TOP 100 ENGLAND SITES
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| Whitehall redundancy offer raised The government offers to pay civil servants up to 21 months' salary in redundancy payments, following talks with unions. bbc.co.uk |
Snow to hit Britain Winter will come early to Britain next week as snow is forecast for the north while the south will shiver in frosty sub-zero nights. telegraph.co.uk |
Letters: In defence of a new military strategy As a Labour party member and pro-European, can I congratulate David Cameron for having done more in a few days to advance a European common foreign and security policy than my party did in 13 years. Anglo-French co-operation on nuclear patrols and the kicking of Trident into the long grass of after the next election (Report, 19 October) are to be welcomed on political and economic grounds. The only question is whether or not the senior military figures who told the last Labour government it couldn't be done will be rightly among the first to get their P45s when the defence cuts bite.Glyn Ford (Labour MEP 1984-2009), Cinderford, Gloucestershire• Britain may well punch above its weight after these cuts, but it would serve the country better if it thought more in terms of how its forces knit into the EU. Somehow or other, I believe there should be a Nato without the presence of the US and that Europe should pursue its own interests. It appears that the US supplies much of the rapid transport needed by Nato forces and this problem needs to be planned for and shared by the EU alone. From my knowledge of the Royal Navy, it seems to be heavy in top brass, and I hope cuts are made in this sector as the navy is reduced in strength.Donald T HartBaltimore, USA• There's been a lot of criticism of the management of defence by the last government, no doubt some of it true. But what a way to manage a withdrawal from Germany: the mind boggles at the thought of taking 10 years to withdraw from a friendly country. Withdrawal should have taken place years ago. Germany can defend itself without us having to pay for it.Derek EmsleyKingussie, Inverness-shire.• I find it difficult to understand how we need two new aircraft carriers and a replacement for Trident if we can do without the present Ark Royal's strike capability for 10 years, the Queen Elizabeth is to then be in service for just three years, and there will be a gap of five years before a Trident replacement becomes available. Either we need these capabilities or we do not. I think we do not – and we do not yet have a rational presentation as to what these very expensive pieces of hardware are to do to enhance national security.John ChubbCheltenham, Gloucestershire• No naval jets, only one aircraft carrier for the next 10 years – one has to assume that the government has also ceded the Falkland Islands to Argentina, as there is now no way we can defend them.John WebbChippenham, Wiltshire Defence policyTridentMilitaryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Stiles' World Cup medal sells for £160,000 Nobby Stiles is selling his football memorabilia at an auction in Edinburgh. bbc.co.uk |
David Cameron refuses to back down over housing benefit cap Prime minister tells Commons he is sticking by controversial policy as Labour steps up campaign against cuts and lobbies Lib Dems for supportDavid Cameron today dismissed speculation that the government would climb down over its cap on housing benefit, despite claims that the policy could drive 200,000 poorer people out of major cities.The prime minister made clear his determination to stand firm on the controversial proposals at prime minister's questions.His comments came as Labour stepped up its campaign against the decision to cut housing benefit for people who have been out of work for 12 months and lobbied Liberal Democrat MPs concerned by the plans.Cameron dismissed accusations that he was "out of touch" and made it clear that the coalition was "sticking by" its proposals, insisting it was not "fair" that claimants lived in properties that many workers could "only dream of".He insisted there was "no reason" why anyone should be made homeless as a result of the changes, and said there were plenty of jobs for those out of work for more than 12 months in high-rent areas such as London.The prime minister admitted to MPs that welfare reforms were "difficult", but said they were necessary to protect other areas of spending, such as schools and the NHS, from austerity cuts.The coalition announced a range of housing benefit changes via the June emergency budget and last week's spending review, including limiting housing benefit for a four-bedroom home to around £400 a week and cutting payouts by 10% when people had been on jobseeker's allowance for more than a year.Cameron stressed that the cap would still leave claimants able to receive around £20,000 a year for housing."We are going forward with all the proposals we put in the spending review and the budget," he told the Commons."I know you don't like the answer that we are sticking to our policies – but we are sticking to our policies."The point everyone in this house has got to consider is: are we happy to go on paying £30,000, £40,000, £50,000? Are constituents working hard to give benefits so people can live in homes that they can only dream of? I don't think that is fair."Opposition to the coalition plans is mounting, with the Lib Dem deputy leader, Simon Hughes, criticising the proposals as "draconian" and saying ministers would have to "negotiate" to get parliamentary approval.The Labour frontbencher Chris Bryant yesterday told MPs the housing benefit cuts would lead to "cleansing" of poorer people from areas with high rents, such as London, while some Conservative backbenchers with urban constituencies have also voiced concerns.Today, Ed Miliband used PMQs to hit out at the prime minister over the plans, which the Labour leader described as "a complete shambles".Cameron was also confronted by Bob Russell, a Lib Dem backbencher, who warned that the proposals were "no laughing matter" for the thousands of children who faced the prospect of homelessness as a result.Miliband referred to the unease over the policy as he told Cameron: "Isn't the truth the prime minister just doesn't get it? He is out of touch – other people will pay the price for his cuts. Isn't it time he thought again on housing benefit?"He added that Cameron had "dug himself in" over the 10% cut and asked what advice he would give to a family facing "such a large drop in their income".The PM told him: "We will be having, in the work programme, the best and biggest programme to help those people back into work."The prime minister referred to the situation in London, where he contrasted the 37,390 people who had been on jobseeker's allowance for more than a year and would be affected by 10% housing benefit cut with the 30,000 new vacancies which he said arose in the capital each month."That is 400,000 vacancies a year – we want to get those people back into work," he said.Miliband fired back that 500,000 workers in the public sector alone were expected to lose their jobs as a result of the cuts."It's clear that your policy on housing benefit is a complete shambles," he told Cameron. "In London alone, councils are saying 82,000 people will lose their homes. They are already booking the bed and breakfast accommodation."He pressed Cameron on how many people he expected to lose their homes as a result of the policy, to which the prime minister replied: "If you are prepared to pay £20,000 in housing benefit, there is no reason why anyone should be left without a home."The Department of Communities and Local Government is to grant £10m from its homelessness budget to councils' funds in the Greater London area to help households affected by housing benefit changes.Funding may be used to provide financial advice, renegotiating rents and, where necessary, helping people to move to more affordable accommodation.The money will go to town hall discretionary funds, which can be used in special cases. Authorities could dip into the pot if, for example, a family's rent was more than £400 but one of their children attended a local special school. Cameron faced further Commons pressure when Russell, the Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester, urged him to "look again" at the changes."Earlier, you and the leader of the opposition had fun and games over housing benefit cuts," he said."This is not a laughing matter for the thousands of children who could well become homeless. I'm confident that this was an unintended consequence, because the cost of putting children in bed and breakfast accommodation is greater than housing benefit. Will you look again, please?"Cameron agreed that the policy was an "incredibly serious issue" and said the housing benefit bill was "out of control", up 50% over the last five years for working-age adults."The fact is there will be many people working in Colchester, or working in Doncaster, or working in west Oxfordshire, who are paying their taxes, who could not dream of living in a house that cost £20,000 to rent each year," he said.Douglas Alexander, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said after the Commons exchange that Cameron had "further raised the stakes" and divided his coalition by confirming his policy to hit those who cannot find work by cutting the cash they get to help with housing costs.He said he had written to thousands of Labour members urging them to join the campaign against the reforms, and had also spoken to Lib Dems MPs in the last few days.Alexander will hold a summit with representatives of housing organisations and charities tomorrow to hear their views.He said: "Although he is clearly not listening to the Lib Dems, we are ready to work with all sides of the house to defeat these unfair plans."But not everyone is opposed. Tory-led Westminster council reiterated its backing for the cap today, saying more than 1,000 households in the area were currently receiving in excess of the limit being mooted. The authority's housing allowance is currently £1,000 a week for a four-bedroom house and £2,000 for a five-bedroom. Philippa Roe, who deals with housing issues for the council, said: "The intention of the cap is not to force claimants from central London and other city centres, but to support the reduction of the national housing benefit bill that was spiralling out of control and restrain a system which was driving up and distorting private sector rents. "Of course, those people who have a genuine need to be housed in their local area, those on low incomes, pensioners who have lived in their neighbourhood all their lives and pupils sitting their exams, should be prioritised." But Mark Field, the Tory MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, warned that the April 2013 date for introducing the changes could be too soon."The speed at which the cap is being put into place does perhaps ignore some of the huge logistical problems for some local authorities in arranging for more accommodation, but also coping with an influx of new claimants," Field said.The MP added that 80% of the households currently handed the benefit in his constituency were receiving more than the cap level.Liberal-Conservative coalitionSpending review 2010Tax and spendingConservativesHousingHousing benefitCommunitiesPMQsEd MilibandDavid CameronHélène Mulhollandguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |