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Tendring: District is worst in Essex for long-term sickness
7:00am Wednesday 31st December 2008
Comments (42)Tendring ranks the worst in Essex when it comes to residents languishing on long-term sick benefits, figures show.
Nearly 60 per cent of people claiming incapacity benefit in the district have been picking up the allowance for more than five years.
Out of 6,990 receiving the assistance, 4,160 have been claiming for more than 60 months.
Tendring’s figure is the highest of 14 district and unitary authority areas in Essex. They rank second in East Anglia, with only North Norfolk faring worse, and 38th out of 354 across England.
Douglas Carswell, Tory MP for Clacton and Harwich, says the system encourages people to become benefit cheats.
He has called for an overhaul so decisions are made locally, possibly at district council level.
“What is so wrong about the system is that some people who are genuinely deserving are being treated as if they are trying to pull a fast one, while there are a large number of people who don’t deserve it but are getting it,” he said.
The Government has promised to get a grip on incapacity benefit payments, which are designed to keep the chronically-ill out of poverty.
A spokesman for James Purnell, Work and Pensions Secretary, said new plans would see numbers start to fall.
Radical welfare reforms will see virtually everyone expected to do something in return for their benefits, to help more people move from benefits and into work, she added.
Nationally, just over 56.64 per cent of people on incapacity benefit have been claiming the allowance for more than five years, a total of 1.49 million people out of 2.63 million claimants.
- More in today's Gazette
Your Say YourGazette
toadytoad, colchester says...
10:26am Wed 31 Dec 08
guyfawkes999, England says...
10:37am Wed 31 Dec 08
The benefits system abuse is nowhere near as bad as the MPs, MEPs, councillors and civil servents who are ripping off the taxpayer and receiving massive pension deals. Remember 25% of all council tax collected is going straight to th pension fund of civil servents.
If Messers Carswell, Grayling and Purnell are really serious about getting people back to work they must as a minimum do the following seven things:
1) Stop all further immigration and kick out those immigrants who don't belong here - they are only undercutting the wages of British people.
2) Scrap the Minimum Wage and bring in a Minimum Wage to the equivelent of £22,000 for anyone over 18 years of age for a standard 35 hour week.
3) Increase the level of tax free allowance allowances to £22,000 per person and make these allowances transferrable from husband to wife (or whatever the status of the relationship)and in effect make it attrative to be be working.
4) Scrap all the Child Benefit, Housing Benefit and Tax Credits.
5) Scrap inheritence tax, and capital gains to encourage saving and investing.
6) Pull out of the European Union which is costing the UK taxpaper billions of pounds every year.
7) Cut the expenses of MPs and councillors in half and give them a fixed level of expenses which must be supported by receipts just like any other tax payer.
It is time to get rid of the old useless Labour, Tory and LibDem parties.
Cliff, Colchester says...
11:02am Wed 31 Dec 08
Just a few points on what you suggested. You won't find me disagreeing that MEPs are a waste of time, but I don't agree that most MPs are. And councillors certainly don't get huge pensions - in fact they don't get a pension at all. I looked it up on the website before I wrote this and the average councillor in Colchester gets a £6,000 a year allowance. True the figure rises to a rather more ridiculous level for county councillors who are only slightly more useful than MEPs.
I'm not a fan of immigration, but I'm not against it totally either as my experience is that if it wasn't for immigrants, the dirty jobs that need doing would never be done.
The amount of debt we saddle youngsters with to go to University and learn skills also means that the NHS would have no appointments for treatment available for any of us without immigrants coming over here to study medicine and without nurses being imported from abroad because they are willing to work for less than British people.
And just pulling out of the EU isn't the be all and end all of everything. No European country would trade with us if we pulled out, tempting though that is, so before agreeing with you, I would want to see the undoubted savings from pulling out set against the costs of doing so that anti-Europeans never mention.
And I repeat, if you get rid of the three established parties you have to replace them with something else and none of the fringe parties available can even win a council seat round here let alone anything else because they are seen as irrelevant. So what do you intend to replace them with?
Say It As It Is OK?, From Colchester says...
11:54am Wed 31 Dec 08
Most probably right but surely they are not more "irrelivant" than the bunch who run our councils,counties and government now! Far too much bureaucracy to make anything work as it should.
Happy New year...and as most of the Tendering council employees are getting an extra couple of days off...paid for by us. I do hope you return to work on Monday all fired up to serve your council tax payers. Ha, Ha.
crazyone, clacton says...
2:00pm Wed 31 Dec 08
The students who come over to our universities should stay for at least 5 yrs after they graduate, to put back something into the country.
Child allowance for the 1st child and nothing else.
All housing benefit to be scrutinized to see if the accommodation, is fit for the amount of benefit.This would stop top money from being paid for the likes of shacks in Jaywick, that are not fit for families to live in.
Ponder, Clacton says...
2:03pm Wed 31 Dec 08
10:37am Wed 31 Dec 08
"The benefits system abuse is nowhere near as bad as the MPs, MEPs, councillors and civil servents who are ripping off the taxpayer and receiving massive pension deals".
Can I point out that it is only Senior Civil Servants who get huge pension deals and wages? The average Civil Servant (e.g. in a Jobcentre)has a starting salary of £14k a year. I admit that I used to work for a jobcentre until I was made redundant last year under compulsory retirement grounds, and I only receive £206 a MONTH pension to live on.
Getting back on subject though, there are not enough jobs for the unemployed, so where are all the jobs meant to come from for the disabled? The only reason that this Government want to kick the disabled off of their benefit, is to save money. If Labour really want to save anything, they should scrap MP's allowances. You and I have to pay for our own transport costs to and from work, so why can MP's claim their money back?
Not everyone on benefit is a cheat or fraudster, but how many MP's only claim a minimum allowance?
Taj, Colchester says...
2:06pm Wed 31 Dec 08
There is next to nothing in the way of employment opportunities and travel is out of reach for many people forced to claim benefit.
The government and finacial institutions are only interested in share holders and profit and if you are not amonst them them you are the un-wanteds and unwashed poor
Vote this goverment out and put somone in that has a proper plan to deal with inequalities sanctioned by the state and free loader politicians on ego trips at our expense
Feisty CBC, Colchester says...
2:48pm Wed 31 Dec 08
Frank En'stein, clacton says...
3:23pm Wed 31 Dec 08
Be careful though he use's pseudonyms as well as his own name.
Any how getting back to the story you can bet your life if these figures were broken down even more as to which parts of tendring were the worst...............
.
THE BADLANDS OF JAYWICK WOULD COME OUT TOP.
barnabyp, Harwich says...
3:42pm Wed 31 Dec 08
crazyone, clacton says...
5:25pm Wed 31 Dec 08
Frank En'stein, clacton says...
5:51pm Wed 31 Dec 08
I'll keep out of it as you never know what the game plan is with these people.
I'm just keeping my eye on Ivan/Ian OOPS! OOPS! OOPS!
I'd better re-phrase that as to keeping my eye on Ivan/Ian's comments.
Don't want ol burit twisting words and telling me that THEY CAN AND WILL be used if necessary. lol.
Happy new year to you crazy.
guyfawkes999, England says...
6:19pm Wed 31 Dec 08
It's going to be tough because Labour (like all communist parties) will use every lie and dirty trick in the book to stay in power.
We won't be fooled again - the way we were fooled in 1997, 2001 and 2005.
Happy New Year and look forward to a Labour free 2010 and hopefully in 2012 Britain will once again be free from EU / Brussels rule.
crazyone, clacton says...
8:37pm Wed 31 Dec 08
Pity Screaming Lord Such is dead, he would have made a good PM!
Remember his top 3 things are now law and they said "HE" was crazy LOL
Boris, Colchester says...
9:29pm Wed 31 Dec 08
Happy New Year everyone, let's hope we adopt the euro in 2009.
crazy`one, west clacton says...
9:37pm Wed 31 Dec 08
Boris wrote:bravo Boris.
I would much rather be ruled by the unelected bureaucrats of Brussels rather than by the cruel Tory and New Tory governments that have ruled Britain continuously since 1979. Indeed, be grateful to the EU for some of the positive things it has imposed on our governments: minimum wage, maximum working hours, human rights act, for example. Happy New Year everyone, let's hope we adopt the euro in 2009.
also;
the average councillor in Colchester gets a £6,000 a year allowance. True the figure rises to a rather more ridiculous level for county councillors who are only slightly more useful than MEPs.
then there are those on company pensions/NI pensions and still dont know when to quit.
crazy`one, west clacton says...
9:42pm Wed 31 Dec 08
I'd better re-phrase that as to keeping my eye on Ivan/Ian's comments.
Don't want ol burit twisting words and telling me that THEY CAN AND WILL be used if necessary. lol.
and your comments mean what !
are you against long term sickness or for long term sickness.
crazy`enstiein, west clacton says...
9:59pm Wed 31 Dec 08
3:23pm Wed 31 Dec 08
Looks like Ivan/Ian's hibernating (please God) no comment on any subject for the last few days.
your not the first person to quote God on these posts, are you infact related to another well known poster !
For the sake of clarity, keep to the story or stop posting crap.!
Frank En'stein, clacton says...
8:42am Thu 1 Jan 09
When you say "Your not the first person"
Whats that mean?
You really should have put "you're not the first person"
Your is something associated with you or belonging to you, such as your belly or your house/shed.
Now you're is a contraction of "you are" which is the word you should have used.
You're not the first person.
SAVVY Ivan/Ian..........
OH! And seeing as you think you are some kind of GOD i'll use it as much as i want.
So Ivan/Ian for the sake of clarity, use the right words or stop posting crap.!
crazyone, clacton says...
11:50am Thu 1 Jan 09
Perhaps he is upset as we know him but he doesn't know us, shame LOL
ivan burit for parish council, west clacton says...
2:13pm Thu 1 Jan 09
you are, the big boys told me and ran away again.
story lines are story lines, but for some it means nothing.
ok, some do like to keep to the story, some do not.
so, are you the real ivan burit or not.
if you are the real ivan burit, you sure are getting your name noticed everywhere, online searches are now coming up when asked for.
if you are, and you are going for parish council you need more promotion than just on here.
come on crazyone & frankenstien, if you want to promote his name just keep getting into print,
are you doing it to promote him even?
crazy0ne, clacton says...
2:31pm Thu 1 Jan 09
Feisty CBC wrote:Feisty, we think we love you.X.lol
*Waits for Ivan* LOL
you ok, you`ve been quiet of late.
Happy new Christmas &
Merry Year or something.
Feisty CBC, Colchester says...
2:43pm Thu 1 Jan 09
Funk`Estien, clacton says...
2:47pm Thu 1 Jan 09
ok, back to plotline.
how can us pensioners live in this area without getting more money to spend on bingo, fags and whiskey, like you others.
my indian take aways are costing more to be delivered, and feeding 25 dogs is not cheep either.
if i had a budgie instead, all i would have to buy is bounce, i could sit and watch it in its little cage instead of taking me dogs out.
give us pensioners more dosh to wash.
i am also worried about feisty too, bless her little cotton socks.
working in colchester like that.
I`m going on a cruse soon just to get warm, can you feed my dogs.
Feisty CBC, Colchester says...
3:28pm Thu 1 Jan 09
Funk`Estien, clacton says...
3:46pm Thu 1 Jan 09
"Happy New Year and batten down the hatches!
In this space, a year ago, I wrote, "with the credit crunch biting, house prices teetering and the economy wobbling... 2008 is likely to be the worst financial year in a long time." Yet, sadly, 2009 is set to be worse.
Add big company collapses plus rocketing unemployment to the list and it's time to hope for the best, but plan for the worst."
The storyline for this comments section WILL see our areas not getting better, but a lot-lot worse.
look over your shoulder,
look under your desks,
you`ll never know,
when layoffs are next.
For some smug hard working people out in the great big world, that have never given it a thought of
"oh, it wont happen to me will it"
i have daunting news, it can, it does and it will.
Happy New Year.
Funk`Estien, clacton says...
3:52pm Thu 1 Jan 09
oops.......are you sure, have you looked ?
OMG.........lol
reminds me of the scoot club member charged with sorting out the last years raffle money from our xmas do.
was all but making love online to his new friend mel....
it was a big hairy bloke...pmsl
H E L L O......still pmsl.....
crazyone, clacton says...
6:56pm Thu 1 Jan 09
Registering with all these stupid names so close to ours.I trust the paper removes all this rubbish that you are posting.
crazyone, clacton says...
7:02pm Thu 1 Jan 09
"Look out Frankie his bottle could be next!" ;-)
Funk`Estien, clacton says...
7:34pm Thu 1 Jan 09
crazyone, clacton says...
6:56pm Thu 1 Jan 09
Oh dear! you have lowered yourself so much you could slip under a closed door!
Registering with all these stupid names so close to ours.I trust the paper removes all this rubbish that you are posting.
If ever the pot was calling the kettle black, you just have crazy..
and as that very annoying irishman comedian said.....
and there`s more.....
cut & pated from proboards102..
Re: Welcome to our new`ish message boards
« Reply #1 Today at 6:01pm »
snide cryptic remarks, the rantings of a madman you rave and cannot hold a conversation without shouting and raising your voice!
Link to Post - Back to Top 193.200.150.45
The admin of that site thanked you for your message, and posted a suitable reply.
its a good job we are keeping an eye out for you.......
crazyone, clacton says...
9:15pm Thu 1 Jan 09
frank`slargeintestine, clacton says...
9:44pm Thu 1 Jan 09
10:26am Wed 31 Dec 08
Many disabled people who are benefits would love to work. Yet the job market still isn't open to employing disabled people even with the new rules. Maybe instead of taring everyone with the same brush. The goverment could provide more support and advice to get these people back into work. As it stands Job Centre Plus providing very little help...
some very good points toadytoad.
if employment was out there to take up, then fine, but in reality, the un-employment is rising so fast, we are almost underwater in the sea of it, and it will get worse, right accross the board too.
Tendring as an area, has more inward older people settling there than almost anywhere else in this country.
I was at a housing seminar @ Weeley early last year to confirm this.
Most new residents move here to get away from the bigger towns/cities like London and its suburbs FACT.
along with their bags and baggage, most come along with some sort of illness of some sort.
These illnesses all add to the long term sickness legaly.
Not wishing to sound unkind to anyone, but how many times do you go to a supermarket only to see able bobied "looking" disabled occupents getting out brand new cars that have a zero rated car tax disc, while still apearing to be under 65 years of age.
dont get me wrong, if you have used the systen to legaly obtain what is classed as dutifully, and, legally yours, then good on you.
the point i still make is, if under 65 years of age, you still make up the stats of "Essex the worst area for" etc.......
Facts and figures look so good on paper, you can move columbs of figures up and down, sideways or accross, its called presentation.
Presentation never won an argument, solid visable fact will.
ok, lets look for the facts without the early retirees in them, like my community or yours...
Boris, Colchester says...
10:28pm Thu 1 Jan 09
crazyone, clacton says...
9:33am Fri 2 Jan 09
just asking.
crazyone, clacton says...
12:18pm Fri 2 Jan 09
deleterious comments, clacton says...
4:37pm Fri 2 Jan 09
the idea is to post comments
not question other postee`s comments.
some just never learn at whatever age crazyone, do they.
give them short shrift i was always told.
SOMETHING2SAY, OUTANDABOUT says...
5:08pm Fri 2 Jan 09
OOOOOO !
crazyone, clacton says...
7:14pm Fri 2 Jan 09
Feisty CBC, Colchester says...
2:27pm Sat 3 Jan 09
blinky, colchester says...
7:26am Sun 4 Jan 09
at about consideration for the mentally-handicapped
:included in those figures? most wheel-chair bound folk could work in an office:but the able-bodied mentally-ill should be excluded from the government's reform plans.mental-illness is a major social-stigma:there aren't many of the current work-force who would be willing to work alongside such a patient.there are varying degrees of insanity & it is feared that those deemed to have minor mental-illnesses:wou
ld have their human-rights jeopardised.don't be fooled by the government's estimation that the recession will last a few years:more likely a decade.the sick folk are being targetted:for that money to keep our troops in iraq.
deleterious comments, clacton says...
10:37am Tue 13 Jan 09
Just 46 jobs on offer in Clacton.
even the gazette group is/has lost staff this month.
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Say It As It Is OK?, From Colchester says...
7:48am Wed 31 Dec 08
But, nothing will happen to make the changes the government is talking about, and these scroungers know it! It is far easier to take from the tax payer everytime.