Disabled mum who killed herself failed by benefits agency

Pic--Jodey Whiting had suffered ill health for a number of years

 Staff reporter(wp/bbc):::

A woman whose disabled daughter killed herself after her benefit payments were stopped has called for officials to be prosecuted over their failings.

Jodey Whiting, 42, of Stockton, Teesside, took her life in 2017 when her payments were halted because she missed a capability assessment.

An independent inquiry has found the Department for Work (DWP) breached its own rules and it has been ordered to apologise and pay £10,000 compensation.

The DWP said it accepted the findings.

Ms Whiting, a mother of nine, suffered multiple physical and mental health issues including curvature of the spine and a brain cyst, and took 23 tablets each day.

She was suffering from pneumonia when she missed her assessment but was then ruled fit to work and had her Employment and Support Allowance halted.

'Pushed' to her death

Her mother, Joy Dove, of Norton, said she was "shocked" by the extent of the failings outlined in a letter from the Independent Case Examiner.

She said: "It was awful. There was no need. They pushed her to it.

"How can you cut someone's money off without seeing them?"

The examiner found the DWP did not follow procedures which should have seen it telephone and visit Ms Whiting after she missed the appointment.

Ms Dove is seeking legal advice over whether any further action is possible.

"No-one should go through this," she said.

Alex Cunningham, Labour MP for Stockton North, said the DWP had "systematic problems".

He added: "They had opportunities to help this family and each time they failed."

The DWP said it apologised to Ms Whiting's family for "failings in how we handled her case".

A spokeswoman added: "Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time and we are providing compensation.

She said the DWP was reviewing its procedures to "ensure this doesn't happen again".

Field searched in possible link to Linda Razzell murder

Pic--Linda Razzell was last seen on her way to work in Swindon in 2002

Crime reporter(wp/bbc):::

A field is being searched by police probing a potential link to the disappearance of a mother of four missing since 2002.

Linda Razzell was last seen on her way to work in Swindon.

The 41-year-old's body has never been found but her husband, Glyn, was sentenced to life for her murder.

Wiltshire Police said it was acting on a tip-off from the public and it was "keeping an open mind" as to whether it relates to Mrs Razzell's murder.

Sniffer dogs are at the site near Pentylands Lane in Highworth and a forensics tent has been erected.

A force spokesman added: "People in the local area are likely to see an increased police presence in this area over the weekend."

Mrs Razzell went missing in 2002 after setting off from her Highworth home to work at Swindon College.

Despite her body never being found, her husband Glyn was jailed for life in 2003, a conviction he failed to overturn in 2005.

He claimed DNA evidence against him - drops of her blood found in the boot of a car he had access to - was unreliable.

Former police detective Steve Fulcher later suggested double murderer Christopher Halliwell could have been involved with Mrs Razzell's disappearance.

Halliwell was jailed in 2016 for the 2003 murder of Becky Godden, having already been convicted of killing Sian O'Callaghan in 2011.

Persimmon practices in government house-funding scheme under fire-source

staff reporter(wp/reuters):::

Britain’s housing minister James Brokenshire is pressing builder Persimmon on how it operates within a public funding scheme for new house buyers as a review of the scheme comes due, a source close to the minister said on Saturday.

Brokenshire was “increasingly concerned” by practices at Persimmon regarding the “Help to Buy” scheme, the source said. The group is Britain’s second-biggest housebuilder with revenue of 3.74 billion pounds last year, up 4 percent.

However the company - along with some others in the sector - has attracted criticism for practices such as selling houses with rising leasehold charges which make them hard or impossible to sell on, and for poor quality workmanship.

“Leasehold, build quality, their leadership seemingly not getting they’re accountable to their customers, are all points that have been raised by (the minister) privately,” the source said, echoing a report in The Times newspaper.

“Given that contracts for the 2021 extension to Help to Buy are being reviewed shortly, which overall is a great scheme helping hundreds of thousands of people into home ownership, it would be surprising if Persimmon’s approach wasn’t a point of discussion,” the source added.

No-one at Persimmon was available to comment.

Labour opposition lawmaker Clive Betts has called for a review of the funding scheme, which offers buyers the chance to buy a new-build home with a small deposit, amid what he called questionable practices at Persimmon.

Persimmon’s chief executive stood down last year after criticism of his 100 million dollar bonus package, after its corporate performance was helped by the public scheme.

Three UK ministers throw weight behind Brexit delay to stop no-deal

Political reporter(wp/reuters):::
Three British cabinet ministers have publicly indicated they will back plans to delay Brexit if lawmakers vote down Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan for a new deal with the European Union, writing a column in a national newspaper on Saturday.
Business minister Greg Clark, work and pensions minister Amber Rudd, and justice minister David Gauke signalled in a Daily Mail column that they will side with rebels and opposition parties next week to stop Britain leaving without a divorce deal on March 29 if necessary, adding their weight to calls for May to rule out a no-deal departure.

May is struggling against the clock to get a deal with Brussels on Britain’s exit from the world’s largest trading bloc that will pass parliamentary muster. She will meet European Council President Donald Tusk on the sidelines of an EU-League of Arab States summit on Sunday, but EU diplomats are not expecting any imminent breakthrough.

In the column headlined “If we don’t get a deal next week we must delay Brexit”, Clark, Rudd and Gauke wrote that a no-deal exit was a risk to business, security and British territorial unity, and accused some parliament colleagues of complacency.

“Far from Brexit resulting in a newly independent United Kingdom stepping boldly into the wider world, crashing out on March 29 would see us poorer, less secure and potentially splitting up,” they said, referring to the threat of a new bid for Scottish independence.

“Our economy will be damaged severely both in the short and the long term. Costs will increase, businesses that rely on just-in-time supply chains will be severely disrupted and investment will be discouraged,” they wrote.

The ministers called on members of the European Research Group, formed by Conservative pro-Brexit lawmakers, to back the government’s deal in parliament or risk seeing Brexit delayed.

Both May’s Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party are formally committed to delivering Brexit. In recent days Labour has appeared to soften its stance on a second referendum, although May has ruled such an option out.

Lawmakers from both parties, however, are deeply split over how or even whether Britain will leave, and no majority has so far emerged in parliament for any comprehensive Brexit strategy.

May has promised that if she does not bring a revised deal back by Feb. 27, parliament will have an opportunity to vote on the next steps. Some lawmakers are expected to use that to try to wrest control of the process from the government.

Labour leader Corbyn says he could back a second Brexit referendum

Political reporter(wp/reuters):::
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said if his party won power he would renegotiate a Brexit deal with the European Union and could hold another referendum, as he comes under pressure to support giving the public another chance to stay in the bloc.
Parliament is deadlocked over Britain’s departure from the European Union after resoundingly rejecting Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan last month, throwing up several outcomes, including leaving without a deal or a second referendum.

Corbyn, when asked if he would hold a referendum on any deal on any deal he negotiated, told Sky News: “We’d consider putting that to the public.”

Asked to clarify if he was considering calling for another referendum, Corbyn said: “That’s the point we’re discussing now in the party.”

This comes after nine Labour MPs quit the party this week over its approach to Brexit and anti-Semitism.

Earlier John McDonnell, the second most powerful man in the Labour Party, gave his strongest indication yet that Labour is close to backing a second public vote and said he would campaign for remain if one is held.

McDonnell said Labour is “moving towards” a second referendum on Brexit. He said an amendment calling for a public vote which is being tabled for debate next week by MPs “could be a solution”.

The party’s would-be Chancellor said that any referendum would have remaining in the European Union as the alternative to the deal.

“If we were going on a People’s Vote based on a deal that has gone through parliament in some form, if that got voted down then you’d have status quo, and that would be remain,” he told the Evening Standard.

“I’d campaign for remain and I’d vote for remain.”

May has ruled out staging a second vote, saying parliament should respect the 2016 referendum when 52 percent of Britons who cast a vote chose to leave the EU. But supporters of a second referendum say it is the only way to break the deadlock in parliament by asking for the people to decide.

A speech by The Duchess of Cambridge at the opening of V&A Dundee

William and I are so pleased to be back here in Dundee to celebrate the opening of this wonderful museum today.  Thank you so much for inviting us.

Last February, I was delighted to become Patron of The V&Ain London. Now, nearly a year later, I’m thrilled to be standing in a brand new V&A: one which has been built for the city of Dundee and for Scotland, and which is already picking up international awards.  In its first four months alone, it welcomed over three-hundred and sixty-thousand visitors – a truly remarkable feat.

Walking around this world-class space, it’s easy to see how Scotland’s first dedicated design museum is already inspiring the next generation, by providing a new learning space for discovery.

I have been captivated by the breath-taking architecture, and the sheer range of design on display.

But most of all I’ve been moved by the passion of the people who work here, and the dedication of all those who have helped make this important project to succeed.

I believe we should celebrate all our leading galleries, museums, and cultural centres playing a greater role in communities, not just in London, but up and down the countrytoo. The cultural riches of the UK belong to all people of the UK.

This is what V&A Dundee has achieved.  The partners involved in this project from the local area, Scotland, and the UK more broadly all deserve enormous credit for the way you have collaborated to make this happen.

I hope that this Museum will serve as an inspiration to others, by showing how great things can be achieved when different communities all pull together. With this thought in mind, I am pleased to declare V&A Dundee ‘officially’ open. 

I wish you all every success for the future.

Royal Press