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Leeds’s £800 million benefits bill
More than £800m a year in benefits is being paid out in Leeds.
Calculations by the YEP show that, excluding child benefits and pension payments, the benefits bill has rocketed by nearly £350m, or 75 per cent, in the last decade.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show the amount claimed in job seekers’ allowance (JSA) rose from £38.7m to £72.6m since 2000-01.
Housing benefit was up from £143.6m to £247m.
Council tax benefit spiralled from £31.7m to £55.8m.
Alec Shelbrooke, Tory MP for Elmet and Rothwell, said: “We need to draw back the ‘something for nothing’ culture.
“I see people who are in genuine financial hardship. Is it fair that people who are doing absolutely nothing don’t have their problems?
“There are people who think it’s their right to sit at home on benefits.
“When Bevan pioneered the welfare state, he designed it for people who genuinely had no other choice. He never would have thought people would actively choose to live on benefits.”
The bulk of the DWP figures for last year’s claims is made up of housing benefit, incapacity benefit, income support, JSA and disability living allowance.
Other benefits administered by the DWP include council tax benefit, attendance and carers’ allowance, employment and support allowance, winter fuel payments and bereavement benefit.
In 2000-01, when fewer benefits were available, £465.4m was paid out in Leeds. The biggest annual jump in expenditure was in 2009-10, when total payments rose from £708m to £793.6m.
The increase slowed last year, rising to the current figure of £812.8m.
Leeds figures for child benefit and working tax credit payments, administered by HM Revenue and Customs, were unavailable.
A spokeswoman for the Taxpayers Alliance, which is calling for reform of the welfare system, said: “The increase in the cost of benefits exceeds what can be accounted for by inflation or rising unemployment. Welfare is there to help people who have fallen on tough times or who need our help, those who can work should be expected to do so not left to live on hand-outs indefinitely.”
Charity Elizabeth Finn Care, which supports people in need and helps people gain access to benefits, said research showed that the benefits system was vital.
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Comments
There are 6 comments to this article
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fieldofclothofgold
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 01:45 PMThe ruling classes are trying thold divide and rule trick on us again ,in a time of recession
ken2
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 02:14 AMThe Welfare State stands for everything that the Tories are against and they are now openly dismantling it. The NHS, the benefits system, prisons, probation services, council housing, pensions, council services, schools, even royal mail and the post offices, in fact the entire public sector is up for grabs. They are freezing the public sector wages and in some cases cutting them, also mass sackings in the form of redundancies, all to make it more lucrative for their big business friends who will be in line to make a killing. To make their task easier they are planning to take away yet more employment rights and make it more difficult for Unions to represent their members thus reducing any resistance and opposition to their butchery. We must never forget that the Tories couldn't get away with any of this if it wasn't for the Liberals propping them up and keeping them in power. The Tories and Liberals are taking us back 65 years.
Better Human than Blue Man
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 04:05 PMPerhaps the real priority is the middle class welfare state - tax relief on private health, private education, practically subsidised on everything - public schools with charitable status, tax loopholes for the wealthy - £120 billion a year! By the way how many people does the 'Tory front' 'Taxpayers Alliance 'represent 20.000 taxpayers out of 30m taxpayers plus 10m ex-tax payers ! They don't speak for me and the Tory MP showing his middle class ignorance and prejudice.
tothepoint5
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 03:37 PMWhat a shockingly bad piece of journalism by the YEP, this could have come straight off the daily mail front page. I work in the benefits system, one minute we're attacked for people not claiming benefits as its too complex, so we put plans in place to increase take up, and then the YEP runs stories to say the bill has "spiralled", well which do you want? There's roughly 0.5 million vacancies, and around 2.8 million people looking for work (those are just the people that can get onto the figures, everyone know's how many people don't get counted). Even if every single job was filled tomorrow from that 2.8 million, that would leave 2.3 million people out of work, unless of course my maths is wrong and we can fit 2.8 million people into 0.5 million jobs? And another point for Sam Casey who obviously didn't bother to research the story and instead relied on the TPA and a tory, the DWP does not administer Council Tax Benefit, the local authority does that,
chris foren
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 02:26 PMBefore he was elected Alec Shelbrooke told the BBC's Politics Show that the priority was "jobs, jobs, jobs". His party's illiterate economic policies have resulted in an increase in UK unemployment to 2.69 million (nearly as many as the last time we had to suffer a Tory government). It's hardly surprising then that the benefits bill has increased. Never mind, Mr Shelbrooke can still blame the victims and suggest that people "choose to live on benefits". The Conservative party: still nasty after all these years.
TheHub
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 09:48 AMHere we go again. YEP toeing the party line. I really don't there are that many 'actively choosing' to live on benefits. TPA, tell me where are these jobs for 'those who can work'. Where are the Private Sector jaobs that will soak up the Public Sector redundancies. Quote "The bulk of the DWP figures for last year’s claims is made up of housing benefit, incapacity benefit, income support, JSA and disability living allowance." Tory right wing attack on the disabled and disadvantaged. Clegg and your party, hold your heads in shame.
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