THURROCK UKIP are slowly finding their feet in Thurrock. After being elected, they have all been busy setting up their surgeries (cllr Roy Jones in Corringham library, cllrs Jan and Chris Baker in the Ockendon hub) and getting a feel for the issues in their wards.
In the first council meeting as a gang of six, they abstained on a key vote for mayor. In the second meeting (Wed July 23rd) they all listened intently to the issues as the sallied back and forth between Labour and Conservatives.
However, their first opportunity to vote came with the issue of workfare. The motion was proposed by cllr John Kent.
The motion read:
“This council believes that work should pay and therefore opposes the introduction of schemes which force job seekers into unpaid work or face losing their benefits – schemes known popularly as workfare.
“This council is concerned that there is no evidence workfare assists job seekers in finding work and in fact working a 30-hour week makes that more difficult; that workfare is replacing paid work; and that workfare stigmatises benefits claimants and locks them further into poverty.
“This council therefore pledges not to use any workfare placements and also calls for our partners and contractors not to use the schemes.”
Speaking to YT afterwards, cllr Roy Jones said: “We are just finding our way. Listening and learning. UKIP does not support Workfare or Zero-hour contracts.
“And as you witnessed, we supported two Conservative motions as well.”
Delicious irony here, UKIP support a motion opposing workfare and then turn around and batter the local govt unions for having the temerity to stand up for themselves and withhold their labour in a day of action. Handy that ukip are travelling policy lite. Is this why good people of thurrock disposed of hard working Cllrs in May? Cllrs Gaywood, Wendy Curtis and Phil Anderson. UKIP snake oil merchants being found out.
It should be remembered that 151 MP’s employed people on zero hours contracts, 62 of them were Labour MP’s. Labour have pledged to stop all benefits to people under 25 who are not in work, training or education. I don’t think any of the main parties have got anything to shout about when it comes to this. Even the council itself has been employing people on zero hours contracts. UKIP has no MP’s and only recently had more than one Councillor. The only reason Labour stayed quiet on the strikes is because they wouldn’t have any money to fight next year’s election if they didn’t. Even they couldn’t be as hypocritical as to bite the hand that keeps them alive.