Northumberland needs to declare a ‘poverty emergency’: Labour Group Deputy Leader

Councillor Liz Simpson who is also the Deputy Leader of Northumberland Labour Group whilst representing Newbiggin Central and East Ward has been noting the problems people in Newbiggin by the Sea are having to face every day since the Conservative Government's social, energy and cost crisis has come to the fore.

Councillor Simpson who lives in the Ward, one of the most deprived wards in the UK which has extremely high numbers of children living in deprivation and is now beginning to suffer from a huge growth in second home buying, cutting local young families off from living where they grew up which is a crisis in itself, she gains no consolation knowing that her neighbours and her own family members are suffering daily. 

Councillor Simpson told us: “The problems being suffered today by people right across Northumberland are not the making of ordinary people and it's not only the less well off and pensioners who are now caught in the ‘Crisis Trap’”.  “Even the better off are feeling the strain with up to 20% of their former disposable income now being spent to support cost increases which only ever benefit investors in large companies which can survive this current recession. A recession caused by the ‘Lord Nelson effect’ of the Government turning its blind eye to the looking glass whilst looking at what's happening all around them.”

“As a member of Northumberland County Council, a huge and varied Council we spent a lot of time not so long ago supporting and accepting a ‘climate emergency’ which allows the Council to plan for the future and play its part in managing things which will contribute towards change on the world stage.”

“Now we have a real  emergency on our hands and we haven't even discussed the matter yet. We have an agenda full of debate about what has gone wrong with the Council over the last six years, whilst people struggling every day have nowhere and no one to turn to.”

“We need to see where this £billion pound per year machine of local government in Northumberland can help those who live in the County and although it important to change the ethos and culture of the Council for the better we can’t currently change the past but should look to the now and declare a poverty emergency to help those in need and ease the burden of their struggles if we can, talking up the past renders us useless and it can wait until things get better for ordinary folk.”

Councillor Simpson went on to tell us about what she saw as the basis of problems locally and where a poverty emergency could be focussed by the Council.”People across the County are suffering from the inability to afford to place food on the table every day, the damaging effect of the change over of benefits to Universal Credit, fuel poverty, low levels of public transport, no access to private vehicles, inflation and product shortages.” 

“farming needs to turn from its current monoculture base towards growing the crops people need in the shops as we can no longer rely on regular imports for all sorts of reasons and as a major rural council we should be moving towards aiding that change.”. 

“These few items I’ve mentioned can be helped by a Council as large as ours and so can many more matters damaging the tradition and cohesion of families whilst relieving the stress and pressure on our residents and we need to investigate them all but only the declaration of a poverty emergency will focus the Council and its Councillors away from protecting themselves and spinning stories to cover up former actions and drive us towards becoming a benefit to our communities”. 

“Let's do it now and not wait until it's too late.”