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". 

 

Homelessness and overcrowding is making people's lives in Redditch a real misery

Rebecca says "Homelessness and overcrowding is making people's lives in Redditch a real misery. The 'bedroom tax' assumes that people who have a spare room can simply move to a smaller property, but in Redditch the reality is that we do not have those smaller properties to give.

Pressures on Councils and Housing Associations are at breaking point and the fundamental problem is that we need more affordable housing. When Labour were in government we did not build enough affordable housing and unfortunately the Conservative led government has since cut that budget by 60%. I urge the government to use the £3 billion windfall from the 4G sale to build 100,000 much needed affordable homes.

Taking Housing Benefit from people who can downsize is one thing, taking money away from people who have no viable alternative is quite another.

For people who cannot move, losing £18.31 a week could see families becoming homeless, that doesn't help them or the welfare bill. Under the Council's duty to families seeking Homeless status, figures were up 187% in 11/12 when compared to the year before".

For more info visit Bedroom tax will hit those already struggling to pay rent

Looking for a work experience placement?

Post: Work Experience Placement 3 hrs a week.
Duration: 6 months, March - September

Would you like to gain experience working with the Redditch Labour Parliamentary Candidate?

You should have an interest in making Redditch a better place to live, be organised and hardworking.

In return, you will gain skills in communication, campaigning and learn more about the challenges that affect everyday people's lives.

Applications to rebecca.blake@redditchlabour.org.uk

Please tell me about yourself (CV helpful, not necessary) and include a paragraph of approx 250 words on what you believe would make a good MP for Redditch.

Same Sex Marriage

If the majority of MP's support same sex marriage today, our country will have become an even fairer place to live in regards to equality of sexual orientation.  And how apt if this should happen during LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Gender) History Month.

In a relatively short time, we have achieved huge progress towards equality for gay and lesbian people.  The last Labour Government introduced civil partnerships, which I am immensely proud of, the age of consent was equalised, we made laws to protect LGBT people from being denied goods and services, scrapped the ban against serving in the forces and increased sentences for hate crimes to name a few changes that made our society fairer.  I am in no doubt these changes have underpinned where we are today, on the cusp of making same sex marriage law.

When Labour brought in civil partnerships, at that time I believed they addressed the appalling inequality that existed for same sex couples, where lifeIong partners had no legal status.  Nine years on, I can see how wrong it would be to deny people who wish to be married the right to do so based on their sexuality.

I am sorry that some religious groups at this stage do not feel they could offer same sex marriages, but I am optimistic about progress, although recognise it will take longer.  I commend the Quakers, Unitarians and Reform Judaism who will offer same sex marriages if the Bill becomes law.  Interestingly in the original Bill, the government proposed that all religious organisations would be banned from conducting same sex marriages, thanks to lobbying from Labour, churches now have a choice.

I speak to people who disagree with marriage changing, however, I feel very strongly that as our society changes we must have a response that is fit for purpose and as fair for all as possible.  In this case it is possible to go further and I hope Members of Parliament will support the Bill, which is supported by the majority of people.

Welfare spending must be reduced and the best way to do that is by getting people back to work

Today the government pushed through a bill that will see 7200 working families in Redditch have their Working Tax Credit cut.  Perversely the majority of the people affected by the cuts are in work.

These changes do not stimulate the economy, create a single job or take a single person off benefit.  Instead MP's voted for families on the lowest wages to pay for the cost of rising unemployment, costing this country an extra £13.6 billion.

Rebecca Blake, Labour Parliamentary Spokesperson said "I cannot find anyone who does not agree that welfare spending must be reduced.  The question is what is the most effective way to do it. 

Is it to get people off benefits by providing them with work?  Or is it to take Working Tax Credits away from those in work who are on low pay?

I've been speaking to many families who work, who will receive a real terms cut to Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit and Child Benefit.  They tell me that already with both parents working it's hard to make ends meet and some do not know how they will feed & clothe their children, especially with cuts to Working Tax Credits averaging £534 by 2015. 

They are angry that nothing is being done to get people who are out of work into work, while they are working hard.  Some families in low pay are working out that cuts to Working Tax Credits mean work no longer pays and they would be better off out of work and on benefits.  This cannot be right. 

The Government are increasing tensions between the low paid and the unemployed, however, in Redditch we have 3 people chasing every single vacancy.

The Government should use the £3 billion tax relief they now give on pensions for the top 2% of earners and use it to get the long term unemployed into compulsory jobs for 6 months.  This would get them off benefits and provide intensive support to find work.  Employers want jobseekers who have a work ethic and without tackling unemployment, long-term unemployment and stimulating the economy we will not bring down the cost of welfare".