Tory councillor accused of labelling benefits claimants as 'addicts and layabouts'

[dutchman]

A Tory councillor has been accused of labelling all people on benefits as “drug addicts and layabouts”.

Conservative Julia Lepoidevin came under fire from Labour counterparts for comments made during the latest full meeting of Coventry City Council.

The council was discussing an additional two per cent levy on the council tax which would be used to fund adult social care when Coun Lepoidevin gave her support to the increase.

But her controversial comments came as she questioned the level of spend as Labour claimed the increase would only raise an extra £2million for an area currently underfunded by an estimated £7m.

Coun Lepoidevin said: “When we look at spend in children’s services, would there be such a need to spend the amounts that are being spent if Coventry had really got a grip on prevention and early intervention?”

She added: “On child poverty, the party opposite is fixated on paying more in benefits rather than looking at the social causes.

“What drives families into poverty is more than just income measures.

“It is addiction, family breakdown, domestic abuse, debt, leaving school with no qualifications.

“Give an addict an increase in benefit and it will be spent on the addiction, create further debt, cause mental health issues and break up families.

“That is the true cost of poverty, hopelessness.”

The remarks prompted jeers in the council chamber before Labour Coun Joe Clifford responded: “How do you follow that? All poor people are drug addicts and layabouts and so on. I don’t accept that.”

But Coun Lepoidevin replied: “I didn’t say that and you know it.”

Coun Lancaster later pointed out that the Conservative government had removed the ‘early intervention grant’ which helped authorities take a pro-active approach to tackle issues such as teenage pregnancy and youth crime.

She added: “Didn’t you say that the service was only accessed by those who were alcoholics or drug addicts? No, you didn’t. But what you did was label everyone in receipt of welfare benefits as a drug addict or an alcoholic.

“That’s the sort of mindset that you have.”

Coun Lepoidevin previously found herself under fire for comments made about food bank users in July 2014.

She suggested some people who use food banks in the city are “selfish” – saying they spend their money on drugs and booze instead of food.

At that time she said: “Do colleagues in this chamber never have cases where families make a conscious decision not to pay their rent, their utilities or to provide food for their children because they choose alcohol, drugs and their own selfish needs?

“There are families that have enough income and make a choice.”

[rebbonk]

It's actually amazing how many people view benefit claimants like this, and it isn't helped by the constant demonisation from the media.

What people forget is that they are often only a pay period away from claiming benefits themselves, and when they have to do it, it comes as a bit of a shock!

I only once tried to claim anything in all my working life. In late 2005 I asked them to pay my NI stamp for 5 weeks until I took up a new job after taking my redundancy. I told them I couldn't claim JSA because it would amount to fraud: I had a job lined up, so wasn't going to be looking for one. They refused what I thought was quite a reasonable request.

[Melisandre]

And this comes from a woman who is an active member of Hearsel Baptist church no wonder people no longer believe in religion they have seen the light.