MP puts poverty in the spotlight
LABOUR MP Mike Amesbury has raised the issue of poverty in parts of Runcorn during a speech to Parliament.
Mike Amesbury, who unseated Conservative incumbent Graham Evans to win in Weaver Vale in the June 8 election, told the house the constituency was ‘a tale of two communities’, with idyllic rural life in some areas and severe hardship in others.
Pledging to bring industries to Weaver Vale that would employ residents in high-quality skilled jobs, he said constituents have tired of austerity.
He also used his first Commons address to pledge a drive to bring green jobs to Weaver Vale promising a ‘race to the top’ in sustainable careers rather than a race to the bottom on ‘insecure’ zero hours contracts.
Mr Amesbury, whose wife is from Runcorn, also gave a verbal whistlestop tour of the constituency, name-dropping James Bond actor Daniel Craig’s old pub the Ring O’Bells in Frodsham where 007 worked, Tim Burgess of The Charlatans who is from Northwich, and Runcorn’s Norton Priory and John Bishop plus Alvanley’s White Lion pub.
He also wished his predecessor Graham Evans and family well in the future.
Much of the focus of the speech was on the issue of poverty and he spoke of one constituent who had received a £1,500 cut to her benefits after having a brain tumour removed and being ‘labelled a shirker’ by the system.
Discussing east Runcorn, he said Parliament: “Some residents in my constituency are fortunate enough to have incomes above the national average, but many of my constituents in places such as Windmill Hill and Palacefields in Runcorn face real poverty in their daily lives, from childhood onwards.
“Despite what Conservative members claim, there is a real lack of work, too much insecure part- ● time employment, a growth in zero-hours contracts and a welfare system that lacks compassion and common sense.”
Mr Amesbury, who served on Manchester City Council for 11 years, also blasted the public sector pay cap.
He said: “Unlike some in the House, I do not have a long line of ancestors who served this House and the other place next door.
“My family made me who I am. My dad, Barney, was a carpet fitter, then a publican.
“My late mum used to clean caravans and serve school dinners, and my younger sister is a teaching assistant.
“All those people would be hit by the pay cap. All of them were and are extraordinary people in their own right: grafters, fighters, and real people.”
Thanking voters who turned out to support him at the election, he also issued a message to the Conservatives, saying: “This rather weak and unstable Government need to take note: I took my seat from one of your own, because my constituents want more bobbies on the beat, not less.
“They do not want to see individual school budgets cut by hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“They want smaller class sizes, and they want teachers and support staff who are secure in their jobs and not fearful for the future.
“They also want to keep their local hospitals open – and yes, those with the broadest shoulders should pay their fair share in taxes and invest in our future.”