A YOUNG Chafford Hundred councillor has slammed the benefit scroungers in the borough.
Conservative councillor for South Chafford, Charlie Key spoke at the full council meeting on Wednesday.
He made the controversial remarks during a debate on universal credit.
Cllr Key said:” We have a benefit system that is littered with a multitude of benefits.
“I have knocked on doors of Thurrock of residents who have to get up at 6am to leave for work. They go to bed at the same time as their children, only to be woken up at 1am by the loud music of their neighbour who has no incentive to work.
Cllr Key continued: “Universal credit will bring an end to this benefit culture. Is there any surprise that this is a system littered with fraud and error with an estimated £5.2 billion paid out in error.”
Cllr Key welcomed the new system as a way of lifting a lot of people in Thurrock out of poverty.
He said: “The workers of Thurrock should be able to rely on a system that works and tackles worklessness (sic) by giving work a real value.”
Does Cllr Key speak from experience of having to claim and then live on the benefits system?
We all know its very fashionable to knock people on benefits right now, but there are always two sides to the story.
Do YOU know anybody that is definitely a benefits scrounger?
If yes, why haven’t you reported them?!
he needs to look at who lives in Chafford Hundred, most have moved in from outside the area and are on private rent yet dont work.
could be an idea that if you dont work you can not rent in Thurrock if you have not lived here all your life.
the same is starting to happen in Stanford, they more in from Romford or london, they dont work they rent a place and the Gov pays for it.
JMW I know I’ve said this before but as a country we have no money so we cannot keep on handing out benefits. The system which was divised in the 40s was not designed to allow people to live purely off the state for evermore. However, you are right that not everyone on benefits are scroungers but in Thurrock its fair to say that we seem to have a fair few.
Lakes….most people that live on Chafford probably own their home and i’d imagine the amount of people who don’t work at all would be quite small.
Cllr Key – Official DWP figures maintain that there are less than 1% worth of fraudulent benefit claims. If you’re really worried about scrounging public funds, perhaps he’d like to give up the payments he receives as a councillor seeing as how he must have an income from a job. Being a councillor is a public service so should be considered voluntary work. We do live in a “Big Society”, don’t we?
[…] at ‘benefit scroungers’. The full story and his remarks on the issue can be seen here: http://www.yourthurrock.com/2012/10/27/chafford-charlie-the-key-to-hammering-benefit-scroungers/ This was the debate where Cllr. Aaron Kiely (Ockendon) tweeted his thoughts about the remarks made […]