Fairness above all else

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June 2010

Although I write this column just before budget day, it's clear that the Government is going to bring in some vicious cuts to our public services and increase your taxes. I understand that due to the economic situation in the wake of the global financial crisis, some cuts are necessary. However, when and how deep the cuts will be concerns me. Given what has happened in the last few weeks, I wonder what has happened to the concept of fairness that our politicians are so keen to talk about.

There are two ways to deal with the current public sector deficit. One is to cut spending and increase taxes. The other is to continue making sensible savings whilst investing in the projects that will allow our economy to grow. In truth, there is probably a middle way involving some spending cuts and tax increases but not so vicious that the economy plunges back into recession.

A few weeks ago the Government introduced a panic set of cuts. They slashed funding to Newham by £4.6m but wealthy Richmond only got a cut of £900,000.

When challenged in Parliament about how unfairly their cuts are being targeted, the minister responded, 'those in greatest need will inevitably take the biggest cuts'. Why? It does not and should not have to be that way. At the election every party talked about 'fairness'. Is it fair to penalise the worst off for the mess created by wealthy bankers?

Last week the Government announced that it would not extend the free school meals pilots beyond 2011. We are one of those pilots and the costs of the free meals are shared between us and Government. I believe in free school meals for all kids. If you are on benefits you get free meals anyway. But if you are working, earning a low income, you have to fork out £330 per year for each child you have. Cutting off support at this time to hard-working families is not acceptable. I believe in fairness and we are committed to continuing to provide free school meals even when the Government abandons the scheme.

I also find it bizarre that on the day the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he wants to make children happier, the Government not only announced they would not be extending free school meals, but that they would also cut free swims for kids and the elderly. We were the first council in England to introduce free swims and we did it without any Government subsidy. When we did, many young people who could not afford to swim came into our pools. We'll keep delivering free swims for our children. Politicians are exposed through their actions rather than their words.

I know that there are cuts - savage cuts - which we will be forced to undertake. I know that some of these will be unpleasant and difficult to make. I also know that I will do my best to defend those services which I know people in Newham value. If it is at all possible, we will continue to provide the sort of services which all our residents can benefit from because it is the right thing to do. It may be that we will have to revisit these policies. But that is what we should do as a last resort. We will not start off by cutting the things which make our society fairer.

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Fairness above all else

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