For the Many Not the Few

The Sedgefield C.L.P. Newsletter

November 2017 VOLUME 1. ISSUE 3

From the Chair

It is always very humbling to see the hard work and generosity of our constituents and our comrades in our sister constituencies. Earlier this month the Labour North Gala Dinner was held, and it was a privilege to share an excellent, if expensive, evening with so many people who give For so much back. Our constituency was well represented, and it was noted by many that we were able to fill two tables with our constituents.

the The outstanding speakers included Laura Pidcock, Ian Lavery and our Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn. Jeremy asked that I give all members of the constituency a many personal message of thanks for your continued efforts and hard work as Labour activists. The party is strong because of its members.

not I also had the pleasure of meeting Angela Rayner at the NASUWT Regional Conference. As a teacher, her insight into the problems facing children and education was the a breath of fresh air. She has really listened to teachers, Trade Unions and school leaders, as well as children and their families. The plans for a National Education service, where every child and every adult matters, are inspirational. She also wanted to pass on her best few wishes to the members of Sedgefield CLP and her thanks for the part you played in the campaign, and what you continue to do. Angela is convinced that, with your help, we are on the brink of power.

Back to the real world of CLP business, there has been mixed news this month. Standing Orders were approved, and the branch boundaries are in the process of being finalised. I hope for good news for our new branches soon. On a less positive note, due to unforeseeable circumstances, we had to move the November CLP meeting away from the intended venue of Trimdon Station Community Centre. Having announced this venue at the last CLP meeting, we were given only seven days’ notice that there was a potential problem with accessibility for two members. It is our full intention to tour the constituency and we were excited to visit the Trimdon and Thornley Branch region this time. Luckily we were able to secure the Oakleaf Sports Complex in Newton Aycliffe again, which we are very grateful for, but this is a long journey for some members who may have been looking forward to attending a local venue. If you want the CLP meeting to be held at a venue close to you, as always, your suggestions are most welcome. We also encourage car sharing and our Facebook page is an excellent way to do this. https://www.facebook.com/pg/SedgefieldCLP/posts/?ref=page_internal

Finally, I would like to say what an excellent atmosphere it was at the recent CLP Nomination Meeting where we nominated our very own Mike Dixon, in addition to Yasmine Dar and Rachel Garnham. It was touching to hear so many constituents pay tribute to Mike’s contributions and, although he did not make the national ballot, Mike has shown us that we should stay positive and stand to represent our grassroots members at a national level. There are so many talented people in this constituency and, as always, I am very proud to represent the CLP as Chair.

All Labour Party Members and Supporters are Welcome to Attend

our First Christmas Social Event! ** Tickets are selling fast - call Jacqueline on 0776 338 0393 today to reserve yours**

Phil’s Blog Spot At the time of writing, the Chancellor has just delivered his Budget Statement. And one thing is certain, with predicted growth of less than 2% for the next few years and a further £3 billion to cope with Brexit, things are not looking too good.

The total set aside for Brexit now totals £3.7 billion, with more to come. But the Chancellor has only committed an additional £2.8 billion of funding for the NHS between now and 2020. And nothing extra for social care, which is a crisis set to explode in the coming years. The top line from the Budget as far as the Government is concerned is the money set aside for housing, a total of £44 billion over the next 5 years, of which only £15 billion will be new money. The Government aspires to build an average of 300,000 homes per year by the mid-2020s. This is a modest target. The first time buyers’ Stamp Duty cut is small and is dwarfed by the £10 billion in the Help to Buy Scheme which has helped to pour money into big builders’ pockets. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has given the Stamp Duty cut a ‘high’ uncertainty rating. The OBR estimates the costings will only cover a small number of first-time buyer purchases. They provide a figure of only 3,500 first-time buyers and expect the scheme will only put up house prices.

The Government has moved slightly on Universal Credit after coming under a great deal of pressure, but recipients will still lose 63p in every extra pound earned. It is time for the Government to reconsider the taper rate at which benefits are withdrawn as claimants make their first steps back into the workplace.

Although the Chancellor announced that any pay rise for nurses will be covered by extra resources and not taken from existing NHS budgets, there was no news on a similar offer to other public sector workers including teachers, police officers and our armed forces. And look out for the small print on any pay rise deal for nurses. As usual, there is a lot of smoke and mirrors in the Budget. But the main take away for me is the growth figure. Without growth, we can’t fund our public services in the way we would like. We all want to see the end of austerity, but after Brexit, extracting our economy from the EU Single Market will have major consequences for our economy and will make an anti-austerity agenda more difficult to implement.

The Tories said they would balance the books by 2015. They have now pushed that target back to 2025. It seems to me to be a target which gets pushed further and further back after every budget. The purpose of this Budget was to hide the Government’s weaknesses, but it has only revealed the long-term impact of the financial crisis we still face and the great uncertainty about the impact of Brexit.

If anyone wants to raise any issues with me, you can get in touch by email via [email protected] or by telephone on 01325 321602 to arrange an appointment.

I’m told it took my sister 2 days of One day I filled it in and said I begging to get me to eat and drink didn't do a work search because something. I had shut down. I I was feeling suicidal. They didn’t was in extreme shock, but I never quiz me about that. Another day told anyone what happened, it was I used Google Translate, and I only six weeks ago I finally told filled it out in Hungarian. I was someone what went on. The never asked about that either. Doctor signed me off work with severe depression and anxiety and On January 13 2017, I was able my nightmare with the DWP to lodge my ESA appeal with the began. courts, leave the job centre and claim ESA again. I knew I was in Dear Friends I was awarded ESA and after a for a wait before the appeal while, I got the letter saying I was would be heard but I never Universal Credit is a hot topic right to attend a Work Capability imagined how long I would have now, so I'd like to share my Assessment. I vaguely remember to wait. I am still waiting today! experience of the current so- the day although at this point, I still called Benefit System, but first a little was unable to drive my car due to My court appeal date has come background. fear, so my mother took me. I through, it is January 30 2018. remember before I went I took 3 That is 54 weeks after I making Throughout my adult life, I have Valium. I remember trembling the appeal. This means that suffered sporadically from through the assessment and from July 2016 to the end of depression. I used to be able to stuttering a lot. I had never January 2018 I will have been combat this by throwing myself stuttered before but after the near surviving on £73.10 a week, or into my work until it passed and to accident, I developed a stutter. I to put it another way £3,801.20 be honest it never caused me any told of the pills I was on, how I now a year. real problems. Sadly in 2016 things struggled to leave the house for went drastically wrong. I was a self- fear of something bad happening. If I hadn’t had a small amount of employed HGV driver earning I told them how close I had come savings I would have been in a £300+ a week and life was going to suicide and how day to day lot of trouble. However, the very well until one afternoon in living was a constant struggle for savings I have been living on will June. I was driving my lorry in a me. The assessment was run out in mid-December and I small town near Huddersfield on completed and I was sent on will be well and truly snookered, my way to a collection. It was a dry, my way. snookered and hungry. I only sunny day and the schools had not eat one meal a day now! long finished for the day so, as I think it was 2 weeks later that I always, I was on high alert. As I got the decision back from DWP... I feel that if it wasn't for what passed a group of youths one of "FIT FOR WORK". They said I had has become an utterly useless them decided to jump in front of been coherent and able to answer benefit system I would have had my lorry! To this day I don't know the questions (I had a stutter and I a lot less stress, and instead of how I missed him or why he did it, mumbled). They said I was calm. worrying about having to fight he didn't stick around but ran off. Damn right I was calm! I had taken the system I could have Adrenaline took over and I 3 Valium beforehand. concentrated more on getting completed my day's work and went better. Who knows, I might have home on auto-pilot. My mother, who was with me at been well enough to be working the interview and is calm and again by now, although I very At home, the reality of what had collected, read the decision letter much doubt I will touch an HGV happened hit me hard. My brain and let fly a couple of words I again. took me on a warp speed journey never thought I'd hear her say. to freak out land and I fell to pieces. Roughly translated, she said they Because of the system, I have That night I had nightmare after were a bunch of liars! I asked for a been a prisoner in my own nightmare. The next day I lay on mandatory reconsideration home as I can't afford to get out the sofa crying, awake but unaware backed up with my Doctor’s letters, anywhere to help with my of my surroundings. This went on West Park Hospital letters and a rehabilitation. With the looming for 2 days and 3 nights. By day 3 letter from my neighbour but, change-over to Universal Credit, after more nightmares I decided predictably, I was refused ESA and I am quite lucky because they enough was enough, I couldn't the benefit payment stopped. can't touch me until the appeal cope and decided to make a big is heard. If I win the appeal I am mess on the front of one of Richard So now I found myself still ill but told they won't be able to touch Branson's trains. I only know of the having to adhere to the ridiculous me, although I’m sure they’ll try next few days events from what I rules of the Job Centre in order to to find a way. have been told. A neighbour found receive JSA, so that I didn't me acting strangely and took me in. completely starve. In order to get If I lose the appeal… well, I try She phoned the Doctor who came JSA, you have to spend 35 hours a not to think of defeat, it scares out and rang West Park Hospital. week looking for work, you can me too much. They sent a team out who assessed only seek full-time work and you me and put me on heavy sedation have to fill out a daily work search Anon

PLEASE COMPLETE THE DCC BUDGET CONSULTATION Since 2010, the government has reduced its grants to Durham County Council by £209 million per annum – that’s a reduction of a fifth of a £billion EVERY YEAR in the money that DCC has to spend on its residents. The Council has had to make massive savings. Next year, 2017/18, the government is removing a further £15.3 million from the Council’s grants, and DCC is therefore once again having to ask how you feel about its proposals to find yet more savings from a budget which is at the same time under pressure from inflation, and growing numbers of elderly people and looked-after children.

THE COUNCIL’S PROPOSALS The Council is proposing a three-pronged strategy to find (in addition to £3 million savings already agreed) some £12⅓ million-worth of savings:

Saving £7 million by reducing management and back office costs (e.g. by merging departments, re-procurement and reducing the costs of running council buildings and vehicles). Saving £5 million by finding new ways of working and generating income (e.g. by reviewing fees and charges, investing in more efficient equipment, and redesigning a range of services). Taking £⅓ million from reserves to delay making some savings.

THE COUNCIL’S CONSULTATION After comments that previous consultations have been too restrictive, this year’s consultation just asks four open questions. Two are about the proposed budget savings, namely (1) Do you agree with the Council’s strategy to find the savings? and (2) Do you have any other suggestions about how the Council might save money? Then there are two further questions for your ideas about (3) How can the Council improve its services to residents? and (4) How might the Council improve your local community?

HOW TO HAVE YOUR SAY You can find out more here http://bit.ly/DCCBC17 You can answer the questionnaire online here: http://bit.ly/DCCOC17 or you can post your answers to the four questions to: DCC Budget Consultation, County Hall, Durham DH1 5UL.

Most people have lots to say about these issues (especially questions 2-4), but if we do not tell DCC what we think, we cannot influence the process. We encourage every Labour member to respond to the DCC Budget consultation before it ends on 1 December.

A GALA EVENING WITH LABOUR NORTH

On Friday 10 November members of Sedgefield Constituency Labour Party took two tables at the Labour North Gala Dinner where the guest of honour was none other than Jeremy Corbyn, the prime-minister-in-waiting! It was wonderful to go along to show support and build solidarity. When we got there, we bumped into a table from Durham County Council, so it was rather like a home from home!

The meal was tasty, and the company was good. Given that the Tory government is on the brink of collapse, a good deal of the evening was spent raising money for the next election campaign. After the meal, Jeremy Corbyn was welcomed by North West Durham’s Laura Pidcock MP, who told us that Labour’s opposition in the House of Commons is “creating a crumbling Tory Party”, so demoralised that they simply don’t turn up to debates they know they are going to lose.

Almost every sentence of Jeremy Corbyn’s speech was applauded. He began by telling us about his day learning more about the impact of Universal Credit, and told the councillors and members that it is their task to stem the Tory cuts which are so damaging our communities. He thanked the Trade Unions, which founded and have sustained the Party, promised a gender-balanced Cabinet when Labour was elected to power, and praised the north-east for the exemplary way we have welcomed the Syrian refugees – the Labour Party, he said, has always believed in international solidarity and human rights.

For the moment, he said, his focus is on “three big issues” – on forcing the Tories to halt Universal Credit; on securing retro-fitting of fire safety sprinklers in high-rise flats; and on denouncing poverty and growing inequality, and creating an investment-led economy and a living wage which will work for the many not the few. “I don’t want to live in foodbank Britain”, he told us.

That is why he had been out all summer campaigning, and we are out campaigning now, he said. People want something different– a moral as well as an economic alternative. And, yes we will face huge challenges when we come into government and try to bring about that vision, but that is what the Labour Party is all about.