Entries tagged with “child poverty” from Working For Walthamstow
Speaking following the Government's budget, Walthamstow's MP Stella Creasy said:
"This budget is bad news for thousands of families in Walthamstow who will see their paypackets shrink or even disappear as jobs are lost, and the costs of everyday items like electricity and gas rocket up as VAT rises. Nothing about these proposals is fair- from cutting child tax credit and support for families with babies and toddlers, to axing the support for families at risk of losing their homes through mortgage support. Londoners will be particularly hit by these proposals as the cost of housing and living here is already more expensive than in other parts of the country. Don't forget round here many people also work in the public sector too. David Cameron and Nick Clegg both spoke out against the VAT increase before the election but now we see their true colours in Government as they risk economic recovery and growth for their own ideological obsession with cuts."
Stella also committed herself to leading local action to help families manage the impact of this budget on their finances and urged other concerned residents to join her:
"I can't sit by and watch this Government make families, small businesses and pensioners in Walthamstow struggle to get by- the risk that this budget will push many locals into debt is too great. I will join others objecting to these cuts in parliament as we debate the budget. I also intend to lead local action to try to help those who find themselves at risk of debt as a result of these changes too. I'm asking other local residents who want to work with me to help our community withstand the impact of this Government's reckless budget and get in touch - our first community conference on this will be on the 14th July."
Residents and organisations interested in participating in this work should get in touch with Stella either on email at stella@workingforwalthamstow.
Ends.
Notes to Editors
- 1. R3, the insolvency trade body, estimate that there are nearly a million people in the UK struggling with debts who have not sought advice and 500,000 people with formal debt repayment plans in place. In the last year alone 26,000 people were declared bankrupt. The predominant cause of insolvency for both men and women is unplanned changes to personal circumstances including illness or job losses.
- 2. According to credit action.org.uk, total UK personal debt at the end of December 2008 stood at £1,457bn and the average household debt in the UK was £9,550 (excluding mortgages).
- 3. On the evening of the 14 July, Stella Creasy will be holding a discussion on personal debt in Walthamstow along with representatives of local community and voluntary groups in Westminster. This forms part of her ongoing work in addressing poverty within the Waltham Forest area.
- 4. The Budget today announced that VAT will rise from 17.5% to 20% in January 2011. Labour rejected a VAT increase as part of a deficit reduction plan, and chose to increase National Insurance Contributions instead, because VAT hits everyone, especially the poorest and pensioners.
- 5. Before the election, the Liberal Democrats warned that the Conservatives would raise VAT.
"Our plans do not require a rise in VAT. The Tory plans do. Their tax promises on marriage and jobs may sound appealing. But they come with a secret VAT bombshell close behind."
Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat press release, 8 April 2010
During the election campaign, the Conservatives repeatedly denied that they had plans to raise VAT.
"We have no plans to increase VAT."
George Osborne, The Times, 10 April 2010
All Walthamstow residents are invited to join us for an informal
evening to discuss their hopes for our children's future and what we
think the Government's priorities should be to help our young people
achieve their potential.
This is the fourth such event I have organised in this series to make sure Walthamstow's residents have a direct opportunity to discuss children and young people's services. Our special guest will be the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and it is the fourth such event we have organised to bring Government ministers directly to Walthamstow to listen to our views on these issues.
This free event will be held on Thursday 25th March between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm at the Queens Road Community Centre, 215 Queens Road, Walthamstow, London E17 8PJ. The evening will be very relaxed with no long speeches and you can drop in anytime during the two hours to take part. It is Walthamstow's chance to meet the man responsible for schools and for policies affecting children and families and to tell him directly what we would like the Government to do for our children. Local teachers, school governors and youth workers are also invited to attend so that they can inform the discussion.
Light refreshments and children's entertainment will be available and the event has kindly been sponsored by our local trade union Unison. The founder of a new local Origami Club, Yoko Mihara Neckles, will be on hand to teach children the Japanese art of paperfolding so do please bring them along for some fun and to give their thoughts as well.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to amy@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk or call 07530 707515 to help us ensure we are able to cater for the numbers of people who wish to participate.
This is the fourth such event I have organised in this series to make sure Walthamstow's residents have a direct opportunity to discuss children and young people's services. Our special guest will be the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and it is the fourth such event we have organised to bring Government ministers directly to Walthamstow to listen to our views on these issues.
This free event will be held on Thursday 25th March between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm at the Queens Road Community Centre, 215 Queens Road, Walthamstow, London E17 8PJ. The evening will be very relaxed with no long speeches and you can drop in anytime during the two hours to take part. It is Walthamstow's chance to meet the man responsible for schools and for policies affecting children and families and to tell him directly what we would like the Government to do for our children. Local teachers, school governors and youth workers are also invited to attend so that they can inform the discussion.
Light refreshments and children's entertainment will be available and the event has kindly been sponsored by our local trade union Unison. The founder of a new local Origami Club, Yoko Mihara Neckles, will be on hand to teach children the Japanese art of paperfolding so do please bring them along for some fun and to give their thoughts as well.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to amy@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk or call 07530 707515 to help us ensure we are able to cater for the numbers of people who wish to participate.
The Waltham Forest Forum for Voluntary, Independent, Community & Private Sector Children's Services Providers is holding an open event on Thursday 2 July that will take place from 4pm - 7pm at the Paradox Centre, 3 Ching Way in Chingford. The programme will include the chance to hear about how to work with Children's Centres, supporting speech and language in early years and changes to early years education. If you would be interested in attending this or showcasing your organisation or group at this event you should get in touch with Barbara at Voluntary Action on 0208 521 0377 or email barbara@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk
Thank
you to everyone who came to our event this week at Tumble in the Jungle. Over 350
children, parents and carers came along to have fun and have their say on our
local play areas and children's centres. You can see some photos from the day here. I will post up on here the details of
all the comments made both through our online survey and on the day as well as
feeding them back to local and national Government. One idea raised by local parents that got strong
support was the proposal smoking should be banned in children's play areas. I
would be interested in what you think of this idea so let me know.
This past week I attended the Labour Party Conference in Manchester to participate in the policy debates regarding the future direction of Government. I'm proud Labour will put into law the pledge to end child poverty in our country to make it a legal obligation for all future governments whatever their political persuasion. I'm also proud that it is Labour proposing ending prescription charges by introducing free drugs for a quarter of a million cancer patients from next year. The plan is for this eventually to be extended to all those with long term medical conditions- meaning that in the future no one should need to worry about their ability to pay for vital medication if Labour is in power. The commitment to offer free nursery places for all two year olds within the next ten years will also make a real difference to local families, as will plans to make sure that a million children from low income backgrounds get access to computers and the internet. These were my highlights - I would be interested in your views on these ideas and how they will change life here in Walthamstow.
My personal highlight of the week was meeting Ed Clancy, a member of the British gold medal winning men's cycling team from the 2008 Olympics. The velodrome for the 2012 Olympics in London will be at the Lee Valley Park so I look forward to welcoming Ed and other members of the British cycling team to our part of the world to build on their successes in 2012.
Waltham Forest is one of 67 areas across the country that will be part
of a £75 million programme allowing low-income families to get free
childcare so they can access training and return to work. This
programme will support 50,000 low-income families where one parent is
working and the second parent wants to improve their skills.
As well as free childcare, families will receive help to identify and attend training so they can get the most out of this scheme. The programme will be managed by the Learning and Skills Council and will start in our area in January 2009 before being extended to the rest of the country in September 2009. Childcare costs of up to £205 per week per child in London will be paid directly to the childcare provider. It's part of a package of support Labour is bringing in to help parents now so that they can support their families in the future. If you want to know more about this scheme or the other forms of financial support available to help parents please do get in touch.
As well as free childcare, families will receive help to identify and attend training so they can get the most out of this scheme. The programme will be managed by the Learning and Skills Council and will start in our area in January 2009 before being extended to the rest of the country in September 2009. Childcare costs of up to £205 per week per child in London will be paid directly to the childcare provider. It's part of a package of support Labour is bringing in to help parents now so that they can support their families in the future. If you want to know more about this scheme or the other forms of financial support available to help parents please do get in touch.
Please join us for the second "our children, our future" free
afterschool fun day on the 10th July 2008 at the Limes Children's Play
Centre on Somers Road from 3.30pm until 6pm. I'm delighted to say that
the Secretary of State for Welfare, James Purnell, will be joining us
along with our current MP Neil Gerrard.
Whatever the weather there will be plenty of activities for local children of all ages including facepainting and adventure play as well as free refreshments for all ages! The afternoon is an informal opportunity for local families and those who work with them to come together, have fun and have their say about what help and support children, parents and grandparents need to succeed in Walthamstow. There are many changes taking place locally and nationally that will affect families- from the new parental leave rights, to changes in tax credits and benefits as well as the new surestart and childrens centre services - and I want those in power to hear first hand from people in Walthamstow what they think of these changes and what our priorities for our locality are. I'm keen too that those who work with families participate so that they can bring their experience to our discussion and also get to know each other too.I hope you'll be able to join me, Neil and James for some lovely cake and a great opportunity to make sure those in Westminster hear the voices of those in Walthamstow. This event is sponsored by UNISON and has been organised by Walthamstow Labour Party.
Anyone who would like to hold a stall on the day or know more about the event is welcome to get in touch.
Whatever the weather there will be plenty of activities for local children of all ages including facepainting and adventure play as well as free refreshments for all ages! The afternoon is an informal opportunity for local families and those who work with them to come together, have fun and have their say about what help and support children, parents and grandparents need to succeed in Walthamstow. There are many changes taking place locally and nationally that will affect families- from the new parental leave rights, to changes in tax credits and benefits as well as the new surestart and childrens centre services - and I want those in power to hear first hand from people in Walthamstow what they think of these changes and what our priorities for our locality are. I'm keen too that those who work with families participate so that they can bring their experience to our discussion and also get to know each other too.I hope you'll be able to join me, Neil and James for some lovely cake and a great opportunity to make sure those in Westminster hear the voices of those in Walthamstow. This event is sponsored by UNISON and has been organised by Walthamstow Labour Party.
Anyone who would like to hold a stall on the day or know more about the event is welcome to get in touch.
This past weekend I spoke on a platform in Birmingham with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell, at an event concerning child poverty. In ten years we've lifted nearly a million children out of poverty, but millions more remain as families still struggle to make ends meet. Labour is the only party pledged to end child poverty within a generation (other political parties see it just as an "aspiration") but the difficulties in achieving this goal are many. In my speech I talked about the work we're doing in Walthamstow and how the issues facing families in our area are very different to those facing James who represents an area in Greater Manchester. I also raised the need to do more to support youth services and play activities for children all year round.
Ending child poverty here in Walthamstow is a subject close to my heart, shaping many of my local priorities. For example, it's why I've been looking at how we can develop our local economy. A new report by the London Child Poverty Commission shows just how important employment is in addressing child poverty. We need more small local businesses generating the local jobs parents want.
We'll be holding another event for parents in Walthamstow and their children to look at what we can do to help local families in April. Get in touch if you would like to be involved in helping fight child poverty in Walthamstow.
Ending child poverty here in Walthamstow is a subject close to my heart, shaping many of my local priorities. For example, it's why I've been looking at how we can develop our local economy. A new report by the London Child Poverty Commission shows just how important employment is in addressing child poverty. We need more small local businesses generating the local jobs parents want.
We'll be holding another event for parents in Walthamstow and their children to look at what we can do to help local families in April. Get in touch if you would like to be involved in helping fight child poverty in Walthamstow.
For me ending child poverty is one of the great causes of our time and should be one of the key priorities of a Labour Government. At a time when inheritance tax dominates political debate I'm deeply concerned that unless we make the case to the public for further action we may fail to meet our ambition to end child poverty in Britain within a generation. Since Labour made that pledge we've lifted 600,000 children out of poverty, yet we still have one of the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialised world. The Campaign to End Child Poverty has recently launched a month of action to encourage not only our political representatives but also community and voluntary organisations to sign up to act to end child poverty here in Britain. The 2nd November is "visit your MP" day and there'll be a rally outside the Treasury in Whitehall on 7th November. And the "Dare to care" campaign is showing how anyone can make a difference by volunteering some of their time to help children living in poverty. The best way to show your support and keep in touch with these activities is to visit the website and become an End Child Poverty champion. I have and I hope you will too. Please also do get in touch if you'd like to help out in the next event which is part of our local campaign to tackle child poverty by working with local community groups in Walthamstow.
I recently took part in a podcast about the question of community and political engagement and talked about how the Labour party must revalue the role of members and activists. You can hear the whole interview here on Andy Howell's blog. Local CLP members know I don't just talk about the role Labour can play campaigning for change; I also put my words into practise. In May I organised an event in Walthamstow to bring together activists and Labour supporters to ask how we can tackle child poverty in our area. I wrote an article about this for the national Labour journal Progress to share our experience and the lessons we learned. We got some really good ideas from the discussion about how to help children and their families in our constituency and I'm now working with others in the CLP and the local area to take them forward. see the role of the MP as being someone who makes things happen like this, bringing people together to share ideas and plan a course of action to achieve our shared ambitions like ending child poverty on our streets. Let me know what you think.
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