At the televised Full Council meeting on 04/11/2020 the Council, now led by the puppet of the ousted Peter Jackson, Councillor Glen Sanderson gave out the amount they had hoovered up from Government to service the Covid pandemic as £165,867,000 yet none of it has been earmarked to fulfill the Councils policies adopted 10 years ago following the first Marmot review Councillor Sanderson said his Group would consider food poverty over the next few months.
He was reminded by both Labour and Independent Councillors of his Councils responsibilities to equality and the reduction of poverty in what is one of the most split Counties in England on both health inequalities and wealth. Its the dream area of right-wing Tories a real time two tier society zone.
The original Marmot review looked at the state of the nations health and the life expectancy of people living a few miles apart under the same Council, his initial findings brought him round to taking a detailed look at Northumberland picking out the South East and the Rural Coalfield areas as places with some of the greatest inequalities nationally, inequalities which have got much worse since May 2017 and the arrival of the Morpeth Mob into power at County Hall.
Murky has been looking at a report written in November 2019 and commented upon by Councillor Wayne Daley showing that since May 2017 under his watch as Portfolio holder for Childrens Services, Child Poverty in the County had risen steadily from the February 2018 report of 14,847 children living in poverty up to 20,493 in eighteen months and apart from the report to Council nothing was done to alleviate the problem and an 8% cut in Council Tax benefit forced through by the Tories simply made matters much worse for Northumberland families claiming benefit and their children.
This failure to tackle a fundamental problem may have been the reason Councillor Daley jumped ship from his portfolio position when the emails claiming corruption were released by the Councils chief executive.
Councillor Daley is the representative of Northumberlands wealthiest ward, Cramlington North which still has over 16% of children living in poverty through the neglect of his Council and his Government.
But the dire face of poverty can be seen much more clearly in the extreme North and across the South East and rural coalfield wards of the County with Newbiggin by the Sea Central and East ward having 46% of its children in poverty. Followed by Seaton Ward with 44% Berwick 42%, Bedlington East on 42% followed by a cluster based in Blyth, Cowpen, Croft and Kitty Brewster hovering on or slightly above 39% child poverty is endemic across parts of the County yet support to feed those worse off during school holidays was denied by Government and its awash with emergency funding County Council.
Problems are about to worsen with the rural
coalfield wards of Amble, East Chevington and Lynemouth with current figures on
or around 30% of children living in poverty expected to take some of the
greatest hits from Brexit and the current lockdown position not helping home
working employment through the need for improved internet connections in all
areas stalling since May 2017. Those watching the televised meeting could see
Councillors in urban areas such as Bedlington having to switch off the video
element of their connections in order to be heard.
Councillor Glen Sanderson the Councils new
Leader has inherited a County which has developed a vision for the wealthy at
the expense of the poorest in our society, so much money has been granted to
businesses linked with farming that the Government has had to pour £166M into
its coffers to stop in going bust like the recently announced Croydon
Council. A figure the Tory MP for Blyth Valley Ian Levy got completely
wrong yet was crowing about in the press. Considering the poverty his
Government has increased year on year across Northumberland over the last
decade he should hang his head in shame.
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