Councils are out of control. I drifted away from Private Eye a while back, but the work they did unpicking the failings at Doncaster council was excellent journalism. Yes this is a DM article (based on Taxpayers'Alliance data, presumably through an FOI?) but seriously, why are these guys earning this much? Over 500 council workers earning more than the PM last year.
Like Labour voters...
From what I've read there's a bit of confusion about whether there's overlap between the figures or not, i.e. 1340 of the 2380 had appealed the decision, or whether it's a completely separate bunch.
No worries, either way it looks pretty awful on the face of it. Will have to have a gander at past figures and trends in a bit to see whether it's a break from the norm.
So apparently no-ones brought this up?
More than 2,300 died after fit for work assessment - DWP figures
Some 2,380 people have died after being found fit for work and losing benefits, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show.
Between December 2011 and February 2014 the equivalent of about 90 people a month died after their Employment and Support Allowance claim was ended.
Campaigners have called for the "tragic" figures to be investigated.
The DWP said no link could be assumed between the deaths and claimants being deemed fit for work.
'Tragic'
The figures - and the time frame they cover - were released after the Information Commissioner ruled the government should release the statistics, including mortality rates for benefit claimants, in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
The data does not contain a breakdown of how the people died.
The 2,380 people who died had received Work Capability Assessments (WCA) to decide if they were eligible to receive ESA, which replaced incapacity benefit, income support and severe disablement allowance in 2008.
Of the 2,380, 1,340 died after appealing against their decisions, though it is not known what proportion of those appeals were successful or failed.
Learning disability charity Mencap said the numbers appeared unusually high for people of working age who had so recently been declared fit.
The charity's Rob Holland, who co-chairs the Disability Benefits Consortium, a consortium of charities and other bodies, said: "These tragic figures are concerning and warrant further investigation.
"We know the fit for work test is failing disabled people, with devastating consequences."
The figures said 2,017,070 people were given a decision following their WCA between May 2010 and February 2013, with 40,680 dying within a year of that decision.
But the data showed a decline in the mortality rate of all benefit claimants - the number of deaths per 100,000 people - from 822 to 723 between 2003 and 2013.
This was slower, proportionally, than the decline in the mortality rate of the general population, which fell from 305 to 240 in the same period, according to the statistics.
'Shocking figures'
Mike Sivier, a campaigner who made one of the FOI requests, said: "I am glad that the figures have come out.
"The whole point of making an FOI request was to raise questions. It is important to keep asking questions."
Labour leadership candidate and shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said they were "shocking figures" and called for an "urgent national debate" about the statistics.
The DWP said it had always intended to release the information but only "once they had met the high standards expected of official statistics".
It said it did not hold the information on the reason for the deaths which meant no link could be drawn between the WCA decision and the number of people who died.
A DWP spokesman said: "The mortality rate for people who have died while claiming an out-of-work benefit has fallen over a 10-year period. This is in line with the mortality rate for the general working-age population.
"The government continues to support millions of people on benefits with an £80bn working-age welfare safety net in place."
So apparently no-ones brought this up?
More than 2,300 died after fit for work assessment - DWP figures
Some 2,380 people have died after being found fit for work and losing benefits, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show.
Between December 2011 and February 2014 the equivalent of about 90 people a month died after their Employment and Support Allowance claim was ended.
Campaigners have called for the "tragic" figures to be investigated.
The DWP said no link could be assumed between the deaths and claimants being deemed fit for work.
'Tragic'
The figures - and the time frame they cover - were released after the Information Commissioner ruled the government should release the statistics, including mortality rates for benefit claimants, in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
The data does not contain a breakdown of how the people died.
The 2,380 people who died had received Work Capability Assessments (WCA) to decide if they were eligible to receive ESA, which replaced incapacity benefit, income support and severe disablement allowance in 2008.
Of the 2,380, 1,340 died after appealing against their decisions, though it is not known what proportion of those appeals were successful or failed.
Learning disability charity Mencap said the numbers appeared unusually high for people of working age who had so recently been declared fit.
The charity's Rob Holland, who co-chairs the Disability Benefits Consortium, a consortium of charities and other bodies, said: "These tragic figures are concerning and warrant further investigation.
"We know the fit for work test is failing disabled people, with devastating consequences."
The figures said 2,017,070 people were given a decision following their WCA between May 2010 and February 2013, with 40,680 dying within a year of that decision.
But the data showed a decline in the mortality rate of all benefit claimants - the number of deaths per 100,000 people - from 822 to 723 between 2003 and 2013.
This was slower, proportionally, than the decline in the mortality rate of the general population, which fell from 305 to 240 in the same period, according to the statistics.
'Shocking figures'
Mike Sivier, a campaigner who made one of the FOI requests, said: "I am glad that the figures have come out.
"The whole point of making an FOI request was to raise questions. It is important to keep asking questions."
Labour leadership candidate and shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said they were "shocking figures" and called for an "urgent national debate" about the statistics.
The DWP said it had always intended to release the information but only "once they had met the high standards expected of official statistics".
It said it did not hold the information on the reason for the deaths which meant no link could be drawn between the WCA decision and the number of people who died.
A DWP spokesman said: "The mortality rate for people who have died while claiming an out-of-work benefit has fallen over a 10-year period. This is in line with the mortality rate for the general working-age population.
"The government continues to support millions of people on benefits with an £80bn working-age welfare safety net in place."
I assume no mention of May means you think she's blown any chance she had?
It's a smear, Nick. New politics.
Oh crikey. Read something like that. Saw one woman on my FB saying how they strike and judging by the comments of her other doctor friends, some of them may end up simply quitting as they seem to have gone through a load of shit.
No idea what they make of him to be honest.
That was my thinking, a lot more money can be made in the private sector or abroad. Not all about the money but seems as though some feel there is a lack of respect.
A catch 22 for them. They moan or go on strike then they may get the things they want but it's morally challenging, even leaving patients for a day. They can suck up the shit they get but then continue to just get taken advantage of. Like you say, can't blame them at all. Hoping it doesn't esculate too much though because if too many become disillusioned then this country will have serious problems.
Errrr, when I worked for Sainsburys back in the mid 90's shifts finishing before midnight or starting later than 0145 attracted no unsociable hour payments, including weekends.
That's disgusting. Bet you could find a job for another company if you didn't like the terms though.
I left a looooooooong time ago
