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I opened my morning Daily Mail to find the below article on page 2. I am struggling as a Lone Parent. These moves will only increase my struggles along with many other Lone Parents who are considered 'Middle Class' with a good education and experience.
I realize there must be drastic measures when the economy is in hard times but there needs to be a logical and working alternative.
I realize there must be drastic measures when the economy is in hard times but there needs to be a logical and working alternative.
Budget 'could hit women hardest': Osborne's cuts risk breaking equality law, says May
By Jason Groves
Last updated at 10:04 AM on 5th August 2010
Comments (29) Add to My Stories Theresa May warned that the emergency Budget ran a 'real risk' of breaking equality laws
Home Secretary Theresa May issued an extraordinary warning that the Government’s emergency Budget ran a ‘real risk’ of breaking equality laws, it has emerged.
In a letter to the Chancel*lor George Osborne, Mrs May warned that the Treas*ury was in danger of falling foul of laws requiring departments to consider the impact of policies on women, pensioners, ethnic minorities and the disabled.
Writing in her capacity as equalities minister, Mrs May said there were ‘real risks’ that certain groups would be ‘dis*proportionately affected’ by the austere package of spend*ing cuts, tax increases and benefit cutbacks.
The letter, written a fortnight before the emergency Budget in June, warned that there was a ‘real risk of successful legal challenge’ unless the Treasury took extra steps to show it had considered the impact on dis*advantaged groups.
The Treasury said last night it was confident that it had met its obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
But Mrs May’s letter will be seized on by the feminist Fawcett Society which has already filed an unprecedented High Court challenge to the Budget, arguing that the Gov*ernment failed in its legal duty to assess whether it would hit women unfairly.
A coalition of ethnic minority groups is also considering a legal challenge to the Budget.
An ‘equality audit’ by Labour work and pensions spokesman Yvette Cooper claimed that women would bear the brunt of more than 70 per cent of the cuts.
The high figure was reached because women benefit dis*proportionately from public services and will suffer more from cuts to tax credits and other benefits.
Ceri Goddard, chief execu*tive of the Fawcett Society, said: ‘There is a point of prin*ciple here.
‘The question is – had the Government followed the proper process, would Parlia*ment have voted for the Budget? If they had known that 72 per cent of the cuts would be borne by women, would they have voted for the Budget?’
In her letter to the Chancel*lor Mrs May wrote: ‘I fully share the objective of spend*ing cuts.
‘Equally it is important that fairness is at the heart of those decisions so that all those most in need are protected.
‘In this connection there are real risks that women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and older people will be dis*proportionately affected.Women, for instance, make up a higher number of public workers and all four groups use public services more.
‘The majority of those in receipt of tax credits and wel*fare payments are also from these groups.
‘If there are no processes in place to show that equality issues have been taken into account in relation to particu*lar decisions there is a real risk of successful legal challenges.’
The Treasury published an unprecedented level of detail on the impact of the Budget, including figures for how it would affect people on differ*ent income levels. But it did not publish details on the impact on women or minority groups.
Mrs May is believed to have written to all government departments to remind them of their duties under the equal*ity laws as they draw up plans for spending cuts over the coming months.
A Treasury spokesman said: ‘All departments ensure that equality issues are considered when assessing options for spending reductions – they have a legal obligation to do so.’
The spokesman said the Treasury
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz0vizksX5g
By Jason Groves
Last updated at 10:04 AM on 5th August 2010
Comments (29) Add to My Stories Theresa May warned that the emergency Budget ran a 'real risk' of breaking equality laws
Home Secretary Theresa May issued an extraordinary warning that the Government’s emergency Budget ran a ‘real risk’ of breaking equality laws, it has emerged.
In a letter to the Chancel*lor George Osborne, Mrs May warned that the Treas*ury was in danger of falling foul of laws requiring departments to consider the impact of policies on women, pensioners, ethnic minorities and the disabled.
Writing in her capacity as equalities minister, Mrs May said there were ‘real risks’ that certain groups would be ‘dis*proportionately affected’ by the austere package of spend*ing cuts, tax increases and benefit cutbacks.
The letter, written a fortnight before the emergency Budget in June, warned that there was a ‘real risk of successful legal challenge’ unless the Treasury took extra steps to show it had considered the impact on dis*advantaged groups.
The Treasury said last night it was confident that it had met its obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
But Mrs May’s letter will be seized on by the feminist Fawcett Society which has already filed an unprecedented High Court challenge to the Budget, arguing that the Gov*ernment failed in its legal duty to assess whether it would hit women unfairly.
A coalition of ethnic minority groups is also considering a legal challenge to the Budget.
An ‘equality audit’ by Labour work and pensions spokesman Yvette Cooper claimed that women would bear the brunt of more than 70 per cent of the cuts.
The high figure was reached because women benefit dis*proportionately from public services and will suffer more from cuts to tax credits and other benefits.
Ceri Goddard, chief execu*tive of the Fawcett Society, said: ‘There is a point of prin*ciple here.
‘The question is – had the Government followed the proper process, would Parlia*ment have voted for the Budget? If they had known that 72 per cent of the cuts would be borne by women, would they have voted for the Budget?’
In her letter to the Chancel*lor Mrs May wrote: ‘I fully share the objective of spend*ing cuts.
‘Equally it is important that fairness is at the heart of those decisions so that all those most in need are protected.
‘In this connection there are real risks that women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and older people will be dis*proportionately affected.Women, for instance, make up a higher number of public workers and all four groups use public services more.
‘The majority of those in receipt of tax credits and wel*fare payments are also from these groups.
‘If there are no processes in place to show that equality issues have been taken into account in relation to particu*lar decisions there is a real risk of successful legal challenges.’
The Treasury published an unprecedented level of detail on the impact of the Budget, including figures for how it would affect people on differ*ent income levels. But it did not publish details on the impact on women or minority groups.
Mrs May is believed to have written to all government departments to remind them of their duties under the equal*ity laws as they draw up plans for spending cuts over the coming months.
A Treasury spokesman said: ‘All departments ensure that equality issues are considered when assessing options for spending reductions – they have a legal obligation to do so.’
The spokesman said the Treasury
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz0vizksX5g