The
real war we need is on poverty: killing thousands and costing a staggering £78
billion a year.
The Times report this week that Prime
Minister May plans to drop Austerity is not just overdue, but has always
been about the Neo- Liberal political agenda and nothing to do with economics.
Austerity has always been a political choice, not an economic necessity as
the Conservatives may claim. Yet, The Rowntree Foundation’s ( hardly a hot- bed
of Socialism) report into Poverty in The UK , which is featured in my book, Food
Bank Britain, researched the true
cost of poverty in the UK. It is a subject that no- one really wants to talk
about, referring to it as the Third Sector; part of the Social Justice Equality
agenda, anything, in fact, but what it is... POVERTY . It kills thousands every
year, their research reports, and costs us all, through high taxation and loss
of earnings, a staggering £78 billion per annum. Much of the hardship is caused
by false economy, buying unhealthy food may be cheaper but creates terrible
health issues that put further pressure on the NHS, whilst how can it make
any economic sense these days to sell off Council homes with a 70% discount
when it costs a staggering £44,000 a year to keep the average family in a hostel
or B&B. Moreover, the Housing Benefit bill that we all contribute to
as tax payers ,increasingly goes to private Landlords , whereas building
council homes gives Councils an income year after year, reduces the cost of
emergency housing and helps them, through this income, to plan and develop
services for us all long term. How can Austerity, therefore, be anything
else than a political choice? Clearly,
it’s a scam that needs to stop and be stopped NOW.
Poverty is the shadow looming over most families in the UK. Our sense of who we
are and what we aspire to be, does not include poverty, nor a monthly
visit to hunt down the nearest food bank.
The reality that 68% of working people in London get some type of
benefit highlights the craziness and un-sustainability of what is going on in
the name of good governance.
Is it really right that multi -million pound businesses are able to pay such
low wages? Or that the state , that’s
you and me , top up the workers’ wages, which is nothing less than a tax-
payers subsidy to big business, at a time we are constantly told we have no
money?
When our Government tell us that privatisation of our NHS and public sector is
a great idea, how can this be so? How can taking money needed for investment
and given to shareholders and offshore hedge funds be great economics?
Poverty, as that great man and
world leader, Nelson Mandela, once said is, “Man- made and can be un-made.”
How right he is.
Jeremy Corbyn is correct that increasing wages would take more people out of
poverty and off welfare but, in my view, Jeremy Corbyn’s policy agenda
must be as radical as Attlee’s was in 1945. Building Council homes and
investing in our schools and NHS is a no- brainer, but why not be truly radical
and set your goal, a real aim and objective, for the eradication of poverty in
the UK by appointing a Minister for Poverty that oversees all aspects of
Government policy and how it can impact on the eradication of poverty? Many of
us have the ideas and vision, if listened to.
When at my food bank I became increasingly alarmed at the number of people not
just in food crisis, but also in fuel poverty, we set about holding a public
meeting and launched a Green Energy Not- for -Profit business that would use
roofs of schools, churches and community centres to bring down their fuel bills. By using the Government’s own feed-in tariff,
we could raise a share issue to cover the cost of solar panels, whilst offering
shareholders a 4% return and using the surplus profit to tackle fuel poverty
here in our community. We have since had 2 successful share issues. Could this
not be a Government model that ALL new- builds and roofs of ALL suitable public
buildings have solar panels to fight climate change, reduce bills and end fuel
poverty? We have done it in Deptford, so why not nationally, so fuel bills are
reduced for all homes, public spaces and small businesses? Think of the huge
savings that could be used to improve and develop services and business
opportunities.
Renting a property is a huge outlay for people in, or out, of work and it is
great that letting charges will soon be outlawed, but should we not be
abolishing the whole rental deposit idea? Deposits, which can be
thousands of pounds, by law, must be held by a Government approved tenants’
protection scheme ,but as a deposit is only to protect contents, or part
payment of unpaid rent, is it not a better idea for consumers that we
scrap deposits altogether and have Deposit Insurance so tenants only pay
rent? This would help huge numbers of people on low income rent decent housing
and not get exploited by slum landlords. Additionally, it cannot be un-
realistic to insure that ALL landlords give a national insurance number on
tenancy agreements, so the Government can insure full tax is paid and that slum
landlords are noted and acted upon. Why should tax- payers’ money via Housing
Benefit get exploited by unscrupulous landlords? The cost would be non-
existent, but would have a huge positive impact on people’s pockets, well-being
and home choices.
A poverty Tsar could also move on to deal with
food waste and distribution.
Is it really acceptable that tons of food, mostly fruit, veg and proteins
, such as fish and meat, is sent to expensive landfill whilst tins of beans and
loaves of bread are the main- stay of the diets of food bank clients?
We can do so much more. Poverty at £78 billion is clearly a cost we can no
longer afford when we have in Jeremy Corbyn a leader who could and should
put poverty at the top of a’ We must end’ agenda.
My book Food Bank Britain £10 on sale from ALL book shops as well as online.
