Today's Budget is too little, too late

Rebecca Blake, Labour Parliamentary Spokesperson believes today's Budget is too little, too late. 

 

She commented "I ask people to judge the government on their actions and not their words. They talk about reducing borrowing, yet there will be nearly a quarter of a trillion pounds more borrowing than was planned. They said austerity cuts would be up until 2015, now they will continue to 2018. They forecast growth but the economy is flat lining. We need to kickstart the economy now, not in 12 months time or in two years time, in order to avoid a triple dip recession.

The Chancellor says he can only afford £3 billion on infrastructure projects in a couple of years time, but in a couple of weeks time he can afford to give the wealthiest 1% a £3 billion tax cut. We know where his priorities lie.

Labour would bring forward planned infrastructure spending to get construction workers back into employment and prioritise house building. Better to borrow to invest than what is currently happening, borrowing to pay for a failing plan.

It's the Chancellor's fourth budget, we're over half way through this Parliament and growth has been revised down yet again from 1.2% to 0.6%. We cannot have a recovery without growth.

I want to see action on jobs, to get people who can work into work. Nationally unemployment is rising. Last month in Redditch unemployment rose and Redditch had the largest increase in youth unemployment in Worcestershire. We cannot wait another year for action. If Labour were in power now, we would have a bankers bonus tax to guarantee a job for young people unemployed for over a year and for adults unemployed for two years".

Read more in our local press Advertiser Standard

Say No To Latest Proposal For The Alex

Rebecca Blake says "Worcestershire Acute Hospitals (WAHT) Trust have failed Redditch people again.  Nearly 55,000 people signed the Save the Alex petition to keep A&E and Maternity in Redditch and we must not settle for their downgrade.

I hope the second option from Birmingham, due to be announced in May/June time will prove that David Cameron's promise of health care being universally available will not be broken.  People must be able to get to their A&E and if it's in Worcester many cannot".

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust released their option for the Alex this week.  After nearly 14 months of deliberation and £1.3 million later, their offer is to downgrade A&E, Maternity & Children's Services.

If later this year, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust are chosen as the provider of services at the Alex, Redditch will lose A&E, lose maternity and lose a full paediatric service.  Worcester will have one A&E, while Redditch will only have a Minor Injuries Unit.  Worcester will have full Maternity, while Redditch will only have a Midwifery Led Unit.  The sickest children will have to go to Worcester or elsewhere, as Redditch will only have a Paediatric Assessment Unit. 

Rebecca has written to NHS Worcestershire and the Redditch & Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group stating this offer is not good enough and that the NHS needs to work together to produce the best services for Redditch, not make life difficult for other providers to put together alternative options.

Book your ticket for the Save the Alex public meeting tolearn more

 

 

Why do foster children not count?

Rebecca Blake, Labour's Parliamentary Spokesperson demands the government look again at the Bedroom Tax, which is penalising foster children, describing it as "unfair" and "confusing".

Rebecca says "The government claim one of the aims of Welfare Reform is greater fairness.  However, I cannot understand how it is fair to tax foster carers by claiming foster children do not count and that they do not need a bedroom".  

"We need more people to come forward to foster and charging existing foster carers around £14 per bedroom, despite it being used, is not the way to achieve this and is certainly not fair.  Given the government are looking again at how disabled people are being unnecessarily targeted, they must now look at how unfairly foster children will be affected".

"Another alleged aim is to simplify the benefits that people receive.  I believe people are more confused than ever.  Frequently questioning whether they will or will not have to pay the new Bedroom Tax.  Mrs Lumley claimed last week in the Standard that foster carers would be exempt, however, the Fostering Network Charity say the discretionary housing fund is not ring fenced for foster carers and they are already concerned that they cannot continue.  It just goes to show, when the MP does not know who is affected by the bedroom tax, it is not easy to understand".