LOCAL MP CONDEMNS 'FACELESS STATE' AT PARTY CONFERENCE
September 24, 2007 12:00 AM
Julia Goldsworthy MP Giving Her Speech at Lib Dem Conference in Brighton
LIB DEMS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Speaking at the Liberal Democrat annual Conference in Brighton, local MP Julia Goldsworthy has called for 'the rolling back of the faceless state'.
In a keynote speech to Party delegates, Ms Goldsworthy, who is also the Party's Treasury Spokesperson, attacked the Government for centralising service provision and making the welfare system increasingly difficult to access.
Pointing to the growing use of call centres and the reduction of services based in local communities, Ms Goldsworthy argued that the state is becoming increasingly remote.
During the speech, which she gave with Danny Alexander MP, the Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesperson, Ms Goldsworthy explained that she regularly meets constituents in a state of desperation, who feel trapped in a Government computer system and unable to speak, face-to-face, with people in a position to help.
As part of the speech, Ms Goldsworthy showed short video clips of interviews she had filmed with two of her constituents. The first featured Hayley Sandford, from Camborne, who was left struggling to feed her young son due to an error in the administration of her tax credits. Ms Sandford explained how much she had wanted to speak face-to-face with someone who could help, rather than being stuck on the end of a telephone. In the second interview, local Public and Commercial Services Union Rep. Helen Thomas talked about impact that the proposals to close Redruth's HMRC Debt Recovery Office would have on the local community.
Ms Goldsworthy said:
"Every week at my constituency surgeries people come to me in a state of frustration and despair at the way they've been treated by so-called helplines. Often, they've had real trouble even getting through and simply want to talk to someone face to face.
"This speech is about how to reverse this 'faceless state'. Putting people first should be Gordon Brown's priority, instead he's made government services increasingly inaccessible and frustrating to use.
"Ministers must be doing much more to restore the public's faith in government services. Supporting the local Post Office network and community advice centres would be a valuable safety net, especially for vulnerable people."
ENDS
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