Notice of Motion Submitted by Councillor Lappin
To consider the following Motion submitted by Councillor Lappin and seconded by Councillor Hardy:
The Government’s Welfare Reforms and the impact on the lives of people in Sefton
“Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council faces unprecedented levels of cuts to its budget due to the Government’s austerity measures.
Since 2010, the Council has reduced the amount of money it has to spend in real terms by £115 million. Out of every pound available to the Council to spend, 52pence is spent on delivering social care services to vulnerable adults and children in support of its core purpose of protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. This accounts for 52% of the budget available to spend, £116m out of a total budget of £224m. In 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 the Council needs to further reduce its budget by a further £55m.
Sefton Council is extremely concerned that the impact of these cuts, added to the impact of the Government’s welfare reforms, will cause long term and irreversible damage to our adults, to our children, to our families, to our very communities.
Today in Sefton:
· 4 Trussell Trust food banks had been established since May 2013 – one each in Southport, South Sefton, Crosby and Maghull – which to date have helped 4,162 adults and 2,760 children to eat with demand increasing for the services week on week;
· There has been over 8,000 applications for our Emergency Limited Assistance Support Fund since it came into place in 2013. The rate of applications has now risen to over 1,000 applications per month;
· 402 referrals have been made to the Sefton Helping Hand Service for emergency provision of equipment, bedding and cooking facilities;
· Sefton Citizens Advice Bureau has seen a 28% increase in demand for welfare benefits advice since 2011 and a 54% rise in debt relief orders since 2011 – and in terms of clients seeking debt advice, the levels of debt of those clients has increased by 108% in the last year;
· 3,140 people, between October 2012 and June 2013, have had their Job Seekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance sanctioned due to the changes in conditions as part of the Government’s welfare reform measures;
· Unemployment and youth unemployment rates remain higher than the UK average, with youth unemployment 3% higher than the national rate. The overall International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment rate continues to climb and the gap between Sefton and UK continues to widen;
· Seftons largest registered social landlord, One Vision Housing, has seen a 23% increase in void properties as a result of welfare reform changes, which has led to 4,963 people on the waiting list for its stock of 2,783 one bedroom properties, and been left with over supply of 2/3/4 bedroom properties due to the introduction of the Bedroom Tax;
· There has been a 489% increase in Discretionary Housing Payments, compared to 2012/13;
· The number of homelessness cases dealt with, and the number of interventions made to prevent homelessness, has increased from 493 cases in 2010-11 to 575 cases ... view the full agenda text for item 104
Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor Lappin, seconded by Councillor Hardy:
The Government’s Welfare Reforms and the impact on the lives of people in Sefton
“Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council faces unprecedented levels of cuts to its budget due to the Government’s austerity measures.
Since 2010, the Council has reduced the amount of money it has to spend in real terms by £115 million. Out of every pound available to the Council to spend, 52 pence is spent on delivering social care services to vulnerable adults and children in support of its core purpose of protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. This accounts for 52% of the budget available to spend, £116m out of a total budget of £224m. In 2015/16 and 2016/17 the Council needs to further reduce its budget by a further £55m.
Sefton Council is extremely concerned that the impact of these cuts, added to the impact of the Government’s welfare reforms, will cause long term and irreversible damage to our adults, to our children, to our families, to our very communities.
Today in Sefton:
· 4 Trussell Trust food banks had been established since May 2013 – one each in Southport, South Sefton, Crosby and Maghull – which to date have helped 4,162 adults and 2,760 children to eat with demand increasing for the services week on week;
· There has been over 8,000 applications for our Emergency Limited Assistance Support Fund since it came into place in 2013. The rate of applications has now risen to over 1,000 applications per month;
· 402 referrals have been made to the Sefton Helping Hand Service for emergency provision of equipment, bedding and cooking facilities;
· Sefton Citizens Advice Bureau has seen a 28% increase in demand for welfare benefits advice since 2011 and a 54% rise in debt relief orders since 2011 – and in terms of clients seeking debt advice, the levels of debt of those clients has increased by 108% in the last year;
· 3,140 people, between October 2012 and June 2013, have had their Job Seekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance sanctioned due to the changes in conditions as part of the Government’s welfare reform measures;
· Unemployment and youth unemployment rates remain higher than the UK average, with youth unemployment 3% higher than the national rate. The overall International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment rate continues to climb and the gap between Sefton and UK continues to widen;
· Sefton’s largest registered social landlord, One Vision Housing, has seen a 23% increase in void properties as a result of welfare reform changes, which has led to 4,963 people on the waiting list for its stock of 2,783 one bedroom properties, and been left with over supply of 2/3/4 bedroom properties due to the introduction of the Bedroom Tax;
· There has been a 489% increase in Discretionary Housing Payments, compared to 2012/13;
· The number of homelessness cases dealt with, and the number of interventions made to prevent homelessness, has increased from 493 cases in 2010-11 to 575 cases in 2012-13, a ... view the full minutes text for item 104