A delay in paying welfare benefits to two disabled people was unlawful, the High Court has ruled. This ruling is the latest blow to Ian Duncan Smith’s credibility and that of the DWP.  Anne-Marie Irwin, the public lawyer leading the cases, according to the BBC, called the court's ruling "significant".

From April 2013, PIPs began replacing Disability Living Allowance.PIPs are benefit payments to help people aged 16-64 as disabled people frequently have extra costs of living.   They are available to employed and unemployed people, and claimants can receive £21.80 to £139.75 a week, depending on how their condition affects them.

Eligibility is determined by an assessment, and claimants are regularly reassessed, but government figures show more than 3,000 have been waiting an enormouse amount of time - for more than a year for their claims to be processed. This assesment process is ongoing and the government expects those who needs to switch to PIPs should have been contacted by late 2017.

There are currently 78,700 people waiting to hear if they can claim PIPs, of whom 3,200 have waited more than a year to have their claims processed, and 22,800 have waited more than 20 weeks.

Delays of at least nine months for Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) for these "most vulnerable" of people were unreasonable, a judge ruled.

The pair's lawyers said the ruling showed "clear failings" in the system, which ministers said it was improving.

The claimants, known only as Ms C and Mr W, said the delays meant they struggled to pay for food and fuel, and this caused their health to decline. They had to resort to the use of food banks and loan sharks.

Ms C, from Kent, who has ME, severe depression and other health problems, waited from September 2013 to October 2014 to have her eligibility assessed. The court heard she lived a "hand-to-mouth" existence, spending £8 per week on food, and only left her home once a week to visit the supermarket.

In her judgement, Mrs Justice Patterson said Ms C was required to travel some distance for face-to-face PIP assessments despite the fact she had "explained her difficulty in travelling". Ms C said she could not travel and was told her application would be cancelled, causing her "considerable stress and anxiety", but PIPs were eventually granted based on phone and paper evidence.

Mr W, who was a carpenter until he contracted ulcerative colitis in 2013 and had his colon removed, waited from February to December 2014 for a PIP decision. The court heard both claimants were struggling financially, with their only income being Employment Support Allowance and Housing Benefit

Their lawyers said they had a right to the benefits and should have received them within a "reasonable time". Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has said PIP delays were unacceptable

But now the High Court has gone as far as to say these long delays are unlawful.

Justice Patterson refused to say this could have wider implications apart from for the two anonymous claimants. Their solicitor’s hope this case will lead to the thousands of others waiting to receive compensation.

But there may be many more legal challenges before that happens. However the fact this was a 'Test case' was rejected as each individuals circumstances can vary considerably. The pairs Human Rights were not breeched however.

According to the BBC a spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged there were problems in the original roll out of PIPs. He fully supports the approach of the DWP, which is looking at where it could learn lessons, she added.

All in all, this is another blow to the credibility of Ian Duncan Smith and the DWP under his leadership. It is another loss to the taxpayer it must be pointed out who is funding these expensive legal cases in the High Court. The door is now open for more claims of compensation. 

George Osborne’s economic plans depend on household debt growing three times faster than pay over the course of the next parliament, according to new analysis. It is all part of the `long term economic plan', which we are continually assured is `working' by the government.

While wages are forecast to grow at 16 per cent, total household debt is forecast to grow 2.7 times as fast at 42 per cent, according to the TUC. Unsecured household debt is also forecast to grow 4.5 times as fast as wages – by 70 per cent between 2015 and 2019, with average unsecured debt of around £29,000 per household by 2019.

The analysis used forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to compare earnings and household borrowing for the period. Secured debt refers mainly to mortgages while unsecured debt is largely consumer credit and overdrafts from banks and other lenders. Total household debt includes both secured and unsecured debt.

If the forecasts are borne out, by 2019 total UK household debt will be 182 per cent of household income, much higher than the previous high of 167 per cent immediately prior to the 2008 crash.

Observers will agree this is exactly what happened before the last crash, if interest rates rise, then many households will be in immediate difficulty.

In a healthy economy, workers’ wages grow faster than their debts. A wages-led recovery is needed, not a debt-fuelled bubble say the TUC.

The average unsecured debt per household is based on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figure of 26.7 million UK households in 2014.

If this is a correct forecast then we see history repeating itself - again. People encouraged to borrow more money than they can afford followed by a rise in interest rates that results in a huge crash say commentators. History will just repeat itself. 

Source Left Foot Forward

The People’s Assembly are planning a ‘March against Austerity’ on June 20^th 

End Austerity Now - National Demonstration Saturday 20th June

Assemble 12pm, Bank of England (Queen Victoria St) City of London
Nearest tube: Bank
March to Parlaiment Square
Organised by The People's Assembly

The Event page: http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/calendar

Transport to London: http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/end_austerity_now_transport

The Campaigns supporters argue:

Britain is in the very early days of majority Tory rule, and already we have seen evidence of their intentions. The Human Rights Act is under threat, £12bn further welfare cuts are to be made, and now we have a Justice Secretary in favour of the death penalty. The new government, much like the previous coalition supports a bedroom tax and disability cuts.

It aims to punish millions for the sake of millionaires. People are going to die because of the government's carelessness and lack of compassion.

That's why we need to fight back through national and local campaigns against cuts, through strikes in our work places, and by demanding a fairer society. We must support those who are most vulnerable, by opposing the cuts and winning victories over pay and conditions.

The People's Assembly have called for a national 'March Against Austerity' on 20th June. The Government needs to know we are serious.

The Peoples Assembly’s aims are:

1.  Is a broad united national campaign against austerity, cuts and privatisation in our workplaces, community and welfare services, based on general agreement with the signatories’ Founding Statement.

2.  Is linked to no political party, committed to open non-sectarian working and dedicated to supplementing, rather than supplanting, trade union, student, pensioner and community opposition to austerity measures.

3.  Is based on affiliation by individual supporters, unions nationally and locally, anti-cuts campaigns, and other student, pensioner, unemployed, disabled people’s, women’s, Black people’s, youth and LGBT campaigning organisations.

4.  Aspires to support, encourage, coordinate joint action, and facilitate a transfer of experience rather than to command.

5.  Encourages the establishment of new local campaigns and/or People’s Assemblies.

6.  Organises newsletters, a website, twitter, Facebook and social media, meetings, conferences, lobbies, rallies, marches, demonstrations and other events.

7.  Vehemently opposes all proposals to “solve” the crisis by discrimination or scapegoating on  grounds of disability, race, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation or identity.

8.  Liaises closely with similar movements in other countries resisting austerity measures.

9.  Encourages a wide debate on how to protect the welfare state and develop an alternative programme for economic and social recovery.

A by-product of the austerity cuts is the rise of Do-It-Yourself Dentistry.

The Department of Health said reports of DIY dentistry were anecdotal. “Official figures show that more people than ever are getting NHS dental treatment, which is completely free for almost everyone receiving income-based benefits and subsidised for low earners,” said a spokesperson. However, according to NHS UK, people receiving incapacity benefit, contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance, contribution-based employment and support allowance, disability living allowance, council tax benefit and housing benefit, among others, are not entitled to free treatment without other qualifying benefits.

Below is the scene from Marathon Man starring Dustin Hoffman and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film explores themes of endurance and the pursuit of Nazi war criminals. It was of course well known for the ‘dentist’ scene. Watch this excerpt, unless you are squeamish.  

Thousands could lose benefits in Government plan to end youth unemployment according to an article in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.

Thousands of unemployed young could be stripped of benefits under tough plans in the Government’s Queen’s Speech. David Cameron insisted the crackdown was designed to end youth unemployment, as he set out his plans in the House of Commons.

But Labour MPs said the plans effectively meant young people would be forced to work for as little as less than £2 an hour – payment far below the minimum wage.

Office figures show 21.4 per cent of young people aged 18 to 24 are unemployed.

The figures cover people who are “economically active”, which means they are in a job or looking for work. Full-time students are not included.

This is a higher proportion than in any other part of England. It’s also higher than Scotland or Wales, and roughly equal to the Northern Ireland figure of 21.8 per cent.

By contrast, the unemployment rate for people aged 18 to 24 in the south east is 11.4 per cent. And in the West Midlands, it is 16.1 per cent.

But under Government plans, anyone aged 21 or under will lose the right to this benefit – and be put on a new “youth allowance” instead.

They’ll get the same amount of money as before, up to £57.90 a week, but if they are unemployed for six months then they will be given compulsory community work such as making meals for the elderly or working for local charities – and they’ll lose the right to claim benefits if they refuse.

If they will have to work 30 hours a week as expected, that would be a payment of £1.93 for each hour worked, well below the minimum wage of £5.13 for people age 18 to 20 and £6.50 for those older.

Conservatives will face a battle over plans to stop people aged 18 to 21 claiming housing benefit – with Labour MPs and other critics warning it will put young people who are forced to leave home because of abuse in danger.

Meanwhile the use of child slave labour in the UK is reportedly on the increase. 

Origional Source –  Newcastle Evening Chronicle, 30 May 2015

The row over agency nurses conties in the UK meanwhile; 

A German study has shown the nursing industry suffering from migration laws and attitudes: Germans need more foreign nurses to care for an aging population, but 61 percent of nursing homes have vacancies because of unwillingness to fill the vacancies with migrant workers. The study comes as Angela Merkel used a "citizens dialogue" event she joined to say that Germany is "becoming a country of immigration,"

Too slowly it seems. Just one in six companies tries to recruit across borders, and most justify this saying “the process is too complex, too expensive, and entails too many legal hurdles.” More than 60 percent of those who have tried to recruit abroad encountered problems with qualification recognition and getting permits for selected workers, according to the Bertelsmann Foundation, which funded the study.

WHAT PRICE, COMPASSION? FINLAND COUNTS COST OF REFUGEES: Finland would take 792 refugees under the EU Commission's proposed quotas. The country's Ministry of the Interior has calculated the net cost to the country would be €10 to 12 million. That is €12,600 to €15,100 per refugee on top of the €6,000 aid offered by the Commission for every adopted refugee. 

This is the other side of the immigration coin. Overseas workers are needed in the UK. 

We recently met Adam Abo Henriksen who is involved founding: 

Colchester Equality - is a new organisation launching to the public on the 9^th July at Colchester: Quaker Meeting House, 6 Church Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1NF

We don’t know much about this group yet whose website is: http://colchesterequality.co.uk

As part of three goals the group is promoting the Living Wage, which is part of the solution to reduce inequality across the UK. It is beneficial to individuals and their families, the companies that employ them, and society as a whole

The group has a number of aims. Colchester Equality is seeking the endorsement of the council to develop a certificate recognising commitment to a fairer community that can be displayed by local businesses which pay the Living Wage.

The Living Wage Foundation describes the living wage as:

•          An hourly rate set independently and updated annually
•          The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK
•          The current UK Living Wage is £7.85 an hour
•          The current London Living Wage is £9.15 an hour
•          Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis
•          The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition
•          Paying the Living Wage is good for business, good for the individual and good for society
•          The Living Wage Employer Mark and Service Provider Recognition Scheme provide an ethical badge for responsible pay

We will be bringing more news on this organisation in future. 

We received a very nice apology today from HMRC. The telephone queues have been very long and we are told it is also the time of the year that are causing delays. Please see our previous article Taxpayer Avoidance.

We have we have done some good for our fellow citizens and members next time they have to contact HMRC.

If you have had a bad experience let us know. However we thank HMRC for contacting us and for noting our frustration with the long wait. 

Full Employment and Welfare Benefits Bill

This bill, as the name would suggest, is designed to achieve full employment "and provide more people with the security of a job". The aim is for two million more jobs and three million new apprenticeships to be created. Ministers will be required to report annually to Parliament on their progress.

The legislation will also implement a planned reduction in the welfare cap - from £26,000 to £23,000, and freeze working-age benefits, tax credit and child benefit for two years. As part of the government's welfare reforms, young people will be required to "earn or learn", with automatic entitlement to housing benefit for 18-21-year-olds scrapped.

What actually constitutes a job is worrying?  Full employment = Slave Labour. The only other way to create jobs we can think of is via more public spending? 

A JCP customer is recovering after taking an overdose, so upset was he at his treatment by the DWP. Mr P had a job interview in London and was told to arrive at a particular Jobcentre Plus at 09:00AM which he did. He was then told that the member of staff dealing with Travel Warrants was not in till 09:30AM and he was asked could Mr P comeback at 10:00AM - which he duly did.

Mr P arrived back at 10:00AM to be told to come back at 12:30PM. Mr P interview was at 03:00PM in Liverpool Street 55 minutes on the train, and he had to get to the station and buy a ticket. At least 30 - 40 minutes under normal circumstances. Of course there would be some travelling from the station in London, and finding the location.

At 12:30PM Mr P’s alleged his Travel Warrant had still not been organised. The ensuing row, allegedly, became so heated that at one stage it was threatened the police might be called. Eventually Mr P did make his interview (just) yet oddly received a telephone call from the JCP just a couple of minutes before the interview was due to start. The journey home was no less eventful due to train delays and he arrived home, he claimed, at around 09:00PM.

Mr P received a letter from the JCP informing him he had been given a two week sanction. Mr P took an overdose caused by depression brought on by this action and the way he had been treated by the JCP. He spent two days in hospital recovering.  

The Charity MIND became involved after the suggestion of a relative, and following this development, Mr P’s sanction was lifted and his Jobseekers allowance was paid. He since received a very humble apology from two senior staff and has been given contact details should he have further problems. We must congratulate MIND for a first class intervention.

From our experience this situation is not unusual. Job interviews are stressful at the best of times and if you’re desperately trying to join the workforce even more so.

It is true that fraud prevention measures are making the processing of Travel Warrants more complex, however with the high cost of privatised public transport, assistance to attend job interviews is vital.  

JCP wages are not high, and if you pay peanuts you end up with monkeys, however if JCP managers and staff are NOT committed to helping people trying to get into work, they should be replaced.

For too long now, the shoddy service that some JCP offices or staff provide has been allowed to continue. There has been the stupid ideology that if you make unemployed peoples life a misery it might encourage them into work - in a country where the Labour Market Survey LMS has shown the true rate of unemployent to be far higher than the actual Claimants Count. 

Complaints against the JCP are denied away by a system of appeals that costs a fortune to administer and this allows staff to get away with standards of service that would be completely unacceptable in a private company.

Gainful employment is a way to achieve a more rewarding meaningful and fulfilling lifestyle, and it can be a way out of poverty, however it is not the ‘be all and end all’.  We wish Mr P well and hope that’s the last incident like this we hear of.