Shropshire Star

Shropshire people suffering at hands of Tory austerity

The Tory policy of austerity, or 'death by a thousand cuts', has failed and ordinary people in Shropshire are suffering.

Published
Theresa May

Let's take four examples:

A local paper detailed how Ludlow Food Bank shows a “jump” from 163 cases in 2016 to 206 in 2017; the coordinator says, “The financial problems are occurring for people in work”, often linked to the in-work benefits system.

The Shropshire Star says “The number of buses on road in Shropshire has dropped by almost a quarter in the past four years”, making the county “the third worst in England for loss of bus routes” with “cuts in public funding” blamed.

A report by the Longevity Science Panel concludes that “The life expectancy gap between rich and poor has widened”, reaching 8.4 years between rich and poor neighbourhoods; “Income inequality was the biggest factor”, it adds.

Research by the Trades Union Congress shows that “1 in 7 children whose parents work in public sector jobs now live below the breadline, an increase of 40 per cent in eight years”.

Sixty per-cent of those receiving benefits are in work. We now have a low wage, low skilled economy where many struggle to survive, only the rich prosper and services are drastically diminished.

Public sector wages have been frozen for eight years while inflation soared; even Mrs May's just about-managing (JAMS) 'starved middle' suffer now.

Labour's manifesto promised to renationalise services, including health, education,water and the railways, with workers given fair rewards and a 21st century safety net for the poor.

We're born to share and care and that has fuelled our evolution. Can we bring back values and compassion to replace naked profit for the few?

Trevor Innes

Ludlow