The Grumpies met for their fortnightly Friday lunch and to consider contemporary issues. 

As usual, we discussed candidates to be “put on the bus.” The chosen candidate was Reform’s council leader in County Durham, Andrew Husband, as several liquidated companies currently, and formerly, owned by him racked up huge debts.

Two existing companies owned by Cllr Husband owe more than £500,000 in unpaid tax, government-backed Covid loans, and staff wages.

Topics for discussion included:

• Waterstones have introduced an assistance dogs only rule, prompting shoppers to create unofficial false papers for their pets, including one for a 100-million-year-old dinosaur.
• The Royal Kennel Club is launching Britain's largest ever dog census.
• The government is considering various schemes for homes worth over £2 million, so there could be a wave of homes being put on the market as owners try to avoid a property levy.
• Britain's top civil servants are in line for the taxpayer funded pension pots averaging £1.4 million.
• A billionaire's £400,000 watch was stolen by thugs on a lime bike.
• Calls for a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
• An astronomical surge in under 5's with speech and development delays blamed on excessive screen time.
• Fraud gang targets twelve homes on the same street using stolen identities to open bank accounts to launder money. 
• The benefits for getting an NHS health check.