Council leader: Parents having children they cannot afford
AMIDLAND council leader has refused to apologise for saying that too many people are having children they cannot afford.
Birmingham Labour MP Liam Byrne branded Tory Walsall Council leader Mike Bird as “insensitive”.
But Councillor Bird said an apology was not necessary and limiting children to what people could afford was a responsible view. He challenged the Hodge Hill MP to give his input into a task force the authority is setting up to look at all the causes into food poverty in Walsall.
During a council debate, Councillor
Bird said families in parts of the borough struggle financially because they have four or five children.
Some on social media also criticised Councillor Bird, but a number of people said they agreed that large families were a factor in causing poverty.
Mr Byrne tweeted: “People are turning to food banks because of poverty pay, not because of how many children they have.
“This is incredibly insensitive and just wrong. Mike Bird should apologise and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street should make it clear that he doesn’t support his views.”
But Councillor Bird said: “I don’t believe an apology is necessary and I’ve seen comments on social media in which many people agree.
“It is a responsible idea to try to limit the size of your family to your means. I was not having a go at any particular section of borough.
“What the report highlighted is there are pockets of poverty even in affluent areas such as Streetly. The increase in use of food banks is a multi-faceted issue and we are setting up the task force to find out the causes in Walsall.
“Yes, some people will use them because of low pay or having been made redundant. But it is not just about income. The size of families is a contributory factor.
“In other parts of the world, most notably China, they limited the number of children families could have to ensure the economy could support them.
“If Liam Byrne is an expert, then we would welcome his input into the task force and what we are doing to get to the root cause in Walsall. Making political points is not what is needed.”
It is not just about income. The size of families is a contributory factor. Council leader Mike Bird