There’s a simple way to fight the cost of living emergency: a £15 an hour minimum wage | Nadia Whittome | The Guardian

Opponents say this will lead to a wage-price spiral – but that’s an argument that’s stuck in the 1970s, says Labour MP Nadia Whittome

 

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I do agree that the minimum wage should be around £15 per hour, but not for other salaries to be increased in the same ratio as this would lead to a wages spiral.

But in saying it should be £15 per hour, this will not be a major problem for many industries, especially multi-nationals, but it will be for charities and certainly the care profession.

The care profession has been starved of finance for way too long, well before 2010, when austerity measures were introduced, but these measures made the finance much worse. So the Government needs to finance Local Authorities much better and return all the losses they endured through the austerity cuts.

As for charities, with all the problems with the cost of living, donations to charities have been considerably reduced, meaning many charities are having to decide whether they can continue let alone afford a minimum wage of £15 per hour. Without charities the gaps caused by lack of statutory services will only get greater thereby causing even more difficulties for the vulnerable that charities look after.

Also Chief Executives of industry needs to have their salaries capped so they are not earning more 10/15% more than their lowest earning employee.

Source: There’s a simple way to fight the cost of living emergency: a £15 an hour minimum wage | Nadia Whittome | The Guardian

Almost one fifth of non-profit workers earn below the real living wage

The National Living Wage is a disgrace as it is insufficient to live on.

Yes, the Government says there are various credits to claim, but the claiming process is very arduous and very time consuming and the barriers you have to overcome are very off-putting.

With some benefits it is as though you are deemed as claiming a benefit to which you are not entitled and in many instances the assessment process, especially face to face is very demeaning and in some instances insulting.

The Queen used to pay some of her staff below the Real Living Wage and was, I believe reported as saying ‘they can claim benefits’

How some are now paid.

Many Charities have restricted income which is not guaranteed and as they rely on donations and grants which have to be bid for, these grants are time limited may be for one year or could be up to 3 years, so Charities are continually having to submit bids for grants which may or may not be granted. The grants always come with attached conditions and to even bid you have to fit the expressed criteria, which can be very detailed.

With grants the organisations providing grants also only have a limited amount of money available to provide so all eligible bids will not be granted if the total amount of bids exceeds the amount available for when this as been reach there is no more available.

Source: Almost one fifth of non-profit workers earn below the real living wage 

Lockdown has brought families of learning disabled people to their knees | Learning disability | The Guardian

The support system so many rely on was struggling before the coronavirus crisis. Now it is truly broken

Source: Lockdown has brought families of learning disabled people to their knees | Learning disability | The Guardian

A fifth of disabled people say they will not leave home until a coronavirus vaccine is found

‘In addition to the survey, Scope has written to prime minister Boris Johnson, calling for him to prioritise the needs of disabled people, 59 per cent of whom are worried about being forgotten by the government.’

The other 41% realise that they have never been remembered by this government and never will be.

Coronavirus: Over 100 disability charities sign open letter to DWP demanding urgent benefit changes – Welfare Weekly

More than 100 disability organisations sign open letter demanding better protections for disabled people affected by coronavirus pandemic.

Source: Coronavirus: Over 100 disability charities sign open letter to DWP demanding urgent benefit changes – Welfare Weekly

Remploy loses inspection contracts

Experts by Experience need to be used and listened to more effectively and hopefully more concentration on actual care delivery, rather than record keeping.

Age UK statistics are alarming and shame the country | Care Industry News

New Age UK analysis finds that in the last 12 months, about 700,000 requests for formal care and support, equivalent to 51% of all applications, have been made by older people and yet have resulted in them not receiving formal care services. This is equivalent to 2,000 claims from older people being unsuccessful each day, or 80 every hour.[1]

In some of these cases, the older person was found by their council not to meet the eligibility criteria set for the social care system, and that was the end of it (23% of all requests for help); while in others the older person was found ineligible, but their council then referred them onto other services in the hope that they could assist, including their local Age UK (46% of all requests for help). [1]

 

Source: Age UK statistics are alarming and shame the country | Care Industry News

Britain’s welfare state: A return to the Tudor Era

This is the reality of 2020 and in many respects we have gone back to 1494, but it is not too late and make 2020 the year of change where there is full and real equality and not just a word that is spoken, but not meant.

This is not a sudden reversal to 1494 for it started some many years ago, well before 2010, but the last 10 years have been the worst.

Welfare benefits need to be reshaped to help those in need and not used as a punishment.

Social Care needs immediate funding to at least bring it back to 2010, which then was not sufficient.

It should not be seen as a crime to be disabled, to be poor, to be sick, etc for anyone of us, could be there tomorrow, if not today.

Boris needs to take this on board, Now, for to not do so, will create even more deaths than have been occurring and making a crisis in Social Care an even bigger crisis in health.

Health care has, over the last 10 years been continued to be funded, perhaps not to the degree as it should have been, but the drastic underfunding, or no funding for Social Care is causing more problems for health.

Whether we want it or not Social and Health care are very inter-related.

I now refer you to

Pease could I mention that the forthcoming Budget is an important opportunity to address the crucial issue of funding for Social Care, but will it.

Boris has promised, but will he keep his promise and even if money is made available will it be sufficient.

Boris has now mentioned it will take 5 years to get the funding, Social Care can not wait that long.

Boris needs to be told this is not good enough, so it is essential we keep the pressure on Boris and my petition ‘Solve the crisis in Social Care could be the means.

Please see below

We now have the New Year 2020.

However, if the ‘Crisis in Social Care’ is not Solved soon there will not be many more New Years for the care, required for persons in need of care, to be provided by Local Authorities due to their lack of funding.

This will then have a much greater impact on health care provision, which is itself in crisis.

I have therefore created my latest petition, please follow the link

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care

For more information please follow the link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w0f2skyxy37udqb/Solve%20the%20crisis%20in%20Social%20Care.docx?dl=0

Stroke care facing a ‘ticking time-bomb’, says charity : Welfare Weekly

Charity warns that the number of stroke professionals in the UK is at a worryingly low level.

Source: Stroke care facing a ‘ticking time-bomb’, says charity : Welfare Weekly

Harry and Meghan need to know that freelance life isn’t a walk in the park | Gaby Hinsliff | Opinion | The Guardian

When royals try to be entrepreneurial or work with billionaires, it doesn’t usually go well. Still, there’s always the acting, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff

Source: Harry and Meghan need to know that freelance life isn’t a walk in the park | Gaby Hinsliff | Opinion | The Guardian