Action needed to end food poverty
only assume that today we are expected to put aside common sense, and instead worship the cult of the bicycle lanes and be offered up as a sacrifice to these new gods
LittleEastStreet Billingshurst
Through the pages of the West Sussex County Times, Horsham Labour Party would like to thank all those who have dropped off donations at our foodbank collection points across the district.
Their actions have enabled us to deliver literally thousands of bags of food to Horsham Matters during the duration of the pandemic.
Food poverty has been on the rise in Horsham throughout the last decade, and now firstly exacerbated by the roll out of Universal Credit and then due to the fall-out from the pandemic with many local people on reduced incomes as a result of losing their jobs, working reduced hours or joining the furlough scheme, food poverty has dramatically increased.
We dearly hope that improvements to testing and the introduction of mass immunisation will begin to see the reduction in the Covid-19 infection rate but we are certain the need to provide for local people who do not have enough for basic essentials for themselves or their families, will remain a pressing concern throughout 2021.
We will continue delivering donations to our local foodbanks but it does not have to be this way and Horsham Labour Party does not believe that anyone should rely on charity, in order to put food on the table.
Those in government both locally and nationally should take action but, as we saw earlier in the year, the Conservative Government refused to address the crisis around free school meals until it was ‘encouraged’ into a response by a campaign led by the footballer, Marcus Rashford.
If you believe that the government must act to end food poverty please email Horsham’s MP Jeremy Quin jeremy.quin.mp@parliament. uk asking him to lobby his government on behalf of his constituents.
It is widely accepted that to end food poverty the government must take the following relatively small steps:
Maintain the upgrade in the universal credit beyond the end of March 2021.
Scrap the five-week waiting period for those going onto universal credit which creates state sponsored starvation.
Upgrade the minimum wage to the Real Living Wage.
Scrap the benefits cap which in areas of high housing costs is driving families into poverty.
Invest in genuinely affordable council and social housing.
In 2020 we learnt how to come together as a community for the benefit of all of Horsham’s residents. Our challenge in 2021 is to build on what we have achieved and together ensure that no individual or family is left in poverty as a result of government inaction.
Members of Horsham Labour Party will continue working across our community to support those in food poverty while fighting for change at Westminster to ensure no one has to go through another year like 2020. Please join with us and write to your MP and demand change.
DAVIDHIDE Secretary HorshamLabourParty ClarenceRoad, Horsham