Crisis meetings are being held amid dire predictions that the Government's benefits reforms will plunge Neath Port Talbot back to the dark days of soup kitchens.
The prospect was variously described as frightening, terrifying and horrifying when the full impact of the changes was spelt out to councillors.
They accused the Government of being cruel and vicious in targeting the most vulnerable in society, with families and single parents expected to be the hardest hit.Oh, woe! Oh, misery! Oh, they’ve got it in for Wales!
But wait. This is a nationwide effect. Why should it so severely impact here?
Neath Port Talbot has one of the highest claimant rates in Wales — one in four residents is receiving at least one form of benefit — and so will feel the full force of the impending changes.Ah. Right.
Naturally, there’s a lot of discontent:
Social justice charity the Bevan Foundation, which the council commissioned to assess the likely impact, has warned that many people will see their benefits cut or even lost altogether.
"It's going to have a huge, incredibly disruptive impact on lots of people," said foundation director Victoria Winckler. "That impact is going to be mostly negative."It’s meant to be. We can’t afford to support people who aren’t productive. We’ve had enough of that.
Neath Port Talbot Council is now holding crisis management talks not only between its own departments likely to be affected, such as housing benefits, welfare rights and homelessness, but external agencies too.
They are looking at what can be done to mitigate the worst effects or, as Dr Winckler put it, take the edge off the harshness.
Measures could include easing the restrictions on school uniforms to save parents money, and providing people with advice on how to manage reduced budgets.Reduced budget? Spend less on booze, fags and Sky subscriptions. Sorted!
Mr Rees said: "This is evidence that what this uncaring, vicious Government is doing, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable in our communities.
"Where they think people are going to find work I just don't understand."Here we go. This might help.
11 comments:
Councils up and down the land are positively shitting themselves they're going to have a queue at the door that they are legally obliged to dish out cash to.
If nothing else it's going to be interesting to see just how many people could bankrupt a council...if they really tried.
Methinks we're about to find out just where "our" council tax really goes.
It has a welfare rights department, well that can go for a start. There will be a library where they can research their rights for themselves. Also they can afford to commission an outside report on the subject, yet another waste of money.
To paraphrase an old chant, they say cut back, we say not enough and there is more you can do and more quickly.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Frank Field is shocked....shocked I tell you...that benefit recipients might be paid out on monthly basis.
Y'know...just like the people who work to pay their taxes to pay the benefits.
Outrageous !!!!
Bugger...that post ^^ was s'posed to have a link...here ya go...
http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/9934924.Birkenhead_MP_says_new_benefit_system_is__heading_for_disaster_/
My mother, for reasons best known to herself, has recently moved to a place very close by in Pembrokeshire.
The place she bought needed a lot of work and can she get anyone to come and do any of it? Umm, no. This has been dragging on for months now. The locals did warn her in all fairness that this would be the case...
But I digress, my point being there is plenty of work for anyone with any practical ability whatsoever but the denizens of S.Wales, while really nice people, it seems, are not really into the whole work thing.
They can get rid of that alphabet soup language of theirs for a start, that should save a few pennies.
They's all be better off if they didn't keep voting for Peter Hain.
He's backing homeopathy.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health-news/2012/06/18/why-i-m-backing-homeopathic-campaign-91466-31200000/
So a soon-to-be-cash-strapped council wastes money it hasnt got commissioning a rent-seeking fake charidee with a vested interest in a bigger state to tell it that the solution would be more thieving from my pocket.
Un. Fucking. Believable.
These councillors need a touch of the Shirley Porter treatment - whoever signed off on commissioning that report should pay the fee. From their own pocket.
"These councillors need a touch of the Shirley Porter treatment - whoever signed off on commissioning that report should pay the fee. From their own pocket."
In the case of Victoria Winckler, we could be looking at a clown's pocket.
Professional whinger, a hand-kneading crybaby whose raison d'etre is the misery of others - such misery being a 42" screen instead of 50".
When I was young, I thought that directors wore moustaches, smoked cigars, played golf and had a financial interest in firms producing widgets. Later in life, when I became a director myself, that was about right apart from the moustache.
Quite how Victoria Winckler can suppose to be a director puzzles me. With the exception of the moustache, of course. If we are going to throw titles around, I'm the Archduke of my anus, which in due course, should not only provide superior anal(lol)ysis to that of Professor Winckler, but something that is of use.
And if she is all about equality, isn't the epithet 'Director' just a wee bit intimidating?
"If nothing else it's going to be interesting to see just how many people could bankrupt a council...if they really tried."
*gets popcorn*
"... but the denizens of S.Wales, while really nice people, it seems, are not really into the whole work thing."
They'd better learn. And fast!
"They's all be better off if they didn't keep voting for Peter Hain. "
GAH!
"And if she is all about equality, isn't the epithet 'Director' just a wee bit intimidating?"
I've got a more appropriate epithet...
They would have to learn, and fast if some of your correspondents were running the show, Julia.
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