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Good Society > Published by Guest, July 4th 2011 at 2:23 pm

Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills

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Eric Pickles’s leaked warning that government plans to cut welfare payments risk making 40,000 families homeless appears to reflect deep concern in his Department for Communities and Local Government, reports Jos Bell

Eric-fatty-PicklesThe communities secretary’s letter warned that the estimated £270 million annual savings from the plan to cap total household benefits at £500 per week could be wiped out by the cost to local authorities of re-housing families who can no longer afford to pay for their accommodation.

Far from contributing towards the government’s deficit reduction programme, it seems the scheme will potentially generate a long and short term “net cost” to the Exchequer.

To compound matters, it warns that the welfare cuts will put at risk at least 50% of the 56,000 affordable homes due to be built by 2015, as contractors doubt whether they will be able to recoup their costs from tenants; the construction industry is not in a happy place at present, and this will only add to the current jitters.

If the Health and Social Care Bill, the Welfare Reform Bill and the Localism Bill go through Parliament we risk:

• Families needing a home refused and exiled from their communities;

• More patients who need care and treatment – with many refused;

• The disabled who need funds to help in coping with conditions with dignity, and to be as productive as possible, refused help;

• The sick and disabled find keeping a home more difficult and become sicker and more disabled, and in need of more financial support and more medical attention – neither being available.

Was any of this explicit in either of the ruling parties’ manifestoes? It may have been in the small print, but for everyone but the most well informed, it was written in invisible ink. Until the Pickles leak disrupted Cameron’s slick PR machine, the government would have us believe there is no choice.

There is; they’ve made the wrong one.

  • http://twitter.com/soisthesun/status/87874461927354368 soisthesun

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/avichai15/status/87875838627950592 Paul McGlynn

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/mikelesurf/status/87876315251871745 Mike Le-Surf

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/unitonehifi/status/87880254072422400 chris star

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills..
    http://j.mp/iAaQUS

  • http://twitter.com/wtbdavidg/status/87881701400911872 David Gillon

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/politicsinbrum/status/87881770447544320 Politics in Brum

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/therightarticle/status/87885145067098113 Michael

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills I Left Foot Forward – http://j.mp/iAaQUS

  • http://twitter.com/falseecon/status/87885376877887488 False Economy

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://t.co/n2Ik6T4 writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/adpucci/status/87885592729370624 Pucci Dellanno

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/motohead1/status/87886435411165184 David Marsh

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/jos21/status/87887939358560257 Jos Bell

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/maczar12/status/87890284356186114 Maureen Czarnecki

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://t.co/n2Ik6T4 writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/chrisbx515/status/87892925803020289 chris paling

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/janiesu/status/87893661496520704 Jane Shaw

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills http://t.co/GMmiHEQ

  • diana

    As one of the disabled I get up everyday feeling dread at what this government is doing! How could a cut in benefits achieve anything but despair and hopelessness. I already cant get all the care I need and with a stop in much of my benefits, I like many others will end up on the streets or needing a care home. This will cost much more. I have worked all my life until recently as a nurse. Now when I need it the most its all being taken away. I so wish I could be as healthy and fit as others are, but sadly I am not. I like other disabled are not scroungers, we are people same as you!!

  • http://twitter.com/jenipurpleness/status/87933598056972288 Jeni Acelas

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/brokenofbritain/status/87958849943900160 Broken OfBritain

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/brokenofbritain/status/87958992197918721 Broken OfBritain

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills | Left Foot Forward http://fb.me/ZvMWOsi8

  • http://twitter.com/aineaislingmam/status/87959273182724096 Caroline McAllister

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/wheresbenefit/status/87964147148521472 Where’s the Benefit?

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/press_not_sorry/status/87964805478088704 Press Not Sorry

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/ewanhilton/status/87965783493316608 Ewan Hilton

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/1cheerfulman/status/87967732749967360 Larry Gardiner

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih

  • http://twitter.com/shaun5446/status/87973696957976576 Shaun5446

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://twitter.com/itscreativecafe/status/88153505432473600 Jill Goble

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills http://t.co/QY7N4xc

  • http://twitter.com/itscreativecafe/status/88153505432473600 Jill Goble

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills http://t.co/QY7N4xc

  • http://twitter.com/neodissedent/status/88153780775956480 haynony mouse

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills http://t.co/QY7N4xc

  • http://twitter.com/neodissedent/status/88153780775956480 haynony mouse

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills http://t.co/QY7N4xc

  • http://twitter.com/koldo_casla/status/88155433138798592 Koldo Casla

    Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills: http://bit.ly/kJWhih writes @Jos21

  • http://hypoconcer.ning.com Rodney Yates

    Good with Pickles this coalition – getting into them not out. Well something they brought upon themselves through taking on ill-advised forays into the persecution of the vulnerable instead of making disabled and vulnerable claimants a service priority.

  • http://twitter.com/charceeholden/status/89680793131159552 Charlie Holden

    RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles leak lays bare consequences of health, welfare and localism bills http://t.co/NBnqLQp