campaign against welfare cuts and poverty

[audiotech]

'Fake beggars earning up to £600 per day' is the latest headline grabber up here:

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co....arget-clubbers-in-leeds-city-centre-1-4616461

 

[belboid]

'Fake beggars earning up to £600 per day' is the latest headline grabber up here:

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co....arget-clubbers-in-leeds-city-centre-1-4616461

fucks sake, and thats a quote from a shelter manager, not just a dumb cop/politician.

"In one of the most popular places for begging, 600 people will walk past and if they all give £1 that’s £600 in one day.” - but they wont all give £1, you thick fuck Wilson!!

 

[audiotech]

Having worked in hostels in the past, I know the type well.

 

[treelover]

do you mean the shelter manager?

 

[treelover]

This started appearing last week and is beyond nasty

Council Tax benefit to be replaced by Council Tax Support schemes in April 2013.

Some info http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/po...ance/taxation/localisingcounciltaxbenefit.htm

Londons' 32 Councils response http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/London Councils/LCCTBconsultationresponseFinalforsubmissiontoCLG.pdf

Entittledtos' draft of a design for it. http://www.solutions.entitledto.co.uk/docs/DesigningLocalCouncilTaxSupportSchemes.pdf

Note how the reduction burden will fall wholly on those judged non vulnerable and also the classification of IR-JSA & IR-ESA WRAG as non vulnerable.

Sorry I forgot all those in the WRAG are capable of work with a little support... whoops silly me eh! Plus all those jobs for everyone else.

Flyboy, could you post up a brief summary people can circulate?, I suspect most people aren't aware this is coming...

tx..

 

[Treacle Toes]

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Diary of a Benefit Scrounger
Benefit Scrounging Scum

Worth bumping this everywhere you can and publicising it more via Twitter etc. Hopefully more papers will pick up on it

http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[audiotech]

Karen Sherlock, a disability activist connected to the Spartacus campaign, whose kidneys were failing and who was waiting to be put on dialysis. In spite of her very serious condition, Karen was placed in the work-related activity group, meaning that her benefit would soon stop altogether because of the time limit on contribution-based ESA. Karen spent many months fighting that decision. Two weeks ago she finally won her exhausting battle with the DWP and was placed in the support group.

This week she died of a heart attack. A fellow campaigner said of Karen:

She was terrified. Beside herself with fear. She lived her last months desperately scared that her family would not survive the onslaught it faced. . . . The system failed her and she spent her last precious moments in this world fighting. For herself, for her family and for others. She was one of us. She was Spartacus. And now she's dead and she died in fear because the system failed her, because cruel men refused to listen and powerful men refused to act. She spent her last months fighting for the "security" of £96 a week and the reassurance that it couldn't be taken away.

Source: 'Benefits and Work'

 

[audiotech]

Paul Mickleburgh, one of the world’s longest surviving kidney dialysis patients is hooked up to a dialysis machine for five hours, three days a week. He’s also had cancer and pneumonia and suffers from spontaneous internal bleeding, brittle bones a twisted bowel and agonising joint pains as a result of his renal treatment. He’s had four failed kidney donations. To top it all off, Paul has had 14 heart attacks in the last five years and believes his last attack was caused in part by the stress of trying to deal with the DWP. Sadly, patients with chronic kidney disease are actually more likely to die from associated heart disease than from kidney failure itself. In spite of this, Paul has been placed in the work-related activity group, meaning that he is someone who is expected to return to the workplace in the reasonably near future. Paul’s request for this dreadful decision to be looked at again came back with the same result – he should be moving towards a return to work.

Source: 'Benefits and Work'

 

[stuff_it]

From 'Your Southend' on FB:

Hundreds of people queued outside the Aldi supermarket on Eastern Avenue, Southend, yesterday afternoon for a recruitment event.

One girl, a 21-year-old university graduate, queued at the supermarket for 3 hours, for a chance to be considered for a job role at the store.

When she finally reached the front of the queue, she was given a 1 minute interview style meeting with a manger.

Photo courtesy of Ash Garwood.

 

[Frankie Jack]

I'm surprised there wasn't a heavy police presence with a crowd that size.

 

[audiotech]

See, easy to find a job if you want one. Not easy to secure one.

 

[audiotech]

Universal credit "delayed" due to IT "problems" apparently.

 

[Greebo]

Universal credit "delayed" due to IT "problems" apparently.

That (as anyone who's ever had the joy of writing software for the DWP or other government departments will tell you), is hardly surprising. Instead of paying for something bespoke which works well, they insist on "something cheaper" and far less suitable being extensively patched until it almost (but not quite) fits the requirements.

In the end, it costs more the the bespoke option by the time you allow for extra work hours taken up debugging and repatching, not to mention lost work and lost manhours when part of the system crashes on a regular basis.

 

[audiotech]

"Wealth gushing up..."

The Missing Billions UK Uncut.

 

[audiotech]

Social housing tenants facing poverty due to benefit changes from next April.

Iain Sim, chief executive of Coast & Country, one of the largest housing companies in the north-east of England, said it had 2,500 “under-occupiers” but only 16 spare one-bedroom homes on its books

http://digg.com/newsbar/Politics/so...y_from_benefits_shake_up_social_welfare_union

 

[BigTom]

Just seen invoice for Bed + Breakfast for working mum who lost flat as Housing Benefit cut. First 28 days= £10050. That's value for money!

https://twitter.com/KarenPBuckMP/status/213547379708805121

and I wonder how often this will be repeated, with supposed cuts ending up costing more money.
I would guess though that this £10k comes out of a different pot of money to housing benefit so IDS won't give a fuck as his budget will still show savings, even though it ends up costing the taxpayer more overall.

 

[treelover]

Jobcentre bosses warn of suicide risk among benefit claimants

An internal email sent by senior managers warns that ill-handling of benefit changes could have 'profound results' for vulnerable claimants

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2...t-claimants?commentpage=all#start-of-comments

'From Cif: Unfortunately, the worst has already happened. A friend of a friend recently went for a disability benefits review, as a result of which all of his disability benefits were withdrawn. He was totally distraught and didn't know what to do. Because he had schizophrenia he was in no position to ask for the help and support he needed and so didn't get any. A couple of days after the withdrawal of his benefits he was found hanging from a tree in his local park. The withdrawal of his benefits was the only thing that had changed - his life was very stable until that happened but it must have felt like everything was turned upside down. A civilised society should be treating its most vulnerable members as best as possible but then I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm living in a civilised society now.'​

'About a month ago there was the funeral near where I live of a guy I know (knew) who had his disability benefits stopped on the grounds that there was nothing wrong with him - although I can tell you that he had really bad mental health issues and was not exactly employable. He hung himself.​

It is already happening.'​

​

There is an article today in the Guardian about a leaked email from JC managers which emphasises concerns about possible suicides of claimants, etc, the comments after the article indicate that the level of actual suicides may be much higher than the thirty documented on activist websites, political class, blood on all your hands, J'accuse!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

https://twitter.com/KarenPBuckMP/status/213547379708805121

and I wonder how often this will be repeated, with supposed cuts ending up costing more money.
I would guess though that this £10k comes out of a different pot of money to housing benefit so IDS won't give a fuck as his budget will still show savings, even though it ends up costing the taxpayer more overall.

I'm really shit at maths, but that reads to me as TEN THOUSAND AND FIFTY POUNDS

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Jobcentre bosses warn of suicide risk among benefit claimants

An internal email sent by senior managers warns that ill-handling of benefit changes could have 'profound results' for vulnerable claimants

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2...t-claimants?commentpage=all#start-of-comments

'From Cif: Unfortunately, the worst has already happened. A friend of a friend recently went for a disability benefits review, as a result of which all of his disability benefits were withdrawn. He was totally distraught and didn't know what to do. Because he had schizophrenia he was in no position to ask for the help and support he needed and so didn't get any. A couple of days after the withdrawal of his benefits he was found hanging from a tree in his local park. The withdrawal of his benefits was the only thing that had changed - his life was very stable until that happened but it must have felt like everything was turned upside down. A civilised society should be treating its most vulnerable members as best as possible but then I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm living in a civilised society now.'​

'About a month ago there was the funeral near where I live of a guy I know (knew) who had his disability benefits stopped on the grounds that there was nothing wrong with him - although I can tell you that he had really bad mental health issues and was not exactly employable. He hung himself.​

It is already happening.'​

​

There is an article today in the Guardian about a leaked email from JC managers which emphasises concerns about possible suicides of claimants, etc, the comments after the article indicate that the level of actual suicides may be much higher than the thirty documented on activist websites, political class, blood on all your hands, J'accuse!

 

[equationgirl]

https://twitter.com/KarenPBuckMP/status/213547379708805121

and I wonder how often this will be repeated, with supposed cuts ending up costing more money.
I would guess though that this £10k comes out of a different pot of money to housing benefit so IDS won't give a fuck as his budget will still show savings, even though it ends up costing the taxpayer more overall.

£10k for a month in a B&B!!!!!!

Someone's making a lot of money there, and it's not the claimant

 

[Frankie Jack]

£360 a night..!! Yet it's the HA claimants that take the grief.

 

[yield]

Madness innit. All this while hundreds of thousand of homes lie empty.

And thousands of people who worked in construction without a job.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

£10k for a month in a B&B!!!!!!

Someone's making a lot of money there, and it's not the claimant

It has to be a typo and is probably £1,050 a month

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Madness innit. All this while hundreds of thousand of homes lie empty.

And thousands of people who worked in construction without a job.

and how many of these properties are 1-bedroomed homes for all the people that will need them because they can't afford to pay for a spare room that they're now supposed to pay for?

I read a report the other day posted up here so have a good idea anyway

 

[equationgirl]

It has to be a typo and is probably £1,050 a month

Even so, that has to more than rent on a property, surely? Hardly cost-effective if it is.

 

[BigTom]

It has to be a typo and is probably £1,050 a month

No typo - go and look at her twitter page and you'll see these replies she's made to people asking if that 10k is right:
https://twitter.com/#!/KarenPBuckMP

really £370 a day b&b, is family staying at Ritz?

No they aren't. They and many others like them are staying wherever Council can find emergency accommodation

that equates to approximately £359 per day!! Where is this B&B? You can stay at the Paris Ritz for that kind of money.

It is eye-wateringly dear to put homeless families up in London hotels. B&B poor option economically + terrible for kids.

what B&B charges £360 a night? Seems you might have an extra zero in there somewhere...

No extra zero! Bed and Breakfast accommodation in London tear-jerkingly dear- but there is a shortage of emergency homes.

which B&B is charging £360 a night? Someone needs to do some shopping around.

These families are being placed by Westminster Council.There is a grave shortage of temporary accommodation in London!

also on the same day she tweeted this:

aren Buck MP @KarenPBuckMP

Depressingly, another mum in my advice surgery. Victim of domestic violence, 10 weeks so far in Bed+Breakfast. £6k for first month + rising.

 

[audiotech]

There is an article today in the Guardian about a leaked email from JC managers which emphasises concerns about possible suicides of claimants, etc, the comments after the article indicate that the level of actual suicides may be much higher than the thirty documented on activist websites, political class, blood on all your hands, J'accuse!

Back in March it was reported "in internet circles" that there were 103 such suicides.​

​

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/a...floors-Welcome-Cameron-s-Brave-New-World.html​

​

Then, reported in April, there's the 32 a week dying after failing the 'Work Capability Assessment'.​

​

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2012/04/32-die-a-week-after-failing-in.html​

​

 

[audiotech]

Around fifteen years ago it was £350 per week for hostel accommodation - no breakfast - no meals at all in fact.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

How the hell are these B&Bs getting away with charging such prices. They're more expensive than 5* hotels