A Government Equality Analysis has revealed that some of the UK’s poorest pensioners could be forced from their homes due to George Osborne’s Benefit Uprating measures which will cap Local Housing Allowance (LHA) increases at 1%.
Disabled people, and those with children, are also likely to be affected and could find themselves forced to move the analysis warns.
Osborne announced in his Autumn statement last year that for the next two years almost all benefit increases will be capped at 1% no matter what happens to inflation. With food, fuel and travel costs soaring this will place huge pressure on those who are already facing a desperate struggle for survival due to the raft of other vicious cuts to social security.
Up until now pensioners have been largely excluded from the savage cuts and rightly so. The Equality Analysis reveals however that those over 65 living in private rented accommodation will be affected by the Benefit Uprating Bill.
According to the DWP, 12% of private renters claiming Local Housing Allowance (LHA) are over 65. The only criteria for claiming LHA is income and assets, meaning that this benefit only goes to the poorest households – and the poorest pensioners. It appears that the Government are only interested in protecting better off pensioners. Those who are poor and already struggling between the choice of heating or eating can now add paying the rent to this horrific dilemma.
The Equality Analysis states: “the 65 plus age group renting in the private sector may be disproportionately disadvantaged than others of working age as they are more likely to be disabled or have a health condition and are far less likely to be able to increase their household income, either through working or increasing hours of work. Moving may be more of a challenge for claimants in this group that rely on local community support systems or have specific accommodation needs (eg. If they need to be in a ground floor property).”
The report also warns that lone parents and disabled people will be disproportionally affected by the cut, as these groups may find it more difficult to move if they can no longer afford the rent. It also reveals that 46% of those impacted will be single women – with or without children – compared to 25% of those hit who will be single men.
In a crude attempt to offset some of the carnage from this change the Government has announced a Targeted Affordability Funding scheme. This will provide some money for extra LHA increases in areas where rents rises far outstrip the meagre 1% on offer. Astonishingly this money will not be used to increase housing benefits in the highest rent areas such as London where LHA is already capped far below market rents in many areas. According to the report: “those LHA rates which are currently capped in the most expensive areas will only increase by 1% as all LHA rates will still be subject to maximum limits”.
This Government is intent on socially cleansing the poor from London and other better off areas by any means necessary.
The DWP are quite open about the fact that the cap on LHA increases will mean some people will have to move. In the section of the analysis on how the impact of this policy will be mitigated it suggests that: “Some claimants may consider looking for cheaper accommodation”.
What this will mean in practice is that some claimants – including pensioners and disabled people – will be made homeless. Few people on the lowest incomes can afford to just move at the drop of a hat even if there is anywhere for them to move to. With house prices rising and the rental market sure to follow the trend, the number of properties affordable to those on benefits is set to shrink even further.
All measures of homelessness are rising and the use of foodbanks is at record levels. Not content with this, George Osborne’s Benefit Uprating Bill will mean that the UK’s poorest people are set to be made even poorer on an annual basis. No-one is to be excluded, not those in work on low wages or those who have worked their entire lives and are now drawing a pension. Meanwhile George Osborne has just spent £10 million of our money on some fancy office furniture.
You can read the Equality Analysis at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/262034/lha-uprating-equality-analysis.pdf
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the void 
Osborne and Co. are thick skinned,they aren’t concerned about the consequences of their policies.Now if it was the rich who were going to suffer hardship it would be a different story,they made sure the rich were insulated from any hardship with the tax cuts for the wealthiest.
The spite and malice of this Tory Govt defies belief – the question is – when is the Revolution going to get organised? The sheeple are just lying down and taking all this suffering. I have never known a Govt as evil as this. They are as evil as the NAZIs.
Benefit sanctions are IDS’s gas chambers. Fu***ng Davros had more compassion than IDS or Osborne.
i agree 100% with you, people seem to be happy to just sit and complain about the government on facebook, i just don’t understand it, perhaps its too late, they’re too brainwashed, who knows. i don’t know what else to say.
Reblogged this on Vox Political and commented:
It turns out the Coalition government isn’t as kind to pensioners as they would like, well, PENSIONERS to believe. I reckon this should be shared with anyone over 60 or who has a relative over that age.
why do most of my comments have to “await moderation”? JV never used to mind swearing on his blog – wtf?
I think its the. Spam filtering. I get it as well …having said that of late connection to this site and BTC have been dropping out ..quite a lot in fact ..
Reblogged this on thepositivevoice.
Yes and Matthew Joakely proposed that pensions should be capped as well…. He posted that on conservative home site..
I think they are also considering means-testing the basic state pension (after 2015, of course) but will probably lay down the legislation to enable this before then. That is behind the softening up of public opinion through their reduction of universal benefits for the “well-off” pensioners. I doubt that many people understand that they are not talking TV licences but the actual pension itself.
They are breaking with one of the most time-honoured foundations of the welfare state. The pension was introduced in the 1925 l (Widows’, Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act of 1925. Pensions were paid from 65 and widow’s benefit introduced). The average age of death for the working poor was 48, so the coverage was highly restricted. But it was that Act that provided the basis for the State Pension as we now know it.
Are they intent on losing the election? because they are now targeting their bread and butter!! i.e pensioners
Well Matthew joakley says the gloves have to come off and its time pensioners also receive a kicking as well…
How near retirement are you,bobchewie,I’ve paid for my pension with over fifty years work, maybe you would like us all to die and that would solve the problem,I’m sure this Tory government would.
Reblogged this on HUMAN RIGHTS & THE SIEGE OF BRITAIN POLITICAL JOURNAL.
All this shit will back-fire on them because they’re shafting the poor but fucking the economy in the process. You can’t expect to have a consumer-led economic recovery by making everyone poorer! That’s why the economy in that respect has only grown by 0.8% since 2010. It doesn’t make any fucking sense.
@landless they are making off with the loot before it all falls apart of which they are contributing to.
Reblogged this on seachranaidhe1.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/daveharvey/2010/09/scrap_public_pensions_says_pen.html
Investment broker says scrap pensions for old folk..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511508/Pension-Youve-left-late-Retirement-reality-wake-comes-aged-48.html
Retirement pension at 48 you’ve left it too late otherwise
I wonder whether this “pensions guru” Mark Dampier has any connections with Unum? Just thinking.
http://www.caeraugreens.com/2012/10/i-sent-letter-to-equality-and-local.html?showComment=1386091528785&m=1#c5221939994795468538
This is the mansel aylward stuff ..him and David Oakley hipnotist on the payroll of unum concocted a disability denial document ..
I had to cut poor peoples incomes to pay for my horse paddock. Sorry. NOT. 🙂
The story of how we lost the Tory war against the underclasses and the undeserving poor has just entered into its latest chapter. Pensioners who were sacrosanct in most civilised countries save for the most evil despot governments are now to be the next tory collateral damage. I wrote a while back that in the sixties through to the seventy’s we had centres that long term unemployed and long-term sick were forced to attend by threat of removal benefit, housing and the ultimate bayonet through the gut; your children being taken forceful from you when your home was repossessed. Theses places were called Government Training Centres and in some but not all had accommodation that was spartan and resembled wooden barracks.
These centres were usually ex military centres miles from any civilisation and the unemployed were forced to undergo training usually on roadwork’s projects. These poor people (men without exception) were indoctrinated into the work hard work ethic. You can now see why I call this “How we lost the war on the underclasses and the undeserving poor”. This is war, and a war that the poorest, oldest and the ill and disabled are dying for in the name of.
How much longer will we stand by and allow this, that used to be the most civilised country in the world to murder innocent people in the name of monetary policies. Are we as a nation so cold hearted that we will stand by when the DWP henchmen start to roundup the poor, old and the sick or disabled and incarcerate them in work camps for the good of “Hard working economically active family’s” , because that’s what we are doing now as we walk blindfolded towards the ultimate solution. Remember, the latest buzz word from our leader “work is good for you” .
I am old enough to remember the stories that the oppressed Europeans told about the concentration camps. Will you do anything to stop the same or worse happening in YOUR country, yes you will because while there is the tiniest spark of humanity in this country that will start a raging inferno that will consume this evil that is the unelected coalition government there is hope. Its up “to you to do the right thing” to quote a saying from the pretender that lives in number ten.
I live in hope as hope is all that I have to give at present, but I will fight when called not for my Country but for the people that my once beloved Country is oppressing on the alter of greed.
Tommaz Jay
Once proud, but now terrified to be a member of a society wallowing in its own putrid shit.
Yes. I’m now Muslim but lost several rellies in concentration camps… I can truly c this country going that way. When bliar was in power ppl laughed when I said they would soon bring back work houses. Now….?!
Good for you. ‘First they came for the single mothers…’
(@’Then they came for me, and there was no-one left to speak up for me’
@ The Banality of Evil.
@ Arbeit Macht Frei.)
Bliar’s lot were going to start sort of barracks for single mothers/young mums. (not for dads because of course dads have absolutely nothing to do with causing pregnancy!!!) They also wanted reeducation centres for ‘problem families’, whatever that means.
There must be a better way of running the economy than going backwards. What happened to the idea of a civilised future….and a caring society… I for one, do not look forward to seeing misery on the streets. A lot of people have worked hard one way or another and surely it is not a crime that they didn’t get rich.
Another example of the barbarous, complete and utter contempt Osborne and company have for the very poorest sections of society. It’s not entirely a surprise: a year or so ago The Week reprinted an article from one of the Conservative American columnists taking their country’s pensioners to task for demanding that their pensions be maintained at the present levels when everyone else had to take a cut. He explicitly called them greedy. Now that Osborne and the British branch of the Republican party have won the election, they’re keen to import the American Right’s persecutory attitude towards the elderly for simply being of pensionable age. never mind that they worked for it. Dear heaven, even the Aztecs were more civilised than this. They at least made state provision to support those who managed to survive to old age. Osborne must be very pleased with himself. He’s managed to prove himself more vile and savage than a culture centre around human sacrifice.
Theres a survey on the universal jobmatch, let them know what a good job they are doing…
@rebel we don’t have to as there is seminar in a few days supporting UJM.
Reblogged this on Social Awareness.
Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog and commented:
This is another terrible example of Osborne and his cohorts complete and utter contempt for the poor, and their determination to grind as many people as possible into destitution and starvation. There were signs that something like this was coming. A year or so ago The Week reprinted an article from a Conservative columnist in one of the American papers. I’ve forgotten who or which one. What I do remember was his blatant attack on the USA’s pensioners. He explicitly called them selfish and greedy for not allowing their pensions to be cut, when everyone else in American was having to tighten their belts. Now Osborne’s too sly and crafty not to realise that an open attack on pension levels would be hugely controversial and lead to criticism and denunciations, including from the ‘Middle England’ they claim to represent. After all, there are a number of magazines explicitly aimed at senior citizens. These include The Oldie, which was edited by the former editor of Private Eye, Richard Ingrams. Another one is Mature Times. I think this is a free paper, and I’ve only really seen at our local post office, so it might not be available everywhere. Nevertheless, it exists, and it did put the attacks by pensioner’s organisations on government cuts on state pensions and benefits for the elderly on the front page. So, Osborne has instead tried to circumvent this by capping Housing Benefit. A survey by New Labour at the end of the last century found that most of the homeless were young people in their late teens or twenties. According to Private Eye, there was a rapid increase in youth homelessness when Major’s government made young adults on their own ineligible for Housing Benefit. Now Osborne’s shown his determination to throw more people out on the streets. And it looks like most of these new homeless will be the elderly. 31,000 people died last winter of the cold, through being unable to heat their homes. Clearly that’s not enough for Gorgeous George, who seems to want even more people to die from want. This is utterly, utterly disgraceful. It’s a policy that would shame the Aztecs. These first Mexicans had a retirement system, and state support for those of their citizens, both men and women, who managed to live to old age. I believe that their capital, Tenochtitlan, even had a special garden that was reserved for their enjoyment. And this from a highly militaristic culture that ruled through fear, and with a religion centred around brutal human sacrifice. Well, bloody they may have been, but they were far more civilised than Cameron, Clegg and Osborne. And to think we once called them savages!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283959/One-new-disability-benefit-claimant-minutes-Rush-handouts-weeks-theyre-phased-out.html
This is the crap we have been subjected to..next it will be pensioners …
Reblogged this on gingerblokeblog.
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/a1743662-wealthy-pensioners-urged-to-give-up-benefits
Wealthy pensioners give up benefits
even if you take benefits away from wealthy pensioners it will not be given to the rest of the people still on welfare, they are just reducing and reducing the welfare bill for those out of work and increasing it for the poverty pimp sector. Everything they have done to welfare except take benefits from the rich is cruel, callous and outrageous and quite possibly illegal, especially as they are unelected morons.
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/feb/11/qanda-social-care-costs-elderly
Private care homes are on increase and make money….some are set up by hedge fund parasites ..
And another income stream for corporates .
I cannot believe that the Public in general seem totally oblivious to this Government’s agenda regarding the most vulnerable in our society. How can anyone with an ounce of compassion and a brain sit back and let the likes of Osborne and that odious man, Iain Duncan Smith, blatantly victimise the sick, old and the disabled in this manner? Like many who have posted here, I am of the opinion this unelected bunch of well heeled bullies genuinely want to rid themselves of the weakest amongst us. Any other country deploying such inhumane tactics would be accused of ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity. Yet, in plain sight of the whole of the British population and the rest of the world, Cameron and his Bullingdon Boys are doing their worst and no-one bats an eyelid. Perhaps it is because these Despots are more subtle in their approach than Adolf Hitler was when he attempted to rid Germany of its Jews. Let’s face it, harsh legislation is brought in without much publicity. The Press and mainstream media also seem to be operating a “Do not report” policy when it comes to the suicides, evictions and sanction targets employed by Jobcentre staff against the unemployed. We see Iain Duncan Smith providing incorrect statistics, then trying to blag his way out of it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then has the audacity to say he doesn’t recognise the figures provided by his Government’s own audit committee which prove millions of pounds have been wasted!
It wasn’t that long ago wars were fought against Dictators, indeed, didn’t William Hague cite the invasion of Libya as necessary because of Gaddafi’s “Crimes against humanity”? Hypocritical, double standards or what? We rightly express our disgust at the treatment of our injured veterans for the sacrifices they have made, whatever our views on recent campaigns. Is it not time therefore to band together in a similar show of solidarity against the treatment of those too sick and vulnerable to speak up for themselves? When you have very little or nothing, are too ill to think about anything other than getting through to the next day, or aged, living alone with family miles away and reliant on others to help out, the fight has long since waned within you. These already disadvantaged people can’t do it alone, we must step in to help, to speak for them, fight for them and do what it takes to make their plight heard. Please don’t let this witch hunt continue, these folk aren’t the cheats and scroungers they are made out to be. The real cheats, thieves, scroungers and fiddlers are elsewhere aren’t they? Already worth millions they continue to line the pockets of the ‘Old Boy’s’ network, laughing all the way to the bank without a thought for those they are supposed to represent. Time to unite and say “Enough is enough” don’t you think?
could be worse
They have internet trolls attacking anyone who mentions benefit related deaths. I had that on twitter a lot.
I got deleted from a Guardian comments for telling one of them to “troll off”. I never swear, I never attack individuals (unless they start it) so I think this mentality is being spread quite widely.
We said enough is enough ages ago..
It’s all smoke & mirrors, as the tories tell themselves & anyone who’ll listen that there’s no suicides due to benefit cuts & those who took their own lives “must have had other problems” This is the type of propaganda we’re up against, & until the media grow a backbone & start being honest on this topic this lie will continue.
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The people should demand the fall of the regime.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-factual-medical-reports-guidance-for-healthcare-professionals
Well if atos are no longer in the payroll who is doing the reporting ?
http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-the-elderly-a-burden-on-society
Some of the yes they are a burden on soceity comments are shocking ..
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/are-the-elderly-ruining-our-economy
More selfish arseholes banging on about old people..oh and at FT.com crap about the elderly are costing us a fortune ..
The propaganda against old .disabled and unemployed never stops.
Fuck this over-privileged Nazi bastard!!
Whenever you highlight some good news you always follow it up with the bad jv – good cop, bad cop spreading their propoganda and illegal policies.
What you saying, guy? Spit it out!
… you saying that Johnny Void is Poly Toynbee in a skirt, guy? lol
to quote JV “up until now pensioners have been saved from the savage cuts and rightly so”. Of course it is right but he does not mention that the savage cuts to others were/are unjustified, he usually repeats over and over how sanctions will be stopped for up to 2 years etc and although he has condemned them in past posts like I said his carrots are usually followed up with more stick from dwp.
I am just wondering whose agenda he is really following.
Can we ask the same of yourself, indeed of every blogger or poster?
oh fuck off
Sanctions of benefits will be stopped……..
Jeez, guy, if we can’t trust Johnny Void, who can we trust 😦 Poly Toynbee? Nick Robinson? Andrew Neil?
And what do you mean sanctions of benefits will be stopped for up to 2 years? You mean that benefits can be sanctioned for up to 3 years! Tell me about it.. 😦
What about David Dimbleby? Can he be trusted? lol
You think Johnny Void is blogging from a villa in Tuscany, guy? lol
hidden agenda
very funny hidden agenda I wonder what your motive is for criticizing me?
ps I was referring to the 2 years of sanctions that the dwp are constantly threatening people with.
This government knows that all welfare recipients both old and young are fighting against these cuts that is why they are trying to punish all of them because it ain’t about saving money when they waste more.
That is why I do not agree with promoting their policies on here.
Nobody is criticising you, guy! I can see where you are coming from 🙂
Agree, it is nothing to do with saving money, guy – that is just a load of bollocks. The money spent on JSA is a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of government spending. And anyway, we know that the reason given (however plausible) is never the real reason 🙂
Hidden Agenda
Do you know what bothers me most is what sort of an example are these tory toffs giving to young people, it’s ok to ditch welfare and pensions and watch your parents starve or try and foist responsibility for their upkeep on their children if they have any, that is already happening because although this government has taken all of my mothers savings, her half of the house which her and my father jointly own, all of her pension, we still have to buy toiletries, clothing etc for her ourselves and what does she get a pokey bedsit in a nursing home with very little outside space and very rarely taken out by staff if ever, that is left to family, my father rarely leaves her side every day- it’s a bloody disgrace. My own kids are too busy working 2 and 3 jobs so that they can run their cars to get to work and have their holidays and looking after their own children which leaves little time for anything else, and now this lot are threatening the independence of older people.
The tory toffs are breeding selfishness, undoing any good we may have instilled into our family and that is unforgivable
OSBORNE FOUND DEAD IN SKIP
….oh damn, i fell asleep again. thought it was real. damn.
Chances are it would be Ozzy not Gideon!
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ive had a lot of trouble “blogging” so i saw my doctor,was precribed lactulose,great stuff now i blogg every day again
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