Letter from Parliament - Jim Dobbin MP

Jim Dobbin MP

In a previous article, I mentioned the Remploy Factory based on the Heywood Distribution Park which contributes great skills to the Information Technology World. So far the Heywood site has escaped but is lined up for future cuts.

The coalition plans to shut down the entire Remploy organisation which provides employment for people with disabilities. The aim is to force these disabled workers to compete for jobs in the community, jobs which do not exist. This is a cruel decision by the coalition and another blow to people with a disability.

The public meeting in the Desmesne Community Centre on the Governments’ Bedroom Tax was packed and was an opportunity for the local people to learn how the legislation will affect them.

The experts from the Councils’ Housing Department, the Benefits Section and from Riverside Housing Association were professional and informative and I thank them for their contribution. However, it is obvious that the welfare benefits legislation to be introduced from April 2013 will cause absolute chaos. Many genuine claimants will lose their benefits.

There are real concerns about the private companies ATOS and CAPITA that have been taken on by the Government to reduce the benefits bill. Many of their assessments will be based on hitting Government benefit reduction targets. I fear that many innocent claimants will lose their benefits. Evictions and therefore increased homelessness will be the inevitable result. 

I see also that the Pennine Acute Health Trust have been ordered to reduce their spend by around £140 million. How can the NHS survive that level of reduction?

My office is experiencing increased complaints about the quality of health provision. I am aware of staff becoming more and more disillusioned and dispirited in the fight to look after patients with much reduced resources.

The Labour Party is examining the case for a British Investment Bank. This would primarily be used to invest in infrastructure that would support growing small and medium sized enterprises. These businesses are the bedrock of the British economy. This is an essential part of the stimulus that is required to create jobs and growth.

Our apprentice chancellor could do with some similar thinking. Osborne has received this advice from many renowned and more experienced economists than he. Osborne appears not to be listening.

Meanwhile, we continue to work across the constituency on a range of different issues. Rochdale Council is doing remarkably well under difficulty economic circumstances which will get worse with the next budget. So I say well done to our local councillors and only ask them to keep their nerve.