should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

since there has been an increase in stories in the lancashire telegraph about councillors being benefit cheats not naming any names .the ones in blackburn and ribble valley.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I wouldn't vote for a known benefit cheat, dont even think they should be allowed to be councillors.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Extremely biased question don't you think bananadude?

Could've at least given a link to a bit of background info

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

And i think they should not be counciler,s as well.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

i replied to this once - seems to have disapeared.:confused:

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

theres been so many reported in the lancashire telegraph i couldnt put all the links in..one is a lib dem in blackburn,who is living in a house worth 350,000 grand and one who was a tory in the ribble valley......cant mention the rest for legal reasons

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

This strikes me as the same as questions about MPs around the cash for questions.

If they are putting themselves forward to serve the community they should be beyond reproach. If you are convicted of a criminal offence then you should be barred from public office.

This should go for councillors, MPs, Lords and judges. Anyone who may make law either by voting or precedent, and benefit fraud is a crime.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

here here:Banane11::Banane11::Banane11::Banane11::Banan e11:agree 10000%%

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I don't think the other one had a poll did it? I'd replied to that too with a categorical NO

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

no i somehow missed the poll of last one:confused::Banane32::Banane32::Banane32:i think accy web should start a pressure group because internet polls are the only polls that politicians take notice of now.....:):):)

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

What legal reasons are those? Surely if its been proven then you can say it, and if its hearsay then its a bit of a none issue?

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I agree with you Cyfr, anyone who has been proven to be guilty of being benefit cheat (or anything else that would effect their suitability to be elected as a councillor) should be named.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

theyve all been named in the lancashire telegraph :Banane37::Banane37: im not getting involved if u know what i mean;)

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Well then you won't be put in any legal position if you simply post a link to the article on the telegraph website, then we can read for ourselves what the accusations are.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

in a word NO. once yer caught yer branded, right or wrong,crap sticks. ah yer right willow,never noticed lol

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I don't particularly care whether they become councillors or not. Benefit cheats dont buy 350,000 houses just on scamming benefits, they still have to make a massive amount of that money through hard work still.

People who cheat the benefit system dont particularly bother me though for some reason. Ive never thought anything much about the issue to hate it.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

its not really a matter of hating it- i dont, its like with owt - if you get caught you pay the piper.;) at the end of the day its not great if fraudsters are representing you,

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

It would be nice to have some evidence to read, but in theory of course I wouldn't vote for someone who was cheating the system.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I know a few people who have done it and are now trying to build up their lives normally through being skint and struggling instead. I can understand in particularly my friends situation why she would cheat on benefits. She got kicked out at 14 and sometimes held part time jobs (over the amount of hours allowed) to help pay her bills better and have a bit extra. She still lived on bare minimum. In her situation i can understand and now she's older and getting qualifications under her belt she's starting to do well on her own.

Thats why I'm the only one who has clicked yes so far :)

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

When your young I think your main instinct is survival rather than standing by morals. If there is no food on the table you do the best thing you can to get it, you find a way to get money or u resort to actually commiting theft or something to put it on the table.

I suppose it would be even more of an instinct to provide necessities if u had dependants as well that werent recieving enough and you felt there was no other way to provide. You dont think of others when your children are starving after all and I dont really think most people would think of others if they themselves were starving or unable to afford adequate clothing say if the seasons where rapidly changing.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

its an interesting discussion, i dont blame any buggar working a fiddle in exeptional circumstances, kids to support etc, aint saying its right, but can understand why! but still i'm sure anyone convicted of fraud cos thats what it is,should not be allowed to represent joe public on the counsel.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Benefit fraud is theft. It is stealing off every single person who pays into the system.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Under a Nazi regime they wouldn't get away with it - there probably wouldn't be any benefits in the first place, the claimants would have been 'eliminated'. ;)

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

no one needs to cheat to get buy everyone is given enough money to get buy on.should not be alowed on council.if you have been conficted of drink driving try getting a license to run a pub.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Whatever the reason behind someone being a benefit cheat,the fact is that it is a crime.I don't think that criminals should be councillors.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Very well put Lilly.
I certainly would not like to be represented by a councillor who was a criminal.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

It's all cobbler's... the press will bring up 1 case in a million and evryone thinks its so easy to cheat on benefits.. rubbish.. anyone who has to suffer the delays, indignity, and downright relutance of what is now the DWP will tell you it's dam hard work just getting what you are entitled to.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I had to jump through hoops, which is quite difficult when you have Parkinson's Disease.:D

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

why do you have to jump through hoops? because of people doing benefit fraud it,s them who spoil it for the people in real need:mad:

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Hardly applicable to a councillor living in Britain. Everyone living here for a few years gets a good idea of what sort of wetaher we have, and it's not extreme. Cold in summer, slightly colder in winter, hardly rapid. :rolleyes:

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

It would depend on how long ago it was, their age at the time etc.

This poses an interesting question. Would you vote for a councillor with a conviction for: -

speeding
common assault
domestic violence
GBH
drink driving
driving an untaxed vehicle
theft
drugs (class a)
cannabis

...or maybe an ASBO?

Personally I dont think you can make a generic judgement - the circumstances should be fully investigated and an informed decision should be made by a representative panel of people.

I don't think we at Accyweb will ever be privy to that level of information :(

Suz x.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

got it in one jambutty, simple as that.;)

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

How did you arrive at that conclusion blazey? It could mean they are dishonest in other quarters, I personally think anyone who 'knowingly' cheats the system must be to lazy to work and will try anything to further their greed, except work.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

got it one ianto.w just like the so-called single mothers who have partners.they spoil it for the real single mothers .they fraud the housing benefit and that makes the council tax bills go up.everybody always asks where does all my council tax money goes?the answer is about 45% goes on the scheming thieving housing benefit fraudsters....

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/benefitfraud/

I think you can even be anonymous

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

It's not the Parkinsons that made it hard, it's the wind catching your floppy fringe that slowed you down :D:D:D

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I'm not too sure Jim. What if a person made a mistake at 16 and got themself a conviction, for arguments sake lets say it was for the theft of a packet of bacon from the Spar.

They then go on to put their past well and truly behind them and at 40 decide they would like to serve the community by standing for election.

Would you say no or would you listen to their case?

Suz x.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

As far as I know, offences committed under the age of 18 do not constitute an adult criminal record.

My opinion of “No person with a criminal record should be allowed to stand for public office” is a point to start from.

I would be open to negotiation if at least ten years had elapsed since the conviction was spent. But the applicant would have to have been of good character during that time without any convictions for non criminal offences, like speeding, parking, drunk and disorderly etc.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I agree Jim :D

Suz x.