Austerity | Sheffield Green Party

Sheffield Green Group responded to questions on Labour’s Budget Statement for ‘The Star’

What do you think of the measures (to be) introduced?

“The government is in a desperate pickle and it shows. It desperately needs to raise taxes to fill the holes left by the previous government but has still ruled out taxing the people with the broadest shoulders – the very, very wealthy.

“Measures like a modest increase in the minimum wage are welcome and needed. This will, of course, put an extra financial burden on employers, in addition to the increase in employers’ national insurance. This will particularly affect public sector employers like hospitals and local councils.
A new approach to carer’s allowances and extra money for special educational needs are also welcome.

“However, things like the burden of rising bus fares will fall far more on lower income households. It’s astonishing that a so-called Labour government will put up bus fares by 50% whilst spending £3 billion to keep fuel duty down for petrol and Diesel. This is unhelpful when we are trying to give people decent public transport options so they can choose to leave cars at home. All in all, it looks very much like climate-denial and continuing austerity.”

-Do you think the proposed tax increases and other increases (such as the bus fare cap) on the working people are fair?

“A fairer system would be to tax the very wealthy, taxing income from assets the same as income from work. Greens want those with the broadest shoulders to contribute more in taxes – those with assets above £10 million at 1% and assets above £1bn at 2% annually. With only a very small minority of people subject to a wealth tax, the overwhelming majority would benefit and people who are struggling would not have to bear the burden.

“Regarding the increased bus fares, it’s really disappointing that our Labour Mayor isn’t showing initiative like his counterpart in Greater Manchester who has already stated they will keep the cap at £2 for their residents.”

Do you think the people of Sheffield will welcome the changes?

“It’s a big budget and the devil will be in the detail but we don’t think anyone is going to see the big change they had been hoping for after 14 years of the Conservative government. It is going to look very much the same. What people will see is bus fares going up by 50% and the service not getting better. We risk more cuts to local services as local councils continue to feel the pinch. The budget will add big pressures to local councils’ wage bills so we need to see the detail of how the government will compensate for these extra costs.

“It’s unlikely that people in Sheffield will agree with the Chancellor that there’s “no return to austerity.”

What do you think Sheffield will gain by these measures?

“The big question is what Sheffield will not gain. This city is in a great place to benefit from investment in green businesses but we haven’t seen any indication of this type of investment in this area. We have the technology and people to insulate homes and businesses, and promote solar and wind power generation. Instead the government green offer is just further research into questionable “carbon capture” technology instead of real action.

“Sheffield Supertram was mentioned in the Chancellor’s speech and we know that £400 million is needed to replace a large part of the capital infrastructure. There is an extra £200 million allocated for city transport projects across the whole country but we don’t know how much Sheffield will see of this money.

“We will need to work through the detail of the budget but the headline is that there is no more money for councils or local services and 2% cuts to most government departments. This is going to look very much like the previous government.”

The Star’s report is here.

A wave of strike action is continuing across the UK throughout this winter. This is not a surprise as working conditions and pay has been deteriorating since Conservative and Lib Dem’s imposition of austerity in 2010. Taking the example of nurses, pay has fallen in real terms by 20% in this period, leading to many having to access hardship funds, use food banks or simply walk away from the profession. In roughly the same period, the wealth of UK billionaires has increased by nearly 300%. Make no mistake, austerity and entrenched inequality are political choices.

These strikes are about far more than pay, as, in all sectors, conditions for work have deteriorated. New pay offers are being tied to measures which are likely to make them deteriorate further, such as longer hours, 7-day weeks, weaker pensions and compulsory redundancies. Again, people are voting with their feet. There are now 47,000 vacancies for nursing roles in England alone, with 40% fewer working in social care than 10 years ago. This is all a far cry from Sunak’s statement in 2020 saying that the NHS will get “whatever it needs” to deal with the country’s impending health crisis.

Instead of dealing with this confluence of crises, the current government intends to stifle dissent, crucial to any properly functioning democracy, whilst simultaneously blaming the workers most affected by their own policies and their refusal to negotiate. This can be seen in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act which would give police the power to break up protests if they are deemed too ‘noisy’, and with the promise of ‘tough new laws’ to prevent and restrict further strike action by unions trying to protect their jobs.

In Sheffield, and nationally, the Green Party is proud to support those on strike. We recognise that it is the 12 years of wilful neglect that has caused the current situation we find ourselves in, not the strikers themselves who, after all, are part of the working public the government are claiming to protect. We recognise that it is not the demands of the unions which cause inflation to rise, but profit jumps of oil and gas giants and other large corporations, as well as ‘external forces’ the Tories blame it on. We know that public sector pay rises are both deserved and provide long-term security to the services we cherish. Even if an inflation-matching pay award of 11% was given to all public sector staff, this would still be less than what the Tory mini-budget cost the UK economy in September. It will also reduce the huge amounts of funding currently being squandered on absurdly high agency fees to cover unfilled posts.

But more than all of this, we recognise that fully functioning public services are the bedrock of a more just and equal society, one in which opportunity and access to services, work, wealth and information are afforded to everybody, not just the privileged few.

Cllr Marieanne Elliott, Sheffield Green Party

Letter to the Sheffield Star

It seems Star letter writers Paul Birch and Howard Greaves are unaware of the significant changes that have been made at Sheffield Council this year. Thanks to the tremendous work of “It’s our City”, who secured a referendum to change how our city is governed, there is no longer a cabinet or a strong leader model in the Council. A committee system has replaced it. All councillors, from all parties, represented on the council, now take responsibility for decision-making as members of citywide Policy Committees. The Council is currently made up of 39 Labour, 29 Liberal Democrat, 14 Green, 1 Conservative and 1 Independent Councillor. Each committee is made up of Councillors in roughly the same proportion as the totals. As no party has more than half the seats, the Councillors need to work together to pass new policies.

So, much as Green Party Councillors would love to introduce Active Travel Schemes throughout the city, they are only able to with the support of other parties. Funding for these comes from central Government grants, so, it is not paid out of Council Tax. Active Travel Schemes are successful in encouraging more people to walk and cycle and leave their cars at home, reducing air pollution and emissions. The Council have declared a climate emergency and has committed to net zero by 2030. We have to get serious about this and Active Travel schemes are one tool the Council has to move things in the right direction.

Meanwhile, the Government’s austerity continues. Between 2010 and 2020 Government cuts have resulted in the Council’s spending being reduced by £211m (29%) representing a fall of £828 for every household in Sheffield. Very difficult decisions will have to be made again this year.

Peter Gilbert

Ecclesall Green Party

Tag: Austerity

Green Response to Labour’s Budget Statement

Green Party proudly supports the strikers

Sheffield City Council no longer have a cabinet!