The UK government is proposing to close up to 23 Jobcentre Plus sites across Scotland - and 50% of sites in Glasgow. The Scottish Government and SNP at Westminster have been active in their efforts to force the UK government into reversing these plans, which have had no equality impact assessments and have not been fully consulted on before taking forward.

The proposals are set to have a deeply damaging impact on communities across Scotland, disproportionately impacting on those with low incomes and disabilities

The SNP Conference has called for the UK government to scrap the callous two child policy and rape clause after Tory Ministers quietly published the statutory instrument which would allow the policy to automatically become law without debate or vote this week.
 
These changes will come into effect in April - restricting tax credits and universal credit to two children per family and requiring women to verify that their third child was born as a result of rape before they can access their benefits. 
 
Concerns raised in the Tory government's own public consultation that the hundreds of thousands of social workers and healthcare professionals involved in assessing survivors of sexual violence will not have adequate training - have fallen on deaf ears.
 
Alison Thewliss MP has led the campaign to scrap the policy since it appeared in former Chancellor George Osborne’s 2015 budget.. Speaking following her topical resolution on this issue at the SNP conference in Aberdeen, she said:
 
“Despite the cruel consequences of this appalling policy, and the sustained and vocal opposition from the SNP, the Tories in Westminster have refused to listen. 
 
"What's even more shocking is that, with just days until the policy comes into force, the UK Government has made no effort to provide adequate sexual violence awareness training to the hundreds of thousands of nurses, doctors and social workers who will be expected to judge whether or not a woman's child has been conceived as a result of rape.
 
"If Theresa May's approach to government is to railroad policy into law while dismissing serious concerns then this Tory government better get used to the sound of their own screeching U-turns. I will not back down until this horrendous policy is scrapped and I am glad to have the support of the SNP Conference behind me in this campaign. 
 
"The cruelty of expecting benefit claimants to have to re-live the ordeal of a rape in order to access their benefits to help pay the bills and feed their family is undeniable. It's time the Tories in Westminster started treating women, families and public service staff with dignity and respect."

South African President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday there was no "crisis" as doubts mounted over the payment of welfare benefits to 17 million people because of a court battle involving a service-provider. The chaos in South Africa's social security agency comes three years after the Constitutional Court ruled that the tender won by Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), a unit of technology company Net1, was illegal. The government had until April 1 of this year to take responsibility for social service payments or find a new provider, but failed to do so.

Zuma has told parliament his government was "doing everything possible" to ensure welfare payments are distributed. "There is no crisis," Zuma said in response to a question from the opposition in parliament. With opposition party EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) led by charismatic politician Julius Malema are calling for land reform and representing the poorest people in the country, the thought of 17 million angry citizens ought to home the minds of those dealing with this matter. There has been increasing violence against white farmers in remote regions often involving both torture and murder. Criminality but some would argue tinged with resentment at the enormous inequality that exists in South Africa. 

Around 30% of Britain’s children are now classified as poor, of whom two-thirds are from working families. Commenting on the news, Shadow Education Secretary John Pugh said:

“This news is the equivalent to the obituary notice for compassionate conservatism. In 2017, in Britain no child should have to face growing up like this. It is a tragic indictment of this government and we don’t need more words about what they will do. We need action.

“This should be a priority. We must do more to improve the life chances of every child Poverty remains our most pernicious disease – and education is its greatest antidote.

”Child poverty has risen; this isn’t inevitable – the Government needs to invest in our children so we can all share the rewards and build a society that is Open, Tolerant and united."

Volunteers gave 7% less of their time to help their communities, at a loss to the UK of more than £1 billion, between 2012 and 2015, latest figures show.

In fact, there has been a general decline in the time that the UK’s unsung heroes and heroines spend volunteering since 2005, per ONS analysis.

Despite the value of the voluntary sector to the UK, there has been a 15.4% decline in the total number of frequent hours volunteered, between 2005 and 2015 – a drop from 2.28 billion hours to 1.93 billion, figures from the Community Life Survey (CLS) show.

Latest figures from 2014 show volunteering represented 2% of the total value of unpaid work, and was worth £23 billion.

Total frequent hours of formal volunteering, billion hours, 2005 to 2014

Download the data.

The drop in the amount of time dedicated to volunteering has also been captured in other ONS analysis.

It showed that, overall, there was a decline in the amount of time put into volunteering. Between 2000 and 2015 it dropped from an average (mean) of 14.5 minutes per volunteer, per day to 13.7 minutes.

This equates to a drop from a weekly average of one hour and 42 minutes to one hour and 36 minutes per volunteer.

Age and volunteering – The Big Society and Beyond

The statistics suggest that those in the youngest age group of 16 to 24 have increased the time they devote to volunteering while those in the 25 to 34 age categories have decreased their volunteering time.

In 2015 average time and participation in volunteering was higher for those aged between 16 and 24 (17 minutes per day and 51% participation) and was a noticeable rise as compared to those in the same age group in 2000 (nine minutes per day and 40 % participation).

It could be that, as younger people try and secure employment, they undertake voluntary work to enhance their CVs, but as they embed themselves in their careers, at an older age, their focus turns to building their careers.

Also, younger people have more free time, with participation rates for students rising the most – by 12 percentage points between 2000 and 2015 – from 46% to 58%.

Average daily minutes of formal volunteering provided, by age, 2000 to 2015

Download the data.

There have been many incarnations of volunteering schemes, promoted by a succession of governments in the UK.

David Cameron’s Big Society initiative led to the launch of the National Citizen Service in 2011 and has seen more than 300,000 teenagers take part.

However, both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s governments promoted citizenship-style volunteering schemes.

BBC Radio One has been running a Million Hours Campaign, started in 2015, aimed at encouraging young listeners to volunteer for good causes.

Men vs women

Overall, women are streets ahead of their male counterparts when it comes to volunteering and when they volunteer, they do so for longer periods of time.

There was a decline in the number of minutes dedicated to voluntary work for both men and women; from 12.29 per day to 11.29 for men and a drop from 16.30 to 15.65 for women, both between 2000 and 2015.

Average daily minutes of formal volunteering provided, by gender, UK, 2000 and 2015

Download the data.

In weekly terms, men put in an average of 1.26 hours in 2000, compared with 1.19 hours in 2015. For women, it was an average of 1.54 hours in 2000, compared with 1.50 in 2015.

There also seemed to be a noticeable decline from the 55 to 64 and 65+ age groups. Overall, their input dropped from 17.46 minutes per day in 2000 to 14.48 in 2015.

Those in the 65 and over age group also saw their contribution drop from 19.05 minutes a day in 2000 to 13.37 in 2015

In a response from Government to the Committee published today,  DWP downplays the impact of the problems in the roll out of Universal Credit on claimants and local councils, claiming that rent arrears associated with UC “are likely to be of a short duration” and “should not present an insurmountable obstacle to landlords”. This is despite its own analysts urging caution about drawing conclusions from historic data, based on a small number of cases.  The Government was unable to provide any of the basic, up-to-date, specific data that the Committee asked for.

The Department’s response has led Committee Chair Frank Field to claim Government has its “head in the sand” on the issue. Former Welfare Minster Lord Freud, the architect of Universal Credit, told the Committee in evidence that it might take “decades to optimise” Universal Credit.   The Committee heard compelling evidence of the problems in the rollout of Universal Credit, with serious knock-on effects on housing and rent payments in its reopened inquiry into the major welfare reform, prompting the letter with twenty detailed questions to Employment Minister Damian Hinds.

Rt Hon Frank Field, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, said:

“Despite a growing body of evidence about the very real hardship the rollout of Universal Credit is creating for some, often the most vulnerable, claimants  - and the struggles it is creating for local authorities trying to fulfil their responsibilities – it is flabbergasting  that the Government continues to keep its head in the sand.

“There is no urgency in the Government’s attempts to solve, for example, the incompatibility between Universal Credit and a council’s duties to those in emergency temporary accommodation. This is affecting some of society’s most vulnerable people, at a point of crisis, yet the Government appears unwilling to take the action it could to solve this and simply remove these people from the Universal Credit system.”

Response from Minister for Employment Damian Hinds

The Committee is particularly concerned about the impact of Universal Credit on rent arrears, having heard much evidence that this is a significant and growing problem for Universal Credit claimants. The Government’s letter asserts that understanding what is going on is not a simple task, but, based on analysis of a small number of cases in 2015, says it believes any rent arrears associated with UC are likely to be of a short duration and should not present an insurmountable obstacle to landlords. The Government accepts that it must improve how it communicates with landlords and welfare advisers about individual cases, but explains that security concerns limit its options for this.

The Committee has further grave concerns over evidence it heard that despite Universal Credit already having a built-in six-week delay between someone applying and them receiving their first payment, many have to wait much longer than this. The Government says that it is currently looking at some analysis around the time it takes to first payment, and the number and types of advances that are paid, but claims this is not easy data to construct.

The Committee is now again accepting written submissions on the impact of Universal Credit. Please submit your evidence through the inquiry page Universal Credit update  before 20 March 2017

Essex Outdoors is now recruiting for both experienced and trainee outdoor activity instructors to work throughout the 2017 season at its centres in Bradwell, Danbury, Harlow and Mersea.

There is a need for individuals who can work with customers from a wide range of educational settings. From problem solving and orienteering to climbing and paddling and sailing.

Applicants must be aged 18 or over 18 years on 1st April 2017.

There is a wage involved and an opportunity to gain skills and experience and an industry based qualification.

An ideal summer job and it promises to be great fun into the bargain looking at the brochures. 

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Click on the logo to visit the website jobs section: 

Joblessness falls but wages decline also. Average weekly pay is now £507 according to the Office of National Statistics. 

Estimates from the Labour Force Survey show that, between August to October 2016 and the 3 months to January 2017, the number of people in work increased, the number of unemployed people fell, and the number of people aged from 16 to 64 not working and not seeking or available to work (economically inactive) also fell.

There were 31.85 million people in work, 92,000 more than for August to October 2016 and 315,000 more than for a year earlier.

There were 23.34 million people working full-time, 305,000 more than for a year earlier. There were 8.52 million people working part-time, 10,000 more than for a year earlier.

The employment rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were in work) was 74.6%, the joint highest since comparable records began in 1971.

There were 1.58 million unemployed people (people not in work but seeking and available to work), 31,000 fewer than for August to October 2016 and 106,000 fewer than for a year earlier.

There were 867,000 unemployed men, 21,000 fewer than for August to October 2016 and 56,000 fewer than for a year earlier.

There were 717,000 unemployed women, 10,000 fewer than for August to October 2016 and 50,000 fewer than for a year earlier.

The unemployment rate was 4.7%, down from 5.1% for a year earlier. It has not been lower since June to August 1975. The unemployment rate is the proportion of the labour force (those in work plus those unemployed) that were unemployed.

There were 8.87 million people aged from 16 to 64 who were economically inactive (not working and not seeking or available to work), 34,000 fewer than for August to October 2016 and 59,000 fewer than for a year earlier.

The inactivity rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were economically inactive) was 21.6%, slightly lower than for August to October 2016 (21.7%) and lower than for a year earlier (21.8%).

Latest estimates show that average weekly earnings for employees in Great Britain in nominal terms (that is, not adjusted for price inflation) increased by 2.2% including bonuses, and by 2.3% excluding bonuses, compared with a year earlier.

Polls have opened in the Dutch election today and all European eyes are on PM Mark Rutte and far-right leader Geert Wilders. Rutte’s party seemed to get a poll bounce in recent days as he clashed live on TV with his rival.

A police investigation is underway and a Conservative MP has been interviewed by police over election spending.  MP Craig Mackinlay has been questioned under caution about whether Tories overspent in the 2015 South Thanet campaign against Nigel Farage. Mr Mackinlay was a former member of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), and Mr Mackinlay served as deputy leader of UKIP in 1997, before joining the Conservative Party in 2005.

In 2015 Mackinlay, an accountant and tax adviser based in Ramsgate, Kent was elected as Member of Parliament for South Thanet at the general election, where he ran against UKIP leader Nigel Farage and comedian Al Murray.  Laura Sandys had represented the constituency in the House of Commons.

In July 2015, Craig Mackinlay was elected as a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

As per a Guardian article, there is said to be growing panic in the Conservative party about the scale of police probes into election spending, which could affect dozens of MPs. A separate investigation by the Electoral Commission into whether the national party broke election spending limits is also under way and expected to come to a head within weeks.

Breaking the rules around elections is a very serious matter. There can be criminal charges for MPs and their election agents, and the results can be declared void. This matter is going in front of the director of Public Prosecutions shortly it has been alleged.

Image: MP Craig Mackinlay

The ABC are partners of the Electoral Commission, promoting registering to vote.

The following elections are taking place on 4 May 2017:

Local government elections in England, Wales and Scotland
Mayoral elections in England – including combined local authority mayoral elections

Local council by-elections

Local by-elections can take place at any time of year. Your local council will be able to tell you if any by-elections are coming up in your area.

Register to vote:

There is a deadline ahead of every election – if you’re not registered by then, you won’t be able to vote.

You can register to vote at any time of year.

If you are in England, Scotland or Wales, you can register to vote at gov.uk/register-to-vote

Membership - Work and Pensions Committee

Frank Field was elected as Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee on Thursday 18 June 2015.

The remaining members of the Committee were formally appointed on 8 July 2015.