Watered down welfare reform bill fails to win support from Blackpool MPs
PLUS: Blackpool Council's breakfast clubs to see significant reforms
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
Many Labour MPs got their wish this week when a heavily amended welfare reform bill was voted through - but not without enormous concessions that include delaying changes to personal independence payment until after the outcome of a review.
But the scale of the original backlash from Labour MPs - and the concessions themselves - means that the opposition have been gleeful in declaring Keir Starmer’s leadership to be weak. And if Kemi Badenoch wasn’t pleased before, she certainly was when she saw a visibly upset Rachel Reeves on Wednesday.
It has been a chastening fortnight for the Labour leadership. Here in Lancashire, four Labour MPs felt they could not vote for the bill even with the concessions that were made.
Among those were Blackpool’s MPs Chris Webb and Lorraine Beavers - both of whom have been critical of the bill and the government’s plans for months.
We also report in-depth on reforms to Blackpool Council’s breakfast club scheme. Two years ago they called it revolutionary - and said it made sure 30,000 primary school children get a healthy start to their day. Now it needs change.
Welfare reform bill rejected by Blackpool MPs
By Luke Beardsworth
Late changes and concessions to the much-criticised welfare reform bill were not enough to secure the backing of Blackpool’s MPs.
Both Chris Webb for Blackpool South and Lorraine Beavers for Blackpool North and Fleetwood had signed the first reasoned amendment - along with over 100 Labour MPs - that essentially scrapped the bill.
But when the government made concessions that meant any changes to personal independence payment would not be introduced until the outcome of a review, they were among four Labour MPs in Lancashire who held their line.
The bill was ultimately passed with those concessions - meaning virtually no medium-term savings - but both Webb and Beavers said that their constituents needed their support.
Webb said “While I was pleased the government listened to concerns raised by myself and other fellow MPs and made late stage concessions, the legislation MPs were asked to vote on last night did not reflect the government’s revised commitments.
“This bill was designed without proper scrutiny, consultation or evidence from the disability sector and this isn’t how policy that impacts the most vulnerable in our society should be made.”
Beavers said: “The UC & PIP Bill has passed its second reading, and I know many of us are worried. However, as we heard tonight in the House of Commons, there is room for change before the final vote.
“We must now stand together, look forward, and remember our aims. We aimed for legislation that was co-produced with the disabled community. We aimed for legislation that would not push hundreds of thousands into poverty. We aimed for a Bill which would truly support disabled people.
“Over the past few weeks, I have met with numerous people, including a senior minister, to discuss the Bill’s contents. I have consistently advocated for my constituents and the disabled community, and I will continue to do so.
“I will only support that Bill if it is meaningfully co-produced with disabled people.”
The original reasoned amendment was put forward, along with others, by Lancaster and Wyre MP Cat Smith. She and neighbouring MP Lizzi Collinge joined Webb and Beavers in voting against the bill even with the concessions.
Cat Smith said that she was not attempting to undermine the leadership in doing so but told The Blackpool Lead: “I am glad he listened, hopefully he has reflected and will work more closely with backbench MPs in future.”
Explaining her decision, she said: “I couldn’t vote with my party, knowing how the changes to the PIP system will impact so many people across Lancaster and Wyre who rely on it.
“The current system is broken, but it can only be fixed with co-production with disabled people. My close friend, and disability rights activist Zara taught me: “Nothing about us, without us.”
“I joined a Labour Party that reduced child poverty, introduced the Disability Discrimination Act and Equality Act, and made life better for those with additional needs. I have not changed, and I won't stop fighting for social justice and equality.”
Two Lancashire MPs, Maya Ellis for Ribble Valley and Paul Foster for South Ribble, had signed the original reasoned amendment but felt the concessions were enough that they could vote for the bill.
What has actually changed?
The government’s bill on welfare reform passed by 335 to 260 votes on Tuesday evening.
Backbench Labour MPs, including many in Lancashire and across the north, opposed the bill in its first form. This resulted in a number of concessions.
The bill was designed with the goal of creating a sustainable welfare system - in response to the volume of people signing up. One in ten people of working age claim a sickness or disability benefit. Expenditure is projected to be £70bn a year by 2029.
It initially proposed significant changes to personal independence payments. Pip has two elements - a daily living component and a mobility component. A points-based system is used to assess eligibility and to qualify for the daily living element one must have limited ability in relation to a range of ten activities. These include washing and bathing, dressing, eating and drinking and managing medication.
The changes changed the bar required to qualify for the payments - and critics argued the bar was too high. They believed it made it prohibitively difficult for people whose health problems are spread across a range of activities.
There was further concern that people with mental health problems would be most affected.
The changes were estimated to mean 800,000-1,200,000 would lose entitlement.
The first concession from government came in the form of a cut-off point - where the rules would only apply to new claimants. The second was a review, led by Stephen Timms, which would properly assess the impact in collaboration with people with lived experience and charities representing them.
The second, two hours before the Commons vote, was that no changes would be made to pip until the Timms review was complete.
A £1bn back-to-work support package for claimants of Universal Credit remains in place. The higher health-related rate was to be frozen, but will now increase in line with inflation.
We cover some important issues on The Blackpool Lead - with far more prominence than other news providers.
But we are not quite ploughing a lone field on this and have long been fans of The Other Side of Blackpool podcast.
It’s put together by the Poverty Truth Network and in the latest pod Gillian Oliver goes through the latest disability forum. She was joined by Emma Jackson, Howard Robinson and Michael who claims PIP payments himself.
There’s a few pieces from The Lead’s national title which are worth some attention. First up, Zoë Grünewald’s reviews of the the government’s first year in power. Part one looks at economy, NHS, housing and education, with part two focusing on immigration, climate, welfare, foreign affairs, arts and culture.
Finally, broadcaster and environmental campaigner Chris Packham has written exclusively for The Lead explaining why he wants to see the government ban fossil fuel advertising - and how you can get involved too.
Major reform to free breakfasts in Blackpool will see many children denied toast and cereal
By Michael Holmes
As many as nine in 10 primary school children in Blackpool will be denied the likes of toast and cereal as part of major reforms to the town’s universal free school breakfast scheme, it can be revealed.
Launched in 2013, the programme saw all primary school youngsters in the resort given free food before classes got underway.
But costs - and children’s waistlines - are said to have increased in recent years, leading to an “in-depth review” of the service, which discovered that about 90% of youngsters have been eating two breakfasts - one at home and another at school.
Teachers will now only offer “breakfast items” such as toast and cereal to pupils who have not already been fed, with everyone else only offered milk and fruit, Blackpool’s director of public health Dr Arif Rajpura has decided.
It comes despite a previous evaluation of the scheme finding that its universal nature meant poorer pupils were not being picked on by their classmates and that it was having a positive impact.
A council report seen by The Blackpool Lead says: “Schools advise they can identify the children who arrive at school hungry without having had breakfast.
“This group represents less than average of 10% across all schools.”
A healthy schools coordinator was drafted in by the local authority in November and a consultation was launched with schools.
It led to the conclusion that “the scheme in its current format doesn’t work”.
Key issues include:
Food and milk “just arriving” at schools without any management or oversight of numbers being ordered; and
Schools not wanting to offer sugary bread products such as brioches or Soreen malt loaf - with the council’s public health team saying they “offer little nutritional content, contribute to obesity and reduce the child’s appetite for lunch”.
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