Bishop of Burnley supports church move to stop welfare cuts (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Bishop of Burnley supports church move to stop welfare cuts

12:00pm Monday 11th March 2013 in News

Bishop John Goddard

A LEADING East Lancashire religious figure said he backed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s bid to derail Government welfare reforms.

In a letter to The Sunday Telegraph, the Most Rev Justin Welby warned that children and families would pay the price if changes went ahead.

The letter was signed by 43 other bishops across the United Kingdom, including Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.

And the Rt Rev John Goddard, Bishop of Burnley and acting Bishop of Blackburn, said had he been given the chance he too would have signed.

He said: “Having always worked in some of the poorest parts of the UK, I would totally agree with the Archbishop that capping of welfare has the greatest effect on the poor.

“At a time of recession, if the hardest hit people are the poorest people it seems a huge inequality.

“For example if a person has £40,000 coming in with three children at school and their washing machine goes, they would have no hesitation to get it fixed.

“When that person is on benefits it becomes extremely difficult for them.” Archbishop Welby wrote the letter in response to Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith’s plans to cap benefit rises at one per cent per year until 2016.

The letter said: “This is a change that will have a deeply disproportionate impact on families with children, pushing 200,000 children into poverty.

“A third of all households will be affected by the Bill, but nearly nine out of 10 families with children will be hit.

“These are children and families from all walks of life.

“If prices rise faster than expected, children and families will no longer have any protection against this.

“This transfers the risk of high inflation rates from the Treasury to children and families, which is unacceptable.”

The new Bishop of Blackburn Julian Henderson, is set to be entroned in the autumn.

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