Bedroom tax: Stop this 'vicious, outrageous attack on the poorest'

#stuc14 Delegates condemned the bedroom tax as a “vicious, outrageous attack on the poorest” and called for it to be scrapped immediately.

Congress demanded that there should be no evictions as a result of the bedroom tax, and that Scottish law be enacted to underpin this position. It also called for a campaign across councils, politicians, the Scottish Government and tenants groups to demand back the £billions stolen by Westminster, and that Labour MPs take motions to parliament demanding a repeal of this “economically unjustified, socially destructive” measure.

Bin the Bedroom Tax and ScrapTrident Demos at Lib Dem Conference in Glasgow

#BedroomTax #ScrapTrident
Two important rallies are taking place in Glasgow on Saturday 14 Sept to protest to Liberal Democrats, in the city for their annual conference.

The STUC-supported rally against the bedroom tax has had arrangements changed after the Bin the Bedroom Tax Coalition were denied permission for the planned march from Glasgow Green.

The main event will now be a rally and lobby, with banners and placards, outside the conference at the SECC at 1pm on Saturday. Full details of this will be on the STUC website asap.

There will also be a brief rally at Glasgow Green at 11.30am on Saturday, for those who turn up there, as well as a range of other activities, including lobbying in the protest area at the SECC on Sunday and Monday during the conference week.

CND and Scottish CND are holding a rally on Saturday at the SECC from 11.30 - 12.30pm. Assemble outside the Clyde Auditorium from 11.15am.

Full details about their Time to Scrap Trident Rally are here.

The latest information about the range of Bin the Bedroom Tax Coalition protests will be updated asap on their website and on the STUC website .

Fair Pay Day of Action around Scotland - and in Dundee for #AusterityUncovered

#YestoFairPay Please help publicise UNISON Scotland's next Fair Pay Day of Action on Tuesday 25 June. Branches are campaigning across Scotland for Fair Pay for local government workers and Yes to Strike Action for Fair Pay.

Also on 25 June, Our Fair Pay Day Family Fun and Rally in Dundee is part of the STUC's Austerity Uncovered There is a Better Way tour from 21-29 June.

#austerityuncovered in Scotland with #STUC's There is a Better Way 21-29 June

13 June 2013
The STUC is organising a series of events and meetings this month under the banner of Austerity Uncovered and There is a Better Way.

Details from There is a Better Way website...

"AUSTERITY UNCOVERED:

"A nationwide tour, gathering the evidence to convict government policies. Austerity is hurting, but it isn’t working.

UNISON Scotland calls for massive investment in social housing

Thu 6 June 2013

Launch of new housing policy document Making Homes for a Fairer Scotland

Housing services union UNISON has today called for a massive investment in social housing to make the homes we need for a fairer Scotland.

The union’s new policy discussion paper Making Homes for a Fairer Scotlandargues that social housing is key to reducing poverty and inequality, and their long-term effects on health and wellbeing – along with an enforceable system of rent control, improved regulation of landlords and decent housing standards.

Welfare cuts: Heaping homelessness on top of poverty

#stuc13 The Scottish Government must work to prevent evictions over the deeply unfair bedroom tax – evictions that would heap homelessness on top of poverty. That was the call from UNISON’s John Stevenson as he supported a motion condemning the despicable ‘welfare reform’ agenda of the UK coalition government. Full story at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/stuc2013/15.html

Innovative pensions fund plan for new social housing in Scotland

25 March 2013

 

UNISON today launched a proposal to use Scottish council pension funds to invest in much needed affordable social housing.

Preliminary discussions with housing associations have shown keen interest in the plan which could potentially unlock many millions of pounds for building new homes.

UNISON’s head of bargaining and campaigns Dave Watson will set out the innovative proposal at the Scottish Federation of Housing Association (SFHA) Development and Investment Conference in Crieff today. (Monday)

He said that at a time of tight public finances, with £11 billion of Scottish Local Government Pension Fund (LGPS) assets currently invested overseas, it makes sense to switch investment to socially useful projects like housing.

Dave added: “Scotland is crying out for new social homes. Shelter Scotland estimates we need 10,000 every year but last year only 4,295 were completed.

“The housing crisis is also set to get worse with welfare reform changes, including the bedroom tax, direct payment of housing benefit and other cuts affecting our most vulnerable families.

“The LGPS currently invests a massive 45% of its £24 billion funds in overseas equities.

“We believe that scheme members, many of whom are UNISON members, want to see money invested ethically and to benefit local communities.

“Pension funds invest in arms and tobacco companies. We are sure public sector workers would much prefer their money being used to build new homes. Many of our members find it difficult to access housing in the current property market.”

UNISON Scotland is involved in discussions about developing one or two initial projects to test the idea with one or more local authority pension funds.

Dave said: “Housing associations have always represented a very low risk to lenders. Public finances are under pressure. Commercial borrowing is difficult.

“We believe that this is stable, long term investment with a very low risk of failure. If we have success with initial projects it could potentially lead to many millions of pounds for housing at a time when it is desperately needed.”

ENDS

Notes for editors:

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working mainly in the public sector in Scotland and represents a range of staff delivering important services in housing.

2. The proposal is online at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/housing/FundingAndBuildingTheHomesScotland
Needs_Mar2013.pdf

3. The Future Homes Commission argued last year that Britain needs a revolution in the scale, quality and funding of home building, recommending a kick-start from an independent Local Housing Development Fund, financed and owned by local authority pension funds.

4. Richard Murphy, of Tax Research, said: “At a time when conventional pension fund investment policy is simply guaranteed to lose people money in the UK because of inept management, market corruption and excessive charges why aren’t pension funds being invested in things that we really need, like housing, where the payback over a period of, say, 25 years is exactly the sort of return a pension fund needs?" http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2012/11/02/the-time-for-pension-funds-to-invest-directly-in-regeneration-and-housing-has-arrived/ 

 

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Morning Star - Thousands march to axe the #BedroomTax

18 March 2013

Morning Star report

Thousands of activists protested in 52 towns across Britain on Saturday demanding the government axe a new "bedroom tax" that will reduce benefits for people with a spare room.

Under the new round of welfare cuts those deemed to have one spare bedroom in their council or housing association home will lose £728 a year.

The coalition cash-grab is expected to affect 660,000 people when it comes into effect next month, although exemptions were announced last week for approved foster carers and parents with "adult children" serving with the armed forces....

Full report on Morning Star website... including reports of STUC lobby at Scottish Liberal Democrats conference in Dundee, and vote there against the bedroom tax.

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#sldconf STUC - Lib Dems claim to be fairer than Tories, so end Bedroom Tax

15 March 2013

Saturday 16 March 11.30am – 1.00pm West Park Conference Centre, Dundee

Amidst protests across the UK, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) will lobby Scottish Liberal Democrats for a change of policy on the Bedroom Tax.

STUC General Secretary Grahame Smith said:

“I have today written an open letter to Scottish Liberal Democrats calling for action to reverse the Bedroom Tax. 

The concessions announced this week go nowhere near far enough to mitigate this impending crisis. 

The Liberal Democrats consistently claim to have a much greater of social justice and fairness than the Conservatives. It is time for them to show it.”

ENDS

STUC website

Notes - Open letter to Scottish Liberal Democrats can be downloaded here

Open Letter to Scottish Liberal Democrats

We are four days away from the fourth Coalition Government budget and by common consent the Liberal Democrats face a crisis, a drop in popular support matched only by the equal woes of the Conservative Party.

In Scotland for generations, the Liberal Democrats have held a particular place in the political landscape, electing a relatively large number of MPs to Westminster and sharing in Government for more than half of the years of existence of the Scottish Parliament, the creation of which your party played a proud role in.  To the extent that a progressive consensus has existed in Scotland, the Liberal Democrats have been seen by electors as one, amongst a number of parties representing that tradition.

That position is now at enormous risk.

As the economic policies of the Chancellor unwind with no growth and the general failure of austerity economics, changes in welfare policy are hitting some of the most vulnerable in Scottish society. 

The proposed cap on benefits is a cruel measure which will punish the less well-off whilst further reducing demand in the economy where it is needed most.  

Meanwhile disabled people around the country are desperately worried about the impact of various reforms on their way of life and TUC figures published earlier this week show that despite changes to tax thresholds an increasing number of children are expected to fall below the Minimum Income Standard.

STUC is lobbying your conference on Saturday 16th March to highlight the enormous injustice of the Bedroom Tax.  This measure - affecting those in and out of work and disproportionately impacting the lives of disabled people – is understood by most Scots to be wrong.  The Oxfam Humankind index shows that no factor is more important in people’s welfare and happiness than their home and environment.  We believe and trust that the Scottish people will not stand by while this injustice is delivered on their fellow citizens and that the very least that they will expect is that the Scottish Liberal Democrats will join them.

It is not too late to insist that the Bedroom Tax and other welfare reforms are reversed.