Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero column: Two more successes for constituent cases

Following hot on the heels of last week’s column and the great victory I told Chad readers about after successfully taking up one Sutton’s man case with the taxman, two more results have swiftly followed.

One was an almost identical case to last week’ and involved the familiar story of HMRC hounding a Sutton family for an overpayment of tax credits which they had incorrectly calculated.

Low and behold HMRC eventually backed down and also awarded the family compensation.
The second case involved a young man from Huthwaite who was working at the same time as studying for his foundation degree to train as a teacher.

Stressful and hard work at the best of times and that’s without the taxman constantly getting your tax deductions wrong and leaving you of pocket each month. All it took was a letter from me and he’s now got £600 back which he plans to put towards new laptop to study with in September.

What really makes me angry though isn’t the frequent mistakes, after all mistakes happen – it’s the sheer stubbornness and refusal to listen when confronted with a possible problem or the fact that something might be wrong.

It shouldn’t need me to intervene every time someone in Ashfield finds themselves under the glare of the taxman. But if you ever find yourself needing help or it’s getting too much then just pick up the phone because it’s my job to help.
The other week when I was flicking through one of the national newspapers, a school story really caught my eye and aroused my suspicion.

A survey carried out by The Association of Teachers and Lecturers of its members reported that parents are being asked to pay towards everyday activities and equipment including basic items such as paper and books. I’d love to hear from mums and dads in Ashfield if this is something that you’ve been asked to do. If so, please shout up.
Finally, Ashfield and the areas that surround us, have a rich industrial heritage, which includes a proud and deep routed relationship with coal mining, which remains strong to this day.

On Saturday 7th June at 7pm a fundraising evening will be held at the Sherwood Rooms, Mansfield Woodhouse to support the Notts & Ex Retired Miners.

If you are a fan of pie & peas, music and great company and want to support folk who did so much to shape our area then keep your diary free and call 07976 162976. At £10 a head, tickets are bargain too!

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