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English: No Parking Minster Yard Double Yellow Lines or a worn single. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Eric Pickles MP, Conservative Party Conference, 30 September 2008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That very cheery Conservative, Eric Pickles MP has a great idea – according to him. He is about to re-invigorate the high street and by doing so annoy the Lib Dem’s and win the next general election.

His proposal, not quite thought through yet, is to allow vehicles to legally park on certain double yellow lines from 5-15 minutes before they receive a fine, clamp or are towed away.

Now for those like Eric and I who are a little on the portly side, being able to nip out from the car and buy a diet Coke and low fat packet of crisps without a warden slapping a ticket on the windscreen would of course be a Godsend. Not least it would save the walk from the multi-story to the shop expending energy unnecessarily, who needs it?

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

But as much as it appeals I have to say Eric, I think it will be a disaster. Selecting the places where parking will be allowed will be a nightmare as will the policing of it. Assuming of course that the double yellows were put there for a reason in the first place, i.e. to keep traffic flowing, it could cause gridlock or be dangerous for pedestrians.

As for winning the election Eric, I can’t imagine queues at the ballot box waiting to stick their cross in the Tory  box in order to get double yellow line parking. Nice try though! By Graham Hill Car Finance

Related articles

• Drivers to be able to park on double yellow lines (itv.com)

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a man of reasonable logic, I speak my mind and stir up debate. As was said about me in Motor Finance, ‘As readers of his work and this publication will know, Hill always has a contentious opinion and is one of the most recognisable people at industry events, if only for the argument going on around him.’

That last bit might have more to do with my Rod Stewart style hair cut but that aside I’m totally confused by the new Consumer Credit changes that will be imposed by the new body, known as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in 2014. I have just read a long article in Credit Today in which it gives a flavour of the proposals and the responses from the industry.

Now we all know that the credit industry in this country, indeed around the world, is imperfect and in dire need of change. There is a huge education void, illustrated by the fact that my simple guide to car finance is still the only proper guide to car finance available in the UK when half the bloody population has a car and all of those cars will be financed at least once during their life.

I applauded the fact that many issues were to be addressed such as irresponsible lending and dubious collection techniques which are still being employed. But when the whole of the credit industry seems to agree that the new regulations are ‘nothing to worry about’ the new authority hasn’t done its job right.

For example Andrew Smith of debt management company, ClearDebt believes that the prudential capital requirement, if it goes ahead ‘Will not be too onerous’. Russell Hamblin-Boone, chief executive of the Consumer Finance Association is said to have uttered, ‘There is nothing in the consultation document that gives him cause for concern.’

With others making similar noises I question whether the Government has got it right? With the introduction of a new regulatory controller I would expect them all to be ‘bricking it’ not ordering up another G & T. I don’t intend giving details of the proposals unless I think they are relevant but I despaired at a comment from Hamblin-Boone, bear in mind that the changes to be introduced are described as a new ‘risk based approach to lending’.

OK, got that? Now to me that suggests that the lenders have been lending irresponsibly and instead of concentrating on collecting toxic debts a new approach to lending is required in order to prevent the bad debt in the first place.

Agreed? Hamblin Boone is reported as saying: When considering the impact on the wider market he believes that consumers are likely to remain unaffected by the regulator’s high risk/ low risk approach. He says, ‘I don’t think there will be any less provision of credit but consumers will have much more confidence in the providers of consumer credit.’

So summing up, huge amounts of money are about to be spent on a new regulatory body that will have zero effect on lending. What a load of bullsh*t. Watch out for the launch of my new revealing book APR – A Simple Guide. That will certainly throw the cat amongst the pigeons! By Graham Hill

Thanks to all these old people deciding to stay in work till they fall over the cost of business insurance is set to increase year on year.

The aging workforce will have an effect on many of the costs affecting businesses including the cost of their fleet insurance. According to Punter Southall Health and Protection Consulting for every year that the average age of the workforce rises, insurance will increase by between 7-10%.

It is estimated that two million people will be in work beyond 65 by 2022 which is more than double what it is now at 870,000. Other insurances will also be affected with income protection rising by an estimated 20% if it extends from 65 – 70!

Today I have my book launched as a paperback on Amazon. This simple guide,  covering how to prepare for finance through the different methods, including personal loans and leasing. Finally it explains what you should do if anything goes wrong. It is written in the same way as I explain it, simple and straight forward. It won’t win literary awards but it will help you to drive a better car than you ever thought possible. In order to buy a copy please click below:

Any questions you may have please let me know and I’ll do my best to help. Graham Hill

Did you know that it’s illegal to drive a car if you have a cold or flu? The same applies to hay fever, in fact any condition that affects your driving makes it illegal to drive whilst suffering. According to the Central Motorway Police Group, ‘A heavy cold or flu causing sneezing and streaming eyes clearly affects fitness to drive and medicine that can Read more »

I’ve mentioned on several occasions that you are able to have your car serviced at a non franchised dealer but you have to be extra careful about warranty claims as manufacturers will try to squirm out of them. A recent case involved Ford and a young lady with a 4 year old Ford Ka. She suddenly found that the car had developed rust Read more »

Back in July 2009 I posted the following on my blog, under the heading of  ‘If you have guaranteed a debt you may be able to avoid payment’. I’ve repeated the blog below as I believe it is worth showing again, given the current economic climate but also I have uncovered something else that may be a little worrying if you have guaranteed a debt and the Read more »

Car Dealer, Eastern Avenue, Gants Hill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When trying to make up your mind between taking a new car on a lease or a used car on standard HP/PCP it becomes quite a complex calculation because in many ways you are dealing with the unknown, certainly when taking a used car.Even on the most basic car if an engine management system fails you can be set back around £1,200, or if an ABS pump Read more »

Have you ever driven the 27 miles of the M6 toll road? I did last year and it was an absolute delight. You zoom round without a care and every so often you catch a glimpse of the log jammed cars on the actual M6 thinking – suckers! So do I agree with the idea that tolls should be introduced wholesale across the country – no I bloody don’t. It took ages Read more »

To continue with the tips. There’s nothing worse than driving on a mucky road following a thaw and the washer fluid is frozen, again it’s illegal if you can’t see out of the windscreen. Coolant is another item that needs to be addressed. The correct concentration is essential if you are to avoid freezing. The coolant also acts as a lubricant and prevents Read more »