Poverty has to be tackled for society

BRIAN Taylor has my sympathy. He is clearly suffering from shortsightedness as lack of investment now only creates problems in the future. Even his Tory government agrees on that. American investment, through the Marshall Plan after the war, helped this country recover from an economic mess.

I would also like to inform him that I do not find Labour Party members I meet “typical”. With over half a million members there is naturally a rich diversity of opinions on everything under the sun. I am never short of an interesting discussion, sometimes passionate.

One thing that I do share with the overwhelming majority of fellow members is a commitment to seeing good quality services that the public expect. Especially for the more vulnerable who need that extra help that enriches their lives.

Of course these must be paid for. In that, Brian Taylor is correct. Unlike him I do not want to see our pensioners suffer a “double whammy” of cuts to services plus extra taxation. I would much prefer a “wealth tax” on fortunes of over a million pounds. It is an obscenity that some untaxed billionaires have benefited from furloughing their workers with public funds whilst paying shareholders and continuing to give CEOs six-figure salaries at the same time.

In our communities, families are experiencing poverty and a uncertain future both in and out of work. This has to be confronted if society is to change for the better. Councillor Cath Davis

Preston Ward, North Tyneside Council