Councils face £54 billion shortfall
The County Councils Network forecast that councils across the country face a £54 billion shortfall over the next 5 years.
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A report in the Guardian states that the Charity Trussell has claimed that more than 9 million people in the UK are vulnerable to reliance on food banks. They claim that the number has increased by more than 1 million in the last five years. A B & H Liberal Democrat spokesperson said that “Although this state of affairs can be laid well and truly at the door of the Tory governments over the last 14 years, Labour have contributed to the impact with their policies of the continued 2 child cap on the benefit limit and the scrapping of the winter fuel heating allowance for the elderly”. Trussells Chief Executive, Emma Revie went on to state that 1 in 5 children were now at risk of facing hunger and hardship.
As the County Council Network (CCN) report recently published shows that local government faces a £54 billion funding crisis over the next 5 years our own Brighton & Hove City Council has just announced a review of staff cutbacks that it is proposing. B & H Liberal Democrats call on the Government to urgently step in and sort out the vast underfunding of local councils so that local services will not suffer further.
With her withdrawal of the ‘Winter Fuel Allowance’ Labour’s Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has condemned many pensioners to the hard choice this winter on whether to eat or keep the heating on and stay warm. For many of the Just About Managing Pensioners (JAMPs) it could mean the difference between staying healthy or suffering from cold related illnesses.
With the withdrawal of the £200 (or £300 for those over 80) the mooted £400 pension rise will only result in a £200 (50%) net increase for those under 80 and even worse a net rise of only £100 (25%) for those over 80. By no stretch of the imagination can that be interpreted as protecting pensioners and is a direct failure to hold to their manifesto promise. It has taken less than two months for Labour to start to renege on their promises. What other manifesto promises are waiting to be ditched?
If the Fuel Price Cap increase of £149 due on 1 October is taken into account then this actually means that pensioners over the age of 80 are set to see their net income decrease by £49 from April next year whilst those under 80 will only see their income increase by £51. So for pensioners in the UK a Labour government is in reality cutting their living standards. Austerity for pensioners continues to rule except the Labour version is even harsher than the Tory version.
A frightening statistic published by the UK Centre for Better Ageing is that people in the 60-64 demographic have the highest poverty rate among adults of any age. So it looks as though there are plenty of adults about to retire who are only going to make the issue of eating versus heating worse.
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The County Councils Network forecast that councils across the country face a £54 billion shortfall over the next 5 years.
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