East Lancashire crisis loans fund slashed by third (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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East Lancashire crisis loans fund slashed by third
12:45pm Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News
By Peter Magill, Chief reporter
CRISIS loans for some of East Lancashire’s neediest families will be heavily slashed for 2013, it has been revealed.
Government revisions of the Social Fund, which provides emergency payouts for everything from living expenses to furniture for poverty-hit households, will be cut by hundreds of thousands of pounds from this April.
Replacing the Social Fund will be a new Care and Urgent Needs Support scheme, which will be administered by the likes of Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council.
But the budget handed out to serve Lancashire’s 12 districts is just £2.9million – when the payouts for 2011-12 topped £4.56million.
That year’s bill for Burnley alone was £497,000, Hyndburn’s £457,000, Pendle’s £369,700 and Rossendale people claimed £260,200 with thousands of people helped with grants up to around £1,500.
Blackburn with Darwen can look forward to an allocation fund of £645,138 – and their bill for the same 12-month period was more than £953,000.
The county council’s new scheme will be delivered by its new benefits service, administered by One Connect, through its partnership with telecoms giant BT.
County officials say their system will not only concentrate on giving ‘one-off payments’ but will also focus on why individuals require financial assistance, and customers may be directed towards money advice services.
Only two applications by individuals will be nominally be considered as part of the new county set-up in any one year – though this has been criticised by welfare rights campaigners during public consultations.
Final decisions need to be taken on whether assistance will take the form of cash payments or vouchers for goods or services.
Hyndburn Council leader Miles Parkinson said he believed the poorest were being unfairly hit the hardest. He said: “People are being labelled as skivers but unfortunately at certain times of your life, there needs to be a safety net.
“Of course there are always a few individuals who take advantage, but what we are seeing is that those with the least are going to be affected.
“What you don’t see is any major taxation on multi-national companies who put their limited status in other countries, where the tax is lower.
“The government could simply raise millions by saying that any money earned in this country must be taxed in this country.
“It would bring in far more savings.”
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Comments (23)
12:55pm Wed 2 Jan 13
shytalk says...
1:00pm Wed 2 Jan 13
alldaylong says...
1:06pm Wed 2 Jan 13
turbo5 says...
1:17pm Wed 2 Jan 13
shytalk says...
1:19pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Mothernature says...
1:21pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Mothernature says...
1:25pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Bevo says...
3:03pm Wed 2 Jan 13
2 for 5p says...
If they step out of line the law will come down on them like a ton of bricks, and the majority of the population will enjoy watching .
3:10pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Good call says...
3:38pm Wed 2 Jan 13
chris283 says...
3:50pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Mothernature says...
s & your beloved government. There are none so blind as those who will not see. Both you & 2 for 5p may one day realise that the economy is not the fault of the general population, but of the greed of those with plenty who want more. Wonder how you will feel if you lose your jobs and can't afford to pay your mortgages. Will you take any job, even part-time to keep hold of your homes. There's a rude awakening for home owners when the Universal Credit starts in October this year.
4:00pm Wed 2 Jan 13
shytalk says...
4:31pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Mothernature says...
5:04pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Good call says...
5:59pm Wed 2 Jan 13
itsjaynehere says...
7:56pm Wed 2 Jan 13
ste.g says...
you dont vote.
you dont work.
you dont have anything proper to say.
well if your not going to help yourself why should anyone else?
8:38pm Wed 2 Jan 13
rilistic says...
10:40pm Wed 2 Jan 13
turbo5 says...
12:16am Thu 3 Jan 13
2 for 5p says...
I know of 3 people who spent the last 10 years claiming they were far to sick to work, all of a sudden they started getting medicals then taken off incapacity then made to attend training ect ect.
Law and behold all 3of them are working full time now, miracle cure, one of them says might as well work they won't leave me alone.
12:18am Thu 3 Jan 13
Good call says...
12:18am Thu 3 Jan 13
hunter3062 says...
5:54am Thu 3 Jan 13
shytalk says...
9:36am Thu 3 Jan 13
Good call says...