My comments today during a debate about Holiday Hunger and Child Poverty:
"Councillor Fisher’s comments today are sadly all too similar to those of Councillor Borrett’s recent remarks about holiday hunger – for many these views are of course shocking but they are also very worrying. They’re worrying because senior Conservative Councillors with the responsibility for health and children really should be better informed and more concerned about the impact to people’s long-term health from hunger and malnutrition. Of course, parents and guardians have a hugely significant role in looking after and providing for their children but so too do we all as Councillors, particularly with our role as corporate parents, and indeed we have a role as private individuals. Councillor Borrett claimed recently of course that the benefits system is there for those that are in “genuine” need – the implication of course being that every person needing to access foodbanks, or asking for additional support cannot be in genuine need. Those of us that are active in our communities and regularly deal with casework know all too well that the benefits system is nowhere near perfect, people fall through the cracks, and that the support often provided is nowhere near sufficient for people to live a decent quality of life and one that promotes longer-term health benefits. In my own division, more people use Thetford Foodbank who are in employment, than not. So extreme are the issues around in work poverty and low wages. Cabinet members really ought to get out there and at least try to understand the issues that exist and engage more positively with groups such as the Norfolk Against Holiday Hunger who had the temerity to ask for his support. They will quickly realise there is a very clear link between poverty, malnutrition and health more widely and that by addressing such issues earlier, there would be longer-term positive impact on people’s health, and likely to in fact reduce the cost of health provision in our county"
No comments:
Post a Comment