As the cuts start to bite, and job losses put household finances under strain, some disreputable credit companies are seeking to take advantage of people trying to make ends meet with payday loans charging interest rates of upto 4,000%.
Church Action on Poverty is campaigning on this issue as part of the Close the Gap campaign. Here's an extract from it's campaigning materials and a link for further information and action...
Since the recession hit, a third of families are now spending more each month than they have coming into their households. 4 in 10 Britons are worried about their debt, five million are permanently overdrawn, and 22% will carry a credit card debt throughout 2011. The payday lending industry is taking advantage of a lack of access to credit faced by many of these consumers as they try to make ends meet, lending them money on which they charge interest rates up to 4,000% or more.
The unchecked and unregulated practices of these companies are causing long-term financial damage to many across Britain. Other countries have introduced caps on the costs of credit which protect their citizens from these problems and encourage companies to lend responsibly. We are all too aware of the consequences of unregulated casino banking; let's not allow unchecked practices in the UK to destabilise our consumer credit market and bring poverty and hardship to our communities.
Two amendments have been tabled to a Finance Bill Parliament is currently debating, calling on the Government to review whether corporation tax or the bankers' levy could be used to deter high-cost credit companies from lending in a way in which is detrimental to consumers. This would be an effective way of tackling legal loan sharking and the problems caused by these companies' loans to thousands of
people in Britain.
To find out more and to email your MP to ask them to support the above amendments to the Finance Bill visit http://action.church-poverty.org.uk/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=128&ea.campaign.id=10540
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Prayer Cascade three: Thursday 5th May 2011
This third Cuts are Costing prayer cascade has a focus on the impact of the cuts on people with disabilities and people with long term illness.
Next week (11th May) the Disability Benifits Consortium (a group of 40 household name charities and organisations) will be holding a demonstration in London to highlight the disproportionate effect that the cuts are having on people with disabilities, illnesses, and their families and carers. A new post on the blog this week focuses on their campaign called The Hardest Hit (http://cutsarecosting.blogspot.com/2011/05/hardest-hit-is-new-initiative-of.html).
Another post from the last week is a report from Unity in Poverty Action on their recent prayer meeting
on the current economic challenges (http://cutsarecosting.blogspot.com/2011/05/unity-in-poverty-action-prayer-meeting.html)
on the current economic challenges (http://cutsarecosting.blogspot.com/2011/05/unity-in-poverty-action-prayer-meeting.html)
Suggestions for Prayer. This week please pray for…
- people in our city and country who live with conditions such as cancer, dementia, arthritis, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis, sensory impairments, learning disabilities, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. Please pray that the support needs of these people are met, and that access to the services that these people need remains available for all.
- people who care for people with disabilities or illness, particularly where they are facing the added stress and strain of losing finaical support upon which they are dependent.
- for the Hardest Hit demonstration on the 11th May in London, that the march will be peaceful and the genuine concerns and demands of this campaign will be listened to by those making the decisions that effect them.
As ever please do let us know of other situations to include for future weeks at cutsarecosting@gmail.com. If you have received this from a friend and want to sign-up to receive it directly email cutsarecosting@gmail.com with 'sign-up' as the subject line. If you no longer wish to recieve these emails please email the same address with 'remove' in the subject line.
Unity in Poverty Action prayer meeting
On Tuesday 26th April Unity in Poverty Action, (a organisation facilitating church involvement with initiatives tackling poverty and exclusion in Leeds), gathered a number of Christians together at St Georges Crypt to pray for the current economic challenges that the City of Leeds is facing. The following report from UPA co-ordinator Dave Paterson, highlights some of the issues rasied...
Furthur information on prayer
There is a prayer site that has been set up, www.cutscosting.blogsspot.com, to encourage Christians to pray for those who are most effected by the economic cuts and to pray for those who have to make very difficult decisions regarding where spending cuts should be made. It would be great if people could contribute to the site with there own prayer requests and accounts of how the cuts are effecting real people.
Leeds Churches Together in Mission is also encouraging churches together groups to get together to pray for the current situation.
Here are some further dates where Christians are coming together to pray for the City.
Leeds Faith in Schools, Space, Leeds Youth Cell Network, Kidz Klub and N:FUSE are holding a prayer meeting to pray for youth and childrens work in the City at City Church on Saturday 7th May, 7pm - 9.30pm.
On Monday 9th May there is to be a prayer meeting for West Leeds at Bramley Baptist. 7.30pm - 9pm.
On Sunday the 12th June Hope for the Nations are holding a prayer meeting for different nationalities. This will be held at the New Testament Church in Chapel Town.
For more details on any of the above please contact Dave Paterson at Unity in Poverty Action on davepaterson84@hotmail.co.uk
- The question was asked around whether it would be possible for churches to have more information on where the Cuts are taking place in Leeds, what effect they are having and what gaps they are leaving. This would make it easier for Christians to have a strategic response in trying to cater for some of those gaps.
- John Hardy, counsellor for Farnley, said there was a need for Churches to have a louder voice and challenge politicians on issues which effected there communities. He encouraged Churches to use there position to campaign more on issues they were passionate about.
- It was said that Christians needed to be aware of each others work so that we could avoid duplication and where possible pool resources in these challenging economic times.
- There was a genuine sense that Christians needed to come together and pray for each other and that there was a need to effectively communicate the different prayer initiatives that were taking place.
- Steve Croker who works for Leeds City Council and is the Leeds year of volunteering coordinator spoke of the value of volunteering and how important it was that we celebrated the efforts made by volunteers across the City.
- It was stated that Leeds has one of the biggest inequality gaps in the Country and that Christians had an opportunity to bridge the gap between the rich and poor in the city.
- Some expressed concern regarding the effect that the economic situation was having on Churches and Christian Projects in the City.
Furthur information on prayer
There is a prayer site that has been set up, www.cutscosting.blogsspot.com, to encourage Christians to pray for those who are most effected by the economic cuts and to pray for those who have to make very difficult decisions regarding where spending cuts should be made. It would be great if people could contribute to the site with there own prayer requests and accounts of how the cuts are effecting real people.
Leeds Churches Together in Mission is also encouraging churches together groups to get together to pray for the current situation.
Here are some further dates where Christians are coming together to pray for the City.
Leeds Faith in Schools, Space, Leeds Youth Cell Network, Kidz Klub and N:FUSE are holding a prayer meeting to pray for youth and childrens work in the City at City Church on Saturday 7th May, 7pm - 9.30pm.
On Monday 9th May there is to be a prayer meeting for West Leeds at Bramley Baptist. 7.30pm - 9pm.
On Sunday the 12th June Hope for the Nations are holding a prayer meeting for different nationalities. This will be held at the New Testament Church in Chapel Town.
For more details on any of the above please contact Dave Paterson at Unity in Poverty Action on davepaterson84@hotmail.co.uk
The Hardest Hit
The Hardest Hit is a new initiative of the Disabilty Benifits Consortium to challenge the cuts to disability benifits. The DBC is a national coalition of over 40 different charities and other organisations committed to working towards a fair benefits system including RNIB, Mind, Scope, Age UK, Livability and MenCap. The following information, taken from the Hardest Hit website (http://thehardesthit.wordpress.com), details some of the impacts of the spending cuts on disabled and ill people and their families...
Disabled and ill people and their families are being hit hard by cuts to the benefits and services they rely on.
Many are living in fear of huge cuts to essential benefits including Disability Living Allowance (cut by £2.17 billion) and Employment and Support Allowance (cut by £2 billion). The total cuts will mean an estimated £9 billion loss to families’ incomes over the next four years, on top of cuts to many local care and support services. This affects people and families across the UK living with conditions like cancer, dementia, arthritis, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis, sensory impairments, learning disabilities, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. Their everyday lives depend on support that is under threat. The Government’s plans to cut billions from support for disabled people and their families. Their proposals include:
The Hardest Hit campaign brings together disabled people and carers and organisations and groups who represent them and to send a message to Government - you are hitting disabled people and their families the hardest: stop these cuts.
Members
Disabled and ill people and their families are being hit hard by cuts to the benefits and services they rely on.
Many are living in fear of huge cuts to essential benefits including Disability Living Allowance (cut by £2.17 billion) and Employment and Support Allowance (cut by £2 billion). The total cuts will mean an estimated £9 billion loss to families’ incomes over the next four years, on top of cuts to many local care and support services. This affects people and families across the UK living with conditions like cancer, dementia, arthritis, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis, sensory impairments, learning disabilities, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. Their everyday lives depend on support that is under threat. The Government’s plans to cut billions from support for disabled people and their families. Their proposals include:
- Cutting 20% from the budget for Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Disability Alliance estimates that over 700,000 disabled people could see their benefits reduced or removed. DLA helps disabled people with the extra costs of disability and without it more disabled people would be pushed into poverty. The cuts could have a knock-on impact on Carer’s Allowance, leaving thousands of families even worse off.
- Taking mobility payments away from disabled people living in residential care and children going to residential schools. Cutting these payments would trap many in their own homes.
- Cutting off payments of contributory Employment and Support Allowance after a year to people struggling to get back into work due to disability or serious illness.
The Hardest Hit campaign brings together disabled people and carers and organisations and groups who represent them and to send a message to Government - you are hitting disabled people and their families the hardest: stop these cuts.
About the DBC
The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) is a national coalition of over 40 different charities and other organisations committed to working towards a fair benefits system. Using our combined knowledge, experience and direct contact with disabled individuals and carers, we seek to ensure government policy reflects and meets the needs of all disabled people.
Members
Action for Blind People, Action for M.E., Age UK, Arthritis Care, Breast Cancer Care, Carers UK, Child Poverty Action Group, Citizens Advice, Clic Sargent, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Deafblind UK, Disability Alliance, Every Disabled Child Matters, Guide Dogs, Haemophilia Society, LASA, Leaning Disability Coalition, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Macmillan Cancer Support, Mencap, Meningitis Research Foundation, Mind, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, MS Society, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, National AIDS Trust, National Autistic Society (NAS), National Deaf Children’s Society, Parkinson’s UK, Rethink, Royal Association for Disability Rights (RADAR), Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), RSI Action, Scope, Sense, Skill, Sue Ryder, TUC, United Response, Vitalise.
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