Autumn Statement cuts Welfare not Bonuses.

Typically BBC Wales headline on the Autumn Statement  is that ....

The Welsh government will get a £227m windfall of capital from Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement.
Business groups said it gave Welsh ministers an opportunity to rebuild infrastructure.
The Welsh government welcomed the money, but said its budget was still facing big cuts that will hinder attempts to help the economy.
The UK government said it was promoting investment, but opponents said its austerity policies were failing.

They add...

 The Welsh government - which has an annual budget of around £15bn - will also receive an additional £52m of day-to-day revenue funding.
Its extra capital funding, which pays for spending on buildings and infrastructure, comes from a squeeze on UK government departments.
It will be available to spend over the next two financial years until the end of the UK government's spending review period in 2014-15.

Seem wonderful but this comes as  First Minister Carwyn Jones, pointed out that even with extra money, he said his government's capital budget will be 39% lower in real terms in 2014-15 than it was in 2009-10.

"The reality of this Autumn Statement is Wales is still facing a very tough public spending environment for years to come," Mr Jones said.

Of course the BBC do not give us figures for the  share of the £59 billion worth of cuts George Osbourne  they can work out the shre that that leads to  the extra £227 "windfall" but not our share of the cuts.

 The  money is welcome  but its the equivalent of a parent, who has been cutting your school dinner money giving yor a £10 and telling you what to spend it

They may be right on what we should spend this money on but it should be our decision.

 BBC also provide figures that the Treasury claims 13,000 people will be lifted out of income tax and 1.1m will pay less thanks to an increase in the personal allowance - the amount people can earn before their income is taxed. No tax will be paid on earnings under £9,440.


About 640,000 pensioners in Wales will see a rise of £2.70 a week in the basic state pension from next April

Good but BBC Wales do not provide us with the figures that most working-age benefits to rise by 1% for each of next three years

Where are the figures that 125000 unemployed people in Wales face a cut in benefits.

Take a single man (Myself) who is unemployed and seeking work.

I have some advantages

I don't pay rent  nor do I receive housing benefit however
I do not pay council tax

However I must pay for everything else Gas electricity Water , Telephone/Internet (vital for looking for work) Food clothing.and house insurance

For this I receive £71 a week in benefits  from which I withdraw about £20 mainly for food and occasional clothing.. The rest is taken up in paying Standard orders for utilities and the hope that there a bit left over each month in order to pay for emergencies .

Any increase over the next 3 years will be less that 80p  a week I suspect rises in utilities to more than swallow that up.

I'm not saying that people like myself on benefits should not take the share of the burden but there comes a point when people will not be able to carry on and will go into debt simply to pay for the amenities in order to survive.

Yes there is a bit of good news for those who are low paid and there should be, but for those on welfare who are constantly portrayed as scroungers and are an easy target for cuts.

A banker in the city of London will think that £71 would be an incredible cheap night out  but for those unfortunates on welfare its a lifeline  which  in some cases will be falling short of those reaching for it.

And yet such is the success of the Government and Media  denigration of those in befits  they will be able to cut welfare with barley a whimper from most of the rest us.