Daily Archives: 23 Aug 2015

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23 Aug 2015

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Austerity cuts

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Jobcentre staff getting trained to deal with suicidal claimants

DWP seeks thousands of short-term staff after thousands of permanent staff fired:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/23/dwp-seeks-short-term-staff-weeks-after-axing-thousands-of-full-timers

Jobcentre staff being trained to deal with suicidal claimants:
“The news comes as the DWP deals with a row over its use of fake benefits claimants to send out a positive message about its reformed benefits system.

It used stock images alongside what it admitted in a response to a freedom of information request was invented testimony. The department said they were representative of conversations its staff had had with real people.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-34034326

But how will they deal with the permanent staff who were fired, didn’t get rehired as temporary staff and then get suicidal because they are on benefits?

Will they be a special case?

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23 Aug 2015

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Affordable and Social Housing, AONB, Hugo Swire

One law, and three homes for the rich Housing Minister, who still claims £30,000 for hotel expenses in London

Sunday Times, page 14:

“Brandon Lewis, the housing Minister, has claimed more than £30,000 from the taxpayer for hotel accommodation in London for 2 years, despite owning three houses, two of them less than an hour by train from Westminster”.

Of course, Lewis has broken no rules.

Additionally, his Chelmsford home is on green belt land and was originally limited to occupation by agricultural workers, but its former owner successfully applied to have the restriction lifted.

He also hit the headlines when he rented out his home in his constituency and rented a flat there instead.

During his election campaign he said “Like everyone else, I was angry and disgusted at the behaviour of some members of Parliament at Westminster. nIt has taken a new generation of MPs to end the cosy arrangements that allowed individuals to apparently profit from the taxpayer”

The Sunday Times goes on: “Neighbours living close to his home in [his constituency] in Yarmouth claimed that he was rarely seen there. “He was here for a while before the election but generally we see him very infrequently” … “Once every so often there will be loads of cars parked there … a few times a year”.

Unlike our own dear MP Hugo Swire, who doesn’t even have his second home in our constituency, preferring a completely different part of Devon. Still, at least it is in Devon. Though we do not know how often he uses it, given that he jets to exotic parts of the world most weeks, and whether he deigns to visit his constituency when he IS there.

But so cheering to know that our Housing Minister has such wide experience of housing himself.

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23 Aug 2015

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Austerity cuts, DCC

One born every minute?

Letter in today’s Sunday Times magazine Driving supplement, page 3

“Verging on the ridiculous”

“The article about volunteers cutting the grass and tidying the verges of Devon’s highways [last week] makes interesting reading, especially when you consider that the chief executive of Devon council, Phil Norrey, is on £150,000 – more than our PM gets for running the entire country. Looking at the photo of the happy band of volunteers, I recalled the words attributed to P T Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute”. I’m sure Mr Norrey would agree, as he laughs all the way to the bank.”

Ali Kelman, Surrey