More wretchedness and deprivation will ensue

He writes not only of increasing poverty, but of the frequent abuse of people struggling to make ends meet, by implying they are ‘skivers’ or ‘scroungers’.

I cannot recall any previous government encouraging us to demean such people in this way (official figures for fraud benefit are shown to be less than one per cent).

After April 2013 yet more cuts will come on stream.

A new benefit, Personal Independence Payment, is set to replace the current Disability Living Allowance.

This will mean disabled people are to be re-assessed using tests run by the dreaded Atos company.

The government’s stated aim is to reduce the number receiving this new benefit by 20 per cent.

More wretchedness and deprivation will ensue.

There are already far more families in bed & breakfast accommodation, more children going hungry to school, more food banks opening, more homelessness.

And what the government often forgets to say is that the cost of pensions alone takes up 50 per cent of the welfare budget.

Should we be allowing this to happen in a truly compassionate society?

Thelma Percy

Normanton Avenue

Bognor Regis