Campaigners are calling for an investigation into the deaths of at least 82 people in the last decade after their benefits were changed, including two men from North East Lincolnshire.
According to the BBC Shared Data Unit, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has carried out more than 150 internal reviews after people claiming benefits died or came to serious harm since 2012, two of which from Greater Lincolnshire.
The details of case studies presented by the BBC were collected from various press reports.
Brian Bailey, 59, from Grimsby, was included in the study. Brian took his life in 2018 after alleged pressures of the Universal Credit (UC) benefit system.
Glenn Harris, 55, from Cleethorpes also committed suicide in 2015 after he was diagnosed with lupus. He had spoken out about worries over changes to his benefits.
Mr Bailey’s daughter Leann Bailey said UC became a “complete mess” and felt if changes are not made soon, other vulnerable people could find themselves in the same position as her father.
Mr Harris’ wife said her husband “was panicking about these benefit letters” up until his death.
The most recent case to hit the headlines was Philippa Day, who committed suicide after her payments were cut, with authorities found to have made 28 errors in managing her case.
Labour are campaigning for an independent inquiry into deaths allegedly linked to DWP activity.
Labour’s Debbie Abrahams MP said: “There needs to be an independent inquiry investigating why these deaths are happening and the scale of the deaths needs to be properly understood.”
In April and May 2019, there were 365,000 fresh UC claims, compared to 2.4 million new claims in April and May 2020, a seven-fold increase due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the BBC Shared Data Unit.
In North East Lincolnshire, from February 2020 to October 2020, the number of in-work Universal Credit claimants rose by 6%, the second highest Greater Lincolnshire authority after East Lindsey.
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A Lincoln City fan page on social media has rallied together to raise funds for the family of a 19-year-old supporter who died after a painstaking battle with cancer.
Jack Nottingham, otherwise known in the Lincoln City fan community as Jack Notty, sadly died on Monday, six years after he was first diagnosed with cancer.
Jack was just 13 when he was diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer in November 2015, which eventually spread to a secondary cancer in both his lungs, and affected the bones in his legs and shoulder.
Jack Nottingham was a popular member of Lincoln City’s fan community, seen here as a special guest at Wembley for the 2018 Checkatrade Trophy final. | Photo: Lincoln City FC
But his condition did not break his spirit, and Jack continued to cheer on Lincoln City right up until his final moments, even leading the team out at Wembley for the 2018 Checkatrade Trophy final.
Lincoln City Football Club and former manager Danny Cowley led the tributes when news of Jack’s passing broke earlier this week, with Cowley calling him an “inspiration”.
Everyone at Lincoln City Football Club is sad to learn of the sudden passing of Imps fan Jack Nottingham.
The thoughts of everybody at the club are with Jack’s family and friends at this difficult time.
There will also be a minute-long applause at the LNER Stadium this Saturday during the Imps’ FA Cup second round match with Hartlepool United, taking place in the 19th minute to mark the age at which Jack tragically passed away.
Our commitment to protect rural communities and tackle crimes including hare coursing, lead thefts and fly-tipping has been realised and enhanced with the formation of a new rural crime action team.
They will target rural crime such as hare coursing and wildlife crime, arson, flytipping, lead theft, theft from farms and rural properties as we well as offer crime prevention advice: Crime Prevention and Partnerships (lincs.police.uk)
Chief Inspector Phil Vickers, rural crime lead, said: “ Lincolnshire is a large rural county and as part of our commitment to support rural we can remove the second ‘rural’ communities we are recruiting experienced Officers into the Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT).
“This commitment means that we can focus on prevention, investigation and enforcement of offences that have a unique impact on rural communities, that we can develop our national lead on tackling Hare Coursing and work together to protect our Heritage, Wildlife and Environment.
“The team is made up of Officers passionate about protecting Lincolnshire Communities, targeting the criminals who come here to offend and making Lincolnshire the safest place to live, work and visit.”
In the lead up to the deployment of the new team, PC Martin Green, one of our rural crime officers, said: “Our main focus is to deter criminals and support our rural crime communities.
“Our aim is to stop criminals in their tracks by patrolling areas and attending incidents as soon as they are reported. We continue to ask anyone affected by crime to call us on 101, or call 999 to report a crime in action.”
Chief Constable Chris Haward added: “It is so important to have a dedicated team for this area of policing, which quite often can go unnoticed. We want to reassure the residents of Lincolnshire that we are here to disrupt rural crime, to catch those who think they can get away with it and to ensure our more isolated communities feel safe in their own homes.
“We have had cases of lead theft, along with other countryside offences. We understand how destructive these are to people’s livelihoods, and how damaging they can be emotionally to the victim. We want perpetrators of these crimes to know we are here to catch them: do not consider committing the crime because we will bring you to justice.
“Working closely with partners including the National Farmers’ Union, we can draw on expertise and resources from all over the county; together, we can provide the service needed to prevent rural crime.”
NFU Lincolnshire county advisers Rhonda Thompson and Johanna Musson said: “This is a massive step towards Lincolnshire cracking down on rural crime.
“The threat of crime is huge in the countryside. Farmers and growers bear the brunt of it and many often face a daily battle against a determined group of offenders.
“Having an RCAT sends a stark message to criminals and organised crime gangs aiming to target our rural areas – there is now a police unit entirely dedicated to preventing them causing crime and catching them if they commit it.
“We’re proud to have worked alongside the CLA, the police and the police and crime commissioner in the establishment of this new team.
“Now the hard work begins on making Lincolnshire a no-go zone for criminals.”
If you have been a victim of crime, please call us on 101, or dial 999 to report a crime in action.
Staff at East Midlands Railway due to strike over pay and working conditions have called off the action planned during the Lincoln Christmas Market.
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) had planned to go on strike on Friday, December 3 and Saturday, December 4, resulting in cancellations to services due to take people to Lincoln Christmas Market.
The union says it is still planning action if a deal can’t be made with EMR, but that would be later this month.
Anyone planning to travel by train over the weekend, including to the Lincoln Christmas Market, is still advised to check EMR timetables before they set off as the short notice of the scrapped action means timetables will be reduced.
An EMR spokesperson said: “We have received notification of the RMT’s decision to suspend the strike action.
“Given the extremely short notice of the decision, EMR will continue to operate a reduced timetable on 3 and 4 December.”
EMR says it has “done everything it can” to prioritise services to and from Lincoln, but anticipates the reduced timetable still won’t be sufficient for the thousands of people hoping to visit the Christmas market. It is urging people to use alternative methods of transport if they can.
Read your guide to the 2021 Lincoln Christmas Market here.
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