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Post by nickd on Feb 8, 2011 22:43:53 GMT 1
More devastating news of depleted services in ManchesterThese cuts seem to be digging deeper and deeper into the provision of proper services in all parts of the country. As facilities like Sure Start and reduced social care disappear - what will happen to children - our future generation? Cuts in facilities like bin collections will create a whole new range of environmental issues, inadequate childcare provision can create the kind of social fabric which is just too full of latch key kids with no where to turn to or even go and play.
Make no mistake this is going to affect everyone, it's even affecting the dead as local authorities up burial related costs.
Here's what's being said in Manchester "Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: "Putting this budget together has involved the most difficult, and in many ways most unpalatable, process I have been involved in since I was first elected to the Council. "I cannot and will not pretend that the financial position in which we have been placed is anything other than bad news. Manchester is the fourth most deprived local authority area in the country but is among the top five hardest hit local authorities. "But we are doing everything we can to protect and maintain the services which people need and make sure funding is targeted where it will make the most positive difference." Details of how proposed savings would be achieved are contained in a series of Executive reports, which can be read on the Manchester City Council website. The reports show a department by department breakdown for: adult services, children's services, neighbourhood services and the corporate core. For adult services, savings of £39.5m - representing 21% of the adults budget - have been identified. The service will have to stop providing some things, charge more for others or ask partner agencies or community groups to provide the service. This includes the closure of Manchester Advice, in recognition of the availability of new city-wide legal advice provision, and a concentration of services on those deemed most in need. The Supporting People grant - which allows the Council to help people in need stay in their homes - has been reduced by £12.6m (35%), although the Council will top this up by £4m. Although we have put in extra social care funding, in recognition of an aging population, we will be providing less care to people, more strictly defining our eligibility criteria and reassessing the charges for the services we provide. We will have to focus the social care support we give the most vulnerable - elderly, frail and disabled residents. For children's services, savings of £45.1m - representing 26% of the children's services budget - have been identified. Safeguarding of vulnerable children remains paramount and we will be increasing the number of social workers we employ. We will also be increasing our budget for looked after children by more than £6m, in recognition of the levels of need that exist in Manchester. However, the council will cease to directly provide many youth services. This means, for example, that we will transfer the responsibility for running youth centres to partner agencies such as voluntary groups. We will still have a commissioning budget - of more than £1m - to commission services from such groups. Where other organisations cannot take over youth centres, they will close. We will also transfer the universal provision of early years activities, including Sure Start facilities, and commission a more targeted family offer from local providers, in order to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable are met. For neighbourhood services, £31.2m - representing 29% of the neighbourhood services budget - of savings have been identified. These will include changes to the waste and recycling services, a review of library services including the potential closure of five small libraries which are less well-used and all close to better provision and the review of library opening hours and mobile provision and a review of parking controls including charging and Sunday restrictions will be undertaken. Public toilets, with the exception of those on Mount Streetwill close, as will Levenshulme and Miles Platting swimming pools, highways services will be reviewed to concentrate on maintenance and there will be a move away from street cleaning between midnight and 6am." Grant Shapps - A Tory MP appeared on ITV News this evening and told us the cuts in Manchester were just down to bad management; making a comparison with other areas who had less funding but hadn't made such drastic cuts.
Anyone in Manchester want to give a view point? www.manchester.gov.uk/news/article/5875/council_publishes_proposed_budget_details
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Post by nickd on Feb 10, 2011 9:20:03 GMT 1
And now we hear how the Chester area falls to become another victim of the axe - affecting yet another area where people will find it difficult, if not impossible, to get the support they need.
This is an extract from the media release Vital advice service under threatPublished date: 04 February 2011 | Published by: By Laura Jones VITAL debt and legal advice services in Chester are under threat after stinging budget cuts. Ten of the 55 paid workers at Citizens Advice Bureau in Chester, Ellesmere Port and other parts of western Cheshire are expected to face redundancy as a result of a major budget shortfall. Among the posts to go are those held by debt advice workers, legal aid professionals, managers and admin staff. It is thought that Chester and Winsford could experience a further strain on their services as the future of the Northwich branch hangs in the balance. Chief executive Paul Nicholls said the cuts would inevitably have a “knock-on effect”. He said: “Prior to Christmas there was a reduction in funding from the Legal Services Commission and the government declared its intention not to continue with the Financial Inclusion Fund. “At the moment we are currently competing in a tendering process to the local authority for the Community Legal Advice and Information Service Fund. This is a lesser amount again than we have previously received last year. “Combine those three aspects, and loss of funding here and there with the financial climate, and there is a substantially reduced income over the next year. “We are looking at about a 30 per cent cut to funding.” Here's the link to the story - www.chesterfirst.co.uk/news/98599/vital-advice-service-under-threat.aspx
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Post by nickd on Feb 11, 2011 11:29:43 GMT 1
Here's some video coverage of the effects the cuts are having in Rochdale...
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Post by nickd on Feb 13, 2011 17:50:13 GMT 1
More cuts to Citizens Advice Bureau; - this time it's Newtonabbey Council who delivers another major blow to CAB funding; - here's what's was said:CAB funding cut Published on Thu Feb 03 2011 THE council's decision to cut funding to the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has been met with shock from the service's board and management. Newtownabbey Borough Council is to provide just over 170,000 a year for the next three years for the Dunanney Centre-based service. The figure represents a cut of 47,000, or around a fifth of the budget, according to the CAB. The council announced the funding cut in a statement which read: "Newtownabbey Borough Council has confirmed its support for the excellent work of Newtownabbey Citizens Advice Bureau by announcing a funding package of almost 700,000 over a three year period. "The council will be providing 171,002 per annum which will increase by the rate of inflation each year which is currently estimated to be in the region of five per cent per annum. "This amount will be in addition to funding which will be provided by the Department for Social Development (DSD) which is anticipated to be in the region of 56,423 per annum. "This provides a total funding package of 227,425 per annum." And here's the link to the local media coverage...... www.newtownabbeytoday.co.uk/news/local/cab_funding_cut_1_2391902
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Post by nickd on Feb 13, 2011 19:01:36 GMT 1
Stoke on Trent welcomed the news over extended Financial Inclusion Funding but expressed concern that the 12 month extension was only a stop gap. Concern was also expressed over plans to modernise advice after the year is up in 2013. There are valid fears that those in debt simply won't be able to go online; -many don't know how to use it, can't afford broadband charges or are simply too afraid of inputting all their personal details on internet sites. Likewise telephone advice just won't suit everyone, not least those who can't afford a land line and have to rely on expensive pay as you go networks, many of which have poor reception because pay as you go users can't afford the better phones which are generally provided as part of a monthly contract package due to poor credit status at setting up a contract. Stoke CAB also makes the valid point over the government's u turn being too late to save well paid staff who'd understandably left already and got other jobs - leaving an under-resourced CAB to pay out redundancy sums. Perhaps next time, government should be a little less hasty in announcing cuts as it makes it impossible for organisations to financially plan for the future when the government changes its mind a few weeks after announcing the cuts. The problems are endless, have a listen to Stoke on Trent CAB speaking to Money Box on I player. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00ydbv5/Money_Box_12_02_2011
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Post by nickd on Feb 17, 2011 22:13:01 GMT 1
Here's some tips from Exeter CAB on how client's can budget against the effects of the ongoing economic downturn...
This is Devon news "AT the time of my first article, it was clear that the Spending Review pointed to hard times ahead for those that rely on public services. However, at that time, we were unclear what this meant in terms of funding cuts to local authority spending and legal aid. We are now a little clearer in terms of the way that local authorities and Government are thinking. Last year, we helped 8.8 per cent more people and dealt with 9.5 per cent more problems. Any cut in services will clearly have an adverse impact on our clients, potentially at a time when most commentators predict an increase in demand for our help this year and next. We continue to recommend the following steps for coping with the cuts: Plan ahead for the changes that will effect you and your household. Produce a budget. Many of the changes will hit household incomes. Set out your income sources and what you spend your money on. Shop around. Are you able to reduce your out-goings by changing gas or electricity supplier, changing credit cards or other credit providers, or reducing car/holiday/house insurance costs? Maximise your income. Remember that many of the changes do not start immediately. Therefore make sure that you are getting the welfare benefits or tax credits that you are entitled to now. Prepare to save. Plan to build up an emergency savings fund by setting a little aside each week and save it in an interest bearing account, such as a Credit Union or special building society account. The Government proposal for a Universal Credit heralds the biggest change to the benefits system since the introduction of the welfare state and it's imperative the Government gets it right. If the system isn't properly funded now, the Government could permanently jeopardise a really good opportunity for reform. We support the principles behind the Universal Credit – to simplify the benefits system and make work pay – but the lack of detail on the proposed measures means we can't properly assess whether the new system will be fair. Some people will undoubtedly be better off under the new system. However, if the Government doesn't carefully consider the cumulative impact of their proposed changes, a number of people – particularly sick and disabled people, new parents and parents needing formal childcare – are likely to suffer significant disadvantages. There is a real danger that lone parents with young children will not be able to work their way out of poverty as is possible under the present benefits and tax credits system. We eagerly await the imminent Welfare Reform Bill for more clarity on the detail of Universal Credit and with it a reassurance that its principles will be upheld. By front loading funding cuts in the first year of the Comprehensive Spending Review cycle means that large scale cuts are being proposed to CAB, and other voluntary sector funding both locally and nationally. Until last week we were facing a 20 per cent cut by Devon County Council to CAB funding from April 2011. The latest proposal is for an 11 per cent cut in CAB funding. Whilst we welcome the reduction in the cut, this is nonetheless significant and we will have to look closely at the level and range of services we are able to provide. While we welcome the recent Government decision to extend the Financial Inclusion Fund project, which provides debt and money advice services, for one further year, there remains a real need for a joined-up approach to delivery and funding of such services over the medium to long term. Which brings me onto Government proposals for the reform of legal aid. Ministers are proposing that welfare benefit advice be taken out of scope altogether, with access to debt and housing advice being limited to cases where the client faces an immediate risk of homelessness. It is widely accepted that timely intervention is more productive and reduces costs elsewhere, such as County Court repossession and other action. So restricting access to legal aid to the point where people reach crisis seems to be a backward step. Moreover, it is estimated that every £1 invested in early advice potentially saves the state up to £8.80 In a city like Exeter, with a large public sector workforce, we share concerns about potential job losses and the stress and anxiety this brings. We would urge anyone with concerns about their employment to visit our award-winning website – www.adviceguide.org.uk for details of their rights at work. Further advice and information is available by visiting the Citizens Advice website or by telephoning Exeter CAB on 0844 499 4101. We are reliant on more than 70 well-trained and motivated volunteers, whose contribution was estimated to be worth over £350,000 last year. We have a range of volunteering opportunities available, including assessors, advisers, information guides, administrators and financial capability volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering with us can register an interest by visiting www.citizensadvice.org.uk. We are also working hard to develop preventative measures to ensure that people have the skills to budget, borrow and save with confidence. This is where our MoneyActive project comes in. We offer friendly and informal sessions designed to help everyone, no matter what their level of money knowledge or financial capability. Our trained volunteers are able to cut through the jargon and pass on valuable tips which can really make a difference to people's lives." Fair points made here by Exeter CAB, but let's not forget the vital role CAB paid staff play at specialist help level. Government minister Jonathon Djanogly is portraying a perception that legal aid pays for advice at general help level, we need to make sure the public know otherwise. www.thisisdevon.co.uk/news/Try-ready-coming-cuts/article-3234755-detail/article.html
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Post by nickd on Feb 18, 2011 17:39:34 GMT 1
Fury over £55 million cuts in Devon, protesters say they would rather the money was spent on supporting organisations like CAB rather than the Council's printing of glossy leaflets!Fury over cuts vote Public anger: Devon County Council leader Cllr John Hart rejected appeals to water down a £55million cuts package, despite protests at the steps of County Hall By Anne ByrneDEVON councillors last night voted through millions of pounds of cuts, in the face of demonstrations inside and outside County Hall. Petitions with thousands of names protesting against cuts to services for victims of domestic violence and homeless people, as well as public transport subsidies, were handed to council leaders before the debate began. Large numbers of protesters gathered at County Hall in a bid to persuade Devon County Council's Conservative leader John Hart to change his mind about the depth of cuts, which saw almost £55m axed from the budget. And in the council chamber protesters chanted: "No ifs, no buts, no public sector cuts," for several minutes before the debate on the budget could get under way. There were also angry scenes in the city centre in Bedford Square earlier in the day. Hundreds of staff face losing their jobs across the county council's departments. Members rejected an alternative budget put forward by the Liberal Democrats, as well as amendments proposed by the Labour group. The cuts agreed will see reductions for school meals, youth services, presents and celebrations for children in care and school crossing patrollers. But the biggest protest before yesterday's debate had been over the controversial cuts proposed for the adva (against domestic violence and abuse) partnership, with a proposal originally to slash its budget entirely. Following a campaign the reduction was set at 42 per cent instead, and it will receive an overall funding package of £1.12m, which does not include £470,000 for the county's refuges. However, Councillor Des Hannon of Tiverton East, seconding an alternative budget put forward by Lib Dem leader Councillor Brian Greenslade, said those on the receiving end of domestic violence were among the most vulnerable in our society. Cllr Hannon said: "Some people may die and this is a risk the council is taking with people's lives." He added that he would rather see £250,000 taken out of the 'glossy leaflet' budget. A petition containing almost 6,000 signatures had been handed in to County Hall demanding no cuts to the adva budget. Before the debate began Cllr Hart reiterated his previous statement to the county's Cabinet, saying that the council had no option but to prioritise its statutory responsibilities and that he had no desire to cut services. Adva is funded by the county council in partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police and NHS Devon, but the county provides the lion's share and Cllr Hart said that he believed that the funding should be shared equally between the partners. Putting forward an alternative budget Cllr Greenslade said that he was surprised that of the £54.6m being cut, £10.4m was to go into the county's reserves. Cllr Greenslade said: "Reserves are there for a rainy day and this is very much monsoon season. It is wrong to make cuts when you are putting £10m in reserves." Among the grants Cllr Greenslade said he would like to see increased was a further £250,000 for adva. Exeter county councillor Saxon Spence, leader of the county's Labour group, pleaded with the council to take £300,000 out of the multi-million budget that has been set aside for redundancies, to add to grants for groups such as adva, and Citizens' Advice Bureaux.Cllr Spence said: "Exeter CAB has reported this week an 8.8 per cent increase in callers and a nine per cent increase in cases already and we know there will be a growing demand for these services."Cllr Spence also wanted no further cuts to bus services. In seconding the Labour amendments, Councillor Jill Owen, who represents Priory and St Leonard's wards in Exeter, said: "This is a sad day for this council and for our residents and I do not accept the need for these huge cuts. "In the past Devon County Council has been about protecting vulnerable people and has been a huge supporter of sustainable transport and helping the environment." Services singled out for cuts within the Children and Young Person's Services budget include almost £3m from children's centres and early years services, more than £1m from the youth service, £2.7m from the budget for young people and vulnerable adolescents – the latter includes Connexions which offers advice on such things as education, careers, health and relationships for 13-19 year olds, and Youth Offending Services. However, the council's leaders have stressed that the CYPS budget for children in care is rising by £4.5 million, for children with special needs by over £1 million and the schools' budget is being safeguarded. Charities working with the homeless had also voiced their concerns about the depth of the cuts and produced a paper which was handed to councillors before the debate which asked them to think again about the £2.7m in cuts to services supporting homeless people and those threatened with homelessness. Councillor Stuart Barker, Devon cabinet member for adult and community services, said during the debate that the numbers of homeless in the county had decreased by 47 per cent in the last three years because of early intervention and that £2.5m was included in the budget for this work. Richard Crompton, chairman of the Devon Association of Support Providers, criticised the cuts to services supporting the homeless. Homeless groups saw their budget for services cut by around 40 per cent. Having been part of the protest outside County Hall, he said: "Many homeless support services will cease to exist in April because of the cuts, and those that remain will have to offer a reduced service. "Charities across the county working in this field expect a large increase in homelessness as a result, including a significant increase in rough sleeping in towns throughout Devon. As well as the human cost to those affected, the financial cost to the taxpayer will vastly outweigh the savings made due to increased homelessness, mental health problems, drug and alcohol misuse, and the host of other issues surrounding homelessness. "Most importantly of all, some of the most vulnerable people in our community will lose their homes and suffer extreme hardship as a result." It came as the Government released homelessness statistics which showed that, last October, Exeter City Council had at least 21 people sleeping rough in the city centre. Come on Councillor Hart - have a heart!www.thisisdevon.co.uk/news/Fury-cuts-vote/article-3238935-detail/article.html
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Post by nickd on Feb 18, 2011 22:57:45 GMT 1
Leicester Consumer Advice Centre to close
Leicester City Council is planning to close its Consumer Advice Centre. The centre, which is part of the council’s trading standards division, provides information and advice on consumer law matters to residents and informs consumers and suppliers about their rights and duties. The council also plans to axe one trading standards post and one health and safety post. falseeconomy.org.uk/cuts/item/leicester-consumer-advice-centre
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Post by nickd on Feb 18, 2011 23:50:52 GMT 1
Following a recent spending review by Tory Leicester Council, the news of the cuts justs gets worse, note in particular the drastic effect on CAB funding for vital debt services. Here's the story in the press.....Council tax frozen in Leicestershire but at cost of an extra £5m of front-line cuts By David Maclean Political Correspondent Leicestershire County Council will live up to its election pledge to freeze council tax for the next three years – but it means it will have to make an extra £5m of front-line cuts. Trading Standards inspections and enforcement will be scaled back, the number of park wardens reduced, debt advice services starved of funds, gully-cleaning services cut back and recycling depot hours reduced. This comes on top of previously announced plans to cut 1,000 jobs. Nick Rushton, the council's cabinet member for finance, said: "We stand by our pledge to freeze council tax. We believe most people will feel the money is better off in their pocket than in ours." The Government is urging local authorities to hold council tax for one year from April. In return, it will give them an extra 2.5 per cent rise to help offset the deficit. However, the cash promise does not stand for the following two years – which county Conservatives promised at the 2009 local elections. This means the council will have to make up the shortfall using savings and cuts. Simon Galton, Lib Dem opposition group leader on the council, said: "The public mandate for a council tax freeze is not there any more. "People voted for it long before the people of Leicestershire realised how significant cuts to public services would be. "Of course people don't want to pay extra council tax to pay for bloated back-office management but they would be prepared to pay a little extra to protect front-line services." While overall council tax bills for county residents could still rise due to potential increases in district council, police and fire levies, two-thirds of household council tax bills are made up of the frozen County Hall charge. The council plans to save £82 million from its annual budget – which is £347.7 million for next financial year – through staff turnover and redundancies during the next four years. Yesterday, it announced £5 million of extra front-line service cuts in addition to £19 million outlined last year, by 2014-15. Efficiency savings of £58 million make up the remainder of the council's spending reductions over the four-year period. Officers said this was mainly from reducing back-office staff and management costs. The reductions to Trading Standards services means scientific safety testing of items on sale will be cut back and potential crimes such as car-clocking and counterfeiting will not be investigated. A removal of the council's £680,000 grant to debt advice services will see it cut its entire subsidy to Leicestershire's Citizens Advice Bureau from 2012-13.The number of park rangers at popular green spaces around the county are also likely to be reduced. Efficiency savings include reducing staff numbers in its public relations department, saving up to £860,000 a year, and asking some head teachers to alter school opening hours so that less subsidised buses can be used to cover a specific area. Staff overtime and reclaimable mileage is likely to be reduced, again saving hundreds of thousands of pounds. Coun Rushton said: "We've expected these cuts for some time and we have prepared for them responsibly. Other council's can't say they weren't warned." The council has promised to protect and invest in some areas, such as safeguarding vulnerable people. The budget proposals are due to be rubber-stamped by the council next month. What happened to the debt centre in Leicester anyone? I There's a more up to date link, is this the most up to date?....... www.leicestermoneyadvice.co.uk/id1.htmlAssume it's separate to the one run by A4E/Howells, take it that's still going, does anyone know if their funding is affected?
www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk/leicester/
Anyone from there got any information? Link to story.... www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/council-tax-frozen-cuts-agreed/article-3090597-detail/article.html
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Post by nickd on Feb 19, 2011 23:50:42 GMT 1
Normally the South East is considered quite affluent, but not when it comes to cuts in public services - including funding to the CAB in Hastings.Here's an article from 'False Economy' and what the're doing about it in Sussex.....Hastings Anti Cuts Latest Feb 2011 Location: UK » South East » TN Hastings Anti Cuts meeting 3rd February Unitarian Church Hastings. "1.It was confirmed that 93 people have taken up places on the coaches from Hastings to London for the TUC march on 26th March. PCS have now booked a third coach, so everyone needs to urgently work to get more names to fill it. If we can do that quickly enough we have a chance of getting a fourth! 2.The CWU are having an event on 19TH March against privatisation of the post office, we will send details when we get more information. 3.Posters have now been made for the Hastings against the Cuts Benefit gig at the pig in paradise on Friday 11th February, 8 till late. We will set up a stall in one of the rooms to advertise our Cuts campaign and the march. A raffle has been organised. Banners are to be made, and the band play for free but we will get them some beer. Listings sent to Hastings Observer. Many thanks to Jim Kemp for all the hard work. 4.Group were reminded of the Robert Tressell day on 5th February at the Brass Monkey, Hastings District Trades Council will have a stall and a speaker there and will promote the anti-cuts cause and the issue of victimised reps. 5.The website is using a link from face book which is being created, an innovative idea to promote the campaign is going to be used. Thanks to Colin Sellens for all his IT work 6.Hastings against the Cuts supported the HDTC motion on the continuing victimisation of Trade union reps, specifically two PCS comrades Sue Kendal and Mark Hammond who the Ho,me Office have dismissed with a pathetic lack of evidence. The union firmly believes the real reason for dismissal is that they are, respectively a very active branch secretary and the President of the Home Office Group of the union. 7.Meeting agreed to hold a mass anti cuts Rally in Hastings, following the march on the 26th, time and date to be confirmed. It was suggested that it be a fancy dress (optional) Normans/Saxons and advertised as ‘The Second Battle of Hastings’. 8.The Budget for Hastings Council will be discussed on 16th February and voted on 28th February, Departments such as Marketing, parking and the information centre are to be merged which will mean a large number of compulsory redundancies, this will be above the 9 that have been announced, many people are angry that Hastings has an 8% cut when other wealthy local Tory councils have only a 2% cut. Unison are organising a mass lobby of the budget-setting Council meeting at St Mary in the Castle on 28th to protest the cuts. It was agreed that we will show up to the lobby with all the numbers we can muster. 9.Serious concerns were raised regarding the East Sussex County Council cuts. All care services will be affected which will mean 1500 will lose this essential help. Youth clubs will close and sure start will be done away with. The CAB will also be hit hard with many staff losing jobs at a time when ordinary people need there help more than ever. People also need to be aware of the cuts for disability benefits. We will do a draft letter to send to all other groups affected by the cuts to attend the Hastings Anti Cuts meetings It was pointed out that 43% of Hastings residences do not have cars and are reliant on the bus service so cuts to all these services will have a massive affect on people and there mobility for even simple things such as shopping. 10.UK Uncut gave an update to the meeting, improvised action against the high street shops who fiddle their taxes will continue. 11.AOB. Leaflets were handed out as it is the 25th anniversary of the Wapping dispute. Agreed that these can be handed out at the Robert Tressell event. It was asked has anyone seen our parachuted in Tory MP Amber Rudd, she told us she was not available to meet on a weekday, but she has been very quite regarding her government cuts in Hastings. It was agreed to set up an ‘Amber Watch’. There was also another proposal for direct action, that members of the campaign handcuff themselves naked to the railings outside the Hastings information centre, there was a slight concern that looking at some of us may put local residents off. 12.Next meeting 9th March Venue TBC. Posted by: Eddie HDTC at 1:59pm on 7 February 2011 falseeconomy.org.uk/campaigns/report/hastings-anti-cuts-latest-feb-2011
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Post by nickd on Feb 28, 2011 9:26:02 GMT 1
If any one out there has heard of other cuts around the country - please let us know and post it on here!
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Post by nickd on Feb 28, 2011 23:48:53 GMT 1
Over £10 million pounds worth of cuts are announced in Plymouth today by the city council...Plymouth City Council approves £10.6m budget cut plans The council said it hoped to protect front line services Council 'needs to cut 500 jobs' Council job cuts 'not ruled out' Buildings to close in £10m cuts Plymouth City Council has approved proposals to cut £10.6m from its budget for 2011-2012. The cuts include reducing the council workforce by about 500 posts over the next three years. The council has a total workforce of 14,000 people, and directly employs about 4,800. The Conservative-led council said in December it needed to save £30m over three years to deal with the government's funding cutbacks. Charities and unions have said any cuts would hit services.The estimated 500 job losses represent about 10% of the direct workforce. The council said it was aiming to protect front line services.Councillor Ian Bowyer, the council's cabinet member for finance, said: "What we've tried to do is to ensure that reductions in spending are least in the areas with the highest priority and vice versa. "For instance, the reduction in children's services is some 1.2%. In our back office function, it will be 15%. "I think that demonstrates how we're meeting our priorities by using our resources in the most effective way." It's all very well everyone blaming the previous government for all of these cuts, but how is it that no local council admits to overspending on their own budgets?
What will happen to advice services in Plymouth?
Is it not also true that localism means that government makes the cuts - but the council takes all the flak for having to implement them.www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-12602749
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Post by nickd on Mar 1, 2011 0:04:07 GMT 1
How the cuts hit your local area - some very useful data sources from the Guardian, here it's all mapped out..........Cuts to funding by local councils have been announced by Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles. Which local authorities are worst hit? Local council cuts in England: see the effect where you live. Click image for full graphic. Illustration: Jenny Ridley/guardian.co.uk The Government have announced details of planned cuts to central funding for local councils. The news, announced yesterday in the Commons by Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles will see councils in England facing an average grants cut of 4.4% The provisional details of the funding settlement for councils for both 2011-12 and 2012-13 were published with Eric Pickles stating that: "Despite the huge pressures on public finances, the Coalition Government has taken unprecedented steps to protect councils most reliant on central government funding and freeze council tax" Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Manchester, Rochdale, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Doncaster and South Tyneside are among the 36 local authorities that take the maximum cut of 8.9%. Meanwhile Dorset gets a 0.25% increase in funding and Windsor and Maidenhead, Poole, West Sussex, Wokingham, Richmond upon Thames and Buckinghamshire all get cuts of 1% or below. The new council budgets were wrapped in with each council's revenues from council tax and car parking charges in a measure of their "spending power". By that measure the maximum cut is 8.9% with an average of 4.4% across the 350 councils in England. But, as Polly Curtis writes today: that masked much higher cuts to the central government "formula" grant, which will be cut by 9.9% on average in 2011-12 and 7.3% the year after. For some councils it amounts to a 17% cut in central government funding next year. So, what are the figures where you live? You can download the whole lot - or find out through our sortable table below - and we've included cuts to formula grants, so you can see who is being hit the hardest. What can you do with this data? You can download the data by using the following link.... www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/14/local-council-cuts-data#dataZoom in on your area.... www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/14/local-council-cuts-data#zoomed-picture
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Post by nickd on Mar 4, 2011 16:28:09 GMT 1
How Cornwall is being hit hard by the economic climate and how local CAB are noting increased problems with insufficient resources to deal with them. Big rise in calls to advice bureau as thousands struggle with debts THOUSANDS of Cornish households are struggling with debt according to new figures which show 43 per cent of households have an average £18,500 in unsecured debt. The figures have been revealed by the Cornwall Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) which says that it has seen a massive jump in the number of people calling for advice and help with debt problems due to the recession. Staff from the CAB said that while unemployment figures have not risen sharply in Cornwall many have had to take big cuts in the hours they work and overtime as a result of firms feeling the pinch. The number of people calling the CAB in Cornwall with new cases has jumped by 53 per cent in 2009-10 compared with 2007-08. Figures show that the number of new debt issues taken up by the CAB has risen from 19,970 in 2007-08 to 29,898 in the last year. Inquiries received by CAB offices across Cornwall relating to mortgages and secured loans have doubled from 582 to 1,160. Other inquiries which have increased include: ● benefits up 59 per cent ● debt up 50 per cent ● employment up 42 per cent ● housing up 29 per cent ● relationship and family breakdown up 27 per cent ● fuel debts up 99 per cent All the figures only indicate new cases which have been taken on in the past year by the various CAB offices in Cornwall – many more cases from the previous year are still being handled by volunteers for the service. John Ede, CAB partnership manager for Cornwall, said that the figures showed that the effect of the recession had been seen "across the board". He said: "We have had a lot of calls from people who have lost their jobs but we have had far more from people who have kept their jobs but have had their overtime or hours cut. "While the unemployment figures do not show any dramatic increases firms are having to cut the amount of work they can offer staff and that has a knock-on effect. "Financial commitments that people made before the recession have now left households struggling to cope. When you consider that many of our contacts are on behalf of households rather than individuals it shows the scale of the problem here in Cornwall." Mr Ede said that there were no particular areas in Cornwall affected but said it was a countywide problem. He said: "If we had a major employer close down then we would expect hotspots but this is affecting everyone so the impact can be seen across Cornwall. "It's a blanket which is affecting firms of all sizes." He also highlighted that this recession had been different from any previously seen in the country. He said: "What we are seeing in this recession is higher levels of credit than in previous recessions. Today it is not unusual to hold several credit cards at once – in the early 1990s that was unheard of. "Credit has been much more available in the first part of this century than it has ever been before and that has been part of the problem." Advice The advice from the CAB is that anyone experiencing problems with debt is to seek help. Mr Ede said: "The advice is to get additional information and advice as early as possible. We urge people not to wait until they have a substantial problem before seeking help. "We get people coming to us at all stages but it is much easier if people come to us earlier." Cornwall CAB now has a single telephone number for all its offices in Cornwall. If you need help or assistance then call 0844 4994188 CORNWALL CAB is always looking for volunteers to help provide assistance and support for people in Cornwall. Last year the CAB trained an extra 130 volunteers and the previous year trained 105 people to work for the charity. The additional training has been possible thanks to funding from the Big Lottery fund and from Europe. John Ede said: "We don't really ask for volunteers to have any specific training but it is an advantage if you have had some life experience. We have a very good and extensive training programme which helps prepare volunteers to work for us. "At present we have around 240 to 250 volunteers but we are always looking for more at all our offices in Cornwall and we have a range of roles for people from face-to-face caseworkers to people taking calls on the telephone." If you are interested call 07735 424036 See the link.... www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/news/Big-rise-calls-advice-bureau/article-2174571-detail/article.html
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Post by nickd on Mar 5, 2011 23:26:29 GMT 1
Even apparently affluent Dorset doesn't escape the cuts.....
Which is surprising because Dorset is one of the areas in the Country which has come out of the impact upon on reductions in local authority funding quite well, other parts of the country have had council funding cut back far more than Dorset. Mind you read the article first and then the blog post which follows it, to get an idea why some people would be glad to see CAB closed.
Read the writer's blog post on here......
www.mylegal.org.uk/index.cgi?action=display&board=frontline&thread=248
Legal advice to be cut in Dorset 10:00am Thursday 3rd February 2011 HUNDREDS of Dorset residents could miss out on vital free legal advice as a result of Government cuts, a charity is warning. Shelter Dorset’s Bournemouth-based advice service is one of many organisations under threat and the charity estimates it will no longer be able to help 68 per cent of its clients across the county, until they are in court on the verge of losing their home. Shelter is urging Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns to take urgent action to protect legal funding. Chief Executive Campbell Robb said: “The proposed cuts to legal aid will have a devastating impact. “Essentially they will take away many people’s first line of defence when they fall on hard times. “Anyone who needs free advice should seek it while they can.” www.thisisdorset.net/news/tidnews/8830296.Legal_advice_to_be_cut_in_Dorset/
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Post by nickd on Mar 13, 2011 0:36:45 GMT 1
Southamton facing more savage cuts that other areas - warns Dr Whitehead. Cuts for the voluntary sector - including CAB and many other essential frontline services - have and will be hit harder than ever before.Here's what he says.... Whitehead presses government on savage cuts to Southampton’s voluntary sector Dr Alan Whitehead, Member of Parliament for Southampton Test, has pressed the government to come clean about the real impact of their savage cuts to the voluntary sector funding in Southampton. In a question to Communities and Local Government Minister Greg Clark, Dr Whitehead said: “Next year, my local authority is cutting more than 20% of its running grants for voluntary and community organisations, which means that organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Council for Voluntary Service and advice services generally will find it almost impossible to continue to support the volunteers they have supported over the past year. “Does the Minister think that authorities such as Southampton will rue the day they did that, or is he rueing the day that he enabled his Department to acquiesce so readily in the cuts to local government funding that he has endorsed?” Speaking after the DCLG debate, Dr Whitehead said: “Southampton is lucky to have a vibrant voluntary sector that works incredibly hard to make our city a better place. Often they only receive a small amount of funding from the Council, but that funding can be critical in their ability to function. To talk about volunteering and the ‘Big Society’ while slashing support for these organisations is the very definition of destructive hypocrisy.” Last month Dr Whitehead wrote to the City Council asking for a full breakdown of voluntary organisations under threat because of this reduction in funding. The confirmed services hit so far include: * One Community – Help in the Home Service * City Centre Catholic Care * Choices Advocacy * Mayfield Nursery * Two Saints – Day Centre * MIND Companion Service * St James – Home Support service * Options – Alcohol counselling * St James Substance Misuse Support Service There will be further cuts to the overall grant pot available for other community groups, although the specific groups that will lose out as a result has yet to be confirmed. A full list of organisations currently receiving funding is attached. This year Southampton has received its worst funding settlement ever in its history as a unitary authority. The Tories have cut over 10% from Southampton’s overall grant. Their own figures show Southampton has suffered a cut in spending power 4 times as bad as was given to neighbouring Hampshire. Other news from Southampton Labour •Southampton MP outraged by near £500 Meals on Wheels price hike - 8 March 2011 •John Denham expresses concern at child poverty figures - 27 February 2011 •Itchen MP backs Southampton General Hospital children's cardiac unit - 23 February 2011 Read more news from Southampton Labour..... And the link.... www.labourmatters.com/southampton-labour/whitehead-presses-government-on-savage-cuts-to-southamptons-voluntary-sector/
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Post by nickd on Mar 13, 2011 10:01:55 GMT 1
East Riding facing more and more savage cuts affecting areas of the country which are being particularly hit hard by government cuts. Her an ex-serviceman tells of how he turned his own misfortune after facing debt himself by helping others as a volunteer with Citizens Advice Bureau. Mention is also made of how advice services in this area are very reliant on legal aid funding.Big blow to debt advice after charity’s funding cut by halfPublished on Thursday 10 February 2011 09:44 SERVICES at an independent charity will be drastically cut back and hours reduced after nearly half its income was cut. More than 30 members of staff are on notice of redundancy at the Citizens Advice Bureau, which offers free confidential advice to people living in Hull and the East Riding. The biggest blow is the loss of £430,000 Government funding, which is specifically for debt advice, and means eight specialist workers – seven in Hull and one in the East Riding, are being axed. Workers at the independent charity deal with 1,700 debt cases a year, including complicated cases where they act on behalf of their clients as they try to navigate their way out of their problems and negotiate with debt collection agencies. The financial difficulties of the last few years have accelerated a longer-term trend of more and more people struggling with debt. Hull has one of the highest levels of personal insolvencies in the region. Figures rose from 257 in 2000 to 1,063 in 2009. East Yorkshire Citizens Advice Bureau chief executive, Lesley Thornley said the most severe impact overall would be felt in Hull. Hours at the drop-in centre where people could get advice on everything from benefits to housing, would be reduced. She said: “Certainly in Hull there will be no paid debt case advisors. “In the East Riding there will be two specialist debt workers, but they have most of their work is done under Legal Services Commission funding. “The reason why Hull had the biggest team was because of multiple deprivation in Hull. People in the city will experience the biggest impact at a time when I’d suggest there was still significant multiple deprivation in the city. “It’s a casework service not just an advice service. These are people who are acting on behalf of clients. “They deal with complex needs like bankruptcy, debt relief orders, repossession and court action. “They are not the sort of things clients tend to handle themselves with a little bit of advice and self help material.” She added: “We are lobbying hard and actively looking for alternative sources of funding.” Citizens Advice Bureau volunteer John Taylor fell into debt after leaving the RAF after 29 years, and going into several short-lived jobs. The final straw came when he lost his job as a manager for a software house in Cambridge and ended up £45,000 in debt. Mr Taylor said: “I was institutionalised and didn’t know about debt management. In the forces I didn’t have money worries.” Still struggling to find a job at nearly 60, Mr Taylor decided to keep occupied by volunteering for the CAB and now finds himself often giving advice in an area in which he has grown expert. Mr Taylor said services in the East Riding were already hard to access and the cuts would make it harder still. He said: “There aren’t enough advisors already. If they want help they have to go to Bridlington, and if they are in debt that isn’t always easy, and they have to be eligible for legal aid, otherwise we can only help them help themselves. “Debt companies or debt collection agencies frequently refuse to listen to the client. “It will make it harder for the client to see an advisor. The expert advisors will end up having to do more case work.” Changes to legal aid will be a further barrier, said Mr Taylor. At the moment they can act as advocates for clients if they are on income or employment support, or some kind of means tested benefit, but not if they have savings or a reasonable level of income. “If you cut legal aid availability it will put more people out of the loop,” he said. East Riding Council continues to support the Citizens Advice Bureau, as part of the Community Legal Advice network, awarding funding of £165,000. The CAB currently employs 55 staff. The link to the story in the Yorkshire Post..www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/big_blow_to_debt_advice_after_charity_s_funding_cut_by_half_1_3062850
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Post by nickd on Mar 13, 2011 12:36:34 GMT 1
Sheffield Council send Vince Cable their motion over concern to axe financial inclusion funding earlier this year helping thousands with over £25 million pounds worth of crippling debt. Okay Vince -you've given a temporary reprive by extending the funding for 12 months - BUT REMEMBER PEOPLE IN GRAVE FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY WILL FACE PROBLEMS FOR A LOT LONGER THAN A YEAR.
Here's the councilllor's motion....16. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Jillian Creasy That this Council: (a) notes the imminent loss of 12 experienced Face to Face Debt Specialist Caseworkers in the most deprived areas of Sheffield funded through the Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF) project, a project managed by the CAB Debt Support Unit in partnership with the City Council; (b) notes that during 2009/10, 1,930 clients were referred to the Debt Caseworkers who dealt with £25.6 million of debt and prevented the loss of 110 client's homes; (c) notes that the Caseworkers are taking on no appointments from 14th January, 2011 as casework has to be rundown ahead of the end of contract; (d) believes that this is especially worrying as after Christmas is a time when many people face financial hardship; (e) is concerned at the anticipated loss of debt support services from April 2011, especially given the impact of escalating debt, high unemployment and changes in the welfare system and the current and future economic climate; (f) believes the Sheffield FIF Debt Advice Project has successfully engaged with clients in greatest need, particularly those experiencing financial exclusion, such as those on low income, not having bank accounts, using high interest credit or those not having insurance or savings and believes the benefits of the project spread far beyond their client group; (g) urges the Government to continue this successful project which benefits both the most vulnerable in our society and the wider community; (h) will provide any appropriate support to the project in its efforts to secure continued funding; and (i) directs that a copy of this motion be sent to Vince Cable MP at the Department for Innovation and Skills and to all Sheffield MPs. Read this and other motions when the Council sat on the 5th January earlier this year....... www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/full-council/agendas-2011/agenda-5th-january-2011
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Post by nickd on Mar 13, 2011 23:29:34 GMT 1
It's a myth to think these cuts only affect those in apparently 'deprived' areas; - they affect everyone everywhere. Here's news on how the cuts will impact upon Eastbourne; - down on the South East coast. The problem with areas like this is that all can be well until you lose your job or face some other unforeseen change in circumstances. People then face higher than normal housing costs and so forth, it can turn people's lives completely upside down.
Here's what the papers say in Eastbourne, in an article covering the effect the legal aid cuts will have on Eastbourne CAB....Advice bureau warning over legal aid cuts Published on Monday 10 January 2011 12:00 PLANS to slash legal aid will leave many people with nowhere to turn for expert help with urgent and serious problems, Eastbourne Citizens Advice Bureau warned this week. The CAB is worried that more than half a million people on low incomes could be cut off from free advice on legal problems involving important family issues, welfare benefits, employment, housing, education and debt as a result of Government proposals to cut legal aid by £350 million. If the plans go ahead, most of these issues will no longer qualify for legal aid except in very limited circumstances, and people on low incomes will be asked to pay more than ever to get the legal advice they need. Its concerns have prompted the bureau to join the ‘Justice for All’ campaign to ensure everyone is treated fairly under the law, no matter who they are, how much money they have or where they live. The campaign is a coalition of legal and advice agencies, charities such as Mind, Scope and Kids’ Company, trade unions, community groups and members of the public. CAB manager Alan Bruzon said, “Every year Eastbourne CAB and BHT Eastbourne Advice help around 2,000 people at moments of real need, thanks to funding from civil legal aid. “If people can’t access legal help, the consequences can be dire – spiralling debt, homelessness, family breakdown, domestic violence, depression. “Withdrawing legal aid with no alternative on offer will deny access to justice to some of the most vulnerable people in our community, leaving them overwhelmed by problems with nowhere to turn. “What’s more, this really is a false economy. The entire legal aid budget is equivalent to only two weeks’ worth of public funding to the NHS. “Yet the savings to the taxpayer are on a scale of up £10 to every pound put in, if people get legal advice early enough to save costs to other public services further down the line.” To find out more, or to join the campaign, visit www.justice-for-all.org.ukHere's the link... www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/news/local-news/advice_bureau_warning_over_legal_aid_cuts_1_2254067
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Post by nickd on Mar 13, 2011 23:34:52 GMT 1
Here's a really good summary of how the changes in the way the DWP and Local Authorities will impact upon people. It covers all the benefit changes and changes to housing payments; - a very well prepared piece of work by Pebbles Padfield - a specialist mental health caseworker from Cambridge CAB.Read Pebble's summary, it's well worth a look... www.cambridgecab.org.uk/What's_New/pdfs/Changes.pdf Esper- could you check the link on this one - Thanks?
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2011 14:55:03 GMT 1
Birmingham voluntary sector including CAB gets a judicial reprieve.
Thanks to Rich for posting this one on Ilegal. It highlights how the judiciary are saying 'No' to the legality of the Government's cuts. Government may be mighty, but ultimately it's the long arm of the law which has the last say. Government may pass laws and policies based on their own agenda or morals but it's the courts who decide how laws should be applied. This is a really good result for the advice sector, it remains to be seen whether attempts are made to appeal against the judgment but local government should not disregard the power of judicial challenge. Similarly, Government should not assume that they are going to get away with saying all new laws are being proposed for reform with full consultation and assessment on those who stand to be most affected - this ruling puts a question mark over the validity of unqualified 'impact assessments'. Interestingly it is this area which the Liberals have sought to challenge when proposing a motion at their conference.
Here's the article...
Decision to axe £1.4m funding for Birmingham voluntary groups ruled unlawfulby Paul Dale, Birmingham Post Apr 1 2011 A decision to axe a £1.4 million funding package for 13 voluntary organisations, including the Citizens Advice Bureau, was unlawful, a High Court Judge has ruled. Mr Justice Blake said a Birmingham City Council decision to stop giving money to groups such as the Citizens Advice Bureau was “clearly defective” and that councillors appeared not to understand their obligations under the Race Relations Act, Sex Discrimination Act and Disability Discrimination Act. Council leaders failed to take proper account of the impact that withdrawing grants would have on disabled and vulnerable people, the judge added. No consultation was carried out with people who would suffer because of the funding cuts, neither did the cabinet consider other ways of helping the organisations to identify alternative funding. Although council officers drew up an Equality Impact Needs Assessment it was defective and did not address the real issues, the judge said. Mr Justice Blake allowed a judicial review by users of the three of the affected organisations – the Birmingham Tribunal Unit, the Chinese Community Centre and St James’s Advice Centre – and ordered the council to continue to pay them a total of £25,000 a month until the cabinet can reconsider the matter and reach a lawful decision based on effective consultation. In reality, the decision means that the three bodies will continue to receive council cash at least until June. The judge was critical of the cabinet’s decision to cut funding from this March, when a commissioning process to approve a new grant regime would not be completed until July, leaving a four-month gap when the 13 groups would receive no money at all from the council." This gives us hope because even though our Government may not be on side; - the judiciary are showing signs that they support us in recognising the prominent role advice agencies and support groups play in protecting vulnerable sectors of our society.Read More www.birminghampost.net/news/west-..../#ixzz1IHg7KczG Read more: ilegal.org.uk/index.cgi?board=news&action=display&thread=1617#ixzz1IT3C6Iny
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Post by nickd on Apr 7, 2011 20:39:21 GMT 1
Portsmouth Advice Centre - relegated to the history books?
Here's a shining example of how a change in Government thinking turns a once flag-ship example into a soon to be defunct and redundant community resource. I remember the very postive press which went out when Portsmouth opened its doors.Thanks to Jman for posting this one on Ilegal earlier on. Article on LAG blog today re risk of cuts to legal advice in Portsmouth "Thursday, 7 April 2011 Problems in Portsmouth Portsmouth Community Legal Advice Centre's (PCLAC) future looks in doubt after Portsmouth City Council and the Legal Services Commission (LSC) decided not to retender or extend the centre’s contracts. LAG understands that both the council and the LSC had intended to renew the centre’s existing contracts until 2012, but as it has fallen short of its targets for specialist level work they decided not to. PCLAC holds contracts in family, housing, benefits, debt and community care, which LAG understands end this month. The LSC is running a tendering exercise for contracts for debt, housing and welfare benefits to serve Portsmouth and hopes to put in place temporary contracts to cover the work in the meantime. PCLAC was the second community legal advice centre to get off the ground. It opened its doors in May 2008. The centre was a joint venture between Portsmouth Citizens Advice Bureau and The YOU Trust, a large regional charity which provides care services. It enjoyed a high profile with visits from Lord Bach, while he was legal aid minister and Jack Straw, in his then position of Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary. The last government believed that CLACs could be established across the country to bring together legal advice services paid for by local government and legal aid. But most local councils were reluctant to enter into agreements to jointly tender services with the LSC as they were afraid this would lead to the closure of, or severe cutbacks in, existing local not for profit advice centres. The government announced plans in November 2010 to cut legal aid for most of the work covered by the few CLACs which have been established and so it now looks like they will be consigned to history. What frustrates LAG is an essentially good idea of bringing services together to better serve clients, has never caught on because the government and the LSC were not prepared to listen to the concerns from providers about the initiative. It is to be hoped that Portsmouth City Council will continue to support the Citizens Advice Bureau which has two branches in the city, as this is now the its main provider of advice on debt, benefits and other areas of social welfare law." Link : legalactiongroupnews.blogspot.com/ « Last Edit: Today at 11:18am by jman » Read more: www.ilegal.org.uk/index.cgi?board=proposals&action=display&thread=2682#ixzz1IrrIFotk
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Post by nickd on Apr 22, 2011 16:26:04 GMT 1
Please keep posting on these dangerous cuts and remember the end of Financial Inclusion Funding is less that a year away, it's way too late to leave it until then to speak up. These cuts need to be highlighted NOW!!
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Post by nickd on Apr 22, 2011 22:37:03 GMT 1
More on Rochdale and their campaign against the cuts, including the reactions of some of those who defend the work the centre does....
Rochdale Law Centre in crisis
Date published: 14 February 2011
Rochdale Law Centre has provided free, independent legal services in Rochdale for the last twenty years, yet its future is now uncertain.
It’s funding for asylum and immigration has already been cut by 75%. Proposed cuts to Legal Aid, combined with the Council's funding crisis, will further decimate the Law Centre's work in community care, housing rights, employment rights, and discrimination.
Lauren Butler, Female Asylum Support Worker at the centre, said: “Proposed cuts to legal aid are going to cut all areas meaning in some cases if people want to bring a suit they won’t be able to.
“One in four people from Rochdale will need legal assistance at least once in their life time. Rochdale is one of the most deprived areas and it is being hit extra hard. If our services are reduced we just don’t see where we will refer people to.
“We have already had 75 per cent cuts in asylum and immigration and funding from the council has also been reduced – we are being squeezed from all sires.
“We have no plans to close – we want the law centre to stay open but our services are going to be restricted.”
Rochdale Law Centre has asked current and past clients, community partners, and all other concerned parties to write their MPs and oppose cuts to Legal Aid.
Comments
Kick one we all limp... perfect example of why we all need to stand together to oppose these cuts before we loose the services we have left in Rochdale. And of course with massed redundancies, extra lay offs and debts spreading, services such as the Law Centre and the specialist debt service at Rochdale CAB are set to become even more vital to increasing numbers of people.
By Streetshack @ 14/02/2011 16:16:06
This is a disgrace. This is a great service for ALL Rochdalians not just seeking help on asylum or immigration issues. They gave me great help putting a case for the Small Claims Court together which I won easily due to them.
By Ishmael @ 14/02/2011 16:22:39
Yes, spot on Ishmael, and let's not forget Cameron and Clegg have just had to do a u-turn and find funding for the specialist debt advisers (due to be laid off because of funding cuts) because alarm bells have been going off in Westminster as to who will be there to meet the massive expected increase in bankruptcies, repossesions, mortgage defaults, redundancies and industrial disputes as people fight back against the cut backs. This country is heading lemming like over the cliff. Wake up!
By Streetshack @ 15/02/2011 13:12:11
Successive governments have sold off the family silver years ago. Now the basics are going as well. "Who'll give me ten bob for this lovely pair of curtains?" With the debt advisors going, the loan sharks should be heading for bumper profits. Time to buy a few shares in Wonga.com.
By Ishmael @ 15/02/2011 14:23:53
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Post by nickd on May 23, 2011 0:22:24 GMT 1
Impending Loss of employment justice threat in Kent.... As posted by Jman on Ilegal 22/5/2011... Article on effect of legal aid cuts in Kent "Unfairly treated employees in Kent could lose out in legal aid cuts Underhanded employers may take advantage of legal aid cuts at the expense of low earners who cannot afford court fees, a solicitor has warned. Nick Fairweather – chief executive of Canterbury-based Fairweathers Solicitors – is supporting a Law Society campaign that opposes the Government’s plan to cut the legal aid bill by £350 million over four years. He believes that if low-paid workers lose the ability to take their bosses to court, businesses may get away with mistreating their staff or firing them without good reason. Mr Fairweather said: "The effect of the cuts will be absolutely huge in Kent as social welfare is expected to be affected and that includes benefits, debt, housing, employment and community care. "In the whole of east Kent my firm and one other are legally allowed to take about 100 legal aid cases, but that is already inadequate. We could easily do 200-250. "But that’s being swept away so there will be nowhere for people to get employment advice in the whole of east Kent. That’s totally unacceptable and gives a green flag to disreputable employers to do whatever they want. "Why should they do things properly if there’s no-one to hold them to account? "The picture will be the same throughout Kent and it’s the people most in need who seem to be bearing the brunt of the cuts." Under plans announced by the Ministry of Justice last year, legal aid will only be made routinely available in cases where an applicant’s life or liberty is at stake. The proposals, intended to reduce an annual bill of £2 billion, is thought likely to reduce the number of civil legal aid cases by 500,000. "The cuts are entirely misconceived on all bases because the perceived economic benefits haven’t been thought through," said Mr Fairweather. "A hell of a lot of work has been done in recent years to properly fund qualified debt and benefit advice, and if you look at patterns of behaviour in housing cases that end up in court it’s because people end up in debt or don’t have their benefits processed properly." Last week the director of the award-winning Kent Law School warned that students offering pro-bono services could not be expected to cover for the funding cuts. The Law Society campaign Sound Off For Justice aims to persuade the Government to rethink the proposals. The campaign website – soundoffforjustice.org – allows visitors to sign a petition to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke. POSTED: 22/05/2011 16:00:00 " www.yourcanterbury.co.uk/p_139/Ar....legal_aid _cuts Read more: ilegal.org.uk/index.cgi?board=reformnews&action=display&thread=2882#ixzz1N7taAu3N
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Post by nickd on May 23, 2011 0:34:34 GMT 1
Article about Bolton, as posted by Jman on 22/5/2011... Article in Red Pepper by Jon Robbins on effect of legal aid cuts on CABx. (If they go ahead and try to cut social welfare law the voluntary sector and all of us have got to get out there and make sure that they can never ever raise the notion of the Big Society again because then it will clearly be dead once and for all.) "Big Society brings little aid Jon Robins looks at cuts to Citizens Advice Bureaux Bolton Citizens Advice Bureau is on the frontline of the credit crunch. During the past year, its advisers helped 14,000 people. It is one of the larger in the network of 394 bureaux, which last year advised 2.1 million people nationwide. A sense of their diversity can be obtained from one random day in January, when 63 people were advised at Bolton. According to the notes made by advisers, they included: a family with two children under the age of four years old who lost their benefits (‘haven’t been able to afford to feed themselves’); a 24-year-old father of two, refused paternity leave and threatened with the sack after his partner suffered a stillbirth with no one to look after the children (partner is ‘currently unable to do so due to pregnancy-related health problems’); an asylum seeker with two children (‘no food and nowhere for her or her children to sleep’); and a young mum, 21 weeks pregnant, who, with her partner, was struggling to pay bills and was ‘very concerned about the baby’s health. Is there anything else they can claim or do?’ Citizens Advice runs on a volunteer army. Of its 28,500 workers, 21,500 are volunteers. It is ‘an absolutely vital part of the “big society”’, David Cameron has said. Yet his government’s proposals will ‘decimate’ Bolton CAB, reckons chief executive Barry Lyons. According to Citizens Advice, more than half of the bureaux it surveyed reckon that the government’s plans ‘pose a real risk’ to their continued operation. Bolton is an illustration of what’s happening. Two-thirds of its income comes from legal aid. Ministers look determined to slash the £2.1 billion legal aid scheme by £350 million. They are currently consulting on their green paper. Many of the cuts (£279 million) are directed at civil and family advice. This represents a 50 per cent cut in civil legal aid services to the public. And it’s not just legal aid funding that Bolton CAB stands to lose. It has been told to expect a significant cut in its local authority funding (another 15 per cent of its income). Two-thirds of Bolton CAB’s clients are there because they have debt or welfare benefits problems. Ministers want such cases to be removed from legal aid, dismissing them as ‘generally not of sufficiently high importance to warrant funding’. That shows a shocking disregard for legal aid’s demographic. According to the government’s own impact assessment, legal aid recipients are ‘amongst the most disadvantaged in society … 97 per cent of legal aid recipients were in the bottom two income quintiles with almost 80 per cent in the bottom.’ According to Bolton CAB, out of the 63 people it saw on that one day in January, around ten might receive help if the government’s proposals go ahead. This column is about the experiences of some of the ordinary people who will be affected by that decision. When I visited Bolton earlier this year, I met ‘Joe’, a 48-year-old former roofer who arrived, as many do, with a shopping bag full of unopened correspondence. ‘I’m worried about the bailiffs,’ he told debt adviser Tracey. His debts – a court fine for unpaid car insurance (£415), an outstanding TV licence payment (£94) – totalled less than £1,000, but they were causing him huge anxiety. He had been in hospital at the weekend having suffered a second heart attack. Eight months previously, a shoulder injury stopped him from working. He was diagnosed with depression, put on medication, signed off sick and in October had his first heart attack. He was right to be anxious. Both the court fine and TV licence are ‘priority debts’ and, as Tracey explained: ‘Creditors don’t tend to mess around.’ Don’t panic, Tracey assured Joe. In less than 20 minutes she sorted out the fine repayment and reinstated a lapsed TV licensing payment scheme over the phone. Joe’s relief was obvious. ‘It’s the stress. The littlest thing just becomes the biggest thing when you feel like this.’ How did it feel to have these problems sorted out? ‘It couldn’t be more important. I can’t afford anything. I can’t afford to pay for advice.’ Citizens Advice reckons that for every £1 that the state invests in its legal help scheme ‘the state potentially saves £8.80’. Commons testimony A couple of weeks after Bolton, I was at the House of Commons at an extraordinary event organised by the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers and the Young Legal Aid Lawyers and chaired by Michael Mansfield. A series of ordinary people, as well as expert witnesses, gave ‘testimony’ before a distinguished panel of non-lawyers on the value of publicly-funded law. A woman (‘EP’) told the panel – former Lib Dem MP Evan Harris, the canon of Westminster Abbey, the reverend professor Nicholas Sagovsky and Diana Holland of Unite – how her life and that of her partner and father of their child spiralled out of control as abuse and addiction took grip. ‘Over the next year things were awful. Child protection was working with me and my husband but, because of his drug addiction and my alcohol addiction, we were getting worse. I was so miserable,’ she said. Her husband was a City banker and enjoyed ‘quite a party lifestyle’, complete with a cocaine habit by the time they married in 2002. He was (in her words) ‘older, very domineering and controlling’ and she was ‘naïve’. EP became withdrawn, spending all her time with their baby daughter. She began to drink heavily. ‘I was just giving up on life. I did not have the energy or the will to try and sort myself out.’ As the marriage fell apart, there was violence on both sides and the police were called. Social services became involved and proceedings to take their daughter into care began. At this point EP realised she need to escape an abusive relationship and approached solicitors. Did she have the money to pay for legal advice? asked Rev Sagovsky. ‘No,’ EP replied. ‘My husband had control of our finances.’ It was one of three testimonies dealing with relationship breakdown. This is significant because ministers propose in its green paper to scrap legal aid for family cases. Ministers insist it will be retained where there is domestic violence. However, there’s a catch. The definition in the green paper is ‘ongoing risk of physical harm’ – and even then it only applies in prescribed circumstances, such as where there is a protective order. As the support group Rights of Women points out, ‘Psychological, financial and emotional abuse are all serious forms of “domestic violence” that can have devastating long-term consequences.’ EP wouldn’t have received legal aid under the government’s proposals. What would that have meant? ‘I probably would have lost both my children and may well still have been an alcoholic and in a violent relationship,’ she said. As it is, EP hasn’t had a drink for three years, while her husband sorted himself and now lives in Singapore. The couple have ‘an amicable relationship for the sake of the children’. Both EP and Joe were the lucky beneficiaries of state‑supported advice which, if the government pushes on with its cuts, will be a thing of the past. The justice gap is about to get a lot wider. Jon Robins is a freelance journalist (www.jonrobins.info) and co-author of The Justice Gap: Whatever happened to legal aid? (Legal Action Group, 2009)" www.redpepper.org.uk/big-society-brings-little-aid/But remember, that much as though the work the volunteers do is fantastic in every sense, it has to be complimented by adequate provision of paid staff who can provide a 9 to 5 presence and to whom the volunteers can refer on to when a case needs to call for a paid member of staff to deal with the enquiry.
Without sufficient resources to pay staff, there would be no volunteer workforce.Read more: ilegal.org.uk/index.cgi?board=reformnews&action=display&thread=2881#ixzz1N7vknSwO
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jman
Full Member
Posts: 155
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Post by jman on May 23, 2011 12:06:55 GMT 1
Article on the effect of legal aid cuts on Kent "Unfairly treated employees in Kent could lose out in legal aid cuts Underhanded employers may take advantage of legal aid cuts at the expense of low earners who cannot afford court fees, a solicitor has warned. Nick Fairweather – chief executive of Canterbury-based Fairweathers Solicitors – is supporting a Law Society campaign that opposes the Government’s plan to cut the legal aid bill by £350 million over four years. He believes that if low-paid workers lose the ability to take their bosses to court, businesses may get away with mistreating their staff or firing them without good reason. Mr Fairweather said: "The effect of the cuts will be absolutely huge in Kent as social welfare is expected to be affected and that includes benefits, debt, housing, employment and community care. "In the whole of east Kent my firm and one other are legally allowed to take about 100 legal aid cases, but that is already inadequate. We could easily do 200-250. "But that’s being swept away so there will be nowhere for people to get employment advice in the whole of east Kent. That’s totally unacceptable and gives a green flag to disreputable employers to do whatever they want. "Why should they do things properly if there’s no-one to hold them to account? "The picture will be the same throughout Kent and it’s the people most in need who seem to be bearing the brunt of the cuts." Under plans announced by the Ministry of Justice last year, legal aid will only be made routinely available in cases where an applicant’s life or liberty is at stake. The proposals, intended to reduce an annual bill of £2 billion, is thought likely to reduce the number of civil legal aid cases by 500,000. "The cuts are entirely misconceived on all bases because the perceived economic benefits haven’t been thought through," said Mr Fairweather. "A hell of a lot of work has been done in recent years to properly fund qualified debt and benefit advice, and if you look at patterns of behaviour in housing cases that end up in court it’s because people end up in debt or don’t have their benefits processed properly." Last week the director of the award-winning Kent Law School warned that students offering pro-bono services could not be expected to cover for the funding cuts. The Law Society campaign Sound Off For Justice aims to persuade the Government to rethink the proposals. The campaign website – soundoffforjustice.org – allows visitors to sign a petition to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke. POSTED: 22/05/2011 16:00:00" www.yourcanterbury.co.uk/p_139/Article/a_13836/Unfairly_treated_employees_in_Kent_could_lose_out_in_legal_aid_cuts
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Post by nickd on Jun 10, 2011 23:39:02 GMT 1
We've not had any details of any cuts around the country for a while, if anyone has any could they please post on here? Thanks
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Post by nickd on Jun 20, 2011 23:08:40 GMT 1
Here's one dear to my heart... "Monday, 20th June 2011 "Legal aid crisis looms as advice centre budget cut Monday, June 20, 2011 Torquay Herald Express SOUTH Devon is facing a legal aid crisis as the government threatens to axe cash help for some of the most vulnerable members of society which could leave them facing eviction or even prison. The proposed cuts will virtually wipe out the legal aid budget for South Hams Citizens Advice Bureau, which deals with hundreds of debt, benefits and housing issues across South Hams, Torbay and Teignbridge every year. The bureau will lose around £180,000, some 65 per cent of its annual £290,000 budget, over the next two years. But the bureau's case work supervisor Nick Dilworth warned that the loss of cash would make the legal aid system unworkable long before the two years is up, leaving up to six case workers out of a job and hundreds of desperate people with nowhere to go for help. "The South Hams and surrounding Torbay area has one of the highest insolvency rates in the country and without the support of specialist advice services the volunteers would be hard pressed to deal with the increasing number of clients who present needing specialist legal advice by paid advisers," he warned. "The legal services team has built up one of the largest legal aid contracts in the county and supports the volunteers in the work that they do." The South Hams Bureau deals with welfare and benefit issues across South Hams, Torbay and Teignbridge. It also deals with debt issues for South Hams and Teignbridge and also helps with housing issues in partnership with the Shelter charity. The latest government proposals will slash all legal aid for welfare issues and will allow cash help for people facing housing issues only if they are in imminent danger of losing their home. "That is just daft," said Mr Dilworth. "The whole point of legal aid is to be preventive, avoid court and not leave things to the last minute." He said at the moment the bureau is involved in more than 500 welfare cases and even more debt cases. "There is nowhere else for them to go," he said. "Advice agencies are facing cut backs and restrictions in funding. We will have a situation here where very skilled specialists will essentially be out of work and there will be nobody to help these people. That's the absurdity of it." The bureau, which has been operating legal aid contracts for the last 12 years, currently employs two specialists working on debt issues, another two on welfare benefit, two administrators and a volunteer. It deals with cases through the local county courts and London tribunals. Mr Dilworth said the bureau regularly deals with cases where people are at risk of losing their homes as well as benefits cases that can sometime spiral into criminal cases leaving people faced with possible jail terms. The cuts danger was recently spelled out to Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston at a Totnes meeting involving a whole range of South Devon organisations including local councillors, solicitors, insolvency experts, Totnes Caring, the Totnes Children's Centre, Westcountry Housing, the local Community Voluntary Service and the Rethink and Cool Recovery charities. The meeting was part of a national campaign to try and make the government rethink the cuts outlined in the Legal Aid and Sentencing Bill. "We are lobbying MPs very hard at the moment," said Mr Dilworth. "One of the daftest comments came recently from one minister who said that all welfare benefits advice is basic mechanical advice and people can sort out problems for themselves and we say that is just ridiculous." www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Legal-....tail/story.htmlRead more: ilegal.org.uk/index.cgi?board=reformnews&action=display&thread=3039#ixzz1Pr6rIRmJ
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Post by nickd on Jun 26, 2011 21:12:02 GMT 1
It looks likely that agencies will be facing a 10% reduction in their fees from the 3rd October, seemingly this can be passed without any proper debate. It's bound to have some firms wondering whether they can continue to operate, please tell us about any operational difficulties on here.
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