Cllrs pass‘Year of Squeeze’ motion

West Lothian Council has passed a motion calling for Westminster to tackle the growing pressures on household budgets.

An SNP motion entitled ‘The Year of the Squeeze’ called on Westminster to reinstate the £20 uplift on Universal Credit and stall the removal of the energy price cap in April which is expected to bring a £1200 surge in household bills.

The motion was backed by the Labour group.

Appealing for cross-party support, Councillor Frank Anderson said:“These are basics for many families on a fixed income and that’s the reality of inflation for people.

“There are pensioners who were promised the triple lock [a funding device to ensure rising pensions]. Now that has been withdrawn.

“The phrase‘heating or eating’is going to be a lot more relevant to a lot more people.”.

Figures released by West Lothian Anti-Poverty Service in the autumn showed 24.6 per cent (8740) of children in area were in relative poverty in 2019 to 2020, compared to 24.3 per cent in Scotland.

This represents a 3.3 per cent increase in the period between 2015 to 2020.

In her report, service manager Elaine Nisbet said:“The pandemic has served to further highlight long-standing inequalities within our communities as the financial impact of it has been more significant for those at the highest risk of poverty.”

Labour group leader, Lawrence Fitzpatrick,said: “We are in a civilised country and there’s no doubt there are millions of people who will move from poor to dirt poor.

“Some 40 per cent of people on Universal Credit are in work.”

Proposing an amendment, Conservative group leader, Damian Doran-Timson, said he was surprised, given how many times he’d had to listen to the SNP asking for money, that the Labour group leader was backing the SNP in going to Westminster and“getting the begging bowl out.”

He added:“It’s rather hypocritical to hear the SNP talking about businesses and families falling when the SNP has made Scotland the highest taxed part of the United Kingdom.”

The Tory group motion added:“The Conservative Group are pleased that the taper rate for Universal Credit will result in lower earners keeping more of their money, effectively a tax cut worth £2.2 billion for the lower earners.

“The group are appalled however that the increase in NI funding the Scottish Government has received from the UK Government has not been passed onto council. This has meant a reduction in West Lothian Councils budget of over £2.5m.

“Scotland has also been negatively impacted by the unacceptable decision by the SNP Government to continue with covid restrictions with no scientific data to do so. This has cost businesses and individuals millions.”

Cllr Doran-Timson added that Holyrood had it within its powers to reinstate the £20 uplift on Universal Credit.

SNP Councillor Willie Boyle said:“I really take exception to Damian’s comments about getting the begging bowl out. This is not about a begging bowl. This is about public representatives asking for public money.”

The Conservative amendment was defeated by 24 votes to eight in favour of the Labour/SNP composite motion.