�*s often shameful processes... the dwp's often shameful processes. . ._ processes...e are interrupting that for| processes... we are - interrupting that for some processes... we are _ interrupting that for some more on our breaking business news this hour, the post office boss nick reed is to step down from the role next year. he previously announced his intention to temporarily step back from the role to give his entire attention to the next stage of the horizon it inquiry. let's go to our business correspondent, ben king. his tenure has been dominated by the inquiry, hasn't it. dominated by the inquiry, hasn't it— dominated by the inquiry, hasn't it. . �* , ., , hasn't it. that's right, he has called it an — hasn't it. that's right, he has called it an extraordinarily i called it an extraordinarily challenging time at the post office. he took over in 2019 just as the post office was in the process of losing the bates versus the post office litigation. not only did he have that to deal with in the subsequent inquiry which has dominated headlines this year but has bee

i will work together with the mayor to make sure that dwp has the funding they need to keep our streets clean. lastly, i will forget your voice inland use and transportation decisions because it's neighbors and small businesses that craft the best future for our san francisco. i'm proudly endorsed by the san francisco tenant unit as well as supervisor matt dorsey, aaron pesky, former mayor and many more, including several retired san francisco police officers, and 30-year beat cop mario alvarez. join me in making san francisco, the cleanest and safest place and i'll never forget your voice in shaping our city. thank you. >> hi i'm sharon, candidate for district 3 supervisor. i'm an immigrant, i grew up in public house ining hong kong and raised by my grandmother. i came to california by myself and like many immigrants came looking for better opportunities. san francisco has been my chosen home for nearly two decades and now i'm raising my children here with my partner. i also have experience in the private sector and worked as executive director of nonprofit which provides housing for t

themselves has said and the dwp themselves has said and the dwp themselves has said and the governmenthey have not carried out an economic impact assessment on taking away that winter fuel allowance shows that it's pure politics. it is a choice. they're making the wrong one. no wonder those 50 mps are labour mps were up in arms about it. it should be reversed because you're going to see many, many innocent pensioners on top of what dwp are saying today. on top of what dwp are saying today . disabled people, some of today. disabled people, some of the most vulnerable people in our society, along with pensioners losing out, that is a political choice. it is the wrong one and this government should hang its head in shame. >> so stephen, the point that some of our viewers are making is that actually it's a red herring to say, oh, well, there are some rich pensioners because these rich pensioners will be paying these rich pensioners will be paying income tax, they will be paying paying income tax, they will be paying tax . paying tax. >> this isn't taxable. the winter fuel allowance isn't.

the dwp has stated that its calculations assume an increase in that uptake of pension credit but thateligible pensioners not getting pension credit and therefore not getting winter fuel payments. those of us in the last parliament will remember numerous drop ins to outline the steps the then government was taking to encourage pension credit uptake and what mps themselves could do, i certainly remember, writing regularly in my local newspaper column to outline how people could apply but the reality is the numbers of people up taking pension credit is stubbornly stuck at 70% ceiling. i'd be very interested to know what this government is going to do that will be radically different in order to increase this. and the government's rationale is that this cut will save 1.4 billion. but how they made an assessment of what that saving would be if they fulfil that day—to—day of making sure that all those eligible claim? is another fundamental contradiction at the heart of this measure today? how can the government aim to boost pension credit on the one hand while aiming to maximise the fiscal

have started using , adds dwp have started using, adds population wide bank spying into the mix.ng to have a real problem. so the best thing for the labour government to do would be to u—turn on this immediately. >> this is going to be a dumb question and totally unanswerable, but i feel the need to say it. how can you have a system where the criteria that's been checked is secret? that means no one knows what you've failed at. it seems absolutely ridiculous. >> it's completely kafkaesque, i don't know, do you choose kafka or orwell? because, you know, this is a surveillance state on steroids, and you know, keir starmer is a lawyer. not only is he a labour leader, he's a lawyer . he knows that there is lawyer. he knows that there is no other power in this country where you can do such an intrusive investigation, where there is no suspicion of wrongdoing whatsoever. this is a complete step change. and so if we if in the first 100 days of government, he's prepared to do that , what else government, he's prepared to do that, what else is coming down the pipeline? >> yeah, i mean, i

. >> the ombudsperson found that there was maladministration in there was maladministration in the dwpising, is it maladministration in government? no, no, not at all. but but but but only for some people. not for the whole cohort. yeah, but but but i do think there is a bigger problem here that we haven't been honest with people about how pensions are paid for and people at the moment constantly say, i see it on facebook. constituents come in, they say, i've paid in for my pension. this is why i'm. well, i'm afraid you haven't. well, i'm afraid you haven't. well, because they think. >> because they think national insurance goes directly to these things. but it doesn't. >> most public sector pensions are not. and the state pension is not. it is a payment. it's a form of benefit. effectively. yes. both. both of them are forms of benefit that the taxpayer pays out in the now. and what we need to do is transition, like australia did in the 70s. like other countries who made those decisions long ago, where people have to save for their future, and then they can choose how they want to spen

steve, the dwp fraud check warning as bank accounts of people on benefits get checked first on four differents of benefits. >> the. so they've been granted new powers to look at the bank accounts of claimants, and worried experts have said it means they'll go to the means tested benefits first. and you look at that and think, yeah, why are the non—means benefit tested ones? you don't really need to see how much money you've got. that's kind of course you're going to check the ones that are money related by looking at money. >> it's whether you've got 16,000 in the bank. that's the figure they've always been obsessed with universal credit. >> yeah. you've got to have less than that. but i don't know. i've read through this a few times thinking i'm meant to be the nice one. so i'm not sure why i'm looking at this going on this show. >> you are? yeah. really? no one told me that. >> okay, well, no. no no reason to feel that i am. yeah, i feel, you know, i, i know the real you. >> so that's why i was shocked that you said that, but they aren't going after people on benefits. >> they're going afte

i do not yet have committee members to be elected, the chair of the dwp scent has to be elected so i because one of the challenges is the whole of the public finances is notjust about. the hole today. in previous budgets decisions were made to defer spending to later years so the real challenge is now and i have seen too often calls for efficiency savings, because senior which would end up being deferred. under the conservative government in 2010, there was a desire to balance the books. in doing so, the ministry of defence deferred spending and moved to the right. and this left us with aircraft carriers without aircraft and a raft of other issues. deferring decisions and spending does not solve things and this government and this cabinet is making the tough decisions to make those decisions in your because that is financially literate and the right thing to do. i is financially literate and the right thing to do.— is financially literate and the right thing to do. i call the father ofthe right thing to do. i call the father of the house. _ right thing to do. i call the father of the

. >> although to be fair, the dwp is localised anyway.n pretty much every community. the question is how does that job centre work in conjunction with local authorities , local councils, authorities, local councils, local charities? that's the bit that the csj is talking about and devolving some of that money will make them a centre and a hub for training and for support through ill health, etc. on that subject, i mean, unemployment remains at a, you know , remains at a, you know, consistent low, which is, to be fair, a testament to the tories, the one thing that the party did get right, but this worklessness epidemic that we've seen particularly spike since covid. >> what's your reaction to that? because when you left office, there weren't as many people were there on benefits. what were there on benefits. what were there on benefits. what were the numbers and what are they now? >> well, we had the lowest number of workless households since records began and work was paying since records began and work was paying and people were going ba

i contacted the dwp for this, and they sent — i contacted the dwp for this, and they sent me a statemento four. it is now 8-36- — it? 12 o'clock, radio four. it is now 8.36. there _ it? 12 o'clock, radio four. it is now 8.36. there is _ it? 12 o'clock, radio four. it is now 8.36. there is time - it? 12 o'clock, radio four. it is now 8.36. there is time to i it? 12 o'clock, radio four. it is - now 8.36. there is time to improve things in the united states. there are two days of golf that are yet to be played. are two days of golf that are yet to be -la ed. , are two days of golf that are yet to be -la ed. . ., are two days of golf that are yet to be -la ed. , ., ., be played. time is running out for team europe- _ be played. time is running out for team europe- i— be played. time is running out for team europe. i am _ be played. time is running out for team europe. i am an _ be played. time is running out for team europe. i am an optimist, . be played. time is running out for. team europe. i am an optimist, cup half full. channel— team europe. i am an optimist, cup half full. channel that

i think they think the dwp computer wouldn't cope with anything other than take jasmine. >> burton'say the £300 into the people's state pension? and then if you're a high paid taxpayer, you're going to pay high rate tax. she gets money back. >> that is one of the solutions she could have done. and then they decided to do this very blunt instrument because they thought it was a clever and simple and clean thing to do. >> in a sense, it means test it for you. >> yeah, i mean, it only means test it for higher rate taxpayers. well, obviously there are still people on 30 and 40 grand that would be getting that, but don't pay tax at all. >> you're not going to pay any tax on it. >> and if you guys think that earning 15 grand living on £15,000 a year is means that you can just have your heating. >> absolutely not. and that's and i think no, no, i don't emma. and i don't think the government very, very low salary. absolutely. and that's why it's such a blunt instrument and that's why it's backfiring so, so disastrously. and look, you know, we're in the state where we could see, you know, up

i think it is interesting that there is this sort of joined up thinking now between health and the dwpin that what he's going to say this morning is that they are going to say the take the best of the nhs to the rest of the nhs. so basically surgeons, hospital doctors who've got really great practice at getting through procedures and through operations efficiently and getting a number of procedures done quickly to roll out that practice in other parts of the country. because of course, we've got 7.6 million people on waiting lists. and one of the knock on effects of that is that there's something like 2.8 million people sitting on out of work benefits because they are ill, and lots of those are waiting for treatment on the nhs, which means that they may want to work, but they can't. so wes streeting saying, look, let's roll out this best practice. let's target the areas with large numbers of people that are on sickness benefits. i mean places like blackpool, like liverpool , like glasgow that liverpool, like glasgow that have got sort of over a fifth of the working age population on ou

then in 2012, i got a letter from the dwp telling me i was not going to get my state pension until 2020n a very practical way you - later. this was leading you in a very practical way you had - later. this was leading you in a very practical way you had a i very practical way you had a gap, you had planned an annual maths because you thought you had the money and there was a gap. aha, because you thought you had the money and there was a gap. fix. big money and there was a gap. a big .a . _ money and there was a gap. a big aa -. what money and there was a gap. a big gap- what was — money and there was a gap. a big gap. what was that _ money and there was a gap. a big gap. what was that like _ money and there was a gap. a big gap. what was that like when - money and there was a gap. a big gap. what was that like when you | gap. what was that like when you heard that? _ gap. what was that like when you heard that? it — gap. what was that like when you heard that? it was, _ gap. what was that like when you heard that? it was, i _ gap. what was that like when you heard that? it was, i have -

they won't even consider getting on a telephone and ringing up the dwp and the trouble is, you've gotia or not. and rachel reeves is wanting to save money. but if all those people do get on and apply for pension credit and get it, then any savings will be lost because it will go out through pension credit. so i don't quite understand the thinking here, and certainly with the dementia sufferer , thinking is something sufferer, thinking is something that they cannot do . and so that they cannot do. and so therefore how do you help them? three of the major, dementia and alzheimer's charities do have helplines, two in particular, dementia uk and the alzheimer's society. but it's getting to those people who are suffering with dementia who don't have the loved ones, don't have the carers and are living in a care home. what are those? i mean, what's going to happen to those people? it's a very emotive subject and you do have to make provision because you've got to help those who can't help themselves. >> an emotive subject. and yet here we heard yesterday from the commons leader, lucy powell

you can almost lose track sometimes, £500 million, statements from the dwp.excited today. you know, a few more nerves around. and, you know, i'm definitely someone who's, you know, i think quite an anxious human being. um, so i think, you know, when, when you add all that together, sometimes i do feel a bit nauseous. nausea on court. and i do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough. so, um... yeah, i didn't have any problems before the match, but it obviouslyjust built up. now to football and the nations league, and wales manager craig bellamy said there's much more to come from his team, after his first match in charge ended in a 0—0 draw against ten—man turkey in cardiff. wales had by the far better chances in their opening nations league match, and sorba thomas, the huddersfield forward who's on loan at nantes, thought he had finally broken the deadlock with a tidy lob, but it was disallowed for offside. afterwards, the new boss promised it won't be as this again under him. the more we learn, the more we spend time together, the finer details. i believe