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You and Yours: Railcard discounts, Green Deal savings, Garden ornaments

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02/09/2015

Railcard discounts, Green Deal savings, Garden ornaments

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Railcard discounts, Green Deal savings, Garden ornaments

Virgin Trains withdraw a discount for railcard holders, plus Green Deal scheme analysis.

Consumer news. Virgin Trains withdraw a discount for railcard holders, and Winifred Robinson asks whether the Green Deal home-improvement scheme delivered the savings it promised.

Virgin Trains is withdrawing a discount which for years has allowed railcard holders to use off-peak tickets at peak-time. For some passengers the change will mean much more expensive fares. One disabled You & Yours listener tells us that the cost of her weekly trip to London will more than triple. Virgin is the only company to have offered the discount. We hear why they have chosen to withdraw it now.

The Green Deal was meant to help homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient. The idea was to take out a loan to pay for energy saving measures and pay it back through the money saved on the reduced energy bills. But it was closed by the government six weeks ago. Energy minister Amber Rudd said it was time for a new policy that provided better value for money to the taxpayer. But what about the homeowners who signed up for the scheme? Did they get the savings it promised? 

The gardening industry is currently worth an estimated £5 billion a year in the UK. One growth area is in garden ornaments. We investigate the increasing popularity of gnomes, dragons, fairies and gargoyles.

Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Winifred Robinson.

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