Speaker Meeting

15 November 2018 Welfare Britain - Myth or Reality - Ian Jones

Prior to the meal there was a £300 cheque presentation to Peter Purdy of Bingham Audio Magazine

Ian explained that he operates out of the Radcliffe Advice Centre (which has been there for 35 years) & the newer Bingham advice Centre, opening 8 years ago. He posed questions about who is the biggest burden on the benefit system. Not ‘fraud’, not ‘the unemployed’, but ‘pensioners’! Despite Rushcliffe being a fairly affluent area, it has a pensioner population around 33 %( with 66% in a small village, such as Cropwell Butler). He identified that pensions are part of “Universal Benefit”, but an entitlement, rather than a need, which started in 1910.  At which time it was established for miners who became ‘out of work’, but they could only take it for 8 weeks & had to have a wife and dependents.

Now days the Job Seekers Allowance is £73.10/week and the individual has a contract with The Department of Work and Pensions, which expects them to seek a job at least 35 hours/week.

On EU immigration he explained that despite costing £2.6bn, they actually pay in Tax and NI £14.76bn

On Universal Credit in theory it is 6 benefits combined into one.  Originally there were 48 different benefits, now it’s only 43! It came into being 3 weeks ago in this area, unfortunately it was never designed as a planned system, but has grown more like a ‘patchwork quilt’

A number of questions flowed which generally Ian managed to deal with.  A very informative presentation, well delivered in a subject most of us new little about.

AR/BN