Social Security and the Cost of Living
Following the publication of the Government’s “Mini-Budget”, Darren received a number of enquiries from his constituents about the impact the rising cost of living would have on families across the country. Many also expressed concerns about the cost of food and the difficulties that people would have trying to feed themselves.
Darren reiterated his opposition to a number of decisions that the Conservative Government have taken over the past year. From refusing to uplift Universal Credit by £20 per week as was the case during the pandemic to failing to rise benefit and welfare payments in line with inflation, the Government has rejected a number of Labour-led motions to resolve these issues in Parliament.
As such, many people will be relying on foodbanks and charitable organisations when the Government could have taken action to prevent this.
You can read Darren’s response as follows:
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about the cost of living and the growing reliance on foodbanks across Bristol and the rest of the country. With food prices increasing, heating bills going up and taxes rising, I appreciate that this is a very difficult time for many people.
Firstly, I want to pay tribute to the charities and volunteers who operate foodbanks. However, I believe food insecurity is a symptom of Conservative economic failure and I am calling on Ministers to offer real help to all those struggling to feed themselves.
That is why I support freezing people’s energy bills until at least April 2023, funded through a windfall tax on energy companies. This step would save the average household £1,000, get future energy costs under control and help tackle the rising rate of inflation.
Given everything that has happened under Liz Truss’ leadership, I worry that the Government is not doing enough to help and that many of its decisions have exacerbated matters, including its mini-budget. The decisions taken by the Prime Minister caused economic chaos and has now had to be almost totally reversed.
Even before recent events, working people and families were hit by the £20-a-week reduction to Universal Credit (UC) in September 2021. This was followed by further real terms cuts to UC and other benefits from April 2022. I note that an alternative approach was suggested by the chairs of the House of Commons’ cross-party Treasury and Work and Pensions Select Committees. They recommend bringing forward a proportion of the UC increase Ministers have indicated will take place in 2023. Yet the Government rejected this approach and have given conflicting messages.
I am confident that Labour’s plan would stop bills rising now and ensure sustainable energy for the future, so that people can get through the winter while laying the foundations for a stronger, more secure economy. I will continue pressing the Government to take these steps given the unprecedented amount of disruption they have caused in recent weeks.
Please do let me know if you require any further support.
Yours sincerely,
Darren
Darren Jones MP
Member of Parliament for Bristol North West