Conservatives are all set to win the next local election says the smart money.

According to bet's placed on BetAble.com it is the conservatives that are set to win the 2011 Thanet District Council elections. £11 of the £15 pot says that the conservatives (that's the party that gave us Sandy Ezekiel) will be winning next year.

Of course it's early days yet and if you know something the others do not then you could scoop a a few rounds worth of pocket money. Click here to see the current pot size.

Who would you bet on in the Thanet District Council elections?

So you think you know Thanet politics do you? Care to bet on that?

They say that money talks and so now is a chance to for it to speak up on local matters.

Next year we face local elections (5th May 2011). The contest is mostly between Labour and Conservative with Lib Dems nipping at the heals of the current Tory overlords. Who will be in power after is, in my opinion, anyone's guess.

But don't let that you stop you.

New social media "big splash" betable.com allows you to set up bets with your mates. I took a look and set up the chance for some lucky blogger to make a small fortune by understanding Thanet better than anyone else.

The question is who will win control of TDC after the local elections? And you can wager £1 or your life savings (please don't do that). You have 10 months to figure out where to put your pound.

As the bets pile up so the pot grows. Those that bet on the winning party get to take a share of the pot. It's that simple.

Options include Tory (probable), Labour (possible), Lib Dem (unlikely) or a hung Council (you wish).

Forcing older workers to retire cost the UK last year an estimated £3.5 billion in lost economic output‚ new figures by Age UK reveal ahead of tomorrow night’s TV showdown among party leaders on the economy.

With an estimated 120‚000 older workers forced to retire in 2009‚ new research by the leading older people’s charity now shows the policy is draining billions of pounds from the economy every year. Forcing over a hundred thousand employees out of the job market has opened up an estimated £3.5 billion gap in lost economic output‚ says the Charity. This includes £2 billion in lost earnings for the workers themselves.

The Turner Commission revealed as far back as 2004 that approximately 15% of workers aged 65-69 stop working each year suggesting 100‚000 of those forced to retire would have otherwise remained in work. Likewise a TNS/BMRB survey for Age UK showed that 4% of people aged 65-70‚ an estimated 118‚000 people‚ said they were forced to retire in the last year.

All three of the main political parties have all committed to change the Default Retirement Age‚ but neither the Conservatives nor Labour have guaranteed a complete end to forced retirement. Age UK is now calling on all parties to pledge to scrap the law outright.

Michelle Mitchell‚ Age UK Charity Director‚ said: While party leaders are gearing up to lock horns over the state of the economy‚ they should remember that scrapping the Default Retirement Age is a simple step to boost public finances.

It is estimated that the total amount of lost contribution for the 100‚000 or so employees aged 60+ is approximately £3.5 billion per annum so Mr Mitchell might have a point.

The Default Retirement is not only an unfair‚ outdated piece of legislation‚ it also causes real harm to our economy and public finances by depriving the labour market of experienced‚ skilled workers who would otherwise be paying taxes. said Michelle Mitchell. Nine in ten older workers oppose forced retirement. It’s now time for the parties to go beyond warm words and give mature workers a simple‚ radical pledge to scrap forced retirement.

Age UK is the new force combining Age Concern and Help the Aged. The Age UK family includes Age Scotland‚ Age Cymru and Age NI.