Council unites in costs crisis call
GATESHEAD Council is urging the Government to do more to tackle the cost of living crisis and help families.
The motion was proposed by Gateshead Liberal Democrats and received unanimous support from across the chamber by the Labour Party after they added further requests. The council acknowledged several key factors impacting the lives of residents.
Factors include Ofgem increasing the energy price cap by 54% in April of this year and the Government’s scrapping of the pensions ‘triple lock’ – meaning pensioners could stand to lose hundreds of pounds. The motion calls on central Government to reduce the standard rate for standard VAT to 17.5% with the aim of saving an average household up to £600 and to reintroduce the triple lock on pensions. They also wish to see the £20 Universal Credit supplement, which was stopped in September 2021, be reintroduced.
The council has called for a windfall tax for energy companies, an increase to universal credit, scrapping the child benefit cap, and extending free school meals to all children whose families are on state benefits whether working or not. Liberal Democrat councillor for Dunston Hill and Whickham East,
Vicky Anderson said: “Rising prices are not just in the headlines, it’s real life and it’s in people’s homes. It’s 2022 and yet people that we all represent are having to choose to either heat their home or feed their family. Surely this has to be one issue were we can come together and agree this is not a crisis, it’s an emergency.”
Although the motion was carried unanimously, it was not without some contention from Labour councillors.
Bridges Labour councillor John Eagles said: “I welcome this motion but that party over there is partly to blame for this. They went into coalition with one of the most rabid governments ever on May 11, 2010, and that is where the cost of living crisis started for an awful lot of people in this country.”
A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said: “We recognise people are struggling with rising prices which is why we are protecting the eight million most vulnerable families with at least £1,200 of direct payments this year. All households will receive the £400 energy payments and 80% will get a £150 Council Tax rebate. Through our £37bn support package we are saving the typical employee over £330 a year through a tax cut this month and allowing people on Universal Credit to keep £1,000 more of what they earn, while in April we significantly increased the National Living Wage to £9.50.”