Helping people into work

The Coalition's failure to tackle long-term unemployment, low pay, and insecure jobs is adding to social security bills as well as undermining the strength and future prosperity of our economy.

Nearly one in ten people claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) lack basic literacy skills, and over one in ten lack basic numeracy skills. The lack of IT skills is even more of a problem, with over half unable to complete basic word-processing and spreadsheet tasks, and nearly half lacking even basic email skills.[i] Poor English, Maths and IT skills often hold people back from getting jobs, or trap them in a cycle between a low paid and insecure job and claiming benefits.

Under the Tories many job seekers only take up literacy and numeracy training three years after they first make a claim for benefits.

 Last month Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Rachel Reeves MP announced that a Labour government would introduce a Basic Skills Test to tackle long-term unemployment and low earnings.

 

 

Labour would make sure that all new JSA claimants are assessed within six weeks of a claim – those who need it would be offered training which they’ll be required to take up or lose their benefits. 

To get the long term unemployed back to work Labour would introduce a Compulsory Jobs Guarantee for young people out of work and claiming JSA for over a year, funded by a repeat of the bankers’ bonus tax, and those claiming JSA for two years or more, funded by restricting pensions tax relief for very high earners. Those who refuse to take jobs under the jobs guarantee would lose their benefits.

Labour’s Compulsory Jobs Guarantee and Basic Skills Test are key parts of Labour’s plan to earn our way out of the cost-of-living crisis by getting more people into work and helping them to earn a decent standard of living.

The Democratic Deficit

Local councils were created to provide local services for local people.  Their origins date back to at least the Anglo Saxon era.  The idea, essentially, was that local people would vote for local representatives because they agreed with what they had to say about local needs.  If there were no great needs, then the councils needed to raise less money.  If there were great needs, then a majority vote of local people effectively endorsed a bigger budget.

For thirty years or more, governments of all persuasions - yes, including New Labour - have cut back local decision-making and, to a greater or lesser extent, local revenue raising.  David Cameron hasn't achieved much in his single term prime ministership but he has blown a truly massive hole in the concept of local democracy.

* The Tory-led Government has imposed the biggest funding reductions in the public sector on local councils.  Funding for local government has been cut by 40% over this Parliament, with councils having to reduce their budgets by a total of £20 billion by 2015/16.

* David Cameron and Eric Pickles are distributing these massive cuts unfairly – hitting those that can afford it least the hardest. It is scandalous that the areas with the greatest need are shouldering the largest reductions in central government funding.

* The Prime Minister says “we’re all in this together”, but his local authority of West Oxfordshire – one of the least deprived areas in the country (ranked 316 out of 325 in the indices of multiple deprivation) – is getting an increase in spending power of 3.1% in 2013/14, while most places faced significant cuts.

* The most recent Local Government Financial Settlement means that over this Parliament – between 2010-11 and 2015-16 – the ten most deprived areas will have had their spending power cut by ten times the amount of the ten least deprived areas.

* The Government is hitting the poorest people in those communities too. Eric Pickles lectures councils and says they have a “moral duty” not to increase council tax bills this year, but at the same time he has dropped his own council tax bombshell on people on the lowest incomes. 

* At a time when carers, the disabled, single mums, war widows and veterans are having to pay more council tax and the hated bedroom tax, the Prime Minister refuses to rule out cutting taxes for millionaires yet again. It tells you all you need to know about whose side he is on.

Union saves jobs

David Fish drew my attention to this story on the BBC - a rare incidence of mass media reporting a good news story about a trade union.

Get the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/business-26342093

Caroline's photos of the Xmas Quiz

Abolishing Rights?

Most national constitutions place barriers in the way of Constitutional Reform. (see Washminster 18/02/14) The reason is simple - abolishing safeguards against the abuse of powers, or taking away citizens' rights - should only be done if the clear will of the people is for such a change. (Sadly people will vote to destroy their own safeguards and rights - but that's up to them).

In Britain, changes don't need the approval of the people. While legislation is a major source of the British Constitution - it is not the only one. Even then, as Lord Hailsham pointed out in 1976 (significantly, when he was an un-elected member of the House of Lords - in Opposition; he was less concerned about the concept when he held the power) - Britain can be an "elective dictatorship" - great power is concentrated in the hands of people who can have received less than half the votes cast in a general election - and the support of an even smaller proportion of the total electorate.

Two (relatively) recent developments have sought to safeguard rights (the Human Rights Act of 1998) and to give an opportunity to challenge decisions in the Courts on the grounds that a decision has not been taken properly (Judicial Review).

The current government is seeking to reduce the effectiveness of these. Having to abide by the principles that we have argued for others (Britain played a key role in drafting the European Convention on Human Rights), and having decisions made by public officials struck down because they haven't been taken in accordance with the principles of good practice - is inconvenient!

For a politically neutral (they are produced by the House of Commons Library) explanation and analysis of proposals for change - follow these links.

Human Rights Act

Judicial Review

Lutterworth Food Bank

The Lutterworth Foodbank is off to a steady start. It seems amazing that in the wealthiest district in the county such a provision should be necessary. However the results of government policy have brought this about. Thanks to the cuts people are having to manage on £100 a week. Suprisingly you can get by at a subsistence level until disaster strikes e.g. the washing machine dies (who needs a washing machine I hear the Tories cry), and of course, if you are on the minimum wage , and need a car to get to work (not rare in Lutterworth) you can find yourself in the same boat.
Thanks to the hard work of Phillip Toye and a group of volunteers the Food Bank is underway. It has been supported by the Trussell Trust, a charity specializing in food banks. There has also been genrous donation or ware housing by local industry. Access to food (a three day package) is only by referral through agencies; doctor, social worker, CAB etc. Contributions, non perishable can be left at the council offices or ST mary's Church.
A great piece of work, but so sad that it is necessary.

Ed Miliband on Party Reform

Twenty-one years ago former Labour Leader John Smith began the journey to make Labour a more democratic and open political party by introducing the principle of One Member, One Vote, into the way we select Parliamentary candidates. Ed Miliband hopes the reforms announced this week will complete this unfinished business and restore trust in our democracy.  

Ed says: "These reforms are about letting people into our politics as well as our party.  I hope we can attract more people who share Labour values and who are passionate about improving our communities.

"Trade unions are hugely important institutions that helped found our party over one hundred years ago.  They fight for working people and I'm proud of Labour's links with the thousands of nurses, teachers, shopworkers, engineers and bus drivers that are in affiliated unions.

"But it's no longer acceptable for people to give money to a political party without having made an active choice to do so.  Therefore every individual member of an affiliated trade union will be given a straight Yes or No choice about whether they want to pay a small a sum to ensure their union's voice is heard within the Labour party.

"Members are the lifeblood of the party and these reforms ensure that they retain rights which are not available to anyone else.  Members' votes in leadership elections will now carry as much weight as anyone else's.  Members will also remain the only people who can select parliamentary candidates, become constituency delegates to annual conference or stand for election as Labour representatives."

A REAL CHOICE, A REAL VOICE AND REAL CHANGE FOR THE LABOUR PARTY

Voter registration day

Amazingly, after the suffering of the Chartists and Suffragettes and, more recently, the battle of black people around the world to get a vote, some people in Britain can't be bothered to register for theirs.  Well I hope they can be bothered to starve, abandon all hope and save up to be ill with a disease that private healthcare won't treat because it's a money loser - 'cos that's what's on the agenda if we don't get some serious change in Election 2015.