Thursday 20 January 2011

March for the Alternative

Organised by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), 'March for the Alternative' will protest against the government's spending cuts.

The TUC claim that the spending cuts will damage public services and put more than a million people out of work.

People have already been campaigning against the cuts in student and school finances. 
The TUC's March for the Alternative will give a national voice to all those affected by the cuts.

The march will be held in London on the 26th March 2011. Starting from Victoria Embankment the march will form between Waterloo and Black Friars Bridge from 11am.

View the map below for the march route.

Tuesday 11 January 2011

Housing benefit cuts and you

How will the housing benefit cap affect you? Post your stories and comments below.

Monday 10 January 2011

Housing benefit to be capped

Housing benefits will be capped at £400 for a four bedroom property by April next year.

The cap will see 21,060 people lose an average of £74 per week.

It is argued that the cap will force people to move out of expensive areas, such as London, into the suburbs.

Housing benefits cost the taxpayer around £20bn a year. The cap will see that people can no longer receive state handouts to live in expensive properties.

The housing benefit caps in April 2011 will stand at:
- £250 for a one bedroom property
- £290 for a two bedroom property
- £340 for a three bedroom property
- £400 for a four bedroom property

Friday 7 January 2011

Welfare cuts and you

How will the welfare cuts affect you? Post your stories and comments below.

Thursday 6 January 2011

Disabled face £9bn cuts

The Coalition will hit disabled people with £9bn in welfare cuts by 2015.

Families with disabled children currently receive £3,000 each and a disabled adult, whose partner is a full-time carer also receives £3,000. By 2015, these benefits would be withdrawn.

The plan is to move those who are fit to work, onto Job Seekers Allowance instead. The reforms have been criticised by Think Tank Demos, who argue that the benefit reforms will result in long-term unemployment for disabled people.

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Rail Fare Increases and you

How have the rail fare increases affected you? post your comments and stories below.

Monday 3 January 2011

How much will your rail fare increase by?

Rail fares will increase by an average of 6.2 per cent in the New Year.

In one of the largest rail fare increases in years, train operators have hit popular routes with extravagant prices.

Some prices have nearly quadrupled since last year, as many operators have changed train times classifications from 'off-peak' to 'peak', allowing companies to increase their prices without permission from regulators.

Among the hardest hit, are passengers travelling from Bournemouth to London, with increases of up to 6.8 per cent.

For a full list of changes to rail fares click the link here.

Sunday 2 January 2011

VAT increase and you

How has the VAT increase affected you? Post your stories and comments below.