Sunday, January 29, 2012

Labour Discovers Localism?

Labour have come up with one good idea over the benefits cap- the Shadow Work and Pensions secretary Liam Byrne has proposed setting local benefits caps to meet the needs of different regions with different costs of living.

This is a great idea, it does not make sense to have the same limit in London as in Doncaster where property is much cheaper. Has he considered following through the logic of his idea into other areas though?

If taking account of the different costs of living is the right thing to do when setting a benefits limit- then surely it also makes sense to take different costs of living when setting pay scales for public sector workers. Also the minimum wage should be set for local conditions- very few jobs in London will be extinguished at £6 an hour but many jobs in Wrexham might be.

7 comments:

JuliaM said...

"If taking account of the different costs of living is the right thing to do when setting a benefits limit- then surely it also makes sense to take different costs of living when setting pay scales for public sector workers. "

Painted himself into a bit of a corner there, didn't he?

Anonymous said...

"Labour have come up with one good idea over the benefits cap- the Shadow Work and Pensions secretary Liam Byrne has proposed setting local benefits caps to meet the needs of different regions with different costs of living."
Oh no. The benefits cap means that we can get rid of the parasites from London and then workers can afford to live here again.
It will making working instead of being a pro single mum a good career choice for 16 year old girls!

Mr Grumpy said...

I don't share your enthusiasm for Byrne's proposal because it shows he's still clinging to the proposition that benefit claimants have more rights than those who work for a living. I could probably afford to live in something fairly palatial in Doncaster; in central London I couldn't afford a broom cupboard. C'est la vie. If the state were to subsidize me to live in central London it would merely drive up the cost of doing so still higher for the unsubsidized.

Ross said...

Anon & Grumpy- I take the point, but the principle of getting rid of national pay scales and benefit levels is important imo.

James Higham said...

Anything proposed by the govt or other side always, always comes unstuck. Rule of thumb.

Furor Teutonicus said...

XX Labour have come up with one good idea over the benefits cap- the Shadow Work and Pensions secretary Liam Byrne has proposed setting local benefits caps to meet the needs of different regions with different costs of living. XX

And how are they going to administer that, when you have 5 grand per month rents in one house, and next door is a white trash council semi, complete with rusting moggy minor on bricks in the front rubbish tip? (I believe they were once planned as gardens, but....)

"Region splitting" is WAY to simplified.

Furor Teutonicus said...

Ahhh. You have eliminated the Russian spamm.

Pitty. In a discussion regarding "labour" I thought it was a useful, if slightly ironic reminder, with whom we are dealing.