My perception based upon the information below is that there is a deliberate widening of the poverty trap. Furthermore such bias distribution of government funding presents a further ingrained wish to segregate the classes. Previously there had been much discussion of a return to Work House Britain, certainly there has been a concerted effort at all avenues to deny any fair means of supportive government assistance for the most needy. We must not continue this reverse course towards heightened poverty and possible slum type environments that breed further crime and disengaged class infrastructures which we continue to witness. I am further concerned that proposed national policies, even under Ed Miliband of the Labour party are vastly incoherent, out of touch and, in fact, highly detrimental to the wellbeing and overall standing of the British population. H.H. Marquis Alleyne Monday 25 August 2014 The poorest areas of England have endured council cuts under the coalition worth 16 times as much per household as the richest areas, research has claims. Hilary Benn, the shadow communities secretary, said his figures showed the government had failed to apply the basic principle of fairness when allocating money to local government. However, he confirmed that, given Labours commitment to matching the governments spending plans for 2015-16, a government led by Ed Miliband would not be in a position to raise overall council spending. Instead it would focus on distributing money more fairly, he said. Benns figures are based on the amount per household that councils are losing between 2010-11 and 2015-16. Councils covering the 10 most deprived areas of England – measured according to the index of multiple deprivation– are losing £782 on average per household, while authorities covering the richest areas are losing just £48 on average. Hart district council in Hampshire, the least deprived local authority, is losing £28 per household, while in Liverpool District B, the most deprived area, the figure is £807. The figures reinforce claims that have been made by organisations such as the Audit Commission, the local government spending watchdog, which said in a report last year that councils in the most deprived areas have seen substantially greater reductions in government funding as a share of revenue expenditure than councils in less deprived areas. Benn, who released the figures as part of Labours summer campaign on the theme of the choice between Labour and the Tories, said: The prime minister and the local government secretary say that tough times involve tough choices, but they have forgotten one very important principle. Tough times demand tough choices that are fair. And yet if we look at the way in which the Tory-led government has chosen to take most from those who have least – the most deprived local authorities – it is clear just how unfair and unjustifiable this is. In an open letter to council leaders, he said: As we will inherit, and stick to, the governments spending plans for 2015-16, we will not have any more money to give to local government. But there will be one difference: the money we have will be distributed more fairly. In a response issued by the department for communities, Kris Hopkins, the local government minister, attacked Labours local government record: Under Labour, council tax bills more than doubled whilst local services like bin collections halved. Ed Miliband would hike up taxes on peoples homes, and in Wales, the Labour government are now actively supporting monthly bin collections. Its clear under Labour, you pay more and get less. Local government, which accounts for a quarter of public spending, was strangled in red tape by Labour, who turned a blind eye to massive waste and inefficiency in the public sector and ran up massive public debts. Councils need to do their bit to help pay off the deficit that Labour left. Councils can save money through more joint working, better procurement and cutting fraud.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 07:44:56 +0000
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