Open letter to John Mann on Abstaining on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill

In October 2013 the Retford Times showed that in your constituency that Bassetlaw Food Bank (BFB) had dished out nearly 200 food parcels to local people in the last six months. The article said with universal credit coming into force and family budgeting skills tested to the limit, the organisation is steeling itself for more people struggling to put food on the table coming forward for help.

You said “ food bank use in the district as ‘symptomatic of a UK poverty crisis’. Since April of this year, 185 people have been forced to take food parcels in Bassetlaw, Some families are forced to go back multiple times. In my constituency alone, there are 3,800 children living in poverty. Child poverty in the UK in this day and age is a disgrace. It also costs us dearly: £29billion a year today, rising to £35billion by 2020.”

So it was surprising to find that when the Welfare Reform and Work Bill was read a second time on the 20/07/2015 you did not voice an opinion to oppose it. In fact though you appeared to be concerned about the 3,800 children in poverty in 2013 in your constituency you did not speak out about the Welfare Reform that you know will increase child poverty in your constituency after it comes into force.

As you know there is a direct correlation of child poverty and child abuse.

The US national bureau of economic research “ Child neglect increases in states that cut their welfare benefit levels” http://www.nber.org/digest/jan00/w7343.html

It goes on to say that Paxson and Waldfogel find that increases in the fraction of children in extreme poverty result in increases in maltreatment. For example, if the fraction of children below 75 percent of the poverty line rises from 10 percent to 15 percent in a state, the number of total victims of maltreatment is estimated to rise by 22 percent.

But the UK poverty line is not set at 75% of median household income it is set at 60%. By abstaining you also did not vote to continue this measurement of UK poverty. By abstaining during the changes to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill you will have ensured a further percentage of children in poverty in Bassetlaw are abused.

In the Nottingham Post in January 2015 you said:

“I’m getting vast numbers of people, including my constituents, coming forward making allegations. Many of those people came forward in the past and weren’t listened to or weren’t believed.”

As you know, average families already in poverty in your constituency could lose £1,000 each per year because of the changes to Welfare that you abstained from voting against. Even though you know this may represent perhaps 10 to 20% of their benefits. So by abstaining you will have knowingly ‘approved’ of the abuse of a higher percentage of, as you say, ‘the vast number’ of children allegedly being abused — including those in your constituency.

John Mann — by abstaining and not voting against the Welfare Reform and Work Bill you effectively voted for more abuse of children not less.