Council to use Discretionary Social Fund grant to support vulnerable people in crisis.
Posted by Roger Godsiff, MP for Birmingham, Hall Green, at 09:36, Wed 10 October 2012:
Roger Godsiff has welcomed the news today that Birmingham City Council will utilise the full £6.1m grant from the Government to support vulnerable people in crisis even though this money will not be ring fenced when local councils take over its administration from 1st April 2013 under the new welfare reforms.
Speaking from Westminster Mr Godsiff said: “With the Conservatives promising even more raids on the wallets of the poor and vulnerable at their party conference and a further £10billion in welfare cuts, it is good news indeed that Birmingham City Council will use all of this money for the purposes that it was originally intended when it’s administration falls under their control.”
“This money is not ‘ring-fenced’ so in theory local councils can spend in anything to plug a hole in any budget that is under pressure politically or otherwise” continued Mr Godsiff.
The provisions of the Welfare Reform Act will mean that from April 2013 that Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans will be replaced by locally based provision delivered by Councils through local schemes.
The news came in a response to a letter that Mr Godsiff had sent to Stephen Hughes, Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council, on this matter which also asked about the impact on council employment levels of the introduction of the Universal Credit.
The administration of a number of benefits including housing benefit would cease to be administered by the council when Universal Credit is introduced but Mr Hughes was not able to offer any clarification on this particular issue.
Comments
If you are subscribed to HearFromYourMP in this constituency,
log in to post a reply.
Otherwise, if you live in the UK,
sign up in order to
HearFromYourMP.
Posted by Paul Holloway, 09:52, Wed 10 October 2012: (Is this post abusive?) #
Good news.
Posted by Mohammed Hemraj, 10:46, Wed 10 October 2012: (Is this post abusive?) #
The UK is borrowing 1 billion every three days, the question is when will it stop and how the money borrowed and interest on it will be repaid? This has happened because of the bailout using taxpayers money. The question is that when these banks were making millions of pounds in profit, did they give the citizens of this country even a penny? The answer is no. What has happened to those in the Parliament who voted for a bailout? The answer is nothing. Why aren't they being replaced and made to account and be responsible for the bailout money? We are now forced to tighten our belts and to make sacrifices for no fault of the good people of this country. I blame the politicians. Those Ministers who are earning millions do not have to make any sacrifice. This has caused a resentment to the citizens of this country who are not stupid. I know what Karl Marx would have said.