Luciana Berger

It’s time to end exploitative payday loans

Luciana Berger — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:22:03 +0000

Last week I was out campaigning along with fellow Labour MPs Stephen Twigg and Steve Rotheram, against sky high loan interest rates. With more and more people struggling to meet the cost of higher bills, it’s hardly surprising then that many households now have to rely on payday loans just to get by each month.

Payday loans are designed to tide borrowers over until their next pay cheque. The money is usually provided the same day and designed to be paid back quickly.

The downside is that these loans incur eye watering rates of interest. One company charges an APR of 3,113% while Wonga, the highest profile payday lender in the UK, charges 4,214%.

With the rising cost of living many households are now forced to take out loans just to cover their basic household expenses. Recent figures from Shelter show that around one million people have taken out ‘pay day’ loans in the last year to help pay their rent or mortgage and that seven million people rely on credit in order to pay their housing costs.

Unfortunately all too often charges can mount up when the borrower is unable to repay the loan at the end of the month, or needs to borrow the same amount again. When this happens the high interest rates of these loans trap people in a cycle of debt.

Citizens Advice says it has seen a fourfold increase in the number of people with payday loans coming to its bureau for help with debts. I often meet constituents at my weekly surgery who are struggling with debt.

I want the Government to understand that action is needed now to address the high cost of lending and to protect those who can least afford these charges from exploitation by lenders.

That’s why I’m backing a bill put forward by fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy. This will cap the interest rate that payday loan companies can charge and put an end to their predatory business practices, which exploit the most vulnerable.

As a member of Lodge Lane credit union I want to see more affordable means of finance made available. Loans from some credit unions will cost no more than 1% a month, compared with 1% a day from payday loans.

If you want impartial advice on debt from Citizen Advice their money management section can be found here.

Unfair changes to child benefit

Luciana Berger — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:57:32 +0000

Labour has repeatedly warned about the unfairness and problems with David Cameron’s child benefit plans.
A two-earner family each earning £40,000 – a total of £80,000 – would keep their entire child benefit. But a single-earner family on £43,000 would lose it all from next year.
Tough choices on tax, spending and pay do need to be made to get the deficit down. The government’s botched child benefit plan, as well as cuts to tax credits and childcare support for parents on low and middle incomes, is hitting families with children much harder than the banks.
These changes are due to hit families in less than 12 months time. We need an urgent rethink on these and the Government’s wider plans to hit families with children hardest of all.

Global Entrepreneurship Congress

Luciana Berger — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:22:48 +0000

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) is the largest gathering of start-up champions from around the world. Coming to Britain for the first time in March, I am delighted the GEC 2012 will be taking place right here in Liverpool.

It will provide a festival for business where people, passion and potential will be celebrated, inspired and accelerated. The Congress will celebrate enterprise and inspire those with the ‘can-do’ spirit to turn their dreams into an ambitious reality.

Hosted by Liverpool Vision, Global Entrepreneurship Week and The Kauffman Foundation, the Congress will be a powerhouse of business brilliance that inspires people, excites potential and celebrates passion with the aim of “unleashing the will to win”. Some of the Britain’s best business minds, including: Sir Richard Branson, Sir Terry Leahy and Martha Lane Fox will be attending.

Last week I presented certificates to local primary schools who have been involved in a schools entrepreneurship competition. The competition is part of the build up to the GEC and will see the finalists win a trip to Washington DC.

The following schools in the constituency: Dovedale Junior, King David Primary, Broadgreen International, King David High School and The Liverpool Blue Coat all made it through to the last 22. Dovedale and King David Juniors made it through to the final. Teams from each school have been given a start-up fund of £100 to develop their ideas.

Following their Dragon’s Den pitch, they will now be assigned business mentors and given further investment to develop a business plan to pitch to investors in March at the Congress itself. This is a great opportunity for our young people and I wish all the participants every success.

Rock the House 2012

Luciana Berger — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:41:13 +0000

This month saw the launch of the second annual Parliamentary live music competition, ‘Rock the House’.

‘Rock the House’ is a Parliamentary live music and venue competition. This year the prizes are much bigger and the competition even counts rock legends Alice Cooper, Ian Gillan and Matt Tuck as its Patrons with many more exciting artists to be announced.

Every MP is invited to nominate solo-artists, bands, under-18s acts and small live music venues from their constituency. A panel of international music industryexperts and musicians will determine the finalists who will compete in a live Battle of the Bands on Wednesday 30th May. The winners in each artist’s category will play a live set on the Terrace of the House of Commons at the finale reception and will be eligible to win some once in a life time prizes.

Musicians and live music venues can find all forms and information about the competition at www.rockthehouse2012.com and can send in their nominations to me at luciana4wavertree@hotmail.co.uk.

South Liverpool Licensee Watch / Shop Watch

Luciana Berger — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:24:16 +0000

Last week I met with licensees and retailers from Childwall, Allerton Road, Rose Lane and Penny Lane. The group work together to ensure the area is a safe place for residents to shop and socialise.

They have recently introduced a Banning Order initiative which means that any offender who has been banned from one retail/licensed premises may automatically be banned from all premises. The banning Order has been welcomed by Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council.

If you would like to know more about the organisation please contact Alice Mintz – mintz.a@me.com

Prime Minister’s inaccurate claims

Luciana Berger — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:50:39 +0000

Ed Miliband MP has written to the Prime Minister over inaccurate claims which he made in response to questions in Parliament today.

The text of Ed Miliband’s letter is below:

Dear Prime Minister,

I wanted to write following this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions to draw your attention to some inaccurate claims you made today.

In an answer to me, you said that “There are more people in work today than there were at the time of the last election”. In fact, the most recent employment figures from the Office for National Statistics show that total employment between May-July 2010 and September-November 2011 fell by 26,000.

In an answer to Lindsay Roy MP, you said that the Merlin agreement “actually led to an increase in bank lending last year”. In fact, the latest Trends in Lending report from the Bank of England, published last Friday, said that “the stock of lending to SMEs contracted between end-April and end-November 2011”.

In an answer to Paul Maynard MP, you spoke of “the real shame… that there are so many millions of children who live in households where nobody works and indeed that number doubled under the previous government”. In fact, according to the Office for National Statistics, the number of children living in workless households fell by 372,000 between April-June 1997 and April-June 2010.

In an answer to Rt Hon Anne McGuire MP, who said that your Government was planning to cut benefits to disabled children, you said that “The Hon Lady is wrong”. In fact, according to page 28 of the Department for Work and Pensions’ own impact assessment on the introduction of universal credit, your policy of mirroring for disabled children the current adult eligibility for Disability Living Allowance means that the rate paid to those disabled children who do not qualify for the highest rate of the DLA care component “would be less than now (£26.75 instead of £53.84)”.

I am sure that you will want to take this opportunity to correct the record.

Yours sincerely,

Ed Miliband

UK economy shrinks by 0.2% in last three months of 2011

Luciana Berger — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:42:02 +0000

The British recovery has been stalling since the government’s spending review in the autumn of 2010, but now the economy has gone into reverse. Since the Chancellor’s spending review the economy has grown by just 0.3% compared to the 3.0% the government predicted.

As for the eurozone crisis being to blame, it is only rising exports that kept us out of recession last year. By clobbering the economy with spending cuts and tax rises that go too far and too fast, the Government has left us badly exposed if the Eurozone crisis deepens this year. This was entirely avoidable and the Chancellor cannot say he wasn’t warned.

These figures are a damning indictment of David Cameron and George Osborne’s failed economic plan. Families, pensioners and businesses know it’s hurting – but the evidence is now overwhelming that on jobs, growth and the deficit it’s just not working.

A flat economy will not generate the job creation needed to bring down unemployment. 2012 could well be another hard slog for workers and businesses.

There is a better way. We need a real plan to get our economy moving again and to create jobs here in Liverpool.

Labour has set out a clear five-point plan to create jobs, help struggling families and support small businesses. Our jobs plan includes tax breaks for small businesses taking on extra workers, a temporary VAT cut which would give families a boost of around £450 and tax on bank bonuses to fund 100,000 jobs for young people.

The Government should take this action now to support our economy and get Britain working again.

Over 60% of businesses are still waiting for riots compensation

Luciana Berger — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:59:19 +0000

Last week in Parliament I called for an urgent update on how many businesses are still waiting for compensation following last summer’s disturbances. This followed correspondence I received revealing that businesses in Liverpool have yet to be paid a penny.

In August the Prime Minister said that he would help affected businesses to get back up and running quickly. Unfortunately, due to the complex and bureaucratic application process, nine out of the 14 businesses affected in the constituency are yet to receive anything. As result they are now struggling to run their businesses, through no fault of their own.

I was grateful that the Leader of the House pledged to take up this matter with Government ministers and I hope those affected will get the support they were promised as quickly as possible.

You can watch a video of my question here (skip to 01:17:32).

Speak out against prejudice

cbadley — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:16:24 +0000

Last week I signed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, pledging my commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who died during the Holocaust.

Friday January 27th will mark the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp which is the site of the largest mass murder in history.

In the weeks around Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

This year, people will also be encouraged to take a stand against racism and prejudice today, and to speak out against hatred wherever they encounter it.

Holocaust Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau – and is an important opportunity to remember the victims of all genocides. I encourage all constituents to mark the day and to commit to speaking up and speaking out against prejudice today.

It is vitally important that we both remember and learn from the appalling events of the Holocaust – as well as ensuring that we continue to challenge all forms of bigotry today.

World class street theatre coming to Liverpool in April

cbadley — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:36:46 +0000

One of the world’s leading street theatre companies is bringing an event to Liverpool in April.

The spectacle, ‘A Little Girl Giant’, is a love story which takes its inspiration from the story of the Titanic which infamously set sail from England on April 10th 1912.

The street company Royal De Luxe will put on the show from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd and will be a free event. The show won’t be a traditonal theatrical event however. The story will unfold across the city with many key city spaces being involved in the story telling.

The Royal De Luxe are renowned for putting on amazing theatre. Their last UK event attracted 1.5 million people and I for one am really looking forward to it.