Wednesday 21 May 2003

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.
Man glues himself to tax office desk in credits
protest
A man so who became so dismayed with the delays in receiving tax
credit payments that he glued himself to the inquiries desk at his
local tax office.
Factory worker Mike Maddison lost his job because he could no
longer afford to drive to work, had tried to contact the Inland
Revenue’s helpline over 200 times, and in desperation decided
to visit the tax office in Bridgewater, Somerset.
He stuck his hand to the desk with Superglue after being told by
staff that there was nothing that they could do.
Half an hour later he walked away from the office accompanied by
police officers and paramedics with a cheque for £400, six
weeks of tax credits.
Source:-  The Times Wednesday 21 May page 9
The black economy ‘draw asylum seekers to
Britain’
The vast availability of illegal employment is attracting asylum
seekers to Britain, the head of a left wing think-tank warned
yesterday.
In a speech to MPs Tom Bentley, the director of Demos, described
the black economy as a “significant factor” in why so
many refugees come to this country.
Source:- The Daily Mail  Wednesday 21 May page 33
Fall in trust of public services
Public services need to be seen as transparent and honest
if increasing distrust in them is to be curbed, the Audit
Commission will warn today.
Research by Mori and the Institute for Public Policy Research
(IPPR) found that while individual staff are valued, trust in the
public organisations as a whole is decreasing.
Thirty per cent of people said they saw local authorities as
poor.
Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 21 May page 10
Easy credit ‘has put poor people at risk’
The boom in easy credit has led to the poorest people in
society being in the most in danger of falling into terrible debt,
the Citizens Advice Bureau has warned in a new report.
The research has found that over the past five years there has been
a 47 per cent increase in the number of people with debt
problems.
Over half of the CABs clients say that they cannot cope with the
debt they have run up and a quarter are on prescription medication
to help them deal with the stress it causes. This client group
includes lone parents, council tenants and those living on
benefits.
Source:- The Independent Wednesday 21 May page 9
Floyd star needs another £50m worth of bricks for his
wall
Housing charity Crisis has said that it requires another £50
million to get a scheme to create an ‘urban village’
for homeless peope off the ground.
The scheme is based around the conversion of a £3.6 million
London mansion donated by Pink Floyd star David Gilmour.
Source:- The Daily Mail  Wednesday 21 May page 9
Hardship’s heartlands
Old age and poverty sadly go hand in hand in many industrial cities
and towns. But they are not the only areas where living on benefits
is a harsh fact of life for older people.
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 21 May page 2
Keypad alternative on the cards
A new swipe card system has been introduced to help disabled and
older people to collect their pensions and benefits.
Source:- Guardian Society  Wednesday 21 May page 4
Poles apart
Experts disagree about the possible health hazards from a new
network of police communications masts
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 21 May page 5

Frontier friction
English devolution is looming; but which councils should
face the axe to make room for it?
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 21 May page 10
Nobody’s puppet
Profile Juley Murray, campaigner giving bullies the boot
Source:- Guardian Society  Wednesday 21 May page 11
Godless in Swansea
Researcher Ivor Gaber on a survey revisting the 1960s
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 21 May page 12
Check-up time
After the inspectors come the improvers, says the new head of local
government’s management development agency.
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 21 May page 13
Fresh fields
Comment: Whitehall has a way to go to satisfy its
customers, the citizens of Britain. But there is still a good
prospect of scoring a ‘big win’
Source:- Guardian Society  Wednesday 21 May page 14
Payment protection
Charities force government u-turn on council tax
Source:- Guardian Society 21 May Wednesday page 107
Contract concern
Dispute over care home costs moves to mediators
Source:- Guardian Society 21 May Wednesday page 107
Pitful situation
Being the parent of disabled children is not a tragedy –
Cornelia Wilson wishes professionals would take note
Source:- Guardian Society  Wednesday 21 May page 108
Scottish newspapers
Nursery workers’ strikes to spread
Children in state-run nurseries suffered severe disruption
yesterday after nurses began a series of one-day strikes over
pay.
Nursery nurses are calling for an increase in pay and a 35-hour
working week following a long-running dispute over their increase
in responsibilities.
Staff walked out in 13 local authority areas including Glasgow,
Dumfries and Galloway and Renfrewshire.
Source:- The Scotsman  Wednesday 21 May
Deaf woman ‘locked up as she reported
rape’
An inquiry was underway last night following an allegation
by a deaf and dumb woman that she was handcuffed and locked up by
police when she alleged she was raped by a teenager.
Chief Superintendent Tom Buchan of Strathclyde police ordered a
full investigation after he heard of the woman’s ordeal when
she gave evidence at the high court in Edinburgh.
The 44-year-old woman said police handcuffed her and locked her up
when she tried to tell them what happened. But the police officers
involved later told the court that the woman was drunk and they
could not leave her to look after her nine-year-old daughter.
The youth accused of raping the woman was cleared by a jury
yesterday.
Source:- The Scotsman  Wednesday 21 May
No action against sex case social workers
Social workers who failed to protect a woman with learning
difficulties from a three-month ordeal of sexual abuse will not
face disciplinary proceedings following an independent
investigation.
The Scottish Borders council social work department is criticised
over the care of the victim in the report, but it recommends
instead a series of public hearings to ensure the same mistakes are
not repeated.
Three men were jailed for a total of 24 years last year at the high
court in Edinburgh when they admitted keeping Miss X as a virtual
sex slave.
The woman who had gone to live at the house of one of the men
following the death of her mother was starved, beaten, raped,
chained up naked and set alight.
A previous investigation concluded that social workers had grounds
in December 2001 for using protection procedures, but the woman
suffered until March the following year.
Source:- The Herald Wednesday 21 May
Welsh newspapers

Mixed race no block to fostering
A couple who have given a home to over a dozen children in the last
13 years say that there are still misconceptions about mixed race
couples fostering children.
Julia and Darrell Maynard were featured on a series of social
services adverts and leaflets in Newport eight years ago that
promoted mixed race foster parents. They say that many people still
believe that mixed race couples cannot foster and this prevents
more people coming forward.

Source:- South Wales Argus Tuesday 20 May page 11

Court fails to solve Dwarf’s mystery death

Mystery still surrounds the death of 48-year-old woman found
with her head between her knees in a care home in Pontypridd, south
Wales.
An inquest was told that Lynda Loveridge, a dwarf was seen lying on
her bedroom floor with her head between her knees by a care worker
who looked in on her during the evening. The following morning she
was found dead lying in the same position.
Members of her family said that her small stature of only 3ft 6in
would have prevented her resting her head between her knees.
A verdict of death by natural causes was recorded, but the exact
cause of death could not be ascertained.

Source:- South Wales Echo Tuesday 20 May page 12