Cllr Jim Barrie
SNP Candidate for Dundee West
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Archive for December, 2008
SNP Hit Back At McGovern Claims
The SNP in Dundee hit out at MP Jim McGovern’s claims over his decision to resign his parliamentary aide post.
SNP Councillor Jim Barrie said: “Mr McGovern thinks that he’s the only one who understands the difference between the services of the Royal Mail and the Post Office. But the public are not interested in being misled in this way. They will want to know why he did not resign when Dundee’s Post Offices were being closed down and they had to travel further to find a post office.
“It would have been more creditable if he had taken a principled stance months ago when the post office network was being slashed, instead of carrying the bag of the minister leading the cuts.
“We heard very little from him about the closure of four Dundee post offices other than it was ‘regrettable’. His resignation now is a gimmick. He’s not losing anything at all by taking his stance to distance himself from unpopular Labour policies like privatising Royal Mail. He’s achieved his objective of getting widespread publicity.”
Commenting on Mr McGovern’s decision, Joe FitzPatrick MSP for Dundee West said: “As for his claim that he has been at the forefront of a campaign to persuade the Post Office to retain a branch in Lochee, from the very day that Tesco announced it was to close, there was no doubt whatsover that the Post Office intended to retain a PO in central Lochee.
“I obtained a letter to that effect within a week of the announcement on 12 September and released it to the press on 19 September. The letter was quite clear and direct and they were already dealing with applications for a new central Lochee branch.
“Thereafter, Mr McGovern began to collect signatures to ’save’ Lochee branch. His campaign had more to do with electioneering than anything else.”
More Pensioners Will Lose out Over UK Government’s New Rules, Says Dundee Councillor
The UK Government is implementing plans to reduce the timescale by which pensioners can backclaim unclaimed benefit despite the fact that many pensioners already miss out on their full entitlement.
Free benefit checks in Scotland run by the Scottish Government have claimed back £1 million for Scots’ pensioners, proving that many already miss out and these will be hit hard by the UK Government’s new system.
Commenting on the situation, Dundee Councillor Jim Barrie said: “Statistics prove that many pensioners miss out and now under the UK Government’s new system introduced on the 6th of October, backdated benefits will only be given for three months when it was previously 12 months.
“They are hurting some of the most vulnerable people in society. Many pensioners will have been paying out of their own pockets’ money that the Government should have given them. Why should they not be able to claim that back? Under the new system, more pensioners will lose more.
“In contrast, Scottish Government Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell, who visited Dundee yesterday, has shown that free benefits checks have banked £1 million for Scottish pensioners and that since 2007, over 700 pensioners have had their weekly incomes boosted after applying for a Central Heating system and having an automatic free benefits check. This has seen many pensioners receiving increased Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance and in many cases, a full Council Tax rebate.
The £1 million increase is the equivalent of £1,400 for each pensioner who successfully claims additional support.
Councillor Barrie, who is standing in Dundee West at the next General Election for the SNP, concluded: “I’m sure the contrast in approach will be noted by pensioners and pensioner support groups. While the Scottish Government is actively helping pensioners claim their entitlement to benefits such as Pension Credit and Council Tax rebates the UK Government is making it all the more difficult for the same pensioners to access the benefits to which they should have been entitled.”
Jim Barrie Criticises DWP Fuel Payments Mix-Up
Following the weekend row over the Department of Work and Pensions Winter fuel payments, a Dundee councillor has been told of a mix up in a tenement block where three eligible residents were given payments of £125 each instead of £250.
West End Councillor Jim Barrie was contacted by a constituent over 60 who lives in a tenenent in Pentland Crescent who had received a reduced payment of £125 instead of the full £250.
Councillor Barrie explained: “When the resident contacted the helpline to find out why he had only received a half payment he was asked to give full details of his new address.
“The helpline staff member had assumed that my constituent was complaining on the basis of having moved to another house. He insisted that at my constituent’s present address two other people had already received reduced payments. The staff member at the helpline therefore assumed they were all living in the same house. In fact, a total of £375 had been paid out to the residents of the tenement when of course, it should have been £250 each.
“The resident has lived at the same address for 30 years.
“It is deplorable that helpline staff seem to lack basic knowledge about housing types and what actually constitutes ‘a household’. How many people will simply accept the reduced payments without querying it?
“The good news is that the money will be paid as soon as possible, but I would suggest that all constituents who are eligible for this payment should contact the two helplines to ensure that they are not missing out.”
