There has been much debate recently about the Bedroom Tax, zero hour contracts, and the concept of a Living Wage. In Parliament, government MPs – including our local Tory MP Richard Drax – voted to support the Bedroom Tax while Labour MPs voted to scrap it as housing charities point out that – aside from the ethics of forced downsizing – there are simply not enough smaller homes for all those affected to move into.
More locally, Labour County Councillors proposed a motion to Dorset County Council to introduce a Living Wage for DCC staff and those employed in its supply chain, supported by local trades unions and the Living Wage for Dorset campaign.
Sometimes though, I think the arguments of politicians on all sides can be silenced by the reality of how the policies we squabble over affect the very real lives of those we represent. So this week (and with her permission) I want to “hand over” my column to share the experience of one local resident – we’ll call her Trisha, from Swanage – who took the time to write to me about how these policies affect her and her partner.
“Dear Simon,
I am writing in response to your query in the Dorset Eye. I am all in favour of the living wage but it’s not the whole answer. Last year I was working on a zero hours contract.
During the summer there were loads of hours but in the winter there was no work and I was constantly being sent home. One week I only had 6 hours’ work. I was able to claim tax credits and housing benefit. Every time my hours were high my Housing Benefit ended which meant I had to re-apply each time my hours dropped down again.
When my hours were low it often took up to 4 weeks to reassess my benefit, in the meantime the rent had to be paid. Due to all the twoing and froing I ended up with quite a large overpayment which they are still taking out of benefit at a rate of £15.40 per week. Our rent is £50 more than our Local Housing Allowance as we were unable to find private rented accommodation that would take benefits or was any cheaper.
I managed to find a job which gave me a 12 hour contract, and I assumed that this had to be an improvement on zero hours. My partner is also on a 12 hour contract.
We can claim tax credits and housing benefit. We have tried to do overtime when it’s available. So every month we have to hand in our wage slips, and the Housing Benefit is re-assessed, and we are still paying back the previous overpayment.
I never know from month to month how much money I will have coming in which makes it difficult to juggle. Recently our employer put up a notice advertising new vacancies at work. We approached him asking to have our contracts made up to 24 hours and were told we couldn’t have that due to “flexibility”.
My suspicion is it’s more due to him wanting to keep his costs down as we are not entitled to sick pay, can only have holiday pay based on a 12 hour working week and he will not currently have to pay anything into the new pension scheme when it comes along.
We are in the fortunate position that we have a little savings, but they are draining away. I estimate that we have to draw on our savings at a rate of about £50 per month with never anything to put in to top them up. I am not sure what happens when we get to the end of them unless I have managed to find another job or have a better income by then.
I am really concerned about what will happen when the Universal Credit comes in and hits us. I have not yet been able to find much in the way of information but what I have seen is suggesting that we will both have to attend the “local” Job Centre every week as we are not working full time.
The cost of a return bus fare to Poole [Swanage does not have a Job Centre] is £8, so that would be an extra £16 per week for my partner and I to find, and if we don’t go or if the Job Centre staff don’t think we are trying hard enough to find another job they will sanction our benefits.
I have looked at our budget and I’ll be honest I am struggling to see what else I can cut.
The problem with the Living Wage is that it is an increase to the hourly rate – which is great but only if you can get the hours. On our 12 hour contracts I can’t see that it would help us very much at all. I think the Labour Party needs to rethink its whole ethos to get votes, I personally am in favour of a basic income for everyone regardless of age, or skill sets. I would get rid of the money system as it stands and bring in a whole new way of running society based on something like the Gradido system as described in the book, which would be a fairer way of sharing the earth’s resources.
I would scrap trident and all other war-related expenses immediately, renationalise public transport, energy, water, housing, education, royal mail and power. These are things that should belong to the people not to big companies from other countries. The Labour party currently looks just like the slightly left Tory party to me.
I can’t see what difference it makes which we vote for if any, you all look like you are intent on cashing in on the workers and making loads of profit on our backs.
Sorry to sound so negative but you asked the question, so I figure you want to hear the answer. Hopefully it will help you to understand what the ordinary folk are thinking and why we are now very reluctant to support you further.”
I have deliberately left Trisha’s whole letter in – including her closing remarks that show her own frustrations with Labour – as I think it is important that we all hear how angry, frustrated and impotent our politics have left many people feeling.
I have replied to Trisha, and have asked her to follow my campaign and to keep an open mind. I am delighted to say that she has agreed – although I sense some understandable cynicism too. As a candidate, I cannot promise to “get rid of the whole money system as it stands” – I have to be realistic about what is achievable in a Parliamentary democracy. But I can promise that Labour, and I, are genuinely concerned about people, about social justice and about how we as a Party learn, and get things right.
If, like Trisha, you have a story to share or a perspective to give me, I want to hear from you.
Simon Bowkett is the South Dorset Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate. Follow his campaign at www.simonbowkett.co.uk, and on Twitter @Simon_Bowkett. You can write to him at [email protected]
