Councillor Mike Wilcox
Councillor Mike Wilcox

The leader of Lichfield District Council has admitted that welfare changes coul mean some people have to change their lifestyle.

The Government has unveiled alterations to housing benefit, universal credit and a new benefits cap.

Opposition councillors in Lichfield have already described plans for a new bedroom tax as “appalling”.

Councillor Mike Wilcox
Councillor Mike Wilcox

Cllr Mike Wilcox, the leader of the District Council admitted that the welfare changes would have an impact on local people.

Writing on his blog, he said: “The changes could mean lots of working age people locally will have a lot less money and may have to make changes to their lifestyle to cope.”

To help people understand changes to council tax and housing benefit, the council has launched an online information leaflet at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/welfarechanges.

“We’ve written to all our residents that are affected by the changes, which will come into force this April, to make sure they are prepared,” Cllr Wilcox explained.

“However, we wanted to create a useful online leaflet to explain the changes in more detail, and to reference other welfare changes that the government is introducing in the future.

“The leaflet also contains information about where people can get help and advice to deal with the impact of the changes.

“On top of this, we’ve developed an online section dedicated to welfare changes, which includes lots of handy hints and tips, as well as fact sheets about what you can do if your housing benefit goes down.”

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Darryl
11 years ago

“Lifestyle changes” – by inference that there is an excess in their lifestyle at the moment.

Hitting at the poorest in society is a Tory policy at its most malevolent and I can only hope that this is struck down before it does some serious damage.

BSARA
10 years ago

Comment provided by The Lichfield Alliance

Cllr Mike Wilcox’s statement emphasising the need to build more affordable/smaller homes is welcome, but merely repeats the Council’s existing “balanced housing market” policy, and the equivalent policy in the recently published draft Local Plan. Those aged 65+ will represent over 75% of the District’s population increase over the next twenty years. The Council has known this since 2008.

What the Council does is much more important that what the Council says. Over the past decade or more, the planning committee have approved developments which shifted the provision of new houses towards larger / more expensive homes and away from smaller homes and social housing. Darwin Park is an obvious example. The overhang of existing planning consents means it will be a number of years before any change in planning policy is felt.

The Council has failed to adopt a Local Plan before the transitional period in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) ran out on 27 March 2013. This means that the planning committee MUST make decisions in accordance with the NPPF, as all plans adopted before 2004 will be considered out of date.

In the last month the District Council submitted its Local Plan to be tested at a public inquiry (Examination in Public). Why put this draft Local Plan in front of a planning inspector when Cllr Wilcox says the Council is still “drawing up plans to deal with the situation”? The purpose of the Local Plan is, after all, to set out policies according to which planning decisions will be taken.

The website of the Lichfield Alliance is http://www.lichfield-alliance.co.uk. Its members are: Borrowcop & District Residents’ Association, BADRA, Beacon Street Area Residents’ Association, BSARA, Fradley Against Curborough Town, FACT, Leomansley Area Residents’ Association, LARA, Streethay Against Development, SAD, South Lichfield Residents’ Group, SLRGP

Cllr Susan Woodward
10 years ago

Yes, we all make changes to our “lifestyle” according to our means but the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit changes are hitting those least able to afford them and who have the fewest choices. I had an email yesterday from a young man, coping on £56 per week and now having to pay £12 per month in Council Tax. He tells me he’s not eating properly and not sleeping well – hardly a lifestyle choice.

Gruntsmith
10 years ago

On the basis that these cuts aren’t the responsibility of our local council is it better for them to do nothing then or for them to give advice as to the impact of the cuts as they have tried to do? One of the main criticisms levelled against Thatcher that we are having recanted is that she did nothing to ease the pain of the mine closures. By all means criticise the cuts but having a pop at the council when they are trying to do what they can to help seems churlish. Cllr Willcox could probably think of other phrases than ‘changes to their lifestyle’ I’m sure but this meant to be advice not a polemical.

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

Most one bedroom properties are flats. Flats with no garden. Why should we not be entitled to a garden just because we have no kids.
This government will be out at the next election. They’ve completely lost the plot in the last 6 months. People wouldn’t mind if they were achieving anything but they’re not, we’re in the same place as we were when they took over. They’ve let me down over so many things. Benefit reforms, HS2, continuing to privatise.

Cynic
10 years ago

“Jozef Nakielski” “Why should we not be entitled to a garden”

You can have a garden as big as you like – as long as you do not expect me to pay for it!