BISHOPS within the House of Lords have called on the Government to take a position in non-custodial criminal justice, and to reconsider increases in bus fares and inheritance tax on farmland.
During Monday’s debate, the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, welcomed extra spending within the the justice system, but said that the way it was spent could be “vital”.
“We must be sure that the aim will not be to finance our way out of a prison-capacity crisis. Let us first address the aim of prison, after which put the resources in the suitable place, with a long-term vision of enabling strong and healthy families and communities,” she said.
To this end, a sentencing review that examined alternatives to custody was a positive step, she said, arguing that cutting custody rates would save public money in addition to lead to raised outcomes for society and offenders. “Many offenders are also victims — often as children — and I don’t consider that we will speak about a justice budget without looking upstream.”
After the Government’s first budget was delivered a fortnight ago, charities criticised the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, for not raising Universal Credit and scrapping the two-child limit (News, 1 November).
Moves to scale back the quantity of Universal Credit that may be deducted to cover debt payments, from 25 per cent to fifteen per cent, were one in every of the policies that were welcomed.
On Monday, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Livermore, said that the Budget sought to “fix the foundations” of the economy, and to “rebuild our public services after years of neglect”.
The Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, said: “We must consider how this Budget will serve the needs of people who find themselves struggling today.” She recognised that the selections being made were demanding, but referred to the 50-per-cent increase within the bus-fare cap as a policy that might “impact individuals who can least afford it, further disconnecting people from places and opportunities”.
Dr Hartley called on the Government to reverse its decision to tax, at 20 per cent, inherited farming assets value greater than £1 million. Previously, such assets were exempt from inheritance tax, which was often set at 40 per cent. The policy, she said, showed that “this was not a Budget that actually understands the needs of those in rural communities.”
On changes affecting the bottom earners and people on advantages, Dr Hartley welcomed the extension of the household-support fund, and changes to the principles governing debt repayment on Universal Credit, but said that the Government had “missed a vital opportunity to lift children out of poverty by removing the two-child limit and profit cap”.
Bishops within the Lords have continually called for the cap to be reversed (News, 26 July). Sir Keir Starmer has previously said that the Government is waiting for a report from its child-poverty task force before committing itself to a plan of action.
