Poppy Leeder
Candidate for Gorsehill and Pinehurst
Swindon Area Green Party
Dear Tom,
Thank you for placing a copy of the letter online – mine still has not arrived by post, so I have made the assumption the one in the post is identical to the online version.
I think I can safely say that every candidate who responds to you will state they want to tackle inequality in society, why would anyone not say this? And yet, on a daily basis I see activities and policies enacted that continue to support the growing inequality gap. Just today, Cass Business School have released research that for the first time since the 1870s, the life expectancy of the highest and lowest socioeconomic groups is diverging[1].
One of the reasons I joined the Green Party was because of its strong commitment to a better and fairer society – that remains the case. I want to be part of a more equal society, and the available evidence suggests that more equal societies are better for all their citizens[2] . While many policies to tackle inequality need to be made at the national level by government, there are many things that a unitary authority can do to tackle inequalities locally. However, both local and national government need to take bold progressive moves if we are to begin closing the gap.
Income inequality is just one part of the problem – so while I have addressed that issue specifically, I have also mentioned a few other areas where action at the council level could be taken to address inequalities.
Income
There are substantial differences between income and wealth inequality. Tackling wealth inequality through taxation and policy needs to be done at the national level. However, as employers and procurers of goods and services, local councils wield considerable ability to influence the pay of their own workers and those of their suppliers and thus address income inequality head-on.
If I were elected I would work to ensure that a proper living wage[3] was paid to all council workers and that procurement policies also take in to account suppliers who pay a living wage. We have living wage employers here in Swindon and should recognise and celebrate them.
Challenging austerity
The cuts we have seen to services across the country as a result of ‘austerity measures’ have hit people disproportionately. Of the £8.1bn austerity cuts and net personal tax increases, 72% has fallen upon women. When combined with the reduction in public services which women are more likely to use than men, there is a knock-on effect on child poverty.
If elected, I would challenge the ongoing cuts and reductions in services that will ultimately cost society more in the longer term. This is not just about challenging it at the council level, but having our council push back against national government too.
Housing
We are in the midst of a housing crisis – and while Swindon is not one of the least affordable places in the country, there is a lack of affordable and social housing for residents.
If elected I would push for the council to look at options on housing including a register of empty houses/properties to bring them back in to use, better regulation of private landlords and development of houses for social and affordable renting. The lack of access to suitable housing puts some members of society at a massive disadvantage and contributes towards the inequalities we see.
Education
We have seen and are seeing cuts to many services that provide informal and lifelong learning opportunities and support education environments, such as closure of Sure Start centres and potential reductions to our library services.
If elected I would champion more evidence based decision-making about publicly run and offered services for the community. Whilst there is a need to look at council spending due to the reduction in central government funding, I don’t believe the longer term costs and consequences of reductions in services are always considered or factored in to decision-making.
The natural environment
Access to the natural environment is vital to maintaining health and well-being in populations – especially those who may not have access to their own garden. Income inequality can impact how people are able to access the natural environment. There is also growing evidence of pollution inequality – climate change, with the people who did least to cause it being most impacted as an obvious example. For many people in the UK we see inequality in the exposure of populations to pollution – for example air pollution is greatest in the most deprived neighbourhoods[4].
If elected I would work hard to tackle problems of air pollution, environmental degradation and to ensure equal access for all to the natural environment. An obvious issue is how our local parks, recreational and wild areas are managed as a benefit to all the people of Swindon and within a sustainable cost framework.
I was a single parent for many years, and recognise the valuable contribution to mine and my daughter’s life from having access to facilities such as local parks and libraries. While this did not address my low income, it did alleviate some of the more negative effects. I want to utilise that experience to tackle some of the inequalities I see around me.
I strongly believe that reducing the inequality we see in this country is vital to improving the life prospects of individuals so that society as a whole will benefit. There is a need for a much wider conversation about this – and it should not be side-lined as wishful thinking or unrealistic ‘pie in the sky’ ideas, but instead can provide a vision for the kind of society that sees more people flourish and benefits us all.
Yours sincerely
Poppy Leeder
[1] http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2016/april/an-investigation-into-growing-inequalities-in-adult-lifespan
[2] https://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/default/files/jrf/migrated/files/inequality-income-social-problems-full.pdf - see exec summary
[3] http://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-living-wage - there are differences between the national living wage, recently introduced by the Conservative government, and what has been calculated to be a real living wage that provides for anyone over the age of 18 rather than starting at age 25
[4] http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_26-1-2015-12-17-52