for up to 5% of people, that they are potentially passing on details without our consent.

Note, however, that inaccurate recording, sharing details without consent and sharing details which could be used to "harm" someone are all breaches of a different law - the Data Protection Act 1998.

Both the current and previous Governments promised to review the Representation of the Peoples Regulations 2001 based on concerns raised by:

• The public
• The Electoral Commission
• The Information Commissioner's Officer
• The Association of Electoral Administrators and
• Various Police Authorities.

The promised review was put on hold during the general election and as yet is still to recommence.

I'm not exactly sure what my MP's stance is. I get very short emails and it's usually just

forwarding responses that she's had from the local authority.

Yet, I have had support from a local councillor who is concerned about what has happened.

I have had an interesting response from the Electoral Commission who have asked for my concerns to be investigated.

What you can do about it

You may be wondering if there is anything you can do about it. The answer is yes, but it is going to need people to pull together and let the powers that be know that we need a change in legislation to prevent our information being passed on this way and in doing so prevent more people becoming victims of crime.

Firstly, if you are concerned that your details have been passed on you can check. All you do is go to http://www.192.com/ and search for your name. If you find your details, then your details have been passed on.

There is a petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29295. You can sign this and pass this on to friends, family and colleagues.

You can also post a link to this blog to your friends, family and colleagues on any of the social networking sites. The wider we all circulate this the better.

You could write to your councillor, MP, and local authority and ask them how they can assure you that your details have not been misused and how you would be protected if they have.

I don't recommend this lightly, but if you are concerned you could ask to be removed from the electoral register. Bear in mind however, if you do this, you won't be able to vote or get credit. However, if that is the only way you can feel safe, then do it - but tell your councillor, MP and local authority why you are doing it first.

Are ex-mining towns the last bastions of blatant homophobia?

Today, the reputation of towns such as Castleford and Goole in Yorkshire is well known and documented. Goole was named the worst place in the UK to live if you were LGBT following a spate of homophobic hate crimes in the noughties.

Goole is just one of a number of towns east of the Pennines with this reputation. Although tolerance and acceptance are growing to that homophobic hate crimes are no longer as big a problem as it used to be in these areas, there has recently been a further series of attacks and hate crimes in the West Yorkshire towns of Knottingley, Pontefract and Castleford.

Despite these incidents further north, it is ex-mining towns in North Nottinghamshire and North East Derbyshire where some of the more serious incidents occur. This has been highlighted especially in the towns of Warsop, Mansfield and Shirebrook. In Shirebrook, the situation is particularly bad, with one local authority representative saying "this is the only town where, for their own safety and survival, I strongly recommend to anyone thinking of coming out, DON'T!"

This would have been excellent advice this weekend. In the Shirebrook/Bolsover area in one night there were three serious homophobic violent hate crimes against people I know.

In the first incident, a lesbian in her 20s was followed by two men to her home in the Langwith Junction area of the town. On arrival at her home one man grabbed her and called her a "pussy bandit" and that they were going to show her "c*** what it's been missing". She struggled at which point the other man pulled a knife on her. She managed to reach her personal attack alarm and the men ran off. She called the police who, on arrival at the house, said the neighbours had complained about the noise from her personal alarm and she was taken to the police station for questioning, accusing her of making the story up as an excuse for "causing a disturbance of the peace".

In a second incident, a man in his 30s was invited to a house for a few drinks with someone he considered to be a close friend. This close friend had arranged for a gang to also visit the house to beat the man up, accusing him and "gays like him" of all being "paedos". He was attacked, left in the street, had all his money stolen by the gang. The so-called friend who had arranged this then put a brick through her own window and called the police. When the police arrived, unconcerned with this person's bruises and cuts, they arrested the victim for breaking the window. Another case of the victim being arrested.

In the third incident, a gay middle aged couple were waiting in Shirebrook town centre for a bus. Thinking there was no one around, they shared a quick kiss. As they did this, they were jumped by two youths in who called them "perverts", "paedophiles" and "sick gay b******s". One of the couple was hit over the head and became unconscious. The other managed to defend himself and hit one of the youths who was about to jump on his partner's abdomen. At this point the police car drove past and arrested the victim for assault. The youths were told to go home. The unconscious victim was taken to hospital where they remained for 3 days because of their injuries. When he regained consciousness, the policemen who interviewed him said these kinds of crimes "are only to be expected if you persist in living a gay lifestyle".

However haenus these crimes are, I am not posting this to raise awareness of homophobic attacks - hate crimes maybe abhorant but they are not unusual. What is unusual, which I find deeply shocking, hurtful and frightening is that these were viewed as acceptable by the police authorities in the area. And that the victims have been arrested, not the perpetrators of the attacks.

What is also shocking is I have also had five phone calls from local politicians since posting this blog. All of them started by saying "I am sorry, what are you accusing me of". One even said "I am in Parliament everyday how could I have got involved." None of them seemed to grasp that I have just been trying to make them aware of what is happening in their constituency. One politician, who had a history of supporting gay rights, completely flatly refused to accept that there was homophobia in his constituency and saying he would not get involved, asking me not to contact him about this matter again.

Therefore, I ask, is it any wonder hate crimes go unreported when victims are made to feel like the ones at fault (event to the point that they are arrested)?

I also question, is it any wonder that citizens of the UK have lost faith in our politicians and police, who are there to support and protect us?

And finally, I wonder what we can all do to tackle homophobia in communities like this when even local authorities appear to have given up hope.

BT help keep domestic violence alive.

I am raising this, as I believe lives may be at risk if nothing is done to resolve this.

To put the story to put into context - according to the Home Office, approximately 100 women are murdered each year due to domestic violence. Although I was aware that her husband had a history of violence towards others, until very recently this had not been targeted at my friend.

However, last week the situation changed. On 9th January, my friend received a telephone call from her husband saying he was leaving her.

Later that evening I went to check on her. When I arrived her husband was on the telephone threatening violence towards both of us. Although my friend was upset, but just calmed her down and helped her think of what she needed to do in a rational way, including transfer all the bills into her name, which she proceeded to do - including the telephone. On speaking with BT, they informed her that they needed to stop the existing account and start a new one. However, due to the violence threatened, they would keep her old number active until the new account came live.

On 10th January, her husband emptied the bank accounts and then returned to my friend's to collect his belongings. Whilst there, he started gabbing objects that were to hand and throwing them at my friend. He also began threatening violence towards her. Police were involved to try and deal with the situation. They advised my friend that if anything happened again to call them on 999.

On 11th January, BT cut my friend's phone off. This was only discovered when people who had been trying to contact her who were aware of the situation raised the alarm and called the police.

That afternoon and evening, my friend spent a total of 8 hours trying to get through to BT, being kept on hold for up to an hour at a time, with nobody willing to help get the line reconnected.

Finally on Saturday morning she spoke to someone from BT customer services who said that given the threats of violence, they would treat this as an emergency and get the phone reconnected by that evening. However the evening came and went and still no connection.

After leaving her number on the ring back service on Sunday, she awaited a phone call back from BT customer services. This never came.

That afternoon I brought her round for tea. On returning home, she found the living room had been turned up-side-down. Unable to ring the police herself, a neighbour informed the police as to what had happened. The police confirmed that the perpetrator had to have had a key as there was no forced entry. They concluded that her husband was behind this.

She has spent two hours on the phone to BT again this evening and all they will say is that it's nothing to do with them, that even in this situation (which they say they deal with a lot) that their contractors work on a 2 week timeframe and are not willing to move from this regardless.

BT have now informed her that her husband asked for the original line to be cut off in December which means he was planning this and therefore I am getting extremely worried for her safety.

I am also concerned that BT are now saying the timescales are going to be delayed even more as due mistakes they have been making.

I am really worried about this. I believe that my friend's life is in danger and the fact BT will no act to restore this line, even to allow 999 calls only, means that someone who is extremely vulnerable has basically been left as a sitting duck.

I also believe that there are potentially thousands of victims of domestic abuse who could find themselves in a similar situation in the future. For the sake of the lives of the people involved, this is something that cannot continue.

An alternative to green taxes

This issue keeps appearing in the press and on the news. However, whilst most of the UK accept there is a need to tackle climate change and overt what is deemed to be a major catastrophe, most of us do not want to be financially punished in order to achieve this.

My partner, a trained meteorologist, and I decided 2 years ago to change our electricity supplier to help do our bit. We opted for a supplier which guaranteed to source 100% of the energy we use from renewable sources and put that back into the national grid. This is costing us about £50 per year more than our previous electricity supplier, but we saw this as our way of contributing just a little to the sustainability of the environment.

This got me thinking, however, about the millions of people in the UK who are living in poverty. These people do not have a choice like the one my partner and I made. This also got me thinking about the number of households who, in our consumer society, will be put off because of the small but significant financial impact it could have on them.

Then my Eureka moment came. Instead of taxing people more, you could give reduce or abolish VAT on green options. This would make green energy more affordable and competitive in the energy market.

I am aware that some green energy options guarantee only a portion of their energy comes from renewable sources (most are either 10% or 30%). In this instance the reduced or abolished VAT would go on this proportion of the bill. Therefore in the case of someone who has opted for a 30% option and VAT had been abolished, they would pay VAT on 70% of the energy but not on the other 30%.

If the government is serious about tackling climate change, then this may be the huge step forward in thinking that is needed. And due to the low number of households opting for green energy options at present, the impact on the country's coffers will be minimal.

I am very interested to hear what people think about this.

Alternatively, if you like this idea, you could contact your MP. You can contact all MPs using the facility on this page: http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/

A Cautionary Tale from Ukraine

Hi Everyone,

I'd just thought it might be a good idea to mention something that happened on my recent travels to Ukraine that have got me a bit perturbed.

The first event happened 8 days into my holiday whilst in the Ukrainian Capital, Kyiv (sometimes spelt in its russified form, Kiev). A huge music festival was taking place and Independence Square was extremely busy with people from all nations who had come to see the concerts being held for free.

On the advice of staff in the hotel and because of the large crowds we could see, my partner and I left our passports and immigration cards in the hotel. These were left in a drawer, out of sight.

After venturing out for a fabulous meal, we returned to our hotel. Outside our hotel stood a police officer who asked to see our passports. We explained that on the advice of the hotel staff we had left them in our hotel room. The police officer then started saying that he was going to arrest us for not having our passports on us. After 10 minutes of saying "Look, they're in our room in that hotel," he agreed to let one of us go in and get our passports.

Once in the hotel, I had to go to the reception to get the key. The receptionist was not someone I'd seen before. However, she had our key in her hand ready to give me. In fact I didn't even have to ask for the key - she just gave it to me.

I went to the room to pick up the passports. These had been taken out of the drawer and placed neatly on the edge of the desk ready to be picked up. I quickly grabbed the passports and hurried back outside where the police officer was interrogating my partner. I showed him our passports. However, the immigration cards had been removed from them.

At this point the police officer said we had two options: either go with him to the police station and be locked up for 3 days or pay him to go away.

At this point it all became too clear that this was a set up by staff in the hotel and the police to try and get extra money out of people visiting the country.

We paid him 50 hryvnia (equivalent to £5 sterling) which isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, but the whole experience made us feel really negatively about a country and a city we were beginning to love and that is truly sad.

I think what is also sad is that it's stories like this that stop people from visiting a country which has otherwise been one of the nicest and most welcoming I've been to.

Next year negotiations start with Ukraine regarding EU membership. The truth is however, I think it will be a long time before Ukraine is ready for EU membership. In order to be ready, corruption in the organisations that are supposed to protect Ukrainians and visitors to the Ukraine from the crime in their society needs to be tackled. However, I'm not sure the government of the country is strong enough nor has the political will to achieve this.

Incidentally, in case you are wondering, the immigration cards had been put neatly back in the drawer by whoever moved the passports.