Author Archives: aqualizzy

Still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are at a crucial time for the future health of our towns and cities. The big urban centres are experiencing an inevitable plunge in demand for centrally located floor space for offices, retail and leisure. Smaller market towns where the economy has become based around theContinue reading “The challenge of ghost-towns”

COVID-19 policy-making, political and medico-scientific, has been top-down, whereas micro-implementation has eventually depended on practical local knowledge and resources: councils, schools, hospitals, surgeries, geography, infrastructure, networking, charities, volunteers. Consultation between National and Local levels was already habitually inadequate so even worse in a crisis. Volunteering a vivid example, where many on National database were neverContinue reading “Authorities work macro: citizens live micro. COVID-19 handling errors reflect this. Make policy implementation local.”

Covid 19 highlighted the need to feel connected to family, friends, colleagues and communities. As the world embraced the ‚’work from home‚’ lifestyle as a reaction to the pandemic, many people felt isolated from the lack of regular social interactions and they missed the small personal exchanges with their colleagues that happen daily in anContinue reading “How to create opportunity through “work from home” to strengthen economies and communities”

The economic impact of the COVID-19 measures has not been experienced equally. The heaviest burden has fallen amongst young people both for current and soon to be job-seekers. According to the Resolution Thinktank, one-third of employees aged 18-24 lost their jobs or were furloughed within the first three months of the pandemic. For recent jobContinue reading “Youth Unemployment Crisis”

We are a UK charity specializing in arranging emergency Non Molestation Orders for victims of DV. Prior to the pandemic victims who were in need or an injunction order were always petrified at the thought of attending court and having to face their abuser in court . Since the start of Covid 19 these hearingsContinue reading “COURT ATTENDANCE FOR VICITMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE”

In December 2020 Andy Haldane, Chief Economist at the Bank of England, estimated that UK households had built up 100 billion in “excess savings” as a result of lockdowns and restrictions. These ‘accidental savers’ are asking themselves where they should put their lockdown savings. Traditional financial products aren’t attractive as interest rates and lower riskContinue reading “Households have significant excess savings and many want to help the UK build back better”

One of the most demoralising and toxic elements of our economy, which has been highlighted by COVID-190 pandemic, is unemployment and the stigma attached for the need to be reliant on ” State Handouts”:- Universal Credit, Job Seekers Allowance etc., and the fragmented and confusing approach the various Government schemes take to not always successfullyContinue reading “Government backed Job Guarantee Scheme part funded by Internet Purchase Transaction Tax ( IPTT )”

The pandemic has shown the value of joined up, coherent communication and interactions between the government, individuals, and businesses. This has been hampered by the lack of a unified digital strategy for government. This problem has manifested itself in several ways, from the lack of financial support being made available to those self-isolating due toContinue reading “Lack of digital government services and infrastructure hampers engagement, efficiency, and agility.”

During the first lockdown I realised that if the supermarkets were empty, there would be desperate times. We need to live closer to our food supply. Food supply chains are global and complex. They also disconnect us from our food, food is a thing in a package from some place else. Using vertical farm technology,Continue reading “Could ailing shopping centres be turned into vertical farms?”

The NHS hit its Covid volunteering target in 24 hours. The scheme was paused after 5 days, on 29 March, because 750,000 volunteers had already been recruited. People were inspired by the heroism of those working in medical and low-paid service jobs; they were moved by the privations experienced by the immobile and vulnerable; theyContinue reading “The desire to volunteer outweighs the current volunteering infrastructure”