We contacted the TUC when we started out, and we humbly asked could the ABC be recognised in some way? We are not a union as we do not do collective bargaining, but recognition as a 'workers association' would have been much appreciated.

I was NOT making much progress with the gatekeeper, a lady determined I was going to be going nowhere fast -  So I asked to get put through to the boss Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite the Union. 'I cannot do that' said the 'Moat Defender' determined not to let me get through.... 

'Why ever not'  I said, now bristling with frustration.....  'He is too important' came back the reply..... !! 

So, we had a chuckle when today, we were asked in a Tweet to support Len McCluskey in his bid to be re-elected! ‘Never forget those on the way up’, the saying goes, ‘you might meet them on the way down...’

We have yet to think of a suitable response, but it made a great story for the bar.

Small businesses in the North of England could soon receive loans of up to £750,000, as the government-backed British Business Bank (BBB) announces the launch of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Financed by the BBB and the European Investment Bank, the £400m fund is set to provide investment for new startups as well as growing companies looking for additional finance to scale up.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund will be split into three strands of finance for small firms with differing levels of funding available.

• Microfinance (£25,000 – £100,000)
• Business loans (£100,000 – £750,000)
• Equity finance (up to £2m)

Finance will be allocated through regional growth hubs, banks and ten Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

The EU countries are hugely important trade partners for the UK. In 2016, the EU for 48% of goods exports from the UK, while goods imports from the EU were worth more than imports from the rest of the world combined.

For exports, trade in goods and services  with the EU has declined in proportion, from 55% of UK exports in 2000 to 44% of UK exports in 2015.

Most of the decline in the EU’s share of UK exports is due to goods, not services.

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Binge eating disorder is an illness where people overeat on a regular basis.

A binge is an episode of excessive eating or drinking. People who binge eat very large quantities of food over a short period-of-time, even when they're not hungry.

Signs of binge eating disorder include:

• eating much faster than normal during a binge
• eating until you feel uncomfortably full
• eating a large amount of food when you're not hungry
• eating alone or secretly because you're embarrassed about the amount of food you're consuming
• having feelings of guilt, shame or disgust after binge eating

People who regularly eat this way are likely to have a binge eating disorder.

What happens during a binge?

Binges are often planned-in-advance and the person may buy "special" binge foods.

Sometimes, a person will describe being in a "dazed state" during a binge – particularly binges at night – and not being able to remember what they ate.

The person often feels they have no control over their eating.

Getting help

If you occasionally binge eat, it doesn't necessarily mean you have a binge eating disorder.

But see your GP if you binge regularly, particularly if it's affecting your physical and/or mental health. With the right treatment and support, most people get better.

Beat is a UK-based charity that provides help and support for people with eating disorders. You can contact them either by phone or email:

• help for adults – helpline: 0345 634 1414, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• help for young people (under 25) – helpline: 0345 634 7650, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The helplines are open Monday to Wednesday, 1pm to 4pm and Thursday and Friday, 10am to 1pm.

You can also find out more about Beat's support services.

You can find Beat in our ABC Directory (PLEASE click on the logo)

Treating binge eating

The main treatments for binge eating are:

• self-help programmes – this may be individually, using a book or online course, or as part of a self-help support group
• guided self-help (self-help supervised by regular contact with a professional)
• specialist group intervention
• individual (one-to-one) psychological therapy 
• medication called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

What causes binge eating?

It's not clear what causes binge eating, but, like most eating disorders, it's seen as a way of coping with feelings of unhappiness and low self-esteem.

Factors that may increase your risk of binge eating include:

• having low self-esteem and a lack of confidence
• depression or anxiety
• feelings of stress, anger, boredom or loneliness
• dissatisfaction with your body and feeling under pressure to be thin
• stressful or traumatic events in your past
• having a family history of eating disorders

Binge eating can sometimes develop following a strict diet, particularly if you skipped meals, cut out certain foods and didn't eat enough food. These are unhealthy ways to lose weight and may mean you're more likely to binge at another time.  

Who's affected

Anyone can be affected by binge eating disorder, although it's slightly more common in women than men.

Binge eating disorder tends to first develop during early adulthood, but many people don't seek help until they're in their 30s or 40s.

It's estimated that you have a 1 in 30 to 1 in 50 chance of developing binge eating disorder at some point in life.

Health risks of binge eating

Binge eating is often associated with serious psychological problems, including depression and anxiety which may get worse if you continue to binge eat.

Weight gain is a common physical effect of binge eating, which can lead to obesity. Being obese puts you at risk of getting a number of serious physical health problems, including:

• high cholesterol and high blood pressure 
• diabetes
• osteoarthritis

some types of cancer – such as breast cancer and bowel cancer

The Universal Credit Programme, led by Neil Couling, has completed the national roll-out of the Live Service say the DWP, and is rolling out the Full Service to a further 5 jobcentres each month. There are now 450,000 claimants on Universal Credit the DWP Claim, with the Full Service available in 46 jobcentre areas. The roll out of Full Service to 50 jobcentres each month begins in October.

To prepare DWP’s Operations for this, Permanent Secretary Sir Robert Devereux has today announced some new operational roles.

While Neil continues to lead the overall programme, Susan Park will take on a new operational role, as Director General Universal Credit Operations with accountability for the operation of Universal Credit, across both jobcentres and service centres.

Sir Robert Devereux said:

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Susan Park.

She is an extremely talented public servant, with over 20 years in operational delivery and is uniquely placed to lead the scaled up roll out of Universal Credit Full Service from this autumn.

Director General, Universal Credit operations Susan Park said:

It’s a privilege to take on the role of Director General, Universal Credit Operations.

Universal Credit is changing welfare for the better and helping people across the country to improve their lives.

I look forward to working with colleagues across the department to deliver the Full Service roll out of Universal Credit to millions of people across Great Britain.

Susan joined the Civil Service in the 1980s, and has worked for the DWP since it was established in 2001. She has a wealth of experience in operational delivery most recently as the director of the Child Maintenance Group from 2012 before taking up post as Director of Work Services in January 2015.

Bill Gates has come up with a good idea – due to advances in automation, why not tax robots….?

It could be a way of maintaining government tax revenue says, Gates.

Bill Gates ought to know about bringing in the cash - Bill is worth about $90 Billion as per 2016 estimates!

Still it seems like a good idea to us...

Even better still - why not tax the robots but not the workers? 

Have you filed in your latest tax return Sir....?? Well it might work?  

We are not so sure about taking them to Court for late payment however. What if they asked for Legal Aid? 

Image: Bill Gates

Our BBC Sport post was featured. The debate was about how sports are having their funding cut - sports that have not supplied sufficient medals according to the people upstairs.  

Just when you though sport was about taking part, or did you?  

Our post is: Let's start an Olympics for poor people!! There would be plenty of competitors. Simon Collyer founder of the Association of Pension & Benefits Claimants CIC  www.abcorg.net

Image: A youthful Simon Collyer, ABC founder is - or was, a passionate competitive sailor.

Simon represented the UK at a pre-Olympics in the Olympic 470 Dinghy Class, and won races at National Championship level and more.

Oh, to do it all again! 

This is a race from the 2012 Games at exotic Weymouth. The 470 is a two-man dinghy that uses a device called a 'trapeze' to allow the crew to balance the boat along with the helmsman using toes traps. Off the wind a spinnaker adds to the sail area and of course the excitement.  

Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell were competing in their first ever Olympic Games in the 470 men two-person dinghy class and were sitting in second place, four points behind the Australian team.  The Australian team put up a good fight and remained in first place leaving Luke and Stuart to secure the Silver medal.  They said of their win "The Aussie's sailed a fantastic race, we tried to attack but they are worthy champions. We're happy with second, it's our first Games". "It's just so good. It's been three years hard work together, and here we are standing on the Olympic podium".

Following last week’s session with two sets of workers with very differing accounts of the self-employment as couriers and drivers in the “gig economy”, the Work and Pensions Committee this week hears from some of the companies that provide that work: Uber, Deliveroo, Hermes and Amazon.

The Committee will likely have questions about how representative the workers they’ve heard from so far are of wider self-employed workforces, the support that these companies offer to their self-employed workforces, the extent to which they feel that they are responsible for providing support and whether they would like to provide more, and how likely it is workers under these pay and conditions will rely to a greater or lesser extent on the welfare system.

On Wednesday 22 February at 9.30am in the Wilson Room, Portcullis House:

Andrew Byrne – Head of Public Policy, Uber UK

Lesley Smith – Director of Public Policy UK and Ireland, Amazon

Carole Woodhead – CEO, Hermes UK Ltd

Dan Warne – Managing Director UK and Ireland, Deliveroo

The ABC wanted to attend this dedbate and give evidence. We have been overlooked but we have presented so excellent written evidence. 

Four million more people are living below an adequate standard of living and are just about managing at best, as per an authoritative report on living standards in modern Britain.

SECTION:

The new research for the independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) sheds light on how different kinds of household are faring, against the Minimum Income Standard (MIS).

MIS is a benchmark of income adequacy, as defined by what the public think is needed for a decent living standard. It is calculated by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University.

It warns that millions of just managing families are on the tipping point of falling into poverty as prices rise in the shops, with forecasts showing the cost of living could be 10 per cent higher by 2020.

Between 2008/9 – 2014/5, based on the latest available data from official statistics:

The number of individuals below MIS rose by four million, from 15 million to 19 million (from 25 to 30 per cent of the population).

There are 11 million people living far short of MIS, up from 9.1 million, who have incomes below 75% of the standard and are at high risk of being in poverty.

The remaining eight million fall short of the minimum, by a smaller amount, and despite having a more modest risk of poverty, are just about managing at best.

Families just about managing have been the focus of the Government’s efforts to support people on low incomes. But JRF is warning there is a fine margin where just managing can quickly tip into living in poverty, such is the precarious state of many household budgets.

The increase in the numbers below MIS has been driven by rising costs while incomes stagnate. The price of a minimum “basket of goods” has risen 27-30% since 2008, and average earnings by only half that amount. The cost of living could be 10 per cent higher by 2020, a period when state support through tax credits and working age benefits has been frozen.

The growing risk of low income is not due to an increased risk of unemployment, but a growth in the risk working people will have low income. It shows how record employment in the economy on its own is not enough to help families reach MIS.

Almost three million working age households, six in 10 below MIS, have at least one person in work. Families with children continue to have the highest risk of having incomes that fall short of the standard, with working parents facing worsening prospects:

For lone parents, even those working full time have a 42% risk of being below MIS, up from 28% in 2008/09. 151,000 out of 356,000 people in households headed by lone parents working full time are below the minimum.

56% of people in single-breadwinner couples with children live below – a substantial increase of more than a third over the six-year period. This affects 500,000 out of 880,000 people in such families.

For couples with children where one adult works full time and the other is in part-time or self-employment, the risk of inadequate income has increased by a half, reaching 18%. This is 310,000 out of 1.7 million people in such families.

Campbell Robb, chief executive at JRF, said:

“For a truly shared society, everyone should have the chance to live a decent and secure life. These stark figures show just how precarious life can be for many families. Government focus on people on modest incomes is welcome, but it cannot be at the expense of those at the poorest end of the income scale: it must remember just about managing today can become poverty tomorrow.

“This could be a very difficult time for just managing families as rising inflation begins to bite into finely-balanced budgets. The high cost of living has already helped push four million more people below an adequate income, and if the cost of essentials such as food, energy and housing rise further, we need to take action to ease the strain. The Government can help in next month’s Budget by allowing families to keep more of their earnings and ensuring benefits and tax credits keep up with the rising cost of living.”

Matt Padley, Research Fellow at Loughborough University’s Centre for Research in Social Policy, and one of the report’s authors, said:

“Our report has shown a steady growth in the numbers of people with too little income. Unfortunately the conditions to the end of the decade still look unfavourable for these groups. With forecasts of rising inflation, slowing wage growth combined with cuts to tax credits, the outlook is set to be highly challenging for families whose low incomes mean they are, at best, only just managing to make ends meet.”

Official figures released today by the Office for National Statistics show that there are over 300,000 more people in work compared to the same time last year, and the number of women in work has risen to a record rate of 70.0%.

The latest statistics also show that unemployment continues to run at an 11-year low of just 4.8%, down by more than 900,000 since 2010.

Secretary of State, Damian Green said:

With employment at its highest rate since records began, and unemployment at its lowest in over a decade, we remain in a position of strength.

Our on-going welfare reforms will continue to incentivise work and make sure the system is fair to all those who need it and those who pay for it.

With youth unemployment, down, women in work at record levels and number of disabled people in work increasing too, we’re delivering on our pledge to build a country that works for everyone.

Full-time work continues to drive the increase in employment, rising by 218,000 workers on the year, meaning that more people have the security of a regular wage.

Average wages including bonuses grew by 2.6% over the last year, and the number of people claiming benefits (claimant count) fell by 42,000 on the quarter to 2.1% – the lowest rate since 1974.

Today’s figures also show:

• youth unemployment is at 12.6% – the lowest level since 2005
• the number of disabled people in work has increased by 594,000 in the past 3 years

Universal Credit

A separate set of figures out today show more than 960,000 claims have been made to Universal Credit. Of the 450,000 people now receiving Universal Credit, around 40% are in work.

The roll out of the full service Universal Credit over the coming months means that the claimant count may be volatile from month to month potentially affecting the seasonal adjustment of the data from the Office for National Statistics.