The Deputy Leader of Stroud District Council, Cllr Pete Kennedy, has hit out at the Labour government after Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that a ‘painful’ budget was coming in October and asked the public to ‘accept short-term pain for long-term good’.
Pete, who was the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Stroud in July’s General Election, has called on the new Labour MP, Simon Opher, to ‘stand up’ to the Prime Minister on behalf of the people of Stroud.
During the election campaign, Pete repeatedly warned that ‘the Conservative and Labour manifestos commit to further austerity cuts and underinvestment in our area’.
By contrast, the Green Party manifesto contained policies to raise over £100bn in extra tax revenue, including a wealth tax of 1% on people with over £10m in assets, and taxing capital gains at the same rate as earned income.
Pete, district councillor for Painswick & Upton, said this week: “People voted for ‘change’ at this election, but Keir Starmer is now taking us back to the Conservative policies of austerity and spending cuts that have so badly damaged public services and people’s livelihoods.
“During the election campaign, I warned at every opportunity that Labour’s manifesto was going to result in more austerity and spending cuts. Unfortunately the picture now looks even worse, with Keir Starmer saying there is an additional £20bn ‘black hole’ in the public finances.
“Stroud is already feeling the impact of Labour’s cuts. Thousands of pensioners will be hit with a double whammy of increased energy bills and the scrapping of the Winter Fuel Allowance for all but the poorest pensioners. And the ‘Restoring Your Railways Fund’ has been abolished, which means there is no money to reopen a direct rail link from Stroud and Stonehouse to Bristol. I’m worried about what else will be announced in the Government’s ‘painful’ budget in October.
“It’s no good just blaming the Conservatives for crashing the economy. These are political decisions by a Labour Party that refuses to tax those with the broadest shoulders. The Green Party continues to call for a wealth tax of 1% of assets above £10m, which would raise tens of billions of pounds. Unfortunately, Labour have refused to even consider any wealth tax, which means everyone else will pay the price.
“It’s time for Stroud’s new Labour MP to stand up to Starmer and say this isn’t what people voted for.”
