Welcome to the Money blog. It’s Monday, so our feature about what jobs are really like is back – this week, we speak to a psychiatrist. We also report on the toys likely to top Xmas lists this year. Listen to Money reporter Jess Sharp on why energy and food bills are rising as you scroll.
Monday 1 September 2025 18:41, UK
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Peak rail fares have been scrapped in Scotland.
The move by the Scottish government means commuters will pay less to travel in the mornings and evenings.
A return ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh now costs £18.60 during peak times – down from £32.60.
Here are some other examples…
ScotRail managing director Joanne Maguire said travel on Scotland’s railways will now be “simpler, more flexible and provide better value for money”.
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, described the change as a “historic moment” that would help those struggling with the soaring cost of living.
The recent expansion of free childcare is failing to keep pace with nursery fees and risks pushing them up even higher, a new study has warned.
Researchers at the University of Bath have found that nursery fees have risen fastest in areas with the lowest government funding.
These “childcare deserts” see three or more children compete for every available place.
With a surge in demand caused by the expanded scheme, the costs parents face for the remaining hours they have to pay for could be driven upwards, the study found.
Between March 2024 and March 2025, nurseries in the worst-funded half of the country raised fees significantly more than those in better-funded areas, according to the research.
London is the most expensive region for childcare, followed by the South East and South West, while the North East is the cheapest.
Lead researcher Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg said: “Free childcare is a bold and welcome move but without funding that reflects real costs, it risks falling short.
“Where funding is lower, we’re seeing faster price rises for the hours parents pay for – a pattern that could deepen regional inequalities.”
Deliveroo is trying to break the midweek dinner market with a new £25 and under family meal deal.
The takeaway delivery site is launching the special in 30 towns and cities in partnership with more than 30 restaurants.
Pizza Express, Wagamama, Bill’s and Dishoom are some of the chains taking part in Family Dinneroo, which will be rolled out over the coming months.
Customers will be able to order the larger sharing meals, which serve up to four people, between 4.30pm and 6.30pm from Monday to Thursday.
Deliveroo said the new offering is expected to help restaurants by increasing activity during a traditionally quieter part of the week.
Carlo Mocci, chief business officer at Deliveroo, said: “Restaurant delivery has been traditionally perceived as an indulgent treat, reserved for a Friday night or weekend.
“Many of our restaurant partners believe this is not the case, and that delivery can play a greater role during the week.”
Families will also be able to schedule deliveries and order dishes up to five days in advance.
These are the locations where Deliveroo will launch the service:
Takeaway delivery problems are common and it’s frustrating when either someone else’s food turns up, or it’s not quite what you ordered.
Often, it seems easier just to take the hit rather than go hungry – but what are your rights if what’s arrived just won’t do?
Takeaways fall under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This says that your food must be as described, of satisfactory quality and the delivery service must have been carried out with due skill and care, within a reasonable timeframe.
Consumer champion Which? says the best place to start is by complaining to both the delivery food app and the restaurant, explaining what’s gone wrong and including any photos that might support your case.
If your complaint is not resolved, check the T&Cs of the delivery food app to see whether they or the restaurant is likely to be responsible.
You can then try complaining again, explaining why you believe you’re owed a refund in accordance with the Consumer Rights Act and the T&Cs.
If your complaint is still unresolved, you can try to use a chargeback claim if you paid with a debit card, or a Section 75 claim if you paid by a credit card (and spent more than £100).
Tubs of Quality Street have shrunk from 600g to 550g.
The Christmas staple still costs around £5 to £7 in supermarkets, despite its smaller size, according to The Sun.
On the Sainsbury’s website, it says the purple tub contains around 19 servings, which works out at around 57 chocolates in a tub.
The old size gave customers around 21 servings – or 63 chocolates.
A Nestle spokesperson told Money: “Each year we introduce a new Quality Street range with formats, sizes, weights and RRPs based on a range of factors including the cost of manufacturing, ingredients and transport and the preferences of our customers and consumers.
“We think our 2025 range and pricing is competitive with a good variety of choice for Quality Street fans. Final prices are at the discretion of individual retailers.”
Last year, consumer champion Which? found the size of two individual Quality Street chocolates had been reduced.
The purple hazelnut sweet was 12% smaller and the orange one was 4% smaller, but the net weight of the 600g tub remained the same.
A new ticketing system which tracks rail passengers’ locations as they travel is being trialled in England for the first time from today.
The pay-as-you-go scheme is launching on East Midlands Railway between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham.
Customers will scan a barcode when passing through ticket barriers using the train operator’s app.
The app will then log their journey using GPS and charge them automatically at the end of the day.
From the end of September, the trial will be extended to Northern Rail services between Harrogate, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley.
The new tech, which is already being tested in Switzerland, Denmark and Scotland, is designed to replace the need for paper tickets and mobile tickets which use a QR code.
Up to 4,000 people will be able to take part in the trial – you can sign up for the EMR one here.
By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter
House prices have unexpectedly fallen, according to the UK’s largest building society.
Nationwide’s house price index showed a 0.1% fall from July to August, despite a 0.2% increase being forecast by economists polled by the Reuters news agency.
It’s the fourth monthly decline in six months.
When looked at on an annual basis, prices rose 2.1% from August 2024 to 2025, down from 2.4% in the year up to July.
The dip in the annual rise, when combined with the monthly fall, is further evidence that many buyers are struggling to afford a home.
Saving for a deposit is proving challenging due to the increased cost of living and the fact that house prices are high compared to typical household incomes.
The effect of April’s stamp duty rise is also still being felt on the market.
It means buyers are paying more tax when purchasing a home than they did before.
High mortgage rates have also challenged buyers.
Concerned homeowners should note that the fall in house prices is not expected to continue, though.
Prices are anticipated to rise as interest rates come down in 2026, forecasters say.
The charge to use the Dartford Crossing has increased by 40% from today.
Drivers in a car will have to fork out £1 more to use the link between Dartford in Kent and Thurrock in Essex at £3.50 per crossing.
For those using a van or bus, the Dart Charge will go up to £4.20, and those in larger vehicles with more than two axles will have to spend £8.40.
Motorcycle riders will still be able to use the road for free.
Pre-pay account holders, who get a discounted rate, will also see their fees increase.
Local residents, who pay £20 a year to use the crossing as many times as they want, will now have to pay £25.
See a breakdown of the changes below…
In initial plans, the Dartford Crossing was supposed to be made free to use in 2003 after the charge had generated enough money to pay off the building costs.
However, in 2001, the government backtracked from the agreement, and despite the original debt being repaid in 2002, the fee has remained in place.
The increase, announced in June, is the first since 2014 and has been enforced to deal with surging traffic levels, according to the government.
Lilian Greenwood, parliamentary undersecretary at the Department for Transport, said: “Current charging levels are no longer sufficient to achieve their stated aim of managing demand so that the crossing works well for users and local people.
“I am aware that these necessary changes to the charges will be unwelcome news for users of the crossing.
“However, we will continue to support local people through the local resident discount scheme and I have been determined to keep the nominal fee paid by local people as low as possible, as many rely on the crossing to get around their local area.”
Is it too early to mention the C-word?
With 115 days to go until Christmas, we’ve already got a list of the toys that are expected to be the most popular this year, thanks to Argos.
Topping the chart is an £80 Bluey celebration home mega bundle, which is based on the popular Australian cartoon series about a puppy.
It’s not the most expensive on the list – there’s also a £110 Lego Star Wars Ewok buildable figure that’s expected to sell well.
There are some cheaper options to consider. A £10 Gui Gui blind box packed with scented slimes and collectable charms makes the list of best-selling toys, along with a £20 Lego Disney Lucky & Penny 101 Dalmatians puppies set.
After selling out last Christmas, the Fat Brain Toys air toobz (£140) is back again this year, as is the Hot Wheels ultimate dual dragon transporter (£55) and the £50 Monster Jam smash & bash gravedigger, which breaks apart when it crashes and then self-fixes with the press of a button.
Here’s the full list…
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