Gordon Banks

As some of the first of George Osborne’s cuts starts to bite in Scotland, Labour’s Gordon Banks MP calls on the Government to think again.  This month, changes announced in George Osborne’s June Budget come into effect and mean that the amount of support for mortgage interest payments that people on low incomes can receive has dropped substantially this month.  In Scotland, 23,000 people, including 16,000 pensioners could be affected by this change.

Local MP, Labour’s Gordon Banks said

“People in Scotland are suddenly seeing a 40 per cent cut in the help they were getting from the previous Government to protect them against repossessions.  The Government is imposing these cuts on Scotland even though the private sector recovery is still weak and they need to think again.”

Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Douglas Alexander MP said

“The Government are cutting before the economy is fully in recovery and this is one of the first cuts that people will really feel.  Labour ensured real help for homeowners mortgage interest support to limit the number of repossessions.  Withdrawing that support, at times with no proper notice when some people could see their support halved from one month to the next will cause real hardship for those families affected.”

ENDS