Post by nickd on Sept 30, 2011 17:33:04 GMT 1
The latest vote catching idea to come out of number 10
No, I don't mean Eric Pickles, it's his plans to relegate the days of fortnightly collections to the bin; - at a cost of £250 MILLION pounds!
"Eric Pickles unveils £250m fund to help restore weekly bin collections"
"Communities secretary Eric Pickles' desire for every Englishman to put the remnants of their chicken tikka masala in their bin without having to wait a fortnight for it to be collected may be moving a step closer"
Pickles fails to tackle the real waste problem
With 440,000 ready meals going to waste everyday, why on earth doesn't Pickles get to grip with the real waste? - and why can't he see that whilst some are eating too much, others can hardly afford to put food on their plates?
The latest idea has been seen by many to be a cheap gimmick ahead of the Conservative party conference. Some are saying the money could be far better spent on maintaining frontline services.
Many advice centres are helping those made redundant as a direct result of government cuts, people are having to wait weeks to get their basic benefits sorted out. Advice centres are increasingly reporting how they have to sign post their clients to food kitchens so they can get a bite to eat. We're seeing the genuinely disabled have their money cut as targeted decision making labels them scroungers. We battle their cases for months and get things put right by proving they're genuine; - but far too little is said of the work we do and how our money in some cases is being cut by 100%.
A little less waste from those who can afford to throw it away, could do a great deal to help put more on the plate for those genuinely in need.
£250 million represents a huge chunk of the £350 million a year which the coalition government is taking away from basic legal aid. The hardest hit with these cuts will be community based advice agencies who stand to lose up to an average of 69% of their legal aid funding.
This £250 million cost of this latest 'waste' initiative by not so community minded Pickles would restore proper levels of legal aid funding for those with a benefit, debt, housing, employment, or family problem; - it's yet another kick in the teeth for any one who's more worried about where their next meal is coming from rather than the waste on their plate.
We know government cares little about social injustice for the poorer sectors of society; - this just proves they want to relegate it to the bin!
Read more: www.metro.co.uk/news/877114-eric-pickles-unveils-250m-fund-to-help-restore-weekly-bin-collections#ixzz1ZSH5P7pH