Pickles to take charge of dealing with Britain's 120,000 "problem families"

ButcombeMan

Good
Should Pickles do well or not, he is the one Minister who is probably capable of cutting through the crap. Most of the others would spend too much time arguing with civil servants or intellectualising and hand wringing.

We need delivery and least possible costs.

Pettros

Pickles will make a hash of it and then come out fighting. Should have gone with IDS.

WetherspoonThree

Maybe he will sit on the problem.

Nickle

Offer the families a decreasing bonus of the money.

So lets say 120 million to deal with 120K families.

1000 per family, if none are arrested, or they attend school for more than X days.

If not, no cash.

2 checks, once a year, and a cheque.
Next year, 500 pounds, then nothing.

Doesn't need many civil servants does it?

The poverty industry won't like it.

Andy Carpark

'Louise Casey – Tony Blair's former respect czar – has been conducting a review into the effectiveness of government family policy.'

Perhaps she could revive Tony Blair's policy of ASBOs for foetuses.

Tulkinghorn

For god's sake
Criminals who loot need to be locked up not mollycoddled

JohnPage

The decision not to transfer control of the government's dealings with these families to Iain Duncan Smith, who was keen to take it on, will be seen as further evidence that the Liberal Democrats remain wary of Duncan Smith's social conservatism.

But they're happy with Pickles??!

strapworld

John Page. IDS supported Nadine last night. Cameron is obviously worried about the backlash, that is coming, from angry tory backbenchers. This is yet another example of Cameron's muddled thinking. Do not give the job to the obvious candidate (IDS) but to Eric Pickles.

Now Pickles may do a good job. He most certainly is doing one of the best in the cabinet at the moment. BUT this suggests to me that Cameron has made yet another enemy.

BrianSJ

So this is the end of any attempt at localism?

Heartless Hard Perry

IN YOUR DREAMS!

ButcombeMan

Cameron clearly trusts Pickeles to communicate better than IDS, to actually do the right thing and above all, get on with it.

IDS can NEVER recover from leading the Tories into supporting the Iraq adventure. Pickles judgement there was streets ahead.

IDS is probably a very nice chap and has led some good work, but he is weak on leadership qualities.

Never trust an Army Officer who does not make it above Major.

Andy Carpark

Eric Pickles is a smooth man. But IDS is a noisy man.

a j scott

Oh Butcombe, what a silly generalisation. Even you must know that there are many reasons not to stay in the Army to reach a majority. And that there are many who did say 8-10 years to Captain, and retired to start another career.
On the other hand it is true that in wartime circumstances, many made Major who did not in their subsequent careers continue or enhance that level of achievement. Yet however, others also did.
Go consider. Attlee, Powell, etc.

Tanuki

@ButcombeMan @pettros @strapworld IDS is a disciple-of-Rome.
Of course he'd support the anti-choice wing. Which is a damned good reason never to let him have any influence in the matter!

David

Maybe he'll turn them into an army of green belt developers.

ButcombeMan

A J Scott.

Do not rise. The last two lines are an army saying.

The rest of my post is serious. IDS made the most monumental,catastrophic errors of judgement over Iraq. Came in my view from being too close to people in Washington. So serious that he CAN never entirely recover.

He has done good work and his pennance since.

daniel maris

This is the worst sort of approach to this sort of issue. Throwing resources at it is not going to make a huge difference.

Firstly you have to stop drug addicts and under 18s becoming parents, through adoption if necessary. Then you need to ensure that being state-dependent and a single mother under age 25 is not a joy ride (hostel accommodation with close supervision of the child's health and progress).

That will "cure" a lot of the problem in the first place by ensuring problem families just aren't created.

Andrew Burgess

I don't think stuffing them with pies is really the solution

Baron

nannying at its best, it truly beggars belief that a government Minister has to concern himself with micromanaging the behaviour of troublesome family units, can you imagine anything like that happening when Britain was a barbaric country before the war, not yet enlightened by the pseudo-liberal bed wetters when genuine poverty stalked many, jobs were much harder to come by than now, no welfare galore, no yuman Rights, not much of any welfare provisions?

In that not so distant past, troublesome families were the concern of friends (if they had any), neighbours, local councils, the police, the courts, the prison system. Now, we have Tsars aplenty, thousands upon thousands of nationwide agencies charged with this and the other, all staffed with highly paid bureaucrats, consultants, advisors, councillors, outreachers meddling with this and the other, entitlements aplenty….. and the result?

120,000 “problem families”.

Archibald

120,000? How much would something like this cost?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13982031

I guess the only problem is they've probably nicked all they want for now, so we might have to wait until 'iPad 3' comes out. Or maybe we can do a deal with Murdoch, he gives them all the full Sky package for the rest of their lives as the incentive to be 'treated', and we forget all about phone hacking. Job done.

Verity

Andrew Burgess - If you stuffed them with enough pies until they couldn't move, that might work.

Mirtha Tidville

@tanuki

Dear me,you really are the prejudiced one.Try to raise your sights..if you can

Tom Pride

I don’t know if the story below made the national news. It’s simply terrible. More tragedy inflicted on decent people by the products of “problem families”.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14829047
“7 September 2011

Teenager charged over 'conker row' murder of Steven Grisales
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a man who police said was attacked after confronting a group about having conkers thrown at him.

Student Steven Grisales, 21, was pelted with the missiles as he walked to Silver Street station in Edmonton, north London, on 31 August.

But moments later he was stabbed in the heart. He died the next day.”

As far as I am concerned there needs to be a lot more stick than carrot. Start by turning of the benefit stream by time limiting benefits and ending all statutory rights to benefits and housing for children born to mothers under 18. Make the grandparents responsible for maintaining the children and pay child benefits to the grandmother.

Ruby Duck

Why read anything sinister into Pickles being given the responsibility ?

Social services, adult care services etc are under local authority control which makes Pickles the obvious choice.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

What families?

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Give 'em the money, Barney!

TomTom

"Firstly you have to stop drug addicts and under 18s becoming parents"

Ah Daniel, and that in a society that pays higher benefits to drug addicts and alcoholics than people prepared to work when offered a job. You really haven't read the menu have you.......you get gravy if you are dysfunctional and a bigger helping on your plate.....the other guy has to get back to work in a hurry to pay for the idle addled to procreate

Steven Carrington

I would rather have seen IDS take charge of this issue, he has the passion about this area / subject that Pickles does not. IDS has researched the subject and is knowledgable as well as hard headed enough to say and do what has to be done.

Cameron needs to reign in Lib. Dems. and proceed with policies that are best for the country. It is watered down liberalism that has caused a lot of our social problems in the first place.

More than any other time in the past, Cameron has a mandate to get society back on the right path and he should grasp the nettle and get on with it even if he needs to go head to head with the Liberals.

I believe Cameron may be the conviction politician / Leader we need, but he muststand firm and carry through unpopular policies for the good of the country.

AliC

Can't we just provide ultimatum: work, send your kids to school and be better parents to them, or you get moved to a new life in Helmand?

daniel maris

Tom Pride,

I'm not sure giving the money to the grandmothers will make much difference. That's what happens in a lot of families already, with the daughter having only a semi-detached relationship with the family home.

We simply need to say that it is not acceptable in this day and age for under 18s to bear children. End of story. And for 18-25 who want to depend on the state, well let them live in state hostels where their parenting skills can be closely monitored.

Lastly drug addicts simply should not be allowed to become parents.

Do all that and the number of problem families will reduce dramatically.

Shaun O'Connell

Eric Pickles described Children's Guardians as being able to do nothing but cheerlead for the Local Authority. Then he was not in power. I very much hope his attitude remains the same, although we all know the words in opposition disappear the day they become elected....I pray...