Low pay is hurting

In Ashfield, too many people are working harder and harder just to stay afloat.
MP Gloria De PieroMP Gloria De Piero
MP Gloria De Piero

A typical man in Ashfield now brings home £59.50 less a week than he did four years ago while the average woman earns £26.60 less.

Low pay is a big issue locally - almost one in ten people are on the minimum wage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We can’t go on like this and that’s why I’m backing plans to take the minimum wage to £8.00 by October 2019. That would mean a pay rise of £1.50 an hour for our lowest paid workers and worth up to £3,000 a year in the pockets of a full-time worker – helping almost 4,000 people in our area.

This will reward hard-work and make sure the recovery works better for everyone. 

When people can’t work. It’s important that they get the support they deserve.

I’ve just had to deal with one case involving a 
gentleman with Parkinson’s who is a full-time carer for his wife who has MS.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He applied for personal independence payment (PIP) way back in December last year and had been waiting for an assessment for over ten months by the time he got in touch with me.

Since it was launched, PIP has been a fiasco and thousands of disabled people, just like my constituent, have faced huge delays.

After my intervention he’s finally been 
awarded his claim and it’s been 
backdated but it is high time Ministers got to grips with the 
situation.  

Help join the fight against breast cancer this month and take part in in Breast Cancer Campaign’s flagship fundraiser wear it pink day.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This year’s theme is ‘look good, do good’ and on Friday October 24th, people across the country will come together to find fun ways to wear pink at work, in the home or at school.

Every year in the UK over 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 12,000 women die from this disease.

Donations raised by this year’s events will go towards research to beat breast cancer and it would be great to see lots of Ashfield folk join the fight in pink too.

For more information or to register for wear it pink day and receive your fundraising pack visit the website at www.wearitpink.org.

Related topics: