A not-so-festive season for some: cuts hit hard at Christmas


Christmas has been a British tradition since long before the arrival of Christianity, albeit in those early days it was known as Yule. This is why you will sometimes hear Christmas referred to as Yuletide, though I dare say many of those using the alternative name probably have no idea of its origins.

Anyway, the point is that Christmas is one of the oldest surviving traditions in British culture, with the only close competitors being the wishing well and Easter. Yes, that’s right, Easter too, which was originally the festival of Oester, goddess of fertility (after whom the hormone oestrogen gets its name).

Thus if you want to consider yourself truly British, adherence to cultural tradition is essential. This includes observing that period of time between December 25 and January 5 as a special time for self-contemplation and good will towards others. It is, as I have taken pains to point out, a matter that transcends religion and personal beliefs. It is part of what it means to be a British person.

It is reasonable that we should expect our government, which is purportedly representative of all our people, to be more thoroughly British than anyone in terms of respecting our long-held culture and traditions. Certainly this is one of the prime reasons why the press has laid into Jeremy Corbyn recently, however unjust the accusations may be (as he is not a member of the Government, he has no governmental responsibilities). Yet apart from perhaps a few superficial decorations, there is little visible evidence that the Government indulges in any self-contemplation or general good will to the people of our nation, and that especially includes the disadvantaged, the poor, and the down-trodden.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the apparently soulless offices of HMRC and DWP. Just to be clear, this is not in reference to the individual workers, some of who may be among the nicest people on Earth, but to these massive organisations as collective entities. Once absorbed into the bureaucracy, workers are expected to set aside their personal feelings and moral guidelines in order to serve the mission of the organisation.

You may recall the most popular line of defence at the Nuremberg Trials, and in fact there has been a fair amount of research establishing that most people really will follow just about any order they are given by superiors in the workplace, even if their personal morality or sense of justice wouldn’t permit them to carry out the actions in any other scenario.

This is why, even though it is Christmas, even though it is one of the longest held traditions in the land that we show good will toward others at this time of year, you should not expect to see much mercy shown by those who push the buttons and stamp the forms that will decide somebody will have their financial support taken away.

The consequences of this Scrooge-like adherence to policy are truly much more harsh than the bureaucrats could possibly intend to inflict. Unfortunately the problem is those bureaucrats are so far removed from seeing the consequences of their policies that they can avoid the grim reality that they are causing immense suffering and hardship to many thousands of families at one of the worst possible times for it to be happening.

For one thing, it is bitterly cold out there on the streets at this time of year, no matter where you go in the country. Anybody facing eviction because they can’t pay for their accommodation is going to be in for a miserable time. The misery is compounded by the fact that if there is any injustice about the decision to remove their financial support, all the government offices are closed so there is no immediate opportunity to set the matter straight and have the decision reversed.

It is bad enough if somebody is genuinely guilty of deliberate and serious fraud, but the vast majority of those who will be subjected to such treatment this year will not fit that description. Unfortunately the official policy line is to shoot first and ask questions later, with claimants being considered guilty until they can prove their innocence.

If you’re wondering why that is such a big deal, it may help if I point out that around 66% of overpayments happen as a result of error, and have nothing at all to do with fraud. Those errors are sometimes the fault of the claimants, but approximately 35% are due to “official error” (meaning errors entirely the fault of HMRC or DWP). Many of the remaining errors are simply due to people not understanding what is required of them or making very small mistakes. It is also worth mentioning that over 22,000 cases of overpayment in 2014 were for amounts less than £10, and quite a large number of those cases were caused by rounding errors that were made by computers.

As you sit by the Christmas hearth toasting your pinkies and sipping your favourite beverage, it can be easy to fall into the trap of judging those who have lost their benefits as scoundrels who deserve to suffer for their transgressions. But think for a moment how you would feel if you were suddenly cast out in the cold simply because a computer had miscalculated your payment by a single penny.

Then also imagine what it would be like if you didn’t know that was the reason, because you weren’t given that information. On top of that, how would you feel if you had no money and there was nothing you could do about it for at least five days, and possibly more. Even when you finally have the chance to discuss the problem with DWP or HMRC, there is no guarantee that it will be sorted out quickly, and you could have to wait several more days before you get your payment reinstated.

Of course eviction is a somewhat extreme situation and most of those affected would not be facing that, but even something as simple as not being able to provide Christmas presents or a proper Christmas dinner can be a source of shame, guilt and distress for parents. Even those who are spending Christmas alone should at least be able to eat and be warm and comfortable.

It is for reasons like these that it would be much better for all concerned if the policy was adjusted to allow people an opportunity to explain their situation before action is taken to suspend or cancel their payments. The situation as it stands now is quite simply inhumane.

For those who find themselves in more serious trouble with HMRC and DWP, Hylton-Potts has expert legal advisors who can assist you. To find out more about what we can do for you, contact us on 020 7381 8111 or send an email to [email protected].

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