Dunstable: Ecumenical conference declares war on local poverty

Captain Elizabeth Hayward

Catholic Justice and Peace activists from Dunstable, Luton and Leighton Buzzard in Northampton Diocese joined around 60 people at an ecumenical conference in Dunstable on Saturday titled 'War on Local Poverty'. It was the latest in a four-year programme of events organised by the Social Action group of Dunstable churches to address poverty and marginalisation in Central and South Bedfordshire. Andrew Selous, the local MP, was there. "It is a privilege to be working with a number of churches and one of the good things coming from this initiative is the Dunstable foodbank" he said. "Street pastors and debt advice are also areas where local churches are making a difference."

Held at the COM Church in Dunstable High Street - with COMmunity, COMpassion, COMmission, COMmunication and other COM posters displayed around the walls - the day was opened with a 'What is Poverty?' video. It was chaired by Nigel Taylor, an elder of Hope Church, South Bedfordshire, who paid warm tribute to Catholic Agnes Milne - a Dunstable Catholic Justice and Peace activist who has been in the planning group from the start - as a "giant" in the field of local social justice work. Themes in Catholic Social Teaching were examined in an afternoon workshop by Ellen Teague of Columban JPIC.

Speaker Ed Boyd of the Centre for Social Justice, set up a decade ago by Ian Duncan Smith, suggested that the five root causes of poverty were Debt, Addiction, Family Breakdown, Educational Failure and Unemployment. He felt it was important that faith groups, with their biblical mandate to tackle poverty, should be up front in the fight against poverty. During questions he was tackled about the government's austerity programme and whether he could have additionally listed government welfare reforms as a cause of poverty.

The Charity versus Justice debate was picked by the next speaker, Captain Elizabeth Hayward, Director of Community Service UK and Ireland of the Salvation Army. She criticised welfare reforms which have made benefits more conditional and affected people with disabilities severely. Imposing more conditions for work-related benefits and the bedroom tax have "overwhelmed" people who are already struggling financially. "Wages are not keeping pace with costs, there is less affordable housing, and crucial items cost more" she said; "and on top of that there is the high street presence of money lenders with high interest rates". Whilst she felt the startling rise in food banks has assisted many families in recently years - and most of these food banks are run by churches - she felt obliged to point out that in her personal view, "food aid does not address underlying causes of food poverty"; they simply "address short-term need". In her view, we must identify the issues that have brought a person to a food bank, and that includes structural injustices in our society. "Food banks can mask poor performance of government agencies to provide a safety net" she concluded.

Natalie Williams of Jubilee Plus picked out themes from her new book, 'Myth of the Undeserving Poor' and deplored that attitudes towards the poor are hardening, with terms like "benefit scroungers" and "spongers off the UK" becoming more widespread. "Sometimes views are more shaped by the media than by faith" she said, "but concern for the poor is not an optional extra if you're a Christian". She referred to Jubilee legislation in the Old Testament and the opening mission statement of Jesus to suggest that "churches should not just be about helping people to cope with poverty but help lift them out of poverty". She ended by suggesting that, "the disciples weren't told to means test people before helping them!"

The perspective of a local council trying to help vulnerable people despite welfare reform was given by Sue Tyler, Head of Child Poverty and Early Intervention Children's Services of the Central Bedfordshire Local Council. Around one fifth of households in Central Beds are low income and the council has set up a board to oversee how the government's welfare changes will affect them. There will be reduced funding for the services the council still has to deliver. Sue spoke about the responses her department is planning in order to assist families and communities facing significant hardship because of the changes. She spoke of helpline support, council tax support, additional funding to the Citizens Advice Bureau as well as support for credit unions and food banks. The churches are key partners in the council's anti-poverty strategy, she told the conference.

Nigel Taylor summed up by saying the churches in Bedfordshire would continue working together to help people get out of the poverty trap. Information about such initiatives as the Salvation Army debt advice service would be shared, along with groups organising credit unions and time banks. Humanitarian assistance would be continued as well as advocacy work highlighting the causes of poverty in Britain. A speaker from the floor highlighted that tens of thousands of people attended an anti-austerity march in London the previous Saturday. Organisations whose material was on display at the Dunstable day, and who are monitoring the impacts of government austerity, included Church Action on Poverty and Housing Justice.

Links:

www.waronpoverty.co.uk

'What is Poverty' video at www.dropbox.com/s/t591iunzkzambtt/What%20is%20Poverty_.mp4?dl=0