At the Labour Party conference in Brighton Jeremy Corbyn will be playing the patriotic card in his speech, according to pre-briefing of British journalists. 

He will say his values of “fair play for all, solidarity and not walking by on the other side of the street” are universal and “It is this sense of fair play, these shared majority British values, that are the fundamental reason I love this country and its people.”

Press Release

Colchester’s Simon Collyer; founder of the Association of Pension & Benefits Claimants CIC – better known as the ABC - is standing for election for a place on the Fabian Society, National Executive Committee. There are  positions for 10 national society candidates and 3 local society candidates to be elected. Those elected hold office for two years. 

Founded in 1884, the Fabian Society is at the forefront of developing political ideas and public policy on the left. As founders of the Labour Party in 1900, the society is Britain’s oldest political think tank.

Through a wide range of publications and events the society influences political and public thinking, and provides a space for broad and open-minded debate. Member-led activity includes 70 local Fabian societies, the Scottish and Welsh Fabians, the Fabian Women’s Network and the Young Fabians, which is itself the leading organisation on the left for young people to debate and influence political ideas.

The Colchester Fabians are particularly active and attract top calibre speakers. Simon, along with local secretary, Maurice Austin and other senior local Fabians, are aiming to attract new members, Simon said ‘we have plenty of members with the grey hairs of wisdom but it is good to see the interest growing among young people’.    

Voting for Fabian Society members closes at 5 pm on Friday 23 October 2015. 

If you are interested in joining the Colchester Fabian Society, please contact: Maurice AUSTIN, Secretary of the Colchester Fabian Society: Telephone number: 01245 492328 

With winter approaching, if you are struggling on a low income this organisation may be able to assict. We do also suggest you contact Floating Support a government intiative that can also assist you negociate a deal with your energy company, dramatically reducing your bills in some cases.

In their own words

A you may be entitled to help with your energy bills, please call the Home Heat Helpline now on 0800 33 66 99 to find out how to save money. There’s lots of help available including grants for insulation and new boilers, discounts and rebates and other schemes to help you keep warm. More than one in ten households are entitled to help so call the Helpline today.

Simon Collyer. Founder of the ABC is standing for election for a place on the Fabian Society National Executive Committee. Voting closes at 5 pm on Friday 23 October 2015. 

There are 10 national society candidates and 3 local society candidates.

Those elected hold office for two years. 

The Fabian Society is Britain’s oldest political think tank. Founded in 1884, the Society is at the forefront of developing political ideas and public policy on the left.

What the Fabian Society stands for:

We aim to promote:

•          greater equality of power, wealth and opportunity
•          the value of collective action and public service
•          an accountable, tolerant and active democracy
•          citizenship, liberty and human rights
•          sustainable development
•          multilateral international cooperation

Currently, we aim to promote these objectives through six central programmes:

Born equal – tackling economic inequality in the UK

Britain’s future – identity, constitution and the UK’s place in the world

Together – public services, communities and collective endeavour

Green lives – the environment and citizens

Business for us all – innovation, responsibility and long-termism

Facing the Future – rebuilding, reaching out, reconnecting

Organisation

The society is alone among think tanks in being a democratically-constituted membership organisation, with almost 7,000 members. The Fabian Society is governed by the democratically-elected Executive Committee while the day-to-day operation of the society is overseen by the General Secretary.

Through a wide range of publications and events the society influences political and public thinking, but also provides a space for broad and open-minded debate, drawing on an unrivalled external network and its own expert research and analysis. Its programme offers a unique breadth, encompassing national conferences and policy seminars; periodicals, books, reports and digital publication; and commissioned and in-house research and comment.

Member-led activity includes 70 local Fabian societies, the Scottish and Welsh Fabians, the Fabian Women’s Network and the Young Fabians, which is itself the leading organisation on the left for young people to debate and influence political ideas.

Fabian partners

The society was one of the original founders of the Labour Party and is constitutionally affiliated to the party as a  Socialist Society . These are membership organisations in sympathy with the party, which sit alongside trade unions as organisational members. The society is however editorially, organisationally and financially independent of the Labour Party and works with a wide range of partners of all political persuasions and none.

The society is a member institution of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS). FEPS is an independent EU-wide social democrat political foundation, affiliated to the Party of European Socialists (PES). It aims to establish an intellectual crossroads between social democracy and the European project and is a platform for ideas, working in close collaboration with its membership of over 40 national political foundations and think tanks.

We have sister organisations in Australia and New Zealand which are totally independent:

The Australian Fabian Society

The New Zealand Fabian Society

Fabianism

The Fabian Society is not a doctrinal organisation but the Fabian tradition informs how we think and what we do. No other think tank has an adjective of its own. The commitment to Fabianism means the society believe in the fight against inequality, the power of collective action and an internationalist outlook. We believe in social progress, evidence, expertise, rationality and long-termism. Fabians advocate gradualist, reformist and democratic means in a journey towards radical ends. The society is a pluralist movement and creates space for open debate.

Fabian Society Member: Julia Gillard. Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is a former Australian politician who served as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, as leader of the Australian Labor Party. She was the first and to date only woman to hold either position.

ABC Advice: We cannot stress the importance of putting matters in writing when dealing with all government departments including of course the DWP. We are coming across situations where government departments are leaving address and telephone numbers off letterheads in a bid to either stop people telephoning or writing in.

We advise all DLA Claimants being assessed for PIP, for example, to refuse to take part in telephone interviews and to insist on written correspondence.

The current behaviour of governmental organisations removing important contact details is frustrating. This is a matter we are bringing to the attention of the Work & Pensions Select Committee.

The Work & Pensions Select Committtee is made up of: 

The Las Iguanas restaurant chain, part of the Casual Dining Group, which includes Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge and La Tasca, announced it is scrapping the 10% administration fee it deducts from staff tips. Las Iguanas said its proposed policy will not impose administration fees, and the chain will not give a share of tips to the company or its management, following pressure by staff and the public. We gather that Pizza Hut has also revised its policy regarding the tipping of staff. 

In August the business secretary, Sajid Javid, launched an investigation into the abuse of tipping. This inquiry runs until 10 November.

Note: 

Sajid Javid is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bromsgrove since 2010 and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills since 11 May 2015.

Tips are a 'thank you 'for good service by staff members. Companies pocketing them is absolutely wrong and we are glad this practise is getting the ‘heave ho’.  

Fuel poverty is still a major issuse for many people. 

 The governments latest figures are out and here is a very brief summary of a very complex topic.

Fuel poverty in England is measured by the Low Income High Costs definition, which considers a household to be in fuel poverty if:

• they have required fuel costs that are above average (the national median level)
• were they to spend that amount they would be left with a residual income below the official poverty line

The key drivers behind fuel poverty are:

• The energy efficiency of the property (and therefore, the energy required to heat and power the home)
• The cost of energy
• Household income

The current figures are just out and here are some highlights. 

Domestic

• The price paid for domestic fuels in real terms has fallen by 3.7 per cent in the year to Q2 2015. Between Q2 2014 and Q2 2015, real terms prices for domestic electricity fell by 0.9 per cent and domestic gas prices fell by 4.9 per cent.

• Figures show that an average annual 2014 electricity bill across all payment types has risen by £15 (2.6 per cent) since 2013, to £592. Meanwhile, the average 2014 gas bill across all payment types has risen by £23 (3.2 per cent) since 2013, to £752. These bills are based on standard consumptions of 3,800 kWh per year for electricity and 15,000 kWh per year for gas.

• Between Q1 2015 and Q2 2015 electricity transfers decreased by 14 per cent, based on figures provided by Ofgem. Comparing switching levels in Q2 2015 to the same period in 2014, electricity transfers have increased by 9 per cent. Gas transfers decreased 15 per cent in Q2 2015 compared to Q1 2015 although have increased by 9 per cent on the same period in 2014.

• In August 2015 the UK price for petrol was the highest in the EU 15 at 114.5 pence per litre, whilst the UK price for diesel was the highest in the EU 15 at 111.7 pence per litre.

International

• In August 2015 the UK price for petrol was the highest in the EU 15 at 114.5 pence per litre, whilst the UK price for diesel was the highest in the EU 15 at 111.7 pence per litre.

• For January to June 2015, UK domestic electricity prices for medium consumers including tax were the eighth highest in the EU 15, whilst domestic gas prices for medium consumers including tax were the third lowest in the EU 15.

Inequality and Child Poverty are again in the spotlight. Absolute child poverty increased by 300,000 between 2010-11 and 2012-2013. Given that the targets to eliminate child poverty by 2020, the governments approach has to be to get rid of the targets themselves.

Low wages are certainly a factor¸ According to the Guardian, currently, only 15% of workplaces offer apprenticeships, and lack of opportunity coupled with the economic downturn has seen long-term youth unemployment double in recent years. In addition, over 25% of employers are still offering unpaid internships which is a huge barrier to young people already living in poverty.

Attitudes are certainly changing towards apprenticeships and further education generally, and it is encouraging to see the government creating more placements and committed to reaching two million new apprenticeships by next year.

Meanwhile however, children are still languishing in poverty due to rising inequality. Something the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is fighting to prevent. 

Struggling to pay your water bill? Anglia Water have a scheme called the LITE tariff. If you contact Citizens Advice for information - the website details are below. 

This is from their website: 

What is the LITE tariff and how can it help me?

LITE (Low Income Tariff for Eligible Households) has been designed to support people with low disposable income who may be struggling to afford their water bill.

We can help by applying a discount to your bill of up to 80%.

Eligibility for this tariff is based upon an individual assessment of your financial circumstances. A discount will be awarded where your bill represents a large
proportion of your disposable income.

The Citizens Advice Bureau can also look at additional support and ways that they may be able to increase your income and signpost local sources of help and advice.

Water Meters

To qualify applicants must have a water meter fitted at the property and be paying measured water based charges.

If you don’t already have a water meter, we will arrange for one to be fitted free of charge. We can also offer water saving advice and fit free water saving devices while
we are doing this work. A water meter allows you to have more control over your bill because you only pay for what you use.

However if you change your mind you can switch back to unmetered charges at any time within the first two years of a meter being installed.

If you’re paying measured water charges, we can arrange for a free water saving home visit where one of our experts can fit water saving devices free of charge, which can not only save you money on your water bill but also save you money on your energy bills.

Tel: 0800 97 555 74 Or contact Citizens Advice Bureau www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Commenting on labour market statistics released on 16th September 2015, Ian Brinkley, Senior Economic Advisor at The Work Foundation said:

The welcome growth in employment of 42,000 comparing the three months to July with the previous three months is much weaker than it looks – almost all the increase is accounted for by part time self-employment which is often low skill and low income. Employee employment is not growing at all. The unemployment rate remained unchanged.

There is much better news for many of those already in jobs in the private sector – average earnings growth has strengthened, with regular pay (excluding bonuses) increasing by 3.4 per cent comparing the three months  to July with the same three months a year ago. With inflation close to zero, real wages for some are rising strongly.

Regular pay rises were especially strong in the low pay retail and hospitality sectors at 4.3 per cent,-perhaps because some employers are anticipating the National Living Wage announced in the recent Budget.

In contrast, public sector workers saw an increase of 1.3 per cent in regular pay comparing the three months to July with the same period a year ago. The growing gap between public and private sectors wage rises is likely to worsen recruitment and retention difficulties in some public services.