Capping benefits (From The Northern Echo)

Capping benefits

12:04pm Tuesday 24th January 2012 in Comment

EVEN though the non-political Church of England bishops were at the heart of last night’s defeat of the Government on the issue of welfare reform, this debate is all about politics.

The Conservatives will press ahead with their reforms because they know that their measure is broadly popular with the public. They want to cap the amount that a household can receive in benefits to £26,000-a-year – or £500- a-week. It makes many people’s blood boil that they can slog their guts out at work all week and take home far less than a family who has sat around on the sofa claiming benefits.

But the Liberal Democrats will be enjoying the Government’s defeat.

They need to show that they are moderating the tough policies of the Conservatives.

By teaming up with the touchy-feely bishops, they are showing that they are different, more softer, than their Coalition colleagues.

And Labour is squeezed in the middle – supporting the cap but not supporting the way the Tories are implementing it.

If we could take the politics out of the debate, we would probably find that the concerns about the reforms increasing homelessness and hitting children hardest are valid and the Government should use yesterday’s defeat as an excuse to review them. As Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has shown, there probably is room for reasonable manoeuvre – her opposition to the Government’s reform of the Disability Living Allowance has already encouraged it to take steps to alleviate some of the worries of disabled people.

However, it is also true that many people in the North-East will feel that £26,000 is an awful lot for the state to give out in benefits and – in the same way that top executive pay needs curbing because it is unfairly out of control – it should be capped.