LETSLINK UK
Complementary Currencies Agency
HOMEPAGE LETS & Benefits Campaign
Government Shows Vision on LETS
May 1999 newsletter lead story
The relevant Government Ministers and Tony Blair himself are all
now on record as endorsing the benefits of LETS as grassroots
community-based initiatives.
According to Angela Eagle MP, the new Social Security Minister,
"broad enthusiasm" now exists throughout the government for amending
the benefits regulations so that LETS units earned will not impact on
benefits.
Rule changes are now favoured without pilot schemes, which take
time and can be unrepresentative.
LETSLINK UK are working up the details of the proposed new rules
with the DSS officials concerned.
Until the combined new policy recommendations have the final go-
ahead from Government and come into effect, the DSS are following up
LETSLINK UK's request for a "hands-off LETS" memo to be sent to local
benefits agencies.
The Government is also asking LETSLINK UK to recommend ways in
which LETS schemes can be further encouraged without the risk of
dominating or supplanting the 'bottom-up' approach.
An encouraging recognition of the issues came from the Employment
Minister, Andrew Smith MP. He told Liz Shephard of LETSLINK UK: "We
are most keen to learn direct from communities and the grassroots
themselves, not from academics. Piecemeal schemes and leadership from
outside, clearly do not work."
Tony Blair's Social Exclusion Unit had already put LETS at the
top of the agenda in its major report on community economic renewal,
Bringing Britain Together.
LETSLINK UK has been invited to contribute "imaginative but
practical" recommendations for encouraging LETS by July, to go into
the overall Report from the Unit which will be published in
December.The Employment Minister and DSS also showed they saw LETS as
a means to empowerment and would not judge it on the number of people
it helped into paid jobs. Confidence building and skills developed on
LETS are to be regarded in themselves as worthwhile.
A new all-party group of MPs to support LETS has now been formed
by Linda Gilroy MP, the initiator and champion of the LETS cause in
Parliament, with the backing of the Cooperative Party. Linda's latest
move with the group has been to table an Early Day Motion (EDM), 'LETS
and Social Inclusion' which MPs can sign up to from now to July. She
is also applying for a 90-minute Adjournment Debate on LETS in the
House of Commons, again drawing on LETSLINK UK as the principle source
of knowledge. The Adjournment Debate could be held at any time between
now and July, when a major presentation on LETS will also be held in
the House. When the dates are fixed more information on all these
events will be available from LETSLINK.
An Interview with Liz Shephard on the issues for LETS Groups
Q: Historically, the level of trust between grassroots movements
like LETS and and Governments has not been high. LETS members may have
traditionally perceived government as a threat, both to their benefits
and to the planet, while Government may have been suspicious of LETS
on tax and benefits issues. How is it possible to overcome this lack
of trust?
A: As far as most LETS groups are concerned, that hasn't been
true. For example, surveys showed an overwhelming majority of LETS in
favour of working with local government. People know LETS cannot grow
further without a change in the benefits regulations. LETS has been
growing up, coming in from the margins and taking responsibility in
the community.
From the government viewpoint, LETS is seen as offering the
potential to help people and communities out of economic or social
isolation and community breakdown. LETS was welcomed first by local
and then national anti-poverty and community development
organisations, and by allied workers in local government. National
government now wants to support LETS, but clearly without imposing on
it; indeed the civil servants themselves raised the question of
exactly what kind of government support could help LETS without
undermining it. The reason for this enlightened view is that many of
the most influential people now in government came from the voluntary
and community sectors, and were very much rooted in these issues.
Q: From what you say, it seems that Government would like to see
LETS playing a much wider socio-economic role than it does now. Are
LETS groups, really ready and willing to take on a more serious role?
A: LETS are not expected to take on more than they can or would
wish to; in any case, each group is different. Rather I think people
need to grasp this as genuine encouragement to get out there and
create whatever it is they always wanted in LETS. I hope they will see
this as an opportunity to ditch traditional fears and branch out.Many
groups have already demonstrated their own social spirit and desire to
improve life through all kinds of community self-help projects in
LETS, tackling issues such as health, parenting, education,
disability, and many others. Others simply want LETS for new kinds of
friendship, support and fun, or to act like extended families. It is
important that this diversity is kept, and the flexibility people
value. But if there is value in LETS, more people should have access
to it. So I see a range of different initiatives, some coming from
existing LETS groups, others from local agencies who want to start
their own.
In situations of pressing economic or social need such as Bernard
and Jan expect (see p.2) -- the local knowledge and hands-on
experience of LETS could be invaluable in helping local communities.
Under such circumstances the printing of local notes would make it
easier to scale up quickly, helping in the task of bringing more local
businesses and voluntary organisations into the trading network.
QUOTABLES IN THIS STORY
LETSLINK UK are working up the details of the proposed new rules
with the DSS officials concerned.
An encouraging recognition of the issues came from the Employment
Minister, Andrew Smith MP. He told Liz Shephard of LETSLINK UK: "We
are most keen to learn direct from communities and the grassroots
themselves, not from academics. Piecemeal schemes and leadership from
outside, clearly do not work."
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