benefits – Page 41 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Tax Credits: a battle won but the war goes on

Government fury over Lords revolt

Chancellor George Osborne has said he will act on concerns about the impact of tax credit cuts after peers forced the Westminster government to think again last night – but he has vowed to press on with changes designed to slash billions from the country’s welfare bill.

In a dramatic night the House of Lords defeated the government in two votes over the controversial legislation, forcing the government climbdown.

The Chancellor has now agreed to offer ‘transitional help’ for those hundreds of thousands of people affected by cuts – but the government was angered by the defeats in the unelected ‘other place’ is now considering a review of Lords conventions to address what is sees as ‘constitutional issues’.

The proposed cut to tax credits is the most controversial piece of legislation introduced since the Conservative government’s election in May.

Tax credits were introduced by the last Labour government to help low-paid families. There are two types: Working Tax Credit for those in work, and Child Tax Credit for those with children.

Tax credits are gradually being included within Universal Credit, which is currently being rolled out across the country. Under the government’s plans, the income threshold for receiving Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credit is due to be cut from April next year.

4.5 million people are currently eligible to claim tax credits.

Campaigners and respected think-tanks argue that the proposed tax credit cuts would deprive low-income workers of up to £1,300 a year but the Westminster government says the cuts are essential to tackle the UK’s massive deficit. It says most claimants will be better off when other changes, such as the introduction of the new national living wage, are taken into account.

Tax credits were worth around £2 billion to Scottish households in 2013/14, with two thirds of support directed at low income working families.

Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil called for for the UK Government proposals to be ditched in a letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions earlier this week.

Me Neil said the UK Government should urgently rethink tax credit changes which will punish families and push even more children into poverty and urged the UK Government to rethink its plans to cut tax credits which mean households with the least money will face the biggest losses.

Mr Neil said: “Cutting tax credits is a thoughtless approach which may save the Treasury money in the short term but will have heart-breaking long-term consequences that could rebound on other public and charitable services.

“Tax credits can be a lifeline for families on low incomes that rely on them to get through daily life, put food on the table, heat their home and pay their bills.

“Removing this vital support from thousands of families will widen the gap in inequalities and push even more people into poverty.

“The UK Government’s plans are a clear attack on low income working families and those families must be protected as a matter of urgency.

“The Scottish Government has made clear its opposition to these changes and I urge the UK Government to reconsider the severity and timing of these changes and make changes before the Welfare and Work Bill reaches its next legislative stage, so that the poorest households in receipt of tax credits can be protected from this fall in their incomes.

“This shows why we need more social security powers through the Scotland Bill and why, we will ensure our approach to social security will be based on fairness and that people are treated with dignity and respect.”

Pioneering advice project helps boost low-income household budgets

“Poverty has a huge impact on health and wellbeing, including damp housing, hunger, lack of access to healthy food, and stress and depression.” – Graham Mackenzie, Consultant in Public Health, NHS Lothian

Two Lothian projects that began with a midwife helping mums improve their nutrition have evolved into a support network ensuring low income families access thousands of pounds of unclaimed entitlements.

The projects in Leith and West Lothian have each had a welfare rights adviser working since March with a team of NHS Lothian, council and voluntary sector workers.

The welfare rights advisers are funded by the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) as part of its Tackling Money Worries programme.

In Leith, Granton Information Centre (GIC) has provided money and welfare rights advice to 89 families referred by midwives, health visitors, Dr Bell’s Family Centre, Citadel Youth Centre, nurseries and early years centres, and working with Edinburgh Community Food.

For these families the total financial gain during 2015-16 is projected to be £404,000, or an average of £4,500 per client. The maximum financial gain for one client so far has been £15,000.

This is in addition to the support GIC (pictured below) has already provided to the most vulnerable families in the North Edinburgh area, who are not included in these figures.

Citizens Advice Bureau West Lothian has been supporting families in West Lothian in a similar project, also funded by SLAB. In that project around 200 clients have gained £300,000, an average of almost £5,000 per client.

Over half of those accessing support for the first time have been in work, and were not aware of their unclaimed entitlements (e.g. tax credits, benefits) and other help available (e.g. advice about debt, access to hardship funds).

The figures have been released during Challenge Poverty Week 2015 which aims to raise awareness of poverty and to highlight the great work that community organisations are doing to help those in crisis.

Graham Mackenzie, Consultant in Public Health, NHS Lothian, said the success of the advice projects illustrated the importance of the NHS and other services working with welfare rights advisers, and could be repeated in many other parts of the UK.

“This work, which started with a single midwife focusing on ensuring families were claiming food vouchers they were entitled to, has expanded into a sophisticated package of support that we are aiming to offer to hundreds of families over the coming year.

“Poverty has a huge impact on health and wellbeing, including damp housing, hunger, lack of access to healthy food, and stress and depression.

“With hundreds of thousands of pounds secured for families, and more to come, we are taking practical steps to help families tackle the consequences of poverty.”

The Lothian projects were formed following work started with Healthy Start food and vitamin vouchers, a UK-wide scheme designed to improve nutrition for low income families. Across the UK around a quarter of eligible families miss out on these valuable vouchers, with the number of pregnant women and children under four years old in receipt of vouchers falling over recent years. In Lothian, however, after concentrated work with NHS Lothian staff and families, the number of pregnant women in receipt of vouchers increased from 294 in March 2014 to 368 in July 2015.

The work started with simple insights from a single midwife about how to make the application process more reliable, and secure vouchers for women earlier in pregnancy.

From 10 weeks of pregnancy to the child’s fourth birthday Healthy Start vouchers are worth up to £899 in total.

With 76 more women benefitting across Lothian as a result, this work has boosted family budgets by tens of thousands of pounds; this in addition to the hundreds of thousands secured through the Tackling Money Worries work. Vouchers can be spent on fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, milk and formula feed. Vitamin vouchers are provided separately.

This work, part of the Scottish Government Early Years Collaborative, provided insights that have now been applied to much greater effect through the Lothian Tackling Money Worries projects by providing families with money and welfare rights advice.

Benefits: respect and dignity at the heart of new Scottish system

Scottish Government plans a fairer approach to social security

Scotland’s new social security powers will make it fairer and simpler for people to access benefits, Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil has said.

Launching a paper today on government conversations with the public and stakeholders on how new social security powers should be used, Mr Neil said Scotland’s new social security system will treat people with respect and dignity.

More than 70 organisations working with children, carers, disabled people, ethnic minority representative groups and older people have taken part in discussions around the new powers.

A wide range of responses has been received on what we could do with these powers – and the consistent view is that that we need to take a fairer approach, one that does not stigmatise or punish people who receive benefits.

Mr Neil said: “The new social security powers are part of the conversation on what will make a fairer Scotland. This feedback is helping us develop our own social security system which we will ensure treats individuals with respect and removes the barriers that cause confusion and anxiety for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“The new system will have at its heart a set of principles and values. This will include ensuring people are treated with respect and dignity when applying for, being assessed for, and receiving disability-related benefits.

“It is clear we must provide people with relevant information so they are aware of how the system will work for them and how long decisions will take.

“It is also important that the system is fair and efficient – that the investment we all make in social security is well managed and is directed at the people who need it, in the way that will support them best.

“Through the current system many people, including carers, young people, families and those who can’t work because of disabilities or mental health, have all faced cuts and discrimination as a result of the UK Government welfare reform programme.

“Just last month we announced we will abolish the UK Government ‘84-day rule’ which means families who face higher living costs due to their child’s illness or disability will not be penalised when their child goes into hospital or has necessary medical treatment.

“We also announced last week that the needs of carers will be placed at the heart of the devolved carers’ allowance. We are determined to ensure that the allowance – like our new social security system as a whole – meets people’s needs, addresses their priorities and respects their rights.

“This is an early signal of our refusal to take an approach that punishes the vulnerable and instead focuses on fairness, accessibility and stability.”

The Scottish Government will publish a further paper by the end of the year setting out its outline vision for social security in Scotland.

The paper outlining the conversation so far is available to view at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/10/3498

You can find out more on social security work at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/fairerscotland/future-powers/powers

Sturgeon: UK Budget will hit Scotland’s poorest children

Scottish Government figures give ‘frightening indication’ of potential impact of expected tax credit cuts

Expected cuts to the value of tax credits by the Westminster Government in tomorrow’s budget will impact most on the poorest children in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this morning.

Figures due to be published tomorrow (Wednesday) by Scottish Government analysts show that, if the Chancellor cuts child tax credits back to 2003 levels in real terms as has been reported, the poorest 20 per cent of Scottish families with children will lose on average nearly 8 per cent of their income – a total impact of £425 million lost across the country – with 60% of Scottish children affected by the changes.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the research as “a frightening indication” of the impact of the expected cuts and warned that the UK Government’s approach will “hit Scotland’s poorest children and families hard”.

The First Minister said: “The UK Government has already warned that tomorrow’s budget will continue their austerity approach, which we are clear is not just unfair but damaging to the economy – undermining attempts to stimulate growth.

“Tax credits form an important part of the tax and welfare system, designed particularly to support working families on low incomes.

“More than 500,000 children in Scotland benefit from tax credits. Two-thirds of the £2 billion expenditure on tax credits in 2013-14 went to low-income working families with children and only 5 per cent to households without children.

“If, as we expect, the UK Government targets tax credits for cuts in tomorrow’s budget, it will hit Scotland’s poorest children and families hard. It is a frightening indication of the potential impact of the expected cuts in tomorrow’s UK budget.”

The First Minister went on to describe the austerity approach as ‘economically counter-productive’:

“We want to support people to get into work and to stay in work and the tax credit system provides important practical help to families on low pay.

“These are people who are in jobs and often working very hard for relatively little pay. It is unfair that their children are the people made to pay for the mistakes of the austerity approach – not to mention economically counter-productive.

“When people are in work, they spend their wages in the local economy, leading to a virtuous circle. Cutting child tax credits back to 2003 levels, as we expect the UK Government to do tomorrow, will risk threatening Scotland’s economic recovery.

“The deficit needs to be reduced but this should be done in a more gradual manner with more resources allocated to a programme of additional investment in our economy, rather than risking a financial body-blow to hard-working parents and their children.”

Women hit hardest by welfare reforms

‘inequalities faced by women have been exacerbated by the welfare reform agenda’ – Clare Adamson MSP

Women are being hit hard on multiple fronts by changes to the benefits system, according to a report published by Holyrood’s Welfare Reform Committee today.

The Committee found women are ‘disproportionately impacted’ by welfare reform across a range of issues and benefits. Its report includes recommendations to the Scottish Government and Department of Work and Pensions, aimed at mitigating the impact of welfare reform on women, including:

An integrated approach to job seeking support across health, housing and social care, to better meet the needs of women.
To tackle the greater dependence of women on the benefits system due to low pay and insecure employment, the Committee calls for better measures to close the gender pay gap and end occupational segregation.

Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP, said: “The evidence we have set out confirms the devastating impact on women of the UK Government’s reforms to the social security system. Of particular concern is the cumulative impact on women hit by multiple benefits cuts, from child support to carer’s allowance.

“The UK Government urgently needs to look at how women are being affected by these changes and we are also calling on the Scottish Government to look at the gender impact of their own policy decisions.”

Deputy Convener Clare Adamson MSP, said: ““Our report shows inequalities faced by women in Scotland have been exacerbated by the welfare reform agenda. With the Scotland Bill still making its way through Westminster and the Chancellor set to announce even deeper cuts to welfare spending, the Committee is urging the Scottish Government to make use of expected new powers over welfare to help mitigate more of the negative impact of welfare reform on women.

“The Committee would, for instance, support a move away from monthly and single household payments under Universal Credit, as a way of protecting women’s financial autonomy.”

The report will come as no surprise to many, but perhaps of more concern is the scale of cuts still to come: Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce a further £12 billion of welfare ‘savings’ in his budget on Wednesday.

Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said more women could be pushed into poverty and disproportionately affected by social security reforms if the UK Government cuts £12 billion from its welfare budget.

Commenting on the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee’s Women and Social Security report Mrs Burgess expressed her fears that the UK Government’s emergency budget would only deepen the gender inequalities highlighted in the findings.

The report backed Scottish Government recommendations on payment flexibilities under Universal Credit and it also highlighted the need for gender impacts to be factored into any policy decisions.

Mrs Burgess will meet women at One Parent Families Scotland in Glasgow today to hear their views on how the Scottish Government can create a Fairer Scotland. This comes on the same day as Barnardo’s Scotland and the Scottish Government joined forces to call a halt to proposed cuts.

Mrs Burgess said: “It is alarming to see that women have been disproportionately affected by the UK Government’s benefits cuts and are twice as dependent on social security than men. I am deeply concerned that the UK Government’s £12 billion cuts will only widen this gap.

“With our new powers we will create a fairer and simpler social security system that aims to tackle gender and other inequalities. However we need to know how the UK Government’s cost cutting will affect benefits that are to be devolved.

“Organisations like One Parent Families Scotland and Barnardo’s Scotland see the effects of social security changes on the groups the report highlights as being particularly vulnerable, on a day to day basis, and are rightly concerned about the devastating impact further cuts could have on children.

“We welcome the Committee’s recommendations over Universal Credit and sanctions, and we will continue to do all we can to break down the barriers that prevent women from entering into work.

“Over the next few months we’ll be listening to the people affected by the UK Government’s welfare changes and cuts and, will be making sure we get the views of women on how we can create a system that suits their needs.

“Despite challenges from the UK Government we are tackling poverty head on. Our new Independent Adviser on Poverty and Inequality will be looking at what more we can do to lift people out of poverty, we have invested £296 million in welfare mitigation measures, extended our childcare and are encouraging employers to pay the Living Wage.”

Last week the children’s commissioners for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland warned in a report to the United Nations that government austerity measures had failed to protect the most vulnerable children. The report said the £12bn of planned cuts would have the biggest effect on the 2.3 million children in the UK estimated to be living in poverty.

MP ‘distressed’ by report on impact of benefits sanctions

‘It is time to make this system fit for purpose – and that should be to help people recover to better mental health.’ – Jo Anderson, SAMH

Scotland’s leading mental health charity, SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) welcomed Joanna Cherry MP to their Redhall service to help launch a new report last week.

The ‘Fir for Purpose’ report documents the negative impact the welfare system has had on 15 people participating in SAMH’s therapeutic gardening programme. The report calls for an end to benefit sanctions which put undue stress on people with mental health problems.

Last year, one of the participants highlighted the negative impact this had on their health:

‘Well, last year my psychiatrist was reducing my medication. When I got this letter from the DWP… I had to stop that and increase my medication again… Suicidal thoughts are massively increased. Urges for self-harm massively increased. Basically, when it comes to getting reassessed, every other part of my life kind of shuts down because it just has a really bad effect on me. It’s almost as if they were to design a process to make it as difficult as possible to stay alive, this is exactly how they would do it.’

The key findings of the report are:

There was a lack of understanding about mental health throughout the assessment process, with those responsible appearing not to be well trained or experienced in mental health.
Those who experienced repeated reassessments or challenging a poor decision found the experience very stressful, which can have an adverse effect of an individual’s recovery.
SAMH is calling for the Scottish Government to ensure that when it takes over the Work Choice programme for disabled people in 2017, it also takes the opportunity to incorporate tailored support for individuals in order to help more people into work and stay mentally well.

Joanna Cherry MP was elected to represent Edinburgh South West in May. She is a QC and recently co-authored the textbook “Mental Health and Scots Law in Practice’. The new local MP said: “The findings from SAMH’s Fit for Purpose report are quite distressing and highlight the real need for a review of how Work Capability Assessments are conducted and monitored effectively.

“The Redhall service offers a great environment for people to receive training and learn to cope with challenges while recovering from enduring mental health problems. I have met some very inspirational people who have overcome huge obstacles in their life and it is important that both the UK and Scottish Government work together and ensure nothing stands in the way of each person’s recovery.”

Jo Anderson, Director for External Affairs at SAMH said: “We are very grateful to Joanna Cherry for supporting our calls for a review to the Work Capability Assessment, with many of those interviewed stating that their mental health had deteriorated as a result of these changes.

“The majority of people with mental health problems continue to be placed on the Work Programme as opposed to the more successful Work Choice, which offers specialised employment support to people with disabilities and other health issues.

“It is time to make this system fit for purpose – and that should be to help people recover to better mental health.”

If you would like to download a copy of SAMH’s Fit for Purpose report, please visit: www.samh.org.uk/our-work/public-affairs/financewelfare

Life on the edge: fears over latest austerity cuts

Proposed round of welfare cuts could plunge many more into crisis

Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil today expressed concern at the further suffering and negative impact that will be caused if the UK Government carries out proposed £12 billion cuts to benefits.

Mr Neil spoke following the publication of the Welfare Reform Tracking Study, which showed that many people accessing benefits are living in constant fear of further cuts. The Social Justice Secretary said he is worried that Scotland’s most vulnerable people would be pushed further into poverty and desperation.

The Scottish Government commissioned Edinburgh Napier University to carry out the Welfare Reform Tracking Study with interviews with participants carried out between September 2013 and March 2015. The aim of the study is to explore the impact of on-going welfare changes on a range of households in Scotland over time.

The study, which looks at on-going changes to working age benefits, revealed all respondents, including those in work, found themselves in very difficult financial situations and therefore felt an underlying sense of ‘precariousness’. Many were anxious that changes to their circumstances or entitlements would push them into crisis situations.

Many participants also said they received poor and sometimes conflicting communications from benefits agencies and that there is often a lack of clarity over information provided, causing more stress and uncertainty.

Disabled participants also felt they had to present themselves in a negative light and focus on their limitations rather than their capabilities, while the challenges of work capability assessments and repeat assessments for people with permanent disabilities were also highlighted in the study.

Mr Neil said the findings of the study outlined exactly why the UK Government should urgently rethink their plans to further cut the welfare budget.

He said: “The UK Government’s austerity agenda and benefit cuts are having a very damaging effect on people in Scotland. Their approach is slashing the incomes of some of our poorest households and pushing 100,000 children into poverty.

“The Welfare Reform Tracking Study is further evidence that people are living in constant anxiety about changes to their entitlements and are already suffering from the effects of around £6 billion of cuts taken from Scottish Welfare expenditure over the last five years. This is hugely concerning as the UK Government should be looking to lift people out of poverty not push them further into it.

“Despite these frustrations we will do all we can to use our new powers to make our system fairer and simpler and work to improve the experience for people.

“We will work quickly to implement these changes and base our social security system on how best to support people and tackle inequalities and not on crude opportunities to save money.”

The report is available at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/7394 and the appendices:http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/6817

Living Wage benefits employers too, research finds

Improved productivity and an enhanced company reputation have been highlighted as key benefits of organisations implementing the Living Wage according to an independent report.

The report – Wider Payment of the Living Wage in Scotland – highlights that increased productivity is also likely to outweigh the higher wage for many firms with increased pay creating a ‘feel good factor’ in the workplace.

Reduced absenteeism and reduced staff turnover have also been outlined as potential benefits by the report, which has been published ahead of tomorrow’s second meeting of the Fair Work Convention.

Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training Roseanna Cunningham welcomed the report and said: “This is a fascinating report which, on the whole, offers a very positive outlook on the benefits of paying the Living Wage.

“As well as the more obvious benefits to individuals receiving higher pay, I hope the findings on improved rates of absenteeism and better productivity help convince employers, not already on board with the Living Wage, that it could be a very positive step for their business.

“A number of respondents also mentioned the reputational benefits of being a Living Wage employer, including reinforcing their positioning as ethical and socially responsible businesses.

“The Scottish Government is committed to fairness, supporting those on the lowest incomes, and we recognise the real difference the Living Wage can make to the people of Scotland. We have been working closely with the Poverty Alliance to encourage every employer to ensure all staff receive a fair level of pay. The Fair Work Convention, which meets for the second time tomorrow, is looking a number of ways to improved workplace relations and productivity, with fair pay seen as key to their work.

“Some of Scotland’s top employers already pay the Living Wage, with Aberdeenshire beer company Brewdog, fast-becoming one of our most recognisable brands becoming the 200^th accredited organisation last week.

“A KPMG report from last month showed that Scotland is most Living Wage-aware region in UK with 9 out of 10 Scots having heard of the Living Wage and a higher proportion of employees paid the Living Wage than the UK as a whole.

“But employers paying the living wage is only half the story here. The tax and benefits system needs to work smarter to make sure that people on low incomes see a greater share of any increases in pay – and we will press the UK Government to make sure this happens.”

The report ‘Wider Payment of the Living Wage in Scotland’ was carried out by Ipsos MORI and Loughborough University and can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications

Among the main points highlighted:

Existing research from other countries suggests that payment of the Living Wage can improve employee wellbeing, including higher satisfaction at the workplace. However, the effects on reducing poverty are less clear, as a large proportion of the employee’s pay increase is often lost in increased taxes and reduced means-tested benefits.

A considerable body of evidence shows no significant reduction in labour demand and employment levels due to increased wage floors.

Although increased productivity is likely to outweigh the higher wage cost for many firms, this does not mean that all firms will experience increased productivity, or that it will fully cover the cost for all those that do experience it. Some employers reduce labour costs in other ways (e.g. non-wage benefits), suffer reduced profits and/or pass the costs on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

To improve the implementation process, the Scottish Living Wage employers interviewed suggested employers should:

• conduct feasibility studies to identify and deal with potential risks

• communicate openly with staff about the rationale for adopting the Living Wage

• create a clear action plan for working with sub-contractors

The Scottish Living Wage employers interviewed suggested the Scottish Government could:

• provide advice and guidance on all aspects of the implementation phase

• encourage dialogue between Living Wage employers and those considering it

• raise awareness among recruitment agencies about the Living Wage

• provide more information and evidence on the benefits of the Living Wage

• provide financial incentives to help small businesses implement the Living Wage

• improve communications on, and engagement in, setting the level of the Living Wage

In the US, evidence on additional contracting costs due to enforcing a Living Wage among public contractors suggests at most very modest effects. In the UK – which, unlike the US, is unable to make payment of the living wage a mandatory requirement – a number of public bodies have nevertheless successfully included living wage considerations in procurement exercises. However, no satisfactory way of dealing with social care contracts has been found, due to very tight public budgets and a cost base dominated by low-paid labour.

Scottish Government contractors identified actions that could support the use of procurement to encourage implementation of the Living Wage, including:

• some form of subsidy to help offset increases in wage costs among contractors

• making use of local government and non-departmental government bodies to provide information and support

• workshops with contractors to provide information and advice on best practice

• providing robust evidence on the impacts, and advice on addressing barriers.

Holyrood comes to Craigmillar!

Jack Kane Centre to host Scottish Parliament Day

People living in Craigmillar are being asked how changes to the benefits system have affected them as the Scottish Parliament visits the regeneration area on the south east side of the city tomorrow (Monday 18 May).

Holyrood’s Parliament Day initiative, introduced by the Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP, aims to take the Parliament out into communities around Scotland, encouraging local people to take an interest in and engage directly with the Parliament and its work.

The Welfare Reform Committee, which was set up to examine the impact of changes to benefits and welfare introduced by the UK Government, will hold a ‘Your Say’ session from 2 – 4.30pm.

Members of the local communities, including those from Craigmillar, Niddrie and Portobello are invited to come along and get involved.

In the evening, local people are also invited to a relaxed, informal Q&A session at 5:30pm, hosted by the Presiding Officer, where they can quiz MSPs about how their Parliament works for them. MSPs Gavin Brown, Kezia Dugdale and Kenny MacAskill will also be in attendance.

The Presiding Officer said: “We know that the people of Scotland want to be involved in the political process and that is why the Parliament is going out across Scotland and right into our communities.

“I would like to encourage as many people as possible to join us at the Jack Kane Centre. Together with my fellow MSPs we are looking forward to hearing about what matters to local people.”

Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP said: “The Welfare Reform Committee was set up to examine the welfare reform programme and its impact on Scotland. Our research has shown Portobello/ Craigmillar to be the worst hit area of Edinburgh in terms of the welfare changes.

“Our Committee has put personal experiences at the heart of our work and we want to sit down with local people who have been affected by or are worried about changes to the benefits system.”

Welfare Reform Committee: ‘Your Say’ Informal Meeting

Jack Kane Community Centre, 208 Niddrie Mains Road
From 2- 4:30pm
Free entry, free refreshments

Local residents are encouraged to come along and talk to MSPs and others in an informal, welcoming setting about the changes to benefits that matter to you.

Public Meeting with the Presiding Officer and local MSPs

Jack Kane Community Centre, 208 Niddrie Mains Road
5:30pm
Free entry, free refreshments
Q&A session with MSPs

For more information, visit www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentdays

Demonstrators set to ‘besiege’ Edinburgh Jobcentre

‘We are fighting back’ – Ethel MacDonald, ECAP

Demonstrators will descend on High Riggs Jobcentre today to declare their resistance to benefits sanctions and workfare.

The protest at the Jobcentre near Tollcross will continue over lunchtime and organisers Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty say: ‘We aim to send a strong message that cutting people’s benefits and forcing them to rely on foodbanks is not acceptable. Sanctions and workfare not only attack the claimants directly affected, they undermine all workers’ wages and conditions.’

Ethel MacDonald of ECAP said: “An increasing number of benefit claimants are being sanctioned under the DWP’s increasingly repressive measures and more than ever the Job Centre is aggressively pushing the Workfare programmes.

“Just consider the barbaric numbers: according to Corporate Watch, 139,000 sanctions were handed out to Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants in 2009 but this more than tripled to 508,000 in 2011, the coalition’s first full year in government. And the Child Poverty Action Group state that since 2010 sanctions have increased by 126%.”

Sanctions can be from a period of four weeks to up to 3 years.

ECAP support claimants to contest sanctions and resist being sent on workfare. Ethel MacDonald explained: “Claimants are not prepared to remain passive victims – we are fighting back. With the support of ECAP, Edinburgh Jobseeker Jimmy recently overturned a four week sanction imposed after the Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre refused to take him on a Community Work Programme workfare placement. Workfare provider Learndirect falsely alleged to the DWP that Jimmy had been ‘very intimidating’ to the placement manager – in fact he had just politely informed him that it was disgraceful that a community resource was participating in such exploiting schemes.

“ECAP and Jimmy met the Scotland area manager of Learndirect, insisted that Learndirect withdraw the sanction referral, and also wrote to the DWP explaining that it was Jimmy’s democratic right to express his views on workfare to the placement boss. The DWP have now overturned the sanction and are repaying Jimmy his benefits.”

542 voluntary organisations have declared they will not take part in workfare and signed the Keep Volunteering Voluntary agreement.

The decreasing number of organisations still participating in the schemes are under pressure to pull out of programmes which lead to benefit cuts and sanctions. ECAP regularly blockade and occupy workfare users such as the Salvation Army and DEBRA, and workfare providers like Learndirect. And this week Brian Tannerhill denounced that the organisation he founded, McSence, were using workfare and called on the communities of Mayfield and Easthouses to tell the directors of the Midlothian social enterprise this was unacceptable.

The Edinburgh action is supported by Edinburgh Anti Cuts Alliance, Greater Leith Against the Cuts, Edinburgh Industrial Workers of the World and Edinburgh Anarchist Federation, and is part of a Britain-wide Week of Action in the run-up to the General Election. Co-ordinated via Boycott Workfare, demonstrations are taking place Britain-wide.