Published: Thursday, 18th February, 2010 10:00am

Leader: Here's to getting through the recession

IT GOES without saying that these are uncertain times.

No sooner does one pack of pundits and politicians assure us things are looking up, than another bunch brings us back down to earth with a bump.

Rather than waiting for the first signs of spring, we find ourselves anxiously scanning the bands to discover how much council tax we will be paying over the next 12 months.

This past week we have had the sights and sounds of assorted councillors patting themselves on the back for keeping next year's rises to a minimum. But an increase is an increase and, however minimal it might be, it will be enough to ensure someone will have to do without some small luxury or even one of life's essentials.

Another batch of statistics assure us that county court home repossessions in Reading have almost halved and are also down in Wokingham and West Berkshire. What that doesn't tell us, of course, is how many owners under siege from unforgiving mortage lenders have simply given up the fight, handed over their keys and walked away.

Two cheers also for national figures which tell us unemployment is falling, when both the statistics and the evidence of our own eyes tell us that in this area they are rising again.

Half full or half empty? Don't raise a glass just yet.