Council trying claw back rent arrears from the deprived city of stoke on Trent

the local city council are trying to claw back rent arrears despite they being no jobs in the city but lead councillor mr clown perves does not understand this oh no he thinks money grows on trees its OK for him hes not short of any money oh no hes quite comfortably  financially secure its like the labour party in general and the conservatives they don't live where we live they have nice big posh houses out of the city away from areas that are deprive as soon as 5pm comes they are gone except we have councillors that think they no what happens on these estates but they haven't got a clue and to top it all off they are now leaving the gates open  to the local cemetery's to save money 1 this will create anti social behaviour 2 why don't they set a couple of people on that have being on jsa for a while to unlock and closed the gates at night give them there sia  licences ( security )  on a basic wage problem solved anyway enough said heres the article

Fury as arrears rise £115k in one month

Friday, September 09, 2011

The Sentinel

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UNPAID rent owed by tenants to Stoke-on-Trent City Council has soared by more than £115,000 in the last month.

The authority has formed an action group to tackle rising council tax and rent arrears as it implements budget cuts of £36 million.

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   ACTION: Mohammed Pervez says the council is trying to sort out the arrears.

But figures disclosed at a meeting of the full council yesterday show the amount owed in rent by current council tenants climbed to £1.7 million at the end of August.

Just four weeks earlier the total owed was £1.58 million.

Councillor Mohammed Pervez, council leader, said: "We're doing everything we can and are committed to addressing the issue."

The authority is also owed £1.75 million in rent by former tenants.

Details also revealed at yesterday's meeting show the council is owed £8.85 million in unpaid business rates – a total that has accumulated since 1995/96.

It is in addition to the total £36 million the council is owed in unpaid council tax, rent and sundry debts.

Mr Pervez said the council is already improving its efficiency in collecting taxes and business rates.

He said: "The issue of council tax arrears, business rate arrears and other debts is being looked at.

"A task and finish group is looking at how we can improve the situation and I have also asked council officers to look at this to make sure there is sufficient capacity to resolve it.

"We are 100 per cent behind trying to collect the council tax, rent and the other arrears owed to the council and we'll make sure we progress it as actively as possible."

The council is also to begin publishing the amount it is owed in rates, taxes and rent in every financial quarter.

The move follows criticism from opposition councillors that the authority is losing track of how much it is owed.

The move will allow officers' progress in clawing back the cash to be monitored.

Mr Pervez said: "The figures will be published so people can see our performance."

Councillor Dave Conway, leader of the opposition City Independents group, said: "It's a disgrace, every bit of it.

"People of the city paying their bills will want to know what is going on and why this money is not being collected.

"If things continue at the current rate, with an increase of £115,000 in one single month, we are going to end up in a far worse position at the end of last year than we were last year."

Last year, Stoke-on-Trent City Council had the worst record in the West Midlands for council tax collection.

Not good enough children centres should be left alone

not good enough children centres should be left alone labour should not be taking any funding from this areas they should be cutting back on the council officers wages not taking it from an area that is well needed these centres are well used and people from all back grounds use them for some of the mothers that use them they are a way of socialising whist there kids play its a  time out i only hope that the people that voted for these curupt councillors have now come to  there senses heres the article

Cuts deal was 'missed chance'

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Sentinel

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A SCRUTINY panel responsible for examining cuts to children's centres has recommended budget reductions go ahead.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is to cut the children's centre budget by 20 per cent, 10 per cent less than the £2.25 million it planned.

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   'TOO LATE': Dave Conway hit out over the cuts to children's centres.

It follows a citywide consultation with centre users and a series of high-profile protests by families.

The council's children and young people's scrutiny committee yesterday recommended cuts go ahead.

It also recommended that cuts to the centres in the budget for 2012/13 are capped at a maximum of a further 20 per cent.

And members also agreed to recommend the centres are rebranded as "Children and Family Centres."

But councillor Dave Conway, chairman of the children and young people's scrutiny committee, criticised the council for arriving at a compromise it could have chosen a year ago.

He said: "Protesters and staff have said from the very beginning that they could manage with 20 per cent but not 30 per cent.

"If we'd done this in the first place we'd have looked far better in the public eye."

Labour doing the dirty on stoke on Trent residents again

labour council do it again hit the vulnerable

 DO THE LABOUR COUNCIL NOT CARE THE DISTRESS CAUSED WHEN LOVED ONES GRAVES ARE DAMAGED OR DEFACED FOR GODS SAKE HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE TO LOCK A GATE.
I IMPLORE EVERYONE READING THIS TO CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLOR AND PROTEST
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER WAY TO HURT THE GOOD PEOPLE OF STOKE ON TRENT



CEMETERIES across Stoke-on-Trent are being left open all night because of the rising cost of locking them.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has launched a month-long trial in which gates at eight of the nine cemeteries are not being secured in the evening.

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   GATES OPEN: Eight out of nine cemeteries, including Tunstall cemetery above, will remain open at night.

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They are usually closed shortly before sunset throughout the year to keep thieves and vandals from entering overnight.
But the council said the cost of securing them, handled by a private company, has increased and is not economical.
Only Carmountside cemetery will have its gates locked as several council environmental staff are based there.
Now residents are warning the cemeteries could become "villains' hideaways."
Retired Mavis Blurton, of Sneyd Hill, lives in a house which backs directly on to Burslem cemetery.
The 70-year-old is concerned she will be disturbed by youths entering the cemetery at night, and that the grave of her husband Terrence will be damaged.
She said: "I don't understand why we should have to put up with yobs being allowed in to drink around the graves.
"There are also going to be cars cutting through as it is a shortcut.
"The council changed the gates a few years ago and I don't understand why they have spent all that money if they are just going to leave them open.
"Already I have had to face litter and beer bottles when visiting my husband's grave and with the gates left open all night it can only get worse."
Jim Keogh, of Hanley Road, next to Burslem cemetery, said: "There have been many incidents there already, that's why they have already installed cameras.
"They will become villains' hideaways if people are allowed to come and go overnight.
"Part of me wants something to happen so the council can see the error of what they are doing, but on the other hand it is a beautiful place."
Councillor Gwen Hassall, cabinet member for housing and neighbourhoods, said last night: "We are, at this point, only trialling leaving the gates open at city cemeteries overnight.
"Increases in security costs have made it difficult to provide the service in its current form.
"This trial has been running since the start of September and, so far, there have been no reported incidents of anti-social behaviour.
We will continue to monitor the situation over the next month to see if it is appropriate to continue."

Yet more job losses to the city

i no its dated November 2010 but there's a 18 month time line in which these jobs could go and its looking as if its going go this way as now we have a labour controlled council and that's says it all going by the passed couple of months t j Hughes carpet right when will this stop when will we get proper sustainable jobs that people can go out and earn a decent wage just like we used to be able to

400 jobs at risk as Royal Mail considers shutting customer service base

Friday, November 12, 2010

This is Staffordshire

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HUNDREDS of jobs are under threat in Stoke-on-Trent as Royal Mail reviews its customer service operations.

Union leaders claim Royal Mail wants to shut its Etruria centre with the loss of 400 positions over the next 18 months.

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   Lee Barron, Midlands regional secretary at the Communication Workers' Union.

It follows Royal Mail's decision to transfer 700 jobs out of the region by shutting sorting offices in Stoke and Crewe in the past year.

Now a campaign is underway to try to save the Royal Mail call centre from closure.

Royal Mail today confirmed it is reviewing its customer services facilities across the country. It adds that no decision has been made about the Etruria property.

But Lee Barron, pictured below, Midlands regional secretary at the Communication Workers' Union (CWU), says employees have been told verbally that the centre will close in 12 to 18 months.

Mr Barron said: "We want to know if Royal Mail has some sort of vendetta against jobs in Stoke-on-Trent.

"Over the last decade, 800 to 1,000 jobs have been taken out of Stoke-on-Trent by Royal Mail and now it wants to get rid of another 400. We say enough's enough.

"We have to keep the Stoke-on-Trent customer resource open for the local community, the local economy and local jobs."

During the day, the Media Way premises are used by customer care staff to answer telephone calls and correspondence and to work on sales and promotional campaigns.

From 5.30pm, Royal Mail data entry workers use the building to decipher addresses which cannot be read by mail machines.

Mr Barron added: "The Etruria site has capacity for growth so Royal Mail should be looking at bringing more work here."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are currently reviewing customer services accommodation across the country and have been keeping our team at Stoke-on-Trent informed.

"No decisions have been made about the outcome of the review and certainly the information we have provided should not be interpreted to indicate the closure of the centre in 12 to 18 months' time."

North Staffordshire's Labour MPs are backing the CWU campaign to keep Etruria open and are lobbying the business community for support.

Earlier this week Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Tristram Hunt, whose constituency covers Etruria, asked the Government if it had assessed the possible impact on Stoke-on-Trent of Royal Mail's restructuring, only to be told it was "an operational matter for Royal Mail".

Mr Hunt said today: "I will pressure the Government to consider the harm this could do."

Benefit shake up this is what's going to happen soon in stoke on Trent

I no its dated July but still this is coming to our once great city and its not just unemployed that's are going get hit its disability and pensioners losing there weather payments bus passes and what are labour going do nothing  apart from lie and deceit the British public but what will people keep doing voting labour and conservatives

Benefits shake-up 'will damage city'

Saturday, July 30, 2011

The Sentinel

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CHARITY bosses say Government welfare reforms will take millions of pounds out of Stoke-on-Trent's economy and increase homelessness.

Stoke-on-Trent Citizens' Advice Bureau and Hanley-based Brighter Futures have issued a joint report on the impact that cuts to benefits will have on people living in the city.

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They say cuts to employment and support allowance (ESA) alone will take at least £13 million each year out of the local economy.

And the report predicts that changes to housing benefit will lead to increased homelessness and a reduction in the number of private landlords in the area.

Gill Brown, chief executive of Brighter Futures, said: "The proposals to change housing benefit are designed to solve problems in London and the south east.

"Housing conditions in those areas are completely different to those here and the effect of imposing these cuts on Stoke-on-Trent will be to make many people homeless and to make it difficult for organisations like Brighter Futures to offer the individually tailored packages of care that we design to help people cope with the effects of mental health problems, addictions or criminal behaviour."

Simon Harris, chief executive of Stoke-on-Trent CAB, said: "Often, people currently dependent on welfare benefits could be helped back into work by the regeneration strategies of central and local government.

"We fully support these efforts to create new local jobs. However, we recognise that they will not create instant jobs and we believe that, even for those who can be helped into work, they need a decent benefits system meanwhile."

Figures in the report show 10 per cent of all people aged between 16 and 64 in Stoke-on-Trent are unemployed.

A total of 33,500 people of working age are receiving benefits in the city, which is 22.7 per cent of the local population.

Of these 10,392 are either receiving Job Seeker's Allowance, or are single parents who do not need to be available for work. The remaining 23,108 are unable to work because of illness or disability.

The report says the proportion of people receiving either ESA or incapacity benefit in Stoke-on-Trent is almost twice the national rate.

The city currently has 14,000 people claiming incapacity benefit, who will all be reassessed.

The charities say that half of local people could lose some of their benefits after being reassessed, resulting in an average loss of £28 a week.

The report says: "This change could double the number of unemployed people seeking work.

"The impact of these cuts will fall disproportionately on Stoke-on-Trent as we have a disproportionately high number of people claiming incapacity benefit."

Proposals to change the benefit system also include introducing a maximum local housing allowance rate people can receive of £146.54 a week.

In the past people could claim £219.23 a week for a five-bedroom house.

The report says: "The introduction of this cap to LHA could result in unexpectedly large numbers of people becoming homeless or getting into rent arrears.

"As a result more people will turn to the council for help."

Tristram Hunt, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP, pictured left, said the changes to the benefit system could be the equivalent of a large local employer closing down and would hit businesses in the city hard.

He said: "The changes attempt to impose a single 'one size fits all' solution on towns and cities which are facing starkly different economic challenges.

"This means that in a city like Stoke-on-Trent they will represent a false economy and will give at best only short term savings to the public purse and reduce economic activity."

Another excellent leafleting day with stoke bnp

well done to all stoke bnp today after another excellent leafleting session and we have had a excellent response to one of our top activists leaflet out lining  the closer of the will field gym and community education  centre exposing labour lies and deceit of the residents of bentilee labours pre-election promise was to keep the centre open where they clearly lied and have gone back on when will people see that voting labour is voting for liers and people that have only got there interests and pockets to heart  and not the residents of our once great industrial city  below i have a copy of daves leaflet for your attention

 

Labour council yet again -Council decorating vouchers under threat

Is this something that the residents of stoke on Trent are going to lose as well apart from all the jobs that perves and is little drone party ( labour ) are suppose to be creating which we are yet to see like the lose of 43 jobs at t j Hughes is this something else that they are taking from the residents of this once great proud industrial city now i no that this is going to affect residents through out what happens when you have work men in rewiring or re-plastering the people are going have to pay for all decorating materials which isn't going come cheap trust me i no what is this so called peoples party going replace it with i wonder or are they going to screw and lie to the residents again

   

Stoke-on-Trent tenants get £800k for DIY

Saturday, September 03, 2011

The Sentinel

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ALMOST £800,000 of taxpayers' money has been paid to tenants in two years – so they can redecorate their council houses.

Figures obtained by The Sentinel show £787,280 has been paid out in DIY vouchers by Stoke-on-Trent City Council since April 2009.

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   Hilda Healy, whose suffered problems with damp at her home, supports the voucher scheme.

The £40-a-room vouchers are paid to tenants to help cover the cost of materials needed following repair work at any of the city's 19,000 council houses.

Rooms with ceiling damage qualify for £50.

The vouchers can be redeemed at B&Q and Wilkinsons.

Now council officers are reviewing the use of the vouchers.

A breakdown of the vouchers paid out by staff across Stoke-on-Trent's housing offices reveals:

£191,910 paid out to tenants in the Abbey Hulton area;

£15,490 paid to tenants in the Bentilee area;

£71,220 paid to tenants in the Blurton area;

£123,960 paid to tenants in the Chell Heath area;

£65,550 paid to tenants in Stoke and Fenton;

£58,170 paid to tenants across Hanley;

£85,090 paid to tenants across Longton;

£101,920 paid to tenants across Meir;

£80,260 paid to tenants across Tunstall.

The vouchers can be used to redecorate kitchens and bathrooms.

They can also be redeemed if tenants encounter electrical or central heating problems.

In Abbey Hulton, the £191,920 payout was shared between up to 1,100 tenants.

It comes as hundreds of tenants have given their views on the future of the DIY vouchers.

Suggestions have included only giving out the vouchers if major work has been carried out, and council staff redecorating rooms with the same pots of emulsion paint.

Council tenant Hilda Healy, of Meir, believes the scheme should carry on.

The 64-year-old of Goodwin Road, said: "These vouchers are needed because people cannot afford to put things right and the money doesn't cover everything.

"I was given £10 for a new roll of wallpaper for my chimney because of damp, but it ended up costing me more.

"The council should do the work for you, because elderly and disabled people probably have to have people in to do it, and that costs even more money."

The DIY voucher review is part of a wider overhaul of council house repairs, which includes plans to make a DVD to show tenants how to carry out simple repairs themselves.

Councillor Gwen Hassall, cabinet member for housing and neighbourhoods, said: "The city council issues decoration vouchers to tenants for redemption at DIY outlets to help cover the cost of decorating materials.

"These vouchers are issued to tenants as a form of compensation to recompense them for decoration damages caused by major improvement work and day-to-day responsive repairs and to help new tenants.

"We are always looking at ways to improve our service.

"The current system is under review and no decision about the scheme's future has yet been made."