Man Arrested At Ashton Jobcentre Following Suicide Threat !

We have received reports that yesterday (Wednesday 9/9/15), a man walked into Ashton-under-Lyne, Jobcentre, at approximately 4.00 pm in the afternoon and was seen to pour a liquid over his head and threaten to set himself alight. We understand that the incident may have been linked to the man having had his benefits previously sanctioned by staff at the Jobcentre. Witnesses report that the building was immediately evacuated and the emergency services summoned, including the ambulance and fire services.

Today, at around 2.15 pm, police officers arrested a further man (see above picture) inside Ashton Jobcentre. When asked about the circumstances of the arrest, a police officer, politely declined to comment.

TORIES ACCUSED OF FUDGING FIGURES ON BENEFIT DEATHS!

"The Tories are trying to 'fudge' figures on welfare cuts deaths in a shock dossier which claims they're too 'emotive', Mirror Online can reveal.

The news has prompted fury from campaigners, 220,000 of whom have signed a petition to find how many people died after being found fit for work.

Iain Duncan Smith's department is waging a legal fight against a request for the figures, claiming it'll reveal them in its own time."

For more on this story click on Mirror Online:

Ashton jobseeker sanctioned for three-months for making a spelling mistake!

In his magnificent book " Religion and the rise of Capitalism", R.H. Tawney, stated: "Most tyrannies have contented themselves with tormenting the poor." You could say that this just about sums up the prevailing ideology that dominates policy within this wretched Tory led coalition government which is hell-bent on turning us into doormats for billionaires. The UK might be the sixth richest country on earth but last year, over 1 million sought help from the charity run foodbanks.

One of the things that is driving people to turn to foodbanks, is the staggering rise in the number of people on benefits who are being sanctioned. We also seeing an increase in the rate of suicides that are linked to benefit cuts and sactions which are often both unfair or possibly illegal. The emphasis is  now  on what the Jobcentre calls "off-flow" which measures the number of people coming off benefits and not necessarily the number who go into jobs. Campaigning groups like Tameside Against the Cuts, are now being set up across the country in opposition to the social injustice that is being meted out to unemployed people in receipt of state benefits. Last week (Thursday) one member of the group spoke to  a jobseeker who was sanctioned by the Ashton Jobcentre for three-months for making a spelling mistake. It is to be hoped that this person was told to appeal and to apply for a hardship payment. The following account by Charlotte is copied from her blog, the Poor Side of Life:

"You couldn’t make it up… Well actually it’s become the norm to be sanctioned for making a spelling mistake. A gentleman who spoke to us on our Thursday demo told us that he was put on a three month sanction at Ashton Under Lyne Jobcentre for making a spelling mistake. He wasn’t given a chance to correct it, or a chance to explain it. He was told very bluntly “we are sanctioning you for spelling this word incorrectly on a form. This will prevent you from getting work so therefore is a sanctionable offence”. This man received a three month sanction for this so called offence. No one bothered to ask him if he was dyslexic or had any other issues which may have prevented him from spelling the word correct. Neither is it a crime to spell a word incorrectly. Indeed we are all human and are prone to making mistakes. This is shocking but had become the norm at this Jobcentre and jobcentres up and down the country. It reminded me of why Jobcentres were created in the first place. They were created to help you find work. They also used to help you fill in forms and make telephone calls if this was required. They were very productive places in those days, you stood a chance of finding work and not being sanctioned. I prefer to call Jobcentres sanction centres now as their main aim is to get people off benefits in any way possible. If bullying, sanctioning, coercing claimants to commit suicide and taking away a persons every means of survival is needed to do this then they will do this…. They have targets to reach, and reach them they will by whatever means possible. "

Bedroom Tax campaigner goes to Supreme Court!

Manchester tenant Meryvn Drage  (57) of Bradford Court in Moston, has appealed against the Bedroom Tax.

His case has been taken all the way to the highest court in Britain, the supreme Court (House of Lords). A date for this hearing has yet to be set.

 

Meryvn is being represented by the Public Law Defenders. His is a test case. The outcome will have an effect all the other appeals against the Bedroom Tax. That is the reason so many other appeals have been held up. 

Solicitor Ann McMurdie, from Public Law Defenders will give an update on the challenges to the Bedroom Tax in the Courts.

Like many who have been hit by the Bedroom Tax, Mervyn has a number of mental health conditions. To be forced to move away from his home would have a detrimental effect on his life and his health.

Mervyn has joined marches and protest against the Bedroom Tax since its introduction in April 2013.

The legal speak for his appeal is:

'The Claimant is a 56 year old sole tenant of a three bedroom flat initially allocated to him in 1994 when it was hard to let. He has a number of physical and mental health problems including depression, anxiety and OCD together with persecutory delusions from time to time. His condition is aggravated by stress and changes of routine and his disability means that it would be unreasonable to move or share occupation of his flat.'