Welfare Reform Bill - Slashing Tax Credits

 

Today the Government will debate plans to cut the £30billion tax credits bill by £6billion – but how many Tory rebels will join Labour's opposition to the proposals?

Frank Field, the Labour MP, has just told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the plan would leave 3million people some £1,200 a year worse off. He said:

I think the line that the whole of the Labour Party will take will be shared partly be some of the Tory party in that in the election the Chancellor said the Tory party were the party of strivers and Labour were the party of welfare. What's amazing for me is that I don't think we've had a more politically astute Chancellor in my lifetime and yet by centering the biggest cuts on the tax credits he actually blows up that image about the Tory party. For example, if he wins today over 3million people will be worse off by £1200 a year, some much more than that.

"While we make fun on our side that the Chancellor doesn't believe this stuff about being on the side of strivers, yesterday he spent the day talking to Tory MPs trying to persuade them not to defeat the Government in the House of Commons because the key thing they feel strongly about is that they represent large numbers of low-paid workers who vote Tory and they believe the rhetoric that they are party looking after them.

"Everybody talked about welfare benefits that they wanted to see cut back, there was unanimous support for a cap, which we would be very foolish to oppose, but none of them said that the people who are going to work should be punished in this way and when the Chancellor was taunting us by saying he was on the side of those that get up early in the morning and go past the houses where those curtains are still drawn, he said he was on their side, but actually he's going to make them worse off.

"If the media switches for a moment from Mr Corbyn to the disquiet on his [George Osborne's] own backbenches. Some will have the courage to defeat their own government on this issue. The reaction on the Tory benches when people turn up to their surgeries there will be uproar."

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn speaking on 75th anniversary of Battle of Britain

 Today Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson both attended the service at St Pauls to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle Of Britain.

Jeremy Corbyn has spoken about the contributions his parents made to the war effort.

My mum served as an air raid warden and my dad in the Home Guard.

“Like that whole generation, they showed tremendous courage and determination to defeat fascism. The heroism of the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain is something to which we all owe an enormous debt of gratitude.

“The loss of life - both civilian and military - should be commemorated so that we both honour their lives and do all that we can to ensure future generations are spared the horrors of war.”

Welfare Reform Bill - warnings from Institute for Fiscal Studies

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies,has been on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning reiterating the concerns, adding that "the numbers just don't add up".

People on low incomes will be significantly worse off if George Osborne's planned changes to tax credits get the go-ahead, the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned.

The Chancellor believes that his higher minimum wage, now known as the National Living Wage, would help to compensate for cuts to tax credits.

But the IFS has warned that the average loss from the cuts to benefits and tax credits is £750 per year for families where one person is in work.

There are 8.4 million working age households who are currently eligible for benefits or tax credits who contain someone in paid work.

In a research publication the IFS warned: “Among this group the average gain from the new National Living
Wage, is estimated at £200 per year (in a “better case” scenario). This suggests that those in paid work and eligible for benefits or tax credits are, on average, being compensated for 26 per cent of their losses from changes to taxes, tax credits and benefits through the new NLW.”

Church: Councillors respond to residents' concerns about overgrown land

 

Loraine Cox, Councillor for Church, has delivered over a 100 letters to residents in the York Street, John Street and Church Street areas. The letter contains information and a update on the current position concerning the overgrown land which all three streets border. 

Cllr Loraine Cox said. "Several residents have contacted both myself and fellow Labour Church ward Councillor Joan Smith about this unkept land. The land has been a target for flytippings and its future had been unsure. I felt a letter detailing were we are up to would help residents understand the current situation and hopfully eliminate some of their concerns."

Cllr Joan Smith established that the land had recently been sold at auction. However, after help from local Hyndburn MP Graham Jones, both Cllr Cox and Cllr Smith also discovered  that planning permission was still in place on the land. Although this land has been through several attempted development stages a firm commitment had always been lacking. This was unfortunately due to the land being within the Blythes Chemicail hazard zone.

Church Cllr Joan Smith added, "Over the last couple of years the Blythe hazard zone has been reducing. This land is no longer within this area, so removing any obstructions for potential developers. This I feel is good news for the area and should hopefully see a small blighted site improved."

Cllr Cox stated, "I would like to reassure residents in these areas that any instances of flytippings or dumplings can be either reported to both myself or Cllr Smith. Alternatively residents can call Hyndburn Borough Council on 01254 388111."

Church: Armed Forces Day 2015

 Armed Forces Day this year was held within Gatty Park on 30th June.  Both Labour Church Ward Councillors, Loraine Cox and Joan Smith, had worked closely with several organisations within Hyndburn to bring a fun family day in the shadow of the newly refurbished Emfeild Hall. The event, which ran from 12.30 until 4pm, was attended by hundreds of residents who enjoyed displays from Lancashire Fire and Rescue, Gatty Park Bowlers and the Accrington Pipe Band. 

Cllr Loraine Cox said, "We worked with The Royal British Legion to make this Armed Forces day a real celebration of past and present. We were joined by both the Mayor, Cllr Marleane Howarth, and our Member of Parliment, Graham Jones, in really making this a true family fun day. But the Sucess of the day was also down to all those who helped make this event happen, Hyndburn Council democratic services, Hyndburn Homes and Gatty Park bowling club."

Church: Newly-refurbished cafe at Gatty Park now open

The cafe at Elmfield is now launched and open on Saturdays too!  The range of coffee is also available to purchase to take home for those who enjoy 'proper' coffee.

Free Wi-Fi is available for workers who wish to check emails and for Lancashire County Council workers to access VPN services. It is also a lovely venue to meet friends or clients. Please click on the images above to see the new cafe leaflet for The Parlour@Elmfield Hall.

Feel free to call for a coffee or lunch and experience the newly refurbished Elmfield Hall in the beautiful grounds of Gatty Park, Hyndburn Road, Accrington BB5 4AA.  The facility is now open for bookings, meetings 6 days a week - Monday to Saturday 10am till 4pm (cafe) and Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm for other services at Elmfield Hall and Trafalgar (Trafalgar Street, Burnley).

A delegation of Councillors and HBC representatives visited Elmfield House over the summer to view the ongoing renovations to the whole building by CSNW and were very impressed,

Church Councillor Joan Smith said, "Elmfield Hall has badly needed this investment to transform it into a proper community facility and the work that has been carried out is amazing. I look forward to seeing more people visiting both Elmfield Hall and Gatty Park as a result."

Church: New-look Elmfield Hall now open for business

With over a month passed since Community Solutions North West opened the new look Elmfield Hall at Gatty Park. Church Labour Councillor, Joan Smith, called in to see how the project has developed.

Debora Clark, Managing Director, gave Cllr Smith a update of some of the events and schemes currently underway or planned for the near future.

Ms Clark said, "Coming soon is the launch of our new partnership network for all agencies actively working or wanting to work with us. I have had a lot of conversations over the past 2 years with many of you to see how this can be achieved and we are super excited about this launch – for anyone interested in working more closely with us please contact me and I will forward you more details of how to get involved."

She also added, "Our cafe at Elmfield is now launched and open Saturdays too! Our our range of coffee is also available to purchase to take home for those of you who enjoy ‘proper’ coffee. We have free Wi for workers who require to check emails and for Lancashire County Council workers to access VPN services. Its also a lovely venue to meet friends or clients. Feel free to call for a coffee or lunch and experience the newly refurbished Elmfield Hall in the beautiful grounds of Gatty Park, Hyndburn Road, Accrington BB5 4AA. We are now open for bookings, meetings 6 days a week – Monday to Saturday 10am till 4pm (cafe) and Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm for other services at Elmfield Hall and Trafalgar (Trafalgar Street, Burnley).

Community Solutions North West Ltd can be contact several ways, either
http://www.facebook.com/communitysolutionsnw or via Twitter on http://www.twitter.com/CommunitySNW

They can also be contacted by email on info@communitysolutionslancashire.co.uk

HBC: Cllr Gareth Molineux promoted to Cabinet

Cllr Gareth Molineux is to be promoted to the Cabinet after the forthcoming departure of Cllr Joan Smith on 1st September. Gareth is currently vice-chair of the Resources Overview and Scrutiny committee and will now take over as Cabinet member for Finance and Resources.

Cllr Molineux said, "This is a great opportunity for me and I am excited about the new position. I am looking forward to my portfolio and ensuring that I continue Joan's work of keeping HBC on a secure financial footing."

HBC: Cabinet member steps down

Cllr Joan Smith, Cabinet member for Finance, will step down from the role on 1st September due to ill health. Joan has been a Cabinet member and Treasurer for the Labour group since the party took control of HBC in 2011. She is also stepping down as Deputy Leader of the Council.

Cllr Smith said, "I love being part of the Labour party and have enjoyed every aspect of my work in the Cabinet but my health is not what it was and the job is becoming harder for me. It has also been a difficult year for me personally as we have lost several close relatives and it has made me want to spend much more time with my husband and family.  I will continue as Councillor for Church but it is time for someone else to take up the Cabinet reins."

Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of HBC, said, "Joan has been absolutely invaluable to the group and has been helping the local Labour party for over two decades but she has not been well recently and has informed me that after many years of service she wishes to spend more time with her family. Both myself and the other members of the group will be sad to lose her from the Cabinet but I am delighted that she still wants to continue in her role as ward Councillor."

Europe: Hyndburn European Election 2014 results

The results of the European election in Hyndburn was revealed on Sunday 25th May 2014 at 10.30pm and the votes cast were as follows:

UKIP - 7694
Labour - 7173
Conservative - 4054
BNP - 787
Green - 590
Liberal Democrats - 360

There were also a number of votes cast for smaller parties. In Hyndburn, 22,269 residents voted with a turnout of 37.32% and 183 spoiled ballot papers.

Leader of HBC, Cllr Miles Parkinson and Cabinet member for Finance, Cllr Joan Smith, attended the count and recorded the results.

All the votes in the North West region were tallied up and the eight MEPs were selected from the number of votes that they received proportionately. The make-up for the North West now looks like this:

1. Theresa Mary Griffin (Lab)
2. Paul Andrew Nuttall (UKIP)
3. Jacqueline Foster (Con)
4. Mohammed Afzal Khan (Lab)
5. Louise Bours (UKIP)
6. Julie Carolyn Ward (Lab)
7. Sajjad Karim (Con)
8. Steven Marcus Woolfe (UKIP)

Julie Ward MEP was the Labour representative in the Hyndburn election and recently visited the area ahead of voting day. She retains her seat and is currently campaigning to abolish the European parliament buildings in Strasbourg to focus on Brussels and save money.

Church: Environmental Visual Audit

Thursday 10th October saw an Environment Visual Audit in Church Kirk to oversee the state of the amenities. Environmental health officers were joined by local residents, HBC cleansing staff, and both the County and District Councillors.

HBC launches Council Tax e-billing

As part of its drive to increase efficiency and cut costs, Hyndburn Council today launched
e-billing, a new free, secure and easy way for local people to access their Council Tax or Business Rates bills by email.

E-billing will not only save time, paper and money but will also give anyone who signs up before 30th November 2013, the chance to win an iPad or a Kindle Fire HD plus a host of other prizes all donated by local businesses. They’ll also be able to access their most up to date bill within minutes of any change being made.

Cllr Joan Smith, Cabinet Member for Finance, said; “We want as many people as possible to sign up for e-billing to cut costs and improve efficiency, as each year it costs the Council around £40,000 to send out over 80,000 Council Tax and Business Rates bills. With the launch of e-billing we expect to save 50p each time a person moves from traditional paper bills to e-bills, which is money we could use to invest in front line services and keep Council Tax bills down.”

Sign up for e-billing online at www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/ebilling by phone on 01254 388 111 or by email at enquiries@hyndburnbc.gov.uk. You can also sign up at any Council Office, Hyndburn Sports Centre and Mercer Hall Leisure Centre, or at one of the Council’s road show events which will be taking place right across the Borough over the coming weeks.  Each household, or business, who signs up will be entered into the free prize draw with the chance to win prizes including an IPad 4, a Kindle Fire HD, Accrington Stanley tickets and afternoon tea for two at the Black Horse Food Emporium.

For more information about the scheme, the e-billing road show events and the free prize draw, which will take place after 30th November 2013, visit www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Profile: Councillor Joan Smith

Cllr Joan Smith is one of the two representatives for Church ward and has recently been made Deputy Leader of Hyndburn Borough Council. She is also portfolio holder for Finance and is on the following committees at HBC:

• Area Working Panel (Chair) 
• Cabinet  -  Deputy Leader of the Council (Resources) 
• Church and Milnshaw Community Group 
• Leader's Policy Development Board 
• Learning and Development Panel (Chair) 
• Local Joint Negotiating Consultative Committee (Chair) 
• Management Review Committee

Joan also sits on the following outside bodies:

• East Lancashire Moneyline (IPS) Ltd 
• Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Council for Voluntary Service Board of Trustees 
• Hyndburn Three Tier Forum 
• North West Employers, Manchester 
• William Blythe (Church Works) Liaison Group 

Any resident can contact Joan by phoning 01254 398 028 or 07954 580 713 or emailing cllrjoansmith@googlemail.com

HBC budget to be 60% lower than 2010

Following the recent spending review outlined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP, the Labour group have been examining the figures and are calculating the ongoing effects for Hyndburn.

Cllr Joan Smith, portfolio holder for Finance at HBC, said, "The Chancellor's finance statement last Wednesday informed Local  Government that there would be further cuts in budgets for 2015/16. This means that budgets will have reduced by 60% since 2010. This year Hyndburn was one of 7 Local Authorities who had the largest cuts in percentage terms in funding from the government and it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain high quality services in the face of the cuts. However the Labour administration is committed to providing the residents of Hyndburn with well-run front line services."

A BBC News report on the statement from Downing Street can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23053693

Hyndburn Benefit Cheats targeted

Benefit cheats in Hyndburn have again been targeted by the Council’s Fraud Investigations Team, who were very successful last year, uncovering £264,204 of Housing and Council tax Benefit Fraud in the Borough, with a 100% success rate in court prosecutions.

From April 2012 to March 2013 the team officially cautioned 70 benefit cheats and prosecuted another 26. Some of the cases also had national benefits involved including Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance, bringing the total amount of fraud uncovered to £627,102.

The highest single case had a combined value of £99,149 and resulted in the claimant being sent to prison for 6 months.

Cllr Joan Smith, Cabinet Member for Finances at the Council said; “This has been another outstanding year for our hardworking and dedicated fraud team, who have unearthed a staggering combined amount of over £627k’s worth of fraud, with a 100% success rate in court prosecutions. The message is clear to would be benefit cheats in the borough; we won’t tolerate benefit fraud, it steals from the public purse and the vast majority of honest Council Tax Payers in the borough. We will pursue you and you could end up in court, and you will always have to repay the debt in full.”

To report fraud call the Fraud Hotline 01254 380240.

Gatty park unveils new bowling shelter

Bowlers at Gatty Park are now set to benefit from the construction of a new bowling shelter. The shelter is the first in the history of the green and something the local bowling community have been requesting for several years. Church ward Councillor Joan Smith stated " the parks bowlers have been asking for some protection from the elements for many years, without much success, so it was really rewarding to find some funding and finally give the Church residents something they needed"

Cllr Smith added, "I do understand that this project has taken a little longer than we hoped but sometimes we are faced with unforeseen issues, however the shelter is now ready for use and will hopefully be a valued asset to the park"

The funding for the shelter was secured through Church & Milnshaw Community group, the former area council now placed in community ownership by the councils labour leaders, which looks to help local groups in the Church and Milnshaw areas. Fellow Church ward councillor, Mr John Broadley, added that this project was a great example of how a local community group, working in partnership with Hyndburn Borough Council, can listen to residents needs and act to achieve something good for the ward.

Church & Milnshaw Community Group (CMCG) has worked on several other projects in the area. This bowling shelter is just one of the achievements it has completed. The current chair of the group also stated "the group is happy to help projects such as this. We do offer a small amount of funding for local constituted groups".

If you wish to be considered for funding please feel free to contact either your local ward Councillors or email Church & Milnshaw community group direct at

cmcgroup@live.co.uk

Medium Term Financial Strategy

The HBC portfolio holder for Finance, Cllr Joan Smith, outlined the HBC medium-term financial strategy at Cabinet on 6th February. This is the Council's plan for finances over the next three years and outlines the problems likely to be faced by Hyndburn Borough Council and how we plan to overcome them:

Medium Term Financial Strategy 2013

A more concise version of the Council's financial position is presented by Cllr Smith to Cabinet every month and this can be read here:

Revenue Budget Monitoring 2012-2013 - February 2013

HBC is to suffer an 8.8% cut in grant funding from central government, the highest percentage reduction in the country, but this translates as nearer to 16% overall when various other factors are taken into consideration.

The Labour group also inherited debts of over £12m from the Conservative group when they took control of the Council in 2011 (£9m in long-term debts and around £3m in short term debts) and have managed to reduce them by approximately £1m in 18 months. Although calls from the opposition are being made to spend the reserves, the Labour group are hoping to use part of any underspending to reduce the Council debts further and save thousands of pounds in interest payments each month.

Hyndburn faces maximum funding cuts from Conservative government

A statement was made by Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles MP, on 19th December 2012 regarding the Conservative-run government funding for district Councils. Cuts range from around 1.3% to 8.8% but Hyndburn will take the biggest hit with a maximum reduction in grants and East Lancashire fares worse than most of the rest of England. Conservative-controlled Ribble Valley will only face a 1.3% reduction and many of the Councils in southern England will actually have their grants increased. A BBC news article has full details of each borough:

BBC News - Eric Pickles outlines funding cuts for England Councils

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson has spoken in response to the recent settlement announcement:

“The headline figure is a reduction in Council Spending power of 8.8%, the toughest in the country. The figure could have been much worse at over 17% except for strong lobbying by local MP Graham Jones for additional funding of £2.1m not to be withdrawn. The Government finally agreed to continue this extra funding but reduced it by over £900,000. This extra funding will only last 2 years and after that the impact of Government reductions will exceed 17%. This is on the back of previous reductions over the last 2 years of over 20%.

The actual reduction in Government support is significantly higher than the headline figure of 8.8% as this figure includes amounts raised in local taxation. Initial calculations indicate that the Government has reduced funding to the Council by more than 13%, though we are still working on the detail to confirm this figure.

The overall Local Government Grant Settlement this year shows that local government is continuing to face the brunt of reductions in spending by Government and that deprived councils particularly in the North are suffering the most under the Government’s reforms of local government finance.

The Council however remains strongly committed to ensuring services and jobs are protected wherever possible and that in these times of economic hardship for the people of Hyndburn, there should be no additional burden from increases in local taxation. Therefore despite the significant reduction in funding from the Government there will be no rise in the Council Tax in 2013/14 and we will still deliver quality, value for money services for our residents.

Hyndburn Council has a strong track record over many years of delivering good quality services efficiently and we will continue to find ways to do more for less.”

The Cabinet member for Finance, Cllr Joan Smith, has calculated the following figures about the reduction in spending power per dwelling in this borough over the period of 2013/14 and 2014/15:

2013/14

HBC spending is reduced by £38.56 per dwelling (8.8% reduction)
LCC reduction of £37.47 per dwelling (2.2% reduction)
Fire and Rescue reduced by £4.67 per dwelling (4.5% reduction)

2014/15 

HBC spending is reduced by £60.87 per dwelling (15.2% reduction)
LCC reduction of £60.55 per dwelling (3.7% reduction)
Fire and Rescue reduced by £3.22 per dwelling (3.2% reduction)

The total reduction works out at £205.64  less on public services per dwelling over the next two years. The Hyndburn Labour group are unwilling to incorporate any grants into that figure as there is no guarantee that any will now be available in future years.

Living wage increase at HBC

Hyndburn Council has continued its policy to pay its employees no less than the ‘Living Wage’ rate, which has increased recently from £7.20 to £7.45 per hour for those aged 21 and over.

The idea of a Living Wage rate was initially developed in London but more recently a Living wage rate has been determined for the rest of the country. The principle underlying the Living Wage is a simple and powerful one and it is that work should bring dignity and should pay enough to provide families the essentials of life.

The Living Wage differs from the National Minimum Wage and recognises that the statutory minimum pay requirements don’t always ensure that families can afford the necessary goods and services that they need to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living.

Since its launch the Living Wage campaign has become a powerful force for change in London and it is estimated that over 10,000 families have been lifted out of working poverty as a direct result of the campaign. Outside London the campaign is less well known but it is starting to gain momentum. In total, over 140 employers from every sector have adopted the Living Wage.

Cllr Joan Smith, Cabinet Member with responsibility for pay and employment conditions, said “Paying our employees a living wage makes good business sense and ensures our lowest paid employees are not overly disadvantaged during a period of public sector pay freezes. We are also keen to raise awareness about the Living Wage and hope that our decision will encourage other employers in the area to become Living Wage employers.”

Church and Milnshaw triple Christmas lights switch on's

Dyke Nook gardens was the final location for Church & Milnshaw’s trio of Christmas lights switch on's, Wednesday 5th of December, residents of both Milnshaw and Laneside were joined by the Mayor Cllr Joan Broadley and Mayoress Mrs Jean Broadley. At the lights switch on was also Father Lawrence and players from Accrington Stanley Football Club.The Mayor switched on the new Christmas lights in Dyke Nook so completing the Christmas displays within Church and Milnshaw.

Cllr Paul Cox, one of the event organisers, stated I’m really proud of our local community here in Church &Milnshaw, He added, All three displays have shown how resident involvement coupled together with community groups along with Church & Milnshaw Councillors have worked in cooperation to achieve successful local events.

This display follows on from two christmas lights switch on's in Church ward earlier in the week. The Mayor and Mayoress of Hyndburn along with local Church ward councillor, Joan Smith joined together in switching on the first ever Christmas lights display in the Church Kirk area of Church.

Cllr John Broadley, stated that even in such tough economic times an area such as this can join together and work to achieve such a wonderful thing is a credit to the people of Church Kirk and something to be very proud of.

Cllr Joan Smith also added “It was really great to see so any people there and I said to one resident that local issues really drive the community together and considering the size of this area the turn out is amazing”.