Impact of government austerity programme

The Coalition Government's austerity programme is set to last for another four years, but the cuts will severely impact upon many vulnerable local people. The Tory-Lib Dem government have already overseen:

- the scrapping of Child Trust Funds.

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- the rise in VAT costing an average household an extra £275 each year.

-   - entitlement to child benefit for people earning over £44,000 being removed costing families £1,055 each year for the eldest child and £749 for younger children. 


-   - a freeze in the value of child benefit, causing families with children to lose over £100 per annum


-   - the Health in Pregnancy grant being abolished costing new mums £190.

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- the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners being cut this winter by £50 for pensioners under 80 and by £100 for pensioners over 80
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-   - financial support to employers to take on young unemployed people being cancelled after the Future Jobs Fund was axed (even though youth unemployment is at a record high).

Jubilee Line closures

There was a time when I felt lucky to have a Jubilee line tube station a few minutes from where I live. But for the past two years, the line has been closed most weekends for engineering work which was supposed to be completed last summer. Replacement buses - some really old looking bone-shakers - trundled down my road to cover the part of the line closed. I mean to ask Mayor Boris how much the replacement bus service has cost and what do Jubilee line drivers do when the line is closed - do they have "gardening leave?" Recently, some unlucky passengers were stuck in hot carriages for up to two hours when there was a fault on the line. I regularly ask when the upgrades will be finished. The latest news indicated this Bank Holiday weekend will be a key test for the signalling system on the J5 section, hence the closure of this section of the line on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  It should provide a good indication of progress towards final completion, now indicated to be the end of June. Here's hoping!