Losing out: 1,500 families with children in Lincoln will lose an average of £511 a year from changes to tax, benefits and tax credits.
— Updated on April 10 with comment from Conservative Lincoln MP Karl McCartney
More than 1,500 families with children in Lincoln are set to lose an average of £511 a year from changes to tax, benefits and tax credits introduced from Friday, April 6.
The figures come from the Institute for Fiscal Studies following last month’s budget, and were highlighted by Labour, but debated by the Prime Minister.
Around 12,530 households across Lincolnshire will also be affected.
Following the changes to working tax credit, a couple with two children on the minimum wage will be better off quitting their jobs if they cannot work at least 19 hours per week.
The change to tax credits is a reduction in the income limit for Child Tax Credit from around £40,000 to around £26,000 for a family with one child.
There is also an increase in the number of hours couples with children have to work to be eligible for Working Tax Credit from 16 to 24 hours per week.
In Lincoln, the number of families set to lose all their Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit if they cannot increase working hours reaches 1,560.
Of these, 260 households working between 16 and 24 hours per week are set to lose Working Tax Credits because of hours rule change.
Some 1,300 Lincoln households are no longer entitled to tax credits from this month.
Following changes to working tax credit, a couple with two children on the minimum wage will be better off £14 per week if they work 16 hours, £8 for 17 hours or £2 for 18 hours per week.
The IFS figures also show that pensioners will be an average of £315 a year worse off from April 2014 once cuts to their allowances in the budget — dubbed the ‘granny tax’ — have kicked in.
Lucy Rigby, Lincoln Labour’s parliamentary candidate in the next general elections, said: “At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet, this is incredibly worrying.
“I want to know why the government is choosing to hurt working families to pay for tax cuts for the richest. It’s obvious to me that we should be supporting families and supporting work.
“These changes do the polar opposite – some families will be better off on benefits,” she added.
— Update on April 10: Lincoln’s Conservative MP, Karl McCartney, said: “As a result of this government’s decisions, from 6 April, 24 million households will be £338 a year better off – that is £6.50 a week.
“We are taking millions out of tax altogether by raising the personal allowance, which will put up to £126 back in people’s pockets. The basic State Pension is also going up by its largest ever cash sum and there are increases in most other benefits.
“This is an achievement to be proud of. We have managed to cut taxes for millions and even lift millions out of tax completely despite the fact that we inherited the largest structural deficit in the developed world.
“Labour left the country’s finances in a mess, and we have had to clear it up. In doing this, we have of course had to make some very tough decisions.
“But these changes will mean hardworking families in Lincoln will see their Council Tax frozen and their Income Tax cut or removed altogether.
“This is an achievement to be welcomed, rather than attacked, as Labour have done. It shows our commitment to helping and rewarding the hardworking families of Britain and those who have aspirations to help themselves.”
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
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