Category: Welfare

In light of the current political and media interest in Universal Credit, I thought it would be useful to set out my thoughts on this, and why I support the roll out of University Credit, both from my perspective as a local councillor and as a former civil servant in the Department for Work &…

There has been a lot of adverse comment, both on social media and elsewhere, regarding the recent cut to Employment Support Allowance (ESA) – much of it in the form of tedious memes about Tory MPs’ expenses claims (which now pass through an independent authority and, when looked into, usually account for paying staff). But such…

The sad passing of Nelson Mandela has obviously overshadowed the Autumn Statement delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer last week. In his speech, George Osborne confirmed that, thanks to the Government’s long-term economic plan, the British economy is back on track and our burgeoning recovery underway, with growth set to more than double this year… This…

The speech delivered yesterday by Liam “Sorry There’s No Money Left” Byrne, the Shadow Work & Pensions Secretary, was a desperate last ditch attempt to save his job in the Shadow Cabinet, as he is widely tipped for the sack in Ed Miliband’s upcoming reshuffle. It is, frankly, laughable for Labour to talk about wasted money given…

I am proud to support a Government that is tackling the something-for-nothing benefits culture we inherited from Labour. Capping benefits so that out-of-work households cannot claim more in benefits than an average working family earns through hard graft is a basic matter of fairness. Conservatives believe though that more can and must be done to…

A letter to Cllr Andrew Schrader from the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP: Dear Andrew, I am writing to congratulate you on your recent success in the Basildon Council by-election. I was delighted by your success and that you will be representing Billericay East ward for us. This is a great personal…