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COUNCIL TAX - East Hampshire District Council is considering a two per cent increase in Council Tax to support the most vulnerable people in the district.

The increase, amounting to 5p a week for the average household, would add around £215,000 to the council’s Welfare Fund.

This would be the first time in seven years the council has raised its share of Council Tax and EHDC’s Leader, Cllr Richard Millard, believes residents will be happy to pay a little extra to fund important welfare services.

Cllr Richard Millard, EHDC Leader, said: “I categorically feel this is the right thing to do. We have a responsibility to help the most vulnerable people in society.

“That’s what this job is about – to be there for those residents. I believe it is the right thing to do and I believe that most people will accept a two per cent Council Tax raise to provide support for the people in East Hampshire who need it most.”

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SUICIDES - The National Audit Office has today published a briefing that sets out the findings from our enquiries with the Department for Work & Pensions on the information it holds on benefit claimants who ended their lives by suicide, This in response to correspondence the NAO received from The Rt Hon Frank Field MP chair of the Work & Pensions Committee.

The briefing can be accessed via the attachment and on the NAO website

In October 2019, the Rt Hon Frank Field MP wrote to the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) regarding the Department for Work and Pensions’ response to a Parliamentary Question Mr Field raised in September 2019, on the topic of benefit claimants who had ended their lives by suicide. The C&AG, in his response to Mr Field, proposed that the NAO engage with the Department to establish what information the Department holds on benefit claimants who ended their lives by suicide, how that information is produced, and how it is stored, accessed and used.

Image: Should Iain Duncan Smith face a criminal investigation? 

Yes please, an investigation should be conducted into Iain Duncan-Smith as the architect of Universal Credit and deaths caused by inadequate social support for vulnerable UK Citizens. Deliberate "social murder" has been enabled by the Conservative Government toward its own Citizens.

          Says Karen

I agree with John McDonnell there should be an investigation and we should all be concerned about the way disability claimants are treated. Starving people to death is unacceptable. Totally immoral and it should not be happening in a civilised society.

          Says Julia

Great news.

           Says Ian

There are a lot of people who think that there should be a criminal investigation into Iain Duncan Smith's conduct as DWP minister and that of senior DWP chiefs. 

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Information held by the Department for Work & Pensions on deaths by suicide of benefit claimants, please download below:

ABC MEDIA OPPORTUNITY – The ABC’s Simon Collyer attended a speed matching event run by the Media Trust, where chosen charities and social enterprise companies, met a cross-section of top media people where we pitched our opportunity in eight minute dating sessions.

We had talked ourselves horse by the end of the evening but thoroughly enjoyed the experience in the futuristic, WeWork office campus building that houses Google UK amongst all manner of start-ups. It felt a bit like the film Logan’s Run when anyone who reaches thirty could expect to get vaporised to make way for more young people.

At our event, we met a range of people from the Producer of the BBC’s Daily Politics programme to experts from PR mega-giant Edelman.

Some of our exchanges produced some real surprises. We had a great deal of interest from the Financial Times, that has been broadening its remit away from featuring simply the biggest businesses and the top CEOs and their news. We joked ‘what are you doing hanging around us’ - but in fact, we seemed to attract a great deal of interest.

We found ourselves talking to the BBC, Daily Telegraph, The Civil Servant Retirement Fellowship (CSRF) and a variety of freelance individuals in public relations and comms.

We will not mention names and job titles to protect the innocent, but it was a fantastic opportunity to meet people in the media at this level, where normally this would be very difficult.

All in all, we had a very good reception, a very good reception indeed, and we were given some tips, and as a result, we have been talking to PA Media, an organisation formerly known as the Press Association, and we have approached Sixteen a Company that represents Unjaded Jaded a student blogger with it was alleged, some two million followers.

Image: inside the WeWork building, 123 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 9SH

What will come from all this frantic communications activity, we are not sure, - however you feel that something will. The younger executives knew all about our world for sure. When we talked about the difficulty of finding vaguely affordable accommodation in the Greater London area, we were right on point.

Getting off the Tube at Tower Hill and walking towards Liverpool Street Station one was left agog at the scale of the property development that has been taking place recently. Yet some of the watering holes that used to be jammed packed seemed to be much quieter than we remember them during our last visit. Some grand restaurants seemed very quiet indeed. Worryingly quiet.

The economy has been slowing, but the grand façade of these amazing buildings surrounded by those sleeping rough shows how these massive banking corporations, financial organisations and those smaller companies, that scurry around these entities like pilot fish, have hoovered up our nation’s wealth like some giant vacuum cleaner. Leaving it has to be said so little for everyone else especially the poorest.

Almost £6 for a pint of beer compared to half that in Colchester was not quite enough to send you teetotal, but enough to send you home early.

We loved the energy and vibrancy that the WeWork offices provided but outside it is a darker world for those that live there – perhaps more like a modern version of Gotham City. Are we alone in feeling the darkening clouds of a coming recession, or are we just doom-mongering?

Inside the workspace of the bright young things there seemed to be no air of gloom or pessimism.

We did not get vaporised visiting the loo and there may be space for older people in this Googly-fied world after all.

A great fun evening which may lead to some real benefits. Only time will tell.

Our special thanks to Su-Mei Thompson CEO for the invitation to pitch and to Carly Bell who hosted us from the Media Trust, and to all the media volunteers who gave us time to explain our mission. 

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The winners of this year’s Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards 2020 have been revealed at a special ceremony in Belfast today.

Image: Rugby Star Tommy Bowe.

Economy Minister Diane Dodds and rugby star Tommy Bowe presented winners with their awards. The ceremony is one of the highlights of the Department’s Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week designed to showcase the range of opportunities available through apprenticeships to both potential applicants and employers.

The 2020 winners are:

• SME Innovation Award

Specialist Joinery Group, in partnership with Strabane Training Services

• Apprentice Award

Craig Holmes, employed by A S Watson Group – Savers and training at Babcock Training Ltd

• Large Employer Innovation Award

Citi in partnership with Belfast Met

• Higher Level Apprentice Award – Joint winners

Colleen O’Boyle, employed by Mallaghan Engineering Ltd and training with South West College; and Will Bradley, employed by BT and training with Belfast Met

Speaking at the awards ceremony Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: “I want to commend all those who were shortlisted for this year’s awards and congratulate the 2020 winners.

“There are over 8,300 apprentices, including higher level apprentices, currently on apprenticeship programmes funded by the Department for the Economy, so to be nominated for these awards is testament to your hard work and dedication.

“I would also like to acknowledge the work being done by the employers and training providers. Without your commitment and enthusiasm we wouldn’t be able to run these programmes. Apprenticeship programmes help us equip people with the skills and qualifications needed to support economic growth and develop our economy.”

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NORTHERN IRELAND - Northern Ireland Minister for Communities Deirdre Hargey had ordered an end to the well-established practice of naming convicted welfare fraudsters. Hargey declared that it is “not required” of her to publish the names of people who you know to be involved in criminal activity. This has attracted some small controversy. 

A lot of people commit benefit fraud when a partner moves in with them and they fail to inform the DWP. Shaming people by naming them just makes the situation worse if they are trying to find work. It can be counterproductive. 

Image: Deirdre Hargey 

Deirdre Hargey is the Northern Irish Minister for Communities, and a former Lord Mayor of Belfast. who was co-opted to the Assembly to replace Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, She was appointed as Minister at the formation of the executive on 11 January 2020. Communities Minister Hargey bids to extend £23m-a-year 'bedroom tax' mitigation measures. Around 38,000 homes in Northern Ireland faced potentially losing a quarter of their benefits if they were deemed to have a spare room at the end of March. Ms Hargey has pledged to work to mitigate the problems caused by the harsh Tory welfare cuts. 

Meanwhile, The Supreme Court has dismissed Northern Ireland Attorney General's attempt to challenge roll-out of universal credit.

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PIP - The Department for Communities has appointed Ms Marie Cavanagh to carry out the second independent statutory Review of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment.

The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 states that the Department must lay before the Assembly an independent review of the operation of PIP assessments within two years of go live and a second review within four years.  PIP was first introduced in June 2016.

The Department laid the first independent review to the Assembly in June 2018.  The second independent review should be laid before 20 June 2020.   

The review will provide the Department for Communities with a second independent report:

• evaluating the progress made on recommendations arising from the first review.
• evaluating awareness and experience of the PIP assessment process for new applications, award reviews and people reporting changes. 
• evaluate the process to ensure the most appropriate assessment type is selected - paper-based reviews, face to face at the assessment centre or the home.
• evaluation of the effectiveness of the arrangements for ensuring accurate reports are produced.
• evaluate how effectively further evidence is being used to assist the correct claim decision, exploring the balance between how much and the type of evidence we source and what we ask people to provide.

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APPRENTICESHIPS - The National Apprenticeship Service, part of the Skills Funding Agency, is a government agency that coordinates apprenticeships in England, enabling young people to enter the skilled trades. This week is National Apprenticeship Week 2020 takes place 3 to 9 February 2020. There are so many of these marketing weeks, it is rather hard to feel very excited anymore. 

 Hundreds of stakeholder events take place across England

• Use #AskAnApprentice and #AskAnEmployer online Q&A’s to share insights of apprenticeships with the wider community
• Push for the apprenticeships community to support social media activity

Business meetings, open days, celebration events and parents evenings all being held in workplaces, schools and training providers premises across the country. For the first time, National Apprenticeship Week includes weekend activity, with many employers opening their doors to young people and their parents at open day events.

National Apprenticeship Week, now in its 13th year, is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the benefits of apprenticeships. This year, the theme ‘Look Beyond’ celebrates the diversity in apprenticeships today. Bringing the whole apprenticeship community together, the Week celebrates the impact of apprenticeships on individuals, employers and the economy.

For those individuals and employers looking to find out more about apprenticeships, current and past apprentices, and apprentice employers will support online Q&A sessions to answer questions about apprenticeships.

Individuals interested in finding out about apprenticeships can join the #AskAnApprentice Q&A on Twitter on Wednesday 5 February, whilst employers interested in finding out more about the business benefits in recruiting apprentices can join the #AskAnEmployer Q&A on Thursday 6 February. Both Q&A’s run from 12 to 2pm. Just follow the relevant hashtag on Twitter to be part of the conversation.

Making a splash across social media on launch day, the apprenticeship community are asked to support the Week by:

• sharing the launch tweet - a film featuring brilliant past and current apprentices and apprentice employers, celebrating apprenticeship diversity
• adding the ‘We’re fired up’ badge to social media profiles
• taking part in the ‘Making Impact’ social media series
• join #AskAnApprentice or #AskAnEmployer Q&A sessions
• host or attend an event and show your support for apprenticeships

Keith Smith, Director, Apprenticeships Group, ESFA said:

“There is much to celebrate in apprenticeships and National Apprenticeship Week gives the whole apprenticeships community opportunity to showcase the many brilliant apprenticeships available in England today.

“It is fantastic to see so many events taking place across England I am enthused to be invited to such a variety of events this week. There’s also lots happening across social media! Let’s all get behind apprenticeships and celebrate the opportunities apprenticeships present to fire up careers.”

Keep up to date with news on National Apprenticeship Week by following @Apprenticeships on Twitter.

 To find an event near you, visit the NAW events website.

Find out more about National Apprenticeship Week 2020.

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TRAINING - The Department for the Economy, in partnership with Deloitte, is offering 20 places in a new Business Transformation Assured Skills Academy.

The new Academy will provide participants the opportunity to learn valuable and in-demand skills in robotics and cloud engineering, which are becoming increasingly important to the changing world of work.

Training will be provided over eight weeks at Belfast Met, and those who successfully complete the Academy are guaranteed a job interview with Deloitte.

 Speaking about the Academy, Director of Skills at the Department Graeme Wilkinson, said: “This Business Transformation Assured Skills Academy is an excellent opportunity for people to gain the skills they need to start a career in business technology.

“Academy participants will receive the very best industry-relevant pre-employment training available at Belfast Met, preparing them to compete for a role in this exciting sector. People taking part in the Academy also receive a £150 per week training allowance, travel expenses and could be eligible for a childcare allowance.

“Applications are open and anyone who is interested in starting a career in this field should apply now!”

Image: Karen Butler, Head of Talent at Deloitte.

Karen Butler, Head of Talent at Deloitte in Northern Ireland, said: “This Academy is an exciting way to bring talented individuals, who have little or no technology experience, into the workplace and help us prepare our clients for the future of work.

“The Academy is designed for both those who have recently graduated, or have previously worked and are looking to learn new technology skills, and want to start a new career with Deloitte.

“The Academy will focus on developing both technical skills and softer skills so we are looking for individuals who are innovative, enjoy working collaboratively and are problem solvers.”  

Siobhan Lyons, Head of Economic Development at Belfast Met, added: “We are very pleased to be delivering this latest Assured Skills Academy in partnership with Deloitte and the Department for the Economy. Belfast Met has a proven record of delivering high quality industry-relevant pre-employment training through Assured Skills Academies, with a high percentage of people securing jobs as a result. We very much look forward to welcoming the next cohort of participants to the Deloitte Business Transformation Assured Skills Academy and continuing that success.”

Applicants to the Deloitte Business Transformation Assured Skills Academy must have either a 2:2 degree in any discipline, or HND/equivalent in an IT related discipline.

ABC Note: Applications are open until Friday 21 February. For more information and to apply, visit http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/assured-skills

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UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME - is new scheme that has already been trialled in Finland.

If introduced, Universal Basic Income (UBI) would give every person a fixed, untaxed sum - which could be up to £100 a week - to live on, whether they are rich or poor, in work or unemployed.

UBI would replace some existing social security benefits and there would be no pressure for job seekers to prove they are trying to get a job. It has been argued that endlessly pressurizing claimants to find work and threatening and implementing sanctions makes no difference to whether people get into work or not. Endless visits to see a work coach at the Jobcentre Plus offices has little if any real  benefit.

Plans for it to be piloted in Hull moved a step closer when Hull City Council chief executive Matt Jukes wrote to the Chancellor Sajid Javid to ask for support after councillors backed the idea.

Liberal Democrat councillor Jack Haines has described it as a "fresh idea" in a regional newspapaer and he has urged people in Hull to get behind it, saying it could end poverty, insecurity and financial worry.

UBI would replace some existing social security benefits and people can spend it how they like. 

Image: Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Drake-Davis.

Hull city councillors recently backed a proposal from Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Drake-Davis to explore the possibility of the city becoming the first place in the UK to trial UBI.

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JOB FAIR - The Department for Communities, in partnership with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, is hosting a major Job Fair in Craigavon on Friday 21st February 2020.

The Job Fair will take place in the Craigavon Civic Centre between 10am and 3pm and admission is free.

Up to 50 employers will be taking part, with representatives from the manufacturing, hospitality, care and retail sectors, with many more on hand promoting live vacancies, answering questions and discussing employment opportunities.

The Job Fair aims to offer people who are seeking employment the opportunity to meet a range of prospective employers and apply for work.  It is a chance to find out more about how to enhance your employability and learn about the types of jobs available.

Image: Councillor Mealla Campbell. 

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, Councillor Mealla Campbell said: “Growing the local economy and job creation are key priorities of Council, and we are delighted to be working in partnership with the Department for Communities to host this Job Fair in Craigavon Civic Centre. The event will open up new avenues for job seekers from across the Borough by putting them in direct contact with potential employers. It represents a fantastic opportunity for our local businesses who are recruiting new staff and those looking for employment, as well as promoting learning and skills development.”

Lydia McAleenan from the Department for Communities’ Employer Services Branch said: “The Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Job Fair is a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for a job, a different job or a change in career to meet with employers who have available vacancies. Working in partnership with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council allows for a more local approach to linking employers with prospective employees and I would really encourage anyone seeking work or employment advice to come along on the 21st February 2020 to see the opportunities on offer.”

Aisling McConaghy from Almac, one of the employers taking part in the Job Fair, said: “Almac are delighted to support Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and the Department for Communities in the organisation of this Job Fair on Friday 21st February 2020 and we are looking forward to attending the event. As a large employer in the local area, it is very important for us to meet with job seekers to highlight the excellent job opportunities we have available. We offer careers in many different disciplines and we would encourage everyone to visit our stand to speak with us about a career at Almac if you are planning on attending.”

A range of support organisations and services will be available to those visiting the Job Fair, including the Department for Communities’ Job Search Services and Health and Work Support Team, and the Department for the Economy’s Careers Service - providing advice and guidance on training and employment programmes currently available for anyone seeking to upskill or retrain.

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