Peter's constituency includes Cardenden and Kinglassie.

Universal Credit is Coming

“Universal Credit” is a new system that is replacing a number of other Benefits including tax credits, income support, housing benefit and job seekers allowance. It has already been introduced in some parts of the UK and will start to be fully “rolled out” in Fife early in December.

There are good points to the new system but there are also serious problems. One of the worst is that new claimants are expected to get-by with no income for six weeks, sometimes even longer. Not surprisingly, in places where Universal Credit has already been rolled out, there has been a big increase in rent arrears and in the number of people relying on food banks.

The SNP have long called for the rollout of Universal Credit to be suspended until these problems have been sorted. Last week Parliament supported this by 299 votes to nil but the antiquated “rules of the House” mean the Government can just carry on regardless.

I’ve met with staff and management in the two Job Centres that will handle most claims from my constituency. They are dedicated and caring people who will do what they can to help folk but they don’t get to make the rules. The rules are made by the kind of Tory MPs who sat and sniggered at accounts of the appalling effect their Government’s policy is having on people.

Deal or No Deal?

The last few weeks have seen a worrying shift in the Government’s attitude to the Brexit negotiations. There are signs that some Ministers now actively support a “no deal” Brexit despite the fact that it is literally impossible to negotiate a deal that’s worse than no deal. Just one example. Nearly one fifth of everything the UK imports or exports goes on a ferry between Dover and either Calais or Dunkirk. The boss of the ferry port at Calais has said the port would probably close if there’s a no deal Brexit. Entire industries in the UK have grown up relying on swift, reliable movement of goods to and from the EU. Throwing this away, with nothing to replace it, would threaten tens of thousands of jobs in Scotland. The UK government has paid for a detailed economic analysis of the impact “no deal” would have. The results are so bad they’re refusing to let anyone see them.

Foodbank for Cardenden?

It’s a sad fact that one of the community facilities more and more places are needing to establish is a food bank. A group of local people are working to set up a food bank in Cardenden to save folk from having to travel to Kirkcaldy or Glenrothes. I’ve promised to do what I can to support them and I’ve no doubt that when they eventually get set up they’ll get a lot of support from the ABCD villages'.