Bridgwater Labour District Councillor Wes Hinckes is urging people to sign a petition against Tax Credit cuts which will be presented to the local Member of parliament.
Cllr Hinckes says “28 per cent of children in this country are now living in poverty! There were 3.7 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2013-14. That’s 28 per cent of children, or 9 in a classroom of 30.Now is the time to tell your Member of Parliament what you think. Please sign the petition today! Around the country ordinary citizens will be soon be delivering this petition directly to their local Members of Parliament.”
The Campaign lists six reasons why it believes people should add their name:
1.The cuts to tax credits will hit more than three million families in work
2. On average, each of these families will lose £1,300 next year
3. For these families, it’s effectively a penalty for working
4. The government has claimed that their so-called ‘National Living Wage’ (lower than that calculated by the Living Wage Foundation) will compensate for the cut. The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has said that this is “arithmetically impossible”
5. As a result of the cut, child poverty will increase. The Resolution Foundation has found that all the tax and benefit changes in the Government’s Summer Budget will push 200,000 children into poverty next year
6. David Cameron never mentioned these plans before his election campaign despite having lots of opportunity to do so. In fact, before the election, he promised not to cut child tax credits and made no mention of any other changes, yet these cuts were announced in his first Budget after the election
Cllr Hinckes (Bridgwater Hamp) says “Please sign the petition today! Labour stands for fairness and justice. Please join us in our campaign against this cruel regime.”
Sign the petition here
Text of Petition
George Osborne is planning to make life harder for British families. He wants to cut the special help for low-paid working families – called tax credits – that helps pay for food, school uniform, and winter coats.
But the cuts won’t happen without the support of other MPs – and that’s where 38 Degrees members come in. Osborne’s beginning to look isolated. Even The Sun is campaigning against him, and top Conservatives are saying that he’s got this one wrong. So if each of pressures our MP to speak out too, it’ll cause a wave of opposition that could bring the plans to a grinding halt.
Can you call on your MP to speak out against the cuts to tax credits? If they feel the pressure of hundreds of their local constituents, it’ll be impossible to stay silent
These Tory politicians have no idea how ordinary families have to manage their lives. At best they are ignorant and at worst vindictive.