Helping Sutton's residents in hard times
Nobody can seriously deny that we are living through hard times.
The cost of living crisis that the last Conservative government presided over is continuing to affect Sutton’s residents, and the Labour government are rubbing salt into the wounds by cutting support for the most vulnerable and failing to fix the crisis in our public services and social care.
My Councillor’s inbox is full, every single day, with people struggling. It breaks my heart, and it’s why the Sutton Liberal Democrats are absolutely committed to doing everything we can on Sutton Council to offer a helping hand.
We’re making sure that the Household Support Fund reaches as many of those in need as it possibly can - to make sure that at-risk local residents can meet their needs and pay their bills.
We’re using the Homelessness Prevention Team to support those at risk of having no roof over their head - including supporting those who are unfairly evicted or who are priced out of the area by London’s housing crisis.
And our Early Years team is supporting young families with brilliant sessions on budgeting, meal planning and advice for navigating the support the Council offers across a range of areas.
These are just some of the big steps we’re taking in Sutton - but I’m acutely aware that this shouldn’t have to happen. Just as hardworking families and vulnerable people are doing the very best they can in difficult times, so too is the Council doing everything it can to support residents on a shoestring.
With spiralling housing costs, pressure on wages and surging bills, Sutton is dealing with issues downstream of huge national trends that only the government can fix.
That is why at tonight’s full council meeting, the Sutton Liberal Democrats once again called on the government to take important steps that help us to help you:
They must stop the painful cuts to public spending and reinstate support for the most vulnerable, by reversing their cruel welfare cuts. Whether it’s the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment, the recent fiasco around Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit, or their refusal to budge on scrapping the awful two-child benefit cap - they have shown no interest in really supporting the most vulnerable.
We’ve also asked them to grip the mantle of finally sorting out local council finances - which they have failed to make any real difference on. They need to reverse the years of cuts that have left councils up and down the country unable to invest in prevention work rather than the day-to-day crisis management that they have left us with - and they have to provide that new funding with a proper multi-year settlement so that we can properly plan for the future.
We’ll keep providing incredible support in hard times no matter what. That is our commitment to the people of Sutton, and I am proud that the Liberal Democrats are working to a plan to make sure nobody is left behind in our borough.
That is the difference a Liberal Democrat-run council makes: we continue to fight for the best in hard times, and positively support our residents when times are tough.
