Tories threaten benefits cuts
BENEFITS for people in the Westcountry would be cut while other areas could hand out more state aid under cost-saving plans drawn up by influential Conservatives.
Tory frontbencher Lord Hanningfield claims generous welfare payments should be reserved for places where the "cost of living is far higher" while people in areas like Cornwall "do not need" the same level of help.
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Last night, Conservative HQ sought to play down the suggestion that the least well-off in the Westcountry should receive less help than wealthier parts of the country. And Tory candidates in the Westcountry sought to distance themselves from Lord Hanningfield's proposal.
But opponents said the comments by the party's business spokesman in the House of Lords showed "the way the Conservative mind is working" while being "completely ignorant" about the needs of the Westcountry.
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The revelation is especially embarrassing because Lord Hanningfield is also the leader of Essex County Council, a flagship authority seen as a trailblazer for innovative Tory policy. Only last week, Shadow Chancellor George Osborne heaped praise on the council for outsourcing office functions to the private sector and selling off assets.
While wages in the Westcountry are historically lower than the rest of the country, house prices, transport costs and historic under-investment have led to higher living costs. And while the average house price in Essex is 10 times the average annual wage of £27,500, prices in Cornwall last year were more than 13 times the average wage of £21,000.
In Devon and Somerset, properties sell for more than 12 times annual salaries.
Lord Hanningfield has led calls for local councils to be given greater control over welfare budgets, drawing on David Cameron's key theme of devolving power and responsibility away from Westminster. It would allow county halls to set their own regional levels of benefit, which Lord Hanningfield claimed would ensure public money was spent more efficiently and according to local needs.
"From David Cameron down, I think everyone believes this sort of thing should be looked at," he told the Observer.
Councillors could decide who was eligible for benefits and how much they received.
"The cost of living is far higher in Essex, say, than it is in Cornwall, so people do not need the same level of benefit," he said. "And someone who is 17 does not need the same amount as someone who is 30."
But Conservatives standing for election in Cornwall were dismissive of the idea, fearing a backlash at the ballot box. Derek Thomas, a Tory candidate in St Ives, said there were "a lot of additional costs to living in Cornwall", citing poor public transport, a reliance on private cars and higher costs of buying or renting a home.
"In terms of your essential living costs, it is just not fair to say it is cheaper to live down here," he said, insisting more should be done to get people off benefits altogether in order to bring down the overall welfare bill.
And George Eustice, a candidate in Camborne and Redruth, said it was "not practical to allow local authorities to determine welfare payments".
"When there is a recession, Cornwall gets hit harder than most parts of the country and we need to make sure that those who lose their jobs are supported back into work," he said.
However, Mr Eustice's Labour opponent, Jude Robinson, said Lord Hanningfield's comments "show the way the Conservative mind is working".
"Targeting benefit cuts in Cornwall would hit the poor and needy," she said. "It would drive wages down even further and set back our economy. The Tories are the same old nasty party and the last thing Cornwall needs is a return to the policies that crippled our economy for decades."
And Jim Knight, employment and South West minister, warned the plan would mean "people on one side of the street would be worse off than people on the other side".
"We do not agree with postcode lotteries – which is why we rejected the idea of a regional minimum wage and which is why we reject the idea of local determination of benefit levels," said Mr Knight.
A spokesman for the Conservatives insisted that, officially, "no consideration" has been given to the idea of councils being able to set their own rates of benefits.
"The principles of equity and fairness will underpin the benefit system under a Conservative Government.
"Our welfare reform proposals are clear and are based on working with the private and third sectors to give a more personalised service to unemployed people to help to get them into work."
However, the idea has received the backing of growing numbers on the right of the Tory Party, including MEP Daniel Hannan, who points to American reforms where social security was handed to individual states instead of being controlled centrally.
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by Graham Jones, Bideford
Sunday, September 20 2009, 12:33PM
“The West Country has suffered enough from poor funding from the Labour Party. What we don't want is the Tories putting the boot in. I hear nothing about the lower cost of living in the Labour heartlands of the North where much public money has been diverted from the West Country in order to buy votes. There has been little political support in the West Country for Labour, hence the reason why we are neglected. Just look at the speed money was withdrawn from Weymouth after recent local/Euro elections when Labour did so bad in the West Country. It was pure spite on their part. Also funding from other projects was taken away. The Tories have done well during recent elections in the West Country and should be condemning Lord H for his thoughless ill-informed remarks.”
by Soldier sailor Airman Royal marine Commando Associ, England
Thursday, September 17 2009, 8:24AM
“Tory frontbencher Lord Hanningfield claims generous welfare payments should be reserved for places where the "cost of living is far higher" while people in areas like Cornwall "do not need" the same level of help. The revelation is especially embarrassing because Lord Hanningfield is also the leader of Essex County Council, a flagship authority seen as a trailblazer for innovative Tory policy. Only last week, Shadow Chancellor George Osborne heaped praise on the council for outsourcing office functions to the private sector and selling off assets. Generous welfare payments??? Where? Not in this country - Not in England where we have over 1 million elderly veterans living on less than £50 a week after suplimenting their rents. Do visit our website for the truth of how our veterans are dying in their hundreds prematurely.
We have numerous council staff, executives and local councillors under investigation by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Soldier Sailor Airman Royal Marine Commando Association (SSARMCA)
http://soldiersailorairmanroyalmarinescommando.co.uk/default.aspx
Coalition Members of the International Criminal Court at The Hague:”
by Chris, Tintagel
Wednesday, September 16 2009, 10:57PM
“This idiot should hang his head in shame and learn to research before he opens that lunatic mouth of his!
Clearly he has never been to Cornwall or the westcountry for that matter, where, if you want to go to a supermarket in Tintagel, you have to make a round trip via a non existant bus of nearly 50 miles.. Londis, the spar and the local garage charge sometimes 3 times as much as that in Tesco for basic food.. Far more than they charge in Essex!
Cornwall and Devon do not have any sort of infrastructure and as such those who are the poorest pay the most, more than most places in the UK and as for saying a 17 year old needs less than a 30 year old is tosh!.. living costs iffer from person to person and that persons circumstance.
10 years ago I was unemployed and it was the worse part of my life I would go days without food or sometimes chose between electricity and a hot meal and I know people going through the same thing now, I don't drink or smoke but still struggled, it was horrific!
I now own my own company but it is no thanks to this government or the idiots that where and still are the Conservatives!
Finally, I note in the telegraph that the Conservatives are looking at stopping working tax credit as it 'hides' poverty... stop tax credits and it creates poverty but they are too stupid to understand any of this as no doubt not one of them has ever gone hungry through no fault of their own!”
by anarcho, merseyside
Wednesday, September 16 2009, 6:17PM
“Typical of the Tories kick us when we're down. As more and more people become unemployed the Tories start a crusade aginst them and let the bankers off scott free. Then again they can't actually have a go at the bankers, that would be hypocracy.
People should vote to un-elect their MP no matter what party, they were all in on it, there are very few exceptions.
There are lots of MP's who claimed far more for their fuel bills etc, but no one is investigating it, just because they didn't have to give in receipts, doesn't mean that copy bills should not be saught, especially if fraud is alleged.
I hope to push this matter once an election is announced to cause the maximum embarrassment. The MP's know who they are.
The Truth is out There! (actually it's on the parliament web site and in the Telegraphs offices and fuel companies accross the land.)”
by Taurus, Redruth
Wednesday, September 16 2009, 9:17AM
“I agree with Ms Newcombe that those people who've moved abroad should not have 'winter fuel' handouts, nor should they receive our dental treatment. I know of people, residing in Spain, who come over at a set time each year and get dental treatment, giving the address of a relative in England as theirs. Not on. And, yes, as one reader said, 'Mrs Thatcher would have not let the country go to the dogs, as Brown has. I don't think she would have tolerated yobs on the street either.”
by Ian, South Brent
Wednesday, September 16 2009, 9:00AM
“I had a damn sight more money in my pocket under Thatcher, even if I ended up loathing her, after being made redundant & having to suffer the benefits system for about 4 or 5 months.
& just remember you closet commies, the gap between rich & poor has grown by a vast margin under Neu Laber. So what have they done for the working man in Cornwall Hey ? ? ?
Because we live in the 'country' we are targets of an NL political bias, intended to inflict pain on the very people they have actually encouraged to widen the wealth gap!”
by mary, bodmin
Wednesday, September 16 2009, 8:12AM
“this man needs to live in the real world where does he get his info from? 17 year olds need less to live on than 30 year olds? Obviously he went to a different educational establishment than anyone else i would have thought they both neede the same amount to live on .”
by m1argaret newcombe, cornwall
Wednesday, September 16 2009, 6:41AM
“More to thier credit if the goverment stopped heating allowance for those that left the country to live in sunny Spain!”
by Jon, Falmouth
Tuesday, September 15 2009, 10:50PM
“If there were safe Tory seats in Cornwall then i don't believe he would have suggested looking into this possible reform.This is an insidious and ugly strategy of wooing potential voters in his own constituency whilst meting out punishment of non-Tory voters in other areas.”
by Neil A, Plymouth
Tuesday, September 15 2009, 10:20PM
“In principle there is nothing wrong with a variable rate of benefits, depending on living costs, in different parts of the country. In practice it would be pretty complex and probably not cost effective. And I doubt that Lord H has thought through his example very well. Some costs, including transport and particularly water bills, are very high in the West Country. However, I think that a good hard look has to be taken at the benefit system to prevent it deterring people from working.”