Friday 15 February 2013

Nottingham Architecture and Urban Design

BFTF has long been fascinated by the architecture of Nottingham, and has a (no doubt annoying) tendency to point out any buildings that have date plaques on them to the kids, "Hey look, that building was built in 1902! being a typical refrain.

Given that BFTF has approximately zero knowledge of urban planning, architecture or any related subjects it was wonderful to find a treasure trove of architectural blogs on the Internet (intially via a link on the Nottingham section of Reddit) and really wanted to share them, together with pictures from around the city, and sometimes a bit further afield ...

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Nov 2017
Love this brickwork on the building at the corner of Russell Street and Newgate Street. The Historic England entry for this listed building says that was built in 1872 and is alternatively known as "Kirks Factory" (with additions in 1879 and 1894) and was originally a lace factory with boilerhouse and chimmney, later converted to a tobacco factory around 1900. It is now student accomodation.

So much going on in this brickwork.

You and read more about lace related buildings in Nottingham here.

Interestingly, the other four storey building towards the other end of Russell Street was one of the first homes of Raleigh Bicycles!

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Oct 2016
Interesting time at the 2016 Martinmas Fair at Priory Church, Lenton, recently....


Inside Priory Church

Many of the attractions from the 2015 Fair were there again this year, along with some newcomers as well.

BFTF was particularly interested in a display by the Nottingham City Museums artifacts collection, who had (amongst much else) some hand made medieval nails on display. The chap at the stall explained that nails of the period were known by the price for 100 - for example "10 penny nails", and that handmade nails (hence the surname "Naylor") largely disappeared with the introduction of mechanisation in the 19th Century

Looking into this further, BFTF was surprised to learn how over 800,000 nails were left buried in a pit by a Roman garrison prior to abandoning their fortress in Inchtuthil, Scotland.

Looking into this further, it seems that a key introduction was that of the slitter mill which converted a sheet of iron into nail sized strips ready to be chopped up and formed. This was a big industry, with some 50,000 people involved in the nailmaking industry at its peak in Birmingham around 1830.

Hand made nails are still manufactured in some locations, often for restoration projects.

Nail

Meanwhile, at the Galleries of Justice Stall, they had some examples of old punishment equipment, including this Scolds Bridle, which the convict would have to wear for up to a few days.

Scolds Bridle

Also interesting was a discussion with a team describing how clothing was made. They explained that it might take 1,80manhours of effort to convert wool into a high quality coat, so these were very significant purchases, often being gifted to descendants in wills. BFTF also learnt that many people had only the clothing they were standing in.

An interesting "price list" of medieval goods can be found here.

Posh Medieval clothes, made of wool
At the Nottingham Hidden History stall, BFTF leant that the Nottingham area has been inhabited since the last ice age and at many times before. Reading up on this later, was shocked by the rapid climate change (several degrees centigrade in just a few years) that occurred in the Younger Dryas cooling period ~13,000 years ago. The cooling was caused by large flows of meltwater stopping the Gulf Stream - which is something that could happen again as the icesheets on Greenland melt.

Caves at Cresswell Crags

BFTF has long wanted to take up archery (but suspects that is lacking a bit in upper body strength), so was interested to see the Bulwell Foresters Target Archery Club at the event...

Shoot three arrows for free with the £1 entrance fee

Image Sources
All BFTF except Cresswell Crags

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Oct 2016
BFTF and No3 Son recently visited St Anns Allotments on their annual Open Day. It was a lovely event with a number of speakers and the opportunity to have a good look around.

But, for BFTF, there was one clear star of the show - Archie Ologist

Archie explained that, unlike most archaeologists, he wasn't interested in the past - instead he was interested in the future !

He asked No3 Son for his thoughts on what the future held for topics such as transport, housing, food and energy.

It was really interesting approach and BFTF was fascinated by what No3 Son had to say (which included cloud cities to free up land for farming, meals-in-a-pill and virtual reality instead of going to the movies).

BFTF would really like to know what other responses Archie got and strongly advises Nottingham City Council to give Archie a spot at other community events.

Archie Ologist talks to No3 Son

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Oct 2016
Nottingham Castle, famously, isn't really a castle any more. But it certainly used to be, and inside the stately home that now occupies the site is a model of the castle in its glory days....

   

   

   

More information on the castle and it's history can be found here, here and here.

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Oct 2017
Road subsurface

Nearby road was dug up for gas main replacement, thought the layers through the road were mildly interesting.

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Oct 2017
Iron work

Loved this ornate iron work in a park in German

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Jun 2017
Noticed a little alley opposite Nottingham Contemporary and had a look in the Syson Gallery - a nice lady explained that the glazed brickwork was common in the courtyards and narrow lanes of the Lace Market area as a way of maximising the daylight that reached down to the lace workers. Apparently, similar tiles can be found in the New York meat packing district - in that case presumably for their easy-wipe-down charateristics.

Glazed Bricks - Lace Market, Jun 2017
Also noticed this weather station on Queens Drive, near the Retail Park - wonder who it is collecting data for...


Weather Station, Queens Drive, nr Retail Park, June 2017

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May 2017
Saw some interesting buildings while cycling today...

Jubilee Campus GSK Centre for Sustainable Chemistry, May 2017

Jubilee Campus GSK Centre for Sustainable Chemistry, May 2017

This did make me chuckle, on the Sustainable Chemistry Bldg

Wonder if the greenery coming through the paving is a feature or a fault?

Jubilee Campus "Ingenuity Building", May 2017

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"Imperial Tobacco" - incredible example of brutalist architecture

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Having a bit of a morning ride and noticed the Hemlock Stone for the first time. It is located near the Bramcote Leisure Centre and composed of the same Nottingham Castle Sandstone that underlies much of central Nottingham.

The Hemlock Stone

Scientists are not sure whether the surrounding sandstone has been worn away or quarried, however the fact that the top is dark (from Industrial Revolution pollution) while the bottom is sandy coloured (due to having been worn away) suggests that erosion is uneven and that the stone will eventually become unstable and fall.

The fascinating information board describes how, at the time the sandstone was laid down in the Triassic, the UK was

"all the world's continents were joined together into a single huge landmass called Pangea...Britain was landlocked in the interior of Pangea and sweltered under a hot and humid climate. Heavy monsoonal rains fell on an ancient mountain range to the south of Britan and fed a vast seasonal river that flowed northwards across England, despositing a 400 metre thick layer of bedded, pebbly sand. Many tens of millions of years later Pangea split into several continents and the sea advanced and retreated many times across southern Britain, burying the Triassic sands beneath several hundred metres of overlying sediment. Under this enormous sediment the sands were crushed and cemented into rock - the Nottingham Castle Sandstone."


It is only over the past 20 million years that erosion has removed the younger overlying rocks to reveal the sandstone again.

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Must have cycled past this dozens of times without noticing it...

A WW2 era pillbox on Trowell Moor.
Would love to learn more about it's history.

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Walked around Highfields Park recently - something that BFTF hasn't done for a long time since the kids got bigger and started making their own park arrangements. Some really nice stuff going on there.

Love the beautiful benches at Highfields Park

Look what Highfields Park has done to this tree stump!


It really is very clever and educational!

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Makes it feel much safer cycling there in the evening.

New Streetlight, Victoria Embankment, Mar 2017

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Dec 2016
New Lighting along Castle Boulevard, Nottingham, Dec 2016

BFTF often takes a walk of an evening and finds the new streetlighting on Castle Boulevard - with separate lamps to direct light towards the pavement - does a great job in making previously dark places much better lit. Very reassuring.

New Night Lighting, Castle Blvd, Dec 2016

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Extraordinarily beautiful brickwork on the Hyson Green Community Centre.

Hyson Green Community Centre
(formerly Hyson Green Methodist Free Church, built 1985)

Window Detail

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Aug 2016
Love this Mural - Map in Forest Fields 

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Aug 2016
Sweet resurfacing on Caulton Street

Impressed with the very smooth and neat resurfacing on Caulton Street, just off Radford Road. Asked the council how they choose between the various available resurfacing options and got a response from the "Infrastructure Asset Manager" commenting that a good reference guide could be found here and explaining that :

"When formulating the forward maintenance programme we typically reference customer enquiries and comments from our team of highway maintenance inspectors. Caulton Street was highlighted by Ward Councillors in the Arboretum ward and was paid for by their Area Based Budget (which is also known as the Area Capital programme)."

See also here for info from Kent CC.
Very nice resurfacing - bravo Nottingham  Council !

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Jul 2016
Dr Vladimir Jankovic (Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester) recently gave the Hayman Rooke Lecture in Environmental Humanities at the University of Nottingham. This post is based on the talk, together with some extra linkage and bloggage.

Poster for the talk

But first, the Hayman Who talk?

It turns out that Major Hayman Rooke (1723-1806) became an archaeologist in the Nottingham area and after whom the Major Oak is named. He was also interested in meterology, as shown in this article.

But, anyway, back to the talk at hand. Dr Jankovic began with a quote from mid-2th century artchitect Marston Fitch:
"the ultimate task of architecture is to act in favor of man: to interpose itself between man and the natural environment in which he finds himself, in such a way as to remove the gross environmental load from his shoulders."

A slightly overexposed Vladimir

The talk then described how pre-industrial houses were often constructed in ways that worked with their environment, a classic example being the mudwall buildings common in hot climates.

A mud walled building

Dr Jankovic then mentioned "The Invention of Comfort" by John E. Crowley (see also here), who describes how it was social and much as technological changes in the West that allowed technological innovations to be adopted in the home.

By the early 20th century there were two trends at work, one was for sealing off buildings from the outside world, and using technology to ensure that the interior was heated and ventilated. An example being the Larkin Building, echoing the earlier views of William Chambers who said :
"In countries where men live in woods, in caves or miserable huts, exposed to the inclemency of seasons and under continual apprehensions of heat, cold, tempests, rains or snow, they are indolent, stupid and abject, their faculties are benumbed, and all their views limited to the supplying their immediate wants;

but in places where the inhabitants are provided with commodious dwellings, in which they may breath a temperate air, amidst the summer's heat and winter's cold, sleep when nature calls, at ease and in security; study unmolested, and taste the sweets of every social enjoyment, we find them active, inventive and enterprising"



The Larkin Building

The other trend was the direct opposite, aimed to expose building inhabitants to the outside environment as much as possible. Some examples of this can be found in the Lovell Beach House, Villa Savoye and the Open Air School Movement

Villa Savoye

Dr Jankovic also described how, in the 1950's, and with high energy prices a concern, architects such as Victor and Aladar Olgyay designed buildings fitted into the local climate and were more economical to keep cool during hot summers. House orientation was a big factor and the Olgyays used a dome shaped machine called a "Thermodelidon" to test building models (some details buried in here)

They were actually some of the pioneers of the modern "Green Building" movement but interest waned somewhat as energy costs fell and the answer to climate control for American buildings, especially those in hot areas, increasingly became simply to install air-conditioning. (see here for a fascinating LSE paper about historical energy costs)

Closing the talk pointed out that while the developing world was focussed on "big architecture" and its effect on people, there were billions around the world who were still cooking over oven fires and suffering from the local air polloution this causes. The WHO states that :

Around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and simple stoves burning biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.

Over 4 million people die prematurely from illness attributable to the household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels.

More than 50% of premature deaths due to pneumonia among children under 5 are caused by the particulate matter (soot) inhaled from household air pollution.

3.8 million premature deaths annually from noncommunicable diseases including stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are attributed to exposure to household air pollution

Extra Stuff
While compiling this post, BFTF noticed, or was made aware of, a few items that seemed relevant...

Climate controls are far from a modern practice, the Romans used a form of underfloor central heating called a "Hypocaust"

A  Hypocauste

William Strut and Charles Sylvester, both from the Derbyshire / Sheffield area were innovators in the use of central heating in buildings, most notably the Derby Infirmary, built in 1819 and featuring fire-proof construction and novel heating that allowed the patients to breathe fresh heated air whilst old air was channelled up to a glass and iron dome at the centre.

Derby Infirmary

Angier Perkins was another innovator in the field of steam central heating. His first steam heating system was installed in 1832 in the home of Governor of the Bank of England John Horley Palmer so that the owner could grow grapes!

A long and relentlessly interesting article on the history of internal building heating can be found here.

Image Sources
Mud Home, Larkin Building, Villa Savoye, Derby Infirmary Hypocauste

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May 2016
Been reading up about the Big Belly bins that have been installed in Nottingham for a while now. Turns out that their combination of compaction and "empty on demand" is claimed to reduce the number of waste collections by up to 80% and largely eliminate the problem of overflowing bins, especially by fast food outlets. You can read more here.


A Big Belly bin, yesterday

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Nov 2015
Cobbles, Thoresby Street, NG1 (Nov 2015)


Nottingham - a town of many architectures


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Oct 2014
The detailing on the houses of Radford Road (built in 1879) caught the eye of BFTF a while back...

Radford Road

Lovely details at the top of the houses

BFTF likes the intricate tiling, and wonders who this bloke is!


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Feb 2014
Rather wonderful list of events in Nottinghams history at MumblingNerds Blog
And there is some great material at Nottingham Archives

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Dec 13
Worth mentioning that this report on a talk about the Hyson Green Eco House covers some important issues regarding how those most in need of energy efficient housing are often those least able to access eco-grants.

And also that there are some very charming photo-essays on the nooks and hidden corners of Nottingham city centre at Thom's Blog

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There is a wonderful post at Internet Curtains on how Nottingham dodged a bullet in the 50s and 60s by being late to redevelop its town centre and clear nearby slums - a delay that allowed it to escape having motorways carving up the heart of the city, as was the case in Birmingham. BFTF would like to talk about this post more but , to be honest the original author has done such a good job, and included so much interesting information, that I beseech you to go directly there right now!

But there is a lot, lot more Nottingham related content at Internet Curtains :
A History of the Trent Lane Depot
A car-free route from Bulwell to Basford
The architecture and desing of Mapperley Top
The Industrial Heritage of Colwick Industrial Estate
The history of the site now occupied by Nottingham Contemporary


A rather arty view of the Ring Road


Meanwhile, at Jones the Planner, there is a great post on Nottingham Contemporary (BFTF is gobsmacked to find that it had not noticed the lace effect exterior panels when visiting) and also a post giving a general overview of Nottinghams urban design.


A rainy day in Radford


And Jonathan Clarkes blog called Landscape Ping! has a post that considers, in some detail, the architecture of the University of Nottingham's Jubilee Campus.


One of Nottingham's rather wonderful trams


And lastly (for now), and also somewhat more tangentially, the Pathetic Motorways site provides a wonderful insight into the thinking behind, and development of, the UK's arterial road network.

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Oct 2015
Not related to Nottingham, but loved this wall of coloured glass at Washington Dulles Airport

Lovely colours

Image Sources Images all BFTF's own

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Nottingham Decent Homes Impact Study

The "Decent Homes" programme is a project being run by Nottingham City Homes that aims to improve the quality of its rented and leased housing stock. You can find out more about the programme here.

But what has really caught the attention of BFTF is the impact study on the project, which comments that :

The Secure Warm Modern programme in Nottingham Nottingham City Homes’ Secure, Warm, Modern programme aims to bring Nottingham’s 28,300 council homes up to and above the national Decent Homes standard.

The work began in 2008, with a total planned investment of £187 million between 2008 and 2015, delivered under the following streams:

• Nottingham Secure – replacing all single-glazed windows with ‘Secured by Design’ double-glazed units in around 15,300 properties

• Warmth for Nottingham – improving heating systems for 19,700 properties

• Modern Living – making internal improvements including new kitchens for 17,000 homes and new bathrooms in 12,700 homes.

The Decent Homes Impact Study provides an evaluation of the wider social impacts of Nottingham City Homes’ Decent Homes programme, known locally as ‘Secure Warm Modern’. While the initial vision for the Decent Homes programme emphasised the wider social benefi ts that such a programme would deliver, there has been little systematic data collection or analysis of these benefits to date. This research aims to fill that gap, by providing evidence of impact of the Secure, Warm, Modern programme on NCH’s tenants and communities, covering the impact on crime and security, health and wellbeing, the environment and fuel poverty, and on the local economy and employment.

Many of NCH’s tenants are affected by multiple factors of deprivation, with some estates within the most deprived areas in England. NCH is therefore a key partner in Nottingham’s Sustainable Community Strategy,

The research has shown that the improvements to the physical condition of the property have led to improved outcomes for tenants in terms of their security, health and comfort, as well as wider impacts on the community such as carbon reduction, employment opportunities and neighbourhood improvement. These changes were measured using relevant indicators as well as qualitative information from tenants and stakeholders, giving a measurable indication of the size and scope of changes resulting from the Secure, Warm, Modern programme.

Burglary to domestic properties has decreased by 42 percent between 2007 and 2010 on two sample estates after all single glazed windows were replaced with new Secured by Design double glazed windows; this is compared to a 21 percent decrease in burglary across the city over the same period.

The new double glazed windows, central heating systems and loft insulation fitted through SWM between 2008 and 2011 have increased the average energy efficiency (SAP) rating of NCH homes that have received the work from 60 to 68 points. This equates to...15 per cent decrease in emissions from NCH properties [and a significnat reductions in fuel bills].

However, the detailed case study carried out with tenants living in properties receiving SWM work highlighted that the choices and behaviour of tenants make a signifi cant difference in the actual energy effi ciency gains seen.

It is estimated Secure Warm Modern could potentially:
• Save two lives a year by protecting vulnerable tenants from the cold

• Improve the respiratory health (e.g., asthma) of over 1000 children

• Improve the mental health of over 1,400 tenants by relieving excess cold and fuel poverty

• Avoid 12 hospital admissions a year as a result of falls

• Prevent 144 accidents requiring medical attention

It is worth hearing a couple of comments from the tenants, which gives some feel for the impact that the changes have had on their daily lives :

“I had been burgled, and every night I checked everything, it was like an obsessive thing… So from the day I had my windows I felt 100 percent safe”

“You’d have to be putting more money in just to keep it warm… so obviously you’re trying to save as much as you can, so that was like a big hole in my pocket… “The [gas payment] reduced down from £30 to £15, so I just top up every week and it has saved me a lot of money”

But don't take BFTF's word for it, have a look at the report and decide for yourself !

Sunday 10 February 2013

Foodbanks are a waste of time

Bear with me for a minute, before you get all angry.

A Very Real Situation Right Now
The current economic downturn, combined with severe cuts in public services have put many people in dire economic need, and the general public has responded to this by forming foodbanks to provide the support that the state seems unwilling, or unable, to.

According to the Trussell Trust, who support the largest network of foodbanks in the UK, the number of people fed by the foodbanks in their network has grown as follows:

2005-06 : 2,814
2007-08 : 13,849
2009-10 : 40,898
2011-12 : 128,697

Typcially foodbanks will help a variety of people such as those who have had chnages in their benefits leaving them without money for a period of time, or asylum seekers who have "fallen through the cracks" during their appeal process and are destitute, or families who have had sudden expences to deal with.

It’s worth taking a moment to hear the testimonies of some of the people these foodbanks aim to support, with the following coming from the Trussell Trust, who work with communities across the UK in this area:


“When temperatures plummeted in January 2010 foodbank clients across the UK were forced to choose between eating and heating. For Anne-Marie and Danny, 22, a delay in benefits hit at the same time as Danny was off work with flu. He received no sick pay and finances got so tight that they were faced with eviction as well as having no money for food. The couple and their 18-month-old daughter, Tia, were living and sleeping in one room to reduce heating bills. They resorted to borrowing a tin of soup from their neighbours to stop little Tia going hungry...I don’t know what we would have done next if it wasn’t for the foodbank’, says Danny.”


“A primary school boy from Gloucester stopped attending school recently because he could not face the embarrassment of having no money for lunch. The mother of two explained that her husband had left her and that the benefits were in his name. He had not been contributing towards child care since leaving and when she informed the Benefits Agency all benefits were stopped, including child benefit, because of her ‘change in circumstances’. The support worker estimated that it would take two to four months for the benefits to be re-assessed...Fortunately, the foodbank was able to step in to help, enabling the boy to return to school.

Benefit delay and benefit re-assessment cause people across the UK to go hungry. Almost 40% of foodbank clients last year experienced benefit delay.”


And here in Nottingham, a typical story is that of Sue and her 5 children were referred to the Food Bank after fleeing from another city due to domestic violence. Despite intervention and support from Children’s Services and other agencies. The DWP took 6 weeks to process Sue’s benefit claims. When asked what she would have done if she had not been able to access the food bank Sue said had no idea. “I have no family in Nottingham and I don’t know anyone who could help me. I don’t want to think about what I would have done if the food bank not helped me”.

Or the case of Jane who has a 5 year old son and was referred to the food bank on a 3 week referral. Jane had missed her appointment to sign on due to an appointment with her social worker. Realising the appointment clashed she notified the DWP. However when she returned to sign on she was informed that her benefits would be sanctioned for 3 weeks as she had missed her appointment.

Or the case of John who was referred to the food bank following a 3 week benefit sanction. He went to sign on and has part of his job search his benefit advisor gave him 2 jobs to apply for. The companies were to send the job application forms directly to John. However both forms arrived after the closing date for the job, meaning John couldn’t apply. When John returned to the benefits office to sign on and explained what happened he was informed his benefits had been sanctioned for 3 weeks because he failed to apply for the 2 jobs.

Now, BFTF is fully supportive of foodbanks and has volunteered at a foodbank for a number of years in the past - but foodbanks are an incredibly inefficient way of getting food to those who need it.

Firstly, the funds used to buy the food have already been taxed (as income to the donor),
Then the supermarket takes a cut (note that the donor often cannot donate enough to take advantage of bulk buy discounts)
And the stock in the foodbank is variable and may not align with what people need (often not enough UHT milk, in BFTF's experience)
And people may buy two tins of expensive soup when what the foodbank would really like is four tins of middle-of-the-range soup
And so on.

But BFTF gets the feeling that the conservative mindset is happy for the more caring in society to busy themselves with Foodbanks as it means they aren't able to challenge the social policies that caused the need for them in the first place.

George Lakoff describes the (US) conservative mindset as being one that “it is immoral to give people things they have not earned, because they will then not develop discipline and will become dependent and immoral" and that conservatives believe that "what you have to do is to reward the good [i.e. propserous] people with a tax cut, and make it big enough so that there is not enough money left for social programmes. By this logic, the [budget] deficit is a good thing. As Grover Norquist says “It starves the beast”’

Also, Olivier de Schutter, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food has commented to the Independent that "...what I shall commence upon in the UK is the idea that governments have a responsibility in ensuring adequate diets.” and also "pointed to the rise of food banks in developed countries as evidence that governments had shirked their “responsibility not to leave the poorest behind""

So what should be done?
BFTF has emailed the local MP, relevant council portfolio holder and Conservative Party with this :

I have been shocked to see increasing numbers of Foodbanks being set up in Nottingham and have been further shocked to find that, according to the Trussel Trust, around 40% of foodbank clients experienced benefit delay. I pay my taxes specifically so that the government can ensure the most vulnerable in society are taken care of and helped to find their feet. Why am I now having to spend my post-tax income on buying food and helping volunteers to do the job the government and local council should have done in the first place? I note that the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food has pointed to the rise of food banks in developed countries as evidence that governments had shirked their “responsibility not to leave the poorest behind""

[examples of Sue, Jane and John from above]

These kinds of delays (which I have no doubt also existed under the Labour overnment) are unacceptable in one of the richest countries on earth.

I have two questions.

Firstly, what steps - and with what timscale - are local and national government working to redcue the processing time for "changes in circumstances" to below 1 week?

Secondly, when will DWP practices change so that stories such as those from Jane and John stop happening?


Response from Cllr Liversidge : Received sympathetic response from the Councillor on 7th March saying "In terms of processing time for change of circumstances being too long, I agree but we are having to work within an environment where local government are having to make cuts in service also. However I will contact the relevant department and portfolio holder to ascertain how we can bring down this change of circumstance time." BFTF chased the Cllr on this on the 29th March and 19th April

Response from MP : After chasing on the 5th April, received a sympathetic response that said the MP would challenge the government on this issue.

Response from Local Conservative Party : Chased on 5th April and on 19th April. Received the following, rather sympathetic, response from Councillor Georgina Culley, Conservative Group Leader, Nottingham City Council

"The Trussell Trust set up its first food bank in 2000 and is a very important and successful charity that in many ways is a fine example of the ‘Big Society’, although I understand it has been argued to the contrary. Charitable community organisations are well placed to provide help to people in crisis and I believe the rise in the number of food banks is a positive thing for our society, showing that not-for-profit organisations and local groups can deliver services responsibly, quickly and in a non bureaucratic way.

That peoples need for food banks has risen is, however, not cause for celebration. We remain in troubled economic times and you are absolutely right that where people are entitled to help, they should receive it in a timely fashion. While the government looks to make sure that the benefits system works for all and is as cost effective as it can be, it is crazy that the situations you describe exist where late payment or over zealous bureaucracy from benefits staff leads to a person in crisis falling in to further trouble, increasing the eventual burden on the state in the long run. This needs to be got right and I would hope that the individual cases you have raised have been flagged up with the appropriate bodies for further investigation.

With regards to your comments about what DWP are doing to reduce the processing times for ‘changes in circumstances’ to below one week, I will happily contact the relevant ministers for a detailed answer for you. Nottingham City Council currently aims to deal with change of circumstance notifications within two weeks, I have asked why this is the target and what could be done to improve this, but I appreciate that certainly during the next few months with the changes in the benefits system and the move to Universal Credit, the benefits service will be under some inevitable pressure.

Regards your second query, without the complete detail of the cases you have raised I can not comment further on how DWP practices might improve these outcomes, but I agree with you that if the government is keen to make the benefits system more efficient and fairer for all, then it needs to ensure it is treating those it supports with due diligence and respect."

BFTF emailed back thanking Cllr Culley for this genuinely helpful response, that BFTF looked forward to a response from govenment on the issue of "changes in circumstances" but that BFTF did not agree that Foodbanks were an example of the "Big Society". BFTF pays its taxes specifically so that the government can ensure people do not starve in this country. It is one thing for the government to subcontract services to charities, it is quite another for government to expect taxpayers to fork out a second time to do the governments job for them (and this is not an invitation for lower taxes, this is an encouragement for the government to do its job)

BFTF also contacted some foodbanks to tell them that they needed to challenge local government if their users were facing "change in circumstances" delays longer than two weeks.

Response from Central Government : Received a response (via local MP) on 28th May from Mark Hoban MP (Minister for Employment). The, broadly sympathetic, response included the following :

"...The DWP handles 93.7 percent of all notified change of circumstances within 6 days. The average time taken to deal with a change of circumstances for Jobseekers Allowance is 2.74 days. While this is encouraging generally, any delays are regrettable and I recognise the difficulties this can cause, especially in the circumstances described in [BFTF's] first example. Without more detail I am unable to comment specifically, but typically a six week delay would be unusual and unacceptable...."

"...I know Jobcentre Plus staff within Nottinghmam hold regular meetings with key local partners, for example Citizens Advice Bureau, the Nottingham Law Centre and local community groups, to discuss issues of interest and concern. For example, there has been a meeting recently with Nottingham City Council's welfare rights team leader to discuss isssues and concerns raised by councillors about benefit sanctions...."
Update 2014 : Relevant article https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/08/food-banks-poverty-uk-canada-right-to-food

https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2014/dec/09/uk-food-banks-waste-charity-resource-lisa-nandy