Tories Attack Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centres

DERBYSHIRE UNEMPLOYED WORKERS CENTRES
PRESS RELEASE

DATE:                         15/1/18
NAME:                       COLIN HAMPTON
CONTACT TEL:         01246 231441/07870 387999
CONTACT EMAIL:   colin.hampton@duwc.org.uk
EMBARGO:               NONE

TORIES WIPE OUT GRANT TO UNEMPLOYED WORKERS’ CENTRES
The Conservative administration at the Derbyshire County Council have written to the Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres (DUWC) informing them of their decision to cease funding the long running advice centres’ network.
The decision comes into effect on March 31st 2018.
The Centres had received a core grant of £41,769 annually and a further £50,000 from Public Health to carry out tribunal representation work for people challenging decisions by the Department for Work and Pensions regarding benefit reductions and withdrawals.  This work arises from Citizens Advice in health related settings.
The DCC cut amounts to about one third of the Centres budget.
The Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres were established in 1983 and have been a high profile organisation helping people through the upheaval of industrial change and the many welfare reforms enacted by all Governments since that time.
Thousands of Derbyshire residents use the service, which has offices throughout the county and helps people negotiate the complexities of the benefit system and supports people to claim the benefits to which they are entitled.
Over the years DUWC have helped workers made redundant at the collieries as well as major employers in the area such as Bi-waters, GKN Sheepbridge, Bryan Donkin and Coalite.
These cuts come at a time when the workload of the Centres is rising with the full digital roll out of Universal Credit.  The new benefit will affect millions of people in and out of work.  It requires people to both make and manage their claim on-line.
DUWC bring over £4 million into the county through lump sum awards and additional weekly payments of benefits and tax credits arising out of Tribunals and benefits take-up work.  This money goes to some the poorest people in the community.
The Centre’s social policy work has often hit the headlines as the organisation has raised concerns about the effects of Government Policy on those out of work, sick, disabled or in precarious employment. Representatives of the DUWC have hit out at what they describe as a callous and political decision.
‘DUWC, irrespective of who is in government, gives a voice to those who come to seek our help.’ said Colin Hampton Co-ordinator of the Centres for the past 33 years ‘You would think those in power would welcome this feedback but it appears that this Authority would rather not hear what they have to say.’
The County Council indicated that the cut is part of a wider shake up of how they intend to move forward with their ‘financial inclusion’ agenda.  The Council’s budget, and that of Public Health, will be reduced and the Authority is looking ‘to explore new ways of delivering and commissioning services to meet the needs of our residents’.
‘This is not the first time the Conservatives have wiped out our grant aid’ said Colin Hampton ‘However, they cannot destroy us. The Centres have many funding streams and even more supporters. We will be embarking on a massive fundraising campaign to bridge the gap left by the Council’s cynical move.’
DUWC receive referrals from many organisations in North Derbyshire and the Council’s decision has been met with astonishment and disbelief.  Cancer Charities, Mental Health groups as well as Forces charities all refer people to the Chesterfield based advice organisation for help with benefits.
‘Derbyshire Law Centre and Housing Support workers use our services to help people retain their tenancies’ explained Colin Hampton ‘and many people are signposted to us by the Jobcentre itself.  At a time of increasing public concern over the disgraceful treatment of vulnerable and powerless people, the County Council’s decision does not put them in a favourable light’ Colin went on to say.
DUWC’s services will continue from their three main offices in Chesterfield, Shirebrook and Alfreton but the Trustees of the organisation will now have to review the extensive outreach work that takes place throughout north and east Derbyshire.  Anyone wishing to help the organisation continue its important work should ring 01246 231441.
                                                            /ends




Colin Hampton
1 Rose Hill East
Chesterfield
S40 1NU
01246 231441
07870387999

Jon Williams on "NHS Privatisation"

Again worrying developments on the NHS privatisation story, following on from the Hinchingbrooke Hospital take over by Circle Health. It seems there is a connection between Circle Health and one of Andrew Lansley's adviser/s...as mentioned in the KONP film below,

KONP (Keep our NHS Public): a short film about lobbying and the sad story NHS privatisation story called "The Health Industry Lobbying Tour" (scroll down the bottom of the web page) and you will be amazed at the connections between private companies and the Tory party.
http://www.keepournhspublic.com/index.php

Here is another short film highlighting how the NHS is being secretly privatised,
You Tube: NHS Privatisation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNiruX2gZDc

The Labour Party has a useful web link http://www.labour.org.uk/dropthebill to sign. It gives the impression if the bill can be dropped - privatisation of the NHS will stop. All the information available indicates this is an ongoing campaign by the Tory party to (secretly) privatise the NHS, whatever the outcome of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Also see http://www.lobbyingtransparency.org/ on the connections between our current / ex MPs, Think Tanks and private companies. Then there is the "Health Industry Lobbying Tour" direct web link http://www.lobbyingtransparency.org/content/view/55/1/

Jon Williams on "Privatisation in the NHS"

The Lords are still discussing the Health and Social Care (privatisation) Bill and we find NHS hospitals are already being privatised, for Hinchingbrooke hospital a process started 2 years ago! The following two articles show lobbying by friends of the Tory party, Circle Health operating at a loss and stating in its prospectus "care may suffer".

Southern Cross is a very recent example of a private company "asset stripping" and then walking away leaving vulnerable people at risk, then letting the Government to sort out the mess. Andy Burnham (Shadow Health Secretary) states "the company by its own admission has doubts about continuity of service and consistency of service".

The opening up of the NHS to private companies seems to have started several years ago, perhaps immediately after the election of the present Government (or perhaps during New Labour's time in Government), certainly we need more activity from the Labour party to highlight these worrying developments and campaigning to stop this privatisation process.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/nov/12/care-private-company-nhs-hospital

"The first private company to take over an NHS hospital has admitted in a document seen by the Observer that patient care could suffer under its plans to expand its empire and seek profit from the health service."

"Circle, which is backed by City hedge funds run by Crispin Odey and Paul Ruddock, who have donated £790,000 to the Conservative party, admits in its share prospectus to having made losses since it was set up in 2004. The latest accounts show an operating loss of £34.97m as of December 2010."

"Two NHS trusts are considering private sector management options: the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital in London and the Whiston hospital (St Helens) on Merseyside."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/nov/13/circle-health-social-enterprise-hedge-fund-manager

"Circle Health's majority shareholder is Circle Holdings, where former Goldman banker Parsa personally holds about 5% of shares and is again chief executive. In terms of who pulls the strings, it is Parsa and his hedge fund pals: end of story."

Jon Williams on the Tories and the "Squeezed Middle".

This is a very instructive article from Lord Ashcroft on many levels. It seems the Tories intent is to highjack Ed Miliband’s "squeezed middle" slogan whilst reducing its impact with the wider electorate.

Lord Ashcroft has a lofty position in Tory party and has finances to support their activities, such as commissioning polls, rather incisively, in marginal constituencies. The general thread of the article is a repositioning Tory policy towards Labour’s “getting the economy growing and creating jobs” as one of the most important issues facing Britain. He also highlights reducing the deficit, whilst important, shouldn’t be at the expense of job creation.

The centre ground is shifting leftwards when one of the Tories key supporters thinks the Tories should be “the party of the many, not the few” and makes a case to keep the 50p tax rate. If this is true Ed Miliband needs to move quickly to reinforce Labour’s message to the electorate in these marginal constituencies and the rest of the UK.

Leadership was a plus for David Cameron, but not so for Ed Miliband. Labour should use this information as confirmation it’s moving in the right direction. When support for the Tories has been on average the same as the last General Election there is hope for Labour. Ed needs to show more leadership qualities and communicate his (Labour) ideas to the electorate, before the Tories claim them all.

The article includes the following key sections, The emphasis is mine -

"How can the Conservatives expand their vote share at a time of flat or declining living standards? Again, economic competence and leadership hold the key. My research has found that former Labour voters who now think the Tories have the best approach to the economy are 157 times as likely to say they will vote Conservative as those who don’t think that.....A recent poll I conducted in marginal constituencies found that getting the economy growing and creating jobs is seen by some distance to be the most important issue facing Britain. Dealing with the deficit and the debt came further down the list – below the NHS, immigration and education. The Government argues, rightly, that controlling the deficit is a prerequisite for a sustainable recovery. But many feel that it is pursuing deficit reduction at the expense of job creation, rather than as a means to it. The Tories are thought to have the best approach on debt – but the voters they need to win over are less certain there are policies for growth.....The Tories in particular need to show that they are the party of the many, not the few, that they are on the side of the hard-pressed, not just the rich – a case which will be harder to make if scrapping the 50p tax rate seems to be top of the agenda.....If anything, the importance of leadership will grow as the next election nears."

John Williams.

Unbelievabubble

For a description of what happened at 10 Downing Street the day that Margaret Thatcher resigned, this is not to be missed. It gives hope for those working for the end of the present Coalition Government.

I first found out about Thatcher's resignation in the cloakroom of the House of Commons when a gleeful Tory MP, the late Geoffrey Johnson Smith beckoned me over to read the news on a teleprinter. He was a Tory who certainly wasn't crying. He was as joyful as a Sunderland Supporter who had just watched his team win 3-0 at Chelsea. How many Tories will be like that when the Coalition ends?