TORIES AND LABOUR HAVE FAILED HASTINGS' POOR ......................... 17th oct 2007 |
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Nick, who has worked for ATD Fourth World (an international anti-poverty NGO which undertakes policy work and practical family support) and is currently a mental health social worker based in St Leonards on Sea, was responding to a recent report from the End Child Poverty campaign group. As detailed in the Hastings & St Leonards Observer, this report has listed six of the 16 Hastings Borough Council wards in its top ten poorest wards across the South East. Nick, who is the youngest ever parliamentary campaigner for the local Lib Dems has published widely on anti-poverty work. He says, "Whilst Peter Pragnell, leader of the Council, is right to say that tackling poverty takes time and investment, he has not acknowledged the culpability of the Conservative Party in the disadvantage of many in our area. "We must not forget that the legacy of Conservative government was increased inequality in our country, with all the social problems that come with it." Nick is firmly of the believe that the Labour Party is no less culpable - "What is more worrying" he says , "is that levels of poverty and inequality have risen under 10 years of Labour. "I bet that this is not what people predicted when they voted for Michael Foster in 1997, 2001 and 2005. It is his government that has been shamed by this report, as well as by the February report from Unicef on the wellbeing of children in rich countries." Nick believes that people with experience of poverty must play a key role in developing effective social policy. He says, "My experience of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty, whose second report I co-wrote, is that participation is the key to finding out what works. I believe that there is a role for people with experience of poverty, and their supporting organisations at a national level, but more importantly, through the scrutiny processes of the local authority." |
