The former advisor to Tony Blair told The Guardian: ‘The reason why we have so many single mums is because we have so many single dads who cannot fulfil what most single mothers want from their partners, and the children from their fathers.’
His suggestion is that unemployed fathers, who refuse to go back to work, should lose their benefits.
Few would disagree. In fact, the vast majority would insist that anyone capable of full-time work should have their benefits taken away if they refuse to take reasonable employment; but such measures are not likely to have a major impact on DHSS expenditure.
While the coalition government tinkers with the welfare system, in order to reduce costs, it seems it is unwilling to admit that the system itself is no longer fit for purpose.
Tinkering with Thatcher’s 1980 Housing Act, in 2005, to ensure that tenants have been in a property for five years and obliging them to offer it back to the local authority, at a commercial price, should they wish to sell it, has not deterred the likes of Peter and Mary from taking full advantage of the system.
The sad fact is that the welfare system itself is responsible for creating a particular class of criminal who sees their children as a guaranteed source of income; free housing; and the means to avoid any form of work. And, unlike other criminals (who are normally out to make a quick profit) this particular breed is content to wait patiently for its fraud to bear fruit.
No encouragement to work for a living is going to influence Mary. And no rule about having to offer a property back to a local authority, before placing it on the open market, will deter Peter.
‘There’s nothing about renting it out, is there?’ he asked. ‘And it depends on when you want to sell it. Property values go up each year – so the longer you keep it the more you make.’
What do we do about the likes of Peter and Mary? More to the point: just how many Peter and Marys are there? How much do they cost us all each year?
Employing more investigators and increasing their budgets is not an option in the current economic climate – and that fact is not lost on the likes of Peter.
Criminals do what they do because the rewards outweigh the risks – and the coalition government needs to rebalance that equation if it is to make any significant headway in the welfare budget and its reforms.
The council had some £4 million in reserve that could be used as a buffer while suitable time was spent ensuring that consequent cuts were implemented appropriately.
Cllr Ray Howard brought council’s attention to resident support for local waste recycling – without whose co-operation the results would not have been so rosy.
Cllr Stanley pointed-out that the council’s current spending plans, which had only projected a 10% cut in funding, were now somewhat outdated and that new plans were being compiled.
All members were invited to attend the next cabinet meeting at which the new figures would be considered.
... (04/07/2010, Independent) - Osborne shocks ministers with demand for 40 percent budget cuts
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