East Lancashire MP welcomes limit on benefits rise

EAST Lancashire MP Jake Berry asked Labour to explain why a police officer had seen benefits for the out-of-work rise faster than his salary.

The Rossendale and Darwen Tory spoke out as the government won a crucial Commons vote to limit annual increases in working-age benefits to one per cent for the next three years.

While four Liberal Democrats voted against the proposals, Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle supported them.

Labour argued that millions of low-income families would be worse off but Work and Pension Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said benefits should not rise faster than wages.

Benefits have historically risen in line with inflation and would have gone up by 2.2 per cent in April.

Mr Berry and his Tory Pendle colleague Andrew Stephenson voted for the cap.

Comments(6)

Excluded again says...
1:10pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Around 70% of working age benefits go to people who working hard in low paid jobs and rely on benefits to make ends meet to pay the bills.

Why could the Tory government find £3 billion for a tax cut for people earning over £150 000 a year but not find the money to help low paid workers. We all know the answer to this.

BIG BOSS says...
3:23pm Thu 10 Jan 13

What is 2.2% of £60,000 + =???
And what is 2.2% of £71 =???

Mothernature says...
4:19pm Thu 10 Jan 13

BIG BOSS wrote:
What is 2.2% of £60,000 + =??? And what is 2.2% of £71 =???
After Tax & N.I. deductions, an increase of £14.72 per week or £765.44 per annum.
£71 = £1.56 per week or £81.12 per annum.

Mothernature says...
4:55pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Obviously Jake Berry & his cronies don't care how much this will affect those claiming the least amount of benefit, especially when the bedroom tax and council tax shortfalls kick in come 1st April. Single person over 25 with 1 spare bedroom, gets £71.71 a week JSA. Deduct average shortfall in rent of £11.90, the projected shortfall of 20% for council tax of £2.85 and the loss is £14.75. This leaves a miserly £56.96 to pay Gas, Electric, Water, TV Licence, Food, Clothing, Fares to interviews or job centre/work provider. There will be thousands of people having to give up items that are not classed as essential. Disgraceful.

2 for 5p says...
9:04pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Mothernature wrote:
Obviously Jake Berry & his cronies don't care how much this will affect those claiming the least amount of benefit, especially when the bedroom tax and council tax shortfalls kick in come 1st April. Single person over 25 with 1 spare bedroom, gets £71.71 a week JSA. Deduct average shortfall in rent of £11.90, the projected shortfall of 20% for council tax of £2.85 and the loss is £14.75. This leaves a miserly £56.96 to pay Gas, Electric, Water, TV Licence, Food, Clothing, Fares to interviews or job centre/work provider. There will be thousands of people having to give up items that are not classed as essential. Disgraceful.
What essentials do you mean fags mobile phone, flat screen telly, sky subscriptions.
Hey I'm no tory by any means but I think they have the right idea on this one

Mothernature says...
2:29pm Fri 11 Jan 13

2 for 5p. As usual you can't or won't debate without resorting to your snide remarks. Could you live on £56.96 a week? The average fuel bill is over £500 a quarter (£38.46 weekly), TV licence £2.82 wkly & water (mine £7.70 wkly). That's a total of £48.98, leaving a grand sum of £7,98 for food & clothing. Obviously a TV is not an essential item, so that will probably go, gas & electric will be cut down to the bare minimum to have an occasional bath/shower, cook & clean up. Anyone in the know, won't pay their water rates (water cannot be disconnected by law). Anyone with pets will have to give them up or be prosecuted for failing to feed them. You will have no choice in attending as many DWP mandatory sessions as they deem fit, so money is wasted on travel costs. You really do need to get off your high horse and see what is happening.

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