former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[buddug]

Just wondering James. As you're the councillor who likes to help, would you like to tell us how you're helping your constituents who live in council housing who've been hit by the bedroom tax? i.e. those who have lost their jobs, and the disabled, who have lost a large chunk of their benefits so that they are now living or rather, trying to survive, below subsistence level. Or maybe you're just too busy helping those poor Waitrose-aspiring, road-traffic-obsessed constituents you're so keen on...

And maybe you'd like to share with the forum your opinions on the bedroom tax that you shared with me in a PM recently?

[Pugwash]

In reply to the previous poster re ED residents being hit by bedroom tax etc - there was a well publicised event at the ED Community Centre on 10th September at 8 pm with a representative of Southwark CAB who covered the welfare benefit reforms and bedroom tax and answered many questions - it was a pity that so few people came in proportion to the thousands of leaflets which went out advertising all events at the East Dulwich Community Centre including the City Farm/benefits evening/Give and Take days. There were also posters displayed in Emily's Fish Bar and on the various community notice boards around ED. You would have had the opportunity of asking the CAB lady the appeals process and other help available.

[buddug]

None of that was due to James. I'm lucky enough to have a job and don't live in council housing. I just happen, like you Pugwash, to feel compassion for others, unlike some, James...

[edhistory]

Pugwash Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> it was a pity that so few people came

> in proportion to the thousands of leaflets which

> went out advertising all events at the East

> Dulwich Community Centre including the City

> Farm/benefits evening/Give and Take days. There

> were also posters displayed in Emily's Fish Bar

> and on the various community notice boards around

> ED.

That's interesting.

Is that good news because so few are affected?

How many of the few attendees were personally affected?

I seem to remember Mr Barber once gave us the estimate of the number of East Dulwich households affected.

Perhaps we could have an update.

John K

[James Barber]

Hi John K, buddug,

The numbers I've been told affected for East Dulwich are here:

http://jamesbarber.mycouncillor.org.uk/2013/02/11/welfare-reform-cap-and-spare-bedrooms/

Buddug happy for you to post my PM.

Southwark have huge over 10,000 people on its council housing waiting list - huge proportion due to over crowding ie. not having enough bedrooms. At the same time the subsidies that council housing receive are being spent on providing some homes with more bedrooms that occupants.

I think the changes should have been staggered but the economic climate and so many people living in over crowded situations have encouraged the government to act faster. The new rules for council owned social housing have been in place for people on benefits renting in the private sector since the last government.

What am I personally doing?

When people have contacted me about this I've encouraged them to try swapping homes. The last Lib Dem led council introduced financial incentives to encourage such swapping as it makes such a difference to those in overcrowded situations. Ask whether people would consider renting out any spare bedroom - they can do this for up to ?80pw without being tax or affecting beneifts - whereas the changes are circa ?20pw so potential to be much better of. If they have a medical condition then Helping them get that recognised.

One area the rule changes havent gone far enough is homes that have been specially adapted at great cost to the council/tax payers for specific issues the resident has.

[buddug]

Jesus. You have no shame James.

So if you're disabled, since this 'reform', you now have the added upset and inconvenience of having to leave your home and find another if you're to have any chance of surviving on the pittance you get. Maybe away from friends, maybe you've lived in that home for many years. Many disabled people need a second bedroom for a carer or equipment etc, witness all the horror stories in the press about how this vile tax is ruining people's lives. People aren't robots, James, unlike yourself. They have emotions.

And if you are unlucky enough to lose your job, you immediately have to move home on top of everything else or starve! A single person over 25 gets ?71 a week - that's for food, gas, electric, water, any insurance, phone, broadband, tv licence, clothes, cleaning products, toiletries, loo paper etc. That plummets to ?50 something if you have one spare room - maybe a child has grown up and moved out, or whatever. There's a human cost to all this James.

And as many councils are finding out - there are no single bedroom council homes left for all of them to move to!

And why should people be forced to leave their homes of many years when misfortune strikes. It's cruel and unnatural.

[James Barber]

Yes you're right that the regulations do affect people of working age who are disabled and have a 'spare' bedroom/s that the disabled householder feels they need for space for extra kit. Clearly this part of the proposal is nonsensical and I hope will be amended as indeed it was related to disabled children.

However, all local authorities are being provided extra money to decide if they wish to pay the gap in such cases. They've also been given the ability to charge council tax for second homes at a premium rate raise extra funds to decide locally how to ameliorate or not welfare changes such as these. Southwark has decided not to ameliorate the changes using this power. If they had a large extra tracnhe of money would have been provided - effectively an incentive to local authorities to play ball on bhealf of their resudents.

[buddug]

But southwark has decided not to play ball James. So, have you actually met anyone in East Dulwich going through this - and how many empty one and two bedroom council owned properties are there in East Dulwich? Are there enough for the people affected? I think as a councillor you ought to find out.

And do you really think people should be forced out of the homes they know when they're already struggling with disabilities or have just lost their job, which could happen to any of us tomorrow.

[James Barber]

Hi buddug,

Yes I have met families experiencing this.

One with a disabled parent wanted to downsize to no longer have a spare bedroom as they have seen their housing benefits cut by 14%. 14% on ?100pw rent to many wouldnt be a problem but clearly for many on benefits it a disaster. I put them in touch with the home swap process. I also explained they could rent out the spare bedroom.

But as a nation subsidising people in social housing to have bedrooms they're not using while paying large sums to rent homes for people isnt sustainable.

Housing officers have been matching people up and some really good swaps have occurred on same estates. One example they discovered someone not claiming state pension.

I agree it's harsh for someone who has had a council home for years to be faced with moving. It's also harsh for people with mortgages to be faced with moving or indeed outright home owners who find it hard to run a home without enough income.

As per our PM's I would prefer the UK to emulate the German system.

If you'd like to continue debating what is national policy and not local issues I can fix then perhaps we should continue this in the lounge?

[singalto]

Msybe someof you could remember that we have an MP who might be in a stronger position to do something about the national issues rather than attack James about everything that you disagree with. He is a great local councillor, not Batman.

[buddug]

I'd like you answer my question re how many one and two bed properties are available in East Dulwich for the victims of this brutal 'reform'. I think the answer is zero, zilch, nada.

How nice that you just give advice that they swap their homes. How would you feel to be forced out of your home the minute you experienced unemployment or illness? And you said: 'The last Lib Dem led council introduced financial incentives to encourage such swapping'. Are those still in place? No, I thought not. So why mention it?

There's no point debating the policy with you further. It's like talking to a compassionless brick wall. Initially I thought Lib Dems condoned this repulsive attack on the poor because they had no choice in the face of their Tory masters. It's unbelievable Lib Dem councillors like yourself can actually try to justify it.

You think it's ok to simply say, oh well, 'I hope' certain aspects of this law will be amended for the disabled, and 'I agree it's harsh, but' etc, but you might as well say 'let them eat cake'!

The Welfare State was intended to be a safety net for people like you and me James, paid for out of our national insurance or failing that, taxes if we got sick or lost our jobs. A safety net that should not involve people being forced to leave their home the minute they lose their job or become ill or disabled.

[buddug]

Yes, he's a great local councillor Singalto, that is if you want a Waitrose or are obsessed by minor traffic regulations! Any real, human issues or distress and you're buggered! He doesn't know how to deal with it. In fact, he doesn't care. It's just tick this box or that. Ideology is his second name. Compassion is outwith his remit. He's actually a waste of space. A careerist politician pandering to big business and the super rich, like the rest of these wasters.

[James Barber]

Hi singalto,

That did conjure a wonderful picture in my mind me wearing a batman outfit and somewhere a batman spotlight in East Dulwoich. Great for a dreary Friday morning. Thank you.

Hi buddug,

You're very welcome to shadow me to discover the work I do for residents.

Casework over the last month - successfully helping a family 5 years of escalating debt and avoid them losing their home (one of my favourite bits of casework this year - bit cheaty of me because it was resolve in the last month but came to me 6 months ago), a home swap, business rates chaos that nearly killed a local shop, two residential council tax cases, Plough Lane wheelie bin invasion from Landells Road, road and pavement maintenance complaints, primary school problems, new schools, new cinema, admissions problem, new neighbourhood watch scheme, loft insulaiton for a council home (hope to extend this to all in ED), dog poo bin move away from immediatley outside someones front door, police enforcement of white lines, missing street name plate, new Grove Vale library, lastly being available to answer issues and queries such as yours and other more casework oreintated issues.

I have to be honest I do now try and keep some emotional detachment from peoples dreadful problems. When I first started I didnt and it really got to me but more importantly was affecting my family home life. It can be really quite depressing as well as uplifting helping so many people. So I hope I'm still empathetic and really helpful but I can't solve every problem myself. I do try within the limits of being a councillor to do my best, trying to engage help from others, sign post people to help where others can more obviously help.

I'm sure you along with me will welcome a test case reported this morning where a blind man has successfully argued he didnt have a spare bedroom but rather a store for essential equipment to help him manage life being blind. Good call by the judge from what I've read. It would take primary legislation I believe to undo this judgement and the implications for all disabled residents. I would even argue this would/should extend to those on housing benefit in private homes.

The Southwark Council home swap information is here:

http://www.southwarkhomesearch.org.uk/data/asppages/1/1178.aspx

The mechanisms can also be used to move anywhere in the UK or RoI.

Yes the council does support people downsizing properties:

http://www.southwarkhomesearch.org.uk/data/asppages/1/1305.aspx

It's not as generous as it used to be. The sums seems tiny now. And the lump sum is suspended at the moment. The incentive to move is curreently much higher so Labour Southwark Council has withdrawn this incentive of several thounsand pounds.

[jonsuissy]

Buddug - Great offer from James re the shadowing, please do let us know how you get on.

[buddug]

I'm afraid I'll have to decline James' wonderful offer to shadow him as I have a full-time job. In addition, I know I would find it as interesting as watching paint drying - I spent many years as a reporter on local papers, where one of the more hellish jobs was being forced to attend evening council meetings to report on the shenanigans of these idiots.

Having to watch James in action over the Plough Lane wheelie bin invasion or the dog poo bin relocation would be the end of me, fascinating though I'm sure it all is. I would not of course be permitted to witness the more interesting cases involving residents debts or council tax problems due as they'd be matters involving confidentiality.

I'm glad, James, that you 'welcome' the outcome of the blind man's bedroom tax court case. But wouldn't it be much more humane if people unable to work due to illness or disability were not hounded by the bedroom tax? Don't they have enough on their plate? But I suppose, James, the ill and disabled, in addition to those people who've lost their jobs, are much easier to attack than say, bankers who caused this crisis, tax avoiders, and MPs fleecing taxpayers by using our money to buy themselves duck islands, belfast sinks and porn...

[Voyageur]

buddug Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm afraid I'll have to decline James' wonderful

> offer to shadow him as I have a full-time job. In

> addition, I know I would find it as interesting as

> watching paint drying - I spent many years as a

> reporter on local papers, where one of the more

> hellish jobs was being forced to attend evening

> council meetings to report on the shenanigans of

> these idiots.

>

> Having to watch James in action over the Plough

> Lane wheelie bin invasion or the dog poo bin

> relocation would be the end of me, fascinating

> though I'm sure it all is. I would not of course

> be permitted to witness the more interesting cases

> involving residents debts or council tax problems

> due as they'd be matters involving

> confidentiality.

>

> I'm glad, James, that you 'welcome' the outcome of

> the blind man's bedroom tax court case. But

> wouldn't it be much more humane if people unable

> to work due to illness or disability were not

> hounded by the bedroom tax? Don't they have enough

> on their plate? But I suppose, James, the ill and

> disabled, in addition to those people who've lost

> their jobs, are much easier to attack than say,

> bankers who caused this crisis, tax avoiders, and

> MPs fleecing taxpayers by using our money to buy

> themselves duck islands, belfast sinks and porn...

Wow... what a lame and offensive reply.

[showboat]

Buddug - serious question. Have you considered running as a local councillor? Do you feel you would be more effective in this role than James? If so then it sounds like you should mount a challenge to him.

It's awfully easy to sit on the sidelines and disagreeing with him - and for the record I agree with your entire position, without reservation. But if it's reached the point where you plainly aren't going to meet anywhere in the middle then is anything gained by continually bashing him? I'm assuming James realises he can't count on your vote - perhaps now you should move to unseating him, whether yourself or by helping another candidate?

[giggirl]

Buddug - please let us all know when you've cured cancer or achieved peace in the Middle East or whatever it is that you do on a daily basis. I'm guessing you must do something pretty bloody major to enable you to belittle the achievements of someone who works tirelessly for their local community.

[buddug]

Any good that James or any other LibDem or Tory councillor may do is being wiped out and undermined by this government with its hateful attacks on the poor, unemployed and sick and disabled - aided and abetted by the LibDems, who it seems from James's condoning of the bedroom tax, actually believe this is the right thing to do. These councillors are just firefighting. People's already difficult lives are being made hell. If they really want to do some good, all LibDem councillors should tell Nick Clegg 'enough' and that the party should leave this coalition.

And no, Showboat, I haven't considered being a councillor - I couldn't stomach sitting in the same room as them on a weekly basis. Nor could I bear receiving the perks that they get. But you made a good point!

[giggirl]

I apologise that my last comment was a bit bitchy but really buddug, what are you doing? James is a local councillor working on behalf of local people and a lot of what he does is dull but that sort of stuff makes people's lives better in the community we're in and that's what he's there for. He isn't Barack Obama.

[buddug]

Thanks for apology giggirl!

I only go after James when he says or does something so spectacularly offensive that I have to have a go. I'm not his stalker - yet! This time he tipped me over the edge when he sent me a PM justifying the bedroom tax, along the lines of 'why should people on benefits have a spare room?'. It was just too much. I thought LibDems only supported the Tory attacks on the most vulnerable in society because they were desperate to stay in power. That's bad enough. But here was our very own James actually believing in these brutal so-called reforms, reforms by the way that are doing untold harm to people in our community of East Dulwich and Peckham.

[James Barber]

Hi buddug,

That's not really. what I said.

[buddug]

Yes it is. I wasn't going to post your pm here, as it was sent to me in private, but since you're denying it, you said:

"... why should people be given a public subsidy to have more bedrooms than they need..."

'Public subsidy' indeed! So that's what you think benefits are? Anyway, enough of me on this thread. I'll leave you to continue helping people...

[Zebedee Tring]

I'm not a Lib Dem supporter (at least not after their recent performance in the Tory led government, especially their support of the bedroom tax). And I don't agree by any means with everything that James says. However, he does a bloody good job coming on to this MB and attempting to communicate with other posters on matters that concern them. Sometimes it must feel like going into the lions' den.

I couldn't blame James if he stopped posting on the MB. Personally I wouldn't put myself forward to receive more criticism than I would normally receive as a local councillor.

[singalto]

buddug, if you did become a local councillor, I'd move. Your attacks on James are way beyond what is acceptable. He is a local councillor, not our MP. Now there is someone who seems to me to do nothing for her constituants. The so called bedroom tax is a national issue, not a local one.