Tag: care

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Shoplifting Offences In England and Wales At Highest Level In 20 years

According to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shoplifting offences in England and Wales in 2023 have risen to the highest level since records began in 2003.

According to the data there has been more than 430,000 recorded cases last year which had increased by 37% in the year ending 2023 when compared to 2022. This makes it the highest levels recorded since records started being kept in 2003.

James Cleverly responded by saying that although the police record it as a ‘sub threshold crime’ and it has a so called ‘corrosive effect’ on peoples confidence in the police. Its not surprising that he appeared to have zero sympathy for those effectively forced to shoplift due to various circumstances.

Julian Heyes, criminal defence lawyer and partner at Berris Law LLP went on to say ” The release of the recent shoplifting figures simply demonstrate that the years of austerity and cuts in policing have meant that the investigation of these so called minor offences have long since been neglected and ignored”

“The police cannot be blamed for this as they, much like the rest of the criminal justice system are on their knees. The cost to the high street is immeasurable and causing shops and businesses to close or restrict access to customers, not to mention the horrendous risks that members of staff have to take when challenging shoplifters”

The truth is that shop lifting is rising for various reasons including and not excluding others: The increasing cost of living, high energy bills, low wages, less than adequate social security payments, increases in mortgage repayments, social security payments being too low and badly paid employment.

Whilst many people with addictions shoplift to fund their habits there’s very little support given to them to conquer their addictions thus the circle of offending continues.

Let’s be clear, very few people actually want to shoplift its a situation they find themselves in through desperation and is usually the last option that they can take after exhausting other avenues, they’re desperate and see this as a last resort.

We all appreciate and acknowledge that there are foodbanks that help people but not everyone can access them or can wait until the next time they’re open. People are driven by hunger and distress and we live in desperate times which is entirely the governments creation.

The UK has a government hell bent on lining their own pockets and their business and personal friends with money that has been taken from the public purse. There’s been a sharp decline in the physical and mental wellbeing of the working class and mortality levels are rising. The constant stripping of funding to local councils has also paid a huge part in this and town centres aren’t being cared for like they should be because theres no longer the financial means to do so. This has a direct impact upon the high street.

The solution to this is quite simple and to be honest basic economics. For a society to succeed and thrive there has to be financial investment into the public, the more money they have to spend undoubtably benefits their general health it also helps to transform the areas that they live.

It’s easy to blame a shoplifter for shoplifting, and I don’t condone violence towards retail staff. The blame lies totally at the governments feet. Society as we knew it has been broken by the current government, the amount of desperate and hungry people are at their highest in modern times, desperate people are forced to take measures that they would previously have never dreamt of doing.

Hurl your anger at the government and not Joe Public.

Photo by Marlene Leppu00e4nen on Pexels.com
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Cruel Severe Disability Group Assessment System Exposed

At last the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) has revealed the details of their appalling new system that assess claimants that are in the severe disability group.

As we know every person’s circumstances are different depending upon their diagnosis and entry to this group may be based on and is not exclusively

Having medically precise definitions that are not connected with the benefits system :

Having information that only a claimant or carer will know however a specialist will still have to provide details:

Having availability of specialist services and access to said services  where the claimant lives

And unbelievably no clear criteria given  at all.

    There is also great concern that their distinct lack of clarity on the overlap between the Severe Disability Group and the light-touch review system for PIP will cause claimants to be wrongly assessed and treated.

    We can only imagine how disastrous this will be for severely disabled people which gives me great concern for their well-being.

    God help us they certainly have no regard for the lives and well-being of extremely vulnerable people.

    Many claimants and disability charities are sharing their concerns that the creation of their planned separate group of severely disabled claimants will be directed purely at reducing future payments for those that they allege are not as severely disabled.

    And there lies the real reason for the creation of this new group. It’s all about the money and how to take away as much as they can take away from vulnerable people to line their own greedy pockets.

    It’s vile and inhumane.

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
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    DWP DENIES BONUSES TO FRAUD STAFF WHILST STILL ALLOWING REWARDS OR BONUSES FOR DETECTING FRAUD

    How can you tell if the DWP lying? When they deny something but then also allow it at the same time….Here we have an example of their hypocrisy and they never fail to disappoint do they.

    The team over at Benefits and Work submitted a freedom of information request asking the DWP if they are paying bonuses for detecting benefit fraud and if staff have to reach targets for criminal prosecutions. Rather predictably they denied both in a statement given in response to the FOI;

    “The DWP does not operate any bonus or incentive schemes aimed specifically at staff who are involved in detecting and investigating benefit fraud and overpayment cases. There are also no targets for Investigators to achieve a prescribed number of criminal outcomes.”

    Adding:

    “I can confirm that DWP operates an in-year reward and recognition scheme for all DWP teams and Individuals to be recognised for displaying exemplary behaviours or making a significant contribution to team performance. This applies to all colleagues across DWP.”

    Their response does appear to rule out that there is a formal bonus system for detecting fraud or recovering money.
    But it does not rule out the possibility that teams or individuals can receive rewards for recovering large amounts of money for the DWP or prosecuting large numbers of claimants.

    We await further details of this.

    However we are wise to their lying ways, knowing that if they can get away with doing something by simply changing the wording they will.

    It is not acceptable in any way shape or form to issue bonuses or rewards for targets such as these. They create a system when a bonus or reward becomes more important than the wellbeing of already vulnerable claimants. They lead to false accusations, sanctions based upon lies knowing at the same time that many are unable to challenge their decision because they’re not strong enough to do so.

    Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

    If you like my work and would like to donate towards keeping my blog going there’s a donation button at the top and side of this blog post.

    Thank you

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    No Blog This Week

    Hi folks sadly they won’t be a blog this week I’ve had a really stressful busy week

    I don’t like doing this but I do need a clear head because I don’t want to write a rubbish blog post.

    I’m struggling to pay my home internet bill which is essential for blogging, researching and helping people which I’ve been busy with this week.

    Thanks to all of my supporters every share helps to raise huge public awareness of how life is for so many of us. Believe it or not some people aren’t aware of how people are suffering under this Tory government.

    If you like my blog and can afford to there’s a donate button at the top and side of this blog post.

    Thank you so much

    Charlotte x

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    Seasons Greetings To All…. Except The Tories.

    I hope you all enjoy the festive period even though I know it’s tough for so many of us.

    Here over at The Poor Side Of Life HQ it’s going to be a quiet one, to be honest I’m not really celebrating it.

    Of course I’ll make sure that my daughter enjoys Christmas but as a single parent and having no family etc to celebrate with it’ll be quiet.

    I’m going to take the time to reflect and maybe get some rest, it’ll be a welcome change.

    Don’t feel pressured into celebrating Christmas if you don’t want to. Christmas is a tough time for so many of us, remembering times past and people long gone.

    I’m here if you’re on your own and want to chat.

    A huge thanks to everyone that reads and shares my blog posts it really does mean the world to me.

    And as for the Tories they can get to feck. I have zero time for them.

    Lots of love

    Charlotte xx

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    Government Plans To Stop All Social Security Payments For Claimants If Seen Not Making Enough Effort To Find Employment

    It appears that the government is going full throttle with their let’s punish unemployed people as much as possible until they give up plans.

    They now plan to completely stop unemployed claimants of all of their social security payments if they appear to be refusing to look for employment.

    Not content with this if their plans come to fruition they will also be stripped of their right to free prescriptions and discounted bus travel, the Chancellor has announced.

    According to the Chancellor this will be the biggest welfare shake-up for a decade.

    If they appear to be making no effort to find work will be kicked out of the system after six months.

    Those who do engage but have still not found a job after 18 months will be forced to take on work or forfeit their benefits.

    According to Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, the reforms should be seen as a “huge investment” in employment, rather than a “savings exercise”.

    Yeah right it’s all about saving money and making the poorest and most in need pay the most financially.


    As part of the proposed reforms claimants that claim the basic rate of Universal Credit who are fit to work but refuse to engage for six months will have their claims closed completely.

    I repeat the government will also take away ALL of their monthly allowance and their rights to receive  free NHS prescriptions, dental care, legal aid and bus and rail discounts.

    I don’t need to say how much of a dangerous precedent this is setting. Many decisions made by DWP work coaches are based on their opinion and are not based on fact.

    So if in their opinion they aren’t making enough effort All and I repeat ALL of their payments will stop.

    If this goes ahead they will literally leave people to starve, live in cold damp properties and force thousands onto the streets.

    We already know Job Coaches aren’t always sympathetic towards claimants that are struggling even when they are ill or have other genuine reasons as to why they’re struggling.

    If in their opinion it’s not good enough every payment could be stopped. As we know there is a shortage of well paid suitable employment.

    People just can’t accept any job especially if their circumstances don’t allow them to.

    I know I’m repeating myself here but I do feel that this will push thousands of people over the edge, living in distress unable to cope.

    The government may as well just admit their massive hatred for unemployed, vulnerable and disabled people.

    The very fact that they want to take money away from people leaving them with absolutely nothing just to save them money is about as low as they can go.

    Under no circumstances should the public be punished for the shit decisions the government has made. The UK is in a mess, going through a recession, even though they won’t admit to this.

    Foreign countries no longer want to invest in the UK and who can blame them. The UK stock market is in a really bad shape and still the government refuses to do anything about this, hell they don’t even want to admit it.

    Unemployed people haven’t wrecked the UK and they certainly shouldn’t be punished for their mistakes either.

    It’s virtually a death sentence and this needs to be challenged by everyone right now and with the greatest urgency because people will die and this is no exaggeration.

    And yes I’m not just angry I’m furious.

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    DWP Begins Consultation On Cutting Back WCA Support Group

    The DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) have recently announced that they have begun a consultation concerning changing the WCA (Work Capability Assessment).

    The DWP would like to make it harder for claimants that are found to have LCWRA) Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity for universal credit.

    They also want this to apply to claimant’s that qualify to be in the support group of ESA.

    The consultation document declared that the proposed alterations would apply to four activities:

    How a claimant mobilises

    How they control their bladder and bowels.


    How they cope with social engagement and their ability to go out and manage daily life.


    Out of all the proposed alterations by far the worst has got to be their plans to stop all of the above activities as well as the substantial risk rule.

    Whilst the government doesn’t regard this rule to be important it’s in many cases the only way that people with severe mental health conditions can enter the LCWRA group.

    The DWP’s reasoning for these for these cuts is that since the pandemic employment has changed and there are more opportunities to work from home.

    They then argue that if claimants no longer have to travel or mix with other people in order to work they will be able to manage their health conditions at home whilst also earning a living.

    Yeah working from home isn’t going to be a miracle cure is it.

    The DWP also conveniently fails to recognize that at the time of writing claimants that are in the LCWRA group don’t get any support when looking for work.

    The DWP however reveals how cruel and sick they are. In what could be likened to the Charles Dickens character Scrooge they regard taking away the additional and vital £390 a month they receive as a kindness.

    If this isn’t bad enough they also plan to move them into the limited capability for work group and therefore put them at risk of being sanctioned and great distress.


    The DWP try to explain this in their consultation document:

    “It is not right that so many people are left without support, and we must not hold people back from opportunity.”

    According to the consultation document, any changes will be legislated in 2024 and come into force in 2025.

    They will affect new claimants from 2025 and existing claimants when their award is reviewed from 2025 onwards.

    These proposals are also separate from the plan to entirely abolish the WCA from no earlier than 2026/27 for new claimants and 2029 for existing claimants.

    The timetable for slashing the support group would allow any proposed savings to be included in the government’s future spending plans and could be announced in the Autumn statement.

    This would then enable the Tories to offer tax cuts for the already wealthy which will be funded by welfare savings as part of their forthcoming election manifesto.

    The consultation on the proposals lasts until 30 October.

    It’s important to take part in this consultation because they need to see that there is a strong opposition to their plans and will show that there isn’t public support for them also.

    It could possibly help to stop or show them that their continuation of their hateful treatment of disabled people isn’t popular and is the wrong thing to do.

    Photo by Kat Smith on Pexels.com

    Please like, share and tweet my blog posts even the old ones. It’s vitally important to raise awareness of such issues and doing so helps enormously.

    Thanks to everyone that has and already does this!

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    British Gas Profits Rise By 889% To £969 Billion Whilst Households Struggle To Pay Bills.

    I’m writing this in anger that I haven’t felt for a long time. I try to keep calm and be proactive but this has got to be one, yes only one of the worst things that I’ve read recently.

    Sadly this didn’t come as a surprise, it’s a big slap in the face for the general public and proves the point that we don’t have a government in charge of the country. Instead we have a cartel allowed to do whatever they want without any repercussions.

    The public should, quite rightly be angry about this. Hunger is a great distraction though and those that are have to prioritise finding food to feed themselves and their families.

    It’s an obscene that British Gas profits have soared by a staggering 889% to a record £969m. At the same time Centrica, its parent company, has also  revealed a £6.5 billion profit in the first six months of 2023.

    It’s hard to imagine having that amount of money isn’t it and I ask the question ‘How can any organisation like British Gas be allowed to profit like this?’

    The government should be asking them to cut their prices instead it gets worse British Gas have reported its highest ever first-half profits of almost £1bn.

    The energy regulator Ofgem is worse than useless though and clearly isn’t’tn’t on the side of the public. It blatantly sat back and allowed British Gas and Centrica to recoup costs from household bills, keeping in mind that they are already struggling.

    British Gas and Centrica aren’t even trying to hide this though, this year’s earnings for the six months to June 30 have increased dramatically compared with operating losses of £1.1 billion a year earlier.

    Meanwhile their operating profits increased by £2.1 billion from £1.3 billion a year ago whilst the general public will have no choice but to struggle.

    It’s criminal and should be dealt with accordingly.

    Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

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    Two Child Benefit Cap Set To Continue If Labour Win Next General Election

    Rather disapointingly Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has so far reaffirmed his recent decision not to scrap the two-child benefit cap. His reasoning for making this decision is financial stating that there will have to be more ‘tough choices’ if Labour is to win the next election.

    At the recent Future of Britain conference, Starmer said Labour had had to make “really ruthless” decisions telling his top team: “Tough choices is not a soundbite. We’re going to have to take them. Without them, we don’t get to the next stage.”

    Senior Labour MP Stella Creasy went on to argue that scrapping the cap could in fact save money as it was “potentially costing more than it is saving” as greater hardship prevented people from finding work”.

    The two child benefit cap policy was introduced by George Osborne when he was Tory chancellor. This cruel policy prevents parents from claiming universal credit for any third or subsequent child.
    Scrapping the two child cap would take approximately 270,000 households with children out of poverty at an estimated cost of £1.4bn in the first year.

    The benefits far outweigh the decision to keep this cruel policy. Parents would be able to afford more basic essentials to keep their children healthy and happy. This in turn would lessen families reliance upon food banks and other emergency services. It would also improve physical and mental health of both parents and children which subsequently will cut down pressure on the NHS.

    It would also improve both local and national economies, if people have more money to shop locally for food and essentials the economy will improve. I accept that this wouldn’t happen overnight, but it would undoubtedly help especially when we’re experiencing a massive cost of living crisis.

    Starmer has agreed that the current mood of the country is “pretty bleak” as he set out the need to reassure voters about the situation while also setting out a vision for the future. Repurposing a slogan used by New Labour, he said: “We need three things: growth, growth, growth.”

    The real ‘tough choices’ are being made everyday by parents unable to provide food and clothing for their children often going without meals themselves so their children can eat. I honestly don’t think he realises how bad it is for them. If he did he would make it a priority to stop this cruel policy.

    For working class people their futures are looking even bleaker than he can imagine and not making the decision to end the two child limit policy is in my eyes the wrong thing to do. I’d like to ask him several things; what have these children done to you to make you act in such a manner? Don’t they deserve a decent quality of life? Why are you enabling the continuance of their suffering which will prove to be more expensive for the country in the long term?

    Call me old fashioned if you like but I believe that every child matters, that they all should have a decent quality of life, a decent education and given the support that they need to do so. Starmer should keep in mind that these children forced to live in poverty are our both our future and the countries also. They’ll eventually become the ones to make important decisions, help improve the economy and be the employees that provide the essential services that we will be dependant on when we get older.

    This decision isn’t a vote winner either, decisions like this will stop people from voting labour in future elections. They aren’t going to vote for a political party that ultimately doesn’t represent them in any way and won’t fight of change on their behalf.

    I hope that Keir Starmer changes his mind and decides to put our children health and wellbeing as a priority because they deserve it.

    Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

    Ashton Under lyne, benefit repayments,, benefit sanctions, Black Isle Media, Boris Johnson, child poverty, conservative government, cost of living, covid 19, Damien Green, Decision maker, DPAC, DWP blog,, dwp debt, Elderly, energy poverty,, ESA, Food, Food bank, food poverty, fuel poverty, government, homelessness, Jeremy Corbyn, Jobcentre, Ken Loach, Manchester, Mandatory reconsideration, NHS, NHS dentist, PIP, PIP claim, poverty, prepaid energy, rishi sunak,, sanctions, suicide, targets, Tax credits, The Big Issue, The Labour Party, The Poor Side Of Life, trade union movement, Uncategorized, Universal credit, Workfare, Workprogramme, young people

    Almost Half Million PIP Helpline Calls Deliberately Disconnected In April

    Almost half a million PIP ( Personal Independence Payments) deliberately disconnected by the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) in April revealed in freedom of information request by Benefits And Work

    Most of these callers were disconnected before they were able to wait in a call queue.

    Benefits and Work submitted a freedom of information request asking the DWP to reveal the amount of calls made to the PIP Enquiry Line that were cut-off before being placed in the queue and those that were in the queue but didn’t manage to connect with an operative.

    The DWP then answered providing the following statistics:

    February

    Calls put in queue 415,552

    Calls blocked 34,860

    March

    Calls put in queue 488,965

    Calls blocked 306,865

    April

    Calls put in queue 388,265

    Calls blocked 494,044

    It’s worth remembering that even though they might have managed to get a spot in the queue this doesn’t guarantee that their calls will be connected to an operative.

    Thousands of calls also get disconnected when placed into the queue. that just because you get into the queue.

    Of course the DWP aren’t addressing these problems, I personally think that the could be deliberate because many callers will give up and try to manage without their PIP payments.

    I cannot stress enough how dangerous this is for already vulnerable people claiming PIP, they need their payments so they can manage from day to day.

    How will they manage without their payments or without the answers they required upon phoning the hotline?

    I strongly suspect that thousands will go without essential meals, will be unable to get out to do everyday tasks and to attend appointments etc.

    These payments are essential to their well-being and treating their calls like this will also cause thousands to become distressed or worse.

    The government needs to stop treating disabled people as some sort of subhuman community and not worthy of any help or assistance.

    We need to fight back and challenge this blatant discrimination. Everyone is entitled to a good quality of life and this needs to stop.

    Please read, share and tweet my blog this is essential to raise awareness of these very important issues that are often hidden in plain sight.

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    Thank you x