Council pledge to care for those in hardship
COUNCIL bosses say their plans for a new locally administered benefits scheme shows the authority cares about those in financial hardship.
From April, crisis loans and community care grants will be issued by local authorities rather than central government.
Funding to support Local Welfare Provision (LWP) is being provided by the Government, but the money will not be ring-fenced and could be used on other council services.
However, under plans approved by the Cabinet, North East Lincolnshire Council has decided to ring-fence the money to support residents in financial hardship.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
It has also decided to award crisis loans as non-repayable grants, rather than as loans, as they currently are.
NELC will receive just under £700,000 in each of the next two years to fund the scheme, which, taking into account inflation, represents a cut in expenditure of about 14 per cent for the scheme locally.
Councillor Darren Billard, portfolio holder for finance, governance and support services, said: "This funding is not ring-fenced. The council has decided to support its most vulnerable residents even though it is not legally obliged to do so."
Council deputy leader Mick Burnett accused the government of being a "cheapskate" over its funding for the service.
"At some point the Government is going to have to make its mind up about what it wants local government to do," he said.
"Is it about providing local services or not?
"This is another system where the Government is being a cheapskate and putting the financial onus on this council."
Councillor Peter Wheatley said: "I believe that the pressure on this type of funding is going to get greater and greater as the years go by."
He added there was "very little room for manoeuvre" because the council had only been told its funding allocation for the next two years."
Council leader Chris Shaw said: "Once again we have a scheme that is hard for central government to deliver, so they are handing it over to local government.
"They are ditching the difficult things and giving them to local government to do at the same time as taking money off us."
Comments
by AndrewClee
Tuesday, January 29 2013, 12:08AM
“John, please ignore s_pike. I get the feeling that he has nothing in his life of any value so can not understand what you are feeling. He has 13 pages of sarcastic and nasty replies to people on here so you tell me, how full do you think his life is if he spends it writting hurtful coments on here. *****boy...get yourself a life or is it too late old timer?”
by Mat_the-Hat
Monday, January 21 2013, 3:03PM
“Would any of the unemployed people around here trust the Fat Controller and Councillors Burnett and Wheatley to administer their benefits?”
by johnvcusick
Sunday, January 20 2013, 3:16PM
“Obviously pike you are one who has no idea of what people go through when they lose their jobs as they are taken by unqualified personnel below minimum wage immigrants.
No one even suggested that the council should buy their house for them.
Do your sums and you will discover it is cheaper to pay the interest on the loan than supply a council house. (This will not be supplied as they are married and have only had the children they can afford in the past, no children under 16).
You didn't comment on the jobseekers allowance not getting paid, or assistance with their rates or utility bills.
As for --- "aaawwwwwww coo coo ca choo and you must be the egg man thinking we'll be climbing the aaawwwwwwwful tower in support." whatever that means, our government spends up to £800 billion abroad every year while we at home suffer severe austerity cuts which would not be necessary if overseas spending was stopped.”
by s_pike
Sunday, January 20 2013, 9:42AM
“John, the state isn't going to buy your daughter a house and I'd object if they squandered my money in such a foolhardy way.
If she's about to lose it and you don't offer her and her dear hubby a bedroom at yours then she'll have to apply for a council house or trust on you helping her with the rent in a private property if they don't have enough dough.
But then perhaps you've been making it up a bit eh, as you started off by saying 'THIS IS A TOTAL PACK OF LIES' :-) aaawwwwwww coo coo ca choo and you must be the egg man thinking we'll be climbing the aaawwwwwwwful tower in support.”
by johnvcusick
Saturday, January 19 2013, 9:59PM
“This is a total pack of lies.
My daughter and son in law have been paying their mortgage interest only for 2 years.
What has the welfare and council done to asist ? NOTHING a BIG FAT nothing.
Now she has been told that she has to pay the full mortgage.
Niether can claim jobseekers allowance, welfare, mortgage assistance or any payments what so ever.
Why does this country treat their own home grown residents with such contempt and humiliation when you can come into this area with nothing and get given everything.
My daughter and her husband have paid everything, taxes, rates, utilities and got nothing in return. They are going to lose their house.”
by davendogs
Saturday, January 19 2013, 1:38PM
“The 'authority' does no such thing. What it does want is to know exactly what you have and then work out how much it can scalp. FUBs”
by justsaying
Saturday, January 19 2013, 9:15AM
“Four comments from Labour Councillors on this article and none from anyone else!
A fine example of biased reporting from our local paper!”