Labour and Co-operative Member of
Parliament for Kemptown and Peacehaven
Austerity Means – Money Money Money
Austerity – benefits and credit claimants
Incapacity benefit claimants; in Lewes it is estimated that of 2300 existing claimants, 736 will be designated as fit for work following reassessment.
Lone parents whose youngest child is aged 5 or above are now receiving jobseekers allowance requiring them to actively seek work.
Couples with children must work 24 hours between them to qualify for Working Tax Credit. 33.4% of the workforce in Lewes work part time.
Housing benefit claimants with 1 ânon-occupiedâ room will lose an average of £11 per week and those with 2 ânon-occupied ârooms will lose on average £20 per week.
From April 2013 the Social Fund will be abolished and Crisis Loans and Community Care grants will be managed by local authorities.
(From a briefing produced by East Sussex Advice Plus January 2012)
Austerity for For tax payers
People with an income of £20,000 will lose £253.
Tax paying pensioners will lose £84 on average, more for the soon to be retired.
Meanwhile those with an income of £1million will get an extra £42,500; those with an income of £150,000 will get an extra £10,000.
Jimmy Carr pays 1% tax on his earnings of £3.3 million and there are plenty more like him!
Executive pay and bankers bonuses continue to climb to ever more giddying heights while the 99% struggle with pay freezes and job insecurity.
What can we do about resisting austerity?
As Labour Party members we can make our voices heard.
Check out www.moveyourmoney.org.uk
Come to the branch meeting on 31st July to hear Colin Holden from the East Sussex Credit Union speak about the work of the ESCU in Lewes.Â
Download the full briefing here
or go to our Downloads page here
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