Eastbourne – we don’t want words, we want action
James Ellis, East Sussex Socialist Party
Eastbourne Liberal Democrat council recently became the first local authority to declare a ‘cost-of-living emergency’. This is hardly news to residents, who are all too aware of the bleak economic situation. It is reminiscent of councils declaring ‘climate emergencies’ – big talk backed up with inadequate action.
The council has announced a £250,000 grant. However, this is not new money.
The council claim the money is available due to “overachieved savings targets” – i.e. previous spending cuts. The money is being split between local foodbanks and grants towards energy bills in the autumn.
While the Socialist Party welcomes any support given to working-class families, it is clear that this grant will do little to deal with the economic crisis they face. The amount being provided is inadequate, and it shows no longer-term thinking aimed at dealing with the causes of the problem.
If Eastbourne Council was serious about tackling the cost-of-living emergency, it would set much more ambitious plans:
- A massive expansion in genuinely affordable council housing
- Free school meals for all students, including during holidays
- Free publicly owned transport
In addition to this, all privately outsourced services, such as bin collection, should be brought back in-house in order to provide an affordable service and decent wages for the workforce. All this could be achieved by the council setting a budget based on people’s needs, funded by using its reserves and borrowing power, and then linking up with other councils nationally to demand additional funding from central government.
The Lib Dems won’t draw this conclusion. Instead, local trade unionists need to fight, including standing candidates. Tokenistic one-off grants will not solve this crisis. We need bold council leaderships, working with local trade unions, implementing socialist policies that can improve the lives of working people in the long term.
