This week Newsnight reported on one of the most shocking consequences of this Government’s austerity measures and in particular their attacks on welfare.
In 2007, food banks fed around 14,000 people in the UK.
Last year 130,000 were fed at food banks and by 2013 that figure is expected to leap to 200,000.
There are at least three food banks opening every week.
43% of those that ask for help from food banks do so because of problems with their benefits, mostly sanctions.
Benefit sanctions, where the DWP stop or reduce benefits for a period as a punishment for a ‘failure’ to adhere to an instruction (e.g. being more than a minute late for an interview, failing to complete a job diary satisfactorily,etc) have also increased massively.
In 2009, 139,000 claimants were sanctioned. By 2011, this had trebled to 508,000 and just in the first 3 months of this year, sanctions have been imposed on 167,000.
The Tories’ Workfare schemes, providing the unemployed with the “choice” of working unpaid or losing their benefits, has contributed to many of these sanctions.
110,000 recommendations to sanction claimants have come from welfare-to-work firms such as A4e. These firms are paid to provide unemployed labour for workfare schemes.
Newsnight item on food banks (starts 26:26)
Jobs Not Sanctions Protest Called By Unite Community London
Wednesday 12th September from 9am
Department of Work and Pensions
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London SW1H 9NA
How long before the Tories bring back the ‘workhouse’?
It is the Diabolical Westminster Self Serving Politicians who are the Scroungers
in their Parliament Ivory Tower of Privilege and Wealth
All Oppressive Sanctions MUST be Abolished and Wealth Redistributed from
Rich to Poor
Equally We should Not be Waiting ETERNITY to get the Con Dems Out of
Office
This Millionaire Power Clique should Never of been in Office in the First Place
They are an Utter Disgrace to Civilisation and Humanity
People that Are Capable of Holding Positions of Employment Need Help
Not Hindrance in Obtaining Positions of Employment Full Industrial Tribunal
and Strike Rights from Day One Adequate Paid Holiday and a Livable Wage
Bosses that ILL Treat and Oppress Workers are Guilty of Crimes against
Humanity
The More Peaceful Protest For Human Rights like the Right Not to be a Slave
of Capitalism the Better
im going to buy silk pillows with my thirty three pounds and twenty pence i get from this lot who put their hands into the till daily while we starve and loss the roof over your head how lovely they treat us worst than animals its just so unbeleavible that they can jeff3
Hello, I am in work yet help my mats out when i can, One of my mates was a cleaner with no education and was in care from 3 years old, can just about write and has no real concept of education and she was the result of sexual abuse from the age of 4 years old to 18 years old in the care home.
She has worked sporadically over the years and held down four jobs and the last one was December 2012 and she was a cleaner for a company for 3 years.
I have just found out that as she has no internet and no home phone (she has a mobile phone) she can not look for work but she can not afford the costs of such luxuries.
Her mobile phone receives incoming calls fine but is very old and needs constant charging.
She lives alone but she was housed in a council house with 3 bedrooms so she will have to find £24 per week on top of of £8 per week in the new council tax changes and this is from her JSA of around £57 per week.
This poor cleaner has just been sanctioned for not lookin for work and not uploading her CV on line as she does not have any internet connections at home and can not use a computer.
Her sanctions are no money (JSA) for 2 weeks so no food no heating no bills being paid not eating any food.
This woman has been unemployed for only 2 months and when in employment was worked hard by her employers and was taken advantage when it come to paying the rates of pay and holiday pay.
I have tried to upload a CV to the .gov website only to be informed the site is down for maintenance.
I will now not bother to upload any CV for this poor woman as she has taken her own life this morning around 8AM she was found wrapped in 3 coats and a blanket with a glass of water at her side and had taken aspirins.
No note was left as she could not write as she found it very difficult to understand.
I need to say that i will never vote for the Lib dems or the Conservatives any more and if they come to my door looking for my vote i will not be responsible for my actions.
How nasty the UK has turned into .
it was reading you was her hero oh my god