Helen Lasham reports on a warm welcome in Halifax for the anti-ATOS demonstration last
month.
On 19th February 2014, a group met outside the Job Centre Plus buildings in Halifax to demonstrate specifically against the deaths associated with the government-appointed business ATOS, which is responsible for carrying out Work Capability Assessments (fit-for-work tests). Continue reading
In a meeting that the Mayor described as “shambolic”, and that led a Councillor to say that it was no wonder that only 23 percent of the electorate bothered to take part in Council elections, Calderdale Council voted by 26 to 23 in favour of a Conservative/Liberal Democrat Amendment to Revised Cabinet Budget Proposals for 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17.
The ConDem amendment’s main effect is to shift funding away from the most deprived neighbourhoods in Calderdale. It cuts £500K from Neighbourhood Working in North & West Central Halifax, and spreads some of the savings thinly across the whole Borough, with £5k/year to be spent by each of the 17 Ward Forums, as it sees fit. Which costs £255K over 3 years, if my arithmetic is right. A net saving of £245K.
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There will be a demonstration outside HalifaxTown Hall at 5.15pm, before the Budget Council Meeting at 6.00pm on Monday 24th February.
Calderdale Unison is asking all Unions that are members of Calderdale Trades Council to encourage their members to attend the demonstration. Non-union members are also welcome.
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Thanks to Joe Halewood’s blog that published the news of a successful Housing Benefit/Bedroom Tax appeal in Liverpool. The judge upheld the appeal against Leeds City Council, on the grounds that a parent has a responsibility to provide accommodation to a child when they visit.
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As Yorkshire paramedics and ambulance staff go on strike for two days, Unite is calling for an independent inquiry by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) into the long-running Yorkshire ambulance dispute,
Unite, the country’s largest union, said that such an inquiry was needed so the Yorkshire public could judge for itself the impact on patient safety of £46 million of cuts over five years.
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Calderdale Protest Against the Bedroom Tax is demonstrating against ATOS at 10am on 19th February outside the Job Centre at Crossfield House, St James Road, HX1 1YS and all are welcome to take part.
Protesters will gather peacefully at the Job Centre which is used by ATOS to carry out discredited Work Capability Assessments.
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This video is from the Guardian. It reports on a Job Centre whistleblower who reveals that it is now routine for Job Centre staff to trick vulnerable claimants out of benefits, and also reports on the experiences of sanctioned claimants in Wigan, who have felt the brunt of this practice.
Following a quick debate on the Gagging Bill that many MPs described as “shoddy” and “shambolic”, Craig Whittaker MP followed Conservative party orders and voted with the majority of MPs to overturn recent improvements made by the House of Lords.
MPs following the Coalition Government line voted to:
As reported in Hansard, many MPs found the debate shambolic, with the Government unable to clearly explain what it was proposing to do, and no time for MPs to absorb and understand its last-minute proposals.
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Mytholmroyd residents found the Labour Party knocking on their doors on Saturday 11th January.
Josh Fenton Glynn at a Mytholmroyd voter's door
Solicitor Keith Lomax writes (below) about tenants’ eligibility for legal aid when facing eviction and how to challenge Councils’ decisions to refuse discretionary housing payments.
Keith has specialised in housing since he qualified as a solicitor and has developed particular interest and experience in public law and human rights, regulatory law, planning, employment, education, and community care.
There have been severe cutbacks in legal aid, but legal aid is still available for people facing possession of their homes, or eviction after a possession order has been made.