Calls for Swindon Borough Council to declare "cost of living" crisis
Members from Labour and the Conservatives are calling the motion
Both Conservative and Labour members of Swindon Borough Council want to have the authority declare an official cost of living crisis.
There are two motions to the full council, which will meet next week, urging such a course of action, one from each party.
Labour
The Labour motion, put forward by councillors Paul Dixon and Jim Grant asks the Conservative leader of the council to write to the Chancellor advocating: “That the funding for the limited increase in the energy price cap and the cut on VAT for home energy bills comes primarily from a windfall tax on the energy-producing companies.
“That insulating as many homes as possible with all possible haste needs to be a government priority.”
It also would mandate the leader to “Prepare an urgent report to the next cabinet meeting detailing the actions that the Council can take to support residents and local business.”
Conservatives
The Conservative motion is proposed and seconded by cabinet members Oladapo Ibitoye, responsible for education and skills and Cathy Martyn, who is in charge of health inequalities and housing.
It also wants a crisis declared.
But the specific measures the Conservatives advocate are different and include: “Guaranteeing the Bus Recovery Grant for the foreseeable future so that bus companies can provide a wider service enabling residents to have a viable public transport alternative to using their cars; exempting Children’s Nurseries from Business Rates, and providing additional funding to councils in recognition of the pressures being placed on local government finances by rising inflation.”
If passed then Coun Martyn will be asked to “set up a ‘Feeding Swindon Partnership’ based around the provision of low cost or free food within local communities. This should be offered with other support including signposting to, for example, mental health provision, help with debt prevention, help with debt management, benefits entitlement, cooking classes, housing options etc.”
Coun Martyn said: “We want to declare a cost of living crisis to show that we are taking action., and so that those actions can be the focus.
“We want everyone in the council to understand that we do consider this a crisis and will take whatever action we can.”
“We didn’t declare a climate crisis but were taking action on it, but that got lost in the focus on not declaring a crisis.
The meeting begins at 7pm on Thursday at the Civic Offices in Euclid Street and should also be webcast via a link on the meeting page on Swindon.gov.uk