Ellie Awford

@ACJSissons Do heat pumps really need this much space? We have a detached house but struggling for suitable space based on these requirements!!

Heat pumps do work in older homes, actually. We asked people who have installed heat pumps whether they preferred it to their previous heating system. Older homes scored just as well as newer ones. 83% of people in pre-1900 homes were as satisfied or more with their heat pump

@DoctorChrisVT My little one seemed intrigued by the first ‘real’ bread she’s ever had! Thank you for this book - game changer. Now desperately waiting for friends and family to read it!!

Ultra-Processed People has been number 1 on the Sunday Times Bestseller list for two weeks running. Thanks to all the readers who’ve engaged with it and shared the difference it’s making to their lives. Two people who remain unaffected by the book are my own daughters…

@PJTheEconomist @_simonlambert often highlights these *mad* elements of the tax system on @thisismoney podcast. Complexity helps politicians here - people don’t understand how unfair these ‘quirks’ are and how angry they should be

Recalling Nigel Lawson's 1988 Budget. One can disagree with his distributional choices, but he reformed and simplified the tax system. We have got into an increasing muddle ever since. We need a new reforming chancellor to clear up the current mess ifs.org.uk/articles/brita…

@watsoncomedian I’ve had about 34 conversations on their app with @BritishGasHelp where they say an issue will be fixed in a few days… it has been 3 months and nothing has happened

I don't want to sound like an old man but it *was* good when companies employed humans you could ring up to help with problems, instead of their Contact Us pages saying 'you can call us, but don't, use the website, also the website is useless, so best blow your brains out.'

@_simonlambert @TheIFS Please do for the podcast!! Spoken to so many frustrated young mums last few days. Cliff edges and distortions like this drive me mad. 62% marginal tax rate plus 30 hours free childcare taken away is just 😵‍💫

@EllieAwford @TheIFS It takes an incredible skill to make such an unfair part of the tax system even worse - when I get time I might try to wrap my head round exactly how much the marginal tax rate on an extra pound above £100k is.

What do you reckon the chances are of Jeremy Hunt doing the right thing and ditching the effective 60p tax rate between £100k and £125k (before the 45p one kicks in) and the child benefit taper's 51%-plus tax rate above £50k? Here's an explainer of this thisismoney.co.uk/money/savemone…

@MartinSLewis Unless one parent earns over £100k. Huge cliff edge incentivising either reducing hours or giant pension contributions! Bizarre distortion 🤯 @TheIFS

In eligible homes where all adults work 16+hrs. Plan is 30hrs childcare a week in Eng for 9mths to school age (Eng only, but funds to other UK nations). It'll be phased -April 24, 2yr olds 15hr/wk -Sept 24 all 9mths-3yr 15hrs/wk -Sept 25 all 9mth to school 30hrs/wk #budget2023

@Samfr Any thoughts on the huge distortion caused by the £100k cliff edge? @TheIFS

Let's start with the positives. This is by far the biggest increase in childcare spending ever (reaching over £5bn by 2027/8). If implemented right it will significantly reduce costs for parents and could have a real benefit on child development + education too.

OK so thread on the childcare reforms now I've seen the detail....

@CackidyJones @Coram Really sorry I don’t know! Our bikes were transported to/from Portugal by @ClubPeloton as part of our fundraising ride for @Coram!

@EllieAwford @Coram Hi Ellie, I am planning to cycle Porto to Lisbon this summer. Have you any tips on cycle companies that would rent us bikes and pick them up in Lisbon ? Any other tips would be great. Thanks Aidan

8 weeks until I #cycle 500km from Porto to Lisbon! 🚵‍♀️ If you would like to donate to the amazing charity @Coram: race-nation.com/sponsor/e/7520…

Are @TLRailUK trains running from Preston park? No trains showing on @thetrainline

We shouldn’t let this be buried by other news today. Foodbank charity Trussell Trust says that the need for foodbanks has outstripped donations for the first time. It has distributed 46% more emergency food parcels in August and September than at the same time in 2021.

@EleanorMorton Tolkien and CS Lewis!

Guys I'm submitting a sketch for an award but I have no idea which one to pick - any favourites from the last year?

@Emma20087846 @mydeposits With ours the landlord had submitted evidence it just took a while for it to be processed and sent on to us

@EllieAwford @mydeposits Hey there! We currently have the exact same issue as you with our landlord not submitting evidence. Please may I ask if/ how you solved this? Thank you

@mydeposits my old landlord hasn’t submitted evidence and it’s been 21 days (deadline was 14), been on hold as 1 in the phone queue for over an hour across various calls, no response to emails, how can I get my deposit back?

@Barclays I’ve spent 90 minutes on hold today do you employ anyone any more? The online chat isn’t available and I can’t access the app

@hullablue @HelenZaltzman We had to make one up at school - mine was ‘Mummy vacuums every morning just saying unusually naughty poems’ 🪐

I once moaned to a pal while waiting in a takeaway there should be an easy way to remember the order of planets, a stranger said "my very easy method just speeds up naming planets" so I asked him to tell me it. I was very drunk, in my defence.

@virginmedia I’ve moved house can’t work out how to update my correspondence address online? Worried the cheque will go to the wrong place!

@EllieAwford I see, you wouldn't be charged twice - after being disconnected any due credit would be issued via a cheque around 35 days after your disconnection date. ^TM

@virginmedia I’ve been trying to end my contract for 2.5 hours why is this so difficult?

@virginmedia Yes it was via web chat a month ago, with the date for disconnection the end of the contract in mid September, but I’ve been told I’ll be charged in September and then I’ll be charged more after that!

@EllieAwford Hi Ellie, sorry to hear about this. Did you provide a date for disconnection? Was this via the webchat? ^TM

@virginmedia I think I’ve been charged an extra month? Also I’ve had an email telling me my bill is going up when I already gave notice to disconnect a month ago?

@EllieAwford Thank you for joining me on the Web Chat today Ellie. I'm glad that I was able to resolve this issue for you. If there's anything else we can do to help, please let us know. Thank you! :) ^PZ

@BritishGas your phone line has hung up on me twice for no apparent reason after going through multiple options - how do I speak to someone?