The Uncaring Government

Laura Pidcock MP

During the recent election campaign, I saw both sides of my North-West Durham constituency. On the one side, the beautiful landscape and the helpful, hopeful people who I spoke to knocking on doors and at meetings throughout the vast constituency. On the other, the terrible poverty that many people were locked in, struggling to pay rent, fuel bills and the basics of food and clothing.

I know none of this is new, but in recent years the scale of that poverty has increased exponentially. A sure sign is that, in 2016, over 100,000 kilos of food were handed out by food banks in County Durham.

Government has become distant and uncaring

TV programmes, only concerned with their viewing figures, love to sensationalise these problems and blame them on the individual. But these issues are absolutely societal and we should not be afraid to say so. Low pay, insecure work, fuel poverty and mental health problems are all part of a wider pattern, and at the heart of it is a government that has become distant and uncaring.

Over the last few months, we’ve seen that disregard for communities which are struggling show itself again with the plans for the rollout of Universal Credit. Up until now, the rollout of Universal Credit has been relatively cautious, but from October onwards, the DWP will be taking an “accelerated” approach. In North West Durham, the changes will happen in December. But introducing Universal Credit during the most expensive part of the year is a looming disaster for people in my constituency.

It takes a government seriously out of touch to not see the warning signs. The introduction of the new system has left many claimants in other parts of the country without payments for up to seven weeks. Imagine that, right in the middle of the festive period. Never having experienced poverty nor seemingly able to show much empathy for those that have, it’s not surprising the Tories have got it wrong again.

I haven’t been elected to accept the status quo

I decided to do something about it. I wrote a letter, outlining the issues around Universal Credit and how the roll out over the festive period will plunge many people into further poverty and debt. My office staff and I got to work, emailing colleagues, following up with phone calls, tweeting and texting until we had collected 30 signatures from other MPs, all of whom had constituencies which were going to be affected by the Christmas rollout.

We know the Government already recognises there are many problems with the system, so it makes you wonder why they don’t do the decent thing and pause the roll out until these issues have been sorted out. This is what the Citizens Advice, voluntary sector and campaigning groups have been asking for some time. Now a large group of the MPs whose constituents are affected are on record as saying the same. What will it take for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, David Gauke, and the Government to listen?

I have no intention of sitting by while this Government pushes my constituents into further debt and more misery. I haven’t been elected to accept the status quo, so I hope the Minister realises that we will be keeping him very busy indeed.